Yonge-Dundas Square, Now Renamed Sankofa Square – Celebrating 30 Years

In 1998, Metro Toronto and its six local municipalities were amalgamated to create the city we now call Toronto. From the start, civic leaders sough bold symbols to define its unified future. One such opportunity emerged at the intersection of Yonge and Dundas—a high-traffic node at the core of the city’s retail corridor. Though long underutilized and fragmented by aging properties, the area held the potential to become something much greater: a central gathering space for a newly amalgamated Toronto. The vision was ambitious—to create a public square to match the scale and energy of the city around it.

StrategyCorp was retained by the City of Toronto to support aspects of the project’s most politically and technically sensitive components—stakeholder relations, intergovernmental negotiations, expropriations, and public communications. The Square’s success would depend on managing resistance from long-time property owners, aligning multiple levels of government, and shaping public opinion around the city’s bold vision.

The political dynamic was unlikely, but effective. Mayor Mel Lastman, a conservative from North York, and Councillor Kyle Rae, a progressive voice from downtown, came together to champion the project. It was one of the earliest signs that Toronto’s newly amalgamated council could deliver results across ideological lines. Rae was so invested, he literally went up a 40-foot construction scaffold in a safety harness—symbolizing the hands-on energy the project demanded. This stunt was organized by StrategyCorp, and immortalized in Toronto media.

The Square is a Times Square-inspired gathering place designed to bring big-city energy to the area.  Despite critiques over the years—regarding programming, perception, and design—its impact is undeniable. It has become a destination for tourists, a landmark for newcomers, and a go-to site for spontaneous public celebration. From championship wins to cultural performances, it offers a shared space for civic expression.

As Italo Calvino noted in his epic novel Invisible Cities, with all great civic spaces, its potential lies not only in what it is, but in what it empowers the city to become. He imagined the city of Fedora, where there were crystal globes in every room, each a different model of Fedora…

“They contain images of what is imagined as possible, and, a moment later, is possible no longer.”

The Square’s legacy is still being written. But its creation was a strategic act of urban reinvention—a public investment in a more vibrant, inclusive Toronto. StrategyCorp was there.