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Wake up, Toronto – you're bigger than you think

RICHARD FLORIDA

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:59 AM EST 29/10/07

Being a mega-region means thinking like one; building a high-speed rail line would be a start ...Read the full article

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  1. Paul C from Toronto, Canada writes: Excellent article.

    Notable point: invest in public transit, not only mega-highways.
  2. Dave Jansen from Canada writes: Shhhhh!!!!

    Keep it down!!!

    We wouldn't want to shatter people's preconceptions of Toronto now would we?

    Thank God no one in Alberta has seen this article yet...
  3. whatevah D from Canada writes: Very interesting. Every time someone in my hometown in Niagara asks how can you live in Toronto, because they watch City tv, and think crime is out of control, I ask them: have you ever been to little Italy? No. Have you ever been to the Danforth? No. Have you ever been to the beach? No. High park? No. Have you ever walked for 14 km through the ravines ? No. Then you don't know what you're talking about.
  4. Ed Andrews from Edmonton, Canada writes: An ego boost is not what people from Toronto need. Think broad vistas, clear skies, snow capped mountains, fruited plains, and lots of elbow room.
  5. Cameron Reid from Canada writes: Cue the RoC Toronto-hating.
  6. Umm... Toronto from Canada writes: Unfortunately, Florida has written two articles. One to pump our egos. The other to pump his. Granted, Toronto is a great city. But what has Toronto's wonderful neighborhoods, great food, friendly people and safe streets got to do with the greater economic region of Tor-Buf-Chester (or what ever he calls it)? Nothing. Two separate ideas. The Globe let this slip because Florida has cache. Obviously, he also has a hard time staying on point. The fact of the matter is that when a region cares more about economics than anything else all of those benefits he lists of living in Toronto disappear. Buffalo is a scary, violent, dirty, backwards city. I haven't spent any time in Rochester so I can't comment about it. But if closer economic ties matter more than building a just society than we're in real trouble.
  7. Vern McPherson from writes: film at 11
  8. Ed Op from Canada writes: Um, nothing against the fine people of Buffalo, but to include Buffalo as a key component of this Tor-Buf-Chester (?!?!?) entity doesn't really make sense. The population of the GTA is something like 4.5 million. Buffalo's is 250,000. And how he can overlook Hamilton's at nearly 700,000, Mississauga's at 650,000 or London's at over 400,000 is beyond me. I agree that economic regions are more relevant than city boundaries, but come on, let's keep things in perspective. If Buffalo disappeared tomorrow, the economic region centered on the GTA wouldn't even notice.

    I'm also dismayed the Globe would publish this as-is. As another poster commented, Florida does have a little difficulty staying on topic. Two articles? I'd say more like four or five.
  9. J C from NYC, United States writes: Building a monorail will put Toronto on the map, like Brockway, Ogdenville, North Haverbrook.
  10. Michael Sharp from Victoria BC, Canada writes:

    'Cameron Reid from Canada writes: Cue the RoC Toronto-hating.'

    Hey, I'm on!

    Toronto is so big, it must surely be world-class.
    Wake up Toronto indeed, the RoC knows them to be asleep certainly.

    And my very favourite, yelled loudly for effect...

    SMOG ALERT!!!

    That gets 'em jumpy.
    Put the respirator on granny, the particulate count is lethal.
    Careful now, Lake Ontario is about to catch fire.
  11. jack duckworth from smogville, Canada writes: Trying to make a rational argument for a high speed rail link between Toronto and New York (11 hours by train), as opposed to Windsor to Quebec City (who cares how long) will put you at odds with central canada's entrenched mythology of national unity and corporate subsidy.
  12. MKK Flatron from Waterloo, Canada writes: Yeah I always thought Toronto was underrated. But there definitely are rooms for improvement, like that hideous TTC for example.
  13. Tour de France from Toronto, Canada writes: Ed Op: Actually, Buffalo is a major gateway for small and medium Canadian businesses working with the American market. I made a call to a Buffalo shipping center once, and the receptionist tried to sell me on the company's 'value proposition' to me. Needless to say I was astounded - since when does receptionists know what value proposition is?

    So don't you knock Buffalo.
  14. RD Lone from Vancouver, Canada writes: This guy clearly has his own agenda - his research on why this T-B-C region is so great. Therefore by extension T-B-C is great, and Toronto is great.

