Learning the language spoken by the majority of the locals where you choose to live in, is always a great idea to intergrate a community and just truly enjoy what it has to share.
Montréal just feels more cozy when walking about as a pedestrian... the buildings are closer to the trottoirs and the streets are narrower. It's such a pleasure to walk around here unlike Toronto. Biking infrastructure is much better too.
just leave downtown toronto and hit up one of the smaller neitghbours like queen west, kensington, ossington, the beaches, danforth etc. The buildings are 3-4 stories, parks everywhere, bars pubs, restaurants etc. Similar vibe, but too expensive.. lol
@@bmorgado2571 they likely pale in comparison to MTL though, I've visited multiple times and Toronto felt very bland - plus its so extensive and the suburbs extend forever, traffic is a nightmare, fam I have who used to live in TO all moved out of the city, and pretty much every Torontonian i've asked seems to prefer montreal. Montreal still has a lot of issues, but Toronto sounds soul crushing and creatively stifling.
I've lived in Europe and now in Toronto. I've visited Montreal twice. While I didn't stay for long I'd prefer living in Montreal. People are super chilled out and their atitude is more European. If fluent in French hands down Montreal.
You don't need to be fluent in French ... depends on your job ... everything is nicer in Montreal than Toronto the car culture city and fake Times Square ..
@@neofils « Embracing the language and culture » means not to be afraid to use your rusted school French or even random words and sentence bits. Every francophone will be thrilled that you are putting yourself out and welcome your effort at reaching out. I was born and lived in Mtl until I was 25 (married, bought a house in the subs, got transferred to other places in the province, and resettled on the north shore when I retired). Last week I went downtown with my son to watch Oppenheimer and we took a long walk down Ste-Catherine street (the beating heart of the city) and were thrilled to experience the hustle and bustle (food, shows, street life) that makes Montreal so vibrantly unique. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Here's my take - I'm from the NYC metro area all my life, born and raised in Northern NJ and have worked for decades in Manhattan - BUT my mother's family emigrated to Montreal, with some of them later moving to Toronto, so all my life I've visited both cities. Toronto is indeed the "NYC of Canada" in terms of its stature. It's a juggernaut of a city with tons of opportunity. It is a center of finance, culture, trade, art, etc. and very much a world-class city. However, while it's like NYC in those ways, it doesn't have the character that NYC has. It doesn't have much character at all, honestly. It's just Canadian wanna-be NYC but feels like a bland, modern, midwestern US city to be honest and just happens to fly Canadian flags and use Canadian currency. Montreal, on the other hand, is LOADED with character - enough for both cities and then some. Montreal is much more like NYC in every OTHER way than the ones I mentioned about Toronto. Montreal has more stark ethnic diversity, mutli-lingual (NOT just French but other also), older history (or at least older FEELING) much like NY City, and character. It has its foods, too. Like NYC's pastrami, they have viande fumee (smoked meat). NY has their hot dogs, Montreal has their steamies. They each have their own bagels and to me they are equally great so that one can't get a bagel of either quality anywhere else in the world. Montreal also has their poutine (which has roots in NJ diner "disco fries", believe it or not) and their world-renowned steak, also crepes and French food in general... Montreal is a smaller city than Toronto but the art and culture are much more prominent. Montreal is a far, far more INTERESTING city and has its own flavor, its own character, its own identity whereas Toronto's identity is very much a generic "Canadian" identity intermingled with a "NYC-wannabe" identity. I will pick Montreal over Toronot any day. Of course, being in NYC I feel we have all the "big" stuff that Toronto has and even better, but Montreal offers me tons of things I don't get in NYC.
Reading this made me feel like you may have missed out on some of the best parts of toronto. edited to add: My single visit to MTL ranked it as my top city in Canada. Still love Toronto, but out of the major cities I have lived in or visited (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal), montreal was the most fun and felt the most interesting. Though Toronto has a lot to offer that can be hard to notice without multiple visits and/or a local guide.
@@V1sual3y3z I'm sure I missed some of the best parts of Toronto - I can say the same for most cities I've visited. But at the same time I enjoyed much of what makes Toronto great. Being from NYC (my office is in midtown Manhattan) and living here all my life, we have the same things that Toronto has - we are a world financial center, we have museums, opera, concerts, art, publishing, etc. - but whereas Toronto has these things what I have in NY is as good or better. Also, I wonder if what I missed is all that noteworthy - if it is, then why don't I hear about it? I have asked people who have not been to either Toronto or Montreal to tell me what they know each city is known for and people know more about Montreal. For Toronto a lot of them say "oh yeah - poutine" and even then I have to correct them that poutine is specifically Quebec/Montreal and then spread to other parts of Canada. So I appreciate your opinion that I may have missed things, but if you can't give examples then I really don't think it matters - I don't think I missed anything of note. My top 2 Canadian cities are Montreal and then Vancouver - Toronto is a distant third, but it's third, and Edmonton is almost tied with it. If Kelowna were a legit city it would be third.
So funny, I'm born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and was literally about to come down to the comments to make the same rant you just made. Montreal and NYC both have a deep sense of place, diversity of different built environments with a plethora of human scale mid-density neighborhoods, expansive public transportation and heavy reliance on walking and cycling. Both are cities of rivers with a lot of architecture that stretch back to the 1800s. The ways in which I can see NYC and Toronto being similar, is the work culture and obviously the cost of living. In those ways, I would say Montreal is more similar to Philadelphia or maybe Chicago.
Saying Montreal can be a big city that doesn't feel like a big city is exactly how I felt when I lived there, good choice of words. Not really a good or bad thing though, depends on the person. Personally I love the busy hectic big city feeling though
You hit the nail on the head. I had a roommate who came from Toronto and on the first week he came back and said "Montreal is really small" I asked him where he had been and he said "downtown, I crossed it in like a 30 minute walk". I told him "take the metro, get off at Vendome metro, walk up to Sherbrooke street and then walk east, just walk east without stopping. He came back after walking all day and was like "holy crap, the city just keeps going and going. Its actually big." He realized that Toronto is a big downtown core with tall skyscrapers but you hit single family homes quickly. Montreal has plexes, 2-3 storey high, tightly packed and is not tall but is a dense environment for huge swaths of the island. Ultimately Montreal will create strong neighborhood vibes. I don't agree that Toronto is Canada's New York City though, everyone I've spoken to who has seriously visited both Montreal and Toronto liken Toronto to Chicago. It's newer, fundamentally North American. Culturally, Montreal is Canada's NYC at its origin (largest irish, italian - specifically Sicilian -, Jewish immigration - the bagels, the smoked meat, the big central Park, hanging outdoor staircases, 19th century buildings dotted through the city, the old world gritty hustle, the old school corruption (unfortunately)) but with all the independence talk and stunted growth, we ended up at the scale of a Brooklyn. I feel Montreal is ultimately a bit of a mix of London/Brooklyn/Paris on a smaller scale. And also that saying "I'm from Montreal" is not enough as neighborhoods become so different one from the other. NDG is not the Plateau which is not Mile End which is not Hochelaga which is not the same as Downtown which is not Montreal West. Another important distinction is that with our run for independence, all the big corporate jobs left for Toronto (if Toronto is to be compared to NYC its really lower Manhattan mashed up with Hoboken) and Montreal is fundamentally an SME economy. All the wealthy people I've met from Toronto had high paying corporate jobs. All the wealthy people I've met in Montreal were self-made small business owners. It changes fundamentally the dynamic of the people and the mentality of a city. Torontonians are on this competitive corporate rat race where it's each for their own which is fine given how much opportunity there is for everyone. Montrealers are hustlers at the core, they need to hustle to survive in a place where opportunities are fewer and they can often seem rude at first glance (immigrants who arrive here don't get a red carpet treatment and they quickly realize they'll have to elbow their way through, most end up leaving) but Montrealers are ultimately kind, willing to help each other (most) and there is also a strong sense of identity, community about what it means to be a Montrealer. A Torontonian is someone who lives in Toronto, who is there for a job. A Montrealer is someone who carries an entire urban culture and complex history as well as linguistics within themselves.
Well I read that and wonderfully said, super insightful comment. "Montrealers are ultimately kind, willing to help each other (most)" just yesterday my friends and I ran into a stranger looking for directions downtown and we spoke a mix of French/English and ended with some cheerful smiles, the experience brought about this sentiment :)
100% agree with your long winded comment worth the read. I prefer montreal than Toronto and I prefer Quebec City compared to Montreal. Despite the bs politics Quebec is secretly the best place to live and I lived all over Canada.
