Wireless Toronto is a community wireless network for Toronto, inspired by the great work that Ile Sans Fil (http://ilesansfil.org) has done in Montreal. (87 hotspots and counting!)

It wasn’t ’til last year that was there a widespread launch of public wifi in Toronto, and it was by companies offering it for premium rates in chain coffee shops.

We feel that the full potential of wifi is realized through community-focused, no-cost access. Cafes, restaurants, libraries and parks around the world offer free wifi, as part of their mandate, or as a value-added service.

Our goal is to assist the availability of no-cost wifi in Toronto in public and publicly-accessible places, while developing the community-enhancing applications that are ultimately the most unique and valuable uses for these networks.

Wireless Toronto now has launched thirteen hotspots, from Oakville to Scarbourough, Woodbridge to St. Lawrence Market. Each one has its own community portal page, facilitating communication between hotspot users, and promoting the culture and community of its immediate neighbourhood.

We’re all volunteers, but have made an important mark on the availability of wifi in Toronto (and we’ll soon be launching the city’s first public wifi node in a park!). We’ve got lots more to do, and if you’re interested, join us! Help us find place that could benefit from wifi, help build the technical infrastructure that powers the network, and help us develop the community applications and content that make this technology really exciting.