    I lived in TO for two years and I've done most of the things mentioned in the article - honestly, neat but not amazing. I would consider living there again for career purposes, but otherwise a greatly hyped city. To compare it with truly large and great cities: Paris, NY, etc is a total joke. Leave the center of the universe some time and visit these other places.
  15. R Lam from Calgary, Canada writes: On a lot of points he's right. Especially when referring to economic arguements. However the rest of the article embodies a level of arrogance only found in Canada between Hamilton and Oshawa. If he really knew what a piker school Rotman is in the grand scheme of the world he wouldn't be trumpeting his own horn.
  16. brm 2000 from HOGTOWN, Canada writes: The reason Toronto has become 'world class' has nothing to do with it's creative class, but more to do with its underworld class. Toronto become more like Montreal, more accepting of licentiousness and moved away from its uptight Protestant past. The recent report of startling drug and hidden cocaine use by the head of cocaine anonymous in the city talks about a city that likes to party and gamble. Like it or not, this sort of behaviour along with the hidden in plain sight 'health spas' which in reality are licenced brothels has much to do with attracting a 'creative' class. This is not all bad, it is just a reality like New York, London, Berlin and LA and other big cities the good and the bad need to co-exist. Rich and famous people like to party, if they can't party in Toronto, they will go somewhere else, like they did in the fifties when they could not get a drink on Sunday -- in Toronto.
  17. joe 6 pk from Canada writes: STOP tax goon miller et al...........NOW

    miller driving toronto into the ground............

    reverse punitive onerous, unfair land transfer tax.............

    miller & tax ilk , tax to death toronto tax payers cabal...........

    ALL FIRED...............

    FORTHWITH............
  18. Purple Tory from Alberta, Canada writes: 'Thank God no one in Alberta has seen this article yet...'

    It was only a matter of time! There's a lot of things that Alberta needs to emulate Toronto with, especially cultural acceptance of immigrants. Right now the US-style conservative movement has a lot of sway over some people here, so the idea of Middle Eastern men coming to your house with delicious food might inspire a bit of cognitive dissonance, or even prompt a call to CSIS because of 'terrists'. :)

    The bit about public transportation and high speed rail should be heeded by everyone. The state of public transportation in most Canadian cities is pretty awful, and we'd be much better served by low emission, high-speed rail lines than by megahighways.
  19. Wir sind das Volk from Toronto, Canada writes: I do like the idea of trying to create a transnational economic region, although beyond that, I don't know what Toronto has in common with the US rust belt regions of western New York. That being said, Toronto, and Ontario for that matter, needs to come up with an economic strategy to ensure that our prosperity is sustainable. Too much of this in the past has been built on manufacturing and autos, and Toronto being the head office capital of (small) Canada. Creativity and quality of life are good, but it needs to be more specific than that, and focus on sectors where we can be world beaters. This will involve government, business and academia working together to develop resources and create competitive advantages in areas like health research, environmental technology, film, finance etc.
  20. N. American from New York, United States writes: Yep, Toronto sure is a swell regional city! Being Canada's biggest, its even manage to grow a little cosmopolitan AND has a solid ethnic flare; way more so than very similar NA cities, say Philadelphia or Boston.

    Someday though Toronto is going to have to learn that the moment you say that you're 'world class', you're not!

    [Note, from what I can gleam, Mr. Florida has spent a lot of time living in DC and Buffalo; this certainly defines the context of this article]
  21. Gottlob Frege from Calgary, Canada writes: Toronto and NE NY cannot be part of the same 'economic region' because they are in two separate countries. This isn't Europe. People in Buffalo cannot freely and easily move to Toronto to work, and vice versa.

