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New to Toronto? How to meet people in your first 90 days
Moving here alone is a lot. This is a simple plan for going from knowing nobody to having people to call by the end of your third month.
Weeks 1 and 2: become a regular
Before you try to meet anyone, build a routine in your neighbourhood. Find one coffee shop, one grocery store and one park you'll return to at the same time each week. Recognizing faces makes a new city feel like home much sooner than you'd expect, and staff and regulars become your first low-stakes conversations.
Also get set up: a Toronto Public Library card is free for residents and opens up book clubs and programs at branches all over the city.
Weeks 3 to 6: choose two things that repeat
Pick one active thing and one social thing, then put them in your calendar like appointments. A run club and a pottery course, or a rec league and a weekly board game night. Two is a good number: if one turns out to be a dud, you still have the other. Our guide to making friends in Toronto lists where to find them.
Say yes to almost everything in this stage. A work lunch, a coworker's birthday or a neighbour's invite are all worth it, even when you're tired.
Weeks 7 to 10: start following up
You've now seen some people three or four times. This is where it's easy to stall. Ask one person to do something outside the group: "I've been wanting to check out Kensington Market, want to come Saturday?" Small, specific invitations get a much better response than "we should hang out sometime."
Weeks 11 to 13: host something
Invite three or four people you've met from different places to a single simple plan: a picnic at Trinity Bellwoods in summer, a skate at Nathan Phillips Square in winter, or a cheap dinner in Chinatown. People love being introduced, and you become the connector instead of the newcomer.
Your first winter
If you've moved from somewhere warmer, Toronto's winters can be isolating, and most people retreat indoors just as you need them. Plan for it by locking in indoor routines before December: climbing, a choir, a class or a league. Then treat cold weather as an activity. Skating and winter walks are how locals cope.
If you're an international student or newcomer to Canada
Your school's international student office usually runs orientation and social events, and these are worth going to even if they sound cheesy, since everyone there is in the same position. The advice from a Toronto psychotherapist in Narcity is a useful read. Library branches and community centres also offer newcomer programs and language practice.
Questions people ask
How do I meet people when I just moved to Toronto?
Start with a neighbourhood routine, then pick two recurring activities such as a run club and a multi-week class. Follow up with people you see more than once.
Which Toronto neighbourhoods are best for meeting people?
Anywhere walkable with cafes and parks helps. Areas like Leslieville, Kensington and Liberty Village have a lot of people out and about, but being a regular anywhere matters more than the postcode.
How can I meet people in Toronto if I work from home?
Add a fixed weekly plan to your calendar, work from a library or cafe a couple of days a week, and choose morning or lunchtime activities like run clubs or fitness classes.