About Toronto’s Financial District

Toronto’s bustling business core is home to the city’s top corporate headquarters, banks and firms—along with noteworthy lunch and happy hour spots—packed neatly into steel and glass skyscrapers. While the area primarily serves the 9 to 5 crowd, shoppers head below ground to the PATH, the world’s largest underground shopping mall, where pedestrian tunnels connect dozens of buildings.

Toronto’s PATH Pedestrian Network

Toronto’s PATH is a primarily underground network that connects several of the Financial District’s major hotels, more than 70 office buildings, and six subway stations. The PATH spans more than 30 km and contains over 1,100 restaurants, retailers, and businesses. It’s a popular location for pop-up markets, lunchtime concerts, and other seasonal events.

PATH Timeline

The first underground path in Toronto originated in 1900 when the T Eaton Co. joined its main store at 178 Yonge St. and its bargain annex by tunnels. By 1917 there were five tunnels in the downtown core. With the opening of Union Station in 1927, an underground tunnel was built to connect it to the Royal York Hotel (now known as the Fairmont Royal York). The real growth of PATH began in the 1970s when a tunnel was built to connect the Richmond-Adelaide and Sheraton Centres.
In 1987, City Council adopted a recommendation that the City become the PATH’s coordinating agency and pay for the system-wide costs of designing signage.

In 1988, the City of Toronto retained design firms Gottschalk, Ash International, and Keith Muller Ltd. to apply a design concept for PATH.

PATH’s name and logo are registered to the City of Toronto. The City coordinates and facilitates the directional signage, maps, and identity markers throughout the system.

In the early 1990s, signage for PATH was developed to provide pedestrians with better ease of use and functionality. The signage enhances PATH’s visibility and identity, ultimately increasing its use, attracting more people to downtown Toronto, and drawing more businesses there.

In 2016-2017, the City of Toronto and Toronto Financial District BIA hired Steer Davies Gleave to develop a new PATH Wayfinding system. Extensive public consultations, conversations with property managers, and review by the PATH Partnership Group resulted in the new PATH wayfinding installed throughout the PATH in spring 2018.

Building Amenities

• High quality venting system with HEPA filter
• Ultra-high-speed – 1 GIG pipe = 1,000 x 1000 fiber-optic network, which will deliver internet connection speeds faster than most North American services
• Onsite amenities: Tim Horton’s, Beer Bistro, Convenience store
• Nearby amenities: underground PATH network, numerous restaurants, banking, Starbucks plus a wide array of nearby shops and services
• Array of full serviced restaurants and shops
• Energy efficient lighting systems
• Private shower area
• Bicycle parking

Telsec Coworking Space Smart Building Program

Our building offers a cost-effective method of delivering dedicated, high speed Internet access for business. Telsec helps your organization create better ways of communicating inside your organization and with the outside world — whether you’re using the Internet as a research tool, email access, or marketing your company to the world with your own Website. The high speed Internet service available at Telsec Coworking Space is faster than most North American services, so your seminar, meeting or office space can easily accommodate use of the internet in your presentation and work.

Building Security and Emergency

• Access to building 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Security – access card system, surveillance cameras and 24 hour security staff
• Private offices are individually key locked
• Warning system includes fire alarm and loudspeaker communication

Call Telsec today at 416.363.9035 or toll free +1.877.705.0707 and join the thousands of businesses that are benefiting through our fully serviced office rentals and virtual office products. For more information, please visit our pricing page.