Tu as fait marcher à ton ami Sherbrooke en entier haha, pas mal. Ma plus longue marche a été du Métro Mcgill en passant par Sherbrooke, le jardin botanique puis Anjou.
Coming from Paris, FR and living in Toronto since 9months, I can assure you that Toronto is super super quiet! It's the first thing that surprised me the most about the city - it is sooo calm! People are chilling walking down the streets and I LOVE it! :)
What? The langage barrier is even worse in Toronto. If you dont speak English you're out. But the guy from Montréal says if you speak English in Québec there's a problem. Well first of all most people understand English in Qc whereas most people dont understand French in Canada. Therefore if we talk about inclusivity, an English speaker in Montréal will be more okay than a French speaker (or any other language speaker) in Toronto.
The average Montrealer speaks about 2.5 languages, english, french and a bit of something else too, so people complaining about the language barrier is not only unfair, it is also a bit insulting. We do learn english from a young age, why can't the rest of Canada learn french the same way is beyond me.
That is a misrepresentation of what Toronto is. Many people speak very broken English in Toronto, as more than half of the residents are first generation immigrants. It is absolutely not true that "If you dont speak English you're out". Many first generation immigrants like my parents, for example, speak very poor English but they have never experience any type of discrimination in Toronto. The attitude of many Francophones in Mtl/Quebec toward non french speakers is hostile and this is evident through the kinds of laws being passed through the CAQ government. On the flip side, speaking poor English in Toronto is a none issue because most people are not native speakers and they will be very accommodating to non-English speakers. I get that Mtl has a culture to protect but your comment does say a lot about how little you know about Toronto.
Two ignorants who do not know that language in Canada is a provincial matter ( like Switzerland or Belgium) not federal. As such it is normal that in Montréal, french should prevail . Try to be served french in Toronto !
@@neofils If you want to receive government service in Toronto you can. Although many do not speak French here, no one will face discrimination for trying to speak French in Toronto.
I have been to Toronto, it's big like Chicago, and I heard people u interviewed say Toronto was Americanized, but I don't agree, as an American, it had a different feel, I didn't feel like I was in the USA. I would love to visit Montreal one day & will try to learn some French b4 I go.
as a french Canadian that lived his whole life in Quebec i have no issue switching to english to accommodate english speaker if they are struggling. where i see the issue is when english speakers come here, to live in Quebec, not trying to learn french expecting everybody to be bilingual and to accommodate them. after all french is the only official language in quebec, it's like moving to japan not speaking japanese, for example.
Montreal is different from the rest of Quebec though, bilingualism is much more prominent, and important not just for work, but tourism, as well. Its important to learn French, but we're still part of Canada, and Montreal has almost a million anglophones, not like Japan at all, really, but learning French is still important.
I was in Montréal just last month. It was very friendly, with a cool and cultured vibe. I found an amazing little restaurant in the Verdun neighbourhood called Restaurant Beba. Everybody go!
From a Montréal’s french speaker point of view, I get the whole language barrier thing. A lot of locals have high expectations on that matter and simply expect everyone living in Québec to speak perfect french and I know a lot of people who speak english as their first language but also speakk french but are anxious or "scared" to speak french in front of french speakers because their french is not perfect and their accent is very noticeable. I wish people would be more indulgent about that, from my pov I will always appreciate the effort a person makes. One thing you need to understand is how important it is to our culture, it’s part of our history and it always will be. It’s part of what makes us different and people are proud of it I feel like it is and always will be an important topic especially since french seems to be losing its ground everywhere in Canada (not only in Québec) so people here want to protect it as much as possible French speakers in Québec are mostly scared of losing their language and become like the typical average north american who speaks only one language. It feels like more and more, the english language keeps rising because everyone learns it given its importance. Québécois don’t want to reach a point where we lose the most important part of our culture which is our language Btw I’m not anti english, I recognize the importance of learning many languages, it brings so much added value to a person’s life Merci pour le vidéo
English language is not superior to the french language. After 500 years of battle to keep our culture and language , english speaking are not the victims and they always find excuses not to make an effort to learn french . Canada has 2 official languages since 1849.... 30 % of english vocabulary come from the french language ... no excuse ... Americans are more opened to the french language than english canadians ... The quiet revolution in th 60 and 70 "s was about the equity of a french speaking to get a good job and to be paid like english speaking. Hope the new Bill 101 will be stronger and for those without any canadian identity ... just stay in Toronto or Vancouver.
Thanks to Ridge for sponsoring this video and allowing me to keep making content like this! Here’s the site if you want to check them out! 👉 ridge.com/thenewtravel
Bro can you make a vid comparing the opportunities esp. professional that one may enjoy in Montreal and Toronto, if you are non-white. Assuming you have no language barrier but then you can also dwell on stuff like if one speaks only French in Toronto or English in Montreal.
Nice video! I kind of disagree though that Toronto is a big city with only big city vibes. I also don’t think anywhere in Toronto really feels like Manhattan, some areas do give me Queens or Brooklyn-ish vibes. Toronto really is a city of diverse neighbourhoods. Some do have a relaxed, community vibe with low rise buildings, parks, and houses like Roncesvalles, Queen & Dundas West, Leslieville, The Danforth / Riverdale, High Park, St. Clair West, some parts of The Annex, Christie Pitts, Little Italy etc. Toronto is pretty expensive to rent in which is unfortunate. It’s sad to see a lot of local artists and musicians from Toronto moving to MTL because of how expensive it’s gotten. I’ve lived in both cities and love both! I have lived in Toronto a lot longer than MTL. Culturally I think Toronto feels like a mesh between San Francesco, NYC, and Chicago but more multicultural.
@@sm3675 Toronto is the 4d largest city in North America, behind NYC, Mexico City and LA. Your info is out of date. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_cities_by_population
Having been to Montreal many times it took me multiple visits to truly understood the neighbourhoods, and its make-up. It also will take a while and multiple visits for a visitor to Toronto to understand how the city works. The reason why people in Toronto would think of Toronto as chill, is that other than the downtown core, there is a 2nd toronto in our residential neighborhoods. We do have the "middle" in old toronto, but NOT on Bay Street, NOT near the waterfront, not near where tourists go. I'm talking about The annex, West Queen West, Roncesvalles, Leslieville, The Beaches, The Danforth, Bloordale, High Park, Riverdale, Little Italy etc. 1st time to Montreal, only stayed near Old Montreal and Old Port and St. Catherine. I was comparing downtown to downtown, I thought Toronto was way bigger. 2nd time to Montreal, stayed near Old Montreal, Old Port, Downtown, Plateau, Mile End, Near UQAM, Walked the Underground City, Drove around the expo grounds, went to the olympic grounds, I was reminded that Montreal used to be Canada's #1 city. I saw Montreal as 70% the size of Toronto. 3rd time to Montreal, Old Montreal, Old Port, Downtown, Hiked Mont Royal, Went back to Plateau, Mile End, Explored all of St. laurent, visited Little italy, atwater, stayed in Longeuil actually etc. Although Toronto's metro is bigger, I see that of cultural significance, the neighborhoods of Montreal make it feel like 75%-80% the size of Toronto or more. It is a bigger city than Vancouver for example, with way more culture and neighborhoods. Montreal is culturally more mature due to its age, and its basically a Barcelona situation with the Quebecois pride. It is its own commercial and economic capital for Quebec-only companies If a Montrealer were to visit Toronto more times, they would see the numerous neighborhoods they wouldn't see during their first time and even the "3rd toronto" - the suburban city centres that they would slowly understand that Torontonians congregate. The GTA neighbourhoods, that although not walkable, are culture-rich neighbourhoods nevertheless. So Toronto outside of the core is set-up more like LA or Atlanta, whereas Toronto around the core, has its similarities to Montreal, as well as NYC, and maybe at its heart the older victorian planning of the city. Toronto in the financial core (basically where you filmed), is the area that is like NYC that OP is hinting Montreal does not have, or if it does, it has shrunken over time and is limited to the blocks with the remaining financial institutions. One way to describe my perspective is that a native montrealer will adjust easier to Toronto once they understand whats to offer, more so than a standard north american city. Although Toronto has many aspects of a standard north american city, it is much more diverse, lively, walkable and transit-ready than many other North american cities. To you Dan, Toronto is a big city that won't feel as big and impersonal as you think, if you come back and explore so more and to Torontonians, Montreal isn't as small as you think, if you go back and explore some more. As a born and bred Torontonian, I go to Montreal so many times because it actually feels like getaway with only a 6 hour drive. As a city, it is more of an alternative #1 to me, for Canadian cities, than a #2. The next Canadian metros in order of population, Vancouver and Calgary, lack in the amount of culture Montreal offers for its size. Also it helps that I speak a bit of french so that helps my impression of MTL.
