1 Which of the following measures were not suggested in a secret report issued by city bureaucrats in November recommending beefing up security at Toronto’s city hall?
a. metal detectors
b. X-ray machines
c. a ban on placards or signs
d. “vehicle mitigation measures” for Nathan Phillips Square
Answer: c. a ban on placards or signs
2 Who, according to her lawyer, was submitted to “vile and consistently misrepresentative treatment” in both the news media and social media over her criticism of an eight-storey condominium complex?
a. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam
b. Former mayoral candidate Olivia Chow
c. Author Margaret Atwood
d. Former mayor Barbara Hall
Answer: c. Author Margaret Atwood
3 Sidewalk Labs, the “smart cities” unit of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., was announced as the chosen “innovation partner” by Waterfront Toronto to build a futuristic community called Quayside. Which of the following is not one of the ideas floated in the company’s plans?
a. “using industrial robots to move solid waste to a central point through [underground] utility channels”
b. “artificially intelligent voice-activated kiosks in parks that would allow users to report vandalism, damaged playground equipment … or unscooped dog waste”
c. “retractable canopies over walkways, and a heated pavement system beneath sidewalks and bike paths to melt snow”
d. “single-person self-driving vehicles [that] might eventually be integrated into an elevated transport system, such as a gondola”
Answer: b. “artificially intelligent voice-activated kiosks in parks that would allow users to report vandalism, damaged playground equipment … or unscooped dog waste”
4 Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment announced a new deal to change the name of the Air Canada Centre, home of the Raptors and the Maple Leafs. What is the arena’s new official name, and how much is the deal worth?
a. CIBC Centre, $600-million
b. Bank of Nova Scotia Centre, $800-million
c. Scotiabank Arena, $800-million
d. Scotiabank Centre, $900-million
Answer: c. Scotiabank Arena, $800-million
5 Who said this of Mayor John Tory: “The mayor and I, it’s no secret, had a very, very rocky start. It was very bumpy in the beginning and it took us both a little bit to get used to each other.”
a. Departing TTC chief executive officer Andy Byford
b. Ex-chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat
c. Ex-deputy mayor Vincent Crisanti
d. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne
Answer: b. Ex-chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat
6 Who said this of Mayor John Tory?: “I would say his behaviour in the last couple of days is, while I do respect passionate advocacy, I think the behaviour is a little bit over the line.”
a. Mayoral challenger Doug Ford, commenting in January about Mr. Tory’s tax plans
b. Author Margaret Atwood, commenting in August on Mr. Tory’s Twitter account
c. Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, commenting in April on leaflets Mr. Tory was distributing at a public-housing complex
d. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, commenting in January on Mr. Tory’s comments about about feeling like a boy in “short pants” when meeting with her
Answer: c. Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca
7 The city’s King Street pilot project largely prohibits private cars from driving more than one block before being forced to turn right in order to speed up streetcar traffic. Before it launched, how many people rode the King streetcar and how many drove along the street on the average weekday, according to city numbers?
a. 60,000 on the streetcar, 50,000 in cars
b. 17,000 on the streetcar, 120,000 in cars
c. 65,000 on the streetcar, 20,000 in cars
d. 20,000 on the streetcar, 60,000 in cars
Answer: c. 65,000 on the streetcar, 20,000 in cars
8 Who first asserted the unlikely theory that in order to inflate bike-count numbers for the city’s trial of cycling lanes along a stretch of Bloor Street West, the same 10 cyclists were riding in circles but wearing different hats?
a. Declared mayoral challenger Doug Ford
b. North York Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti
c. Etobicoke Councillor Stephen Holyday
d. Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong
Answer: b. North York Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti
9 The crowd at Rogers Centre gave slugger Jose Bautista several standing ovations in a game against the New York Yankees on Sept. 24, likely his last as Toronto Blue Jay. What did he do in his last at bat?
