Consulates
China
Newspapers
Depending on where you go in Toronto, you will be able to find locally printed newspapers in a variety of languages. For example, in Chinatown, you will find Chinese newspapers. In "Little Italy", you'll find Italian newspapers. You'll also find newspapers in Spanish, Portuguese, Persian, Arabic, Tagalog, Greek and more.
Crime
On the whole, Toronto is remarkably safe and the streets are vibrant with pedestrians and bicyclists, even at night in most neighbourhoods. If you use common sense, you should have no trouble at all: don't walk around alone late at night and be aware of your surroundings. Avoid the club/entertainment district at closing time, as fights between drunken patrons do occur, rarely escalating to where weapons become involved. Police have recently increased their presence in the club district Richmond St area to limit problems, but caution is still advised. There are few if any violence issues around hipster areas.
Toronto's downtown core has a series of safe, underground interconnected shopping centres called the PATH. These are frequently used by locals and tourists to escape harsh weather while comfortably navigating the core. Be aware; the PATH system, while very safe, is somewhat confusing, and is largely abandoned and shuttered after business hours and on weekends. Refer frequently to the posted maps or ask a security guard or store clerk for directions as needed.
The overall violent crime rate in Canada, and particularly in Toronto, is much lower than that found in major cities the United States. Petty crime is generally not a problem in Toronto, but as always is the case, keep vigilant with your possessions. One exception to relatively low crime rates is that both car and bike theft are comparable to other large North American cities.
There are, of course, neighbourhoods which are known in the media and on the street as being more dangerous, though police statistics are not commonly used to justify these beliefs. Nevertheless, while assaults and other crimes can happen anywhere, especially late at night when few people are around, it is reasonable advice to avoid certain areas again, generally late at night. These areas include in the old city and inner bouroughs: Crescent Town, Regent Park, parts of Parkdale, parts of St. Jamestown, Moss Park, Alexandra Park, Flemingdon Park/Victoria Village and Weston-Mount Dennis. Outer areas: Jane and Finch "Jane Corridor", Lawrence Heights, the Peanut ie. Don Mills and Sheppard, Rexdale/Jamestown, Malvern, Kingston-Galloway, Steeles-L’Amoureaux, Dorset Park, Westminster-Branson and Eglinton East-Kennedy Park. It is advised to simply stay away from any "housing projects", slums, and other dodgy looking areas. Drugs, prostitution and violent crime do occur. The good thing is these neighbourhoods become noticeably worse from a visual standpoint, giving the casual tourist ample time to turn around. Armed robbery occurs rarely and mainly in poor neighbourhoods at odd hours.
Homeless
Toronto has a significant homeless population, many of whom will ask you for money. If you do not want to offer them money, simply look the panhandler in the eye and say "No thank you" or ignore them. There have been several recent occurrences of over aggressive pan-handlers, with one resulting in a fatality. As a result, if a pan-handler becomes aggressive, move away quickly and alert a police officer. Toronto has a seemingly larger homeless population than many other similar-sized cities because there is a law allowing homeless people to remain on the sidewalk, as long as they are not aggressive. If you do give the person money, they usually leave you alone.
Pedestrians
Be careful when getting off the streetcars and look always to your right before leaving the car. Although vehicles are supposed to stop when the streetcar doors open, some motorists and cyclists will ignore this and keep going.
Weather
For the average tourist, Toronto's weather can present some inconveniences. Among the major world tourist cities, Toronto has the third-coldest winter temperatures, comparable to Chicago or Boston, but not as cold as say, Moscow or Montreal. During the winter months, mild periods do occur, melting accumulated snowfall from time to time, but nevertheless you must come prepared and dress warmly, preferably in layers as conditions are changeable. The average January high/low temperature in Toronto is -1°C/-7°C. In January, February, and early March, temperatures can drop as low as -30°C or colder factoring in the biting windchill. In mid-summer, the average max/min is 27°C/18°C with sometimes hot, humid conditions, but the city has many well treed parks, public spaces with gardens, pools and spray pays for kids to cool off. Many interior spaces are air-conditioned. Most evenings are a little muggy. Bring an umbrella at any time of the year, rain and/or snow are common during the colder season and sudden, usually brief thunderstorms are frequent in summer; however, during the warmer part of the year you will experience sunshine on most days. Areas north of the city have a sharply colder winter and more frequent poor driving conditions with snow drifts and icy conditions, as well as more severe summer thunderstorms. Avoid river/creek banks or bridge underpasses during periods of excessive rain or melting snow.
On occasion, during the winter months, Toronto will be hit with a severe winter storm accompanied by significant snowfall quite often mixed with freezing rain/ice/sleet, be prepared for possible travel delays. Avoid driving during and immediately after the storms if at all possible. This is especially true for those unfamiliar with winter driving and controlling a car in a skid. Take the public transit, walk, or stay inside. Only in the most severe storms or after a series of storms, however, surface transit and air travel can be significantly delayed or, in the case of air travel, shut down altogether for brief periods of time.