As construction continues on The Bond, developer Lifetime Developments has been celebrating the vibrancy and culture of Toronto's Entertainment District with a social media campaign called "Connect and Capture". The Instagram contest, which was launched last Fall, engaged the community by offering weekly chances to win $50 gift cards for restaurants in the Entertainment District, simply by posting a photo showing the distinctive elements of the area, accompanied by the hashtag #BondTO. One lucky winner won a grand prize of a new iPhone 6.

Promotion for Lifetime's Connect and Capture social media campaign

“This contest was really about celebrating the Entertainment District and how it has changed; it is so different than it was even 10 years ago. The photos captured a view of this city that was beyond our imagination and gave us as developers, a truly remarkable perspective into how Torontonians really view and experience their city,” said Brian Brown, Vice President of Lifetime Developments. “Through their eyes, we saw the buildings we see every day in a new light. The submissions captured a lot of love—beyond just people’s love for the Entertainment District, but for the whole city of Toronto.”

During the twelve-week-long run of the contest between August and October 2014, the contest drew in over 76,360 Instagram likes, 5,570 #BondTO submissions and over 3,000 new Instagram followers, with many photos still being posted with the #BondTO hashtag despite the contest already having ended. Lifetime plans to feature many of the photos submitted during the Connect and Capture campaign throughout the common areas of The Bond once the development is completed.

Contest submissions (Clockwise from top left) @wanderlust.diaries, @dimanatti, @dainahodgson, @tdotcam

When the contest launched last year, Lifetime pledged to match a $1 donation for each use of the #BondTO hashtag, with all proceeds going to Lifeline Foundation, a charitable foundation founded by Lifetime Developments in 2013. These funds will be used to provide aid and support for Toronto’s homeless and at-risk communities. 

“With beautifully-designed suites, a selection of highly desirable amenities, and clearly an unsurpassed urban location as evidenced by these photos, it’s no surprise that The Bond is one of the most desirable new buildings in the city,” said Brian Brown. “There is still a good selection of units, at exceptional pricing, but with the Connect and Capture photos circulating, I don’t anticipate them remaining available for long.”

Rendering of The Bond, image courtesy of Lifetime Developments

Designed by Charles Gane of Core Architects, with Tomas Pearce Interior Design Consulting-designed amenities, the 42-storey, 369-suite condominium development's podium floors are currently rising. The podium will include commercial office space with retail space at grade. The completed development, with occupancy currently slated to begin in the Summer of 2016, will be steps from the developing John Street Cultural Corridor.

Additional information and renderings of The Bond can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.