One of the biggest cities in Canada, Toronto’s symbolic streetcars are about to leave the city. By the end of this year the streetcars will be replaced with brand new trams; Kenneth, one of the passengers of the streetcars says, “I like these streetcars because they have a history in Toronto.” She further enthusiastically spoke of their history and sentimentality associated with the city. In the 19 th century, before the streetcars were fueled, there were trolley cars that were pulled by horses. Kenneth stated, “They’re an icon.” The streetcars associated with Toronto’s history carry a great sentimental value and were commissioned during the late 1970’s. After World War II they were mostly replaced by buses and cars, but they were still the central form of transport for many years. In 1972, after many debates and pressure from the activists, it was decided that Toronto will maintain it’s transport network which consists of 11 units going all over the downtown. They seem to be a great tourist attraction and appear on all the posters and shirts made for souvenirs. Mark Fiorillio, living in the city his entire life said, “Toronto can be a little bit plain sometimes, and streetcars are one thing that has made us kind of different.” He runs a charity called CityFund that lays emphasis on making the citizens more engaged with the city. Fiorillo has launched an art project called “A Streetcar Named Toronto.” He further stated, “No other streetcar looked like that: like beasts or tanks.”
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