Yonge Street in Decline? | Friday Evening Toronto Walk (Sep '22)

A Friday evening walk down Yonge Street starting from Bay Station in Yorkville. I walk along Bloor then it's south down Yonge to King.
0:01 - TTC Bay Station
1:00 - South on Bay / East on Bloor Street (Yorkville)
4:28 - South on Yonge Street
12:00 - Wellesley & Yonge
18:02 - Carlton / College & Yonge
21:13 - Gerrard & Yonge
25:13 - Dundas Square / Yonge & Dundas
32:26 - Queen & Yonge
37:50 - King & Yonge
Recorded in 4K at 60 FPS on Friday, September 23, 2022.
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[@dennistheman7296]

Thanks!

[@JohnnyStrides]

Thank you Dennis!

[@talshalmoni7595]

What the hell happened to Yonge street? It looks terribly run down since I walked the length of Bloor to Dundas back in the early to mid 80s. It sure looked more glamorous and exciting back then to a young 20 year old from North York.

[@cornstar1253]

I also lived there in the mid 80s. It was a pretty nice place. Went back around 2005 and it turned into a 3rd world city. Same thing happened to vancouver.

[@judithbreastsler]

Hey Johnny I’ve been sipping coffee and enjoying your last couple of streams. It’s nice to see the young hipsters back in the downtown core. It brings back so many memories from the 70s and 80s. That was me back then. So many memories!

[@elid5123]

I don't see any hipsters

[@realcanadian1]

I was born In Toronto, but grew up and lived in the north end (Bayview/401 & Bathurst/Clark Ave) for most of my life. Only went downtown if I had to. My wife and our children moved an hour north of Toronto in May 2020 and LOVE tranquility. We had planned to move long before anyone ever heard of Covid. We love the peace and quiet on the east side of Lake Simcoe. Nearly one full year to be unaccustomed to traffic in Toronto. Won't go back to live in T.O. even if we could afford it.

[@sepandttcexplorer]

Good morning Johnny and everyone finally it’s Saturday and it’s also the start of the weekend. Thx for the tour around downtown Toronto Johnny! Hope you have a great weekend and stay safe! Cheers 🥂 🍻

[@clifftaylor4262]

Thank-you Johnny Strides Appreciated the stream very much 🙏 💙

[@JohnnyStrides]

Thank you very much Cliff!

[@stevenvallarsa1765]

When I last visited Toronto in 2018, it was so disheartening to see how much more in disrepair Yonge Street had become. It looks even worse now with all those empty storefronts. It's so sad not seeing Sam's and A&A there anymore. And even the HMV across from the Eaton Center, one of the foreign music retails that helped push those iconic Canadian brands out of business, was an empty storefront during my last visit. It's wild that the Brass Rail and The Zans are still there, though. I didn't notice any of the head shops I would frequent in the 80's to buy $5 posters and t-shirts from there anymore. Or any of the bookstores my younger self used to frequent. Yonge St sure still had that buzz of activity I so remember.

[@C-mac_in_the_6ix]

The Brass Rail will be gone soon. Same reason, building was sold, so no doubt a condo will be put in it's place.

[@gurtejbauer659]

Good morning everyone 😊

[@TomMcBoston]

That stretch of Yonge St. was seedy even back in the 1970's.

[@AndreInThe416]

Early Friday evening almost looks as dead as Sunday in business district. Nice video, much appreciated.

[@kramer911]

No soul anymore. At least south of bloor it seems that way. Even shopping wise.. doesnt seem appealing. Online shopping will kill all these places. Theres just a bit of a delay

[@davidblaze1652]

I cannot agree more with you on that. City of Toronto or others city in the country will have to find différents ways to justify expensive rent to store owners..

[@gracedagostino5231]

Born in Toronto, but have lived most of my life in Los Angeles. Been back to visit relatives many times over the years. I always thought Yonge St, as Toronto’s main st. was shabby. Especially compared to 5th Avenue in NYC or Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Yonge St as fun street had all these porn joints like Starvin Marvin’s, there was nothing ever grand about Yonge St, especially the cheap looking buildings, and store fronts.

