Statement made on 05 March 2009 by Senator Art Eggleton
Hon. Art Eggleton:
Honourable senators, tomorrow the City of Toronto will celebrate its one hundred and seventy-fifth year as an incorporated municipality. People have lived in the Toronto region on the north shore of lake Ontario for thousands of years. The native Huron peoples have long called it Toronto, believed to translate as "meeting place."
It was not until the early 1600s that Europeans came to know the area as well. The French Jesuit Étienne Brûlé, on orders from explorer Samuel de Champlain, was sent to explore this area through the lakes and rivers attached to the St. Lawrence River. He found portage routes along the Humber and Don Rivers, which spill into Lake Ontario, and he established a bustling French trading post.
In 1793, John Graves Simcoe, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, established the Fort York military post and the civilian town of York in the area. Due to its importance as the colonial capital, York quickly expanded in population and attracted many in the financial and educational sectors. Also, at a time of expanding trade and improving transportation, York's geographical location served the commercial needs of the newly-settled hinterland.
To meet the service needs of an expanding population, the City of Toronto was incorporated on March 6, 1834. William Lyon Mackenzie, a prominent journalist, politician and noted rebel, was elected Toronto's first mayor. I was pleased to be mayor for some 11 years in the 1980s.
During the first half of the 20th century, Toronto's population grew rapidly and the city began to compete with Montreal as Canada's premier centre. By 1976, Toronto's population had surpassed Montreal's.
Today, Toronto is Canada's largest city and is home to a diverse population of more than 2.5 million people, with close to 5.5 million in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto has become one of the most multicultural cities in the world, where 152 languages and dialects are spoken largely in an atmosphere of harmony.
Toronto is a key economic engine in Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. It is an exciting city with rich cultural and social traditions. The city is a safe, orderly and inclusive community, where working and living are ranked among the very best in the world.
I am proud to be from Toronto, and I am proud to have served this wonderful city for many years. Happy one hundred and seventy-fifth birthday, Toronto.