Toronto Ontario Temple |
44th operating temple |
Phone Number: 905-799-1122.
Site: 13.4 acres announced April 15, 1984.
Exterior Finish: White cast stone.
Temple Design: Modern, single-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Four ordinance rooms and six sealing.
Total Floor Area: 57,982 square feet.
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 10 October 1987 by Thomas S. Monson
Public Open House: 2–18 August 1990
Dedication: 25–27 August 1990 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Twenty-six hundred members volunteered to help during the two-week open house of the Toronto Ontario Temple. From ushering to cleaning, they donated more than 64,000 hours of service. Out of a profound gratitude for the building, members worked enthusiastically in whatever capacity they were called. For example, local members spent just two-and-a-half hours to finish moving furniture and cleaning the temple after the last dedicatory session late Monday afternoon. The work was expected to take all night.1
The dedicatory services for the temple were a manifestation of the cultural diversity of the temple district. Not only were proceedings translated into French—one of Canada's official languages—but also into Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean.2
Ten years after the dedication of the temple, President Monson returned to Ontario on August 19, 2000, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the temple and the 40th anniversary of the Toronto Canada Stake by dedicating a historical monument. The monument commemorates the contributions of early missionaries and members who served and lived in Upper Canada including missionaries Joseph Smith Sr., Don Carlos Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and John E. Page and members John Taylor (3rd president of the Church), Isaac Russell, John Snider, John Goodson, and Joseph Fielding.3
1."News of the Church," Ensign Nov. 1990: 104.
2. "News of the Church" 104.
3. Gerry Avant, ed. "Worldwide Church: Canada: Ontario," 2004 Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News, 2004) 298–299.
