Toronto "Black Triangle" [Old video, likely crane lights]

Trailblazer

Trailblazer

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Another crane light UFO, this time a "black triangle" in Toronto.


Source: https://x.com/kobe_for_3/status/1927460798059721103?s=46&t=pi-PW2h-zayk3Ew8WL18KA



This time it appears to be the CIBC Square Phase 2 tower which is nearing completion behind the Dominion Public Building.

Update: based on other features in the video, it must have been filmed some time ago (between October 2019 and March 2020, narrowed down by @deirdre) when the building was in the early stages of construction. See thread below.

The video shows the western end of the building at the corner of Front and Bay streets.

1748441918987.png


[Admin: Thread split from https://www.metabunk.org/threads/bl...r-the-netherlands-likely-a-crane-light.13987/ ]
 

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Trailblazer said:
Another crane light UFO, this time a "black triangle" in Toronto.
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Any Torontonians who might be able t swing by there some night when it is not raining and try to get a shot of the lights in which it can be seen that they are on a crane?
 
JMartJr said:
Any Torontonians who might be able t swing by there some night when it is not raining and try to get a shot of the lights in which it can be seen that they are on a crane?
Click to expand...
Looking at the Street View images, the light might even be on the side of the building rather than on a crane. The building seems taller than the position of the light, and the video was filmed from across the street, so even further away than the Street View image, which would reduce the apparent height of the building in front.

Here's the latest image on Google Maps, shown as "one day ago". It's clear the light is lower than the top of the building. It looks like the cladding is just being completed.

1748442401628.png



Approximate overlay to show relative height. The video is taken from a bit further left.

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Matt33 said:
In Apple's Look Around you can stand right there on the sidewalk, you can literally see the spotlights on the ends of the cranes.
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Could be that the video is old and was taken when the cranes were there but the building itself wasn't. There's no date on that image from what I can see but it must be around the same time as this Sept 2021 image on Street View, with the cranes but no second tower.

1748445415058.png
 
And in fact I am pretty sure that's exactly it. It's an old video.

Check the hire bike stand visible at the start of the video. It has blue signage:

1748446407530.png


That matches the Street View from 2020-21...

1748446484661.png


But by 2024 the blue signs have been removed and the bike branding has changed due to the sponsorship from Tangerine Bank which began in 2023.


1748446570419.png



Source: https://x.com/BikeShareTO/status/1654160194073395201
 
Compared a few Street View dates. Bikes blue, new building still low, single crane, leads to late 2021 to sometime in 2022, maybe early 2023. In 2024 the new building was already high up and would have been visible.
 
Matt33 said:
Compared a few Street View dates. Bikes blue, new building still low, single crane, leads to late 2021 to sometime in 2022, maybe early 2023. In 2024 the new building was already high up and would have been visible.
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Yeah... so any Torontonians, I guess you can save yourselves a trip. Nothing at an active construction site will be where it was a couple of years ago.

But I did manage to find a crane in Toronto (on another project) sporting a nice triangle of white lights...
QM-Bridge-42.jpg

toronto crane.jpg

(Second image cropped, source: https://www.qmenv.com/portfolio-items/bridge-demolition-downtown-toronto/)
 
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Matt33 said:
Compared a few Street View dates. Bikes blue, new building still low, single crane, leads to late 2021 to sometime in 2022, maybe early 2023. In 2024 the new building was already high up and would have been visible.
Click to expand...
1748507218512.png

There's a brightly lit hotdog stand across the street with a bright blue object to the left of it.

The arrangement matches exactly what is seen on Street View in October 2020.

1748508678960.png


1748508863694.png


And the crane appears to be in the right location, although a bit too low.

By 2021 the blue box* has disappeared. So I think it was likely filmed some time over winter 2020/21.


* I thought it was a blue painted wooden box but other angles suggest it is some blue corrugated plastic folded as a rain cover, maybe for a generator or something? This is from 2019:

1748509063023.png


Apr 2021 just shows a red generator in a similar spot, with no blue cover.

