Raccoons Of Toronto

  Toronto, Ontario, Canada is often referred to as the "Raccoon Capital of the World". We thought we would list some of the raccoons that we have encountered around the city.  We like the little guys, despite the fact that they tear up your garbage or scare you half to death with their screams as you walk around the side of the house at night. Here are some actual raccoons and artistic raccoon tributes that we have seen in Toronto.

Love Park

Love Park has many animal sculptures including the raccoon above.  Read More.

Emily May Rose

Artist Emily May Rose has painted her raccoons getting up to mischief on various walls around the city.  The critters above were found in Feel Good Lane.

  These groups were spotted on the wall of 1988 Davenport Road and across from Yonge Dundas Square.  We like how when the raccoons spray paint, it is usually to paint raccoons.

  These raccoons are brought to you by Guinness and located on Richmond Street West behind the Sheraton Centre.

 This driving raccoon is part of a bigger mural at the foot of University Ave.  Honk Honk!

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

At Toronto's aquarium you will find these butterflyfish called raccoon butterflyfish in tribute to everyone's least favourite nocturnal invaders. Read More.

Santa Claus Parade

It is not an unusual sight to see raccoons walking down a Toronto street. We witnessed this group of raccoons during the annual Santa Claus Parade. Each one had a giant cookie on its arm. Read More.

Bay Christmas Windows

The Hudson Bay store on Queen Street West always has different Christmas windows. One year there were raccoons included amongst the creatures of the Enchanted Forest. Read More. 

Toronto Zoo Residents

The Toronto Zoo has a bunch of raccoons. Some live in the woods surrounding the zoo and some are permanent residents. The stump above has at least three raccoons piled up inside. The signage at the zoo informed us that the black mask around their eyes helps raccoons see better at night by reducing glare. It works in much the same way as a baseball outfielder putting black under their eyes to help them spot and catch fly balls.

A Micmac story says that the raccoon was caught stealing and as punishment had the black circles placed around his eyes to remind everyone of what he had done. This raccoon above is doing some hard time in the zoo's enclosure. If by hard time you mean sleeping all day and only waking up to be hand delivered your meals.

If you want to know what a raccoon feels like, the zoo sometimes has touch tables where you can feel animal fur. Raccoons have tiny whiskers on their toes which increases their ability to feel food in the dark.

Toronto Zoo Visitors

Other raccoons at the zoo are free to come and go as they wish. On many occassions we have had to warn people "Don't use that garbage bin, a raccoon just crawled in there". The zoo is located in the Rouge Valley so there are no shortage of wildlife visitors. These little guys were probably waiting for their mother to return with a treat from the trash.

This raccoon seemed not to mind the crowds walking around the zoo and was content to sit on a patch of grass and scratch itself.

This group of little guys chose to take a shortcut through one of the African enclosures. This can be a dangerous move. This enclosure happened to contain the harmless antelope called a Kudu and a disinterested vulture named Lloyd.

The enclosure is also home to the dreaded hornbill gang. This group of ground hornbills is intimidating as it marches around the enclosure. Raccoons are pretty fearless fighters so they may not be afraid, but no one wants to get a good pecking from these large birds.

Hay-lloween Town

  One year the Toronto Zoo had different characters made out of bales of hay. The beloved raccoon was also included.

STACKT Market

STACKT Market is made up of shipping containers. Inside are many different vendors.  The market is also known for its artwork. At the north end of the market on Bathurst Street you can find this painting of a raccoon.

Clover Hill Park

This raccoon shares Clover Hill Park with some snails, rabbits and a donkey wearing casts on its legs. Read More.

 Utility Boxes

These four utility box raccoons are from artist Jeff Blackburn. Clockwise they are a tourist raccoon with a camera at Church and Front, a toothy raccoon at the bottom of the Baldwin Steps, a trumpet holding raccoon outside of The Rex on Queen Street West.and a regular raccoon at Roncesvalles and High Park Blvd.

Another box in Scarborough can be found at Markham Rd. and Ellesmere. These raccoons are working together to reach new heights.

