13th International Milton Symposium: Resources
Resources
We’ve compiled a number of resources for attendees and presenters below, including a presenter handbook and ideas for adventures you might enjoy.
Click here to access a detailed map of Victoria University.
Toronto has a vibrant arts and culinary scene, and the Greater Toronto Area features some of the finest theatre and wine destinations in the world.
Looking for activities for the whole family? Look no further!
Interested in a day trip? There’s lots to do within a reasonable drive’s distance.
- Take in a theatre classic in Stratford
- Sip some of the world’s finest wines in the Niagara Wine Region
- Experience great drama at the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake
Don’t forget: You can also look for other ideas (or maybe new friends to join in on an adventure) in the discussion forum.
Transportation to and around the University of Toronto
Getting to the Conference
Pearson Airport is the major air hub for the Toronto metropolitan area and Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe. It is located North West of the Toronto city centre in Mississauga, Ontario.
By TTC:
TTC buses connect Pearson International Airport to the TTC subway lines, on which you can travel to downtown Toronto. There are TTC bus stops at both Terminal 1 (Ground level) and Terminal 3 (Arrivals level).
- The 900S Airport Express provides all-day, regular accessible express bus service between Pearson International Airport and Kipling Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway. From Kipling Station, travel eastbound to St. George Station. Travel time is about 25 minutes from the airport to Kipling Station and a further half hour from Kipling to St. George station. The cost of the total trip is a TTC fare ($3.35 TTC fare)
- The 952 and 52A Lawrence West bus routes provide all-day, regular accessible bus service between Pearson Airport and Lawrence Station with a connecting stop to the subway at Lawrence West Station. From Lawrence West Station, travel south on the subway to St. George Station. The trip should take around 45 minutes. ($3.35 TTC fare)
Schedules and ticket information for TTC buses from Pearson airport can be found online.
Union-Pearson Express: The UP Express is a light-rail line between Pearson Airport and Union Station downtown with stops in between at Weston Station and Bloor GO station. Trains run every 15 minutes, from 5am to 1am daily. The UP Express station at Pearson Airport is at Terminal 1. To travel between Terminal 3 and Terminal 1, please take the Terminal Link Train.
To get to the University of Toronto, get off at the Bloor GO station ($5.65 one way; $11.30 return) and walk (approx. 4 minutes) to Dundas West Station on the TTC subway. Head east to St. George Station (additional $3.35 TTC fare required).
Tickets for the UP Express can be purchased online in advance, or in person from kiosks at any UP Express stop. PRESTO cards are valid on the UP Express, and you can also now pay your fare by tapping the PRESTO payment device at UP Express stations with your debit or credit card.
Schedules and further information can be found here.
Taxis to hotels in downtown Toronto cost between $50 CAD and $60 CAD, plus tip, and take about 40 mins. Limousines are comfortable sedans that operate similarly to taxis, but offer a higher standard of service and newer vehicles; limo travel to hotels in downtown Toronto costs between $55 CAD and $65 CAD, plus tip. The City of Toronto licenses the car services at Toronto Pearson International Airport to ensure safety standards and fare consistency. Rates are predetermined based on the time and distance to your destination within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Airport limos can be booked in advance (416-445-1999).
A number of further options to get to and from the airport are listed on Pearson’s website.
Billy Bishop Airport is a regional airport located on Toronto Island. Its central location is in close proximity to the University of Toronto’s St. George campus and Toronto’s downtown area.
- Public Transit (ferry, shuttle bus, and subway): From the airport terminal, you can cross to the mainland by either taking the ferry (free for pedestrians) or walking through the pedestrian tunnel. Catch the complimentary shuttle bus from the mainland in front of the Main Terminal / Passenger Access Tunnel Building to downtown on the west side of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel (across from Union Station). The shuttle is open to anyone going to the airport, whether or not they are travelling. Walk from the shuttle drop-off point to Union subway station and travel north on the University-Spadina line to either Museum Station or St. George Station ($3.35 TTC fare).
- Taxis: There is a taxi stand immediately upon exiting the airport, just outside the ferry terminal. Standard city rates will apply.
Parking Information
Parking close to the venue is available for $16 per day from 8am to 7pm. You must purchase the parking spot at the front desk of Margaret Addison Hall (the pin on the map shows where the entrance is, from the driveway) on a first come first serve basis.
Annesley Hall – 8 spaces
MAH (Margaret Addison Hall) Quad – 6 Spaces
MAH North – 12 Spaces
For further assistance, we recommend searching for available parking options around Victoria College, Toronto on the Parkopedia website.
Accommodations
The conference organizers are pleased to recommend hotel and residence accommodations at rates secured for IMS attendees.
