How TORONTO explains Canada

[@JJMcCullough]

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[@XXPYR0XX]

6:02 a boot?

[@FlyboyGWN]

Your 'dodgy hotel lobby' looks suspiciously like a high school library ... that's your problem!

[@altonwilliams17]

You're amazing

[@TheMainGuyYT]

J.J. is literally the first KZbinr I’ve heard talk about the English religious conservative part of Toronto’s history, I have Catholic relatives that have told me truly wild stories about the Toronto of old, before it was the multicultural metropolis it is now.

[@gravityissues5210]

The story I remember from a documentary about "Toronto the Good" was how they would chain up playground swings on Sundays.

[@JJMcCullough]

Something I wish I had found a way to mention was how Bob Rae, the former premier of Ontario, came from a family that hid its own Jewishness.

[@janewaysmom]

That's interesting. My family is also catholic, but they went North Dakota>Manitoba>Alberta, so I'm not sure they'd have any stories of Toronto. (Also my grandma was born in Alberta and she's 95 now, so her age definitely affects her ability to remember those stories. She did tell me her parents used to take vacations down to Calgary to watch wrestling, though.)

[@billyehh]

Not only was Nathan Philips the first Jewish Mayor of Toronto in 1955. He was the first mayor period, who was not a member of the Orange Lodge.

[@Chiller11]

Historical Montreal had an even greater intertwining of religious conservatism and municipal politics. The influence and in fact control the Catholic Archdiocese held over Montreal’s city and regional councils was near total until the Quiet Revolution of the ‘60’s.

[@bchapman1234]

Being an American in my 70's I remember when Montreal was the dominant cultural center of Canada. Toronto was a boring backwater. With Quebec passing so many laws limiting English there was a noticeable decline in Montreal and a remarkable increase in Toronto's cultural dominance..

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

I live in Toronto: it's still a backwater, but one that's grown economically past the point where it can function as a workable city. It's like if Cleveland suddenly became the economic capital of the United States.

[@pauloriess]

True... I'm old and growing up I remember Montreal was the cultural and economic centre of Canada... It all went to Toronto after the election of the PQ in 1976... It was a blip at the time but the echos decades later are now evident... What would it be like if Montreal had continued... Would french be more national and less local...

[@Tompsie]

​@@theevilascotcompany9255absolutely! Cities like Montreal and Vancouver are so much more pleasant, whereas Toronto is just a huge urban sprawl. It grew hastily and it shows

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

I guess in many ways, Canada is unique among the OECD countries in that its most important city economically only achieved that title fairly recently (with Toronto surpassing Montreal in the late 1970s/early 1980s). In every other OECD country, its economic capital has held that status for much longer, if not since the nation's founding (e.g., USA/New York, UK/London, France/Paris, Germany/Berlin). So Toronto is like the meek middle child who suddenly inherits the family business after the oldest child messes up.

[@danielgertler5976]

I'll say that Montreal is still full of culture, but certainly a lot of Anglophones left the province because they really weren't confident about their future in the province, and a lot of them came to Toronto. Some people will say dumb stuff like Toronto has no culture and while montreal has more distinct cuisine, there's no Toronto Bagle or Toronto Smoked meat for example, Toronto still has great cuisine from all over the world, as well as having a fantastic music scene and that's just a few things off the top of my head.

[@luckykat7690]

I love how JJ keeps on finding new ways to talk about Canada

[@Cocklord911]

And we wouldnt want it any other way

[@DiviAugusti]

The most Canadian of activities.

[@michaeldowson6988]

His cup is always half empty.

[@violet_broregarde]

Me too, I understand Canada a lot better now. Great video :D

[@rfm0036]

Yeah it’s absolutely great that he was able to turn this channel into something less political because the politics were really weighing on him

[@philpaine3068]

I was born in Ontario, but in NORTHERN Ontario, where many towns have substantial or even majority francophone populations. I went to French-language schools. There is one town I know which is still 95% French-speaking. My mother had roots in Quebec but only lived there briefly, while my father's family had origins in Saskatchewan's French-speaking Metis population, but had become assimilated into Northern Ontario's French Canadian culture. About 12% of Ontarians report being bilingual in English and French. Anglophone Ontarians seldom notice their francophone neighbours as standing out because Franco-Ontarians usually speak English with no noticeable accent, while Quebecois have a strong accent. Franco-Ontarians (apart from recent immigrants from French-speaking countries) do not particularly identify themselves with Quebec, but very strongly with being "French Canadian." People in Northern Ontario, whatever their language, are very conscious of being in a different place from Southern Ontario, but feel closer ties to Manitoba or to Northwestern Quebec. Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and all the thickly populated urban and agricultural areas are all "Down South" but someone in Timmins (Northern Ontario), Val d'or (Northwestern Quebec) or The Pas (Northern Manitoba) will see themselves as more or less the same. In general, people who come from "The North" will feel comfortable anywhere dominated by forests, mining towns, and insanely cold weather. When I visited a town in far Northern British Columbia, everything seemed familiar, and I was not at all surprised to hear French spoken in the streets. The same goes for the Territories, where the working language is English, but you meet many French Canadians. Winnipeg still maintains a substantial French Canadian community. Canadian intellectuals are broadly aware of the East/West dichotomy in Canada, but understand little about the North/South dichotomy. Another thing to note: People in Ontario and Quebec are aware of the existence of Atlantic Canada, while Western Canadians don't seem to know that region exists. I notice that J.J.'s video doesn't even mention the four provinces on the Atlantic. Western Canadians talk about "the East" and mean Ontario, while people in Ontario mean Nova Scotia or Newfoundland when they say "the East." Ontario is in the Middle, not the East. This tendency has become recently modified in parts of Alberta, where many Newfoundlanders have moved to seek jobs, but on the whole people in the Western provinces just never think about that part of the country. Non-urban Canada is not uniformly Conservative in outlook. Northern Ontario almost always votes NDP and the Atlantic Provinces have been firmly Liberal for generations. Canada's "progressiveness" didn't start in Ontario ---- it started in the Prairie Provinces. That's where many progressive policies first appeared. Saskatchewan was the birthplace of progressive politics in Canada, and it was far more influenced by the first big wave of immigration than either Ontario or Quebec ---- the Prairies were the template of Canada's "multiculturalism." Winnipeg was a Babel of languages and cultures long before Toronto. So was Halifax. Toronto had to catch up.

[@thenachofan7677]

Something really interesting is how, in most of geographical Ontario and Quebec, we are set on the same time zone, the Eastern Time zone, just like, well, the US coastal states near the Atlantic ocean. That might define a little of that eastern thinking mindset.

[@philpaine3068]

@@thenachofan7677 Thankyou. This is an excellent point that I had not thought of. Also of interest: Toronto is 5729 kms from London, U.K.; New York City is 5586 kms from London; Halifax is 4637 kms from London; St. John's NFL is only 3749 kms from London. Most people forget just how far East Canada goes. At the same time, St. John's is 5020 kms from Vancouver. When you consider how huge and culturally diverse Canada is, it's something of a miracle that there is any sense of commonality at all ..... perhaps a miracle that gives us cause for optimism about the human race. It's easy for Iceland to be Iceland and for Denmark to be Denmark. Everyone there is sitting in each others' laps. That Canada has pulled off its improbable confederation for 156 years with very little violence is nothing short of a cosmic wonder.

[@philpaine3068]

@@thenachofan7677 Another point that made me think. I once lived in California. I was amused that everyone there used the phrase "back east" in a wonderfully vague and all encompassing way. There was California, a self-contained place, with a huge wall of the Sierra Nevadas and Death Valley. Beyond that was, in the minds of Californians, a nebulous "other place" called Back East, in which Omaha, Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, New York and Boston were all a kind of indistinguishable mush.

[@peterhumphrys]

Having been born and raised in Toronto, but also weaned on Newfoundland English and French heritage, your comments and observations are quite accurate in my experience. Also jj still resents being made to sing Newfoundland folk songs by one of his school teachers which clouds his analysis at times!

[@ytzpilot]

I’ve lived both Ontario and Nova Scotia and always appreciated how well Acadians and Anglophones coexist and get along in the maritimes, Ontario is more insular

[@vincesimon8115]

Hi, a Hungarian from Budapest here. Firstly, I wanted to mention how much the experience of the capital city having its distinctive and influential culture is very much present here as well. The grnerally underdeveloped and politically pretty conservative countryside feels like a totally different world to the rather large, modern and progressive city. It is often jokingly said, that Budapest should form a separate republic in order to remain in the EU, because the remaining part of the country would definetly vote to leave. This is of course exaggerated, but sheds some light on the situation. Secondly, on a much less serious note, I found it strange and amusing at the same time, how you mention that Toronto is "only" a 4-hour drive away from Ottawa and Quebec, and that this sort of distance counts as a short one for you North Americans. Meanwhile if you were to drive in literally any direction away from Budapest for four hours, you'd end up in a different country. Thanks for the video, it was interesting as always, not many people could make content about Canadian culture and politics in a way that's still intriguing to me, a person with virtually no connection to Canada.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

It has been my experience in many countries that urban residents tend to be 'progressive' in their politics and rural residents tend to be 'traditional'.

[@janinewetzler5037]

We Torontonians do think we are the centre of the Universe so it relates to your take on Budapest, lol.

[@chrisgraham2904]

Toronto to Ottawa in 4 hours is pretty optimistic. You might make it in 4 hours if your driving during the night from 1:00 am to 5:00 am. It's generally a 6 hour drive during the day, during excellent weather conditions. You'd be lucky to reach your destination during winter conditions before dark, if you left at sun up.

