Hey Dad, Well I made it to Toronto safe evidently! You guys can stop worrying now.

The flight was a little long, but tolerable. Right when I get off the plane I could feel the difference in weather from Greece. Its much more humid here, but still not as high temperatures as back home, which is a nice change. I cant believe that its been so long since Ive been back here. Ive been telling you guys since we left in 92 that I wanted to go back even if its only for a week. Its funny really. While normal families immigrated to Canada, we decided to emigrate back to Greece. I think it was a good choice though. I got to grow up learning English, the international language of business, and you guys got to live the Canadian dream. And boy did you guys ever! Im really happy that our family was fortunate to do well enough to be able to move back to Greece. I know you guys liked Toronto, but deep down I know you loved Greece. Ive only been here one day so far and I can already see that the change that this city has gone through in the passed 20 years is astonishing. So much of the city has been revitalized since I was last here. Im found questioning myself at every store or building I look at, thinking, wait, was that there before? One area where this is especially true for is the Yonge and Dundas area. When I saw what this area looked liked coming out from the subway yesterday I was taken back. It looked like a scaled down version of Times Square! I was shocked! I dont know if you remember what it looked like, but when we lived in Toronto it was totally different.

Ive included some pictures I found of how it used to look when we lived here, and also some new pictures of the area that I snapped today. I remember how you used to talk about Dundas Square when I was a kid. In the 60s you used to say it was one of the nicest and most diverse areas in all of Toronto. Shops were clean and transit ran great in the area. But slowly over time the area began to lose investment from shop owners and the area became a slum. By the 90s, the area was full of unmoral shops that were in bad condition. A couple years after we left Canada was actually when the Toronto government started to have discussions about how to revitalize the Yonge-Dundas area. In 1996, the City of Toronto unveiled an ambitious redevelopment scheme for Yonge and Dundas. The plan included a one-acre (0.4-hectare) public square at the southeast corner of the streets, across from the Eaton Centre (which also went under renovation on its Yonge Street faade). Twelve businesses occupied the area that this plan proposed. Retailers such as Worlds Biggest Jean Store, World of Shoes, Yonge-Dundas Jewelry Exchange, Sports Image, and Licks all got expropriated from the area due to a vote from the City Council. Although this decision does seem like it is the best thing for Toronto, what about the business owners? What happened to them was the most extreme example of gentrification. Their old, shabby stores were raised to make way for a newer, revitalized square for the public. But where do these business owners go now? What about the people that lived in this area? These people and businesses got displaced and no longer belonged in this higher end public space now.

In 2003, Mayor Mel Lastman finally opened the square upon completion. On the north side of the street, PenEquity began building a 24-screen movie complex that would be named Toronto Life Square. A couple years into development, PenEquity actually ran into some financial problems and had to sell the building that now also displays many advertisements on its outer shell. The company they sold it to, Entertainment Properties Trust, is actually currently in talks with theme park operators Cedar Fair and Six Flags to discuss the possibility of a small theme park on top of the building. And just recently to the east of the square, CityTV and OMNI television have moved into the Olympic Flame building. This is interesting because of what happened to the Queen Street area when CityTV moved some of its operations there. As Jan Innes, a spokeswoman for Rogers I spoke to said, when CityTV was on Queen Street it made that area come alive. Well make this area [Dundas Square] come alive too. It will be young, it will be urban. We think that section of the city has really come to life. We think it will be a perfect fit for CityTV. Almost every week they have some type of an event at the square. Whether it is a multicultural festival or an advertising event, the square is always bustling with people. I found an interesting article that spoke about the first ever event at the square. It was a peace rally that was held in 2003. The author said that at its height, the crowd spilled out over Yonge and Dundas streets, blocking traffic in all directions. No one would make a claim about Dundas Square What [the rally] revealed was just how well the space is integrated into the urban fabric of Toronto.

There is, however, some people that I found that think there was an opportunity lost with the square. If you look at the square and surrounding area, there is absolutely no green space to be seen just grey. Even the Toronto Life building is just an industrial slab of concrete. Although I dont think grass would have worked out well, since the high traffic of the area, I do think that a couple trees could have been added in. Instead of green space, the architects decided to put in chairs, a stage, and electronically controlled spraying water fountains. Thats fine and dandy, but I really think that at least a couple trees would have really helped out with the washed out feel that the square can give off. This of course is only an issue during the day. At night, the square is filled with vibrant colour from all the advertisements and videos playing around the square in all directions. Overall, I am satisfied with how the Yonge and Dundas area is today. But I couldnt help but notice a glimmer of what the area used to be like. Just North of Dundas on Yonge, the Evergreen Yonge Street Mission still resides. In front of it are low-class people, smoking and yelling outside its doors. I remember so clearly now that this this is how the area used to be. Right beside it is Remingtons, a strip club, and beside it is an adult video store. Not far from those stores of course is Zanzibar, another strip club. These are the kinds of immortal stores that filled the area once. Business owners were not taking it upon themselves to individually gentrify the area. Their shops just got older and older as more low-class people flocked to the area. What was done here in the Yonge-Dundas area seems like it was for the better. It has created a higher class, tourist friendly area that can really showcase Torontos multicultural and bustling life. But where did the lower class

people go? Probably towards nearby Cabbagetown and Moss Park, both areas that are now in similar shape that Yonge-Dundas was when we left Canada. And what about the businesses that got expropriated? Ive come to the conclusion that although some wrong was done to some citizens, it really was for the betterment of the city. Dundas Square and surrounding area is a much-improved version of what it was like when we left it in the 90s. But, if you look close enough, you can still find traces of its dark past. Well Ive got to get back to unpacking now. I just wanted to send you guys a letter letting you know Im ok! Ill send one again soon before I head back home. Im off to go experience the new excitement that is Toronto, wish me luck! Talk to you soon,

- Anthony Kentris