Toronto Mike

10 Entries That Encapsulate This Decade in Toronto

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We never did come up with a decent name for this decade.  Some call it the ohs, or the zeros, and others kick it old school and call it the aughts.  The most popular name for this decade is probably "the 2000s", which is also the name of this century.  Go figure.

I blogged here for most of the decade.  I missed the first couple of years, but caught the last 7+.  I thought I'd dive into the archives and pick ten entries of particular relevance to this city in the 2000s.

9/11 - 9/11 didn't happen in Toronto, in fact, it didn't happen in this country, but the effects crossed the border and was felt by all of us.  This list had to start with 9/11, the most significant happening of the decade.

SARS - There were two waves of SARS in Toronto, and the bad press made us a global pariah.  In this entry, I gave the straight goods from the eye of the storm.

SARSstock - When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.  SARSstock was our lemonade.

Blackout - Everyone remembers where they were when the lights went out.  I had a 1-year old who wanted milk, but we made the most of our 24-hours without electricity.  I remember BBQing everything I could find in the near-empty freezer.

Plane Crash at Pearson - Nobody died when Air France Flight 358 crash landed at Pearson, but my game was cancelled regardless.

Sam the Record Man Closing - When Sam the Record Man at Yonge and Dundas closed, it was the end of an era.

Propane Explosion - The propane gas plant explosion at Keele and Wilson gave photographers an awesome subject.  Click through for the local pic of the decade.

City of Losers - At some point this list had to reference the brutal decade sports-wise for Toronto.  The Leafs haven't played a playoff game since 2004, the Raptors couldn't win more than one round and the Blue Jays didn't play any meaningful baseball in September.

FUN Guide - Toronto's latest edition of its summer Fun Guide had a black guy Photoshopped in... badly.  I'm not joking.

The Death of Martin Streek - There was a lot of rough news on the Toronto radio front, but none as difficult to swallow as the suicide of beloved CFNY deejay Martin Streek.  When he was let go a couple of months earlier, it seemed like a final nail in the coffin.

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