[@n.b.3521]

Yup, as far back as I can remember Yonge was shabby. And the problems with disappearing retail all across Toronto started long before the pandemic - much of it has to do with constantly rising rents and sometimes taxes. Queen West is a shadow of it's former self. Back on Yonge, several long term retail tenants successfully fought a tax increase approx 5years ago if I recall correctly, but I guess it didn't help in the end.

[@gracedagostino5231]

@@n.b.3521 Yes, and the same is true of my adopted home town of Los Angeles. These world famous boulevards like Sunset, Hollywood, Wiltshire, and Santa Monica are a shadow of their former glory.

[@Genious.]

They're replacing the shabby with condo blocks now - literally razing entire blocks at a time. I lived at 632 Yonge Street and as soon as I found out they'd be leveling the entire block across the street, I got out of there.

[@gracedagostino5231]

@@Genious.Yes Yonge St was always rather shabby for being the main shopping street of Toronto. But at least it did have a personality with several small independent businesses. Now with all these huge condo blocks, it will have a very boring sterile look.

[@Genious.]

@@n.b.3521 I remember reading about Pickle Barrel in the Atrium having to close closing during the pandemic and a list of operating costs that blew my mind. And I might be remembering it wrong but even the hydro costs I think were averaged between 7 thousand and nine thousand per month. Add property tax to a place that size, and insurance. I don't know how it stayed open for so long.

[@cricketdrive6713]

Coming to Toronto 🤞😊

[@deanl0]

Since Sam the record man left town , it's been going down

[@albinosquirlz]

"A barber shop that used to be popular" 😆 House Of Lords was one of many iconic businesses on Yonge. If you remember Yonge from the 70's, then you know just how pathetic it is now. I think it is a good metaphor for the current state of the country. You can look at all the old videos or pictures you want (Goin' Down The Road is an interesting take), but if you weren't there, the zeitgeist is list on you. There are golden ages....and I guarantee you we are NOT in one now.

[@n.b.3521]

At least Zanzibar is still there! 😜

[@bradyakubovic2550]

Covid restrictions must have killed it too, so many empty stores, used to be such a vibrant street.

[@Genious.]

Another movie I've tried to get my hands on is Ron Mann's The Strip from 1973 but can't find it anywhere. I even talked to him and he had no idea where, or how to watch it but it would be fascinating to see Yonge Street in that time.

[@albinosquirlz]

@@bradyakubovic2550 what killed it was the City's new property tax scheme for the area, which taxed it based on the property's "potential" development, rather than its actual market value. This is what put the final nail in the coffin if Yonge retail. That's why there are so many vacant store fronts.....nobody can afford the rents because they are forced to be very high because the property owners have to pass on the super high property taxes imposed by the City. Property owners are just waiting to be bought out by developers assembling properties for more of the massive condo developments already happening in that corridor. If you don't own the building, you are basically priced out. Hence....the old Yonge we once knew is dead, caught in a transition to becoming just a canyon of condo towers, with generic retail at the base.

[@bradyakubovic2550]

@@albinosquirlz thanks for information. Used to love walking downtown, in my sixties now, was such a lively street in past. Figures the City is helping to speed up its death.

[@gregholt9951]

Great video. Haven’t been to Toronto in about 8 years…living in Mississauga now. But I was gobsmacked when I saw your post on your trip down Yonge Tr. I hardly recognized it. So much construction and so many vacancies. It seems Yonge Street has been turned over to developers/money grabbers. Great videos keep up the good work.👍👌

[@lisaGTorontogirl]

Hi Johnny. That’s for the video I have spent many a day over the past twenty years occasionally f do ping the walk you just did And in my opinion Yonge street has needed to catch up with the times for years. Just like yorkville area kinda has but I think they need a good mix of retail both large and small mom and pop shops unfortunately rents are far too high and sit empty I guess some investors just sit on the property for value The head shops and garbage kinds retailers are gone however due to Covid lockdown I think it will take some time for things to really thrive again