[@YoungSantasGroupie]

There are a few progressive pockets sprinkled in the prairies of Canada. If you look at voting maps during provincial elections in Alberta, you will see that the entire province votes conservative, except for the two districts in downtown Edmonton (the capital of the Province). But in general, the vast, rural expanses outside the large cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver) tend to be conservative. The "4-hour drive being rather typical"... It seems equally true out west as it does around Toronto. In fact, the busiest highway in North America is the 401 in Ontario and it's busiest section is in Toronto. LA probably has more highways but heavier traffic and hence less throughput). The corridor that runs from Windsor, Ontario (just across the US-Canada border from Detroit) to Montreal is very active. The 90-minute drive from Toronto to Niagara falls is seen as nothing. The 3hour46minute drive to Detroit is not seen as long and it's a common day trip (8 hours driving all told). Same with Alberta, the drive between Edmonton and Calgary is just over 3 hours and tons of people do regular trips between the two. I was in a not-very-good indie band when I was in university. We let a friend who books shows plan the trip. The result was playing a show one night in Medicine Hat, Alberta and then Vancouver, BC the next night. A 13 hour and 30 minute drive between the two, with my dad's chevy truck towing a U-haul trailer. This truck was also rear-wheel drive (ie. easier to lose control on ice) and it was winter. The end of the the drive was through the mountainous highway leading into Vancouver, the famed Coquihalla. Darkness hit around 5 pm and I was the only one awake, navigating the treacherous parts of that highway, lol. In fact, a video on the realities of being a touring band in Canada could be interesting!

[@YoungSantasGroupie]

We made no money on the tour, of course. I think we lost about $110.

[@Elke_KB]

As a born & raised Torontonian (to immigrant parents), the most eye-opening experience for me was taking the train across Canada. Of course the scenery was spectacular, but it was the people I met and the experiences we shared that completely changed how I saw our country and what it meant to be a Canadian.

[@Euphorica]

The rest of Canada is actually nice

[@mattimations7388]

As a Dutchman, your video is pretty comparable to the Netherlands. I live in Groningen (the north) and often times we feel as though everything is only dictated from Holland in particular Amsterdam. Same goes for culture and international image

[@johnkeefer8760]

It probably does not help that many still erroneously refer to the Netherlands as “Holland”. Like in Hebrew, the word for Dutch is “Holandi” (הוֹלַנדִי)

[@ckthegreat100]

@@johnkeefer8760I definitely grew up calling it Holland

[@Croz89]

North and South Holland have pretty much all the major Dutch cities, and due to the Netherlands small size the two provinces effectively form one single metropolitan area for commuters.

[@jamesedwards1284]

@@johnkeefer8760As a dutchman, it really annoys when foreigners refer to us as holland instead of the Netherlands. Like even JJ did it in thos video…

[@Croz89]

@@peterhumphrys Did you mean to reply to someone else?

[@HeyTechi]

It’s amazing how much influence that the Irish have had on Toronto - in fact, it used to be known of the Belfast of Canada, due to sectarian strife between Irish Catholics and Protestants.

[@truth__hurts]

Stark birthrate decline of white Europeans and immigrations and high birthrate and immigration rates from the Middle East and Asia will mean the Irish will, like the Romans in Britian will just be rubble beneath the sandals of brown South Asian toes.

[@billfarley9167]

Historically, the Scots have had far more influence on the growth and development of southern Ontario than the Irish.

[@Mediax5]

​@@billfarley9167 A lot of those Scots where Catholic as well. Lots of the Scots that moved into lower Canada from ns and pei where moving from there, and where Catholic highland Scots that where sent to NA during the highland clearances.

[@ExploradorMundialX]

@@Mediax5No, the Scottish are equally as Protestant as the English except more leaning towards the Presbyterian side instead… even the original people who settled around the Ulster area (Northern Ireland) hence the identity crisis in said communities within the region even today!

[@ExploradorMundialX]

@@Mediax5No, the Scottish are equally as Protestant as the English except more leaning towards the Presbyterian side of things instead… even the original ones who settled people around the Ulster area (Northern Ireland) were hence the identity crisis in said communities within the region even today!

[@qtluna7917]

I'm not from there, but Austria has like a third of it's population in or directly adjacent to Vienna and Vienna has a distinct culture to the rest of the country. And whenever I visit Austria, it feels like it's two separate countries.

[@liamtahaney713]

Geography definitely plays a big part too with the alps and all that

[@sevware]

I'm from Vienna and was about to mention this

[@alm9322]

That's the case in more countries in the region. Czechia and Hungary are also completely dominated by the capital, in Slovakia there's Bratislava, and then a long piece of nothingness until you get to the east (but that's basically Ukraine). Only Poland seems to be quite "evenly distributed".

[@Viljuri]

This is interesting, I strongly feel, Vienna is a better place than Berlin, for example. Even considering irrational things like how people behave or something. It's more expensive than Bavaria/Germany, but considering Nordic countries, everything is affordable. The whole city feels more approachable than most capital cities. Then again, our personal experiences are not something to make a fuss about.

[@Nightey]

Actually for me as from Styria I feel like there's three countries: the north (including Vienna, Linz and to some extent Salzburg), the south (Carinthia, Styria and southern Burgenland) and the west (Tyrol and Vorarlberg). At least culturally speaking, the north has more Bohemian and Bavarian influence, the south more Balkan influence and the west is the mountains part with Swiss influence

[@sjappiyah4071]

JJ as a Torontonian we love you…but your pronunciation of the second T is killing us 😂. Pls do a meet & greet next time you drop in

[@Consrignrant]

Actually, most Torontonians pronounce the T.

[@p__vids]

​@@ConsrignrantActually, most Torontonians do not pronounce the second T. It's Tronno. Or if you're a true Torontonian, it's Chruno

[@Consrignrant]

@@p__vids Shut up.

[@elucified]

​@@Consrignrantno we don't 💀

[@Consrignrant]

@@elucified Yes we do.

[@mats7492]

Comparing Vancouver to Toronto left me with the impression that Toronto feels way more like a US city..

[@jarvy251]

Toronto is a place where everyone holds americans in disdain while also desperately wishing they were New York

[@DylanYoung]

Vancouver is where the people from Toronto went to get out of the cold. ;)

[@andycockrum1212]

Vancouver also feels like an American city: Seattle. Canadian and American cities feel the same (outside Quebec) because we’re virtually the same culture

[@anonymoususer8895]

Not really. Keep coping.

[@anonymoususer8895]

American cities are actually developed and livable. Unlike Toronto.

[@amarcynuk8]

It's so weird watching this video as an Albertan. You always feel like your national identity is fundamentally based on your local experience. Growing up in Alberta I have always equated Canadian culture with prairie culture. Small towns, outdoor rinks, largescale Ukrainian cultural tradition, oil money, growing up on a farm or having family who own a farm. As a kid these things were fundamental to my understanding of what "Canadian" culture meant and I assumed this would be relatively uniform across the entire country. Obviously this isn't the case and as I've grown older I have seen that the "Canadian experience " varies location to location. Still feels weird watching a video discussing how 40% of the population has such a different interpretation of the Canadian experience. Would love to see you make a video on this topic JJ. It would be interesting hearing you discuss how Canadian identity varies on province to province. "What it means to be Canadian" in Newfoundland vs BC for example.

[@TheOnyomiMaster]

Same here; what I think of as American identity is greatly influenced by my NYC and tech identities. I think of skyscrapers, Wall Street/Silicon Valley, and multiculturalism/diversity as equally "quintessentially American" and more core to my American identity than cheeseburgers, trucks, and guns.

[@janewaysmom]

Agreed. You forgot the Chinese restaurants though. I went on a vacation to the US once, and was feeling homesick, so I thought we should get some Chinese food to feel like home. They have so few Chinese restaurants there, and Panda Express is very hit or miss. I watched a true crime video where they talked about a person who passed due to a farm accident, and the KZbinr was wondering if the farmer put her in his truck and tried to drive to the hospital himself because actually he had wanted her to pass away, and as an Albertan and a person who knew a ton of farmers, I was so perplexed. That's how farmers do things - they get in the truck and go themselves, not call an ambulance. This is my Canadian experience lol. It goes the other way too - if you need help with some work, you ask your neighbors and you all do the work together, then go to the next guys place and do the same thing. It's much different from being in the city, which is probably why it made no sense to the KZbinr.

[@xtho7999]

Everything you mentioned is true in Ontario (besides oil money and for some farms) but I grew up well outside of TO and this is my idea of Canada. Depends on the decade too, I guess. But yes, certinaley interesting. I've lived in BC but its hard to imagine living in a prairie province. I don't think I ever would. But thats a personal flavor. Nonetheless, Canada is so damn diverse.. I love MTL, I love differnt areas of Ontario. I loved BC and Northern BC. I gotta check the east, the north and the prairies before I can really know whats up! Love this country!!

[@kylienielsen6975]

I'm in a weird place with this. My parents are from Northern Ontario, my dad was born half an hour from Quebec. But I was born 45 minutes from Toronto. Most of my family is up north and I always love it up there. I feel less Torontonian than the people around me but more southern whenever I go up north.

[@mikechristiansen824]

I'm not even Canadian, but the way JJ pronounces the second "t" in Toronto kills me.

