Regulars
Vivid POSTCARDS
Postcard from Toronto

by Harriet Spalding

It seems a little unfair of me to try and comment on Toronto when I have just returned from one month in Australia and one month in Mexico. Arriving in Toronto after two months of holiday and sunshine did leave me at Pearson International Airport in physical shock. It was freezing! Toronto in December, January and February is all about the weather. Canadians pride themselves on these brutal months as a modest measure of their stamina. Those faint at heart just leave for warmer climates. Actually, the reason that Florida has it’s own hockey team is because of the numbers of Canadians who migrate for the winter. Winter is all about ice skating, shovelling the driveway and discussing how cold it is or isn’t in relation to years passed.

I have actually been in Toronto before. Exactly ten years ago. There seems something oddly cyclical about the fact I last had to renew my Aussie passport here in 1995 and here I am in 2005 walking into the same Australian consular office.

Canada must be one of the most multicultural societies in the world. Their generous immigration laws have allowed people fleeing oppression to come and start a new life. Like New York this makes for a melting pot of colours, food and culture. Indians, Pakistanis, Greeks, Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Italians, Africans and peoples from the Caribbean and Eastern Bloc countries. Add to the mix a tribe of Parisians and ooohhhh la la you have an awesome world music scene.

I am in Canada to work on a movie. The advantage of this job is that I have the opportunity to transplant my life for six months at a time. I really get to “live” rather than “pass through” these new locations. This gives me a chance to think about where I am and the objectivity to compare the differences in culture and people. I have made the bold and generalised assessment that Canadians are a rare mixture of typical Midwest American and, let’s say, New Zealanders. They have the need to go big with shopping malls, coffee, and cars but subtler and more thoughtfully when dealing with politics and social issues. They have a prime minister that advocates same sex marriage as a human rights issue, they have socialised medicine, they signed the Kyoto Treaty and made a stand against the war in Iraq. Most people when asked will give you an informed and slightly liberal opinion on current affairs. Conversations are interesting and people genuine.

Meanwhile back in winter … as I write I stare out into the grey horizon while slushy, white snow falls. This morning the car wouldn’t start, the hot water heater never quite got going and I was almost taken out by an over zealous snowplough on my way to the office. Not to worry: that’s Toronto. I am waiting for the trees to blossom, the birds to return from the south and the spring sunshine to bring out the real spirit of this city and its people before I give my final verdict. In the meantime I am happy to be here.