Food and Dining
Distances are measured from Victoria College (VC)
$ = <$20
$$ = $20-$40
$$$ = $40-$60
$$$$ = $60+
Out and About in Toronto
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
Hours:
Tues & Thurs 10:30am-5pm
Wed & Fri 10:30am-9pm
Sat & Sun 10:30am-5:30pm
Admission: $25.00 General Admission and special exhibitions.
Free for members and annual passholders and anyone under 25 years old.
* General admission on Wednesday is free, but we encourage booking tickets in advance.
One of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. The AGO Collection of more than 120,000 works of art ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists and European masterpieces.
Current Exhibitions July 2023
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
158 Sterling Rd., Toronto, ON
Hours:
M&T Closed
W-Sun 11am-6pm,
Friday until 9pm
Admission:
Adults: $14
Students and Seniors: $10
18 & under: Free
Free on Fridays 5-9pm
The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto aims to be ambitiously inclusive, interdisciplinary, and internationally renowned through their work with artists. A place for everyone to explore that provokes ideas and discussion and challenges the current cultural moment.
July Exhibitions:
- Kapwani Kiwanga 2023, Remediation – Focuses on the tensions between toxicity and regeneration between humans and the environment
- Imposter Cities – Explores the identity of Canada’s architecture
- Emmanuel Osahor – An installation focusing on the sky as a site of wonder and possibility, emphasizing natural spaces as a complicated sanctuaries
Gardiner Museum
Mon-Tues 10am-6pm
Wed 10am-9pm
Thurs-Fri 10am-6pn
Sat-Sun 10am-5pm
General Admission:
- Free for students, youth/children, and Indigenous Peoples
- Free Wednesday* 4-9pm
- $15 adults
- $11 seniors
*Various drop in classes Wednesdays and Saturdays
Kids classes
Exhibitions July 2023: TBA
Power Plant Art Gallery
Hours:
M 10am-5pm
T&W Closed
Th 4-8pm
F-Sun 10am-6pm
Free admission
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is Canada’s leading free public art gallery dedicated to presenting art, ideas, and conversations.
231 Queens Quay W, Toronto ON, M5J 2G8
416-973-4949
Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)
Hours:
Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5:30pm
Admission:
General Admission: $14-23
Featured Exhibitions July 2023:
Included with general admission:
- Music Born of the Cold: Inuit Art, Dance, & Song – Exploring Inuit musical expression between inuit visual arts & drum dancing and throat singing
- Lifers: An Art Installation by Noelle Hamlyn – Opens conversation at the intersection of climate change & fast fashion/overconsumption through 20 repurposed life jackets created from fashion garments
General admission + surcharge:
- T.rex: The Ultimate Predator
- Being and Belonging – Explores issues of our time through the perspective of 25 female artists within or connected to the Islamic world
62nd Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
Free admission
July 7–9
Location: Nathan Phillips Square
How to get there: 30-minute walk from University of Toronto, or by subway and streetcar.
Salsa in Toronto
Free
July 8–9
Location: St. Clair West Avenue, Toronto
A vibrant street festival featuring over 350 Canadian and international performers of Latin music, delicious Latin cuisines, and plenty of dancing in the streets.
How to get there: Subway and Streetcar
Beaches International Jazz Festival
Free admission.
July 6-30
Location: The Beaches community, along Queen St E
35th anniversary of Canada’s largest free jazz festival featuring international as well as local jazz performers. Nearly 1,000,000 attendees
- Sounds of Leslieville and Riverside (July 6,7,8 and 9) at James Simpson Park
- Salsa on the Beach (July 14, 15, and 16) at Woodbine Park
- Tina Turner tribute in Burlington
How to get there: Subway and streetcar
The Cameron House
408 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
Open 7 days a week.
Check their website for show listings
The building was first coined “The Cameron House” in 1896, by the 1920’s it was a working hotel.
Today, it is a staple of the Toronto music scene, having been a home to local bands and artists since 1981. Described as a Toronto crossover of CBGB’s and The Chelsea Hotel in New York. It remains a cultural hub on Queen West, providing musicians a place to perform, meet, mingle, drink, live and work.
The Rex Hotel
194 Queen St. West, Toronto, ON
Open 7 days a week.
Check their website for show listings.
From humble beginnings, The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar has grown into a musical mecca presenting 14 shows per week.
Since the late 1980s, The Rex has been at the forefront of Toronto’s thriving local jazz scene. The casual atmosphere, eclectic mix of retro-chic decor, and wide selection of Ontario craft beer combine to make The Rex feel like a second home.