Born Torontonia, but most of my life on the west coast so lots of Vancouver experience, only visited Montreal once (so far), and appreciate your take. Rings true for me, though I have less knowledge.
“I was born and raised in Montreal, spending my youth experiencing the vibrancy of its downtown. The city has changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes unfortunately for the worse. Yet, there are two Montreals: the city to the west of St-Laurent (the central street) and the city to the east of the same street. The west is much more beautiful, dynamic, affluent, more anglophone, and leaning to the right. The east, historically more working-class, is much less aesthetic and often neglected, with an undeniably left-leaning mentality, though not without its charm. Today, I sometimes no longer recognize my city, under the influence of a very left-wing administration. Montreal has lost some of its luster, and its dynamism is often subdued. I’ve visited Vancouver and Toronto, and it’s true that compared to those two cities, Montreal stands out with its distinctly more European character, its charm, and its particular ambiance. But I envy the boldness and dynamism of the other two Canadian metropolises. In Montreal and Quebec, the lack of dynamism, the fear of thinking big, and, in many ways, the lack of pride are too often prevalent. I won’t hide that I often feel a sadness for my Montreal, and sometimes I think that if I were younger, I would leave this city. But my soul remains Montrealer; I am attached to this city, and despite its sometimes all-too-obvious flaws, it still manages to seduce me. People of Vancouver, you have a magnificent city; Torontonians, your city is bold, but Montreal has a charm and atmosphere all its own, which undoubtedly makes others envious.”
Born and raised in Toronto and been to Montreal three times. I love both cities, and they are both cultural, although Toronto is a lot more diverse as we have a huge cultural significance from people immigrating from around the world. Toronto is a welcoming city for immigrants because we all speak English and we have that whole diversity. It's everywhere, unlike MTL because the people there are racist and all they care about (especially the Quebecois) is fighting to protect their language. I could go on and on about these two great cities especially comparing their unique characteristics but the rest of the comments have spoken for themselves. I may agree or disagree with them but, we have our own opinions. While both cities have generally kind people, I find Montreal to have the most uptight and rude people, especially the francophones. I am not being disrespectful at all, but I'm just saying, the francophones sometimes refuse to serve people in English, especially if you're living there and can't speak French. They may be nice to us tourists but to people that are Anglos or have visible minorities is a no-no, going back to why Quebecers are racist. Not to mention, Montrealers keep claiming in these types of videos that they are better than us Torontonians and like to make fun of our so-called "concrete jungle", quality of life, bad transit, population, etc. I find it insulting when Montrealers are entitled to hate on my beloved and amazing city just because we're like NYC or Chicago. Toronto has many unique neighbourhoods, it is very diverse, we have one of the best foods in the world and we have a great subway system but not as great as Montreal. Yes MTL may be more aesthetic than Toronto, but to make fun of our identities and diversity.....yeah when the people there are constantly talking about language barriers, and they don't give a crap about how we have so many things to do here as well. Montrealers may be lucky to have such beautiful architecture and European vibes which I love of course, but to put disrespect on Toronto's uniqueness is pathetic. To all the haters from Montreal, shame on you, why don't you come back to T.O to visit and see if it is any better than your city? As I said, both cities are amazing, and I love what they have to offer but it's just the people in Quebec are biased and ignorant towards us Torontonians. Whether you're a Montrealer who speaks English, French, or both, see what happens when you take a look at our cityscape, vibes, and cultural scene.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico (Caribbean) and I have visited Montreal on vacation twice, (the first in 2016 and the last just two weeks ago). I agree that montrealers are super nice and treat people well. Wherever I've been, whether it was a bar, a depanneur, a restaurant, a cafe or even asking something on the street, people are very friendly, they smile and are willing to have a conversation with you. I even found some locals who have spoken to me in their broken Spanish, which surprised me a lot. I have been to cities like Miami, NYC, Chicago, and Toronto, and I have never been treated or felt as comfortable as in Montreal. It is a city with a very good vibe. Toronto is a very nice, modern and fun city, but I perceived it as any other city in the USA and people seem to be more impersonal in the way they treat each other.
A Montreal que tu parle arabe, creole ou espagnole etc ont es capable de te servir alors qu'a Toronto c'est très fermé. Quand les gens viennent a montreal ils visite que le plateau, le vieux port ou le centre ville alors qu'il y a beaucoup plus que uniquement ces quartier la ! Toronto pour moi est qu'une ville de travailleur et les gens sont beaucoup moins ouvert d'esprit et chaleureux. La-bas on ce sent très seul si on n'y connaît personne..
À Montréal tu dois parler Français pour avoir du succès professionnel et social. A Toronto tu peux le faire en Anglais, Français, Espagnol, Arabic, Portuguese etc. Toutes les personnes peuvent réussir professionnellement n'importe que langue tu parles. Et le Torontonians nous sommes chaleureux et généreux justement parce que nous avons une vraie diversité culturelle que n'est pas conditionnelle à savoir parler en Français ou Anglais ou n'importe que langue. Notre identité culturelle ne se limite pas à la langue, notre identité culturelle est vraiment accueillant sans conditions et sans limitations, nous acceptons et accueillons à tout le monde. C'est por ça que Toronto est la vraie définition de diversité culturelle.
@@cara1111 toronto est une île aux mille cultures, avec tres peu inclusion et cohabitation. Les chinois restent entre eux, la communauté latine reste entre eux, la communauté italienne reste entre eux. Le français est un outil pour rassembler toutes les cultures et parler au même niveau. Toronto est une ville pour les gens à prendre et à ne rien donner en retour.
@@TerryWrist1010 Au contraire. Je suis Torontonian et je peux dire que contrairement à ce que tu penses, à Toronto les chinois n'habitent pas dans le "quartier chinois, et la même chose pour les latin@s, et pour les italiens, et le grecques etc etc etc. Tous ces "quartiers" en réalité ne sont que secteurs commerciaux pour les touristes, ces endroits la ne sont pas pour habiter résidentielment. Mais dans les secteurs résidentiels à Toronto tes voisins son des différents cultures et des différentes groupes ethniques. Il n'existe pas de "quartiers" pour une group culturel particulier lol pas de tout! Tous le gens habitent partout a Toronto n'importe leur laungue ou group ethnique. C'est vraiment mélangé, et je peut confirmer ça, je suis latino et mes voisins sont de l'Asie, Afrique, Latins, Arab, Indien et Européens. La meme chose où je travaille. En plus, n'oubliez pas que Toronto est la ville où se parle la majeure quantité de langues au Canadá. C'est pour ça que les Torontonians nous sommes fières de notre capacité pour cohabiter dans une grande communauté, la tolérance est d'extrême importance pour nous. Ce pour ça que Toronto es la ville avec le pourcentage d'agrandissement le plus grand du Canada.
@@cara1111 A Montreal tu doit vraiment pas que parler français tu te trompe viens faire un tour! Ici on essaye simplement d'apprendre le plus de langue possible pour que tout le monde se sente chez eux! c'est qu'un plus + professionnellement & tout le monde fait des efforts, on est ensemble : ) !!
Been there done that, I liked Niagara a lot. Montréal is where I want to be, born and raised here, living in Lasalle because of the nice views of St-Laurent. I'm near Saute mouton..
Montreal urbanism is just one of a kind in Canada I love the fact the missing middle thrived there and it's just makes the city so pleasant to walk and get around 🐢
I live in Toronto and lived in Montreal for 2 years alone. I think if you are visible minority who’s first language is not French, Montreal can be a difficult place. I think for a short visit, Montreal is fantastic but living there left me with a sense of uneasiness especially as my French wasn’t great even with classes in Montreal. I love Toronto because differences and diversity are celebrated more; there is no pressure to conform to a “standard”. Toronto also has soo much to offer and there is certainly more diversity in the neighbourhoods than Montreal. Kensington to the junction to eglinton to the beaches in toronto is vastly different from the plateau to old port to Verdun in montreal. What I do love about Montreal is the public transit system! Soooo much better than the ttc and the publicly available wifi downtown 😂
Is you feel inconfortable about the french lenguage this is your problem. Quebec is a french province, you like it or you dont this is why there are Toronto. OTTAWA, Vancouver etc etc
Thanks for the Saskatoon shoutout! I moved from Saskatoon to Montreal and would never have considered moving to Toronto. Montreal has culture and small city feel in a big city just like you mentioned.