Daredevil Raccoon

 

Speaking of heights, this raccoon somehow managed to get itself on a ledge part-way up a building at Yonge & Eglinton. 

Porter Airlines

 

Porter Airlines is a local Toronto airline that used to operate smaller planes exclusively from Toronto Island Airport. Their mascot is a raccoon and he can be found all over the place. We believe that "orte" means scraps or possibly a small meal or snack.

His name is Mr. Porter and above he can be seen dressed as a Mountie advertising trips to Ottawa on the side of the free shuttle from Union Station to the airport.

Downsview Park

Downsview Park is home to many wild creatures, even in the winter. Rabbits, coyotes, hawks, owls, squirrels and a variety of small birds call the park home. Despite the bitter cold, this raccoon is fine just tucked against the trunk of a tree waiting for nightfall. Read More.

C.N.E.

 

In 2019 the Canadian National Exhibition had a series of painted raccoon statues. The raccoons were painted by different charity and commmunity groups. It was called Racoons Reimagined.

There is always a butter carving competition each year. This of course means a butter raccoon.

 

During a Home & Garden show on the CNE grounds there was a company selling baseball caps. This of course means a baseball cap wearing raccoon.

Royal Ontario Museum

 

 A racoon and a garbage bin spell trouble. Not to worry, this raccoon is a Royal Ontario Museum specimen and that is about as far as things are going to go. A live raccoon would easily tip that can over and spread the contents all over your front lawn with the help of a few of its friends. 

Runnymede Underpass

Just south of St. Clair Avenue West where Runnymede goes under the train tracks you will find a mural painted on both sides of the road. There are many animals n the mural including guess who?

  

Pink Kitchen

King Street West has added some roadside seating for pedestrians. As you approach Spadina Avenue there is a little pink kitchen that you can sit inside. There is also a little pink raccoon waiting for food to be prepared. Anything at all, it is not picky.

 

Little Canada

Little Canada has little scaled down models of places all across Canada. It has a Little Toronto which means it also has Little Toronto raccoons. This raccon is wearing a feather boa and a crown which means it must be the night before garbage day.

 

Holland Bloorview

Holland Bloorview is a Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. In its garden it has sculptures and artwork of little creatures that the children might enjoy. We enjoy both animals and art so this little raccoon and his friends also brought us some joy.

 

Footprints

Despite Toronto being full of raccoons, you may still have a hard time finding one. The next best thing is to find their footprints. Those tiny little toes leave a distinctive print. After it rains look for footprints in the mud.

 

In the winter look for footprints in the snow.

 

The best of all is after someone pours cement, look for little tiny footprints the following day. Just like these footprints, raccoons are a permanent part of life in Toronto.

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Map of Our World

Toronto Zoo , Raccoon On A Ledge
STACKT Market
Royal Ontario Museum , Little Canada , CNE
Feel Good Lane , Raccoon Building , Raccoons On Truck , Guinness Raccoons , Foot Of University Mural , Utility Box (Toothy Raccoon) , Utility Box (Raccoon with Trumpet) , Utility Box (Raccoon with Camera) , Utility Box (Raccoon Pile) , Utility Box (Raccoon) , Runnymede Underpass , King Street Seats (Pink Kitchen) , Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

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Post # 331

Chippawa Volunteer Fire Fighters Association

Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Address: 8696 Banting Ave
Date: Jan 2016
Website: www.achristmasstoryhouse.com

   It's that time of year again when A Christmas Story is always on TV. We were flicking through the channels and came across the movie. It reminded us of the time when we visited the school where young Flick gets his tongue stuck to a pole. We thought that would be a great blog to write. It turned out that we have already blogged about our visit here. On that same trip, we also went to Niagara Falls Fire Station #4.

    When A Christmas Story was filming in nearby St Catherines and needed a period accurate fire truck, Chippawa volunteer firefighters answered the call. They had just recently restored this 1938 LaFrance fire truck after it had been in service from 1938 to 1969.

