Saturday, December 29, 2007

An ABer in Toronto

This fall, Craig Chandler told Albertans to "adapt or leave" and it appears I've selected the later. Tonight, I catch a WestJet flight to Toronto where I'll be starting work in January.

As I've been telling people this, their first reaction is rarely "good luck" or "I'll miss you", it's usually "so what are you doing with the blog?". Fair enough question. Renaming the thing "Toronto Grit" would create bookmarking hell and, let's be honest, would be an incredibly lame and redundant title. So the title stays the same, although the banner and side bar description have undergone minor changes.

For the 25% or so of this blog's readers who hail from Alberta - don't fret, I'm personally a lot more interested in the next provincial election than whatever Dalton McGuinty is up to, so you can expect a lot of blogging on that (of course, I also find the over 70 Canasta championship more interesting than Dalton McGuity). For the 25% or so of this blog's readers who hail from Ontario, I guess there will be a bit more local content for you. For everyone else...the post frequency may decrease while I settle in but not a lot else will change save a small increase in the frequency of Leafs jokes.

27 Comments:

  • Welcome to Toronto, best of luck with your new job and Happy @008!

    By Blogger ceevee, at 2:59 p.m.  

  • Welcome to the centre of the universe. You're going to love Toronto. The last time Toronto won the North American Canasta Championship was in 1967.

    Calgary may have Ezra Levant; Toronto has Supermodel Enza Anderson. She's hot, but not as hot as Condi Rice.

    By Blogger Skinny Dipper, at 3:55 p.m.  

  • Toronto isn't as bad as we like to say it is. Or maybe it is, and I've just had my spirits broken by the smog. Either way, the Leafs are as bad as we like to say they are.

    Welcome to the T-Dot, and good luck.

    By Blogger Jeff, at 4:40 p.m.  

  • I'm in Toronto now but I'm an olde tyme Albertan, and I'm sorry to see you giving up on the place. Welcome back here, but I hope you'll go on helping us to understand what's going wrong there.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:43 p.m.  

  • Dan,

    Congratulations, Toronto is a dynamite city. I always heard it was the pits, but I love it. It's got complete assholes, like anywhere does, but it's got piles of warm, wonderful, amazing people, and there's a great vibe of art and excitement and youth - I think you're really going to get a lot out of your time here, whether it's a 6 month contract or a full-time move. There's exciting things happening in architecture, and business and culture. You can find exciting thinkers and entrepreneurs here, and a real collection of Canadians from the north and south, BC to PEI, from farms and other cities, entrepreneurs and artists and scientists and professionals, looking to make something marvelous and permanent and inspiring out of their time. I'm really excited for you - I've had great frustrations with many elements of the city, but I can honestly say I've never regretted moving here.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 5:49 p.m.  

  • Anything to do with the Mar 17th by-elections?

    Orchard could use your help in Sask.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:22 p.m.  

  • Best of luck on the move out East - I am sure it will be an amazing experience for you!

    By Blogger Prairie Fire, at 8:32 p.m.  

  • Calgary moves to cut Trans Fats and CG announces he is moving to Toronto all in the same day. Coincidence? I think not.

    By Blogger Reg, at 10:19 p.m.  

  • But do ou think the 19 year old Biwali, Bhuto's son should lead a fractured muslim country in turmoil with nuclear capabilities? There's nothing like a 19 year old with a nuclear arsenal to make you wake up on a Sunday morning.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:26 a.m.  

  • Does this mean we have to send Cherniak to Alberta?

    By Blogger Reality Bites, at 9:31 a.m.  

  • I imagine that being a Liberal supporter in Calgary must be a succession of heartbreaks and a bleak yearning for some kind of change in luck.

    Congratulations! You are ready to cheer for the Toronto Maple Leafs!

    Seriously, welcome to the Big Smoke.

    By Blogger Dan, at 10:01 a.m.  

  • Does this mean we have to send Cherniak to Alberta?

    Ha ha - fair is fair, and it'd be a great trade for Ontario.

    You know, that's interesting RB, you make me wonder if CG and ChuckerCanuck are so cool because they're in opposing environments - a Liberal in AB and a Conservative in Montreal need to be cordial and inviting, they need to reach out to others. I wonder if living around people who you disagree with but like shapes your personality in a kinder way. And conversely, if living surrounded by people who agree with you makes you somewhat smugger and less inclined to dialogue.

    I dunno, just spitballing. But you gave me an interesting thought - thanks.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:42 p.m.  

  • Welcome! Nice to see it isn't just us Newfoundlanders moving to Toronto to find work ...

    By Blogger Jason Hickman, at 6:04 p.m.  

  • Just don't take a deep breath, avoid the Leafs myopia, and you'll be fine.

