It’s no secret that The Eras Tour came to Toronto this past November. Given the scale of the tour’s PR campaign, it was virtually impossible to ignore. In anticipation of the six concert run, the city implemented a route dubbed Taylor Swift Way and embossed its subways with Eras Tour ads. Upon arrival, Swift was met with a Toronto Police Service (TPS) motorcade amid closures on the Gardiner Expressway. Though it pains me to type this, city council even passed a motion asking that councillors be briefed on ‘Swiftnonomics’ in the wake of the event. Some had even described the city as having become one big Eras Tour commercial, noting that Swift had been provided with a more impressive welcome than any world leaders in recent memory. From the clerk at your local corner store to your eighty-year old neighbour, Torontonians were sure of one thing: Tayronto was here to stay (for the month of November, at least).
The city has a vested interest in welcoming the Eras Tour with open arms. The concerts were initially projected to bring the city upwards of $282 million in revenue. Of this revenue, roughly $152 million was expected to stem from direct spending on hotels, transportation, dining, shopping, etc. Beyond the 240,000 concertgoers attending the shows, an additional 60,000 people were set to attend Taylgate ‘24, a pre-concert event hosted by the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Olivia Chow had expressed her support for Swift’s arrival under the guise of economic impact, claiming that the tour will generate significant support for local businesses. While we understand that this has been hugely stimulating for the economy, it also begs the question: Was it worth it? Was the Eras Tour worth the mass traffic disruptions, the city-wide congestion, the displacement of unhoused people? Did we properly use tax-payer dollars to prepare for an event of this scale?
It’s tough to say. In terms of traffic, the city attempted to combat Swift-induced gridlock by implementing a two-week “limited activity” zone near the Rogers Centre. Additionally, a number of road closures downtown compelled drivers to steer clear of the area altogether. Although city officials stressed that public transit was ideal for those navigating the area, the state of the TTC was a sight to behold. Despite extended transit service during peak concert hours, these added stops did little to address daytime crowding and delays. Whether you were a student travelling to campus or a commuter getting to the office, it was evident that so-called transit reinforcements were, at best, a band aid solution.
While commuters faced congestion and increased wait-times for two weeks straight, Swift received an exclusive police motorcade along the 427 and the Gardiner Expressway. With it, the motorcade brought rolling closures which ensured that other vehicles couldn’t pass for roughly 20 minutes. Swift’s private entrance is but one of many policing expenses incurred throughout the tour, with TPS costs amounting to a net total of $1.9 million. For perspective, the TTC planned on spending a maximum of $1.2 million on extra services. It seems that the strain on daytime transit operations took a backseat to welcoming a billionaire celebrity. If I sound cynical, it’s because I am.
This brings me to yet another facet of Eras Tour city planning (or lack thereof). The unveiling of Taylor Swift Way garnered a number of reactions from Swifites and non-Swifties alike. At risk of being the no fun police, temporarily renaming 22 street signs after a celebrity seems somewhat excessive. Granted, the signs were donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank and auctioned off by the end of November. All proceeds raised in the auction went towards funding the bank’s emergency food programs, with the donations amounting to $216,842. As much as I’d like to celebrate this, the total is a drop in the bucket compared to the sheer amount of city spending on the tour alone. Although, what really irks me is the clearing of encampments near the Rogers Centre. Unhoused individuals were moved into the shelter system for “their own safety”, but I don’t think that this should be taken at face value. In recent years, the city’s shelter system has taken to turning people away due to an alleged lack of space and funding. Yet, space was suddenly available when it came to clearing the premises for Swift and her fans. It appears that the Eras Tour was the push we so desperately needed to make housing a priority. Ultimately, the ease with which the city was able to clear the encampments confirms something we know all too well (pun very much intended): The city is capable of housing people, but does so at its own convenience.
Honestly, I don’t hate the Eras Tour. I appreciate that it brings people together and I don’t want to police people having fun. With that said, the city’s inability to organize effectively isn’t for a lack of time or money. The tour’s arrival in Toronto was announced by August yet the transit chaos alone suggests a last-minute scramble. Despite the three months of planning and the millions of dollars invested, Torontonians were nonetheless met with unprecedented congestion. This isn’t even touching on the contradictions between the Taylor Swift Way donations and the clearing of encampments that followed soon after. The overall handling of the situation communicates the municipal government’s priorities loud and clear: the needs of everyday citizens fall by the wayside when Swiftomania takes center stage.
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