TORONTO ENTERS STEP 1 OF REOPENING

Today, Toronto enters Step 1 of the province’s 3-step reopening plan. Step 1 focuses on allowing more outdoor activities with smaller crowds and limited indoor settings to be open, all with restrictions in place.

Here is how Step 1 affects Toronto’s tourism and hospitality community, including new additions (bolded) since the plan was originally announced in May:

• Outdoor gatherings up to 10 people
• Outdoor dining up to 4 people per table
• Essential retail at 25% capacity and discount and big box stores can sell all goods
• Non-essential retail at 15% capacity and can sell all goods
• Retail stores in malls closed unless the stores have a street facing entrance
• Outdoor zoos, landmarks, historic sites, and botanical gardens with capacity limited to 15% for ticketed areas
• Drive-in and drive-through
• Outdoor tour and guide services up to 10 people, excluding boat and car tours
• Outdoor performances open for rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted event up to 10 people. Spectators are not allowed.

Step 1 is expected to last for at least 21 days. You can find out more about the full 3-step framework here.

TAP INTO DESTINATION TORONTO’S MEDIA ASSETS - INCLUDING NEW AERIAL FOOTAGE

Destination Toronto is here to help support your marketing efforts with our collection of images and videos including new aerial and drone footage. These images and videos are available for you to use in your marketing activity and future campaigns to help promote your businesses alongside the city. 

Click here to access a curated collection of assets including the aerial/drone footage, our hero video on the homepage of our content hub, and A Love Letter to Toronto video (featured in an article below).

Register here to access the entire Media Hub for all of our available video and photography assets:

RE-OPENING AND RECOVERY: THE URGENT NEED FOR A CANADA-U.S. BORDER PLAN

This week, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada launched a new campaign that calls on the federal government to plan for reopening the Canada-U.S. border. The campaign focuses on getting Canadian decision-makers to acknowledge the urgent need and to commit to a date and plan to open the border, before the summer tourism season is lost.

The announcement came in advance of the news that the Canada-U.S. border will remain closed until at least early July, but that the mandatory 14-day quarantine will soon end for fully vaccinated Canadians. 

Destination Toronto President & CEO Scott Beck shared his thoughts on the border re-opening and the need for an action plan from the Federal Government to help the tourism industry prepare for the return of travel. 

A LOVE LETTER TO TORONTO

At last week’s AGM, we closed the show with a new video – A Love Letter to Toronto. This new video features our Toronto Ambassadors who offer their diverse perspectives on the city they call home. From travelling the globe in a day through cuisine to exploring Toronto’s vibrant neighbourhoods, they discuss what they miss most about the city, and what they can’t wait to explore once restrictions are lifted.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Drake and Live Nation to Open History, a New Concert Venue in Toronto: Drake and Live Nation Canada will open History, a new live-entertainment 2,500 capacity venue. The Queen East venue offers artists a versatile and intimate destination to perform and connect with fans in Toronto. The venue plans to host 200 concerts and events, annually.

Last call goes back to 2 am in Toronto: With Step One of reopening happening today, bars and restaurants are now allowed to once again go back to last call at 2 am. Until today, last call was at 9 pm as a public health measure.

Toronto patios will allow live music in three neighbourhoods: Toronto City Council approved a motion to allow live music on patios as part of a pilot project. The three wards are Beaches-East York, Davenport and the Danforth. The idea was originally pitched by the Toronto Music Advisory in a letter sent to City Council.

Laneway Park-ing in Leslieville: The Laneway Project have just unveiled their latest converted laneway in Leslieville. Laneway Park-ing is improving three public laneways, including the laneway running from Logan Avenue and Morse Street, south of Queen Street East. The full-coverage, traffic-calming road mural is the first of its kind, created with a highway-grade surface coating never before used for this application in Toronto.