    Our loss is Hogtown's gain.

    He was a good man, and he will be missed... ;)

    By Blogger Enlightened Savage, at 11:24 p.m.  

  • funny how everyone hates the city in the province that has always contributed to equalization while never (ever) receiving a cent of it (even Alta received it for a few years at one point), in toronto you will find a city that is underfunded (squarely because its "toronto" and no politicians wants to be seen as favouring the largest city that brings in over $11 billion in net taxes to the other levels of govnt while Ontarians received the least in the entire country per capita in health, education, E.I. etc.), a city where everyone LOVES TO HATE, despite the fact that only 6 CENTS out of every $1 we sent out in taxes come back in funding, a city that accepts the MAJORITY of immigrants and thus the strains of dealing with clashing cultures, and ESL, international professionals who can't find employment in their field, where social programs are needed the most but are cut the most, where despite STATISTICS showing that Toronto is one of the safest cities in the country, the media and police union displays it differently, where over 30% of the ENTIRE city is living in POVERTY (that's 1 in ever 3 Torontonian), where despite having the largest and ONE of the most prestigious universities in the country (with the second largest library in North America after Harvard)... U of T still has a food bank for students.

    We don't go to other cities and say "this place sucks" (mildly put) without proof or long-term experience, so it'd be nice if everyone else didn't.

    Where Toronto ranks among the best cities in Canada in accessing all kinds of much needed public services, it is also the poorest, and the most underfunded.

    Stats and numbers show that. Btw, the number of people in Toronto who vote Conservative are relatively the same as those who vote Liberal, in fact -- had Ontario passed MMP a few months ago, Conservatives in Toronto would've actually GAINED seats...


    too bad its all partisan politics for a poor city, you'll get the idea of how poorly toronto is treated by BOTH the (mainly previous Harris govnt, whose ministers are now all in Ottawa) by the province and the federal government



    i.e. don't tell cities to "stop whining" (Flaherty) when over 80% of Canadians live in cites, don't spend all our surpluses on "paying off the debt" (sounds great huh?!) when in reality, Canada has the LOWEST DEBT FOR GDP IN ALL DEVELOPED NATIONS, paying off the debt will not stop roads and bridges from crashing and killing people, it will not make our lives easier one bit, it will not provide a child care program so people can work and get off welfare, it will not provided sustainable funding for the public transit so fees can stop rising, it will not provide proper affordable housing so people making minimum wage (which is suppose to provide the "min" at least but is not in a city where cost of living is rising higher than gas prices) are not one paycheck (literally) away from living on the streets, it will not provide a national dental program


    what? so the government can't tell you what you can and cannot die from?!


    stop using the leafs to bash toronto, its immature, that's not what the city is about, sports is not what the nation is about -- why are athletes paid millions while nurses and teachers are underpaid and overworked?

    By Blogger Unknown, at 11:51 p.m.  

  • Hey, Grit. Congrats on the job.

    I've always had a suspicion that political people are susceptible to politically induced migration in this country. Here's another bit of anecdotal evidence. :)

    Good luck. You won't need it.

    By Blogger Gauntlet, at 12:20 a.m.  

  • "(even Alta received it for a few years at one point)"

    Quite right, but we had to threaten the feds with legal action to get it, and settled for 0.50 on the dollar.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:32 a.m.  

  • Fran in Medicine Hat comments: Good luck with your new job! Does this mean the ivory towers of academia (working on your doctarate) have been postponed for a few year(s) of toil in the real world? Am sure you will return to Alberta at some point, with an impressive CV and the brightest of futures!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:19 p.m.  

  • Happy New Year and all the best in TO Grit - maybe you can start to coach Harper as he tries to establish the "Ontario Nation" next in his push for personal power.

    By Blogger kenchapman, at 12:46 p.m.  

  • The air is awful in Toronto compared to Edmonton or Calgary.

    By Blogger whyshouldIsellyourwheat, at 9:24 p.m.  

  • Live from TO, it's CalgaryGrit!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:28 p.m.  

  • CG,
    You will be in Toronto as big changes take place in transportation and manufacturing.

    Times will be very interesting.

    Visit tiny Stouffville just north of Toronto to relax on a Sunday.

    Good place for a picnic by the little dam in the summer time.=TG

    By Blogger TonyGuitar, at 2:07 a.m.  

  • By Blogger corianpassargad, at 3:59 a.m.  

  • By Blogger corianpassargad, at 3:59 a.m.  

  • By Blogger Muhammad Mughni, at 3:31 a.m.  

  • By Blogger Unknown, at 2:17 a.m.  

  • By Blogger gem1musi, at 5:51 p.m.  

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