Thirty years after the last monorail and geodesic dome fell silent in Vancouver, and a full half-century since the legendary Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada could once again be awarded the privilege of hosting another Expo if dealings between the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and the City of Toronto go according to the wishes of Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, and the backers of expo2025canada.ca.

Minirail and Geodesic Dome at large, Expo 67, Montreal

Following a 160-year tradition of World's Fairs that have included the Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition in London in 1850, the White City of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the glittering City of Lights of the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, to Canada's own forays into the modern Expos of 1967 and 1986, the stakes—and pubic expectations—are high should Toronto win the coveted host position for 2025.

City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam at Tedx Talk, image courtesy of Expo 2025 Canada

Speaking at a TEDx conference last May, Toronto City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam highlighted the potential benefits of hosting Expo2025 in the Toronto Port Lands, citing the opportunities the Expo would bring to Canada, and to Toronto in particular, including the positive economic and cultural impact, the development opportunities for the ongoing Waterfront and Port Lands revitalization, which would all be given a boost should Toronto win the bid.

In terms of overall cost to Canada, according to Wong-Tam, BIE Expos are more economically friendlier to hosting nations than other high-profile events such as Olympic Games where the host country foots most of the bill, as the cost of construction for international pavilions falls on the back of participant nations, and the fair runs much longer than the games, providing a greater boost from tourist spending. While a theme has not yet been chosen, the intention is that Canada's bid for the 2025 Expo would follow a strong sustainability angle, with Wong-Tam on record for touting the substantial green initiatives and innovations that would be included in a bid for Toronto.

TORONTO sign, legacy of the 2015 Pan Am Games, at Nathan Phillips Square, image by Jamie Hedworth via Flickr

According to further material from Expo 2025 Canada backers, the benefits of hosting the fair in Toronto would be many-fold, a winning bid bringing Toronto more of the same international goodwill (including millions of tourist and potential investment dollars) enjoyed in recent years by the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and 2010 Vancouver Olympics. There is also a strong case to be made in terms of job creation, the construction of a future-fantastic mini city, full of pavilions, exhibition halls, and all of the other accoutrements of a world's fair, necessitating a substantial outlay of funds to be directed towards the design, construction, and operation of such a world class event.

Toronto Port Lands, proposed site of Expo 2025, image courtesy of expo2025canada.ca

Winning the bid for Expo 2025 could spell a massive developmental boon for Waterfront Toronto and the Toronto Port Lands, the redevelopment and revitalization of which would be given a significant boost, including the kickstarting of various infrastructure, transit, residential and commercial development, which combined would go a long way towards the creation of a beautiful new waterfront community. Post-Expo, the Port Lands district would become something akin to the nearby Canary District and Park, a city unto its own full of life and urban vibrancy.

Expo 2025, flow-chart for success, graphic courtesy of expo2025canada.ca

All of this comes as a breath of fresh air in the wake of the previous administration in Ottawa's 2012 decision to eschew membership within the BIE in favour of saving the annual membership fee of $25,000. Under the current Trudeau government, the onus to regain Canada's lapsed membership status to the BIE falls upon the shoulders of federal Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly, who replaced James Moore in 2015. Today, backed with the support of various leaders and politicians, from Toronto Mayor John Tory, to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, to Ontario Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca, to Toronto Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, to Mike Yorke, President of (Local 27) the Carpenter's Union, and many others, plans to place a bid for Expo 2025 are well on their way.

UrbanToronto will continue to provide updates as progress on the ongoing—and lengthy—bid process unfolds. For now, readers are encouraged to take a look through the expo2025canada.ca website, for further information, and to keep up with UrbanToronto as details continue to emerge.