    In the movie, you can clearly see the Chippawa Volunteer Fire Department logo painted on the door when help arrives for poor Flick. The truck above can be found in a small museum located next to the fire station. In 2017 the museum was named after a former Fire Chief and is known now as the Gene Somerville Memorial Museum.

    As well as the beautifully restored fire truck, the museum has its walls and shelves covered with firefighting memorabillia. It also has (as seen at the top of this post) a replica leg lamp made famous in the movie.

    The fire truck also has some Success brand fire extinguishers made of copper and brass from the 1920s. Actual firefighters also had success removing Flick from his pole. Movie magic made Flick's tongue stick using a plastic covered pole with a small hole in it and a little vacuum pulling his tongue towards it.  

  If you visit the Niagara Falls Fire Station # 4, why not bring some canned goods for the food bank and say hello to some real life heroes who are always giving back to their community. Then spend some time with a truck that had a small part in a classic film, spent 30 years fighting fires and still looks great at over 80 years of age.

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Map of Our World
Chippawa Volunteer Fire Fighters Association

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Post # 330

Original Tim Hortons Store

Location:  Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Address:  65 Ottawa St. N
Date: October 2023
Website: www.timhortons.ca

  Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton was born in Ontario in 1930.  He was signed as a Toronto Maple Leaf hockey player in 1949. He played in the National Hockey League for 22 years and won 4 Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977. For Canadian coffee and donut fans, he also started the Tim Hortons donut store chain.

  The very first Tim Horton Donuts opened on May 17, 1964 on Ottawa Street North in Hamilton, Ontario.  There are now over 3,500 Tim Hortons across Canada and thousands more around the world.  The very first store is still in operation and now houses a small museum on its second floor. 

 

      There is a replica of a 1960s style counter as it would have appeared in a Tim Hortons.

 

    A sign behind the counter lets you know that a dozen donuts is only $1.25. If that price is too steep for you, the day olds are half price.

 

    Another display case featured cakes and advertised that you can get a slice of pie and a coffee for $1.49. That's a mighty nice pie slice.

  The display case was full of donuts such as the butterfly donuts (above). We were not sure if these donuts had been around since the 1960s and wouldn't pay the 15 cents to find out anyways.

 

    Other display cases had some uniforms worn by Tim Hortons staff through the years.

 

    Tim Horton played for 4 different teams in his NHL career but is best known for wearing the Toronto Maple Leafs uniform.

   A statue of Tim Horton stands on the street outside of the first store. Tim Horton died in 1974 and his business partner Ron Joyce became sole owner of the company.

      In Buffalo, New York, USA there is another statue of Tim Horton.  He played with the Buffalo Sabres from 1972 until his death in 1974. Tim Horton crashed his car travelling alone from Toronto to Buffalo after a hockey game. It wouldn't be until 1985 when the first US Tim Hortons opened in Amherst, New York.

    Tim Horton and his wife are buried in York Cemetery in North York which is part of Toronto, Ontario.

   While in Toronto you can see another statue of Tim Horton in Legends Row. Legends Row is located outside of the Scotiabank Arena and honours Toronto Maple Leaf greats.

    Tim Horton had started a Children's Camp to help children from underpriviledged families. There were dishes in the display cases showing some of the camps.

  The museum had various glasses, mugs, donut bags and Timbit merchandise. The Timbit was introduced at Tim Hortons in 1976.

   Timbits are a donut ball or donut hole. Some people believe they are made by punching out the centre of round donuts. As you can see at the top of this display case is a Timbit roller designed to specially cut out the ball shape from a sheet of dough.

    Tim Hortons collaborated once with Canadian pop star Justin Bieber where he chose his favourite styles of Timbits.

      Tim Hortons is also known for its successful Roll Up The Rim contest. It was started in 1986 and if you rolled up the rim of your coffee cup you could win food prizes or even a car. The cup in the top left corner was the earliest on display. It was from the contest held in 1991. 

     If you get the chance you should visit the Tim Hortons in Hamilton for a little Canadian history.  This is one museum where you can have food and drink while you browse the exhibits. By food and drink we mean coffee and doughnuts!

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Map of Our World
Tim Hortons First Store & Museum

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Post # 329