Could Boston be more like Toronto?

[whippany5]

Boston is better than Toronto. Boston is way more interesting. Toronto is sprawling and...bland.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by massnative71

It's already ALMOST free to those below certain income thresholds, isn't it?

No. If your family doesn't make enough, they'll happily loan you the costs. Public school doesn't do low income programs. Private is another story - if your good enough and make less than something like $75k, Harvard, Stanford, Wellesley College, etc will waive tuition and room & board.

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Can you go into more detail or be more specific? I was actually hoping you’d chime in; I know you have a lot of experience with both Boston and Toronto.

If you look at my old posts in the Canada forum there is an extensive conversation regarding race relations and black folks in Toronto. But a few points:

Lack of representation - Toronto has a 26 member city council, which was just reduced down from 46 the previous years and at its peak (as recently as last year) There is only one black member of that council. That gentleman is Michael Thompson who is a conservative law and order type who pushed for and supported the carding policies that disproportionately hurt POC. So we have one member and he pushes policies that hurt his own community.

Executive positions are overwhelming male and white. Yes I know, similar to pretty much everywhere else, but if there was a thought that due to Toronto's diversity that extended to the executive class that is not the case.

Gun Crime victims - Depending on the year black males typically make up around 85-90% of the gun murder victims in Toronto, despite only making up 11% of the population. It is a huge issue and is the reason you hear pretty much every other community speak about how safe Toronto is because it hardly is a concern for anyone rather than black men.

Carding/Racial bias - I will let these articles speak for themselves. But I personally have multiple police cards on file, despite being a professional, university educated black male with no criminal record. It is the equivalent of "stop and frisk" or asking for someones "papers". Apparently according to the Toronto Police Services I affiliated with a gang because of the neighbourhood I grew up in. Its bull **** but it happens to alot of us.

https://torontolife.com/city/life/sk...imes-im-black/

https://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/episodes/the-skin-were-in

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/comm...e-opinion.html

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...vey-finds.html

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/knowntopolice.html

This is not to say Toronto is not a great city. I quite enjoy where I grew up and visit often. The same way I enjoy Boston despite its flaws. To paint it as some example though is pretty inaccurate based on my experience and it has a long way to go.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

Toronto was slightly smaller until the 1950s. Then they swapped places.

Toronto has been growing faster for the last 110+ years. In 1911 the two cities had 380k and 530k people. By 1941, it was 951k vs 1.2m. By 51, 1.1m vs

Toronto and Montreal actually swapped places around the late 70s.