CORNWALL Ontario – What is the most friendly city in Canada? I don’t mean to tourists, but to each other as residents? What is the best place to live? What is the best place to raise a family or retire? Or start a business?
I thought I’d found a pretty great place here in Cornwall Ontario, but sadly in spite of all the great reasons to live here there is an ugly monster of corruption that frankly is scary. It’s changing, but when I moved to Cornwall I was forty. I will be turning 51 in July.
As I’ve said the problems are never really the “Bad Guys & Girls” but the good people who for many reasons don’t have the courage to stand up to them or for what’s right.
Am I bashing Cornwall Ontario? Not really. We all have choices. If people that live here want to run a closed shop and keep progress down that’s their collective choice just like nearby South Stormont decided to elect a shrieking lying, and most likely mentally disturbed official, and her slate of nodding monkeys. That’s democracy and sometimes it’s not pretty.
Of course politics and silly people exist everywhere just like nice people do, but some places are better than others.
What am I looking for in a city to spend the next 5, 10, or 25 years? I want a genuine friendly city where the culture is of caring more than corruption. I am not a fan of traffic and big cities so that rules out places like Toronto.
I’m a refugee from Quebec and as I’m not proficiently bilingual and don’t have a French name it’d take a lot for me to ever return there.
I worked in what is now Iqaluit as a kid, but as I get older I dislike Winter and the cold more and more. I know, I’m sounding like a cranky old man 🙂 I do think every young Canadian should spend time in the Arctic. It builds character.
What do I like? Some culture. At least one movie house that shows films that aren’t just mainstream pabulum like here in Cornwall. A good music scene doesn’t hurt. A university or college is a must. Diversity and acceptance. I good mix of young and old. Good transportation. I was up for a job in Windsor this past Summer and it’s interesting how fast you can get to places from the Detroit Airport and how it is the most Southern city in Canada.
Cost of living is important as I’m not wealthy. Calgary would be out as I probably could never own my own place. Same for Vancouver.
BC is attractive. Saskatchewan has an allure. I love the idea of the East Coast and loved visiting Nova Scotia and PEI. Newfoundland is the only province in the country I’ve never been to and the Yukon.
Good health care is important too. I think I basically want the things that most of us want.
Depending on a few factors I’ll be travelling across Canada this Summer and Fall looking for the Most Friendly City in Canada and shooting a documentary about it. I think it’ll be fun and educational. Who knows, I may find out that the grass isn’t greener and that Cornwall Ontario itself is the Friendliest City in Canada? Weirder things have happened.
We’ll be doing a series of stories about this adventure over the next year. You can email me at jamie@cornwallfreenews.com if you have any questions or comments you don’t wish to post below, or if you want your city to be visited (tell me why) .
Seeing as we have viewers from all over Canada I’d like you folks to post what places you think rock and why? You can post your comments below.
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A good sense of involved community does it for me. Neighbors that always say hello! Block parties and get togethers. I lived in Kitchener Ontario. It was horrible I only lasted a year before leaving, rudest most ignorant people I ever met. I had a hard time believing I was living amungst Canadians.