Thinking of moving?

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) announced Monday that Vancouver is the best city in the world to live, followed by Vienna, Austria and Melbourne, Australia.
The EIU -- the business arm of the U.K.-based weekly economics magazine -- ranked the living conditions of 140 cities around the world based on five broad categories; stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

With a rating of 98 out of 100, with one being "intolerable" and 100 being "ideal", Vancouver topped the charts, "benefiting from strong Canadian infrastructure," according to the study's authors.

Two other Canadian cities, Toronto and Calgary, ranked in the top 10. Toronto ranked fourth, followed by Perth, Calgary, Helsinki, and Geneva. Zurich and Sydney tied for ninth.

Story.

Vancouver:



Toronto:



Calgary:

Happy Birthday!

Actually, it's my city's birthday. The place I've called home for over half a century is 175 years old, today. In terms of other major cities, Toronto is just a toddler. Yet, this city is one of the most vibrant, cosmopolitan (yet never forgetting its meagre beginnings), culturally diverse cities in the world. I'm not sure which I am more proud of--Toronto or Canada. To me, each represents the epitome of what a city or country should be. Mayor David Miller points to the city's public services, strong work ethic, frugality, and sense of social justice as keys to Toronto's success. I would agree with that sentiment. The city has come a long way from it's Puritan roots. I've heard stories that up until the 50's, city playgrounds were "locked" on the Lord's day so that children could not use them. Personally, I recall that you'd be hard-pressed to find any business open on a Sunday, including gas stations and stores. When I took my first vacation in Florida around 1979, arriving on a Sunday, I couldn't believe my eyes when we found a supermarket open. "Heathen!", I thought. ;) Even on week days, Toronto bars could not open until noon and could not serve alcoholic beverages until hours later unless it was accompanied by a meal. Pubs had to close at 1 a.m. Since then, Toronto has joined the ranks of the un-anointed with bars staying open until 2 a.m. and most shops opening on Sundays and those with tourist attraction designation are even open on statutory holidays. I used to have personal photos from the 50's but my ex- was too vindictive to let me have them after the divorce. So, instead I'll post a few of Toronto landmarks then and now from the web with commentary about my connection to them. Old City Hall: This is a relatively new photo of relatively old building (1899) still in use, today. I believe they still use courtrooms here and it boasts a jail in the basement for unruly "guests". I hate to admit that in my troubled youth, I was indeed a guest here once.

New City Hall: Built in 1965 to a tremendous positive reaction for it's unique architectural design, the taller tower is 27 floors and the "flying saucer" in the middle is the city council chamber. My school took us here on a field trip shortly after it opened.

Maple Leaf Stadium: It was built in 1926, but the team was already playing at another stadium since 1886. The team was part of the International League. I used to hear that names like Willie Mays, Sparky Anderson, etc. played here. When I was a kid in the early 60's, my friends and I used to regularly walk about thirty minutes to the stadium to collect discarded pop bottles to refund for candy money. Toronto would not get an MLB team until I believe, 1977, playing out of Exhibition Stadium, which by the way, played through a snowy day its very first opening day. Some question whether we have a major league team, today. Americans don't seem to have noticed that the Toronto Blue Jays won back to back World Series championships in '92 and '93.

Rogers Centre: Current home of the Blue Jays and Canadian Football League Argonauts. I was lucky enough to have been invited to watch a MLB game by a client who had a private box. When the stadium was first built, luxury boxes were going for $1 million for a ten-year commitment. Ouch. And that did not include the price of tickets, food, drinks or gratuities!

Maple Leaf Gardens: Built in 1926, it is regarded as the holy shrine of hockey. The Toronto Maple Leafs won four cups in five years here in the early 60's. Haven't won one since. Ouch. Cheap seats then were $2. When I was in my teens, I paid a scalper $20 for a $4 ticket. Ouch. Air Canada Centre: Today's home of both the Maple Leafs and the NBA Toronto Raptors. Due to poor performance of the leafs, I haven't attended a single game here. Due to the poor performance of the Raps, I attended only one game here because I got a free ticket. Downtown Toronto: Then.

