Toronto owes its multiculturalism to the time of the1950's when heavy European Immigration started
In Canada in 1950 there were only two main cities Montreal and Toronto. The other cities such as Vancouver Calgary Winnipeg, etc, were around but much smaller.
After WW2 The Canadian Government plus a lot of agencies sponsored immigrants to come to Canada. Montreal had less of an attraction as much of it was French speaking. but a lot of immigrants particularly Italians went there but never in the same numbers as Toronto received
Toronto and area from Oshawa to Hamilton was booming particularly construction. A lot of new immigrants could easily find jobs in the construction or manufacturing areas. At the same time the downtown area was emptying as its former residents left to go to the suburbs.Toronto quickly grew a reputation for attracting immigrants and while there were some problem immigrants were able to fit in. They were able to join small immigrant communities already there Once established they served as focal groups for new arrivals. Certain older areas of the city such as Kensington Market Bloor , TheDanforth, Parkdale provided areas for new store and restaurants social clubs Churches etc.to attract immigrants. Remember many of the "english speaking Canadians" had left those areas for the burbs so there was space.
In those days much of Canada was unknown to immigrants as they may have only heard of Toronto. Places out west and down east did not have the facilities to attract large immigrant communities Small towns were not attractive as immigrants want to be around friends.
Of course other cities such as Winnipeg Hamilton and Sudbury attracted their own immigrant communities Winnipeg was particularly attractive to Estern Europeans from Ukraine and area. However Toronto was the start and continues to today.
It seems that immigrant come in waves as one wave becomes part of the community they spread out and their old areas are taken over by newcomers. Spadina Ave is a perfect example as original European immigrants were replaced in succession by Chinese, Vietnamese, Caribbeans, Indo Pakistanis, Iranians, Filipinos and now Africans and Latinos.
I grew up in Toronto during this time and it was a wonderful time Everyone was working hard to get ahead and you met people from all over the world and experienced their cultures and their wonderful foods. More importantly we all got along well together making Toronto the city it is today. People from outside Toronto or who came later will never realize what they missed.
Comparison on what basis? Toronto is, of course the financial hub of Canada, but Montreal is the business hub of Quebec. Montreal has a longer history than Toronto and as such, is something of a cultural icon, but Toronto is much larger and more populous. It's almost impossible to say which is 'best' because they both have so many good points, but are both so different.
The reasons to move to Toronto over other cities in Canada has more to do with community. Toronto has distinct areas where you can speak the cultural language. You can get the food that you would have eaten back in the home country. You can even buy good that you could have bought back home.
If you are in a strange new place, something that has a connection to home can make it much more welcoming.
People choose to move to Canada for any number of personal reasons.
Our larger cities, like those of most western nations, are more multicultural then more rural cities because of both the immigration and the fact that many immigrants prefer to stay in the larger cities due to the higher populations of other immigrants from their country. That way they have support from their own cultural group, access to support services and the comfort of having people around who speak their native language and share cultural histories with. Its a comfort thing.
For better economic opportunities and because they probably already have relatives here, or at least people from their nationality / ethnic background.
"As Canada's commercial capital and one of the top financial centres in the world, Toronto is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group"
"Toronto is among five Canadian cities that dominate North America’s personal safety ranking. Tied with Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary, Toronto is considered the 17th safest place in the world, more than 35 times safer than its closest American counterparts..."
9,000+ restaurants cumulatively serving literally everything from everywhere
2,000 pieces of fine art on display in public buildings & civic centres.
150 monuments and pieces of public art.
125 public museums and art galleries. (Plus dozens of privately-owned galleries.)
80+ annual cultural events, such as Caribana & Nuit Blanche.
75+ annual film festivals, including the world-famous Toronto International Film Festival.
50+ ballet and dance companies.
6 opera companies
3rd largest theatre district in the English-speaking world with 90 separate venues.
2 symphony orchestras
Literally hundreds of clubs, pubs, bars, taverns including North America's biggest dance club (The Guvernment) rated for a maximum capacity of 10,000 people.
Comments
Toronto owes its multiculturalism to the time of the1950's when heavy European Immigration started
In Canada in 1950 there were only two main cities Montreal and Toronto. The other cities such as Vancouver Calgary Winnipeg, etc, were around but much smaller.
After WW2 The Canadian Government plus a lot of agencies sponsored immigrants to come to Canada. Montreal had less of an attraction as much of it was French speaking. but a lot of immigrants particularly Italians went there but never in the same numbers as Toronto received
Toronto and area from Oshawa to Hamilton was booming particularly construction. A lot of new immigrants could easily find jobs in the construction or manufacturing areas. At the same time the downtown area was emptying as its former residents left to go to the suburbs.Toronto quickly grew a reputation for attracting immigrants and while there were some problem immigrants were able to fit in. They were able to join small immigrant communities already there Once established they served as focal groups for new arrivals. Certain older areas of the city such as Kensington Market Bloor , TheDanforth, Parkdale provided areas for new store and restaurants social clubs Churches etc.to attract immigrants. Remember many of the "english speaking Canadians" had left those areas for the burbs so there was space.