Born and raised in Montreal as an Anglophone. Speak pretty bad French but I understand French perfectly. Most primary French speakers understand English but have insecurities speaking it. If someone is speaking French to me I respond in English and they respond in French and that seems to work perfectly for us 😂. Or I'll speak my broken French and the majority of time they appricate me just trying (and find my accent cute). I've worked in the IT industry in Montreal for 18 years now and have never had to speak English once. Plus some close friends primary languages is French. My Girlfriend is born French speaking. I've gotten by in life with no problems here 😁
Being raised in Montréal without speaking French fluently is just beyond belief. How come everyone can speak French on a native level in Luxembourg while most English people in Québec refuse to make the effort?
The biggest realization from traveling all over Canada for years was whenever I came back(or during travel) and heard an anglo-queb speak I would know straight away if you're from here or emigrated. You guys have an accent. A quebec accent. You don't speak English the way a Toronto or calgary native speaks it. There's a whiff of French sounds influencing vowels. Or some pronunciations. Very subtle. But definitely there. I figured it out after a couple of encounters where I thought the guy I was talking with was a Franco who spoke very good English like me. so I'd ask in french what part of quebec he was from and would answer back in English or in french with a thick accent. After like the 20th time I had to accept it wasn't a fluke. Turns out there's an Anglo quebecer accent.
as a french speaker from MTL, i would say that a very high percentage of people in Montreal speak at least french, english, if an english speaker makes the effort to try to speak to me in french, I will speak to him in english
I lived my first 39yr in Toronto. Love it. Have visited Montreal a few times and it’s nice and chill. It’s very different from Toronto, which I really liked. But omg the winter there is so bad! I now live in the South of France and prefer that to both Toronto and Montreal.
@@DCT876 I moved here in 2019 on my UK passport I am also Canadian and since Brexit I hold a WARP card and that was given to British ppl who lived here post Brexit. You can go to the French gov website and see how a TCN can move to France. You can come here as a student and get a student visa. That is the easiest way.
the happiest country in the world is Finland ... much colder than Montreal and no daylight for 2 months. Montreal offers a better quality of life . Even the french from France are moving to Montreal .
Originally from Montréal, I moved to Toronto in 1994. Being francophone kept me gainfully employed without interruption. I love both cities but most good things that happened to me happened in Toronto and I would never move back to Montréal. And the winter is one of the main reasons.
I read an article about how suburban Montreal has problems with walkability and related things but does better than most Canadian cities in having lower-rise multi-unit buildings which leads to more home ownership. With what you said about the atmosphere of more central areas, it sounds as though the larger Montreal area meets a lot of the requirements that can make suburban areas better places to live. Places that take into account a broader and longer-term view of life than seems the usual. I hope so!
I like turtles 🐢 been living in mtl for 4 years now and love this city to death. I’ve been to Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver but Montreal just feels like home.
How time changes everything. I emigrated from France to Québec in 1960 I could read and write English but could not speak it or understand the spoken language, result : no job. I moved to BC just as the people started demanding to be served in French in the large department stores in Montreal. The start of the quiet revolution of the Québécois.
I must be lucky I traveled through Quebec playing hockey in the turbulent 70s and I never experienced a language issue. It's all about how you approach people. 7:18
I have lived in Toronto for 20 years and visited Montreal a few times. I think both cities are great, except I just can't stand the winter in Montreal.
I've never been to Toronto, though I hear good things about it. I did, however, live in Longueuil and study in Montreal decades ago. Moving to Montreal from Phoenix (and eventually back to Phoenix), I was amazed at the differences between two cities with the same city proper and metropolitan populations. Montreal: artistic, densely populated, old AND modern, cultured, educated, philosophical, dynamic, excellent public transportation, festivals. Phoenix: sunny, dirty air, hot, insane drivers, lawless, lacking a useable downtown, hot (again), cookie-cutter architecture, disdain for art, lacking in community, and strictly enforced blandness. But, Phoenix is home and always will be... at least until it dries up and everyone has to evacuate.
Great video as always I love your videos on Montreal. I lived in Toronto for many years I've always wished I lived in Montreal and I think you're right, one of the things that make Montreal unique l is that missing middle in housing or density. It creates a really different sense of the city and really different communities and I think that's something we're missing in most large Canadian cities.
I am an anglophone from Ontario who has lived in Montreal since 2008 and I can’t say that I have ever been made to feel unwelcome here because I’m an anglophone. Frankly, the majority of the complaints around language I’ve heard in the city are from anglophones themselves. I have also noticed that a LOT of people in Toronto have this misconception that anglophones are treated poorly here. However, I take no issue with them believing that as it keeps them out of the city and keeps our rents low.
Those same people believing nonsense like « anglophones are treated poorly » are the same ones who don’t bat an eye about the treatment of French speakers in their own province. And when called out for it, they’ll shrug it off and say « so what? » I can speak from 10 years of experience.
I mean if they're enforcing a bill that strengthens the use of French and discourages English then ya, you're definitely gonna get more complaints from one side than the other dude
Personally, people were lovely to me when I visited Montreal and spoke atrocious french rarely and mostly just english (shamefully). But, I also come from an anglophone family that left Montreal decades ago. You can guess I have two mind on this.
I've never been to Toronto. But I have been to Montreal, in 2012. People we knew warned us that we wouldn't like Montreal. Most hadn't been there. But they had heard bad things about Montreal. Mostly that no one will speak to you there if you don't speak French, even they can speak English. Well of course we found out that the people in Montreal are warm and welcoming. Most speak fluent English. And those that don't do their best to communicate anyways. Since then we have also been to Paris. Parisians deserve their lousy reputations.
Toronto is way better. It actually shows you what the expectations is in other parts of the world including talent. French is a dying language, France is a declining country. If Canada or Quebec becomes so expensive and you need to move, you have very few options with French.
I have visited Montréal a few times. Bien que je parle seulement un peu de français avec un accent des États-Unis, tout le monde semblait aimer que j'ai essayé à parler avec eux en leur langue. But I was clearly a visitor. I have visited Toronto (does ANYone say the final "t") only a couple of times. While I enjoyed my stay it didn't seem to be a place I could move to. About the final "t" - - - the Canadian actors on Murdoch Mysteries have discussed having to learn to pronounce that letter because it WAS pronounced during the time period of the show. At some point it went the way of the "t" in Sacramento among English speakers. Poof.
Nice video Dan! I can't speak for Toronto because I've never visited, and have never wanted to. Toronto appears too large, overwhelming, and just like any other large American city. I love Montreal for it's European feel and charm in every respect. I love the Jean Talon and Atwater markets! I love the opportunity Montreal provides to use and revitalize my intermediate French! To me, Montreal and CDMX are the two top tier world class cities in North America!
I always thought that the Montreal urban fabric had more of a Brooklyn-esque vibe. The mid -tier density is really lacking not just in Toronto, but most Anglo North American cities
A tad too simplistic. Toronto is a city of small towns. I grew up in toronto and felt like anything outside of east T.O. was totally foreign and vis-a-versa to my west end friends. either side just wasn't toronto, let alone the smaller neighbourhoods, north and south. Love Montreal and visiting and would be quite happy living there. great city. but toronto is much more than what it seems to new arrivals or visitors.
I lived in Toronto for 40 years. If you work downtown it’s very noisy p, but I lived in the beach, where it was lovely and quiet. Given the choice I would live in Montreal.
I've lived in Toronto for 16 years. Moved here at 16 and lived downtown for 12 of those years with the rest either in the Beaches or Greektown. I love Toronto but it's a city you need to take a vacation from. I love visiting Montreal as a tourist but couldn't live there due to language barriers and the winter is always extra wicked. Montreal is fun to party in and better for people in their early to mid 20s for quality of life. They have later last calls and the club atmosphere is always better. Toronto kind of sucks to party in because it's so ram packed with people and for the amount of people wanting to have a fun night out on the weekend we don't have enough (fun) places to accommodate the masses. Since it's a pain in the ass to actually finally get into a decent place everyone is stressed and pissy and no one wants to mingle, just have a few drinks, get your groove on and hightail it out. Whenever I have partied in Montreal I've never had to wait in line to get in and the spaces were always fun and easy to meet people. You'll see a lot of death glares when you're out at a similar sized club in Toronto. Montrealers are more relaxed and open to having a good time, we're a little more keyed up and fed up in Toronto. Toronto is great if you want to have a nice dinne, hit a swanky cocktail lounge and do day time activities. Toronto is great for everything else except our overall social scene isn't where it could be for the type of city we are and the cost of living is very high.
Very accurate, I appreciate the POSITIVE sides of Toronto (I live in Montreal) but I wasn't keen on the nightlife and people's cold/unfriendly attitudes- for the rock/nightlife scene anyway.