[@cadaverchris6000]

I knew I wasn't the only one...I live about an hour's drive from Toronto. It's pronounced 'Trona' and no other way

[@dralbora]

Another riveting and insightful episode! I visited Toronto once as a teen from suburban Philadelphia. Our destination was Niagara Falls bit 'no room in the N' so we drove all the way around to Toronto. At the time, it felt like a very sparse place...like a Soviet city, if you will. Guess this was 1972-ish. I would like to visit again as some great modern quilters headquarter there. Keep up the great commentary!

[@TheMainGuyYT]

You might have stayed in one of the suburbs. I’ve heard a lot of stories of Americans thinking they’re downtown when they’re just in one of the suburb’s downtown lol

[@yaygya]

@@TheMainGuyYT I only learned a few weeks back that the modern City of Toronto essentially has 5 downtowns. Funny to think about.

[@KManAbout]

​@yaygya that's the gta.

[@yaygya]

@@KManAbout I wasn't talking about York or Peel Region. I was thinking Midtown, North York Centre, Etobicoke Centre, and Scarborough City Centre.

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

@@yaygyaso does LA, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth etc etc. tons of cities are like that in North America

[@HersheyBarMmm]

A few months ago me and a friend (americans) got passports in order to go on a week's tour of eastern Canada, hitting Niagara, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Trois rivière, and quebec city, Toronto was BY FAR the best city we've been to probably in our lives, and I've been from West Palm FL to NYC, it was lively, mostly kind, everything you could imagine right there, and a lot of Canadian culture which I've found is vastly different from mine, a southerner in VA

[@chrisclancy6756]

That sounds super fun, but seeing that you visited 6 places in 7 days I can assume you spent only one day in Montreal. Both Toronto & Montreal need 3-4 days at least but the rest of those places can be done in one day.

[@HersheyBarMmm]

@chrisclancy6756 going back to Toronto in March! Already settled that debate, only got to see the bottom half of the city!

[@chrisclancy6756]

@@HersheyBarMmm Awesome! Definitely try to check out Montreal someday, it's the best Canadian city for live music, nightlife, parks, and food(in my opinion).

[@jandron94]

​@@chrisclancy6756You mean live music in English only ? Because anglophones can't listen to francophone music.

[@chrisclancy6756]

@@jandron94 Live music is usually in downtown and played by university students, so its 99% English(I'm a music major who plays at jams and gigs around the city). Best jam in Montreal is Growve @ Turbohaus on Wednesdays!

[@dreamedsause2311]

As a Western Australian, It can feel like the Aussies that live between Sydney and Melbourne are very self interested compared to the rest of the country. As someone from Perth I can say confidently that a lot of people from Perth feel neglected or even taken advantage of by the rest of the country. Which is probably similar to how people feel in western parts of Canada

[@TheWalz15]

While there isn't one city like this for all of the US, this definitely applies at the State level, where one city (often times not the Capitol) can dominate the States culture and perception.

[@aronchai]

It's a good thing that we have multiple different centers of cultural/financial/governmental influence imo

[@nicholai1008]

Is it Milwaukee Wisconsin, or Wisconsin Milwaukee? Which one is the state?

[@josel.sanchez3225]

@@nicholai1008 Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin. The state capital is Madison.

[@gabrielespana319]

The closest we have on a national level is New York

[@Japi506]

​@@gabrielespana319I'd say it's split between NYC and LA. With Atlanta having a sway hidden from the spotlight.

[@ravenlord4]

It was really cool to hear about Toronto from a Canadian perspective. I grew up in Detroit, and so always found Windsor to be my template of "What Canada Is". Though relatively small, I bet Windsor would be a fun deep dive. I've always been curious about how Canadians view it. Niagara Falls could also be an interesting topic.

[@deepakkini6012]

Windsor and Sarnia are the rectum and appendix of Ontario

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

Canadian tend to view Windsor as the city where Michiganers go to at night to get drunk and attend strip clubs, so thematically we're not far off. 😂

[@marklittle8805]

I lived in Windsor for four years after growing up in the GTA. I felt disconnected from my own country.....felt like I was almost in the US. Then I would go over the river and be reminded no, it was still Canada lol

[@kevwwong]

@@marklittle8805 I lived in Windsor for about 3 years while working in Michigan, and I felt much the same way.

[@tianming4964]

Other Ontarians, or at least Torontonians, tend to look at Windsor as the "Detroit of Canada" that isn't really known for anything. Niagara Falls is seen kind of like the "Las Vegas" of Canada (or a Las Vegas ripoff at least) and is a popular tourist destination for people across Southern Ontario due to its proximity and the fact that they have a lot more entertainment than Windsor, not to mention the falls.

[@Marylandbrony]

Wait TD Ameritrade is actually a Canadian company simply called “Toronto-Dominion” bank in its home country. That might legitimately be the most famous company based in Canada in the US.

[@lucky247365]

TD Ameritrade is no more. TD, the Canadian bank, held a partial ownership share in TD Ameritrade, but with the Charles Schwab purchase of Amitrade, TD no longer has a share in the new company. However TD Bank still has a large presence along the east coast of the US, from Boston to New York to Florida. This is all owned and run by TD Bank Financial group from Canada.

[@Blue2x2x]

As a Canadian myself, I had the opposite shock. Seeing a company which I assumed was exclusively Canadian, being commonly advertised in the US. Probably a US equivalent example is just finding out that there's a few Olive Garden and Chick-fil-a locations in Canada.

[@TheTroyc1982]

TD Bank is a huge bank that owns many global and American banks as well. As it did with Ameritrade at one point.

[@gregory-of-tours]

It's just TD up here as well (well technically TD Canada Trust, but no one cares about the Canada Trust part of the name except a few that miss when Canada Trust was a separate company). Only my grandparents still called it Toronto-Dominion

[@thatcherdonovan7305]

What about BMO-Harris being the American subsidiary of the Bank of Montréal? Growing up in Minnesota, that was always one of the most common banks around outside of wells Fargo, US Bank, and bank of America. Apparently TD Bank is large enough also in the northeast.

[@sgr2828]

JJ: 15% of Canada's population lives in the Toronto area. Wow isn't that a lot! Mongolia, South Korea: Hold my beer.

[@nadronnoco4227]

I didn't know Mongolia was a city in South Korea

[@australianpainter42069]

@@nadronnoco4227it's just a stupid american way of describing the location, people in other countries use comma as it should be used. I hate that it's becoming the norm in other countries, like "Tokyo, Japan" no shit it's in Japan, why tf do you mention the country

[@sgr2828]

​@@nadronnoco4227I guess I should've said "hold our beers" haha

[@bagelman2634]

@@australianpainter42069What happens when you’re talking about Naples, Florida instead of Naples, Italy, or Santiago, Spain vs Santiago, Chile?

[@australianpainter42069]

@@bagelman2634 depends on the context and if it's really needed then yes you can mention the country

[@albertobandera3162]

I've recently spent 3 weeks in Toronto. Coming from a small city in Italy it was a great experience. I loved the multicultural spirit of the city and would looooove to come back.

[@jeanpaulfelix4095]

very interesting. For me, European cities have no equal. Every minute I spend in europe I consider a privilage to do so.

[@MrTuneless]

​@@jeanpaulfelix4095 Grass is always greener on the other side. I think we can all agree that both have their advantages and disadvantages. We're all blessed to be able to have the freedom to travel and explore other ways of life. We can all learn from each other in one way or another.

[@aaronrochard4594]

@@MrTuneless I agree. I am from Toronto and visit Europe often. I particularly LOVE the smaller cities that still have all the amenities of the big ones. I feel like living here, if you want culture, the big city is your only option. That said, no matter how progressive or multicultural a city in the EU is, we still get told (as people of colour) how great our English is! You don't get these micro-agressions as much here because everyone's family is from everywhere else. That's why Toronto will always be home to me.

[@joemadden4160]

WHY?

[@Scottsdaleofficesteve]

I did the reverse. Went from Toronto and spent 8 weeks in a small city in Italy (Bassano in Vicenza). I would happily swap lives lol

[@robertpaterson3229]

JJ said that the GTA makes up 15% of Canada's population (which is true). However, I think a description which speaks more to the influence of Toronto's population would be to include the Golden Horseshore or Greater Golden Horseshoe. Basically the areas that the GO Train (Toronto's regional rail) services. The Greater Golden Horseshoe has a population of 10 million people within it or to put it anoher way 25% of all of Canada's population.

[@stephen9609]

And when you look at the Ontario + Quebec population it makes up 60% of Canada's total population. I know the Western provinces don't like to hear it, but unfortunately when there is only like 1 million people in Saskatchewan they're not going to have as much influence as the two biggest provinces combined...

[@robertpaterson3229]

@@stephen9609 Yes it's true. However, I think in a few decades it may change a little bit just based on how fast Calgary and Edmonton are growing.

[@BlackDoveNYC]

I was thinking the same thing but about the U.S. For instance, Metro New York is more than 20 million people and cuts across four or five states. And the eastern seaboard Boston to D.C./Baltimore, also connected by rail, is even larger. Both would be much larger than 7% of the total U.S. population.

[@robertpaterson3229]

@@BlackDoveNYC Exactly NYC is massive - the Northeast Megalopolis (Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC) containes over 50 million people (15% of the US population) and contains the financial and political capital of the Western World. Not to mention it is where the country was founded which also means in a lot of ways it sets the tone for the rest of the US and beyond.

[@Zarrx]

Grew up in southern Ontario and reside in Toronto now, I've visited Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. I haven't thought much about my approximate location to Quebec being a large reason to think about french Canada compared to if I was born BC/Alberta. Montreal is such a beautiful city though and Quebec has some of the best outdoors the east coast can offer.

