Canadians have a love-hate relationship with Toronto.

On one hand, Toronto is Canada’s most populated city and home to most of Canada’s largest financial institutions and international corporations.

On the other hand, Toronto is Canada’s most populated city and home to most of Canada’s largest financial institutions and international corporations.

The same things Torontonians love about Toronto are hated by the rest of Canada. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s uncaring. It tries to be New York. It’s full of itself. It thinks it’s the centre of the universe. And, for those who aren’t aware, large financial institutions and international corporations aren’t exactly popular these days.

There was even a film made about this phenomenon.

There is really no middle ground here. If you ever meet someone who says they are from Calgary but they love Toronto there are only two options: 1) That person is lying to you, or 2) That person is not Canadian.

Cities like Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax have admiration across the country. A real Canadian is quick to say “Oh I love Montreal! There’s so much culture there!” or “Calgary is so beautiful.” These things will never be said about Toronto. In fact, if you mention Toronto to a Canadian who does not live there you should expect spitting and swearing in response. It’s that bad. Seriously.

In fact, sometimes you’ll find a Canadian who is from Toronto and also hates it. They will typically be found saying things like “I’d love to move to Montreal, but I don’t speak French” or “If I didn’t have family here I’d move to Vancouver so fast.” These people aren’t lying. The hatred of Toronto is so ingrained into the Canadian psyche that even some Torontonians experience it.

So, if you ever meet a Canadian who doesn’t hate Toronto, run. They’re lying. The only people that like Toronto are some Torontonians and self-absorbed Los Angeles film producers. And that’s only because the film producers have never been there in the winter.