[@paulguise698]

Hiya Johnny, I think Yonge Street looks great, I've seen allot worse in other cities, I think the city are changing it for the better, when they pull down old deralict buildings, where I live is a Georgian Town so most of it is listed so there's nothing they can do about it,300 year old homes that's never been lived in for years, but they cant be demolished, sometimes the council sells them for £10 but the houses need £100,000 spent on them to look allot nicer, this is Choppy in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England

[@jesiahelisabeth4487]

Hey Johnny, I enjoy your videos every autumn 🍂 And love how you camera 🎥 receives sound affects or is it just you!! 🍻

[@JohnnyStrides]

Thanks, I use an external mic :)

[@brucemacmillan9581]

I lived for many years in Toronto. But I've been back in my hometown of Vancouver for quite some time. Vancouver sure ain't perfect, but I don't miss Toronto. NOT. ONE. DAMN. BIT. Oh yeah... there's no such thing as a 'neat' high-rise corridor. They're all pretty utilitarian and soulless.

[@JohnnyStrides]

🙄

[@carlloar9768]

As it's starting to cool down. I can't wait to see ur Christmas lights streams

[@steaklover948]

I miss stollerys

[@shanti888]

Thanks for the walkabout! It’s fun to armchair tour with you.

[@Planetaryyoheyhi]

Hey Johnny I didn’t know you worked in downtown what did you do before ? Near the a&w

[@johnlambe9869]

Interesting walk Johnny.

[@jadwehbe_]

the starbucks on king need a reno because its pretty outdated

[@magneto8002]

This is why I left Toronto 10 years ago for a more healthier lifestyle in Port Perry.

[@chrisgraham2904]

Commercial establishments payed high property values, high rents and high taxes to be on the hustle and bustle of popular Yonge Street where they could make a fortune. During your walk, we see a limited volume of people walking on the street and not a single person turning into a store or restaurant. People shop differently now. The business towers are three quarters empty post COVID, so people aren't going out for lunch or for a drink after work. I've lived in Toronto for all my life and Yonge Street hasn't been on my radar as a shopping and entertainment destination for 40 years.

[@jadwehbe_]

im moving downtown soon and the amount of construction is gonna be something to get use too

[@welcome_Moscow_walks]

Nice walk in Toronto 😊

[@jadwehbe_]

yonge street is in a state of a refresh

[@Hmsfnd-Mark]

👍👍👍👏👏👏 last time 1985

[@Purplegorillaz]

Yonge Street ain’t the same no more.. Biggz Was Here. Peace.

[@mbogucki1]

Unfortunately the city lacks any kind of vision for the area and as with nearly every North American city the urban design strategy is piece meal. Younge Street should be a pedestrian street with a slow tram that is focused the human experience. It could be a gem of Toronto if only we could ignore the car centric NIMBYs.

[@mbogucki1]

@@lisadeeyoung Yeah, something touristy like the ones in San Fran or the hop-on/hop-off ones in Lisbon or Prague.

[@mbogucki1]

@@lisadeeyoung Care to elaborate?

[@JohnnyStrides]

@@mbogucki1 I have to agree, Yonge should be pedestrianized but it would be idiotic to waste money on a tram when there's a subway below it.

[@mbogucki1]

​@@lisadeeyoung Well, my thought is that is NOT meant for mass transit but a hop-on/hop-off trolly. It's more of a tourist attraction like the aforementioned cities have. It facilitates the ability to move quicker than walking without the need to go underground to move longer distances and walk backward/forward. Would allow people to be on the street level longer interacting with small business. See Europe for great examples. Also, subways and street-level transit fulfill two different needs.

[@mbogucki1]

@@JohnnyStrides I would disagree. People love nostalgia. history and novelty. It turns Younge into a pedestrian-only you still need a mid-distance and convenient form of travel. Tram could be fun, especially if you restore/use some old TTC cars like the PCC.