Your Comments are good and balanced on both cities. I'm a Montrealer and it is true it is a city of neighbourhoods and they have a lot of character. It's a nice feel. Toronto not so much, big condos, super expensive and looks very American. I often think that Toronto is Detroit North, it certainly does not feel like Chicago where I also lived nor NYC. As for French language issues, frankly why is it that so many people expect and demand that everyone speak English to them? What a ridiculous assumption, but people are funny. Both cities are very different from their history to their culture, so comparisons are difficult.
I lived in Montreal for 3 years and then moved to Toronto. Now it's been 13 years that I've been calling Toronto MY HOME. To me Montreal was cute, but never compared to the diversity and cultural competence that Toronto has to offer. Toronto is a giant community, a melting pot of cultures that unite and accept and help each other, regardless of what language we speak. In Québec, forcing people to speak French to succeed is not very diversity friendly to be honest. Anyhow, back to Toronto, the skyline, MAN! The skyline that Toronto has is just breath-taking. And it keeps growing! And the entertainment, plenty of options for theater plays, art exhibits, film projects, we also have plenty of world class artists that come here for incredible concerts and world class sport teams... and the food scene! So good! Man... I love Toronto. The big problem of Toronto is that, as most world class cities, it is so unaffordable... huge issue. But if you can afford to live here, you got it all! And you feel part of a family, a big diverse family. Also, Montreal sometimes gave me the feeling of being a compact city. I know it's not small at all, and that it has plenty ot 3 - 4 story building neighborhoods outside their downtown core, with different cultures and character and all that, but guess what, Toronto has all that too. Riverdale, Greektown, Parkdale, Little India, The Beaches, all those hoods in Toronto are outside the downtown core, and all of them have their own character and feel, with no condos or skyscrapers, just people and low rise buildings and parks and thriving communities.
@@CobraJeans well bobpatate I dunno where in Toronto do you live or work... but in all the hoods I've lived and the one I currently live, I hear all sorts of languages spoken on the streets, on the ttc, in the supermarkets, etc. And, just so you know, I work using English and Spanish with my clients and co-workers.
@@CobraJeans the difference is that a lot of English speaking people from Montreal are leaving to Toronto, a bit of an exodus if you can call it that way, because of Quebecois recent policies that are not inclusive for English speaking students, whether in schools or post secondary centres. Whereas in Toronto, or Ontario in general there are no policies affecting or favoring in any way a language over the other.
It's odd how people say Montreal feels European because they speak French. English is a European language as well. No one would say Boston feels European because they speak English there. They'll point to the French colonial architecture. Again, a double standard. No one would say Boston feels European because of its English colonial architecture. The real difference is which European country influenced each city. I agree about the mid-rise nature of Montreal. That's very different from Toronto.
Very interesting. If you visit Ottawa I'm curious about what the people there would say. Its in between both cities so I wonder if there might be a little mix of both
Most of the unilingual English speakers from Montreal moved to Toronto in the '76 exodus ! I am seeing more people from Toronto moving to Montreal simply for the simple reason that the cost of living is much cheaper. Electricity/heating, car/health insurance and rent home purchases is around 3-4 times less expensive. It's simple to see who came from Toronto since most are unilingual.
It's funny to me that the Torontonians who haven't been to Montreal make up negatives that don't exist whereas those that have actually been to Montreal point out real negatives.
@patfatal Toronto is super artistic and intellectual. But the problem with Toronto is its blandness. And it is too big and expensive. Montrealers by and large sound uneducated. They don't read anything.
Going to Canada in Aug, I’m 43 and single male, I need to you to help me on selecting between Toronto and Montreal for a week vacation. Where would I have a better time with the ladies?
I live in Montréal, grew up in Montréal, south shore of MTL, San Francisco and Paris. To be honest french is important but not at a big level. Outside of Montreal. Must learn. In… not Really. Everyone speak both. With my friends and others we always min language. Start in french finish in english or the orner way around. Or even, your friend speak in english and answer in french… no Biggy ! At the end we understand each each other… 😊
I'm from Montreal but now live in Toronto. As a visible minority, Toronto is the best place. People are way more open minded and I've never been called a single racial slur. Montreal, as beautiful as it is, there is a lot of racism even though I speak fluent French. Toronto is just a city that accepts everyone.
Probably because half the people isn't white in Toronto (and the majority isn't in some neighbourhoods). I guess it favours having less racism against non-white folks considering how much less white people there is. I don't think it's fair to say there is a lot of racism in Mtl when Toronto whould'nt have none tho. Montreal is known for its open-mindedness. But some people who hate French consider those who want to protect French language to be racists, which is why some people say Mtl and Québec is more racist, which is pure diffamation. Montréal has a cutlure to protect, Toronto doesn't have that, it's just a melting pot of people who do not share a common culture (that's what multiculturalism is). In Mtl, whatever your background is, your physical features, you share the Québec culture, which is the only one in North America that is not English speaking.
@@fs400ion Trop de gens se cachent derrière le concept de préserver l'identité et la culture québécoises comme prétexte pour être racistes. Sauf si vous suggérez qu'être raciste contre les minorités visibles fait partie de l'identité québécoise.
Montréal has more in commun with New York than Toronto . Montréal like New York has a rich and strong cultural , architectural and historical sites .Irish people came to Montreal and New York early 1840 . Montreal like New York is strong on arts , food , history , same architects , built on an Island 10 times bigger than Manhattan with a Central Park ( Mount Royal) and the same architect , bridges is part of the skyline and like New York , Montreal has the best night life in Canada .. Montreal is aUNESCO design and creativity city . New York is an Apple and Toronto a banana ... no comparaison ...
I have a lot of love for montreal but every time I go and everyone I've ever met from there is so insecure about their city, always wanting to discuss how montreal is better. some things are, but if it truly was a better place they wouldn't need to constantly prove the point. granted this is purely anecdotal. toronto is, or at least was, the same way but with regards to new york. always asking celebrities "so what do you think of toronto?"
Montréal is just overall relaxe, parks & bikelanes everywhere with old buildings while Toronto is a rush, business type of city, like move it or lose it type of thing, great to make a career but honestly, not the place to raise a family
Meanwhile ... about 10 million people live in the Toronto hub ... that's a lot of families in jeopardy, I guess. It's strange that most Montrealers don't have a clue off what Toronto is really about and has to offer ... more arts, entertainment, sports, restaurants, neighbourhoods ....
“trono” lol I’m a born and raised French girl from Montreal, if you’re west of stlaurent it’s completely English, if my kid didn’t speak English she wouldn’t have had any friends! I have a daughter born 10 years before and it wasn’t the same. Also Montreal is a place of it’s own, it doesn’t represent the province of Quebec at all and most English people who live here they never visited the rest of the province and have no interest to do so.
@jeancharland3858 There is a language barrier for francophones in Montreal. From their side, one must know B2-level English or one cannot work in Montreal.
There is a big misunderstanding of what Quebec is and the fight to protect the language and culture. There is nothing to protect in Toronto because the rest of North America speaks english so there is no fight to protect it. By default if you move to Canada you have to speak english, but obviously if you go in the Quebec province you have to speak french. It's like the schengen area in Europe, it's like a big country made of smaller countries that have each official languages. Let's see what French montrealers who doesn't speak English think of Toronto and the language barrier they face. It's like going in Japan and be like ''Oh i like Tokyo but it's hard to get around without speaking Japanese'' like... no shit Sherlock just get a local person to be your translator and stop thinking the world is obligated to please you.
Downtown Toronto seriously lacks open spaces, public squares and (mostly) a world class urban park in the center. The barrier of the Gardiner expressway and the railroads are a turn off. Nothing interesting on the lakefront. The wires everywhere. But, truly, it is much bigger than Montreal.
Centre Island is one of the nicest parks in Canada and it's literally in the downtown. Nothing interesting on the lakefront? It's packed with joggers, cyclists, walkers, tourists, boaters all through then good weather - what else can you ask for?
french people born in montreal are defensive of the french language because historically, people wanted to take it from us. we're already the black sheep of canada. if you try and learn french, and show respect for the language, you'll be okay.
many of these people sounded very ignorant towards Quebecois people and culture. actually gave me a bad impression of toronto and I think I'll book that trip to montreal soon.
Back in the 70's the only beautiful women in Toronto were visiting from Montreal!! I drove all over the city for hours and never seen a beautiful woman!! Montreal has the most beautiful women in the world trust me on that one!!!🤣🤣🤣
I moved to Montréal from Toronto and I love Montréal .. but going to school to learn French is the best thing I ever did
Learning the language spoken by the majority of the locals where you choose to live in, is always a great idea to intergrate a community and just truly enjoy what it has to share.