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On the other hand, it's quite possible that the stand owner only put the cover out when needed due to rain - it's clearly raining in the "UFO" video.
 
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Trailblazer said:
So I think it was likely filmed some time over winter 2020/21
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Don't forget COVID lockdowns and mask wearing. I think it might be pre-pandemic.

External Quote:
In early October 2020, Toronto Public Health became so overwhelmed by new cases, it suspended extended contact tracingefforts.[8]​ On November 23, 2020, Toronto was placed under lockdown, under which it remained until the province declared a province-wide shutdown beginning December 26, 2020. This included the declaration of a second state of emergency in January 2021 and stay-at-home orders for the entire province. Toronto remained under stay-at-home orders until March 8, 2021. On April 3, 2021, following an uptick in new cases in Ontario, (exacerbated by more aggressive variants of SARS-CoV-2) Toronto, along with the rest of the province entered a shutdown coupled with a stay-at-home order that lasted until June 2, 2021.[9]​[10]​
EX]
Wikipedia
Also, I think finding when the graffito on the sprinkler box was done will probably give us more or less the right date.
Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 12.23.24.png

back in 2018 it doesn't appear like the black paint has been removed already. So perhaps it's somtime in 2019 before Lockdown.
Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 12.30.57.png
 
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Looking at photos of the tower under construction at a later stage, there seem to be lights in a triangular arrangement on each floor running up the corner of the building. If just the highest floor at that time had its lights on, that could maybe produce the "UFO".
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Trailblazer said:
Another date clue: the phone number for Chotto Matte is visible on the restaurant window in big white numerals above the man's head in the video
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Chotto Matte openend in May 2019.
on 5 May 2019 the letters said "Opening Soon".
Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 14.52.55.png

7 June, 2020 all three elements seen in the video are there. The art installation, blue bikes, telephone number.
Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 14.54.06.png

and as you pointed out the number is gone by (Sept?) 2021.
Here's the graffito across the street on 21 Dec 2019
Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 15.09.45.png
 
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this video filmed jan24th 2020.
Article:
Recorded on Friday, January 24th, starting at 3:57 pm with a DJI Osmo Pocket at 4K/60


the planter location (in relation to that psychedlic box) and birch stem arrangements match (one stem high).
bike stand is correct with blue poles on each side.
unfortunately he didnt turn around to see if graffiti on the box..but this winter (2019-2020) does seem like a good mathc

There are lots of walking videos (i used "union station") so could check winter 2020-2021..but personally i know the birch stems match winter 2019-2020 so i'm confident.
positioning.jpg

jan24th2.jpg


what construction looks like. Videographer is catty-corner to the chotto matte corner.
jan24th3.jpg



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDyPE6x3j08
 
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same guy..hes walking down Bay street toward Front street. the construction seems oddly high in this view point (green is the building the ufo gal is looking at). chooto matte is on his left like 2 blocks ahead.

Article:
Recorded on Friday, November 29th starting at 5:33 pm with a

1748789407725.png


about a block away
1748789925605.png
 
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Article:
I recorded this walk on Saturday, November 3rd starting around 4 pm.

still mums

Giddierone said:
I mean we could just message this lady and ask when she filmed her daughter outside Chotto Matte, but the flower/graffito sleuthing is kind of fun. https://www.tiktok.com/@your.mums.diary
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what makes you think she recorded the video?
found it. why didnt you add the link tot he video, were you trying to show she uploaded years worth of videos to a new tiktok account?


Source: https://www.tiktok.com/@your.mums.diary/video/7507042182344281349
Screenshot 2025-06-01 153948.jpg
 
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Capture.JPG


I detect a hint of "I can't see a crane in the fog, therefore..."

Perhaps I'm being too cynical!
 
Trailblazer said:
Update: based on other features in the video, it must have been filmed some time ago (between October 2019 and March 2020, narrowed down by @deirdre) when the building was in the early stages of construction. See thread below.
Click to expand...
actually between Nov 3 2019 and March 2020. on Nov 3rd the planters still held mums.
nov3mums.jpg
 
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