An underground pedestrian walkaway that links various locations and buildings to rail and subway stations, Toronto’s PATH network comprises walkaways, shopping venues, and tunnels in downtown Toronto.
The first pedestrian tunnel was built underneath James Street in 1900, linking Eaton’s Annex and the main store. Former planning commissioner Matthew Lawson expanded the network in the 60s, adding malls to the underground linkage. Construction work to build a new linkage north from Scotia Plaza began in 2007. A long-term expansion plan also envisages an expansion of up to 60 more kilometers and the addition of 45 entry points.
The PATH network links hotels, shopping centres, department stores, subway stations, and parking garages. Buildings and venues connected through the network include the Toronto City Hall, Scotiabank Arena, Ryerson University, Hilton Hotel, and the Toronto-Dominion Centre. Pedestrians have access to some 1,200 services, shops, and restaurants and popular tourist spots such as Roy Thompson Hall and the Hockey Hall of Fame. Other popular attractions are Rogers Centre and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, which is the home to some 20,000 aquatic species. Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose sports facility where soccer, football, basketball, and baseball games are played. Other tourist attractions connected to the network include the CN Tower, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, and Scotiabank Arena, which is the home of teams such as the Toronto Rock, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The RBC Centre is also connected to the PATH Network, housing the Royal Bank of Canada. The Commerce Court is found here as well, featuring a combination of Modernism, International, and Art Deco styles. It is the home of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Guardian Capital Group, Deutsche Bank, B2B Bank, and other tenants.
The network links hundreds of movie theatres, malls, businesses, and office towers. It is the largest underground shopping location listed in the Guinness World Records. With a total length of 27 km, the network allows tourists and residents to commute and visit various locations regardless of weather conditions. PATH also houses a variety of services and facilities such as newsagents, dry cleaners, pharmacies, opticians, gyms, foot clinics, and surgeries. Grooming and personal care services are also available, including barber shops, hair salons, and spas. There are also florists and jewelry, accessories, and fashion outlets.
From bubble tea counters, bakeries, and donut stalls to pubs, wine bars, and smoothie shops, there is something for everyone. Whether you are up for an after-work cocktail, French pastry, or a vegan meal or you want to buy specialty foods or gourmet groceries, it’s all there in Toronto’s PATH Network. The system also links pathways to major TTC subway stations, including King station, Queen station, Dundas station, and St. Andrew station.
Exploring and getting around may seem difficult at first but color-coded signs show visitors where different buildings and attractions are found. Cultural buildings are color-coded with C, sports venues with S, hotels with H, and tourist spots with stars. Colors are used for the points of the compass – orange is for west, yellow is for east, and south and north are coded with red and blue, respectively.
Found in downtown Toronto, Kensington Market is a charming bohemian neighborhood that was listed as a National Historic Site of Canada in 2006.
The neighborhood is a hub of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and markets. There are cheese shops, dry goods and spice stores, and bakeries. Shops sell a large variety of produce, from organic food, spices, teas, and coffees to pastries, cookies, and breads. The neighborhood is also home to services and facilities such as cosmetic and family dentist’s offices, barbershops, music and acting studios, and more.
The Kensington Community School is found on College Street and has a student population of 58 students in grades 4 – 6 and 91 in grade 3. Students are offered a variety of extracurricular activities such as music, drama, concert and performances, and strings. Students can join different sports teams, including track and field, swimming, soccer, cross country, and coed volleyball. There are also two school clubs, the Music Club and Announcement Club. Problems like low credit and inability to take out loans can prevent children from having these opportunities: https://www.creditcardsforbadcredit.ca/. Parents with bad credit thankfully have options to help them out of their often difficult situations. Refresh Financial offers a range of products catered to those with lower credit scores: https://www.creditcardsforbadcredit.ca/refresh-financial-innovative-financial-products/.
Toronto Western Hospital - This hospital is a teaching and research institution that has more than 200 outpatient clinics, emergency department, and a total of 256 beds. The medical facility runs a number of specialized clinics and centres such as the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Clinic, Adult Congenital Cardiac Clinic, and Asthma and Airway Centre. The hospital also runs different programs such as the Surgery and Critical Care Program and Laboratory Medicine Program. Testing services are offered through the Laboratory Medicine Program and Joint Department of Medical Imaging, including blood work, biopsy, ultrasound, and MRI. The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute is a program for patients with age-related health problems, illness, and serious disabling injury.
Kensington Market is also the home to a number of landmarks such as the Bellevue Square Park, Tom’s Place, and Number 8 Fire Station. Bellevue Square Park is a popular spot in summer time, featuring a kid’s play apparatus, play sand, and wade pool. Found on College Street, Number 8 Fire Station is another landmark that formerly housed a horse drawn hose car. Other landmarks in the area are the Kensington Market Garden Car and Kiever Shul, which is an Orthodox Jewish Synagogue built by Ukrainian immigrants.
The Kensington Market Festival of Lights - https://www.todocanada.ca/city/toronto/event/annual-kensington-market-winter-solstice/ is organized annually and features performances by samba musicians, stilt walkers, fire breathers, and puppets. Featured groups and artists include Spirit Wind, the Clay & Paper Theatre, Maracatu Nunca Antes, and Shadowland Theatre. The Kensington Market Jazz Festival is organized in different venues, including Trinity Common, The Round, Supermarket, and The Boat. The list of performers includes artists such as Marc Jordan, Shuffle the Demons, and others. Augusta House houses the Chiaroscuro Reading Series, and Bellevue Park hosts festivals and concerts.
The St. Stephen’s Community House is a social service agency operating in Kensington and offering a variety of programs to help vulnerable and marginalized community members. The agency offers youth, homelessness, and urban health services, senior and newcomer services, and childcare. Its childcare centres target children from low-income and single parent families and offer services with a focus on children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development.
Kensington Market is a multicultural community where different languages are spoken, including Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Serbian. The largest ethnic community is Chinese, accounting for close to 48 percent of the neighborhood’s residents. Other ethnic communities include Arab (3 percent), Latin (0.5 percent), and non-Chinese Asian (7 percent). Only 25 percent of the residents are third generation Canadians.