[@jonasmalloy5629]

Not long back from TO. Yonge st. Same as GB with store closures. COVID and Ukraine war did this. U R right far too many cannibas shops. South from Gerrard to Queen is lovely At least 4 or 5 Cannibas shops Zanzibar and Stag. U cannot walk on part of the east side. So sad when my wife and I remember how Toronto used to be. Where can u go now to get a cup of coffee and cookie ...Aroma, Second Cup? (which will all become cannibas) This will not attract tourists with family. Only good thing is arriveCAN is gone. When we left Glasgow airport unfortunately an elderly couple were rejected from flying as they had made a mistake in the app Nobody helped them and the lady was in tears. My wife and I got random emails when we got downtown. They wanted video call to watch us doing the test. We ignored it and heard no more about it. .

[@jabmalassie]

I worry about the small businesses. Places will be come sterile. They need to come together . These towers can allocate a portion for small business in cooperation with the government or something. Not sure what the solution is.

[@Liberal_From_Prairies689]

It seems like there is a decline in all major Canadian cities. Or at least in both Toronto and Vancouver. Vancouver just hides the decline with construction of luxury towers but the entire city is becoming like the downtown eastside because of said constant approval of luxury towers full of high end condos no one can afford and barely any low income and below market housing.

[@Liberal_From_Prairies689]

It's going on in the US too as well. So many American cities that once cultural icons are on the decline, mass exoduses due to unaffordable housing, increase in crime. Etc.

[@cornstar1253]

Then they need to move to places where rent and properties are cheaper.

[@bobwoods1302]

Empty retail spots is rare in Toronto and surrounding area. I'm sure Covid created a few more spaces however

[@Genious.]

Empty retail spots are rare in Toronto?

[@bobwoods1302]

@@Genious. Well rarer than many other cities that aren't doing as well.

[@elid5123]

I couldn't disagree more.

[@leadnsteel1428]

Small buisness is dying and the cost of commercial rent is expensive in any big city

[@TheJerbol]

Yeah Yonge street sucks now

[@clifftaylor4262]

BE-Lie-ve Just sayin 😌 25:11

[@ottohernandez8818]

Downtown Toronto is turning into NY aka Urinetown..too bad

[@imadumass2378]

Wish people knew how to use a crosswalk. If you haven't touched the roads surface by the time the hand starts the count down you stop in your tracks and wait for the next light. This is law

[@JohnnyStrides]

That's just simply not how it's done in cities. If you can make it across before the timer expires, you go. Or at least most do and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. We need to stop catering to cars in the city and making it so a driver can make their turn 2 seconds earlier, resulting in a pedestrian waiting an entire light cycle is insanity.

[@robertkeller7420]

Great video Johnny - you bring back memories. Born in Scarborough in 67 - lived in Ontario up until 2020 and decided I had enough of Ontario. Very happy I moved and wished I had moved a decade earlier. Conjestion, crime and the lack of community within the community was factors but not the only issues.

[@xtheedgeofreasonx]

Originally from Ontario, used to love visiting Yonge Street, HMV, good Korean food as you mentioned, now that’s a nostalgic memory. It’ll return in different forms though, humanity is resilient. Toronto is still beautiful, underrated and unique among the world’s cities. Love your videos and thanks for posting.

[@clifftaylor4262]

I'm From T. Left 10 years ago 🙂💙

[@mikez650]

@@BaldingSasquatch people that say toronto is beautiful havent seen much outside of toronto.

[@darkjusticemedia5621]

Ginger is still there

[@jonasmalloy5629]

Yep remember HMV. Think the guy Rad or something like that on top floor used to be in Sam the Man records. Was it Sunrise records across the road from HMV? Changed days new tech. Good memories.

