Toronto, the provincial capital of Ontario, is the largest city in Canada with a population of around 2.5 million residents. Toronto is the center of Greater Toronto Area (GTA), which consists of Downtown Toronto, Mississauga, and Scarborough. To give you an analogy, GTA is like Klang Valley, while the equivalents of Missisauga and Scarborough are the likes of Shah Alam and Subang Jaya.
Toronto is the most diverse city in the world, with roughly 49% of the population born outside of Canada. Therefore you won’t feel alienated as a foreigner over here, as almost everyone is actually a foreigner. Because of its low crime rate, high standard of living, and clean environment, Toronto is rated as one of the world’s most livable city. However, a high standard of living generally means high cost of living.
Weather
Toronto has a warm and humid summer and generally cold winter. The temperature during summer can get as high as 41C, while the temperature during winter can get as low as -33C. However, those are the extreme cases. On normal days, the summer will feel almost like Malaysia and the winter’s temperature will fluctuate around 2C to -15C. Toronto also has high humidity level, which is due to the southerly location near to the Lake Ontario. The southerly position and close proximity to water also means that the weather is not so cold over here – by Canadian standard - compared to other cities in Canada like Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, etc.
It is true that winter over here can get pretty cold, but on the bright side, one can enjoy the colorful four seasons (i.e. summer, fall, winter, and spring) that this temperate country has to offer. Mind you that the reddish maple leaves look so awesome during fall and spring. Plus, winter means fun ski and snowboarding season!
Public Transportation
Transports are run by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Getting around within Downtown Toronto is easier via tram and subway. The Government of Ontario operates buses and trains called GO-Transit within the city as well as its suburbs. The Toronto Pearson International Airport (IATA: YYZ), which is located in the city of Mississauga, is Canada’s busiest airport.
Food
As mentioned before, Toronto is very multicultural, therefore there won’t be any problem at all to find asian cuisines: Indian, Chinese, Japanese (sushi), etc. As for Halal food, you can find them basically everywhere! There are tons of Indian, Pakistan, Lebanese… and even Malaysian Restaurants that offer halal food. Even the university cafes like those at Chestnut Residence, New College, and Sidney Smith Hall offer halal food. Here is Muslim Students’ Association of U of T (MSA) list of halal places to eat around the campus. In fact, Toronto offer the cheapest halal food at Canada, as compared to other cities such as Ottawa, Alberta, Edmonton and Waterloo, mainly due to the high demand by the large Muslim community over here.
Faith
There is a multi-faith centre dedicated to all the faiths of the members of University of Toronto. For Muslims, mosques are available all around the city – Toronto itself has around 20 mosques - and prayer rooms are available within University of Toronto. As for the Friday Prayer, don’t fret, it is offered at the campus with around 200 attandees every week. Churches are almost everywhere here.
Malaysian Community
Toronto has an active and friendly Malaysian community. The Malaysian community over here will make you feel like home with their generous hospitality, excellent cooking (especially traditional Malaysian dishes!!!) as well as exciting activities and get togethers. Go and check out Malaysian Association of Canada and Melayu Toronto page for their exciting activities and events.