[@TMLFAN11]

I also grew up in Southern Ontario and lived out west for a couple years in Saskatchewan. I was surprised at how little they knew about French. Most kids too French class from grades 4 though 10 so in Ontario many people have at least a very basic understanding of it. My friend, who grew up in a small Saskatchewan town, only had German as a 2nd language class option. One of many culture shocks for this naive Ontarian!

[@yaygya]

@@TMLFAN11 huh. In Alberta we're more likely to have French as a 2nd language option in schools (it's mandatory grade 4 thru 9). That may be because Alberta has more francophones than Saskatchewan, particularly around the Edmonton region (Beaumont, St. Albert, and the Edmonton neighbourhood of the French Quartier are all francophone).

[@TMLFAN11]

​@@yaygya Interesting, maybe I should change my comment to only include Sask!

[@genebateman3183]

As an American used to American cities, Toronto does seem a rather unfailingly polite city. So when an episode of “Corner Gas” where Hank tells Lacey that the primary greeting of Toronto is the middle finger (despite him never been there), I was a little puzzled. Also, some American advertisements will include Toronto in the cities “across the US” (or “across the country”) they’re located in and it hurts my ears a little because Toronto is, of course, not part of the US. I can only imagine the Canadian reaction.

[@AmandaFromWisconsin]

I’m an American from the Wisconsin and I’m always a little puzzled when people describe all Americans as rude. It all depends on where you go in the US.

[@rico14]

@@AmandaFromWisconsinpeople in Wisconsin are very friendly in general 😊

[@TheNmecod]

This is also applicable in Quebec, where Montreal is the equivalent of Toronto, where it holds most of the population and sits between the « Capitale-Nationale », Quebec City and the Canadian capital Ottawa. Montreal is often thought to be the decision makers in Quebec even if they aren’t represented by the government in place in terms of MNA’s. Although culturally, I think Montreal is less relevant in terms of the Quebec national identity than it used to be (at least compared to Toronto within Canada)

[@DarkElfofVulcan]

Only difference is that the language politics aren't part of that. Montreal is quite bilingual, but Quebec politics are EXTREMELY anti-anglo to a frankly fascistic degree. So, eh. Montreal has not the sway one might wish. If it did, I think Quebec would be a much less cruel place.

[@obesia1873]

@@DarkElfofVulcan Naw, sorry, but saying their protection of French is fascistic sounds ignorant af. Go to any European country and you'll find a similar legal context around languages. Quebec gets a bad rep simply because many anglo Canadians move there expecting to be accommodated by francophones. Quebec has many private schools, universities, colleges, hospitals who offer services in English and the new bill does not affect that whatsoever. It's crazy and quite insulting to people who have suffered under real fascist governments that you would insinuate Quebec is like that. Anglo privilege has blinded you, my friend.

[@kevincronk7981]

I've always figured Montreal was something of an outcast in Quebec, because it's bilingual and I think at one point was even primarily English speaking, compared to the rest of Quebec which is very staunchly just french speaking.

[@japajarabada]

@@DarkElfofVulcan Canada as a whole is an anti-french political scheme aimed at keeping them in a state of servitude. Parliament was burned in Montréal to be rebuilt in Ottawa in order to exclude the french as much as possible from decision making, with the end goal of assimilating the french. And because this is not happening for very obvious reasons the anglo establishment resorts to propaganda as if Québec nationalism was some sort of oppression against the conquering oppressor. Literally nowhere the anglos settled have they ever made politics right for the already present people whether it's Khalistan/India, South Africa with Apartheid, Hong Kong, Rhodesia, the whole Palestine/Israel conflict or Québec/Canada. In sharp contrast when the US kicked the brits for good they created the most prosperous nation in the history of mankind and reduced britain to a vassal state lol.

[@augth]

@@DarkElfofVulcan Quebec's linguistic politics aren't extreme. Their national language is French just like it's English on the other side of the Ottawa river. There is a remnant English-speaking population whose ancestors were the colonial overlords of French Canadians. Like the South African whites.

[@joeludwig8375]

JJ, as someone who's never been to Canada, but considers himself a Canadaphile, I've always felt that Toronto would be like if New York and Chicago had a kid. Vancouver has always struck me as San Diego if it had Seattle's weather. And Montreal would be the weird offspring of Philadelphia and Paris.

[@tianming4964]

As someone from Toronto who's visited both Chicago and New York, I think that's very accurate way to describe it. Chicago feels a lot like Toronto in terms of architecture and the fact it's situated on one of the Great Lakes, but because Toronto is the biggest city in the country it steals the spotlight in terms of culture and business the same way New York does.

[@liamtahaney713]

A weird offspring of Philadelphia and Paris is somehow the strangest and most accurate description of Montreal I've ever heard. Good work

[@kimberlywilson7929]

Can you explain the san diego theory?

[@wodediannao4577]

As an American whose been to all three, I'd say Toronto is Chicago meets San Francisco meets Des Moines. Vancouver is 95% Seattle and 5% Hong Kong. Montreal is definitely Boston meets Minneapolis, if Boston spoke French and Minneapolis was full of strip clubs.

[@ehjo4904]

Montréal has nothing of Paris , although it is the most european among the big Canadian cities .

[@Cydonius1701]

Interesting insight into what Canada "feels" like from the inside, thanks 😊. It sounds very much like this is something you have in common with the UK - London portrays itself as everything, holds all the headquarters and hoards all the infrastructure investment to itself, with the south-eastern counties playing the role of Ontario-that-isn't-Toronto.

[@Croz89]

It has about the same percentage of the UK population too, probably slightly more if you include the whole SE.

[@Cydonius1701]

@@Croz89 London itself, as in "Greater London" not the "City of...", is about 13% of the UK IIRC. ... Just double-checked on the ONS website, they say the South-East region is at c. 9.36 M, that makes it 13.8% of the UK on its own. Plus London's 9.2M (so still missing the suburb belt to the north and east, but also including areas not wholly in London's direct orbit, so reasonable for a quick estimate) gives c. 27.5% of the UK population. That's an insane ratio.

[@Croz89]

@@Cydonius1701 The figure I usually see for the London metropolitan area is about 11 million. This isn't a political boundary of course but an estimate based on commuting patterns and similar factors. There is definitely a massive gap between the capital and the next two cities down the list, Birmingham and Manchester, who have metro area populations of only about 2.6-2.8 million each.

[@KtT-sn8cy]

It sounds like most capitol cities if most countries, Paris for France, Amsterdam etc

[@esvete9787]

When I studied abroad in Austria, two things stuck out to me about the similar relationship between Germany and Austria and the United States and Canada. 1. The similarity to how Vienna dominates the political and cultural "center" of Austria and Toronto in Canada. 2. How Austrians define themselves culturally in contrast with Germany as the "better" Germany I think these two relationships are extremely similar after being there

[@AW-zk5qb]

Yeah, Austria is Germany's Canada

[@iboKirby]

I noticed the same thing when I was studying abroad there and then went on to look at it more in depth when I wrote one of my capstone essays on Austrian identity throughout history.

[@NeelLLumi-AnCatDubh]

What do they think makes them better?

[@esvete9787]

@@NeelLLumi-AnCatDubh Their "better" goverment policies. This is pretty similar to how Canadians point to things like their health care system as a way they're better than the US. Austrians will also talk about the difference in temperament between them and Germans. The stereotypes are even somewhat similar to US-Canada. Austrians view themselves as the friendlier or more laid back Germans. Again like the US and Canada, most of this is extremely lighthearted and meant for laughs mostly

[@NeelLLumi-AnCatDubh]

@@esvete9787 Better in what sense? Because you’re comparing the relationship to that of the US and Canada, but when I think about ‘Austrian economics’ I get a very different image to that of what people associate with Canada lol

[@notsoaveragejoe7275]

I know you're a Conservative, but I disagree with your assessment of progressive "culture" or politics in these cities/countries as being insecure, and then show a couple people spraying paint on a statue etc. I think that's just another way conservatives will try to paint people who stand for change and equality as people who are overly emotional and will cry and scream at someone for buying meat that could harm the environment and the animals. Most progressive people aren't like that and simply understand that the world is constantly changing and evolving and we should have politicians who understand that and roll with it. Most people don't want to tear down statues and scream at people who disagree with them. You can find people like that from both sides as you probably know.

[@jbejaran]

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, I can tell you that there is often much eye-rolling about the "East Coast bias" in the U.S. for reasons very similar to what you describe. New York, and the greater "Bos-Wash" corridor incl. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington has such an outsized influence, it gets a bit much at times. Plus, at another scale, Northern California has much similar eye-rolling about the influence of Los Angeles and Southern California for the same reasons as well. Great video!

[@JamieElli]

I think a lot of the Midwest feels similarly about Chicago.

[@mydogisbailey]

What why? But SF is a huge cultural economic and technological power brand in its own right. It’s no less famous or influential than LA. I lived in SF for five years

[@fantuswitt9063]

Same with Berlin and to a certain extent Hamburg in Germany. Basically World class harcore leftist cities which are hated by other germans especially if they are right wing. Berlin by some of them is even called a shit hole country because it has many financial problems, relatively high criminality and high number of immigrants. As far as I know its basically the same with every major city in the world like Moscow in Russia or Paris in France.

[@anonymoususer8895]

You live in Canada. Not the US. Troll.

