The Evolution of a Greater Toronto

Mr. President and Gentlemen,

Speaking from an almost continuous residence in Toronto of about forty-five years, I propose to show by a series of comparisons how greatly the city has expanded in that time, and to indicate what the duty of its citizens is in view of the certainty that the expansion will be greater in the future than it has been in the past: Familiar as I had long been with the subject in a general way I was surprised at the statistics I have procured, and I believe they will prove equally startling to you.

Dealing first with the area of the city you will bear in mind that there have been several annexations of suburban territory. From 1837, when the city was incorporated, to 1883 when Yorkville village was annexed, its boundaries remained unchanged, and its area was about seven square miles. Its area is now thirty-two square miles; that is to say it is a city stretching ten miles from east to west and on the average a little more than three from north to south. In all probability North Toronto will shortly be added to Toronto, at least as far north as Eglinton Avenue. The population at the beginning of my period of residence was not more than 50,000; today the population is close to, if not quite, 400,000; so that we have multiplied our population by eight in a little more than forty years. A fair way to exhibit the rapidity of increase of population is to take the statistics of school attendance. In 1865 Toronto had go public school teachers, in the present year we have 901. In 1865 we had only one High School with a small staff of teachers; now we have it very much enlarged and six others of the same type, besides the Technical High School; the high school teaching staff having at present about 120 members. In 1865 we paid in teachers' salaries $41,204; this year the estimated amount for salaries is $806,850 for public school teachers alone.

The general expenditure on the City services, exclusive of education, was $373,000 in 1868; it is estimated for this year at $6,874,800. The revenue from taxation alone in 1868 was $298,000, while for this year it is $4,651,000. Between 1865 and 1910 the mileage of streets has increased from 117 to 408. In 1865, four years after the street railway was started, there were only four miles of single-track, horse-car railway; now we have 407 miles of electric railway, necessitating the use of quite heavy rails, and 27 miles have been ordered to be added to their total. The expansion has been equally striking in steam railways that terminate in the city or pass through it. In 1865 we had only the Grand Trunk Railway, east and west, the Northern to Collingwood, and the' Great Western branch to Hamilton. Now we have the Northern extended to North Bay, connecting there with the Temiskaming Railway; the Midland connecting with points north-eastward; the Grand Trunk extended to Chicago; the Canadian Pacific to Detroit, to Owen Sound, to Goderich, to Sudbury, to Lindsay, and to Ottawa and Montreal; and the Canadian Northern completed to Sudbury and under construction to Ottawa.

In view of the probability that in a quarter of a century Toronto will have at least twice the population she has today, the duty of her citizens is plain. In the matter of parks, we are still far behind where we should be. Many years ago McGill Square was offered to the city for $20,000, but the offer was refused and it was purchased as a site for the Metropolitan Church. When the late Mr. Howard offered 200 acres to the city on easy terms of payment-practically a gift-it was only after long discussion and much hesitation that the offer was accepted. It is now part of Howard Park. Prior to the acquisition of that great pleasure ground the city's only park was Queen's Park, which it has from the University of Toronto at a nominal rental and on easy conditions; yet the lease was forfeited for non-fulfillment of these conditions, and in order to secure the park again it had to pay $6,000 a year in perpetuity.

Looking to the future we should have a sea-wall drive at least fifteen miles long from the Humber River to the Scarboro' town-line, including the Island. We should have as its counterpart a boulevard from the mouth of the Humber, inland and around the city to the lake shore at Scarboro, at least twentyfive miles long, making a continuous drive, with electric car tracks of 4o miles. This would be accomplished at a comparatively small cost to the city if the property lying on each side of the boulevard were secured for the purpose of being resold at the highest price obtainable on account of the construction of the drive.

Authority should be vested in some corporate body to control the laying out of streets in new territory and to correct defects in their lay-out in the old area of the city. For example, Harbord Street, which must become a great thoroughfare, should be extended and widened, and this could be accomplished by buying property on each side to be resold at increased price. Similarly the great thoroughfare made up of Arthur St., St. Patrick St., Anderson St., and Wilton Ave., should be made wider. Across the Don a new street should be used to extend this thoroughfare to East Toronto. St. Clair Ave. and Bloor St. should be widened. Two diagonal streets, one north-easterly and the other north-westerly should be laid out, of ample width, so as to save distance in reaching the centre of the city from the outskirts. This would give from the centre five ideal lines: Queen St. East, Queen St. West, Yonge St. North, and two diagonals.