Toronto

The next stop on my journey was a night in Toronto. I could have flown to Paris the same evening I arrived from Ottawa, but I never like to take my chances when taking flights on separate itineraries. Plus, it gave me an opportunity to do some exploring.

I decided to take a different route back to the airport, heading east on the O-Train, then catching the 105 bus (named after the Avro Arrow CF-105). The 105 is an express bus which uses the Transitway, Ottawa’s bus rapid transit system (BRT). 

Transit operator Mike drove us to the airport, and welcomed us onboard over the PA system, wishing us a great Monday. He chatted with a few regular riders up at the front and seemed genuinely happy to be our chauffeur. Overall, I was pretty impressed with Ottawa’s transit system.

I arrived at the airport to find it nearly empty. My flight to Toronto was one of only a handful of flights leaving in the early afternoon, so there was no wait to get through security, and I made it to my gate with lots of time to spare.

This flight was on a Dash 8, which I must admit, I have a soft spot for. They get a bad rap, but I love every time I get to fly on one. I do hope De Havilland starts producing them again soon at their new Calgary facility.

It was a short hop to Toronto, with the flight taking less than an hour. We pulled out of the gate and immediately headed for the runway, entering not at the end but mid-way, and about a minute later, we were in the air.

There was no wifi on this plane, but that was fine since my eyes were glued to the window, excited to finally land at Billy Bishop Airport. I’ve flown into Pearson dozens of times but had never been to the downtown airport.

Billy Bishop Airport is on an island, connected to the city by a ferry and pedestrian tunnel. I opted to take the tunnel, and within just minutes from landing, was right in downtown Toronto.

Once I got to my hotel, I dropped my bags off and headed to a nearby cinema to see (for the third time) Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie. For the uninitiated, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie (and the show which came before it) is set in Toronto and features many of its iconic landmarks. Starring Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, the show and movie both revolve around the duo’s schemes to get a show at the Rivoli.

Having become obsessed with the franchise, I had to make my own pilgrimage to the Rivoli. Before heading to the airport, I took a streetcar down Queen Street, passing several other landmarks from the movie like the CP24 building.

I walked back to the hotel to grab my bags, and with about 6 hours until my flight departed, decided to take the long way to the airport. The UP Express would have gotten me to Pearson in half an hour, but I needed to ride the two new LRT lines that opened in the last year.

Line 5, which crosses the city along Eglinton Avenue, finally opened in February after 15 years of construction. It was plagued with delays, having originally expected to be complete in 2020. The line feels more like a light metro in execution, with more space in between stops, and half of the route being underground.

Line 6 also faced delays; finally opening in December 2025 after expected to have been complete by 2021. It serves the northwest of the city, running from Finch West to Humber College. Opening before Line 5 as Toronto’s first LRT, it feels closer to the streetcars that serve downtown, with tighter stop spacing and a lower average speed (though the right-of-way is fully separate from vehicle traffic).

To get from Humber College to the airport, I needed to take a bus. Instead of taking the exit that would have led me right to a bus stop, I followed the signs for the bus terminal, a 5-minute walk away, and just made it on before it left. Oh well, I needed the steps anyway.

The bus dropped me off at Viscount Station, one end of the Pearson Airport People Mover. It was a quick 2-minute ride from there to Terminal 3, where my flight departed from. Unlike Ottawa, Pearson was very busy and there was a long line to check in for Air France. Thankfully, my business class ticket got me in a separate line, and within a few minutes I was airside and headed for the lounge.

I had some snacks and a few glasses of wine while I waited for the plane to arrive from Paris.

Unfortunately, it was around 20:50 by the time I finished dinner, which didn’t give me much time to sleep. But I converted my seat into a bed, and it didn’t take me very long to fall asleep.