… they just don’t come up to the mark, at least in this one important way.
Even Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton fall short, partly because you feel too comfortable in them. Nor does even Calgary make the list, although that’s OK because Ottawa doesn’t get on it either.
Canadians have built three of the world’s great cities. Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are different from anywhere else in the country, even if the rest of the country is racing to become more and more like them.
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So take a week this summer and visit one of these three. Choose one that you’ve never spent time in before. Or, if you’ve been in all three, choose the one that makes you the most uncomfortable.
Take the family too, especially if they’re also uncomfortable. They should appreciate why other kids are so addicted to city life.
And spend the entire week there, not just a few days. Be there long enough so you have to get off the tourist track.
I admit I first wrote a version of this editorial five years ago, and farmers since then have become much better travelled, and much more sophisticated, not only in the way they run their businesses but also in they way they live their lives.
But it still makes sense to talk to your family today and set a date to visit a super Canadian city. In the first place, you’ll have a great vacation, which is a good thing. You’ve earned it.
Plus, if you’re like most rural Canadians, you’ll begin finding that most of our preconceptions about big cities are actually misconceptions.
So, do go to the great food markets. But don’t stop there.
Instead, look at the city with your business eyes. You’ll be amazed at the entrepreneurial energy. Ride the subways. Sit in the street-side cafes. The city is crammed with people on a mission to make a deal.
Our great cities aren’t made up of people who are cogs in someone else’s machines. They’re hustling for themselves, just as you hustle for yourself too.
And sometimes, just look at the city as a place where millions of people cluster because life is so good. Check out the opportunties to see and hear new and amazing things, the chance to follow any whim, or pursue any dream.
And while you’re at it, do some serious wondering. Your home town today is a lot more like Toronto 25 years ago than anyone would have thought. Don’t believe it? Check what’s for sale in your local grocery store.
So, what’s coming your way next?
The disconnect between farm and city can be at least as much the fault of the farm as it is of the city. If consumers take farmers for granted, it can be at least as true that farmers take cities for granted too.
So take the trip this summer. Maybe I’ll meet you there (I’ve got GoogleMaps open as I write). And when you get home, let me know if we’ve got it right. I’m at [email protected].
