Toronto: Love it or hate it?

[Brad Sallows]

It's good to generalize about people you don't know based on what you observe about how they look and behave.  Lends a lot of credibility to stances on certain issues.

 

[Xylric]

I love where I live (Note - Donovan Bailey, the sprinter, used to be a neighbour when I was very, very young) because when my grandparents moved into the house they lived in for 50 years (and was located a mile down the road from my front door), they were technically outside of town, surrounded by orchards and farmland. As I've mentioned before, it's a literal urban forest. I wish I took photos of it before it was removed, but in a small ravine near my home there was an eighty year old tree just above a creekbed, to the point where it only hung upright because its roots permeated so much of the small clay hill it sat upon. It fell during the late summer last year, as physics finally won out. Local news actually *briefly* speculated that there was an explosion, because of how loud the crash was.

The thing is, while I live in a moderately large town, my mother grew up in the back woods of Northern Ontario (to the point where the road is named after the family, since they essentially built it), and my paternal grandfather was from a little place called Amherst, Nova Scotia. I'd be lying if I didn't immediately notice a significant cultural difference between the remote communities of Northern Ontario and the smaller towns of the Toronto area.

About the only thing I don't like about Toronto is that the air stinks compared to the air up where my family's farm used to be (my great uncle sold it to move to Sault Ste. Marie for his health about twelve years ago), but in all honesty, that's about it. I've been to a number of cities in the United States... and I'd rather the Toronto air compared to them.

 

[mariomike]

Plenty of people leave small communities to live in big cities.  For work, for school, for love. 

In that respect, it's a "target rich environment". 

 

[mariomike]

Looks like they are boarding up store windows on Yonge St. in anticipation of a weekend of mayhem.

Reminds me of the Rodney King riot on Yonge St. I read in a paper at the time, "Toronto today lost its innocence. "

Had to laugh because I'm not sure Metro ever was innocent.  I think my forebears popped their cherries on the boat coming over and never looked back. 

 

[Xylric]

As a person with significant evidence that my direct ancestors were largely responsible for setting off the legendary collapse of Mediterrainean (can never spell it, really) civilization at the end of the Bronze Age, I am quite certain that there is nothing new going on with this unrest. Humans are essentially an invasive species in our own cities, after all...

 

[lenaitch]

I grew up in Toronto but was lucky enough to find a career that allowed me to leave it (applies to any big city) and never look back.  My work did take me back for a number of years but I did not move back to the city - lived a decent commute north - before I left again.  My dad grew up in the country so perhaps it was genetic.  He also worked for a time in Northern Ontario which might have cemented my love for the north.  My position was they could never send me far enough north to scare me (the missus not so much).

I occasionally head down and don't really mind visiting except that the traffic and drivers are astonishingly horrendous compared to before.

I know folks who love Toronto, or any city, and never leave for any reason, and other who live there but still get out to camp, canoe, etc.  I suppose it's how each of us are wired.

 

[garb811]

For what it is worth, my experience since joining is the "big city folk" have a much harder time adapting to small town life than vice versa.  This is anecdotally supported by the innumerable posts here and on CAF related social media bitching and moaning about being posted to places like Cold Lake, Wainwright, Meaford etc due to the lack of amenities available in a big city, yet I'd be hard pressed to find any complaining about being trapped in the big cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton etc and not being able to walk out the back door and hop on a quad or sled or whatever.

Grew up in a town of 3k. Have lived in places ranging from 5k to 33 million over the course of my career. Have been able to find something to love about each and every one of them.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Where did you live with 33 million people if you don't mind me asking.

 

[garb811]

Not the small town of Toronto.  :rofl:

Embassy posting to Asia.

 

[Xylric]

Not the small town of Toronto.  :rofl:

Embassy posting to Asia.

Well, that narrows it down very little.  ;D

One of the things that I love about Asia is that their city layouts are almost alien, and have a beauty all their own. If you can tolerate the population density. That's probably the biggest hurdle, isn't it?

 

[PuckChaser]

And the smog...

 

[Jarnhamar]

At least the infections from these protests will draw attention away from the park incident.

 

[mariomike]

When I was in Grade 12, I saw a TV show called "EMERGENCY!". It looked like a job with a future, that was exciting and far from routine, with guaranteed security.

So, if I was an American, living in "Mayberry", I would have travelled to NYC or LA to apply to their emergency services.

As a Canadian, all I had to do was ride the subway to City Hall. 

