Toronto, a city on the north side of Lake Ontario, is not a planned city. It is more of a happening place than people realize. After many years of haphazard approvals by myopic city councils, Toronto has become interesting, challenging and a city with a great future.
But, like any challenging project serving millions of people, Toronto will never be finished. A city has to be a living organism. It needs constant updating and change. It does not stand still. It is not historic. It is forward looking to its future.
And a city such as that needs politicians who can look to the future. For every naysayer on council, it needs visionaries. For every bicycle enthusiast, it needs the practical people who see the need to speed delivery trucks and people movers.
And a city thrives on action. It is a happening place. It can plan, it can let happen, it can share joy and share despair. It can be a place for theatres and a place for buskers. It is a place that rejoices in births and shares the sorrow of death.
A city has sports enthusiasts and libraries. It has theatrical performances and concerts. It has movie theatres and gymnasiums. It has food stores and restaurants. And those restaurants in Toronto serve the foods from around the world. Food truck vendors will sell you poutine or falafel, or hot dogs.
It is a city of learning and education, of colleges and universities, of study and research. There is full day kindergarten and handy grammar schools. There are high schools for commerce and for the sciences and leading to higher education.
It is a city of clean cool water and breathable air. It is a city that sweeps its streets and allows no buildup on the roads of ice or snow.
It is a fashion-conscious city, dressing to the nines, with stores for the practical and for the flamboyant. It is a city that dresses for warmth in the winters and shows deepening skin tones in the summer.
It is a city of towering condominiums and single-family dwellings, of triplexes and townhouses in distinct neighbourhoods. They house people of all religions, of all colours, and a myriad of languages, with English as the lingua franca.
Today, I live in a city an hour north of Toronto. Toronto still feels like home.
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Copyright 2023 © Peter Lowry
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