One of Canada’s most recognizable landmarks, the CN Tower, celebrates its 50th anniversary today, marking five decades since it reshaped Toronto’s skyline and captured imaginations around the world.
Originally constructed to improve telecommunications as growing skyscrapers interfered with broadcast signals, the CN Tower quickly became much more than an engineering feat — it became a national icon. With a soaring height of 553.3 metres (1,815 feet), the structure was completed in 1975 and held the record as the world’s tallest free-standing structure for more than three decades, until surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2009.
Among those who built the tower was Jack Mesley, now President of the Ontario Erectors Association. At just 19 years old, Mesley was an apprentice ironworker with Canron Inc., and one of the daring riggers known as “free walkers” who helped assemble the Skypod and antenna without the modern fall protection standards in place today.
“We didn’t really know how big of a deal it was back then,” said Mesley, now 69 and still working part-time in the trade. “It was one of a kind, and I’d never have the opportunity to work on something like that again. Those were the days before fall protection — there are a lot of stories.”
Mesley began working on the CN Tower in 1974 just as the restaurant level was being completed, joining a seasoned crew to help erect the tower’s highest points, including the final antenna pieces lifted into place by a Sikorsky Sky Crane helicopter. That historic moment, witnessed by hundreds, included children being taken out of school by proud parents eager to see the record-setting lift.
As the tower rose, it became a magnet not just for engineers and tourists, but for daredevils too. Stuntman Dar Robinson famously jumped from the tower in the 1980s, thrilling onlookers and putting the spotlight on Toronto.
The CN Tower has since hosted weddings, televised events, and millions of visitors from across the globe, serving as a symbol of Canadian innovation, strength, and ambition. What began as a telecommunications solution is now a treasured piece of history — and the heartbeat of the city’s skyline.
As the tower turns 50, Canadians reflect not just on its height, but on the stories, workers, and vision that built a legend.