IN PHOTOS | A rare guided tour of the CN Tower’s off-limit areas

Toronto

The CN Tower is giving rare access to areas of the engineering marvel that are normally closed to the public. CBC News photographer Evan Mitsui checked out the tower’s lesser known parts during a media preview on Wednesday.

For its 50th anniversary, landmark is giving public a glimpse of its inner workings for Doors Open Toronto

CBC News

·

Text to Speech Icon

Listen to this article

Estimated 2 minutes

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.

A view of one of the world's tallest freestanding structure from the ground.
The media got a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the CN Tower on Wednesday. The iconic landmark, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, is participating in Doors Open Toronto on May 23-24. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

The CN Tower is getting ready to give the public rare access to areas of the engineering marvel that are normally closed.

Later this month the 553-metre-tall landmark is participating for the first time in Doors Open Toronto, where members of the public gain entrance for free to the city’s architecturally significant buildings and sites.

On Wednesday, members of the media got a preview of the guided tour of the tower, which explores operational and architectural spaces of Canada’s tallest structure that have never before been open to visitors.

CBC News photographer Evan Mitsui was there to check it out.

Members of the media record cellphone videos of the 300-metre shaft running nearly the full height of the tower’s inner pedestal:

Two cellphones recording view of a shaft running nearly the full height of the CN Tower.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Looking down the 300-metre hollow interior of the tower through a hatch in the floor of a stairwell outside the public area of the observation deck:

A hatch in the ceiling of a basement room of the CN Tower.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A hatch in the wall of a stairwell inside the tower provides a glimpse inside the rarely seen inner workings of the landmark:

An opened hatch with a red plate that reads: microwave 1343' 10

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

During the tour, CN Tower staffer Shawn Whalen points out panels from the original glass floor, now stored in a basement chamber:

A man pointing at glass panels in a basement chamber, with reflections of several other people in them.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A cutout schematic of the CN Tower sits next to a core sample of the tower itself in a basement chamber of the attraction:

A cutout schematic of the CN Tower, next to a canvas bag on a wooden core sample of the tower itself.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Linen-keeper Irmina Victor, who has worked at the CN Tower for 16 years, is pictured in her office.

A woman standing in a room with clothing on racks.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Members of the public brave the glass floor of the CN Tower’s lower observation level, more than 340 metres above the ground:

Several people on the glass floor of the CN Tower, with screen that shows the tower and blossoming cherry trees.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A hand in front of a glass floor of the CN Tower.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A pressurized door separates an access gantry from the bubble-shaped radome, a weatherproof enclosure that encircles the tower’s observation deck to shield broadcast equipment, including the CBC’s.

A door with glass pane.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A hallway in a seldom-seen part of the tower.

A curved hallway with exposed pipes on the ceiling and lights and heaters on one side.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A person takes a picture on the observation deck of the tower:

A person taking a selfie on an observation deck of the CN Tower with backdrop of Lake Ontario.

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Read More

Latest

Who Is Paris Jackson’s Mother? All About Debbie Rowe & Their Relationship Now

Please enable cookies. Sorry, you have been blocked You are unable to access hollywoodlife.com Why have I been blocked? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word

Congo’s Fastest-Growing Ebola Outbreak Reaches A New Province

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province after a death was recorded in the previously unaffected Bas-Uele province, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said Thursday. Kaseya said the man had traveled from Isiro in Haut-Uele province to Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele, where he died. The outbreak in eastern

Michael Jackson’s 3 Children: Everything to Know About the King of Pop’s Kids

Please enable cookies. Sorry, you have been blocked You are unable to access hollywoodlife.com Why have I been blocked? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word

15+ True Collections That Remind Us the Most Precious Things We Own Are Always the Memories Attached to Them

The most valuable collections in the world aren’t in museums. They’re in people’s wardrobes and garages and spare rooms — boxes of things that mean nothing to anyone else and everything to the person who kept them. These 15+ true photos about hobbies and nostalgia stored in things we couldn’t throw away prove that the best collections are the ones that hold something irreplaceable. I found

Newsletter

Don't miss

Who Is Paris Jackson’s Mother? All About Debbie Rowe & Their Relationship Now

Please enable cookies. Sorry, you have been blocked You are unable to access hollywoodlife.com Why have I been blocked? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word

Congo’s Fastest-Growing Ebola Outbreak Reaches A New Province

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province after a death was recorded in the previously unaffected Bas-Uele province, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said Thursday. Kaseya said the man had traveled from Isiro in Haut-Uele province to Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele, where he died. The outbreak in eastern

Michael Jackson’s 3 Children: Everything to Know About the King of Pop’s Kids

Please enable cookies. Sorry, you have been blocked You are unable to access hollywoodlife.com Why have I been blocked? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word

15+ True Collections That Remind Us the Most Precious Things We Own Are Always the Memories Attached to Them

The most valuable collections in the world aren’t in museums. They’re in people’s wardrobes and garages and spare rooms — boxes of things that mean nothing to anyone else and everything to the person who kept them. These 15+ true photos about hobbies and nostalgia stored in things we couldn’t throw away prove that the best collections are the ones that hold something irreplaceable. I found

Tecno Pova 8 Pro unveiled with an Alive Matrix Display, P1 Graphic Chip, and 144FPS gaming support

The Tecno Pova 8 Pro that we've been hearing about for the past few months is now official. The Tecno Pova 8 Pro is powered by the Dimensity 7400 Ultimate SoC and comes with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage onboard. The smartphone also has a P1 Graphic Chip under the hood

What small business owners say they’d do differently, in hindsight

Working 60+ hours a week makes owners twelve times more likely to say their business is hurting their personal life. Australian small business owners are working through illness, skipping holidays and struggling to step away from their businesses, according to new research from insurer BizCover. The survey of 1,500 BizCover small business customers found more

Bright young business brains bring ideas to life

Friday 17 July, 2026 Young Cumbrian entrepreneurs showed off their innovative business ideas, from AI virtual assistants to African food, at two celebration events this week. Fifteen young people from Furness and West Cumbria aged 14 to 25 were selected to take part in the Positive Enterprise programme back in January...

No, no, no — business travel is not dead. It’s still moving, and rather well at that

Par Bruno COURTIN Published on 7 Aug 2026 - Updated on 7 Aug 2026 3 min reading time According to forecasts from GBTA, the world's leading organisation representing business travel stakeholders, global business travel spending is set to hit a record $1.71 trillion in 2026, while the number of trips is expected to reach 1.84