In those days much of Canada was unknown to immigrants as they may have only heard of Toronto. Places out west and down east did not have the facilities to attract large immigrant communities Small towns were not attractive as immigrants want to be around friends.
Of course other cities such as Winnipeg Hamilton and Sudbury attracted their own immigrant communities Winnipeg was particularly attractive to Estern Europeans from Ukraine and area. However Toronto was the start and continues to today.
It seems that immigrant come in waves as one wave becomes part of the community they spread out and their old areas are taken over by newcomers. Spadina Ave is a perfect example as original European immigrants were replaced in succession by Chinese, Vietnamese, Caribbeans, Indo Pakistanis, Iranians, Filipinos and now Africans and Latinos.
I grew up in Toronto during this time and it was a wonderful time Everyone was working hard to get ahead and you met people from all over the world and experienced their cultures and their wonderful foods. More importantly we all got along well together making Toronto the city it is today. People from outside Toronto or who came later will never realize what they missed.
Comparison on what basis? Toronto is, of course the financial hub of Canada, but Montreal is the business hub of Quebec. Montreal has a longer history than Toronto and as such, is something of a cultural icon, but Toronto is much larger and more populous. It's almost impossible to say which is 'best' because they both have so many good points, but are both so different.
The reasons to move to Toronto over other cities in Canada has more to do with community. Toronto has distinct areas where you can speak the cultural language. You can get the food that you would have eaten back in the home country. You can even buy good that you could have bought back home.
If you are in a strange new place, something that has a connection to home can make it much more welcoming.
People choose to move to Canada for any number of personal reasons.
Our larger cities, like those of most western nations, are more multicultural then more rural cities because of both the immigration and the fact that many immigrants prefer to stay in the larger cities due to the higher populations of other immigrants from their country. That way they have support from their own cultural group, access to support services and the comfort of having people around who speak their native language and share cultural histories with. Its a comfort thing.
For better economic opportunities and because they probably already have relatives here, or at least people from their nationality / ethnic background.
The following media headlines provide the reasons why people emigrate to Canada:
'Canada: Richer than America and more economically powerful than Europe'
'The most prosperous nation in the Americas, Canada ranks first in personal freedom'
'Canadians getting richer, average net worth tops $400,000'
Canada first and only G7 country to recover all jobs lost during recession'
'Canada to lead G7 nations in average growth for next 50 years: OECD'
'Canada Trounces U.S. In Best Countries For Business'
'Canada leads North America in economic freedom'
'Canadian oil sands – the 21st century belongs to Canada'
'Canadian banks rated safest in world'
'Canada's crime rate drops, with homicides at 46-year low'
'Canada lands in Top 10 of best places to be born in 2013'
'Canada is best G20 country for females'
'Best Country For Kids: Canada Best Place In The World To Raise Children'
'Your Kids Will Have A Better Life If You Move To Canada'
'Canada leads G8 in keeping promises'
'And the fastest-growing G8 country is Canada'
'Canada ranks among the top 10 least corrupt countries in the world'
'World's happiest nations Canada ranks 6th overall'
'Canada rises to 4th in world peace rankings'
'Canadians are the most tolerant people in the developed world: report'
'Multiculturalism has been Canada's solution, not its problem'
'Canada A 'Pivot' Country That Will Thrive In New World Disorder'
'While the rest of the world sinks into despair, Canadians have never felt so upbeat about the future'
Canadians more welcoming to immigrants than other countries, research shows'
'Jerusalem Post Calls Canada The New Leader Of The Free World'
'Canadian PM named statesman of the year'
'Canada can fairly claim to be the best-governed country in the world'
'Three is the magic number: Canada again named the country with the world's best reputation'
And a few reasons why Toronto in particular is so popular with immigrants:
'Toronto fourth most livable city in world: Economist'
Link - http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/08/28/toro...
Of the world's 10 smartest cities, Toronto's ranked 2nd overall:
Link - http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679127/the-top-10-smar...
"As Canada's commercial capital and one of the top financial centres in the world, Toronto is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group"
Link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto
"Toronto is among five Canadian cities that dominate North America’s personal safety ranking. Tied with Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary, Toronto is considered the 17th safest place in the world, more than 35 times safer than its closest American counterparts..."
Link - http://www.cnbc.com/id/45471291/The_World_s_Best_P...
And all this, too:
9,000+ restaurants cumulatively serving literally everything from everywhere
2,000 pieces of fine art on display in public buildings & civic centres.
150 monuments and pieces of public art.
125 public museums and art galleries. (Plus dozens of privately-owned galleries.)
80+ annual cultural events, such as Caribana & Nuit Blanche.
75+ annual film festivals, including the world-famous Toronto International Film Festival.
50+ ballet and dance companies.
6 opera companies
3rd largest theatre district in the English-speaking world with 90 separate venues.
2 symphony orchestras
Literally hundreds of clubs, pubs, bars, taverns including North America's biggest dance club (The Guvernment) rated for a maximum capacity of 10,000 people.
Plus a whole lot more besides just that.
it sounds weird