Downtown Toronto: Now.

Toronto skyline: This shot was taken from Toronto island. Prominent is the CN Tower, built in 1974, at 1815 feet tall, it remained the tallest, free-standing structure in the world until 2008. Those "tiny" buildings to the right are as much as 90 stories tall. My brother-in-law, who is a welder, has his name permanently etched into one of the tower's steel girders. Around 1980, I had dinner in the revolving restaurant. What do you think?--Does $22 for lamb chops sound expensive for 1980? Ouch. I still have the two glasses shaped like the tower that our drinks were served in.

I left out a number of venues deserving mention. Maybe I'll feature others in future postings.

My government working for and with me

Today, I received a flyer describing options for developing public transit along a major route linking my community, which is part of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) with another part adjacent to mine. The combined population is well over one million residents. It is a well-designed, three-page, glossy, full-colour pamphlet detailing options, pros and cons of options and outlines a plan of major milestones. One section is a chart indicating where and when community workshops are being held to allow input from and discussion between the public and project planners. I was very impressed with the entire content of this communication from my elected officials, especially the fact that they decided to include me in the process of shaping my community. There's only one little glitch in the whole thing: THE MEETING FOR MY AREA HAPPENED TWO DAYS AGO! In fact, two of the five scheduled meetings for different areas have already taken place! And unless I was the last one to receive my invitation, the third meeting will have taken place before some people are notified.

If the same kind of planning and execution goes into the rest of the project, it should be an overwhelming success. NOT!

I just sent a modified version of the above to my rep for Brampton. I, of course, am not holding my breath waiting for a response.

I thought he was kidding

Someone posted about tent cities in the United States. I have not seen anything in the news about it, so I thought the guy was joking. Just to be sure, I did a search and found this:






The chickens have come home to roost.

My Town

Having lived in Brampton for about 25 years, I must be spoiled. It just never seemed that picturesque to me. However, I came across this news item that I'm pretty sure wasn't made up even if it was published by my hometown newspaper.

The Brampton Guardian

Tuesday September 23 2008 By Pam Douglas

BRAMPTON - Brampton is not just Canada’s Flower City, it is now the World’s Flower City. It was the second year Brampton has competed internationally, after winning the national title in 2006.

The awards recognize civic pride, environmental responsibility and community beautification. Judges use eight criteria to evaluate the competitors: tidiness, environmental awareness, community involvement, heritage conservation, urban forest management, landscaped areas, floral displays and turf and groundcovers.

Well, let's see if I can find a few photos to share with you of my lovely town...
It's proving a bit tedious due to the fact that my town was named after a city in England, it being far more important than my city and I just learned that there is a place in Australia with the same name. Nonetheless, I will soldier on for you, gentle reader...

Here's a shot of a typical, lovely Brampton location. Unfortunately, all the trees in the foreground obscure most of the beauty of the magnificent skyline comprised primarily of 30-story condos.


Just look at how clean that road is! That beautiful white sheen is from many months of dumping tons of salt on it through the winter. And look--there's another breath-taking view of an apartment building.


Ok, now this better represents what my town is all about.



Oh, wait. That was Brampton, Australia.

Below, is one of Brampton's many parks, this one featuring an area where young skateboarders will soon be able to practise breaking their bones--I mean hone their skills. I'm sure those workmen will have the facility ready in no time. It's a good thing they brought plenty of refreshments to quench the thirst they are no doubt working up with all the hard work in the brutal Canadian heat.


I guess I've kidded Brampton enough. It really is a great place to live. Here's a photo of a house you'd never guess was from one of the more rundown neighbourhoods in the city.


I want to leave you with two things.

1. As if Flower City of the World isn't enough of an honour, last year (2007) Brampton was named one of the safest cities in the world by the WHO (World Health Organization).

2. If you or someone you know is considering moving to another city, I recommend Brampton. Here is the city's web site: Brampton