    Purple Tory, Calgary had the highest level of international immigration of any city in North America, per capita, with the exception of Toronto and Vancouver. Calgary has a higher rate of immigration (INTERNATIONAL immigration, not Canadian migrants) than do NYC, LA, or San Francisco. And what 'US style conservative movement' are you referring to?
  22. Gottlob Frege from Calgary, Canada writes: Of course I meant NW NY. And Calgary's immgration stats were for 2006 ('had, in 2006...').
  23. Pete in a tent in High Park from toronto, Canada writes: Thanks for coming out - nice fluff piece, probably better suited to the travel or careers section. Toronto is what it is - and most of us could give a flying fcuk what Mr. Florida or TRoC think.
  24. Wir sind das Volk from Toronto, Canada writes: N. American - don't forget Pittsburgh! Dr. Florida (that sounds funny...) was also a prof at Carnegie Mellon.
    Silliness aside, I do think there are a lot of reasons to be cautiously optimistic about ol' TO. The key one is massive investment in the city from both public and private sectors that will continue for many years to come, much of it in the downtown core. New office towers, 5-star condo/hotels, new neighbourhoods and parks on the waterfront, billions for subways and LRTs, and the money that has been spent on the ROM, AGO, Opera house, MaRS etc etc. This money will create a spin-off effect, and create more investment businesses, restaurants and other services. The 90s weren't a great decade for Toronto, but I think we are slowly getting it right this decade and the next one may be better than many imagine.
  25. Jim S from vancouver, Canada writes: Using satellite pictures of the world at night as a way to measure economic activity is either brilliant or....really dodgy pseudo-science. I just hope nobody's making serious policy decisions based on those findings.
  26. Wir sind das Volk from Toronto, Canada writes: Oh, and also immigration. I think the powerful anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping the US right now will be to Toronto's advantage in terms of being able to attract high caliber people (and businesses who will want to be able to draw from a larger labour pool - witness Microsoft in Vancouver). Toronto (the GTA) remains one of the fastest growing metropolitans areas in NA because of immigration, and will add 3 to 4 million more people in the next 25 years. If we get the economics, urban planning and the public investment right (of which there are many grounds for optimism), it will be a thriving, diverse metro-region of 10 million with a wonderful quality of life. We may not hear so many smirk-laden utterances of 'world class' then.
  27. J C from NYC, United States writes: I think I like Richard Florida better than Ron Mexico.

    [Insert obligatory left wing rant against local government and current tax regime here]
  28. Tommy Atkins from Edmontonistan, Canada writes: This article is a spoof, right?
  29. Dan Shortt from Toronto, Canada writes: Oh good Lord, give it a break, Mr. Florida.

    You just arrived here. Sure, Toronto impresses at first blush. Give it a few months. Get yourself a $30.00 parking ticket while you're at the bank getting cash from an ATM ... wait till the police block you from going to your own home because somebody is filming a movie ... notice all that trash next time you go for a stroll in a beautiful ravine ... wait for an hour for a streetcar to come along on the Queen St. line ... try getting out of town some weekend when the expressways are all closed down ....
  30. Rodger Harding from Canada writes: Regionalism is a great concept...the one fatal flaw being that regions dont balance budgets...governments do....
  31. Tyler Williams from seattle, United States writes: interesting

    the report says: 'we have used satellite pictures of the world at night to estimate the economic activity of the mega-regions of the world'

    um, did the author happen to notice, unlike in most canadian cities, many american cities do not require street lighting to be placed on city streets?

    in other words, as a long-time jogger in many countries, i can tell you that you can jog for miles in neighborhoods in cities in Ohio and Maryland and Kentucky, for example, and you will only pass a few dozen dim street lamps in total the whole time: in contrast, if you jogged the same distance in residential neighborhoods on city streets in BC or Ontario, you would pass literally hunderds and hundreds of street lamps, bright enough to read small print under, at least 3 or 4 every city block.

    so yes, jim from vancouver appears to be quite corect.
  32. Brian Ward from Toronto, Canada writes: 'J C from NYC, United States writes: Building a monorail will put Toronto on the map, like Brockway, Ogdenville, North Haverbrook.'

    this gets my vote for best obscure simpsons quote on a G&M message board. well done...........
  33. bagoverhead guy from Delta, B.C., Canada writes: Mitchell Sharp from smug old boring Victoria might not want to mention that he lives in city that dumps raw sewage into the ocean, has hundreds of drug addicts/homeless folks living in their downtown (we have thousands here in the Lower Mainland), homes that are out of reach for the average soul.

    Seems many of us in B.C. have forgotten that Lotus Land of old is not todays reality...have you sat in Vancouver traffic lately; seen the color of our skyline on the rare summer day we've had recently??
  34. whatevah D from Canada writes: RD Lone from Vancouver, Canada writes: I lived in TO for two years and I've done most of the things mentioned in the article - honestly, neat but not amazing. I would consider living there again for career purposes, but otherwise a greatly hyped city. To compare it with truly large and great cities: Paris, NY, etc is a total joke. Leave the center of the universe some time and visit these other places.

