Toronto tower makes final push for tallest in Canada and first to hit 'supertall' status

A Toronto condo development is now officially taking over the crown of Canada's tallest building and becoming the first to achieve "supertall" status in the country.

However, the 85-storey behemoth approaching its final height at the corner of Yonge and Bloor will only bear this title for a few months, falling to the second-place position by next year.

It's a milestone that didn't come without significant hurdles along the way. Construction of the megalith now known as One Bloor West has been fraught with challenges. 

Envisioned by developer Sam Mizrahi, the proposal began construction with an 85-storey plan that faced permitting issues, construction stoppages, and behind-the-scenes financial drama before ultimately swelling to an approved height of 91 storeys. 

But the ambitious plan built with a structural exoskeleton, devised by U.K.-based architects Foster + Partners working with local talent Core Architects, proved a bit too ambitious. 

Previous flagship tenant Apple — which the entire building was designed to accommodate at its base — bailed out due to alleged chaos behind the scenes.

Mizrahi was later removed from key roles in the project, the tower was forced into receivership, and, finally, veteran developer Tridel took over earlier this year, cutting back the plan to the initial 85-storey version.

Tridel has since rebranded the project — formerly known as The One — to a much less goofy One Bloor West, mirroring the branding of the condo tower just across Yonge.

Since taking the helm earlier this year, Tridel has overseen the project's push closer to the title of Canada's tallest — a feat the project is now making official in late May 2025.

As it prepares to cross the 300-metre mark, One Bloor West will become the first "supertall" skyscraper in Canada, according to the somewhat arbitrary metric established by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Jim Ritchie, President and CEO of Tridel, tells blogTO that the milestone "is a defining moment in the rise of One Bloor West, as it becomes Canada's first supertall building."

"Already a striking presence in Toronto's skyline, One Bloor West represents a bold architectural statement and symbolizes what's possible when vision, innovation, and dedication come together," says Ritchie.

"As the building nears completion, it stands not only as a remarkable feat of architecture, but as a testament to the collaboration and collective effort of the teams who brought this landmark to life."

The building's structural exoskeleton now reaches above the 85th and final residential floor, with permanent elements recently installed at the current peak of the tower roughly equal to the 298-metre height of First Canadian Place in Toronto's Financial District, which has held the title of the country's tallest building for half a century.

While, by some metrics, only a completed project can be counted on lists of tallest buildings, this is one case where the record for Canada's tallest has stood for so long, it's understandable to want to jump the gun just a bit.

When it tops out at almost 309 metres, One Bloor West will stand as the tallest building (the CN Tower lacks successively habitable floors and is not classified as a building) in Canada.

One Bloor West on the Bloor-Yorkville skyline. Photo by Jack Landau.

But before Tridel even has much time to toast the milestone, One Bloor West will be overtaken by the shockingly-tall Pinnacle SkyTower under construction a few kilometres to the south on Yonge Street. When complete, SkyTower will reach a staggering 106 storeys and top out roughly eye-level with the CN Tower's main observation deck.

With One Bloor West, the SkyTower, and other high-profile tall buildings underway, the mid-2020s are sure to be remembered as the most transformative period in Toronto's skyline evolution in generations.