Nighttime views of Toronto skyscraper lighting up mixed reactions from Torontonians

A new Toronto skyscraper is sparking controversy among residents for its bright green lighting atop the tower.

TD Terrace, located at 160 Front Street West on the corner of Simcoe Street, stands 47 storeys tall. It has vivid exterior lights, which can change colour, and large signs sprawled with the bank’s logo on its crown. These can also vary, with some panels currently projecting ‘Black History Month.’

The building has been under construction for nearly five years, and it just celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 29. Cadillac Fairview and Investment Management Corporation of Ontario own it, with TD and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan as primary tenants.

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The illuminated building can be seen from kilometres away along the Gardiner Expressway and in the reflection of some buildings below.

But not everyone loves the new view from their downtown home.

CTV News Toronto asked several people near Union Station Wednesday about their thoughts on the new building, and it has apparently lit a fuse for some locals.

“All I’m thinking is, TD,” one person said.

Another resident, who lives in a condo nearby, said the city has a “problem” with lights as it is.

“Too many colours. The building itself is fine, I think. Maybe the colours, they should stick to less colours,” he said.

Others lit up about the attractive addition to the city, noting how it stood out compared to the other buildings around it.

“It’s better than all the grey, just lights. Adds a bit of pop,” one man told CTV News Toronto.

“I think it’s nice. I think it’s beautiful. I think it’s neat for Toronto to explore different architectural designs and lights,” said another man.

In a statement to CTV News Toronto, TD said lighting is decided in collaboration with Cadillac Fairview, the architect, and a sign design consultant.

“TD is proud to continue our long-standing tradition of investing in Toronto,” said a spokesperson. “The light levels, number of activations, and degree of change is regulated by the City of Toronto.”

City of Toronto to review lighting

Online, some have been asking who approved the lighting and look of the building. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the city is taking a second look.

“The city is reviewing the lighting on the tower,” read a statement to CTV News Toronto. “We have observed the lights employing different colours. Different levels of illumination were also observed during testing. City staff are engaging with the operator about the level of illumination and testing scheme.”

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The city said lighting did not form part of any approvals given and that the City of Toronto Sign By-law does not regulate architectural lighting.

“Presently, the lights are programmed to be turned off at 11 pm. City staff are aware that the lights were under a testing period and plan to engage with the building operator to inquire about the status of testing,” the city said.

“Generally, the city’s tall building guidelines provide guidance for nighttime illumination: balance the use of decorative lighting with energy efficiency objectives, the protection of migratory birds, and the management of artificial sky glow.”

Exterior lighting should also be dark-sky compliant, the city added.

A video from PCL Construction shared with CTV News Toronto shows the signs being installed and highlights the signs’ LED lighting system.

“At night, the signage will be coupled with a high-tech LED light system, truly making 160 FSW a one-of-a-kind building,” read text from the video.

“This state-of-the-art signage is sure to catch the attention of Torontonians, with plans to display different variations of the tenant’s logo throughout the year,” read a different text.

TD told CTV News Toronto the City of Toronto may approve some lighting activations to coincide with special events like Pride or Indigenous History Month, where the colour is different but static.

TD logo signs approved years ago

“The TD logos at the top of the building, as well as two ground signs on the south and west sides, were approved through a signage master plan in 2018,” the city said.

It said the sizes of the logo signs were 10.5m wide x 9.3m tall, and the proposal was evaluated on criteria, including “compatibility of the signs with the building and their surroundings and impacts they may have on nearby properties.”

“This was a public process and all property owners within 120 metres of the property, as well as the ward councillor, were notified of the application and invited to provide comments. No comments or feedback was received on the proposal.”

The city said the four logo signs at the top of the building were issued permits under the sign bylaw and the Ontario Building Code Act in 2023. The fee for the signs permits was $9,997.93.

The city said in 2020, a change to signage was made so that all property owners within 250 metres of the address and councillor were notified. No feedback or responses were received.

More colours for Toronto's skyline?

In the past year, Tanya Livandovska has watched various downtown towers rise.

“It’s quite ugly. Having a big building is not too bad, but why is it green, can’t they make it low key or something? I think it’s too much,” Livandovksa told CTV News Toronto from a bridge looking at the building.

From one angle, Toronto resident Noah Johnson said it looked “absolutely gorgeous,” but from another it’s “an eyesore.”

“Now that the green is there, it definitely needs more colour. If there was colour across the entire skyline, it would be amazing. It would be artistic,” Johnson said.

Colourful buildings are common in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Dubai. Over the decades Toronto’s skyline has kept evolving, with vast changes from the 1930s to today. In recent years, buildings like the CN Tower and Rogers Centre have been bringing colours to the night sky. Now, it's TD Terrace.