Moose In The City

   In the year 2000, Toronto mayor Mel Lastman and the founder of McDonald's Canada decided to unleash about 300 moose into the city.  Originally, businesses purchased a fibreglass moose and it was uniquely painted by an artist. Now over 22 years later these moose can still be found popping up in unexpected places.   This is a list of the moose we have managed to track down, in no particular order.  Most of them can be found in Ontario, Canada. Visit them while you can as you never know when they may be off to a new home.

1 ) World Famous Moose  (1 McDonald's Place, North York)

    This moose stands outside McDonald's Canada Headquarters.  Its plaque says it is "World Famous Moose".  We think it should be called Ronald McMoose after the character it resembles.

   As an added bonus, this moose is located right next to a giant McCafe coffee cup.

2)  Lucky Moose  (393 Dundas Street West, Toronto)

    Lucky Moose stands on top of the Lucky Moose Food Mart.  The market might even have been named after the moose.  The logo on the sign however, has the horns of a cow.

3)  ATS Moose  (100 Vaughan Valley Blvd, Woodbridge)

 

    This all red moose stands in front of ATS Healthcare which provides temperature controlled transportation for medical purposes.

4)  Bay Street Moose  (4241 Dundas St W, Etobicoke)

    This moose is wearing his best suit and is ready for some wheeling and dealing on Bay Street.  When the day is done he is up on the roof of Gibson's Cleaners to get his suit dry cleaned.

5)  Yellow Moose  (1900 Steeles Ave W, Concord)

An all yellow moose with a few blue highlights stands out front of Alpa Lumber Group.

6)  Impact Tools Moose  (1170 The Queensway, Etobicoke) 

 

 

    Another all yellow moose is up on the roof of Impact Tools.  This one is wearing some sort of protective vest.

7)  Santa Moose  (50 Bonnie Dr, Simcoe, ON)

 

   Out in Simcoe, Ontario they do a special Christmas Panorama each winter.  Santa Moose who originally stood outside Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto makes a special appearance every year.

8)  Bluewinkle Moose  (8200 Warden Ave., Unionville) 

 

  

     This moose is located in the lobby area of the IBM Canada Software Lab.  This is a private company building so we were not sure if we would manage to get a visit.  We tried our luck and showed up one day.  The security guard was kind enough to let us take a few pictures.

 

 

    Bluewinkle even has his own IBM access badge with his name on it. 

  9)  Centreville Moose  (Centreville Amusement Park, Toronto Islands)

   This moose we know is no longer where we spotted it many years ago.  We were busy taking pictures of the touring cars we enjoyed riding in as children when this moose snuck into the shot.

  10 ) CuJo Moose  (1037 Little Britain Rd, Little Britain)

      This moose out in the town of Little Britain is named after legendary Toronto Maple Leaf goalie Curtis Joseph.  While you are there you can get some sweet treats at the Buttertarts 'N More store.

11 ) Florence Moosingale  (396 Moore Ave, Toronto)

 

    This moose is located outside of Integracare. Integracare provides health care services.  The moose was named after Florence Nightingale who was the founder of modern nursing.  Florence Moosingale could be the founder of modern moosing.

12 ) St. Clement's Moose  (21 St Clements Ave, Toronto)

    St. Clement's is a private school for girls and at least one moose.  This moose is all dressed up in the school uniform.

 

13 ) Global Moose  (222 Bremner Blvd, Toronto)

 

    This moose was found inside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  He is wearing a nice suit with flags from around the world.

 

14 ) Mountie Moose  (430 Pine St, Waubaushene)

 

     This moose used to be seen hanging around the CN Tower but has since changed locations.  He was all dressed up like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  When a beloved moose mascot named Wauby was damaged at a truck stop in Waubaushene, the Mountie was sent in to save the day. 

15 ) Angus Moose  (231 Mill St, Angus)

     Formerly known as Marty, this moose is now called Angus after the town where it resides.  At some point it was placed above the drive-thru of the local McDonald's.  It was repainted by local students when it moved from its original home at the Universal Studios offices in North York.

16 ) Northwest Moose  (20 Wynford Drive, Toronto)

      This moose is blue and white and stands outside a medical centre just across the steet from the Aga Khan Museum.  

17 ) Incredible Moose  (30 St. Regis Crescent N, North York)

     This colourful moose is standing outside of Incredible Printing.  It has different type faces on it.