I met a good many out of towners who felt the same way about joining Toronto's emergency services, after the residency requirement was lifted,

From the President of the TPFFA,

"I have been fortunate that I have been able to orientate several of our recruit classes and it was refreshing to see such a young class this time. The class was mainly Fire College Graduates and it also had members with past fire service experience. I had the chance to speak to some and I found it interesting that those fire fighters with many years experience with a full-time fire department elsewhere were willing to leave to pursue there “dreams” as they put it and work for Toronto Fire. It made me feel a little bit special that I have been a part of an organization that others envy and want to be a part of as well."
http://www.torontofirefighters.org/OSS/images/firewatch/spring2009.pdf
page 8

As for living in Toronto? Other than the women, I could take it or leave it. I am fortunate to live in a neighbourhood that some may not consider typical of the "asphalt jungle".

My sister lives in rural NE Alberta and loves it. I love visiting, and would be happy to live there.

The thing is, my wife happens to be Jewish. Refuses to live in, what she calls, "Elvis country". She loves to travel, but would miss her family and cultural connections in North York and Vaughn too much to ever move away.

So, here we are. 

One of the things that I love about Asia is that their city layouts are almost alien, and have a beauty all their own.

Don't get me started on Japan. My favorite place in the whole, wide world.

 

[Xylric]

Don't get me started on Japan. My favorite place in the whole, wide world.

I know! They build with, rather than in spite of natural features and geography, especially in their oldest cities.

 

[lenaitch]

When I was in Grade 12, I saw a TV show called "EMERGENCY!". It looked like a job with a future, that was exciting and far from routine, with guaranteed security.

So, if I was an American, living in "Mayberry", I would have travelled to NYC or LA to apply to their emergency services.

As a Canadian, all I had to do was ride the subway to City Hall. 

I met a good many out of towners who felt the same way about joining Toronto's emergency services, after the residency requirement was lifted,

As for living in Toronto? Other than the women, I could take it or leave it. I am fortunate to live in a neighbourhood that some may not consider typical of the "asphalt jungle".

My sister lives in rural NE Alberta and loves it. I love visiting, and would be happy to live there.

The thing is, my wife happens to be Jewish. Refuses to live in, what she calls, "Elvis country". She loves to travel, but would miss her family and cultural connections in North York and Vaughn too much to ever move away.

So, here we are. 

Don't get me started on Japan. My favorite place in the whole, wide world.

Funny, I grew up in the city but TPS was not on my radar, and the GTA regionals were just emerging with a lot of growing pains.  City mice wanting the country and country mice longing for the city I guess.

The residency requirement was trashed by the Charter.

Another post mentioned the problem with new military folks having trouble adjusting to posting locations, and deployed police services often have a similar problem.  I'm not sure if it is a bit of a hole in recruiting, but part of me wants to ask 'what did they think they were joining'.

I think you recently posted a pic of your neighbourhood and, yes, you seem to be a bit of an urban oasis.  If I had to guess, south of Bloor west of High Park.

 

[mariomike]

City mice wanting the country and country mice longing for the city I guess.

Absolutely. Plenty of city mice wanted to work in the country! 

I think you recently posted a pic of your neighbourhood and, yes, you seem to be a bit of an urban oasis.  If I had to guess, south of Bloor west of High Park.

Yes. "The final frontier before Etobicoke."  You still remember your old hometown pretty well!

 

[FSTO]

As I grow older I lament more and more the election of the Parti Quebecois in the 70's. Montreal was our major city until then and even with the business exodus to Ontario, it still has a special elan that Toronto will never attain.
Toronto just seems to be another cookie cutter North East North American City that is trying too hard to be liked by America. Montreal on the other hand is still and will ever be the MILF that will forever give us the dance of a thousand veils and couldn't give two farts what Americans think.

 

[Furniture]

As I grow older I lament more and more the election of the Parti Quebecois in the 70's. Montreal was our major city until then and even with the business exodus to Ontario, it still has a special elan that Toronto will never attain.
Toronto just seems to be another cookie cutter North East North American City that is trying too hard to be liked by America. Montreal on the other hand is still and will ever be the MILF that will forever give us the dance of a thousand veils and couldn't give two farts what Americans think.

As a complete outsider, that is the best description of the two cities I have ever read.

Toronto: sad it's not NY, tries really, really hard to be cool.

Montreal: disappointed that you're confused by the scarf hanging on the headboard... 

 

[Jarnhamar]

Child tossed from truck by carjacker who opened fire on police
https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/child-safe-after-carjackers-open-fire-on-police

 

[mariomike]

Child tossed from truck by carjacker who opened fire on police
https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/child-safe-after-carjackers-open-fire-on-police

That was Mississauga. Not Toronto.

If you are casting your net over the entire GTA for crime stories to post, with a population of over 6 million ( that was back in 2011 ), you should be able to find plenty.