Local Information
An Astronomy Educator's Guide to the
2023 AstroEdu Conference in
Toronto, Canada
The conference will be held in downtown Toronto, which offers a wide variety of accommodation possibilities. We recommend the following hotels:
The Kimpton St. George Hotel
www.kimptonsaintgeorge.com
280 Bloor St. W.
The Kimpton St. George Hotel is the closest to the conference venue with a ten-minute walk to the conference site
Closest TTC Station: St. George Station
Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel
www.sonesta.com/royal-sonesta/on/toronto/yorkville-royal-sonesta-hotel-toronto
220 Bloor St. W.
The Yorkville Royal Sonests Hotel is approximately a 13-minute walk to the conference site.
Closest TTC Station: St. George Station
Courtyard By Marriot Hotel Toronto Downtown
www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/yyzcy-courtyard-toronto-downtown/overview/
475 Yonge St.
The Marriot Toronto Downtown is approximately a 15-minute walk to the conference site.
Closest TTC Station: College Station
Eaton Chelsea Hotel
https://www.chelseatoronto.com/en/
33 Gerrard St. W.
The Eaton Chelsea is approximately a 15-minute walk to the conference site.
Closest TTC Station: College Station
The in-person part of the conference will be hosted on the central St. George campus of the University of Toronto in downtown Toronto. Campus is widely accessible by public transit.
For more information about amenities on the University of Toronto St. George campus, we encourage you to consult to the campus map at map.utoronto.ca. The campus map includes highly detailed information about the availability of amenities such as:
- Vegan, gluten-free, Halal, and Kosher meals
- Breastfeeding/chestfeeding and childcare stations
- All-gender, accessible, and single-user washrooms
- Bikeshare and bike storage locations”
“Detailed information about the accessibility of the main conference venue can be found on lsm.utoronto.ca. Although the final room used for the conference will not be decided until April (because of campus room booking policies), we are committed to providing an accessible venue. The current candidate room for the main portion of the conference is Mechanical Engineering Building (MC) room 102. You can find a detailed accessibility profile of that room by selecting it from the drop-down list on the “Room Info” tab of lsm.utoronto.ca. That site provides highly detailed information on the accessibility features of the building, the room, and the nearest washrooms. Additional accessibility information is available on the campus map at map.utoronto.ca. If additional accessibility information would be useful, we would be happy to try to provide it. Additional rooms used for meals and breakout sessions are expected to be in the Sandford Fleming Building (SF) and the Wallberg Building (WB).
When you register, you will be asked about your accessibility requirements. We will do our best to accommodate all attendees so that everyone can participate equally.
For information about accessibility of public transit, please see Public Transportation below.
Stay tuned for more information
Getting Around
We encourage all travelers to Toronto to consider the climate impact of your journey and choose the lowest-carbon option available.
Rail: regional travelers can use GO Transit (https://www.gotransit.com/) to travel to and from Toronto. The VIA Rail network offers access to Toronto for travellers from across North America (https://www.viarail.ca/). VIA Rail can be very inexpensive if booked far in advance.
Buses: intercity bus travel across North America can be arranged through companies such as Greyhound: https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-stations-in-toronto
Air: international travelers typically arrive via Pearson International Airport (YYZ), which is located in the neighboring city of Mississauga. For information on how to get from the airport to the city, please see the Public Transportation section. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) offers direct access to the downtown from select cities internationally.
Stay tuned for more information
Toronto is generally considered one of the safest cities in the world (see: https://safecities.economist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Safe-Cities-Index-2021_eng.pdf). Nevertheless, travelers are encouraged to remain aware and alert of themselves and their belongings. Information about safety and how to handle emergencies while on the University of Toronto campus can be found at:
Personal Safety
In an emergency, dial 9-1-1 from any phone to contact emergency services.
Toronto is well served by a safe and extensive public transportation network. For an overview of the many options, see: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/transit-in-toronto/
- For buses, streetcars (trams), and subways within the city, see:
https://www.ttc.ca/trip-planner - For inter-city travel within the Greater Toronto Area, see:
https://www.gotransit.com/ - For travel by train to and from Pearson International Airport, see:
https://www.upexpress.com/
Transit accessibility for those using mobility or other aids is generally good, but not universal. For information on accessible transit within the city, see: https://www.ttc.ca/accessibility.
Further information can be found on the websites of each of the above agencies
Toronto has an expansive bike share system (see: https://bikesharetoronto.com/). Bicycles can be rented from automated kiosks on 30-minute, daily or 3-day passes. The cost of a single trip is typically the same as the cost of the same trip made on public transit. There is an app that can be used to see the map of available bikes, as well as to check one out. The cycling infrastructure is not up to Dutch standards, but there are designated bicycle lanes across much of the downtown core.
Bicycle helmets are compulsory for riders under the age of 18, but not for adults. Adult riders of e-bikes *do* require helmets. (see: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/cycling-in-toronto/cycling-and-the-law/)
At the moment, electric bicycles (e-bikes) are legal, but electric scooters are not (see: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/cycling-in-toronto/cycling-and-the-law/electric-bicycles-e-bikes-e-scooters/)
Money matters
There are many banks and ATMs (cash-points) located throughout the city. Visa and MasterCard are very widely accepted. Debit cards, which are called “Interac” locally, are also very widely accepted. Some restaurants may only take cash. If you don’t intend to carry cash, we recommend confirming whether or not the restaurant excepts cards before ordering.
Unlike most jurisdictions in the world, the price quoted for and item in a store or a restaurant is not the price you will pay. Typically, an additional 13% tax is added when you pay. Some food and other essential items are exempt, but you should anticipate having to pay this additional tax on most purchases.
In Toronto, restaurant servers typically rely on tips (gratuities) to make a living wage. For larger groups of people dining together, tipping may be compulsory and you may see a tip added automatically to your bill. For smaller groups or individuals, it’s conventional to tip 10-25% of the amount of your bill. So, if your bill came to $10, it would be conventional to offer $11.00-12.50. Some people vary the tip according to the quality of the service, while others consider it an obligatory part of dining out. Staff in chain coffee shops (e.g. Starbucks) may not be able to accept tips. If tipping is conventional, you will often see an option to add a tip when paying with a debit or credit card.
Food
Toronto offers some of the best food in the world, thanks in large part to its immense cultural diversity. We strongly encourage you to sample the many fine restaurants the city offers, which are accessible on nearly any budget. Toronto is often said to be a “city of neighborhoods”, which means that walking a few blocks may open up unsuspected culinary vistas.
The city is especially accommodating for those with special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free).
“Catered lunches and coffee breaks will be provided on all three days of the conference. All of the coffee breaks will provide vegan options. When you register, you will be asked to provide information about your dietary requirements and we will do our best to accommodate.
The University of Toronto St. George campus offers restaurants accommodating a wide variety of diets. Detailed information about the availability of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, Kosher, and Halal food can be found on the campus map at map.utoronto.ca. In addition, there are numerous nearby restaurants accommodating a wide variety of diets.
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