[@jbejaran]

@@mydogisbailey In general, you're right, but Los Angeles does have more people, and has the cultural cache of Hollywood and the movie and television industry. In addition, a lot of Northern Californians tend to perceive that the stereotypes that non-Californians have of California tend to be more representative of LA than of Northern California, and it just breeds a kind of resentment. It's not fair or helpful, but it exists.

[@analogbunny]

The French-ness, as French as it is, isn't driven by being "a 4hr drive" from Ottawa. Most Torontonians view Oshawa as being too far away to bother with, and you could get there in an hour (traffic allowing). Don't forget that Upper Canada was a French-dominant region until the late 19th century, and places like St Catherine's and Sarnia and Sault Ste Marie still speak varieties of French that are dialectically unrelated to Québec's, and have been French cities (or historic French cities with modern French neighbourhoods) for a couple hundred years. The PQ and Bloc have explicitly made a point that they will NOT be integrating French-speaking Canadians outside of Québec into their politic, but that doesn't mean that Franco-Maritimers, Franco-Ontarians, or Franco-Manitobans aren't abundant (even if only historically). As a result of Quebeckers have a general "move here or learn English" attitude, the political status of French Canadians outside of Québec is typically overlooked. I grew up in a French-speaking household in the Hamilton region, and let me assure you that I got zero sympathy. Nobody tried to appease me of anything, and I've actually experienced far more aggression and discrimination for being Franco-Ontarian than I have for being gay. I've seen anti-discrimination rallies where people were signalling virtue over the acceptance of all sorts of people, while incorporating open disdain for French Canadians into the demonstration. I generally agree with JJ, but his indifference to French-speaking Canada has led to one or two blind spots.

[@SuperPal-tr3go]

Yeah we really don't give it a shit about the French in Toronto. It's just not a major cultural issue. Also my my brother's wife dad got bullied for being a "frog" when he moved to Toronto from Quebec back in the day, so yeah outright discrimination does happen.

[@jandron94]

You use the word "French" like in "French-speaking ..." but It seems that "French" might be tinted/mingled with a lot of English... "French" autonomy is not the the same accross all of Canada.

[@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102]

It's the Windsor-Chatham area of Ontario that has a large French speaking population. One of my dad's best friends is a French Canadian woman from Windsor who now lives in Ottawa. I don't think there are many French speakers in Sarnia, but I could be wrong.

[@reddeercanoe]

Your history is very flawed. Upper Canada was formed by United Empire Loyalists in 1783 because they didn’t like the French! The language, religion and law system of Lower Canada was repugnant to them. The French in Ontario are economic immigrants who came to a province free of Québécois corruption. As to French names there were many Anglo names in Quebec that the separatists have erased from Hull an old Anglo town across the river from Ottawa to Rupert House on James Bay. I look forward to the day Quebec is evicted from the Dominion.

[@josephstanger6303]

London being by far the largest city in the UK means that a lot of the stereotypes of British people as understood by the rest of the world are actually just stereotypes of londoners or cockneys in particular. The north has a lot of stereotypes surrounding it but i dont think those are known to many people outside the UK

[@DavidJedeikin]

I'm originally from Montreal and lived in Toronto for several years and have many friends there (part of the 1990s-era exodus of anglos during the Quebec nationalist era back then). It's remarkable how much Toronto, already a significant place back then, has really exploded and come into its own as a global city in recent decades. I was back there a few years ago and didn't even recognize some old neighborhoods. I live in America now but stand impressed at Toronto's rise and development.

[@LarissaVeloso-Planttubber]

Toronto's influence reminds me a lot of São Paulo and Rio's influence in Brazil, especially how the media is concentrated in those areas. Being a journalist from another city, when I moved to São Paulo to work in a national magazine, I was shocked at how often the reporters would assume that everyone in the country would already know the names of the most famous streets in the city. I've been living in Toronto for 5 years, and it's the best city I've lived in so far. But I'd love to see some of the resources and development go to other areas of the country. Toronto can't be the major option for everything in Canada, or we risk ending up like São Paulo - with 20 million inhabitants and all the problems that come with it.

[@spaguettoltd.7933]

Going to college in Rochester, NY, I went to Toronto a couple of times, and though it was closer than NYC, it always felt a world away. You could see the CN tower across Lake Ontario if you went far enough west, yet that border always felt really massive and impermeable. Kinda weird to think that we’re two different countries so close together.

[@stevenhaas9622]

That's weird because the US/canada border has only recently gotten to be somewhat difficult. I grew up in michigan and we would regularly take day or weekend trips to canada. It was no big deal. You didn't even need a passport.

[@dealman3312]

I was involved in the fast ferry project from your city to Toronto back in the day

[@gregblair5139]

Remember, milk is sold in bags in Toronto. Therefore, milk is sold in bags in all of Canada, as the perception goes!

[@pat7785]

Toronto is such a different place from the rest of the country, especially rural areas, it's understandable that most of the country tries their very hardest to distance themselves from it.

[@jeffreyrainey1015]

As a resident of one of its neighbouring suburbs, I apologize to the rest of the country for how brash and arrogant we come across. This is why I want to travel the rest of the country and see what I'm missing. Ironically, I’ve noticed that other areas have a stronger sense of identity than Torontonions. For example, while on vacation in panama, I visited a bar that had a lot of American Xpats, and out back there was a table of folks from Halifax who were all too happy to let you know who they were, and where they were from. Toronto doesn’t really have that, because it's too busy thinking about how grand it is.

[@stephenwodz7593]

@@jeffreyrainey1015 Your remarks could be made about the biggest city in EVERY country in the world.

[@seamusmuldrew5623]

@@jeffreyrainey1015it’s nice to see the self awareness and desire to explore the country that you hold! When I was in Vancouver a guy from Toronto asked where I was from and when I said Edmonton he asked what province it was in 💀

[@JeremyMacDonald1973]

@@seamusmuldrew5623 Hmm... at some point you should have gotten basic Canadian Geography in class. That said in my experience most Torontonians are pretty good at Canadian geography... they are immigrants and looked this shit up before they came.

[@jeffreyrainey1015]

@@seamusmuldrew5623 Jesus! If that gentleman was born in Canada, he was not paying attention in third grade history. In fairness, up until a few months ago, I did not know about the peace bridge, which is the connection between Canada and the U S. At the Niagara border. I only knew about the federation bridge.

[@danielgertler5976]

I definitely get why you did this for Toronto, and I know for sure you couldn't do this for every city (sorry Saskatoon), but I would be interested to see you do some videos like this on other Canadian cities like Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary jump to mind.

[@iSeedless]

as an american who's been to toronto many times, toronto never felt any different than any other 'international' city (where its crowded all the time and english isn't the only language u hear at any one time). really the only difference to me between, say: toronto, London, Paris, NYC, SF, Miami, dallas, chicago, LA... is the weather, food and scenery. All the people are the same.

[@kenzam5537]

100 percent I've been to all those cities as well and concur completely

[@waywardlaser]

You can tell JJ is not a Toronto native by the fact he pronounces the second T

[@JamaicaLefferts]

Yeah the BC accent is very different from the Toronto accent.

[@cehaem2]

@@JamaicaLefferts It's like very weird to hear someone clearly pronounce the t in the middle. ...

[@herschelwright4663]

Toronto forms the heart of the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. It has the country’s first subway system.

[@donwilkie]

Hi J.J. 66 years old from Vancouver Island ,I spent ten years starting in 1980 living in Ontario ,mostly in Toronto, but I spent some time working in the north as well. As a country boy I was impressed with how much green spaces there was in T.O and how easy it was to get around by bicycle .I spent most of my twenty's out there and had a wonderful time and made some life long friends ,but in the end I sure did miss the pace of my Island home .I came back in 1990 .Folks have been pretty liberal here in my experience but lately the tide is changing since covid ...................

[@ProgressOnly]

When I visited in May the 403 killed my windshield on my way back to Michigan. 🤣 And Toronto metro traffic is worse than LA and Chicago. I won't be taking questions lol

[@gregory-of-tours]

Though not as obvious as the changes in the 60s, I think Toronto really started to change right after the war when the soldiers coming home decided they were somewhat fed up with the old world and its conflicts, leading to an attitude of "So long as you work hard and follow the law, I don't care what your background is." For a hundred years almost every Toronto mayor had been a member of the Orange Order, but in 1955 Toronto elected Nathan Phillips, who was not only not a member of the Orange Order, but Jewish to boot.

[@ALuimes]

It's funny being Jewish was such a big deal back then. Today most Jews would be seen as just white-ish, especially those that are non-practicing with Anglo-sounding names.

[@augth]

A lot of European countries are unipolar with the capital city being overgrown. The UK, Ireland, Portugal, Denmark, France, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Greece, and most of the former East are that way. That is the reason why everyone in my country, France, hates Paris. Paris controls everything, people have to go there for important stuff (to do job interviews for instance), the transportation network is like a clock centred on Paris which makes it hard to get from one place to another without going through the capital. There is also a strong supriority complex among Parisians. And of course what foreigners think of when they think of France is Paris. The Eiffel Tower, Ratatouille, luxury stuff, fashion etc. Non-Paris France is very different.

[@psell8628]

You should make a video about the "polite Canadian" stereotype. It's very interesting to consider its history and its current relevance.

[@williamwueppelmann5982]

I grew up in the Toronto area and, at the time, the city felt like the center of the universe and I couldn’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else. But it only took a couple of years living outside the city (in Kingston, which is only 2 hours away and just barely outside Toronto’s sphere of influence) to understand just how differently non-Torontonians perceive it. I still love to visit and I understand its appeal, but I can’t imagine wanting to move back.

