The City of Toronto and telecom giant Rogers revealed ceremonial street signs for “Taylor Swift Way” on Monday, temporarily renaming several streets in the downtown core in advance of the pop megastar’s six Eras Tour concert dates in the city later this month.
Though the renaming of portions of Queen Street West, John Street, Front Street and Blue Jays Way is a temporary gesture that will actually raise significant funding for a major food bank, many people are not pleased with the newly unveiled street signs.
Mayor Olivia Chow and other City officials were joined by representatives of Rogers and the Daily Bread Food Bank on Monday morning to reveal 22 signs along the corridor following a successful member’s motion tabled at City Council by Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie.
✨ “We had a blank space” and wrote her name… on street signs! ✨
We’re getting ready to welcome @TaylorSwift13 to Toronto & today we unveiled Taylor Swift Way to show how excited we are for her visit.
Are you ready for it, Swifties? We are!🌈#TorontoTStheErasTour… pic.twitter.com/CRbQcifgHM
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) November 4, 2024
The “1 Taylor Swift Way” street sign and six other signs will be removed following a string of six shows by Swift at the Rogers Centre in Toronto than span two weekends, with dates on Nov. 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23.
These signs are up for auction, with proceeds from the sales going to support the Daily Bread Food Bank. Rogers has pledged to match funds raised up to $113,000, referencing Swift’s lucky number, 13.
City of Toronto and Rogers unveil honorary “Taylor Swift Way” route; Rogers will match donations to Daily Bread Food Bank up to $113,000
News Release: https://t.co/J2FzfgF6CK pic.twitter.com/LAtexJvc6u
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) November 4, 2024
“It’s our honour to welcome Taylor Swift to Toronto for nearly a Fortnight of music and magic,” said Mayor Chow, referencing a few of the singer’s hits.
“We hope fans are Enchanted by their walk down ‘Taylor Swift Way’ and will generously support the auction of these signs – each a keepsake for Evermore that will help a great cause,” she added.
Thank you, @Rogers, for making this “daydream come true”! ✨
The 22 donated Taylor Swift Way street signs will be auctioned in support of @DailyBreadTO.
“It’s a love story,” and you can be part of it by bidding throughout Nov : https://t.co/jCBzTp94JN 🥫 💖— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) November 4, 2024
McKelvie, who brought the motion to rename the streets to city council, boasts that the honorary signs “will never go out of style and will support the Daily Bread Food Bank’s important work here in Toronto.”
It’s a boost in funding that Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank, is “deeply grateful” for, noting that funding comes “at a time when one in 10 Torontonians are making use of food banks”
However, not everyone shares the enthusiasm of these prominent voices, and many social media users are calling out City officials for perceived allocation of funding towards installing signs for a ceremonial renaming when so many more significant issues plague Toronto.
One X user wrote, “Could you focus on fixing the city’s potholes and traffic issues? Thanks!”
While Rogers is indeed footing the bill for the signage, many people still seemed bothered by the renaming.
Another called the renaming “a waste of money, time and resources,” remarking that the star will “never even know or care this was done.”
Several people shared similar concerns about the (entirely private) budget for this project, with one writing, “tthe budget and costings on this promotion had better be fully transparent.”
I need the receipt that @Rogers paid 100% for this.
— Lori M (@mumathepuma) November 4, 2024
Despite these concerns, Swift’s Toronto tour dates are indeed expected to inject over a quarter billion dollars into the local economy.
Destination Toronto, a non-profit tourism agency, estimates that the Toronto Eras Tour dates will generate a staggering $152 million in direct spending and $282 million in overall economic impact.
