Introduction Good morning. It's a pleasure to be with you today. The houses are large and good, the shops excellent. Many of them have a display of goods in their windows such as may be seen in thriving country towns in England, and some of them would do no discredit to London itself. Charles Dickens wrote those words in his diary during a visit to Toronto in 1842.
Signs are everywhere.
The new Toronto is working. I want to leave you today with the message that not only is it working today, but the new Toronto is the city that thinks ahead. I'd like to first look at the short- term success of amalgamation. Then look at significant challenges facing us and how we will meet them. Short answer is yes.