[@weaselsoup3105]

I've spent basically my entire life within 2-3 hours of Toronto and I could never live there. I've visited more than a few times but never more than a night.

[@hakohito]

Why? Because of the prices?

[@avalonwarriormage35]

My knowledge of Toronto past comes from Murdoch Mysteries which honestly, its portrayal of the city does align with what you are describing of Toronto prior to WW2 and at the turn of the century. Also I feel like Murdoch Mysteries is highly underrated and I continue to enjoy it today!

[@stellarsjay1773]

It is popular in many other countries as well.

[@avalonwarriormage35]

@@stellarsjay1773 it should be more popular.

[@gregblair5139]

As a New Yorker, I can say that Toronto is the "New York" of Canada, and the unofficial capital of Canada. They also told me that Santiago de Chile is the New York of South America. I would say that Toronto is much more a "New York" than Santiago!

[@aaronrochard4594]

I'd also add to that that I feel Madrid is the "NYC" of Spain. It seriously never sleeps!

[@taleseduardolima]

The “New York of South America” definitely is São Paulo. Santiago could be the “Los Angeles of South America”

[@JamaicaLefferts]

@@aaronrochard4594no Barcelona is more the New York of Spain

[@aaronrochard4594]

@@JamaicaLefferts Naw. WAY too small. I'd say it's the Montreal.

[@azulaquaza4916]

What's interesting about North America is since the countries are so large, the cities usually follow the culture of its region despite international borders. Cascadia (Vancouver, Seattle, Portland) are similar in culture. The Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, and Alberta like a conservative lifestyle. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and New England are relaxed Maritime even South Texas and North Mexico have a unified culture separate from each other's capitals.

[@Shamino1]

The urban versus rural culture clashes in Canada have persisted for over 80 years and are really coming to a climax due to the cornucopia of minor crisis affecting the country, and in particular Toronto. What works for a lawyer that lives in Etobicoke and commutes to Bay & Lawrence simply doesn't work for people living on the trans-Canadian trail. Regardless of one's origins, when you spend the vast majority of your life within the city, the rural population's lifestyle/culture/needs are as alien to you as the lifestyle/culture/needs of a Mongolian nomad.

[@ianlilley2577]

I see it now, 2040 Canada so unstable as hordes from the steppe and highlands riding into the cities rifles and axes like lumberjack mongolians but with f1500 trucks instead of horses 😂

[@shadow6543]

@@ianlilley2577Yes led by their mighty warlord Red Deer Rick

[@stephen9609]

Bay & Lawrence do not intersect in the city lol

[@bas3q]

@@stephen9609 Here's the thing - why would anyone outside of TO know or even care about that fact?

[@ronblack7870]

that right there is a perfect argument for the us electoral college system as well as the senate so that the needs of rural states are taken in to account vs the coastal states.

[@gack1015]

10:15 I feel like this was the case for New England as well. New England was very puritanical like Toronto in the colonial era, then once America gained independence, New England industrialized. And then by the time New England's mills closed turning into the region into a proto-Rust Belt, New England overcorrected into a very progressive/liberal and secular (if not atheist) region.

[@shadow6543]

I wouldn’t overstate the atheist angle of New England. A lot of progressives for sure but still a deeply catholic and Protestant state. We have a lot of immigrants from Catholic countries too. I also would say the progressive values of New England are overstated, Democrat stronghold sure but outside of Boston you’ll find more conservative leaning folk’s especially in New Hampshire.

[@10omhz72]

ahh, seeing a youtuber recording a video in a place I live in is a surreal experience

[@kaitlint3987]

Yeah, even if it's just a place you recognize it's pretty funky

[@mking1982098]

One thing a lot of Canadians outside of Ontario don't realize is that the people in the non-Toronto parts of Ontario generally hate Toronto just as much as the rest of Canada, if not more. That hate gets increased by the fact that the rest of Canada conflates them with Toronto. I've lived in Toronto for years but I grew up in rural Ontario and have lived in western Canada for a few years as well. Often when I'm debating people in Toronto (that have lived here their entire lives) I find myself pointing out to them that their view is very Toronto-centric, and the rest of the country doesn't think/live like that.

[@WolfKitchenStudios]

Could you give a few examples?

[@jamesl9371]

Something you have really left out is the evolution of the city in the past 50 years. When Detroit and many American cities were crime ridden and people were fleeing to the suburbs… the Toronto downtown and city center was vibrant and fairly safe and interesting (completely opposite to Detroit). And many people moved into new buildings and condos in the downtown. I lived in a condominium and could walk or ride my bike to downtown and many interesting neighborhoods in or near downtown. My brother in law was from Detroit and came to Toronto because of the huge difference in safety and lifestyle. Vancouver and Montreal have similarly built vibrant livable cities

[@stephen9609]

Very true! Although would you say it's been going on for 50 years? I feel like it's mostly been the last 25 years when former industrial areas/train yards got redveloped into areas like: South Core, Liberty Village, King West, Queen West, Entertainment District, Distillery District, etc.

[@jamesl9371]

@@stephen9609 you’re right. I lived in the Beaches and Annex and the Distillery district when it was first opened. A lot has happened in the past 25 years. But one big difference between Toronto and American cities like Detroit is the downtown area never died. Americans fled the city centers for the suburbs. Toronto has urban sprawl also but the downtown area has never been abandoned

[@robertpaterson3229]

@@jamesl9371 An interesting aspect which neither of you touched on is how the composition of downtown Toronto has changed within the last 50 plus years. It is true there was always people living in downtwon Toronto as compared to the American cities you refereced. However, when my mom immigrated to Canada in the late 1950s she told me that downtown was basically all immigrants. Little Italy was legitimately Italian, as was Kensingtion (Jewish), and Chinatown. Immigrants were really the only people that wanted to live there. My grandfather (nonno) bought on a house in Pamerston (which anyone from Toronto knows) in 1960 for $12,000. I believe this process started to change in the 1980s. I watched as a child as my Nonna's neighbourhood started to slowly but surely have less Italian and Portugese people and more hipsters and generally white young professionals. Today most new immigrants to Toronto tend to live outside of downtown. Downtown Toronto I belive is about 85% white now. Which means you could almost say Toronto experienced reverse white flight.

[@ALuimes]

@@robertpaterson3229 Good observation. Tourist ads show these immigrant community festivals in inner city Toronto neighborhoods as if that's where multiculturalism is focused but that's no longer accurate.

[@rhysticbuddy61]

As a torontonian, I don't find the french canada thing to ring all that true. Yes, we have to "learn" french in school, but we spent as much time on french as we did on religion (I went to a catholic school). I think another big factor you didn't mention that shapes much more of Toronto's mindset is the crushing economic issues we are facing in Toronto. The fact that we make basically half as much as our American counterparts given a similar education yet having to pay roughly inflated rent or the fact that the vast majority of Canada's pushed immigration numbers are ending up in the GTA given its reputation without getting the proper support. Toronto can't continue to grow at the rate that it is with the majority of the 500k people/yr Canada lets in.

[@robertpaterson3229]

That 500k numbe has increased dramtically the last couple of years,

[@ronblack7870]

the govt decided they need at least 1 million/ yr. they want at least 60 million population . unfortunately being a free country probably half of the arrivals will end up in the GTA around toronto.

[@dealman3312]

@@ronblack7870you’d think they could start with a baby bonus like Japan but no

[@Hoopsnake]

As someone who has moved to Toronto I feel that the city gets too cocky about its infrastructure giving that most infrastructure in North America is awful. If Toronto wants to grow into more massive global city, that's nice, but it's going to have to massively step up its connectivity. Sure the core of Toronto is nice, but the wider GTA doesn't nearly have the level of transit and connectivity needed, and I don't think going the Los Angeles route of sprawl is going to do anything to help prices here. It needs to be way easier to get train service all around the Golden Horsehoe.

[@Daveomabegin]

I'm American from the Midwest, and my exboyfriend was from Toronto and he was SMUG AF. Thank you for mentioning the anti-American sentiment that exists there. There's so much to love about Canada, that it's people should celebrate, not put down others. When Canadians are smug, I smell tar sands, when proud I smell maple syrup.

[@GrimReaperNegi]

Sadly I don't see it dying out, as I see Americans fuel it as well. Like I watched Sand Box's video about the loss we Americans had during a training exercise. He stated multiple times, we Americans gave a handicap, because we want to train our piolets to work under stress, and know what to do when our systems fail. The comments were flooded with comments repeating the handicap, instead of respecting the exercise itself.

[@sid7088]

The anti American thing isn't so much in a hateful way, it's very subtle and mostly about that culture's failure to stop the constant mass shootings which I believe we see as what should be common sense. IMO

[@kimberlywilson7929]

​@@GrimReaperNegiWhat does this story have to do with Canada?

[@anonymoususer8895]

You’re Canadian*. Not American. We Americans do not claim you.

[@GrimReaperNegi]

@@kimberlywilson7929 Both sides fuel the fire, I guess is the bottom line?

[@michaeldowson6988]

I've tried living in TO twice, but it never felt like home to me. Not a bad place to visit for tourism. My family ended up there upon arriving in Canada in 1875. When my grandmother was young, Bloor Street was the northern limits, and Yorkville was farmland.

