“In terms of what I am doing, I would pretty much say hands down that Toronto is the best place in the world.” That’s a quote from UoT chemical geneticist, Guri Giaever, in a feature story on Toronto’s rising scientific prowess in Nature. Click here to download. Add to that what is happening in physics at Waterloo and the mega-region is emerging as serious global scientific centers. I’d say the same thing about what we’re doing at the Prosperity Institute and across the university in my field.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:20 am
I find this Toronto love odd. Almost everyone in Canada who doesn’t live in Toronto hates Toronto (or at least claims to) yet it’s roundly praised. Then again, it’s quite likely I’ll end up in Toronto for grad school.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:48 am
The “let’s all hate Toronto” effect is hardly a rational analysis, is it? I think it’s driven by the city’s size, economic success, and media dominance. (I can understand the rest of Canada being frustrated that the majority of English Canadian TV, magazines, etc. originate in just one city. It’s unlike the US, where New York and LA split that role.)
The sad thing is that Torontonians often assume the worst about their city too. I bet if you stopped a bunch of Torontonians on the street and asked them which city gotten written up in Nature for its ability to attract medical researchers to publicly-funded institutes, they’d pick Calgary.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I never argued it was rational, merely that it exists.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
As a once and future resident of Toronto, and not originally from there, I would like to borrow from Oscar Wilde … Toronto is wasted on Torontonians.
May 28th, 2008 at 1:34 am
the hate of toronto in the rest of canada is not usually or only based on jealousy. it is an ok town, but should have more kick and love for its size and dominance. in spite of being hugely multicultural the default mode of being remains quite waspy. ordered, polite and somewhat souless. its just a bit of a flat, unlovely, cold town, with some good things going for it. i think it is only getting better, but florida constantly saying how great it is leads me to wonder if he is in the same toronto as i am in. i think winnipeg, st. johns, halifax and montreal have some of the love that TO falls pretty short on.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Richard has actually made me appreciate the strengths of Toronto that I as a 40+ year resident have taken for granted. I do not hear the don’t like Toronto thing as much as I used to. As for love, yes agreed Toronto is short on the love thing – it is very business and academic oriented.