Montréal just feels more cozy when walking about as a pedestrian... the buildings are closer to the trottoirs and the streets are narrower. It's such a pleasure to walk around here unlike Toronto. Biking infrastructure is much better too.
just leave downtown toronto and hit up one of the smaller neitghbours like queen west, kensington, ossington, the beaches, danforth etc. The buildings are 3-4 stories, parks everywhere, bars pubs, restaurants etc. Similar vibe, but too expensive.. lol
Exactly Montreal feels more like a pedestrian city ...than Toronto...just like new york ...more pedestrian as a whole ...
@@bmorgado2571 they likely pale in comparison to MTL though, I've visited multiple times and Toronto felt very bland - plus its so extensive and the suburbs extend forever, traffic is a nightmare, fam I have who used to live in TO all moved out of the city, and pretty much every Torontonian i've asked seems to prefer montreal. Montreal still has a lot of issues, but Toronto sounds soul crushing and creatively stifling.
I've lived in Europe and now in Toronto. I've visited Montreal twice. While I didn't stay for long I'd prefer living in Montreal. People are super chilled out and their atitude is more European. If fluent in French hands down Montreal.
You don't need to be fluent in French ... depends on your job ... everything is nicer in Montreal than Toronto the car culture city and fake Times Square ..
No need to be fluent , just try to embrace the language and culture
@@neofils Well, it's true that you can live in Montréal without speaking French but then you would miss a huge part of the cultural/social life.
@@neofils « Embracing the language and culture » means not to be afraid to use your rusted school French or even random words and sentence bits. Every francophone will be thrilled that you are putting yourself out and welcome your effort at reaching out. I was born and lived in Mtl until I was 25 (married, bought a house in the subs, got transferred to other places in the province, and resettled on the north shore when I retired). Last week I went downtown with my son to watch Oppenheimer and we took a long walk down Ste-Catherine street (the beating heart of the city) and were thrilled to experience the hustle and bustle (food, shows, street life) that makes Montreal so vibrantly unique. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Here's my take - I'm from the NYC metro area all my life, born and raised in Northern NJ and have worked for decades in Manhattan - BUT my mother's family emigrated to Montreal, with some of them later moving to Toronto, so all my life I've visited both cities. Toronto is indeed the "NYC of Canada" in terms of its stature. It's a juggernaut of a city with tons of opportunity. It is a center of finance, culture, trade, art, etc. and very much a world-class city. However, while it's like NYC in those ways, it doesn't have the character that NYC has. It doesn't have much character at all, honestly. It's just Canadian wanna-be NYC but feels like a bland, modern, midwestern US city to be honest and just happens to fly Canadian flags and use Canadian currency. Montreal, on the other hand, is LOADED with character - enough for both cities and then some. Montreal is much more like NYC in every OTHER way than the ones I mentioned about Toronto. Montreal has more stark ethnic diversity, mutli-lingual (NOT just French but other also), older history (or at least older FEELING) much like NY City, and character. It has its foods, too. Like NYC's pastrami, they have viande fumee (smoked meat). NY has their hot dogs, Montreal has their steamies. They each have their own bagels and to me they are equally great so that one can't get a bagel of either quality anywhere else in the world. Montreal also has their poutine (which has roots in NJ diner "disco fries", believe it or not) and their world-renowned steak, also crepes and French food in general... Montreal is a smaller city than Toronto but the art and culture are much more prominent. Montreal is a far, far more INTERESTING city and has its own flavor, its own character, its own identity whereas Toronto's identity is very much a generic "Canadian" identity intermingled with a "NYC-wannabe" identity. I will pick Montreal over Toronot any day. Of course, being in NYC I feel we have all the "big" stuff that Toronto has and even better, but Montreal offers me tons of things I don't get in NYC.
I agree! Montreal and toronto Metro Populations are 4.2mil (Mtl) and 6.3 mil (Trno) 😊
Reading this made me feel like you may have missed out on some of the best parts of toronto. edited to add: My single visit to MTL ranked it as my top city in Canada. Still love Toronto, but out of the major cities I have lived in or visited (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal), montreal was the most fun and felt the most interesting. Though Toronto has a lot to offer that can be hard to notice without multiple visits and/or a local guide.
Pretty much nailed it.
@@V1sual3y3z I'm sure I missed some of the best parts of Toronto - I can say the same for most cities I've visited. But at the same time I enjoyed much of what makes Toronto great. Being from NYC (my office is in midtown Manhattan) and living here all my life, we have the same things that Toronto has - we are a world financial center, we have museums, opera, concerts, art, publishing, etc. - but whereas Toronto has these things what I have in NY is as good or better. Also, I wonder if what I missed is all that noteworthy - if it is, then why don't I hear about it? I have asked people who have not been to either Toronto or Montreal to tell me what they know each city is known for and people know more about Montreal. For Toronto a lot of them say "oh yeah - poutine" and even then I have to correct them that poutine is specifically Quebec/Montreal and then spread to other parts of Canada. So I appreciate your opinion that I may have missed things, but if you can't give examples then I really don't think it matters - I don't think I missed anything of note. My top 2 Canadian cities are Montreal and then Vancouver - Toronto is a distant third, but it's third, and Edmonton is almost tied with it. If Kelowna were a legit city it would be third.
So funny, I'm born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and was literally about to come down to the comments to make the same rant you just made. Montreal and NYC both have a deep sense of place, diversity of different built environments with a plethora of human scale mid-density neighborhoods, expansive public transportation and heavy reliance on walking and cycling. Both are cities of rivers with a lot of architecture that stretch back to the 1800s. The ways in which I can see NYC and Toronto being similar, is the work culture and obviously the cost of living. In those ways, I would say Montreal is more similar to Philadelphia or maybe Chicago.
Saying Montreal can be a big city that doesn't feel like a big city is exactly how I felt when I lived there, good choice of words. Not really a good or bad thing though, depends on the person. Personally I love the busy hectic big city feeling though
You hit the nail on the head. I had a roommate who came from Toronto and on the first week he came back and said "Montreal is really small" I asked him where he had been and he said "downtown, I crossed it in like a 30 minute walk". I told him "take the metro, get off at Vendome metro, walk up to Sherbrooke street and then walk east, just walk east without stopping. He came back after walking all day and was like "holy crap, the city just keeps going and going. Its actually big." He realized that Toronto is a big downtown core with tall skyscrapers but you hit single family homes quickly. Montreal has plexes, 2-3 storey high, tightly packed and is not tall but is a dense environment for huge swaths of the island. Ultimately Montreal will create strong neighborhood vibes. I don't agree that Toronto is Canada's New York City though, everyone I've spoken to who has seriously visited both Montreal and Toronto liken Toronto to Chicago. It's newer, fundamentally North American. Culturally, Montreal is Canada's NYC at its origin (largest irish, italian - specifically Sicilian -, Jewish immigration - the bagels, the smoked meat, the big central Park, hanging outdoor staircases, 19th century buildings dotted through the city, the old world gritty hustle, the old school corruption (unfortunately)) but with all the independence talk and stunted growth, we ended up at the scale of a Brooklyn. I feel Montreal is ultimately a bit of a mix of London/Brooklyn/Paris on a smaller scale. And also that saying "I'm from Montreal" is not enough as neighborhoods become so different one from the other. NDG is not the Plateau which is not Mile End which is not Hochelaga which is not the same as Downtown which is not Montreal West. Another important distinction is that with our run for independence, all the big corporate jobs left for Toronto (if Toronto is to be compared to NYC its really lower Manhattan mashed up with Hoboken) and Montreal is fundamentally an SME economy. All the wealthy people I've met from Toronto had high paying corporate jobs. All the wealthy people I've met in Montreal were self-made small business owners. It changes fundamentally the dynamic of the people and the mentality of a city. Torontonians are on this competitive corporate rat race where it's each for their own which is fine given how much opportunity there is for everyone. Montrealers are hustlers at the core, they need to hustle to survive in a place where opportunities are fewer and they can often seem rude at first glance (immigrants who arrive here don't get a red carpet treatment and they quickly realize they'll have to elbow their way through, most end up leaving) but Montrealers are ultimately kind, willing to help each other (most) and there is also a strong sense of identity, community about what it means to be a Montrealer. A Torontonian is someone who lives in Toronto, who is there for a job. A Montrealer is someone who carries an entire urban culture and complex history as well as linguistics within themselves.
Too long didn’t read
@@essgee4225 same i tried but it was too long
Well I read that and wonderfully said, super insightful comment. "Montrealers are ultimately kind, willing to help each other (most)" just yesterday my friends and I ran into a stranger looking for directions downtown and we spoke a mix of French/English and ended with some cheerful smiles, the experience brought about this sentiment :)
100% agree with your long winded comment worth the read. I prefer montreal than Toronto and I prefer Quebec City compared to Montreal. Despite the bs politics Quebec is secretly the best place to live and I lived all over Canada.