    Um, yes, I've visited NY, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, London, Amsterdam, Geneva, etc etc etc

    I'm sure a lot of other Torontonians have too. What I love about Toronto is its cosmopolitan nature - the fact that I can go Chinatown, Little India, etc. and eat great food for decent prices any time I want. Of course, it's not going to compare to Paris in terms of history, architecture, etc. But don't assume just because I love living here I haven't been anywhere else. What an ignorant statement!

    And 'greatly hyped' what planet are you living on? since when has TO ever been greatly hyped. The whole point is that it's the neighbourhoods and ravines that make it special... and most people have never explored these facets!!!
  35. Dave Jansen from Canada writes: J C from NYC, United States writes: Building a monorail will put Toronto on the map, like Brockway, Ogdenville, North Haverbrook.

    LOL!!

    That episode produced a classic Homer moment;

    Marge: According to this book, the monorail goes over 150 miles an hour!
    What if something goes wrong?
    Homer: 'What if'. What if I stepped in the shower and slipped on a bar of soap? ... Oh, my God! I'd get killed!
  36. anderson Stevenson from Canada writes: What a joke reading this guy; hope his students are given a balanced view than the kind of comments he just made. Florida would like you to think that this city has no serious problems, ecomomic, social or environmental when in fact all those factors are becoming critical for residents of this city to maintain the quality of life they knew in the past. I guess the fact he comes from Buffalo might give a clue to his views. Any city comparison with America's butt hole would be favourable, but certainly not enlightening. Toronto is going to need people with better critical thinking than this if it is going to be viable in the future
  37. whatevah D from Canada writes: anderson Stevenson from Canada writes: What a joke reading this guy; hope his students are given a balanced view than the kind of comments he just made. Florida would like you to think that this city has no serious problems, ecomomic, social or environmental when in fact all those factors are becoming critical for residents of this city to maintain the quality of life they knew in the past.

    Are there any big cities not facing those issues?
  38. A T from Victoria, Canada writes: wow, is this guy serious? I lived in Toronto for several years and consider it to be one of the most unappealing places in the country, ars we chatting of the same place..yes it is big, and interesting and there is lots to do if you enjoy the city life and don't mind frigid winters, unhealthy smog, grossly humid summers and think it is normal to spend 90 mintues getting to work. one way. On top of that, if you want to escape from it all, you spend hours trying to get away from the city, it's bad air and dirty water...I think people in Toronto need to hear this kind of crap so they might actually think there is a nugget of sensibility in staying there. I have lived in Alberta and BC and both places are much better places to live!
  39. this is just my opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: Dan Shortt, I'm curious: when was the last time a film shoot blocked you from your home? To hear my friends in the film production business tell it, Toronto's industry has waned drastically and most of them have been forced to move elsewhere to find work.

    And if you don't want a ticket when you're at the ATM, I suggest you park legally. I believe the condition of getting tickets for illegal parking persists through most major cities and is not confined to Toronto.
  40. whatevah D from Canada writes: A T from Victoria, Canada writes: wow, is this guy serious? I lived in Toronto for several years and consider it to be one of the most unappealing places in the country, ars we chatting of the same place..yes it is big, and interesting and there is lots to do if you enjoy the city life and don't mind frigid winters, unhealthy smog, grossly humid summers and think it is normal to spend 90 mintues getting to work.

    Winter is frigid compared to Alberta? Summers are nice and hot yes, not everyone likes to wear jackets in the evening. And 90 minutes getting to work? Try 30 minutes on a bad day. Unless you lived in the outskirts, which isn't TO at all.

    there is lots to do if you enjoy the city life. bingo, you finally got something!
  41. D G from Toronto, Canada writes: Seriously A T from Victoria - holy glass is half empty attitude! I live downtown and walk or bike to work. Winters are a joke. I think we had to shovel our walk 3 times last year. The summers are amazing. You can go to the island or bike the paths or go to the beaches etc if you want some nature. I want out of the city?? I take the train or if I need to, I rent a car and just leave not during rush hour. Not so hard. Sure traffic can still be bad, but hey, so what - I am not gonna let it sour my mood.

