Two years in Toronto

Canada has voted. Justin Trudeau has been re-elected, leading the Liberal Party in a minority government. Although he inspired voters across Canada (and around the world) in 2015, Trudeau lost much of that enthusiasm with a series of mistakes, from a culturally tone-deaf tour of India, to attempts at influencing a corruption case against construction firm SNC-Lavalin. And then there were the blackface photos. But his opponent, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, refused to acknowledge climate change. So, for many Canadians in this election, there was only one choice. Hopes were high for the engaging New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, particularly after his performance in the TV debates; but those of us who remember Cleggmania from the UK’s 2010 election weren’t surprised that his support didn’t materialise on Election Day. Nevertheless, the NDP could hold the balance of power in Canada’s new Parliament. Harriet’s favourite was Elizabeth May, the veteran Green Party ...

Canadians are not naturally city-dwellers. Although most head to the mountains at the first opportunity, Torontonians prefer the lakes – retreating to their isolated summerhouses in ‘cottage country’, several hours’ drive north of the city, for long weekends or even the entire summer. For the most part, these ‘cottages’ are cabins or bungalows, so removed from the grid that running water is considered a luxury. So, with my family in town for Thanksgiving weekend, we joined the melee northwards to Algonquin Provincial Park, hoping to reconnect with Canadian nature. The transition from urban to natural is gradual. We hired a car and negotiated the speeding, tailgating traffic which weaved in and out all six lanes of highway 407. Over time the roads quietened, until we reached the single lane of highway 60 which journeys through Algonquin itself. Our cabin stood beside Oxtongue Lake, just a few kilometres from the park’s western gate. Algonquin is remarkable firstly for its siz...

This summer we set ourselves the challenge of exploring Toronto’s global neighbourhoods, sampling the culture and cuisine of each. We started in Kensington Market; nowhere shows Toronto’s diversity better. Within a few small streets nearly every continent is represented with shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. On one corner, you can find authentic Belgian waffles and a Turkish restaurant directly opposite a ‘Cocina Mexicana’ and a cannabis shop. Walk a few steps further down the street and you’ll be intrigued by the Rastafarian Society or find your mouth salivating for raspberry doughnuts. The history of Toronto has been shaped by waves of immigration. Every time the federal government allowed nationals from another country to live in Canada, that country’s expats formed distinctive neighbourhoods in the city. Today the descendants of those first immigrants have moved out to the suburbs, but the character of each neighbourhood remains. Little Portugal, for instance, in the west of...