Tu as fait marcher à ton ami Sherbrooke en entier haha, pas mal. Ma plus longue marche a été du Métro Mcgill en passant par Sherbrooke, le jardin botanique puis Anjou.
Coming from Paris, FR and living in Toronto since 9months, I can assure you that Toronto is super super quiet! It's the first thing that surprised me the most about the city - it is sooo calm! People are chilling walking down the streets and I LOVE it! :)
1:26 guy is very handsome, I’m in love. It’s definitely my type of guy.
Honestly, I think Toronto is better.
What? The langage barrier is even worse in Toronto. If you dont speak English you're out. But the guy from Montréal says if you speak English in Québec there's a problem. Well first of all most people understand English in Qc whereas most people dont understand French in Canada. Therefore if we talk about inclusivity, an English speaker in Montréal will be more okay than a French speaker (or any other language speaker) in Toronto.
The average Montrealer speaks about 2.5 languages, english, french and a bit of something else too, so people complaining about the language barrier is not only unfair, it is also a bit insulting. We do learn english from a young age, why can't the rest of Canada learn french the same way is beyond me.
@@loyalfish2761 well said
That is a misrepresentation of what Toronto is. Many people speak very broken English in Toronto, as more than half of the residents are first generation immigrants. It is absolutely not true that "If you dont speak English you're out". Many first generation immigrants like my parents, for example, speak very poor English but they have never experience any type of discrimination in Toronto. The attitude of many Francophones in Mtl/Quebec toward non french speakers is hostile and this is evident through the kinds of laws being passed through the CAQ government. On the flip side, speaking poor English in Toronto is a none issue because most people are not native speakers and they will be very accommodating to non-English speakers. I get that Mtl has a culture to protect but your comment does say a lot about how little you know about Toronto.
Two ignorants who do not know that language in Canada is a provincial matter ( like Switzerland or Belgium) not federal. As such it is normal that in Montréal, french should prevail . Try to be served french in Toronto !
@@neofils If you want to receive government service in Toronto you can. Although many do not speak French here, no one will face discrimination for trying to speak French in Toronto.
I have been to Toronto, it's big like Chicago, and I heard people u interviewed say Toronto was Americanized, but I don't agree, as an American, it had a different feel, I didn't feel like I was in the USA. I would love to visit Montreal one day & will try to learn some French b4 I go.
as a french Canadian that lived his whole life in Quebec i have no issue switching to english to accommodate english speaker if they are struggling. where i see the issue is when english speakers come here, to live in Quebec, not trying to learn french expecting everybody to be bilingual and to accommodate them. after all french is the only official language in quebec, it's like moving to japan not speaking japanese, for example.
Montreal is different from the rest of Quebec though, bilingualism is much more prominent, and important not just for work, but tourism, as well. Its important to learn French, but we're still part of Canada, and Montreal has almost a million anglophones, not like Japan at all, really, but learning French is still important.
I was in Montréal just last month. It was very friendly, with a cool and cultured vibe. I found an amazing little restaurant in the Verdun neighbourhood called Restaurant Beba. Everybody go!
i hear its agood place!
From a Montréal’s french speaker point of view, I get the whole language barrier thing. A lot of locals have high expectations on that matter and simply expect everyone living in Québec to speak perfect french and I know a lot of people who speak english as their first language but also speakk french but are anxious or "scared" to speak french in front of french speakers because their french is not perfect and their accent is very noticeable. I wish people would be more indulgent about that, from my pov I will always appreciate the effort a person makes. One thing you need to understand is how important it is to our culture, it’s part of our history and it always will be.
It’s part of what makes us different and people are proud of it
I feel like it is and always will be an important topic especially since french seems to be losing its ground everywhere in Canada (not only in Québec) so people here want to protect it as much as possible
French speakers in Québec are mostly scared of losing their language and become like the typical average north american who speaks only one language. It feels like more and more, the english language keeps rising because everyone learns it given its importance. Québécois don’t want to reach a point where we lose the most important part of our culture which is our language
Btw I’m not anti english, I recognize the importance of learning many languages, it brings so much added value to a person’s life
Merci pour le vidéo
English language is not superior to the french language. After 500 years of battle to keep our culture and language , english speaking are not the victims and they always find excuses not to make an effort to learn french . Canada has 2 official languages since 1849.... 30 % of english vocabulary come from the french language ... no excuse ... Americans are more opened to the french language than english canadians ... The quiet revolution in th 60 and 70 "s was about the equity of a french speaking to get a good job and to be paid like english speaking. Hope the new Bill 101 will be stronger and for those without any canadian identity ... just stay in Toronto or Vancouver.
@@jeanbolduc5818 Interesting to see what the future holds for Quebec
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Bro can you make a vid comparing the opportunities esp. professional that one may enjoy in Montreal and Toronto, if you are non-white. Assuming you have no language barrier but then you can also dwell on stuff like if one speaks only French in Toronto or English in Montreal.
Nice video! I kind of disagree though that Toronto is a big city with only big city vibes. I also don’t think anywhere in Toronto really feels like Manhattan, some areas do give me Queens or Brooklyn-ish vibes. Toronto really is a city of diverse neighbourhoods. Some do have a relaxed, community vibe with low rise buildings, parks, and houses like Roncesvalles, Queen & Dundas West, Leslieville, The Danforth / Riverdale, High Park, St. Clair West, some parts of The Annex, Christie Pitts, Little Italy etc.
Toronto is pretty expensive to rent in which is unfortunate. It’s sad to see a lot of local artists and musicians from Toronto moving to MTL because of how expensive it’s gotten. I’ve lived in both cities and love both! I have lived in Toronto a lot longer than MTL. Culturally I think Toronto feels like a mesh between San Francesco, NYC, and Chicago but more multicultural.
If Toronto was an American city, it would be its 9th largest.
Toronto pales to compare to world-class cities.
@@sm3675 Toronto is the 4d largest city in North America, behind NYC, Mexico City and LA. Your info is out of date. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_cities_by_population
Having been to Montreal many times it took me multiple visits to truly understood the neighbourhoods, and its make-up. It also will take a while and multiple visits for a visitor to Toronto to understand how the city works. The reason why people in Toronto would think of Toronto as chill, is that other than the downtown core, there is a 2nd toronto in our residential neighborhoods. We do have the "middle" in old toronto, but NOT on Bay Street, NOT near the waterfront, not near where tourists go. I'm talking about The annex, West Queen West, Roncesvalles, Leslieville, The Beaches, The Danforth, Bloordale, High Park, Riverdale, Little Italy etc.
1st time to Montreal, only stayed near Old Montreal and Old Port and St. Catherine. I was comparing downtown to downtown, I thought Toronto was way bigger.
2nd time to Montreal, stayed near Old Montreal, Old Port, Downtown, Plateau, Mile End, Near UQAM, Walked the Underground City, Drove around the expo grounds, went to the olympic grounds, I was reminded that Montreal used to be Canada's #1 city. I saw Montreal as 70% the size of Toronto.
3rd time to Montreal, Old Montreal, Old Port, Downtown, Hiked Mont Royal, Went back to Plateau, Mile End, Explored all of St. laurent, visited Little italy, atwater, stayed in Longeuil actually etc.
Although Toronto's metro is bigger, I see that of cultural significance, the neighborhoods of Montreal make it feel like 75%-80% the size of Toronto or more. It is a bigger city than Vancouver for example, with way more culture and neighborhoods. Montreal is culturally more mature due to its age, and its basically a Barcelona situation with the Quebecois pride. It is its own commercial and economic capital for Quebec-only companies
If a Montrealer were to visit Toronto more times, they would see the numerous neighborhoods they wouldn't see during their first time and even the "3rd toronto" - the suburban city centres that they would slowly understand that Torontonians congregate. The GTA neighbourhoods, that although not walkable, are culture-rich neighbourhoods nevertheless. So Toronto outside of the core is set-up more like LA or Atlanta, whereas Toronto around the core, has its similarities to Montreal, as well as NYC, and maybe at its heart the older victorian planning of the city. Toronto in the financial core (basically where you filmed), is the area that is like NYC that OP is hinting Montreal does not have, or if it does, it has shrunken over time and is limited to the blocks with the remaining financial institutions.
One way to describe my perspective is that a native montrealer will adjust easier to Toronto once they understand whats to offer, more so than a standard north american city. Although Toronto has many aspects of a standard north american city, it is much more diverse, lively, walkable and transit-ready than many other North american cities.
