Living in Toronto Tip Sheet

So, you've arrived in Toronto and you're ready for classes... now what?

When you first arrive in Toronto, it can be difficult to get oriented to your new surroundings. You've registered for classes and found a place to live, but now you want to know about the really important stuff like what newspaper to read, radio station to listen to or where to get a decent cup of coffee.

This Tip Sheet has been prepared in an effort to bring you helpful information to ease your transition to life in Toronto and at U of T. At the moment the tip sheet lists media sources and city festivals.

Media Services

Toronto Daily Newspapers:

The 4 major Toronto dailies can be purchased at convenience stores, grocery stores and newspaper boxes found on many street corners. They all also have online versions.

The Globe and Mail
Toronto Star
Toronto Sun
National Post

Arts and Culture Newspapers:

These papers are free of charge and can be found on racks in restaurants, bookstores, cafés and other public places, as well as in boxes on the street. All of these publications also have online versions.

NOW Magazine(weekly — "alternative news and entertainment source")
The Grid (weekly — arts, culture and entertainment)
Exclaim! (monthly — "Canada's Music Authority")
Xtra! (biweekly — "Canada's Gay and Lesbian News")

On Campus Newspapers:

These papers can be found on racks in the many buildings around campus.

The Varsity (campus wide student paper)
The Medium (UTM student paper)
The Underground (UTSC weekly student paper)
The Newspaper (independent)
The Cannon (Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering news)
The Gargoyle (University College student paper)
The Monograph (Faculty of Pharmacy news)
Salterrae (Trinity College student paper)
The Strand (Victoria College student paper)
The Woody (Woodsworth College)
The Mike (St. Mike's College)
The Herald (Innis College)
Toike Oike (U of T Engineering Society monthly humour paper)
Ultra Vires (Faculty of Law student paper)
The Window (New College student paper)
The Bulletin (U of T's faculty and staff newspaper)
Peer Review Magazine (interdisciplinary research articles)

Websites and Blogs:

toronto.com — www.toronto.com

torontoist: — torontoist.com
blogTO — www.blogto.com
spacingtoronto — spacingtoronto.com

Radio Stations:

In addition to tuning them in on your radio, all of these stations have websites where you can listen to the broadcasts live.

Campus Radio:

CIUT FM - 89.5 (U of T St. George Campus Radio)
CFRE Vibe - 91.9 (UTM Student Radio)
SCCR - 90.3 FM (UTSC Campus Radio)
CFRU - 93.3 FM (University of Guelph)
CKLN - 88.1 FM (Ryerson University)
CHRY - 105.5 FM (York University)

CBC/ Radio-Canada:

CBC Radio 1 - 99.1 FM in Toronto
CBC Radio 2 - 94.1 FM in Toronto
CBC Radio 3 - Internet Only
Radio Canada International - Internet Only
Radio-Canada Première Chaîne - 860 AM in Toronto
Radio-Canada Espace Musique - 90.3 FM in Toronto

FM Stations:

Jazz FM - 91.1 FM
The Flow (Rhythmic Top 40) - 93.5 FM
Wave 94.7 (Smooth Jazz) - 94.7 FM
Classical 96.3 - 96.3 FM
102.1 The Edge (New Rock) - 102.1 FM
CHFI (Lite Favourites) - 98.1 FM
CHIN (Multilingual) - 100.7 FM
CHUM FM (Hot AC) - 104.5 FM
Q107 (Classic Rock) - 107.5 FM
CIRV Radio International (Multilingual) - 88.9 FM
Proud FM - 103.9 FM
Virgin Radio (Top 40) - 99.9 FM

AM Stations:

Newstalk 1010 - 1010 AM
680 News - 680 AM
The Fan 590 (Sports Radio) - 590 AM
CHIN (Multilingual) - 1540 AM

Toronto Television

Most Toronto residents have a "basic cable" package which gives them approximately forty channels to choose from. This pay cable service is provided by either Rogers or Shaw Cable (depending upon where you live). There are however approximately thirteen local channels that can be received free via your television antenna, depending on you reception.

Local Television Channels Include:

TVO (TV Ontario)
Global
CBC
CTV
CHCH
PBS (Public Broadcaster based in Buffalo, NY)

Festivals

There are many, many festivals going on in Toronto all the time. Below is a list of just some of the things you might like to check out. Keep an eye on the arts and culture papers or an ear on the radio, to find out what's going on at the moment.

Arts Festivals:

Luminato: Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity (June)
May Works: Festival of Working People and the Arts (April-May)
Nuit Blanche: A free all-night contemporary art event (late September or early October)

Comedy Festival:

Just for Laughs, Toronto (September)

Cultural Festivals:

Toronto Caribbean Festival/ Caribana (July)
Masala! Mehndi! Masti! (July)
Pride Week (late June)

Film Festivals:

Hot Docs: Canadian International Documentary Film Festival (April/ May)
- - Hot Docs also runs Doc Soup, a monthly screening series from October - April at the Bloor Cinema.
Images Festival: Film & Video/ New Media/ Installation (March/ April)
imagineNATIVE: Film and Media Arts Festival (October)
Inside Out: Toronto LGBT Film and Video Festival (May)
Planet In Focus: International Environmental Film and Video Festival (October)
Reel Asian International Film Festival (November)
Toronto International Film Festival (Early September)
- - This festival is massive and takes a bit of planning. Start checking the website in July/ August for cheaper tickets and greater choice.
Worldwide Short Film Festival (June)

Music Festivals:

Beaches International Jazz Festival (July)
Muhtadi International Drumming Festival (June)
NXNE (North by North East) (June)
Toronto Jazz Festival (June/ July)

Theatre Festivals:

Fringe Festival (July)
The Rhubarb Festival (February)
Summer Works Theatre Festival (August)

Writing Festivals:

International Festival of Authors (October)
The Scream Literary Festival (July)
The Word on the Street: National Book and Magazine Festival (September)

Living in Toronto means living in a city of vibrant neighbourhoods. You can imagine Toronto as a quilt with different cultures contributing to its fabric.