[@darkjusticemedia5621]

Nuit blanche was ok this year , it was on younge so i get to rant here , i explored toronto for a late night out friday night the night before nuit blanche as i use to live in toronto and know downtown like the back of my hand, younge has needed to be fixed up in regards to everything , its not that they are catering to big business only .. they mostly are in the bottom of the condo buildings but there is lots of room for them in the old empty spots . That said the homeless and crazies are concentrated on younge , not the smartest plan for nuit balnche to have tens of thousands of extra people on younge past two am .the tens of thousands that came down to nuit blanche could not access the path , all the 24 hour business were only letting you order takeout even frans . Covid is over but it was to shuffle eveyone home . But there was no subway running or very little routes and no busses extra . Most people were drunk and on drugs and had no way of getting off younge area till like 6 am , they wouldn't let anyone go in and pee anywhere and there was a lack of portable toilets . Every other nuit blanch the businesses catered to the event .. and the p.a.t.h was open and extra busses and late extra subways and nuit blanche ttc passes or free . Nuit blanche was a shame on the city for treating everyone like the riff raff off younge . And not being accommodating while i have video footage of me walking through the whole path alone friday night and it was so eerie , every door open , and a bunch of 24 hour restaurants open on the streets . Years ago younge was better yes but it can be cleaned up but not gentrified still there is lots of opportunity, the mental health community should be there on the streets all night .

[@Jamie-1985]

Johnny appreciate your straight talk in this video. Small biz and citizens need more helpful gov’t oversight. 👍

[@JohnnyStrides]

Yeah, it's a shame it was mostly small businesses that lost out the most in all of this while the big corporations raked in profits. It's almost as if something could have been done... Funny how that turned out eh?

[@elid5123]

@@JohnnyStrides it's not funny, it's demoralising. The city isn't doing shit, and thus we are going to get a sterile city for generations to come.

[@Centurio-LegioX-Equestris]

There are many factors out there that is driving the small independent retailers out of business. It's not only on yonge st, it's everywhere in Canada.

[@billtalbot]

Hey Johnny the project at Yonge and College is not a sewer project. It is a TTC project they are building a new south concourse and entrance for the College station. They are also repairing the entire station box roof. The construction project on Yonge by the Eaton Centre is also a TTC project. This time it is a reconstruction of an air shaft near the Queen station.

[@JohnnyStrides]

Neat, thanks for the info!

[@paulstark1832]

Miss traveling out of town.Will watch your carabana walk. Great job. Thanks John for short.. keep showing. Thanks for all you're doing.

[@OUTNABOUTwithYoursTrulyLIZZOC]

Awhile back the city of Toronto started cleaning up Yonge St with new condos and new storefronts. Long overdue as Downtown Yonge St was looking ghetto.

[@JohnnyStrides]

A lot of the new condos are replacing smaller, independent businesses that gave Yonge Street its character with large, generic corporate run storefronts (banks, Shoppers etc...) that make Yonge a soulless experience on top of all of the vacant retail outlets. It's absolutely the right place to intensify with more housing.

[@christophercolumbus8944]

that was a nice porsche

[@online_earning.25]

*BEAUTIFUL SHARING DEAR FRIEND*

[@MatrixDiscovery]

Are you blind? Yonge Street is dead. It was declining since 1999. There used to be bumper to bumper traffic on Yonge all the time, now look at it. Small business was the heart Yonge Street. Also Condo's are a killer of business as condo's makes things more expensive. Notice there is no foot activity coming in and out of these condo's? R.I.P Yonge Street.

[@n.b.3521]

There are WAY more people walking along Yonge than there ever used to be though. Hopefully all that foot traffic will help any new businesses thrive, but it'll take time. And the upcoming recession's going to make things chaotic too.

[@MatrixDiscovery]

@@n.b.3521 How do you know? You're just a KZbin bot. I've been walking Yonge Street since 1995.

[@n.b.3521]

@@MatrixDiscovery 😂 Then I've been walking Yonge street longer than you! 😂

[@Genious.]

I'm actually glad for the lack of foot traffic, given that 90% of people are staring at their phones. It's a challenge having to avoid people between the ages of 8 and 80 whose entire lives are held in their hand.

[@Genious.]

@@MatrixDiscovery Why would you present yourself in such a way as to call someone a 'bot' who clearly isn't?