[@SirEattonHogg]

As an American, I find the multiple skylines and the number of new high rises (usually apartments) for Toronto and its surrounding suburbs pretty impressive compared to most American cities. Most US cities have smaller and older commercial skylines, and not nearly the sheer amount of high level apartment buildings. In fact, the apartment buildings and combined shopping/retail centers remind me more of East Asian cities.

[@bebus6884]

What are you talking about? Most American cities look similar to Toronto.

[@vette1]

and the thing is we still need alot more of them in the GTA to make a good dent in our housing market

[@TheBrunohusker]

I feel in general like a lot of the Canadian cities have better skylines for their size than a lot of American cities. A lot of US small cities aren’t that impressive unless they were of a similar size years ago.

[@SirEattonHogg]

@@bebus6884 I didn't say they look different than US cities. Just that there are just more brand new high rise builds than most US cities and putting aside downtown Toronto, much larger skylines for the suburbs, and medium and smaller Canadian cities in comparison to US counterparts.

[@TheTroyc1982]

​​@@bebus6884Toronto has multiple high-rise clusers all over the city and region. No American city is like that

[@Kid_illithid]

(American here) I went to Toronto when I was about 15 and saw the broadway version of lion king in that big theater. It was really really awesome

[@kevincronk7981]

Interesting that Toronto was once known for being very conservative and puritanical but is now known for being very liberal, that sounds a lot like New England. Except that I don't think New England has entirely moved away from some of its puritan roots, it only really has politically not culturally.

[@TheBrunohusker]

Interesting you mention this. A writer a few years ago mentioned this and talked about how this was not just in New England, but where they settled, so places along the Great Lakes were kind of like this but became more progressive. Meanwhile, the more center right, mostly German areas that stretched from Pennsylvania to the Great Plains were either conservative or swing states, and that region included not just PA but, Iowa, Indiana, outstate Illinois, most of Missouri, and eastern Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas. I think it was called 11 nations of America.

[@jonrolfson1686]

This was something of a reminder of how much my view of Canada in my early years was at variance with that which is common today. Three of my grandparents were, as small children, part of a minor turn-of-the century migration from the western U.S. to southern Alberta. My paternal grandfather returned to the U.S. in 1920, after a late war stint in the Canadian military. My mother’s parents remained in southern Alberta. During my childhood and youth in the ‘50s and ‘60s, there were frequent trips from Utah to visit relatives in Alberta. Other than the minor formality of border crossing, more colorful money, and the appearance of French on the cereal boxes, there seemed to be very little to differentiate Alberta from Idaho or Utah.

[@thetitansofbrahma6702]

It’s always good to see someone from Toronto’s most distant suburb (Vancouver) swallow their irrational regional pride and make the pilgrimage.

[@bensanderson7144]

Properly understood, Vancouver is a suburb of either Shanghai or Mumbai, and Toronto is a suburb of New York.

[@loveless131]

Loving all the anime T-shirts you're wearing lately.

[@MrAsianPie]

From my personal experience, it's a large midwestern city, with less urban decay and economic ruin

[@yaygya]

Toronto looks a lot like Chicago, though it's also culturally a lot like New York. It shares traits of both. Montréal is hard to directly compare to a US city. You could sort of think of it as a Boston-New Orleans hybrid for its older architecture as well as its Francophone, but that's the closest you'll get. Vancouver is West Coast city of Canada. Geographically it's a lot like Seattle, with a bit of San Francisco sprinkled in for its peninsulas and housing unaffordability, and LA for the fact that it has a significant film and TV industry. Calgary is basically what Denver would be if it never seriously diversified its economy. Edmonton is basically Minneapolis with oil, with a big mall and lots of urban parkland. Its progressive disposition compared to the rest of Alberta is comparable to Austin. Winnipeg used to be called the Chicago of the North, being a hub of finance and transportation, but nowadays it's more comparable to something like Omaha, as the city declined after the Panama Canal opened.

[@toegunn4905]

I grew up in Michigan, Toronto was weirdly important in my upbringing. We had Detroit and our local sports and culture, but between Chicago and Toronto we really felt like the center of the cultural world. Everything outside the Chicago- Toronto line was just weird outside happenings. Might as well have been a different planet.

[@JackCupcake]

A great tribute to my city of birth! Cheers from a fellow Canadian!

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

i still find it wild that so much of canadas population live in that area of ontario and quebec and how close it all is the the usa. im not canadian but i think canadians should take pride in toronto its definitely a world class city.

[@player_566-1]

If you ignore the transportation issues, lack of actual personality and the amount of red tape it takes to do anything. It is fun place to live in

[@Rukhage]

Yep this is the same for Buenos Aires being representative of the entirety of Argentina to most foreigners. And most stereotypes of Argentines being full of themselves and thinking they're above the rest of Latin America stem directly from attitudes of Porteños (people from the city of Buenos Aires), I should know as I am one.

[@jamesl9371]

I was born and raised in Toronto and spent most of my life there. And I also lived in Vancouver. They both have their pros and cons. Now I’ve traveled a lot and lived in Asia. Toronto is the most multi cultural city I’ve seen. Consequently it has great restaurants and a diverse culture. On the downside the winters are long and brutal. Toronto is expensive. Just like many places it’s a good place to be if you’re rich. Bottom line I now think it’s a great place to visit in the summer but I don’t want to live there

[@ALuimes]

If you think Toronto winters are brutal, you don't know what brutal winters are.

[@hakohito]

Toronto winters are brutal? Toronto is in the best area with milder climate in the whole Canada, exepct for BC cities near Vancouver

[@jamesl9371]

@@hakohito I think months of winter 🥶 and 2 months of summer is not a good thing. And 20 or 30 below zero is not a good thing. And tons of slush and snow is not good. And black ice 🧊 and you’re falling down and getting hurt is not good. I know that other places in Canada get more snow but winter in Toronto is no fun. It’s all relative. 50 years of it was enough for me

[@hakohito]

@@jamesl9371 I hope they put more fun and interactives places and stuff to do for free in Toronto winters, like in Montreal where there are themed bars, parks and ice skating, hangouts, and little parks during winters with heated seats and covering for those who want to have fun while in a cold winter day

[@npcimknot958]

Ya, hoenstly.. it’s wierd.. multiculturalism in Toronto is just relaly normal to me.. but when i see it in other countries.. it doesn’t feel right lol.. but toronto 100% has like the best food.. all the good chefs around the world came here haha.. so if you like food.. canada 100% should focus on food tourism.. we got killer asian food. And so much bbt.. oh so much.. even better bubble tea than in asia

[@Quadrophiniac]

While I do understand the resentment that comes from the western part of Canada towards Ontario, we do have around 40 percent of Canadas population so it makes sense that we are more dominant in politics and Canadian culture. That's just a reality that westerners need to accept, or you need to make your part of the country attractive for people to move to.

[@alexandercampbell7903]

Toronto is not just the most diverse City in Canada, but also the entire WORLD!

[@shawnanderson6313]

Based on what ? I would say Miami, NYC, Sydney would be more diverse.

[@n.b.3521]

​@@shawnanderson6313Based on percentage of the population born outside Canada and where outside Canada. The above poster is correct. Toronto has approximately 10% more foreign-born citizens than New York, which is the most culturally diverse city in the US.

[@ALuimes]

@@shawnanderson6313 Miami isn't diverse. Most of its minorities are Cuban.

[@shawnanderson6313]

Have you ever been to Miami? I'm assuming no based on your comments. Miami is not all Cubans, it is collection of diversity from South America , Caribbean. and Africa. Miami metro is 29 percent white, 18 percent Black, 3 percent Asian, and 45 percent Hispanic. @@ALuimes

[@GeorgeRatzmann]

@@shawnanderson6313 I agree. As of 2021, 58.1% of Miami, FL residents were born outside of the U.S.A.

[@BloggerMusicMan]

A lot of what you say applies to a lot of big cities around the world. But I loved this video because in a big way you've captured so much of what I love about Toronto. I grew up for a sizable amount of my childhood in Oakville, Ont., which is just a 35-minute train ride away from Downtown Toronto. I spent a good chunk of my teen years in the city and went to university and college there. Even now that I live an hour outside of the city (closer to Niagara Falls), I still go to Toronto about once every month or two to see friends or do something entertaining. It's one of my favourite cities. I've been to cities around the world and Toronto has such a precious mix of parks, activities, neighbourhoods, and it's remarkably safe for a city of its size. It always feels like home when I'm there. It's a complicated mess that somehow still really works.

[@TheBrunohusker]

Also, loved the little pic you had of an Orangeman in this. I was surprised you didn’t talk more about this. I’ve read a lot about Irish history and in particular Northern Ireland and I remember hearing the Orangemen were very prominent in Toronto and Canada in general and I thought that was interesting as I know the Orange, while not a terrorist group, had some members who were part of more radical pro British groups. I think Toronto still even has Orangeman parades.

[@cehaem2]

There're even parades in RoI in Dublin....Outside of NI Orangism has little to do with politics.

[@SRMkay]

This video got me thinking about how interesting the inverse might be for a video topic: once-great cities that used to hold outsized economic, governmental, or cultural importance that no longer hold such importance. Here in the States, St. Louis or my home city of Philadelphia come to mind (Detroit too, but the rise and fall of Detroit has been thoroughly explored by now).

