Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Institutional Links

 

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

Toronto, Torontonian, GTA, Hogtown, Metro

In the late 1990s, the municipality known as Metropolitan Toronto or Metro became the megacity of Toronto. The entire Toronto region, from Burlington to Clarington, is known as the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

  • When you are in Toronto, be sure to visit Casa Loma.
  • Traffic in the GTA (or Greater Toronto Area) is increasing every year.

Hogtown is a popular nickname for Toronto. The origin of the nickname lies in the hog-processing industry located there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A native or resident of Ontario’s capital city is called a Torontonian. While the demonym Torontonian is seen in newspapers and magazines, it is often replaced in more formal writing by native, resident or inhabitant of Toronto, or some similar phrase.

  • Tony’s father was a Torontonian by birth (or a native of Toronto), but a Vancouverite by choice.
  • Torontonians (or Residents of Toronto) still refer to their city as Metro.

Toronto is commonly used as a modifier, while Torontonian is sometimes encountered.

  • The Toronto City Council includes the mayor and 44 Members of Council, representing the different wards.
  • Twenty years ago, Sunday shopping had no place in Torontonian values.