Toronto - What I Found Out From The Locals

When two of my friends relocated from New York City to Toronto, I thought it was time to revisit the city and see it the way a local would. They've been living in the city now for just over a year and they shared with me a wealth of information reflecting on their perceptions of a host of social and cultural differences between Canadians (or at least Torontonians or Ontarians as a whole) and Americans -- including Toronto etiquette. Here's what they told me:

• Talking about religion is generally frowned upon. That includes avoiding putting up the office Christmas tree. Even saying "god bless you" when someone sneezes is not done. Certainly a curious finding given the large number of churches in Toronto. But the idea is that they don't wear their religion on their sleeve.

•  Many office workers can expect three-day-weekends 10 months out of the year. That includes Family Day in February, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day in May, Canada Day in July and a civic holiday in August.

• Even the most high pressure jobs generally don't have their workers putting in more than 60-hour work weeks. And, it's generally a lot less than that. In Ontario, the average hours worked per week is just about 36.

• On the roads, Torontonians tend to be a more courteous lot, allowing drivers to almost painlessly merge into traffic when you have your signal on. (Of course, there are always exceptions and, remember that my friends are comparing Torontonians with New Yorkers.)

• Just as Torontonians don't like to discuss religion, they also tend to steer conversations away from discussing mental health issues. So, while in New York City it would be very normal to discuss visiting a psychotherapist or filling your prescription for an anti-depressant, not so in Toronto.

• The Toronto courteousness seems to extend to customer service departments as well. My friends had to deal with the fact that their cable and then cell phone were both turned off because of late payments. (Because they hadn't gotten a Canadian-based credit card yet.) Imagine their surprise when,  after they simply said they intend to make a payment, their services were turned right back on.

• Toronto is very much a bike-friendly city with a large network of bike paths strung throughout the city. In a fashion, and certainly, much more than in New York City, bicycles rule.  Businesses try to promote cycling and the city gives out awards to businesses that encourage their people to cycle.

• The city is gung-ho about recycling. You'll find a myriad of different recycle bins all over the city. Even the lovely Leslie Street Spit, an urban wilderness, is built of recycled materials. (Plus, on weekends, it becomes a bicycle-only thoroughfare.)

• There are a litany of Canadianisms, including that all candy bars are referred to as chocolate bars -- whether they contain chocolate or not. 

• It seems that the city has gotten comfortable with the medical marijuana issue, whereby people who suffer from various conditions are legally allowed to smoke, including in certain cafes. But the curious thing is that other people, who are not violating any other law, are also allowed to smoke pot in these venues. (They can't be (or aren't) arrested for simply smoking pot, so I'm told, unless they bring in marijuana or try to sell it or try to smoke tobacco.) Plus, curiously, no one calls it pot. It's referred to as cannabis.

• Toronto is a beach town. Who knew? Bordering Lake Ontario, Toronto has numerous sandy beaches, including the community referred to as The Beaches on the east side of the city, where many take advantage of the long boardwalks and promenades.