    Sure the smog can be bad at times (but the city isn't often that humid in my opinion) but I would rather deal with that than the alberta's frigid winters and narrow-minded political landscape (and before you go off on me, yes I have been there and witnessed it first hand. I've also witnessed quebec's political climate firsthand and I will take toronto's over the other's anyday)

    I love this city and feel justified in defending toronto because I have lived in many places, including rural areas. I am not so sure that many of the people on here dissing Toronto can say the same.
  42. Mr. Shim Shalla Bim from Canada writes: Ed Andrews from Edmonton, Canada writes: An ego boost is not what people from Toronto need. Think broad vistas, clear skies, snow capped mountains, fruited plains, and lots of elbow room.

    'Fruited plains' - that's a new one.
  43. Joe Lunchbucket from Canada writes: This guy needs to step outside of his office and get in the trenches. Toronto is rife with problems. Overcrowding, 24/7 gridlock, sky-high taxes, sub-par public transit, violence, crumbling infrastructure. I could go on. All these problems have gotten nocticeably worse just in the last 5 years and are quickly spiralling out of control. I live here and I can't wait to leave.

    Sometimes the big picture isn't the most accurate one.
  44. Oh Canada from Canada writes: It is still the best overall city in Canada. It has its warts, but at the end Toronto is still the most important city.
  45. syme Jago from San Francisco, United States Outlying writes: Torontonians are blessed to have their city. I was born and raised in T.O. lived there for 43 years. After being transfered for work to San Francisco, I was much more appreciative of Toronto the Good. I realize that things have changed in Toronto in the past 9 years since I have moved to SF, but every time I visit Toronto, I am welcomed by polite and giving people. Clean streets, a transit system that waits for its passengers, four defined seasons, communities that don't change just for change sake, familiar places, and a vibrant growth and wealth of opportunities for all who reside there. Toronto in a way is no different than most large American cities, when you have growth, you will subject your city to crime and problems. Don't get me wrong, San Francisco is a world class city, but truth be known, I would not live anywhere else in the United States if not SF. San Francisco is a country all its own, a beautiful city with character and energy. Funny...I see Toronto as the San Francisco of Canada. I guess it's all perspective and perception. Anyway, I look forward to visiting Toronto again soon. Apparently, you can leave your heart in Toronto as well as in San Francisco.
  46. J K GALBRAITH from Canada writes: I too am a little skeptical of suggesting a huge economic regioin based on satellite data of lights. I am sure Mr. Florida has stronger data and arguments to make to support that idea but without sharing it, it seems like he has created an artificial region by connecting dots as we all use to do as kids with our drawing books. How much of the $100 billion of economic activity takes place within that region and how much is outside that region? As another poster said, the point about economies serving regions and local governments balancing budgets is very valid. In the debate over the future of Toronto and the GTA, many commentators freely intermix data for the City of Toronto and the GTA into the same argument assuming the geographic borders do not matter. From an economic and interaction standpoint, it may not but it does matter when it comes to who pays for investments and the types of issues that have to be dealt with. Homelessness and social service needs may be greater in the City of Toronto and Brampton than even Mississauga, Vaughan, or Markham. At the end of the day, boundaries do matter to this discussion As well, while the theory was valid on investing in the cultural infrastructure of the city, there long term success will rely on tourists. With the increase in the Canadian dollar, tigher travel restrictions in and out of the U.S., the lack of fun in flying, and greater environmental concerns over flying large distances, I suspect it will be more challenging for all those cultural institutions to get the people they were hoping for.
  47. Selee B'guer from Hogtown, Canada writes: Pop internet commentators, now a pop urban planning and economics commentator, hey G&M, how about some more pop tarts (maybe some more Hillary Swank photos)? Makes me sad that Rotman SOM seems more interested in trite flavour-of-the-nanosecond observations than weightier academic thought. Why not give the paper a centre fold and change your name to the Globe & Sun?
  48. jimmy mccray from United States writes: N. American from New York, United States writes: Yep, Toronto sure is a swell regional city! Being Canada's biggest, its even manage to grow a little cosmopolitan AND has a solid ethnic flare; way more so than very similar NA cities, say Philadelphia or Boston..............................two things: you aren't really from NY are you/ And two, have you been to Boston lately? Philadelphia? Washington DC? Are you telling me with a straight face they lack 'ethnic flair' LOL ? You are aware all these cities have minority white anglo populations aren't you? Are you aware the Boston area has along with L.A. the largest Armenian comunities in North America? Are you aware Boston has a larger Jewish community than Toronto or Montreal? Do you know there's a huge Greek community in Boston? Are you aware there's a really huge Latino population in Boston? Have you visited Washington DC / Northern Virgina lately? Obviously not. In point of fact pretty much all of America, especially large urban areas have become extremely diverse. This is 2007 not 1947. Toronto is not unique with it's (LOL) ethnic flair. Not by a long shot. Neither is NY anymore. And I was born in the Bronx.
  49. jimmy mccray from United States writes: Beware of articles telling you how great and unique you are. While studying urban design I came to the conclusion Atlanta, Dallas, and Toronto were the biggest Bull Sh*ters in North America. We have the tallest man made concrete structure east of the Mississippi.....we have the largest concentration of theaters outside Broadway...blah blah blah...yada yada yada....we have the biggest, the bestest gay pride parade (Carribean festival, new years eve, etcetera, etcetera) it's pathetic. Most of the statistics quoted by these bs'ers can be ripped apart by a half competent child. If you need so much bs to feel good about yourself you're not that great. Montreal is a great city. No one who knows it would deny this. It's got serious problems but it's a great city. You rarely see Montreal bragging about itself. It doesn't have to. New York doesn't have to brag it knows it's great. It sneers in rightgeous indignation when people question it's greatness. Toronto I'm afraid has a chip on it's shoulder. It's not alone.
  50. L C from Toronto, Canada writes: A lot of posters here missed the point of this article and what the author was trying to say. Toronto has its problems, yes, and so does every other city, town, hamlet on the planet. The point is, national borders mean very little these days economically. No, this isn't the EU where workers can migrate freely (more or less), but this is undeniably an economic phenomenon that businesses are picking up on. Economies are based on regions now, not nations, especially when you look at two geographically large entities like Canada and US.

