Welcome to Toronto, home of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning! The very first KR & R conference was in Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in May 15-18, 1989.

Toronto is the largest city in Canada with population about 2.5 million and the capital of the province of Ontario. Toronto is in the center of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) that is home to about 5.5 million people. Toronto is considered an economic and financial capital of Canada and it is home to national and provincial newspapers, magazines, radio, cable and TV stations. Toronto remains an important destination for immigrants to Canada: about half of the current population were born outside of Canada. For this reason, Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities with cosmopolitan and international population, culture and style of life. Toronto is consistently ranked as one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit thanks to its friendlier attitudes to diversity, high living standards, widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk, free public health care system, effective infrastructure. At the same time, Toronto is considered the most expensive city in Canada in terms of cost of living. Additional information about the city can be found in Wikipedia.

The official website for the City of Toronto provides Toronto Maps. The streets in Toronto to the west from Yonge street are designated as W ("West"), as the streets to the east from Yonge are designated E (stands for "East"). A few streets change their names as they intersect Yonge, but majority of streets keep same name. Most of the streets in midtwon and downtown Toronto are either roughly parallel to the lake shoreline (e.g., Bloor, Wellesley, Dundas, Queen, King), or perpendicular to the shoreline (e.g., Yonge, Bay, Avenue Road, Spadina). The KR2010 conference hotel is the Sutton Place Grande Hotel: 955 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2A2, (416) 924-9221.

Getting Here

Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, farther south than Minnesota and much of Michigan in USA, Toronto is one of the most accessible cities in North America by road, air, rail.

Entering Canada

As of June 1, 2009, everyone from every country that comes to Canada by
air, land and sea needs a passport or equivalent travel document. Permanent residents (who are not citizens) need their alien-registration card and passport. (Some exceptions apply to children's passport requirements). Read additional details at the Website of Canada Border Services Agency. Citizens from all countries other than the US must have a valid passport, and in some cases a visitor visa may be required.

• Visiting Canada
  
  
• Addresses and phone numbers of Canadian Consulates abroad

Customs Information
Canadian customs regulations apply for all personal and business travel into Canada. For most travelers, they may clear customs with their personal goods and belongings at the airport in Toronto. Please check your local customs regulations if you are planning on taking Canadian purchases home with you.

Arriving by Air

Air Canada and many US and international carriers provide direct flights to Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport(YYZ) from major cities in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. This airport is located just west of the city; it is accessible from highways 401, 427 and 409. You can check the status of your flight schedule here.

Transporation From the Airport
The downtown Toronto hotels are approximately 13 km (8 miles) from Lester B. Pearson International Airport.

Bus service to and from Airport by Public Tansit
The TTC, Toronto's public transit, also provides Airport Service and is the least expensive method of getting to and from downtown Toronto.
The bus "192" route provides all-day fully-accessible express bus service between Kipling Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway line and Pearson International Airport. Buses stop only at Kipling station, Terminal 3 (Arrivals Level), and Terminal 2 (Arrivals Level). Ask a transportation officer at the Airport for the location of the TTC bus 192 stop.
Service operates from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., seven days a week. One-way travel time to the Kipling subway station is approximately 20 minutes. You can purchase a ticket from a bus driver by depositing a cash fare into a box next to a driver. If you do not have Canadian cash, you can pay say $3 in US dollars. Keep your ticket (transfer), because it remains valid as long as you keep traveling in one direction without backtracking (must be used at first available transfer point; not valid for stopover). You can travel by a bus, subway, or streetcar using same ticket: you have to show it to operator as a proof of payment when you transfer from one route to another.
The closest subway station to Sutton (KR2010 conference hotel) is Bay Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway (green) line. From the Bay subway station take the exit to Bay street (at the corner of Bay and Bloor W). There is a bus 6 stop nearby: take the southbound bus along Bay street down to Wellesley (about 5min). The Sutton hotel is located near the corner of Bay and Wellesley Street W.

By Limousine/Taxi: Limousine is usually a luxury car (town car) and they are more comfortable and clean than taxis for the trip downtown (e.g., some taxis do not have a/c). Both the Taxis and the Limousines can be located immediately outside any airport terminal on the Arrivals Level. If there is a line up, it'll move pretty fast. If anyone approaches you within the terminal for a lift, pass; that's probably illegal driver, and they are not supposed to be in terminal. You can reserve a Limousine by:
Airport Services (1-800-263-6135)
Air Flight Services (1-800-268-6843)
The trip downtown could take from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on traffic conditions. The fixed-rate taxi fare vs limo fare to downtown are about CAD$50 vs CAD$55, respectively, to The Sutton Place Hotel.

