Serena Ahmad (9) | STAFF REPORTER
It is not new news that Taylor Swift is here in Toronto performing for her Eras tours. She is everywhere, promoting her sold out concert with posters on public transport, large billboards throughout the city and much more. She is all the rave and, until Taylor leaves, it’s all you will hear about. However, this concert is doing Toronto more bad than good as the city stops focusing on its priorities to cater to Swift’s concert and fans.
In general, transportation and traffic are big, ongoing issues in Toronto. During rush hour, drivers sit in traffic, struggling to traverse the city, but the TTC is also a fallen victim of these issues. Trains and buses quickly become packed and congested, forcing people to wait until after rush hour to get home. The population has been dealing with this problem for years, but the city only took action when it was time for Taylor Swift’s concert. During these past few weeks, the TTC has increased its train and street car services to manage the rush. This raises concerns as the problem of traffic in the past years could’ve been solved similarly to how the Taylor Swift traffic is being alleviated.
Additionally, Taylor’s concert is causing homeless people to find residency, and although some are being provided homes, it is causing others to be stressed. Cops are threatening homeless people to move out of their shelters prior to the concert, which can be frustrating for those who are already settled. Though some did receive housing, this was not available to everyone, which forced them to sleep on the ground.
Ultimately, the show’s promotion and management has presented Toronto with some difficult problems. From now on, the city should shift its priorities to the continuous and ongoing challenges that citizens are facing rather than solely focusing on events and concerts such as the Eras tour.