    And as a Torontonian who has lived in several major European cities, it's not my all time favourite, but there a lot of advantages to living in Toronto. It's not the most naturally beautiful city in Canada, but that's what makes our success all the more sweeter - we don't need mountains or oceans (although the island is nice) to make people visit and stay. We made it great city is it, and well, keep up the good work Toronto!
  51. jimmy mccray from United States writes: syme Jago wrote: 'truth be known, I would not live anywhere else in the United States if not SF. San Francisco is a country all its own, a beautiful city with character and energy...'...............................serious? S.F. is a great place. I know it and Toronto and frankly it's a stretch to say they're similar. S.F. is very unique, Toronto isn't. Toronto is a great place but it lacks the beauty of S.F. by a mile. S.F. also has a HIDEOUS homeless/druggie problem. Very bad. The area around city hall is nasty. Been to Oakland? You're in for a treat. As for not living anywhere else in the US seriously you sound very parochial...you need to get out more. Stop believing all the ridiculous anti-American propaganda you've probably been spoon feed in your 43 years in T.O.
  52. jimmy mccray from United States writes: Quebec separatism and multiple redrawing of poltical boundaries (amalgamation, etcetera) have alot to do with the City of Toronto's success and large 'size.' It kind of reminds me of Houston which describes itself as the 5th largest city in America...what they did was absord huge swarths of surrounding suburban/rural areas into a 700 square mile 'city.'
  53. Joshua Albert from Toronto, Canada writes: hmm - seeing how poorly integrated Toronto is with the rest of the CMA, it's a bit premature to start linking us to a broader region. Maybe Florida can help cure the intense parochialism and insularity that are so rampant and entrenched here.
  54. T Scott from Toronto, Canada writes: Furthermore, I don't mind constructive criticism, or even a little healthy regional banter, but I have to ask to those who hate my city and people so much and so blindly, instead of being typical 'Canadian' cowards, why not cite where your actually from instead of always leaving it to 'From Canada', lets here your urban experience...what are your credentials, how great is your city, whats your/its merit....?