The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar continually attracts Canada’s finest musicians and is unique in that it remains distinctly inexpensive and affordable for the budget-conscious.
Toronto Summer Music Festival
July 6–29
Location: Performance venues in and around the University of Toronto.
How to get there: Walk from University of Toronto
Concerts taking place July 10–14:
| Monday, July 10 7:30–9:30pm Walter Hall, University of Toronto | Ana Maria Martinez, soprano Martinez performs in a fiery recital of Spanish-language songs accompanied by acclaimed pianist Craig Terry. |
| Tuesday, July 11 7:30–9:30pm Walter Hall, University of Toronto | Parting Wild Horse’s Mane The Ironwood Quartet are joined by the Tai Chi Chuan players in a combined ode to Chinese martial art and Canadian artistry. The Quartet’s performance frames Tai Chi Chuan demonstrations of forms and weapons in a mesmerizing performance. |
| Wednesday, July 12 7:30–9:30pm Walter Hall, University of Toronto | The Butterfly Project Teiya Kasahara reimagines Puccini’s famous opera Madama Butterfly with live and recorded sound, electronics, and classical singing. |
| Thursday, July 13 7:30–9:30pm Church of the Redeemer, corner of Bloor and Avenue Rd. | The Goldberg Variations Bach’s Goldberg Variations – the 18th century’s most outstanding work in this form – arranged for a string trio in the beautiful and resonant Church of the Redeemer. Limited tickets available. |
| Friday, July 14 7:30–9:30pm Walter Hall, University of Toronto | The Miró Quartet The Miró Quartet provides a mini-history of chamber music, with Haydn’s String Quartet No 50 and Brahms’s String Quartet in C minor bookending contemporary Pulitzer-Prize winning American composers George Walker (Lyric for Strings) and Kevin Puts (Home). |
Looking for more music? Check the discussion forum.
The Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario
Experience world-class theatre & music at Stratford Festival–the ultimate cultural event. Immerse yourself in the world of classic plays, reimagined with modern flair.
Located in the picturesque town of Stratford, Ontario, The Stratford Festival is North America’s largest classical repertory theatre company. Each season, from March through November, it presents a dozen or more productions across four venues. The Festival produces classics, contemporary dramas, and musicals, with a special emphasis on the plays of Shakespeare.
Shaw Theatre Festival in Niagara on the Lake
The Shaw Festival began in 1962 as a celebration of the plays of George Bernard Shaw, but has expanded to include a broad range of 20th-century and contemporary dramas, musicals, and concerts. This year’s offerings include plays by Bernard Shaw as well as J.M. Synge, Tom Stoppard, and Noel Coward, the musical Gypsy, and a dramatization of C.S.Lewis’ Narnian chronicle, Prince Caspian.
Highlight: Pierre de Marivaux’s The Game of Love and Chance. Marivaux’s classic romantic comedy highlights the wildness of love. To match its spirit, the production will be played by a different cast each time – and there will be no learning of lines. The play will be improvised each time it is played. Literally anything can happen.
Mirvish Presents: Hadestown
July 5–Aug 20
Location: The Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St W
Tickets to be purchased in advance
Intertwining the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and Persephone, Hadestown is a love story for today…and always. This soaring folk-opera by singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell won 8 Tony Awards in 2019, the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, as well as multiple Drama Desk Awards and Outer Circle Critics Awards.
How to get there: Subway and streetcar
Mirvish Presents: Hamilton
Until August 20, 2023
Location: The Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St W
Tickets to be purchased in advance
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award, Grammy Award, Olivier Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical retelling of the founding of America.
How to get there: Subway and streetcar
Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival
July 5–16
Location: Takes place over dozens of downtown Toronto theaters
12 days of drama, comedy, musicals, improv, and also children’s productions.
How to get there: Subway and streetcar
Lavazza IncluCity Film Festival
June 27 – July 21
Location: The Distillery District
Tickets to be purchased in advance
The Distillery District transformed into an international-cinema village, featuring films from over 20 countries.
How to get there: Subway and streetcar
The Bard – Poetry, Music, & Comedy Open Mic
Tues, July 11, 10pm | Coin 8, 927 Dupont St, Toronto ON
Toronto in Literature Book Club, “The Missing Millionaire”
Thurs, July 13, 7-8pm | Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St, Toronto ON
Lost in the Sauce Comedy
Saturday, July 15, 8pm | The Comedy Lab at The Lab 416, 298 Brunswick Ave, Toronto ON
Need more recommendations?
You can also check out https://www.destinationtoronto.com/culture-and-entertainment/ and https://www.blogto.com/events/ for the latest news about the festivals, concerts, markets, theatre shows, and any number of events going on in and around Toronto.