By the Airport Express Bus: The airporter bus travels from the airport to the Delta Chelsea hotel that is located about 800m to the south from Sutton. From Delta Chelsea you can transfer to the Mid-Town connector shuttle or a taxi which will take you to the Sutton Place Hotel: this taxi ride will cost you about $10 or less. You can also walk to Bay street and take the northbound Bus 6 to Wellesley Street.
"Airport Express" Kiosks are located outside any airport terminal on the Arrivals level. (Terminal #1-Post #7; Terminal #2-Post #7; Terminal #3-Post #29). The tickets cost about $20 one-way or $33 return (in 2009). These buses will take at least 50 minutes to get downtown, depending on traffic. In order to transfer to the Public Transportation Subway System (locally known as the TTC) you can take the Airport Express to Islington Station. See: http://www.torontoairportexpress.com/ for details.

Arriving by Car
Whether approaching Toronto by car or by bus, the traveller will reach Toronto by one of several major routes paralleling the shore of Lake Ontario. Highways 401 and 2, and the Queen Elizabeth Way, enter Toronto from the west. Highways 401 and 2 also enter Toronto from the east. Hwy 400 runs from the north and connects with Hwy 401. Driving directions to the airport are provided for passangers who are willing to drive a car to the airport.
Major bus routes converge in Toronto. Out-of-town buses arrive and depart from the Coach Terminal, located at 610 Bay St (postal index M5G 1M5), about 900m to the south from Sutton (12min walking). The northbound city route 6 or taxi can take you from this Coach Terminal to The Sutton Place Hotel. Service to/from points all over Ontario, Canada and the U.S. National and regional bus lines serve the Greater Toronto area. Call (416) 393-7911 for bus company fares and schedules. You can purchase tickets either in person at the terminal or online. Map of the Bus Terminal from Google.

Arriving by Rail
Toronto is served by the VIA Rail System, the network that provides all rail service throughout Canada (with connections to the Amtrak system through Niagara Falls, New York). Trains arrive at Union Station in downtown Toronto. Union Station is located on Front Street, between Bay and University (across the street from the Royal York Hotel). The station is right on Toronto's subway line ( locally known as the TTC), and is within walking distance of Rogers Centre,the CN Tower, the financial district and many downtown hotels, shops and restaurants. There are also taxis available outside Union Station ( Map ).

Arriving by Bus:
Buses arrive at the downtown Toronto Bus Terminal at 610 Bay St near the corner of Bay and Dundas, about 900m to the south from the Sutton Place Hotel. The northbound city route 6 or taxi can take you from this Coach Terminal to Sutton.

Public Transit

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) offers Weekly Pass and Day Pass that might save you some money if you are going to travel a lot around the city. Call 416-393-INFO for TTC related information and ask for an operator who speaks your native language. TTC Airport Service
Go Transit -Go trains and buses are commuter service to towns around the Toronto area.

Currency

Money may be exchanged at a favorable rate at Banks and Hotels. Shops and restaurants will often accept U.S. currency, but at a less favorable exchange rate. "calforex" foreign currency services (416-921-4872) and the Carlton Currency Investments (416-922-9874) provide some of the most favorable exchange rates in Toronto. Call them for location of an exchange office near your hotel.

• Bank of Canada Exchange Rates
• Currency Exchange Rates at XE

Sales Taxes and Visitor Tax Refund
Most items in Ontario, except food, are subject to both a 8% Provincial Sales Tax (PST) and a 5% federal Goods and Services Tax (GST). Non-residents of Canada, however, may claim a rebate for the GST paid on most consumer goods taken out of the country. The GST Rebate Guide for Visitors, which includes the rebate form, can be downloaded from the Canada Revenue Agency Web site. Please ensure that you retain all your receipts so that you can claim your rebate at a Duty Free Shop as you leave the country.

Other information

To dial a phone number located in the city, you have to dial first 416 and then 7 digits of the phone number. The numbers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) usually start with the prefix 905 followed by 7 digits and some of them can be dialed only as the long distance numbers if you are located in Toronto.