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Oh Canada! My ode to Toronto and all things Canadian

BY ONEIKA RAYMOND

Because while you can take the girl out of Canada, you can’t take the Canada out of the girl!

While I consider myself a global citizen, I am a PROUD Canadian, born and raised in Toronto. I was born at the now-defunct Northwestern General Hospital, spent my formative years kicking around Keele and Eglinton Streets, and my mom still lives in Mississauga. Not Mississippi, Mississauga.

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I tag “eh” on at the end of my sentences without thinking, can ice skate better than I can swim, and like maple syrup on absolutely everythaaaaang (but mostly pancakes and scrambled eggs).

I knew about Drake when he was still Jimmy on Degrassi– heck, I WATCHED the original Degrassi series when it was on TV (holla Snake, Spike, and Joey)! I shopped in Zellers and Eatons and Dominion and Beckers when they still existed!

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I went to University of Toronto but secretly wished I went to Ryerson so I could hang out on the cool part of Yonge street between classes. I’ve partied at Western and Winsdor sports weekends. I applied for and received OSAP.

In elementary school, I busted my lungs singing both the Canadian national anthem and Ontario provincial anthem (Ontari–ari–ari-o!).

I wore Roots clothing and rocked Beaver Canoe (before they went out of business). My first jobs were in retail, shilling clothing at distinctly Canadian outlets like Northern Elements, Garage, and Sirens (at Square One Mall, no less!).

Yo, I remember minimum wage when it was $6.40 and when taxes were known as GST and PST (and totalled 15%). Sidebar: HST at 13% ain’t much better, but I’ll take it.

I ate at Harvey’s and gorged myself on Smarties and ketchup chips.

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I got my G1 with no issues but flunked my G2 driving test. Twice. *hangs head in shame*.

I speak French fluently (with a slight Quebec accent), but thanks to growing up in Toronto also know a few choice words in Tagalog, Cantonese, Italian, and Polish. I’ve been to Filipino debut parties, Ukrainian Easter egg painting tutorials, and gotten my eyebrows threaded (long before it was a “thing”) at the many East Indian-owned beauty salons found in Mississauga and Brampton.

And I knew and loved Justin Trudeau looooong before he became Obama’s bestie, highly celebrated international heartthrob, and media sensation.

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I lived in Toronto when it was still referred to as the T-Dot and not The6. I remember a time when Etobicoke, York, East York, North York, Scarborough, and Toronto were all separate cities before the amalgamation happened. I remember a time when the only phone area code was 416 (I also remember a time when Bell telephone booths were ubiquitous and I had a Telus flip phone, but I digress).

And as a Afro-Caribbean person from Toronto I grew up watching Master T on Xtendamix on Saturday afternoons, eating Jamaican food on Eglinton West, and attending (and participating in!) Caribana on the Lakeshore.

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I’ve partied on King Street West, Queen’s Street West, College Street West (yo, but BREDRIN, do you remember those jams at Revival?!? Epic!) and Yonge & Eglington amongst other places. I partied at the Docks before they closed down and rocked out to late ’90’s/early 2000s hip-hop and RnB at the “Nostalgia” party series when they were still happening (R.I.P. to some dang good jams!) I’ve partied in dimly lit basements and slapped the wall or the ceiling when the music got hype!

Kardinal Offishall’s “Bakardi Slang” is still my summer anthem.

And bruh. I have shovelled more snow in my lifetime than I’d like to think about. I also have (gleefully) lived through a number of snow days (best reason to miss school!)

But that snow THO. To be Canadian and endure Canadian winters…

So while I’m married to a German guy, live in Hong Kong, and have travelled the world, I’m a Toronto/Canadian gyal to the core…Oh Canada, my home and native land!

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Canada stand up! This is my official Canadian roll call. Where my Canadians at?

And for those of you (unlucky, haha) folks who didn’t grow up north of the 49th parallel, have you ever been to Canada? If not, any desire to go? And what’s your opinion/impression of Canadians?

SHARING IS CARING

156 Comments

  • I’ve lived in Canada for years, but I became a Canadian citizen just last Monday. I live in Alberta, and the Rocky Mountains are unbelievably beautiful around here – I’m fairly obsessed with them. It’s a beautiful country!!

  • What a fantastic post! Born and raised in BC, studied in Ottawa and now living in Madrid, but always proud to be a Canadian!

  • I almost migrated to Canada a few years ago because of a canadian girl.
    She was living very close to Mississauga by the way.
    I was more of a vagabond than her though, so in the end we went our separate ways.

  • migrated to Toronto when I was 6 (I’m now 51) although I now live in the US I am a Canadian at ♥

  • I’m a born and raised Torontonian – Scarberian to be exact! Scarberians (Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Fefe Dobson..) stand up!! – and couldn’t LOVE this post anymore! Must catch up whenever you make it back to this part of the globe! xx

  • I feel like applauding for this post! I’m American, but my parents spend part of each year on PEI. Woooorlds away from Toronto, though the summer neighbors come from a roll call of the most populous provinces. I’ve come to love so many things about the island and Canada in general – especially the people!

  • I’m not a Canadian native, but I didn’t realize that I recognized some of these comments. I absolutely fell in love with Toronto recently and cannot WAIT to go back in July later this year. Canada is absolutely amazing and if it had a latitude a bit closer to the Equator, they might have received a new resident. Love this post!

    • Holla Brampton! I used to teach Grade 9 French at Heart Lake Secondary School! 410 and Bovaird, what what!

    • You should but I also implore you to visit the East side! 😉

  • Whaaa – you made me so homesick! I wasn’t born in Canada but did spend a few years there growing up here and there. I moved back with a vengeance in time for university (McGill), too my first steps in journalism there (Gazette, CBC) and do know a thing or two about shoveling snow… I’m Canadian by naturalization but I cherish being Canadian (even though born in France and raised in Spain). I love Montreal and have the ‘distinction’ of having lived six months in Hamilton, Ontario… is that part of Toronto yet??

    • Omg McGill! You’re reminding me I haven’t been to Montreal in ages!

  • I’m Bajan but went to York for undergrad and your blog post brings back great memories of T-O (that was before T-Dot and The6…The6??? i mean really!).

    Never had to shovel snow but trekked to York from Brampton everyday. Can anyone say GO Bus? TTC? Summer concerts at Ontario Place – saw Mary J. Blige there. Boyz II Men opened for her. Celebrating the Blue Jays World Championship at the Sky Dome. Baking in the blazing sun at Caribana. Best Caribana fete at the Sheraton ballrooms. Caribana boat cruise around with Machel Montana and Xtatic. But best of all..seeing Prince live in concert at the Maple Leaf Gardens in March 1993.

    We met last summer in the rain at Lush fete btw.

    • Yasss to the Caribana cruise! I’ve done it!
      And of course I remember meeting you!! It was just before it started raining (and as I was backing it up on Liebling…) LOL! Thanks for reaching out!

  • Planning on finally visiting Canada this summer, and may just make Toronto my first stop. Any tips or advice??

  • Amazing Post! big up the toronto/GTA massive! Raised in Brampton, this post was refreshing!I love your blog!

  • Shoutout from Scarborough! Way to represent T.O and Canada girl! Just discovered your blog and what can I say, your work, and life’s story is amazing!

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