 

18 ) Zeus Moose  (169 South Rd, Devonshire, Bermuda)

     This moose is not in Ontario, Canada.  He can be found wearing his Bermuda shorts in the land that invented them.   He moved from Canada to the Bermuda Botanical Gardens, in Bermuda of course.

19 ) Sweet Molly's Moose  (352 Queen St E, Unit #1, Acton)

    
  This moose can be found hanging out inside a British bake shop surrounded by sweet treats.

  

20 ) Canadian Crane Moose Trio  (60 Saunders Rd, Barrie)

 

     These three moose can be seen on the roof of the Canadian Crane building as you head northbound into Barrie on the 400 Highway.  We haven't had a chance to get a good photo yet.  We are either speeding past headed north or distracted as we slowly stop and start headed southbound with the cottage country traffic.  Perhaps the Good Life Fitness parking lot on the west side of Highway 400 would give us a good view to finally get a picture. 

21 ) Green & Ross Moose  (3899 Highway 7, Woodbridge)

     This green moose is outside of an Active Green + Ross Tire And Automotive Centre.  

22 ) Stanley Moose  (St Leonards Ave and Mount Pleasant Rd, Toronto)

     This moose can be spotted looking off of the roof of a private residence along Mount Pleasant Road.  

23 ) Police Moose  (40 College St, Toronto)

     Police Moose is ready to serve and protect at the Toronto Police Headquarters.  He even has a moose calf with him helping to keep watch over the Police Museum.   

241 ) Kennedy Road Moose  (2 Antrim Crescent, Scarborough)

 

     The Kennedy Road Business Association sponsors this moose.  The moose thanks you for supporting the many businesses located between Lawrence Avenue and the 401.

 

  

25 ) Excalibur Moose  (100 Princes' Blvd , Toronto)

 

     This moose was found hiding down the hallway on the far east end of the Enercare Centre (Formerly Direct Energy Centre).  He has scenes from years of the Canadian National Exhibition painted on his body.  He also has golden antlers and wears a crown.

 

26) Cherry Shirt Moose  (1405 Denison St, Markham)

 

    This moose is wearing a cherry shirt, jean shorts and little red shoes. Also maybe too much blush?

Well, there are all the moose that we have found for you.  Only a couple of hundred more to go.  If anyone has recently found a missing moose let us know in the comments.  We will update this list if we locate any more on our travels.

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Map of Our World

Moose In The City Toronto Map , Moose In The City World Map

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Post # 311

Little India

 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 1432 Gerrard Street East
Date: Feb 2022

    Little India is the name given to a stretch of Gerrard Street East between Greenwood and Coxwell avenues.  It is named after the many Indian restaurants and businesses in the area.  We took some time to take a walk through this part of Toronto.

   We started our journey just south of Gerrard Street East on Greenwood Ave.  The people on the back of this building were also headed north.

      The next building paid homage to the clay brickyards that used to reside in the area.  The mural shows children playing in the streets and the signs above list some of the brickyards.  Some of the brickyards are John Price, Taylor, Wagstaff, Russell and more.  The building also used to hold the Brickyard Bistro.

   The brickyards used to operate further north on Greenwood Avenue.  Once all the clay in the area was used, the yards became a city dump and finally became the property of the Toronto Transit Commision for adding trains to the Bloor Danforth subway line.

    We visited the Greenwood Rail Yard during one of Toronto's Doors Open days.  As part of the event we were given a free subway ride around the yard.

    We headed along Gerrard Street and finally encountered our first bit of India.  At Glenside Avenue we were greeted by a giant peacock painted on the wall.

   As with most of Toronto, no area is all just one culture or style.  Right across from the peacock is a little bit of Greece at the Athens Villa apartments.

  One thing that we noticed a lot during our walk was elephants.  There were elephants up on the rooftops.

   If you knew where to look.

    There were elephants on the fence outside of the local library branch.

  There were also dancers, tigers and the Taj Mahal.

   Here are a few more works of art we noticed on our walk on Rhodes Avenue.  There was a group of cats waiting to pounce on a bird.  There was also a spray painted koala and Uncle Pennybags, better known to some as Mr. Monopoly.  Lastly, as we made it to Coxwell Avenue we came across Super Dave Convenience which always reminds us of the late, great Super Dave Osbourne. 

  These are only a few of the treasures hidden in Little India, we will have to return again when we can explore further.

