Our Going Global series has been taking ‘shallow dives’ into some of the countries and cities where Orchid’s Sage Add-ons have taken root. Previous episodes have included such places as Eswatini, Aruba, Saint Lucia, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Mauritius, Atlanta, Saigon, Kuala Lumpur, and San Francisco.
This time, we look at Toronto, Canada - venue for the TPAC 2026 North America conference.
Ten (or so) things you may not know about…Toronto
Fact, fallacy, or urban myth? You be the judge!
- What lies beneath? The answer is PATH, the world’s largest underground shopping complex. PATH is a 30-kilometre network of underground tunnels connecting office towers, hotels, transit stations, and shops in downtown Toronto. On freezing winter days, many locals can commute, eat lunch, and shop without ever stepping outside.
- What flows beneath? Toronto also has a hidden network of buried rivers: Many rivers and streams that once flowed openly through the city were paved over and redirected underground as Toronto expanded. Some still run beneath roads, neighbourhoods, and even shopping centres.
- Has anyone seen my lake? A prehistoric lake called Lake Iroquois covered much of the Toronto's area at the end of the last ice age. Its ancient shoreline still shapes modern Toronto streets today — roads like Davenport Road follow the old escarpment created thousands of years ago.
- Toronto (almost certainly) speaks your language: It's one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Roughly half the population was born outside Canada, and more than 180 languages and dialects are spoken across the city.
- Toronto Castle, anyone? Well, not quite, but the downtown Casa Loma is a full Gothic Revival mansion complete with secret passages and towers. Built in the early 1900s by financier Sir Henry Pellatt, it was meant to resemble a European castle — but he went broke not long after moving in.
- A towering solution: CN Tower wasn’t mainly intended as a tourist attraction. In the 1970s, the growing forest of skyscrapers interfered with television and radio signals, so the tower was built to transmit broadcasts above the skyline. For over 30 years, it was the tallest free-standing structure in the world.
- What's in a name? The city’s name likely means “place where trees stand in the water”: The word “Toronto” is believed to derive from the Mohawk word tkaronto, referring to wooden stakes placed in water for fishing weirs north of the city.
- Storm-torn islands: The Toronto Islands used to be connected to the mainland as a long sand spit. A massive storm in 1858 cut through the peninsula, permanently creating the islands. Today, they contain beaches, cottages, parks, and even a small airport close to downtown.
- Riots are no laughing matter: In 1855, a circus clown got into a drunken brawl with firefighters, escalating into a major street riot involving hundreds of people. It became known as the “Clown Riot” — one of the city’s strangest historical incidents.
- Raccoon capital of the world? The city of Toronto estimates there are tens of thousands of racoons living within its boundaries. Locals joke that raccoons are unofficial citizens because they routinely outsmart garbage bins, invade attics, and casually ride public transport platforms at night.
Orchid EFT's Global Footprint
Today, Orchid’s EFT Processing supports 800+ bank formats in 80+ countries.
From Texas to Toronto, or Saskatoon to Sydney, we may already have the format you need. If not, just let us know and we can set it up!
