Not all Torontonians prefer anonymity
Re Many Torontonians likely prefer anonymity over all else, Teitel, Dec. 6 Emma Teitel writes, “Unfortunately for (Saint John, N.B. Mayor Don) Darling, what many Torontonians love even more than short commute times and fresh air is not knowing our neighbours.” Emma Teitel is wrong. Toronto is a city that loves to know its neighbours.
I grew up in Minto, N.B., until the age of 7, when my father moved us to Chipman, N.B. Then, when I was 17, my father moved us to Ontario. People told me then, “Ontario is cold.” I replied, “I will warm it up.”
The most common thing I heard from my teachers in New Brunswick was, “If you want to be successful, move to Ontario.” The first thing my Ontario teachers told me was, “If you want to be successful, move to the United States.” I decided I would succeed in this country and on my own terms.
The thing I most liked about growing up in small-town New Brunswick was that folks said hello on the streets. When I arrived in Toronto in the mid 1960s, I brought nothing with me but friendliness. I have lived in various parts of the city. The first thing I do is make friends with my neighbours.
The second thing my Ontario teachers told me was that the standard of education in New Brunswick was lower, so I should not be ashamed when I failed. I passed with honours. We Maritimers come from tougher stock.
People learn best by example. I am setting the example. Perhaps Saint John could use a Reg Hartt. Reg Hartt, Toronto
Torontonians also prefer their anonymity when it comes to the plodding destruction of one of Canada’s great and traditional main streets. The well-to-do residents east and west of Yonge St. seem to be sitting idly by as highrise towers sweep north from Yonge and Eglington, bringing guaranteed future congestion and loss of natural sunlight on what used to be a great walking street.
The city is being ruined by these outof-scale structures, especially when there is little room for more density in a city being strangled by traffic.
Who’s to say when this fascination with big-city life will wane and people will realize that smaller cities like Saint John have a lot to offer. Then what Toronto? Greg Prince, Toronto