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Map of Our World
Brickyards Mural , Peacock Mural, Little India Elephants, Toronto Public Library - Gerrard/Ashdale Branch, 1465 Koala, Swizzle Cats, Utility Box (Uncle Pennybags), Flower In A Jar
Athens Villa, Super Dave Convenience
TTC Greenwood Yard

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Post # 309

Elephants of Toronto

   In 2013 the last African elephants left the Toronto Zoo. They were headed to California to live out their days in a larger space away from cold Canadian winters. We miss the elephants when we visit the zoo.  But don't worry, if you know where to look you can still find elephants hidden around Toronto.  Below is a list of places to include on your search. If you know of any more, please let us know.

1 ) Toronto Zoo

   A good place to start your search for elephants is at the Toronto Zoo.  The big elephants may be gone, but these three little ones still remain.  They are near the African Pavilion looking towards the old elephant exhibit.  The exhibit is now home to the zoo's Masai giraffes.

  We also spotted a couple of elephants on the roof of the Savanna Snacks store.  This store is located near the African Zoomobile stop and the old home of the Masai giraffes.

2)  Commerce Court

    If you are looking for bigger elephants around the city then Tembo is for you.  Tembo, Mother of Elephants stands in Commerce Court just north of Bay & Wellington. She is over nine feet tall.

  Behind Tembo are two little elephant calves following their mother.

  These bronze sculptures bring some extra life and fun to Toronto's financial district.

    Tembo is small compared to the towers of Toronto's downtown.  If you don't know where to look, you might just miss her.

3)  Toronto Police Museum

  Elmer the elephant has been around since 1947 teaching school children about safety.  He has been helping keep children safe in playgrounds and on the roads.  This little Elmer (above) can be found in the Toronto Police Museum.  

  Many schools around the city still fly the flag and participate in the Elmer school program today.

4)  Elephant & Castle

    The Elephant & Castle is the name of a group of pubs.  There used to be a couple of locations in the Toronto area.  The location at Yonge & Gerrard closed. This one (above) is located on King Street West near Roy Thomson Hall.

   The pub is named after an area of London, England.  The logo has an elephant with the turret of a castle on its back.

5)  Yarmouth Road

   This next elephant stands on the front lawn of a private house on Yarmouth Road in Toronto.  When we visited it was hiding behind a tree.

6)  My Roti Place

   The elephant painted on the wall of My Roti Place on Queen Street West looks ready to pull the crown right off of your head.  While you are there why not build your own meal served on Indian flatbread?

7)  Starbucks

     A lot of people inside Starbucks don't notice anything besides their cellphone and their coffee.  We noticed this Kenyan elephant on the wall of a location near Leslie & Sheppard.  It was there to show where the different coffee beans come from.  There was also a Sumatran tiger and Guatemalan parrots.

  8)  Utility Boxes

   At the east end of Seaforth Avenue you can find this pair of pachyderms.  More and more utility boxes around the city are being painted by artists.  We liked the colours and style of this elephant pair.

   Up on Sewells Road in Scarborough is a utility box that is just full of animals.  And yes, there is an elephant included.

9 ) Pearson Airport

   If you have ever found yourself departing from Toronto's Pearson International Airport in the winter, you may have been in the presence of another Toronto elephant.  These trucks are called elephants after the hoses that are mounted on a crane.  They are used to spray a glycol / water mix that looks like orange Kool-Aid.  The orange spray is de-icer.  Thanks to these elephants, planes are able to take off safely in even the coldest conditions.

10 ) York Cemetery

     In the far back corner of York Cemetery in North York, we found another elephant.

   The elephant was in a section with dragons, sheep, birds and more.  It appeared they were still waiting for the humans that would eventually join them.

11 ) Beechwood Cemetery

    Our last elephants can be found at Beechwood Cemetery.  This mother and baby are located a little bit outside of Toronto just north of Jane & Steeles.   We could have stopped our list at ten but we thought it should go to elephan.

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Map of Our World

Toronto Zoo
Tembo Mother Of Elephants , Yarmouth Elephant , My Roti Place Elephant , Utility Box (Elephants) , Utility Box (Animals) , York Cemetery Sculptures , Beechwood Cemetery
Elephant & Castle , Starbucks (Leslie & Sheppard)
Metropolitan Toronto Police Museum , Pearson International Airport

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Post # 304