[@christophercole8114]

I grew up in Western New York, just a three hour drive from Toronto and certainly close enough to get television and radio broadcasts from Toronto. To me, Toronto always came across in a similar way that New York City does to the rest of New York. It's the first major cultural center that nearly everyone thinks of, but it's hardly representative of the whole. For example, if everyone simply thought of New York City as encompassing the whole of New York State, you'd never believe that New York State is third in the US in dairy production, but also has a vast wine producing region in the Finger Lakes as well. But I also think that New York City kind of has this hold on the rest of the country that it's among the first things foreigners think of when they think of the United States. I've always kind of seen Toronto in the same way. But it seems to me that Vancouver could move into a more culturally significant force within Canada. Would I be correct in saying that it's kind of become the Los Angeles of Canada with so many television and movie productions filming around there? It seems to me that, if that's actually the case, Vancouver could be more of a representative of Western Canada and push back some on Toronto.

[@TheTroyc1982]

Vancouver is even more liberal than Toronto so it really doesn't represent western Canada. Calgary represents western Canada. And Toronto is the centre of Canadian media and tv/movie production, not Vancouver.

[@sid7088]

LA gers mostly sunny days, Vancouver gets mostly rainy days.

[@ghostassoc]

Toronto is far more ahead in terms of its art/cultural/music scene is becoming more of an intl hub for this. Its also the leading film/tv hub in Canada and now a global tech hub.

[@JamaicaLefferts]

Hmmmm Vancouver…..nope not really. Vancouver is actually alot smaller than Toronto. Vancouver doesn’t have what it takes to be the cultural center of Canada. It still has alot of growing to do. And if anything Calgary will most likely be the best representation of Western Canada

[@IchthysGuy]

One kind of inverted version of this seems to me to be Ulaanbaatar (UB) which contains 50% of the population of Mongolia, and yet Mongolian culture seems to be seen both domestically and abroad as something very rural and more a matter of the countryside than anything to do with UB itself.

[@jaiboregio]

Mexican here. Our capital city's metropolitan population is also about 15%, so it also influences how the rest of the world sees Mexico. Since Mexico City is quite underdeveloped and corrupt, the rest of Mexico has to struggle with this "banana republic" image 😔

[@MrKrazycanucks]

As a Canadian that lives around T.O. but not in it, I want to say thanks for this and other videos you produce. You have a good style, a bit like Andrew Chang, which I love!

[@Alex_Plante]

As a Montrealer, Toronto has always been somewhere I go through when I'm going somewhere else. I only visited the city as a tourist briefly in 1993. And I went up the CN tower in 1977.

[@lilioconnor139]

Even though I'm not Canadian, this video is so relatable, I feel the frustration! London (the real one, not the Canadian one) has a population of about 9 million, which means it contains about 15% of Britain's entire population. It is by far Britain's largest city, to the point where it doesn't even resemble other British cities. For example, even on my side of the country, you can find souvenirs of red buses and palace guards and black taxi cabs, despite them being just as foreign to me as they are to international tourists. And I only live 350km away, I can't imagine having your whole country defined by a city 4000km away.

[@scottnewton9060]

I assure you that London, Ontario, Canada is a real place. Perhaps you should have refered to London, England as the arrogant London. Silly POM!

[@n.b.3521]

Oh relax! He's probably just picked that up from other Canadian KZbinrs like RM Transit who often refer to London, ON as "fake London". 😉

[@lilioconnor139]

@@scottnewton9060 yes i am calling london (england) the arrogant london. congrats on the reading comprehension x

[@tyrellharvey6953]

⚠️ As someone from Toronto, I can say this is spot on, in regards to your take on progressivism , it really did feel like growing up in city that changed and got bigger every year and felt like a perfect dream city at some points🔥oh and there are beautiful women EVERYWHERE

[@MasterGeekMX]

Mexico City also suffers from the same centrism that Toronto has, both in the international stage and local, as there are few major cities in the country, and "CDMX" as we now call is both one of them and the capital of the country.

[@popezosimusthethird269]

This feels scarily like someone explaining the position Paris holds in France. Minus the bitterness. -a french provincial not at all bitter about Paris

[@robertlee4172]

8:22...TORONTO THE GOOD", is in fact a book title. Written over 100 years ago, it was meant mockingly, to illustrate the puritanical aspects of the leadership, and their political values. From Chat GPT..."Yes, the title "Of Toronto the Good - A Social Study - The Queen City of Canada" can be interpreted as mocking or satirical, highlighting the perceived puritanical or moralistic nature of Toronto's leadership and governance. The term "Toronto the Good" is often used ironically to refer to the city's historical reputation for strict regulations and conservative values, particularly in relation to alcohol consumption and moral behavior. By using this title, the author may be suggesting a critical examination of Toronto's social dynamics and the potential implications of its leadership's control over societal norms and behaviors."

[@mattkeel6857]

I love JJ's videos but they often perpetuate an idea that is frustrating to Atlantic Canadians like myself. Characterizing Toronto as the other side of the country from Vancouver is very invalidating to the east coast. Also here in the east there is a much more rich diversity between french and English towns. It's not a Toronto thing, it's a not-out-west thing.

[@matthewblake1884]

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your time here in Torr-Ron-Toe!

[@maxdonaldson861]

I can relate to this coming from the United Kingdom. More than one in seven of us live in London, and I have become more aware of the cultural poverty that the rest of the country experiences due to everything being in London since I left that city. Simultaneously, London culture gets overly emphasised in depictions of British culture, and it has a large influence on the culture of the rest of the country, despite the resentment of London's status by many outside of it. These two facts form a feedback loop. Of course the debate about "levelling up" the rest of the country rages eternally. This is in sharp contrast to Germany, where no city can be said to have any cultural dominance over the rest of the country, so one's experience of a single city could never be representative of all cities in Germany. However, the large conurbation of cities in the West of West Germany does perhaps collectively play a significantly larger role in forming Germany's identity than any other region.

[@fantuswitt9063]

Nah Berlin is very similar in Germany as Lodon is in Britain. Whats in Berlin is also mostly in in other parts of the country especially regarding politics

[@maxdonaldson861]

@@fantuswitt9063 Maybe to some extent. But it only contains 6% of the population, and it is geographically isolated from the economically and culturally dominant former West Germany, whereas Toronto's location near New England and London's location in the South East and near to Europe contribute to their oversized contributions to their countries identities. Germany's financial centre is in Frankfurt, which significantly undermines Berlin's claim to dominance. Furthermore, Germany is an export nation, and Hamburg and Bremen are its port cities, not Berlin. It also has a different accent from the most widely exported Hochdeutsch accent, which is approximately based on Hanoverian Hochdeutsch, whereas the London accent is often seen as the "British accent". That said, Berlin is definitely the most iconic German city from a tourism perspective. It also contains a large proportion of Germany's creative industries and its media company headquarters. It is also one of the most important locations in Germany for higher education, if not Germany's higher education capital, which is also a big factor in London's dominance. So I take your point.

[@jandron94]

​@@maxdonaldson861And Germany's main international airport is in Frankfurt. Also Germany's culture tends to be historically bound to some rivers like the Rhine, the Danube, and to a smaller degree to the Alps if we consider Austria and Switzerland... Berlin only became important in the 18th century... So you have the "old culture" and the "modern and contemporary culture" : Berlin has the latter one but London or Paris have both...

[@KayramirCF]

Loved the green screen usage!

[@eliskagray1546]

Great video JJ. I always enjoy going to Toronto when I do as someone from Hamilton.

[@shawnwhite1972]

I think we are very lucky living so close to Toronto we get all the benefits.

[@ghostassoc]

I would say the same about Hamilton!! I visited for the first time from Toronto as a lot of cool things in the art scene are happening there. Seems like many young creative types are moving there now. Such a cool city!! Love from TO.

[@therethere508]

I spent time in Boston this summer and came away with the impression that New England's progressivism is a direct outgrowth of its Puritan heritage, not a reaction against it. I don't fully know how to explain why this is, maybe the deep moral concern and a sense that society can and must be improved. I wonder if the same holds true of Toronto.

[@TheBrunohusker]

Well religiously the puritans were for their time progressive compared to their Anglican forebearers and Catholics as they believed in faith alone could save someone and that scripture alone was what they needed. Tradition was what in their minds ruined the Catholic Church and Anglican Church.

[@Viljuri]

Being a Finn, you're a Canadian treasure! As being a Finn, I know a lot of your country before, as our cultures interact, but this is something more. Thank you for your work!

[@ivanskrypov4030]

As someone whose knowledge of Canada is very limited, I really love your videos that show and describe different parts of your huge country. I hope to see more of this type of content in the future

[@williamsatterthwaite6063]

Yes - it reminds me of the sway that Auckland, and the North Island in general has over my home country, New Zealand.1/5 of the population is in Auckland and 3/4 are in the North Island. The South Island sometime is seen as more of a vacation destination and rural farming area in NZ politics.

[@robertpaterson3229]

@JJ thanks for this video. I have written numerous comments in the past noting your lack of Toronto coverage in regards to Canada generally. This is the video I was waiting for. I think you covered everything and brought your own personal experience to it. All I can say is thank you and great vid!

[@SaltyAntelope63]

It's so refreshing to hear someone pronounce Toronto with 3 syllables, instead of "Tronno"

[@flynnfoil]

Hey JJ, we spoke briefly at the ironic rave. My roots are in New Brunswick so I'm not accustomed to these giant cities. That was my first time in Toronto and it quickly felt like an angry Montreal. Many angry drivers.

[@theastuteangler]

spent all of my 41 years in and around Toronto. Very well done.

[@singaporenoodles7189]

To be honest I like Toronto it really is a multicultural city like I have look up the demographics and it's crazy how diverse Toronto is and greater Toronto is huge like 6 million people