The Toronto sign, which can be lit up in various configurations at night, was a huge hit with international visitors and Torontonians when it went up in time for the Pan Am Games this summer - so much so that the temporary installation has been made permanent.
But Kelly doesn’t just want duplicates of the glowing “TORONTO” letters now standing permanently in Nathan Phillips Square outside city hall — where the O’s have been particularly loved by locals and tourists alike.
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Kelly has a suggestion for three new signs: “The 6,” “T.O.” and “T. Dot.”
Drake — who practically knighted Kelly on social media after the councillor came to the Toronto rapper’s defence over some now old-news Twitter beef with rival rapper Meek Mill — would earn a prominent shout-out from city hall if the signs were approved and installed. The 6, or The 6ix, was popularized after the Forest Hill-raised Aubrey Graham (a.k.a. Drake) spit about “runnin’ through the 6” with his “woes.”
“The recent installation of the 3D Toronto sign on Nathan Phillips Square has been enthusiastically received by Torontonians,” Kelly wrote in his motion to be heard at city council next week. “In addition to being a display of our civic confidence, it has become an effective branding tool for the City.”
He said the addition of signs using Toronto nicknames would “reinforce the modern, ‘cool’ Toronto brand.”
But it’s not clear whether council would back the expense. The original Toronto sign, built for the Pan Am Games, cost nearly $100,000 — an amount that included a built-in budget for operating and maintenance. Kelly’s motion suggests the city pursue possible sponsorship deals.
City council meets again Nov. 3.
The (unofficial) history of Toronto nicknames
T Dot: This one is pretty straight forward — a phonetic representation of the shortened T (dot) O (dot). Kardinal Offishall has given that one some love, and it has been generally adopted for catchy small business names.
The 6(ix): Drake, hometown hero, often raps about his beloved Toronto and earlier this year released a mixtape featuring the track “Know Yourself,” in which he dubbed this city the “6” (sometimes referred to as the 6ix). Drake’s upcoming album is said to be titled Views from the 6.
Hogtown: This one is less concrete. Some point to the once-booming pig-slaughtering, bacon-making business in the downtown core for the origins. Others have referenced its use as an insult to Torontonians’ boorish nature. Either way, it stuck like mud.
Jennifer
Pagliaro is a Toronto-based crime reporter for the Star. Follow
her on Twitter: @jpags.
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