History & Culture

Culture

Destination Toronto, ACPA 2027 Convention’s partner, has a robust list of information about the city’s places to visit, events, and festivals. https://www.destinationtoronto.com/

Toronto’s culture is, above all else, a culture of multiplicity. No single ethnicity, religion, language, or tradition dominates — and that diversity isn’t merely demographic fact, it’s the animating spirit of the city. Over half of Toronto’s residents were born outside Canada, making it one of the most immigrant-dense major cities on the planet. Neighbourhoods like Kensington Market, Chinatown, Little Portugal, Little India, and Greektown aren’t tourist constructs — they are living, breathing communities where cultures have taken genuine root over generations.

This multiculturalism shapes everything: the food scene is arguably Toronto’s greatest cultural achievement. On a single city block you might find Jamaican patties, Vietnamese pho, Ethiopian injera, and Sichuan hot pot — all exceptional, all authentic. Toronto has quietly become one of North America’s best eating cities with an incredible diversity of options and often times price points more affordable than other destinations.

Culturally and artistically, Toronto punches well above its weight. It is the third-largest film and television production hub in North America, earning the nickname “Hollywood North.” The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), held every September, is one of the most prestigious in the world and a key Oscar launch pad. The city has produced an outsized share of global music talent — from Glenn Gould and Oscar Peterson to Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Drake, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes — suggesting something in the air, or at least in the winters, that breeds introspection and artistry.

Sports occupy a near-religious space in the city’s identity. The Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), and Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) command intense loyalty from locals. The Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA Championship triggered an outpouring of collective joy that surprised even Torontonians — revealing a hunger for shared civic triumph that the city doesn’t always know it has. The Maple Leafs, perpetually heartbreaking, are nonetheless a civic obsession bordering on mythology.

What holds it together is a shared agreement to coexist, to build, to get on with it. Toronto is a city perpetually becoming, never quite finished, always absorbing something new, but with a rich and complex history. That restlessness is its most defining cultural trait — and, depending on your temperament, either its greatest strength or its greatest frustration.

History

Toronto’s history stretches back millennia, when Indigenous peoples — including the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabe — inhabited the region around Lake Ontario. The name “Toronto” likely derives from the Mohawk word tkaronto, meaning “where there are trees standing in the water.”

European presence began in the late 17th century with French traders and missionaries. In 1720, France established Fort Rouillé near the lakeshore, though it was burned and abandoned in 1759 during the Seven Years’ War as British forces advanced. British control solidified after 1763. 

By 1834, the town was incorporated as the City of Toronto. Through the mid-1800s, railways arrived and Toronto boomed as a commercial hub. Waves of Irish and British immigrants swelled the population, earning the city the nickname “Toronto the Good” for its strict Protestant morality. Confederation in 1867 made Toronto capital of the new province of Ontario.

The post-WWII era brought transformative immigration from Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, reshaping Toronto into one of the world’s most multicultural cities. Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and a global financial and cultural capital, its identity shaped by thousands of years of layered history. Toronto serves as the cultural, financial, and entertainment heart of Canada and has an estimated city proper population of over 3.3 million residents, with the broader Greater Toronto Area (GTA) surpassing 7 million people.

Higher education in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

Canadians do not use the words university and college interchangeably as is common in the United States. 

  • Universities grant degrees and focus heavily on theoretical research and broad academic disciplines. 
  • Colleges (or applied arts institutions) offer career-oriented diplomas and certificates designed for rapid workforce entry and many are associated with the trades. 
  • Polytechnics blend both, offering technical, hands-on learning alongside advanced bachelor’s degrees geared toward specific industries.

Universities

  • **University of Toronto (U of T): Canada’s largest university and a globally renowned research institution. It spans three campuses (St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough) and is globally acclaimed for medicine, engineering, and computer science. 
  • York University: Canada’s third-largest university, offering flagship programs through its Osgoode Hall Law School, Schulich School of Business, and AI/robotics labs across its Keele, Glendon, and Markham campuses.
  • **Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU): Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, this university is highly regarded for its entrepreneurship, media, and technology programs.
  • **OCAD University: Canada’s largest and oldest art and design university, situated adjacent to the Art Gallery of Ontario.
  • Guelph-Humber: A unique collaborative institution offering both a university honors degree and a college diploma in just four years.

Colleges and Institutes

  • Seneca College: One of the largest colleges in Canada, offering programs spanning IT, aviation, business, and creative arts across multiple GTA campuses. 
  • Humber College: Known for its innovative polytechnic model, offering robust media, health sciences, and business curriculums at campuses in Etobicoke. 
  • **George Brown College: Deeply integrated with Toronto’s downtown and waterfront districts, specializing in culinary arts, nursing, construction, and early childhood education.
  • Sheridan College: Famed for its animation, illustration, and design programs, operating campuses in Oakville, Mississauga, and Brampton. 
  • Centennial College: Located across the eastern GTA, providing career-focused education in engineering, tech, and hospitality.

** These schools are walking/biking/public transit distance from the Toronto Metro Convention Centre