    P.S. if your not one of us, and if you haven't lived here for any reasonable amount of time, then how can you claim to generalize what 6 odd millon people from all over the Canada, as well as the world, think????
  55. Shaky Lady from Guelph, Canada writes: This guy needs to open his eyes a little more. For a guy with such a massively huge head, he sure isn't much of a thinker. I have been to most of the great cities all over the world - rome, berlin , london, paris, madrid, hong-kong, cairo - etc, etc. All of these cities are full of wonderfull things to see and things to do. Toronto has nothing, and on it's socialist path, will be nothing. I hope this article gives all of the Toronto entrenched the warm fuzzies that it is intended to do, and I also hope that no one is fooled by this silly piece.
  56. T Scott from Toronto, Canada writes: Shaky Lady, do you realize you take your name from a well known homeless lady in my city who also happens to be an established fraud? I'll make you a deal, you stay away from my city and I will continue to stay away from yours. And please, go post on your own local newspaper, I know the Globe and Mail purports to be national, but really, thats just to protect your feelings....
  57. T Scott from Toronto, Canada writes: Shaky Lady, your from 'GUELPH', OMG, thats the rochester of Ontario, how can you even dare post anything at all here with a straight face, ewwww....
  58. jimmy mccray from United States writes: One more thing:Ed Op from Canada writes: 'The population of the GTA is something like 4.5 million. Buffalo's is 250,000...' This is what I'm talking about when people on these boards post bs stats...Metro Buffalo has around 1.2 million people. The City of Buffalo is only around 40 square miles in area with something like 275,000 pop. but the urban area around Buffalo is actually much larger. Many Canadian cities have been amalgamated with large sections of surrounding suburban areas unlike many older American cities especially in the Northeast. The City of Missassauga is something like 110 square miles in land area with something like 675,000 pop. The City of San Francisco (and Boston actually) are around 45 square miles in land area by comparison but no one would seriously suggest S.F and Boston are smaller than Missassauga. The City of Atlanta is around 130 square miles in land area with about 475,000 pop but it's actual metro size is huge. At one time fairly recently the City of T.O. had roughly 650,000 pop until I guess politicians decided it looked too small on paper. BS statistics.
  59. Purple Tory from Alberta, Canada writes: Gottlob Frege: 'And what 'US style conservative movement' are you referring to?'

    First of all, Calgary isn't Alberta. Racism is a huge problem in Alberta, especially Southern Alberta. The Aryan Guard is active in Alberta, and has held protests in Calgary and Lethbridge recently. A natural result of watching US television that depicts people with dark skin as terrorists.

    As for the US style conservative movement... yellow ribbons on vehicles ('support the troops' means you support the war, just like Bush faithful and Iraq), religiously motivated attempts to ban abortion, cuts to both taxes and social services (health care 'reform'/privatization), also did you forget Harper's attempt to get Canada to follow the US into Iraq? That's the US style conservatism I'm talking about.
  60. Gary Dare from Portland, Oregon, Canada, writes: Jimmy McCray writes, '... but the urban area around Buffalo is actually much larger.' I believe that you meant 'metro' area and you are correct, many Canadian cities have had the central city annex their surrounding municipalities while American cities have, to the great extent, not.

    An early example is Winnipeg's 'Unicity' and then there was Metro Toronto, before the GTA. And then there's le Commounite' Urbaine de Montreal (no acronym, please!).
  61. T Scott from Toronto, Canada writes: 'Something like....something like.....' Hey jim, the population of Mississauga is approximately 715, 000, and as a life-long resident, I have always and proudly considered myself as a 'Torontonian', so your point is mute at best......
  62. Gary Dare from Portland, Oregon, Canada, writes: Jimmy McCray writes, 'It kind of reminds me of Houston which describes itself as the 5th largest city in America...' The City of Chicago has 3.5 million people and that's under half of the metro 'Chicagoland' area which as around 8.25 Million people. Does Houston have a significant additional metro or does it drop down the list if that is counted?
  63. Gary Dare from Portland, Oregon, Canada, writes: Jimmy McCray writes, 'Toronto I'm afraid has a chip on it's shoulder. It's not alone.' Chicago is actually quite insecure and in the local media, the same 'are we a global/world class/etc. city?' stuff plays out. For example, press coverage of their 2016 Olympics effort. Recently on Chicago Public Radio's local news discussion show '848', they talked to Hank Pettit of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (formerly Council of Foreign Relations but that got too much attention from the black helicopters conspiracy crowd) who co-chaired a study on Chicago's status as a 'global city'.

    http://www.wbez.org/Program_848.aspx?episode=14050

    I guess that historically, Chicago has existed in the shadows of New York City and got eclipsed by LA after WW II.

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