About Toronto
Toronto’s citizens represent over 230 cultures and speak over 170 dialects, making it one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Toronto passionately embraces its diversity, reflective of Canada’s rich and inclusive tapestry.
Things to Do
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Consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world, Toronto is easily accessible with two international airports that cater to over 1,100 daily flights from over 180 cities worldwide. CNN Travel recently named Toronto Pearson International Airport one of the best-connected airports in the world.
Toronto’s downtown core boasts soaring skyscrapers and the iconic CN Tower, but it is the neighborhoods that make up its character. A short walk from the Convention Centre can find you exploring Chinatown, Little Italy, Kensington Market, and The Entertainment District, or walk down to the Harbourfront for a ferry trip to the Toronto Islands.
Toronto is also a great starting point to visit many other Canadian destinations, including Niagara Falls (90 minutes by car), Montreal (5 hours by train) and the Rocky Mountains (Calgary is a 4 hour flight).
Interesting facts about Toronto
- The CN Tower is the largest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere
- Over 50% of the population were born elsewhere
- Toronto has the largest underground shopping complex in the world
- Toronto is home to North America’s only authentic castle, Casa Loma
- The Toronto Islands are the largest urban car-free community in North America
- Toronto is the largest city in Canada, and the 4th largest city in North America.
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Toronto’s contributions to NCD prevention
Toronto has a long history of research and service innovations related to improving the management and prevention of chronic diseases.
Seminal contributions include the work of Nobel Laureates Drs. Frederick Banting and Charles Best who were first to discover insulin as a treatment for Type I diabetes.
Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch stunned the world by discovering transplantable stem cells which have the laid the foundation for a treating and preventing a host of NCDs.
Dr. Lewis Kay who won a Gairdner Award in 2017 for his work in preventing neurodegenerative diseases, Professor David Sackett went on to become one of the early builders and leaders of the Cochrane Collaboration.
Dr. Frasier Mustard helped uncover the relationship with NCDs and early childhood environments and also founded the Toronto-based and world famous Canadian Institute for Advanced Research which has had an affiliation with 19 Nobel Laureates since its inception in the early 1990s.
Dr. Trevor Hancock, the former Associate Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto who was an early pioneer and thought leader in health promotion, and founder of the healthy cities movement.
Today, thanks to Institutions such as the University of Toronto, the University Health Network, the Princess Margaret Hospital, Sunnybrook Hospital, the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Ryerson University, the MaRS Centre, McMaster University, and York University to name a few, the greater Toronto area continues to be a world renown centre of excellence in non-communicable disease treatment and prevention.
As evidenced by the 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion that has been adopted and used extensively by the WHO and countries around the world, Canada has been an early and frequent international leader and innovator in health promotion and disease prevention.