a. He hit an RBI double, scoring Troy Tulowitzki from third and giving the Jays a walk-off win
b. After hitting a ninth-inning home run, he once again displayed his trademark bat flip
c. He struck out
d. He popped out
Answer: d. He popped out
10 After Leafs centre Nazem Kadri threw a low hip check that sent Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin cartwheeling to the ice in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series in April, the Toronto forward was given a controversial penalty for:
a. kneeing
b. charging
c. interference
d. tripping
Answer: d. tripping
11 Toronto’s new rules for short-term rentals arranged through services like Airbnb will forbid homeowners from:
a. listing secondary suites such as basement apartments
b. listing units that are not their primary residences
c. setting up so-called “ghost hotels”
d. all of the above
Answer: d. all of the above
12 In a speech in Toronto on June 25, who said: “I probably wear a uniform that represents the group that has done the most damage to the LGBT community, the Christian church. So I would say, don’t ban what’s offensive to some, reform it to the benefit of everyone.”
a. Right Rev. Jordan Cantwell
b. Rev. Brent Hawkes
c. Cardinal Thomas Collins
d. Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Answer: b. Rev. Brent Hawkes
13 With the Toronto Argonauts’ victory in Ottawa against the Calgary Stampeders on Nov. 26, the team now has how many Grey Cups under its belt?
a. 14
b. 16
c. 21
d. 17
Answer: d. 17
14 A new body affiliated with the University of Toronto that will fund ground-breaking artificial-intelligence research was announced in March. It is called:
a. The Deep Learning Institute
b. The Machine Learning Institute
c. Element AI
d. The Vector Institute
Answer: d. The Vector Institute
15 Last January, Premier Kathleen Wynne reversed herself and blocked a plan by Toronto Mayor John Tory to impose tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway to pay for roads and transit. Instead, the Premier said she would give the city:
a. About $210-million for social-housing repairs and energy-efficiency retrofits
b. more gas-tax revenue, which when fully phased in would total $170-million a year
c. a permanent $220-million-a-year operating subsidy for the TTC
d. daycare funding worth $65-million in 2018, and $120-million in 2019
Answer: b. more gas-tax revenue
16 Which of the following was not shot at any locations in Toronto?
a. Warner Bros.’s superhero blockbuster Justice League
b. Hulu’s small-screen adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
c. CBC’s adaptation of Ms. Atwood’s Alias Grace
d. CBS’s Star Trek: Discovery
Answer: a. Justice League
17 Which of these was an online “sharing economy” marijuana-delivery company that appeared to launch into Toronto’s illegal pot market in 2017, only to shut down after a threat of legal action?
a. Weedora
b. Potify
c. Uber Tokes
d. Insta-Gram
Answer: a. Weedora
18 The morning rush hour on the TTC on Friday, Dec. 8 was disrupted by:
a. A raccoon that boarded the King streetcar
b. A raccoon in a subway tunnel
c. The season’s first snowstorm
d. A skunk on the platform at Runnymede station
Answer: b. A raccoon in a subway tunnel
19 The World’s Largest Rubber Duck, which graced Toronto’s waterfront over the Canada Day long weekend, was credited with attracting tourists and generating millions in economic activity. But it cost the province’s taxpayers:
a. $2-million
b. $1.4-million
c. $120,000
d. $75,000
Answer: c. $120,000
20 Prince Harry’s public appearances with American actress Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Toronto made headlines around the world, as did the subsequent announcement of the couple’s engagement. But the pair already knew Toronto well, as Ms. Markle, a star of the TV show Suits, which is shot here, rented a house in the city. (She has since moved out.) Where was it?
a. Leslieville
b. The Annex
c. Seaton Village
d. Parkdale
Answer: c. Seaton Village
How did you do?
Answer all of the questions to see your result
Great job! You sure know what's happening in Toronto.
Not bad. Want to try again?
Thanks for trying. Want to do it again?
QUIZ ME AGAIN! MORE FROM THE GLOBE AND MAIL
