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When the worlds business and technology is all in English your secondary status is assured if you insist on everything being done in French, particularly when 350 million of your immediate neighbors are all English speaking.
When you start telling big money what language to speak expect to hear lots of au revoir's.
Also doesnt help when Quebec has the highest taxes in N.America.
The key event in the 70's was when Bell Canada moved it's head office out of the province. That was viewed by most businesses as negative on the province. Everyone has already listed on here why Bell left.
It was my third trip to Montreal, and I need to admit that the more time I spend in the city, the more I love it.
However, why confuses me is, why is Montreal the number 2 city again? According to my observation, the city seems to win Toronto in all imaginable aspects: its downtown much better maintained and gives a way better "big city" vibe. Much classy archetecture. Great New York-like shopping scene. (Yonge St and Queen St West are almost funny looking compared with Ste Catherine and St Denis.) Mont Royal is superbly looking over looking downtown. Its metro system is 20 years ahead of the TTC although being cheaper. Nightlife is top notch. On the street leve, Montreal just looks like a much more wealthy, busier and cosmopolitan city than Toronto! From Rene Levesque to Sherbrooke, from Atwater to Berri, it all gives a "big city" feeling, with hardly any rundown patches as Toronto does (Dundas St, Spadina Ave, Sherbourne etc, Queen St etc). Even the "village" is bigger and busier than Toronto's. Chinatown is probably 10 times cleaner and neater than Dundas/Spadina. Food is excellent and more importanly, so affordable. I explored to areas even north of the Montain, and it still looks pretty good. with beautiful brownstone houses and shops and restaurants.
If someone with no prior knowledge about Canada's cities, he would undoubtedly believe Montreal is THE big Canadian city while Toronto is no match. However, from statistics, it seems Toronto is overwhelmingly the winner. Why is that? It looks to me that although Montreal lost its number 1 position 30 years ago, it still managed to maintains its dominance is many aspects which Toronto has a long way to go in order to catch up.
Because English Speakers are the vast bulk of Canada's Elite-simple as that.
I don't find Montreal feels bigger or wealthier at all. In fact I'm always struck by how small town and provincial it feels. The shopping is ok but honestly it's no great shakes. Chinatown IS cleaner but inauthentic has horrible food and in reality Toronto has 5 Chinatowns.
Traveling around Canada makes you realize how utterly unCanadian Toronto is in comparison with the rest of the country.
I don't find Montreal feels bigger or wealthier at all. In fact I'm always struck by how small town and provincial it feels. The shopping is ok but honestly it's no great shakes. Chinatown IS cleaner but inauthentic has horrible food and in reality Toronto has 5 Chinatowns.
You are entitled to your opinion but yours is certainly a minority view.
My sense is that most people would actually say that Montreal feels bigger than it really is.
I don't find Montreal feels bigger or wealthier at all. In fact I'm always struck by how small town and provincial it feels. The shopping is ok but honestly it's no great shakes. Chinatown IS cleaner but inauthentic has horrible food and in reality Toronto has 5 Chinatowns.
Traveling around Canada makes you realize how utterly unCanadian Toronto is in comparison with the rest of the country.
Smalltown and provincial can hardly be used to describe Montreal... I don't know how you came to this conclusion. I have visited about 15 major cities in North America, and only NYC and Chicago feel more cosmopolitan than Montreal. Boston would be similar. Even cities like San Fran, L.A. Toronto, Philly are behind.
Yes, downtown Montreal is not that big, however, the city makes the best use of the area and makes the streets charming and interesting and feel big. It stands out as a non-typical North America city.
Speaking of Chinese food, I suggest you not ever tell anyone the Chinese restaurants at Dundas/Spadina or Gerrard/Broadway are decent, or are in any way represent authentic Chinese food as the Chinese will laugh at you for sure. There are many great places north of Steeles though (Markham, Richmond Hill etc). However, most of them are not within the city proper of Toronto.
I agree with you that Toronto is uncanadian, because nothing distinguishes it from a very typical American city besides some maple leaf flags.
you are certainly welcome to your opinion but I don't find Montreal cosmopolitan at all. And definitely neither Boston nor Chicago either (thanks for the laugh).
and living there you realize how completely and utterly small town it is and how provincial the people who make it home are.
you are certainly welcome to your opinion but I don't find Montreal cosmopolitan at all. And definitely neither Boston nor Chicago either (thanks for the laugh).
and living there you realize how completely and utterly small town it is and how provincial the people who make it home are.
Aha! I knew it. Perhaps if you had paid more attention in French class when you went to John Rennie in Pointe-Claire you'd still be living there and wouldn't be so bitter about Montreal...
Not bitter at all. Just don't feel the love. Perhaps because unlike most Quebeckers I've traveled the world and not just visited Hollywood FL in the winter I have an idea of what the world has to offer.
Not bitter at all. Just don't feel the love. Perhaps because unlike most Quebeckers I've traveled the world and not just visited Hollywood FL in the winter I have an idea of what the world has to offer.
Confirmation number 2!
And what, praytell, does the fact the someone is from Quebec have to do with having travelled the world or not?
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