Heading off in search of food.

Bear in the backyard
 

WOW Finkface, thanks for those pictures! I hope I get to see one that close during my visit. Is it usual for them to come that close to people!

They don't want to see you anymore than you should want to see them. If they hear you coming or smell you, they are more likely to move off to avoid you. Make noise as you walk/ride (bear bells are a good option) so they hear you coming and have a chance move off the trail into the bush. But they are a fact of life up here and sightings are a very common occurrance. Mr. Fink is an avid mountain biker and not many days go by that he doesn't see a bear on the trails as he is riding but they are also commonly seen in residential neighborhoods, golf courses and even at hotel properties on the fringes of the Village. Cute as they are, they are not cuddly pets so keep a respectful distance, give them a wide berth and an escape route and they will just go about their business. Under no circumstances should you ever feed them or approach them.

Last year, I was walking my dog on our street and bent over to clip his leash on before we crossed the road. I felt something brush against me from behind, turned around and a bear had crossed the street where the golf carts cross and had brushed past me as he went off into the bush. He couldn't have cared less about me and just wanted to get where he was going. Fortunately, my dog is not that observant and somehow missed the entire thing, as he did the other night when that bear passed through the backyard. But he is also used to their smell so it isn't anything unusual to him. The times I most often see them is in the morning or evenings around/after dinner. They are prevalent now as they have just woken up and are hungry from the long winter and again in the fall when they are fattening up before winter comes but they are around all summer too and have become so used to us humans living amongst them that they have no qualms going wherever the food is.

University of Toronto is very centrally located and has good transport options. I stayed a summer there many years ago and it was quite convenient. IIRC there's a subway station nearby on University and others on Bloor. Good bus options as well.

Chestnut Residence is on Chestnut Street, it was an old Holiday Inn. It was sold to U of T when the hotel rehab cost got too high for the building to continue as a hotel. At the same time U of T was looking for additional residence space for its students. U of T rent it out during the summer to recoup the acquisition costs.

It is not on campus but walking distance. It is located right behind(north) of City Hall so it is close to Eaton Centre close to two subway stops (Dundas, St Patrick). The benefit is that it is closer to Yonge/Dundas Sq and Eaton Centre