To you Dan, Toronto is a big city that won't feel as big and impersonal as you think, if you come back and explore so more and to Torontonians, Montreal isn't as small as you think, if you go back and explore some more.
As a born and bred Torontonian, I go to Montreal so many times because it actually feels like getaway with only a 6 hour drive. As a city, it is more of an alternative #1 to me, for Canadian cities, than a #2. The next Canadian metros in order of population, Vancouver and Calgary, lack in the amount of culture Montreal offers for its size. Also it helps that I speak a bit of french so that helps my impression of MTL.
Born Torontonia, but most of my life on the west coast so lots of Vancouver experience, only visited Montreal once (so far), and appreciate your take. Rings true for me, though I have less knowledge.
“I was born and raised in Montreal, spending my youth experiencing the vibrancy of its downtown. The city has changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes unfortunately for the worse. Yet, there are two Montreals: the city to the west of St-Laurent (the central street) and the city to the east of the same street. The west is much more beautiful, dynamic, affluent, more anglophone, and leaning to the right. The east, historically more working-class, is much less aesthetic and often neglected, with an undeniably left-leaning mentality, though not without its charm.
Today, I sometimes no longer recognize my city, under the influence of a very left-wing administration. Montreal has lost some of its luster, and its dynamism is often subdued. I’ve visited Vancouver and Toronto, and it’s true that compared to those two cities, Montreal stands out with its distinctly more European character, its charm, and its particular ambiance. But I envy the boldness and dynamism of the other two Canadian metropolises.
In Montreal and Quebec, the lack of dynamism, the fear of thinking big, and, in many ways, the lack of pride are too often prevalent. I won’t hide that I often feel a sadness for my Montreal, and sometimes I think that if I were younger, I would leave this city. But my soul remains Montrealer; I am attached to this city, and despite its sometimes all-too-obvious flaws, it still manages to seduce me. People of Vancouver, you have a magnificent city; Torontonians, your city is bold, but Montreal has a charm and atmosphere all its own, which undoubtedly makes others envious.”
Born and raised in Toronto and been to Montreal three times. I love both cities, and they are both cultural, although Toronto is a lot more diverse as we have a huge cultural significance from people immigrating from around the world. Toronto is a welcoming city for immigrants because we all speak English and we have that whole diversity. It's everywhere, unlike MTL because the people there are racist and all they care about (especially the Quebecois) is fighting to protect their language.
I could go on and on about these two great cities especially comparing their unique characteristics but the rest of the comments have spoken for themselves. I may agree or disagree with them but, we have our own opinions. While both cities have generally kind people, I find Montreal to have the most uptight and rude people, especially the francophones. I am not being disrespectful at all, but I'm just saying, the francophones sometimes refuse to serve people in English, especially if you're living there and can't speak French. They may be nice to us tourists but to people that are Anglos or have visible minorities is a no-no, going back to why Quebecers are racist.
Not to mention, Montrealers keep claiming in these types of videos that they are better than us Torontonians and like to make fun of our so-called "concrete jungle", quality of life, bad transit, population, etc. I find it insulting when Montrealers are entitled to hate on my beloved and amazing city just because we're like NYC or Chicago. Toronto has many unique neighbourhoods, it is very diverse, we have one of the best foods in the world and we have a great subway system but not as great as Montreal. Yes MTL may be more aesthetic than Toronto, but to make fun of our identities and diversity.....yeah when the people there are constantly talking about language barriers, and they don't give a crap about how we have so many things to do here as well. Montrealers may be lucky to have such beautiful architecture and European vibes which I love of course, but to put disrespect on Toronto's uniqueness is pathetic. To all the haters from Montreal, shame on you, why don't you come back to T.O to visit and see if it is any better than your city? As I said, both cities are amazing, and I love what they have to offer but it's just the people in Quebec are biased and ignorant towards us Torontonians. Whether you're a Montrealer who speaks English, French, or both, see what happens when you take a look at our cityscape, vibes, and cultural scene.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico (Caribbean) and I have visited Montreal on vacation twice, (the first in 2016 and the last just two weeks ago). I agree that montrealers are super nice and treat people well. Wherever I've been, whether it was a bar, a depanneur, a restaurant, a cafe or even asking something on the street, people are very friendly, they smile and are willing to have a conversation with you. I even found some locals who have spoken to me in their broken Spanish, which surprised me a lot. I have been to cities like Miami, NYC, Chicago, and Toronto, and I have never been treated or felt as comfortable as in Montreal. It is a city with a very good vibe. Toronto is a very nice, modern and fun city, but I perceived it as any other city in the USA and people seem to be more impersonal in the way they treat each other.
What a Puerto Rican in canada😅, never have I seen ever
Also, who vacations in montreal?🤣
@@Babyblue3333 Angry English KKKnadian spotted
@@maximeschmitt2094 not angry just surprised
A Montreal que tu parle arabe, creole ou espagnole etc ont es capable de te servir alors qu'a Toronto c'est très fermé. Quand les gens viennent a montreal ils visite que le plateau, le vieux port ou le centre ville alors qu'il y a beaucoup plus que uniquement ces quartier la ! Toronto pour moi est qu'une ville de travailleur et les gens sont beaucoup moins ouvert d'esprit et chaleureux. La-bas on ce sent très seul si on n'y connaît personne..
Je suis d’accord avec ça, j’habitais à Toronto pendant 26 ans et tu n’as pas dit quelque chose faux
À Montréal tu dois parler Français pour avoir du succès professionnel et social. A Toronto tu peux le faire en Anglais, Français, Espagnol, Arabic, Portuguese etc. Toutes les personnes peuvent réussir professionnellement n'importe que langue tu parles. Et le Torontonians nous sommes chaleureux et généreux justement parce que nous avons une vraie diversité culturelle que n'est pas conditionnelle à savoir parler en Français ou Anglais ou n'importe que langue. Notre identité culturelle ne se limite pas à la langue, notre identité culturelle est vraiment accueillant sans conditions et sans limitations, nous acceptons et accueillons à tout le monde. C'est por ça que Toronto est la vraie définition de diversité culturelle.
@@cara1111 toronto est une île aux mille cultures, avec tres peu inclusion et cohabitation. Les chinois restent entre eux, la communauté latine reste entre eux, la communauté italienne reste entre eux. Le français est un outil pour rassembler toutes les cultures et parler au même niveau. Toronto est une ville pour les gens à prendre et à ne rien donner en retour.
@@TerryWrist1010 Au contraire. Je suis Torontonian et je peux dire que contrairement à ce que tu penses, à Toronto les chinois n'habitent pas dans le "quartier chinois, et la même chose pour les latin@s, et pour les italiens, et le grecques etc etc etc. Tous ces "quartiers" en réalité ne sont que secteurs commerciaux pour les touristes, ces endroits la ne sont pas pour habiter résidentielment. Mais dans les secteurs résidentiels à Toronto tes voisins son des différents cultures et des différentes groupes ethniques. Il n'existe pas de "quartiers" pour une group culturel particulier lol pas de tout! Tous le gens habitent partout a Toronto n'importe leur laungue ou group ethnique. C'est vraiment mélangé, et je peut confirmer ça, je suis latino et mes voisins sont de l'Asie, Afrique, Latins, Arab, Indien et Européens. La meme chose où je travaille. En plus, n'oubliez pas que Toronto est la ville où se parle la majeure quantité de langues au Canadá. C'est pour ça que les Torontonians nous sommes fières de notre capacité pour cohabiter dans une grande communauté, la tolérance est d'extrême importance pour nous. Ce pour ça que Toronto es la ville avec le pourcentage d'agrandissement le plus grand du Canada.
@@cara1111 A Montreal tu doit vraiment pas que parler français tu te trompe viens faire un tour! Ici on essaye simplement d'apprendre le plus de langue possible pour que tout le monde se sente chez eux! c'est qu'un plus + professionnellement & tout le monde fait des efforts, on est ensemble : ) !!
Been there done that, I liked Niagara a lot. Montréal is where I want to be, born and raised here, living in Lasalle because of the nice views of St-Laurent. I'm near Saute mouton..
Montreal urbanism is just one of a kind in Canada I love the fact the missing middle thrived there and it's just makes the city so pleasant to walk and get around 🐢
I really enjoyed your take on both cities at the end of the video. Spot on.
I live in Toronto and lived in Montreal for 2 years alone. I think if you are visible minority who’s first language is not French, Montreal can be a difficult place. I think for a short visit, Montreal is fantastic but living there left me with a sense of uneasiness especially as my French wasn’t great even with classes in Montreal. I love Toronto because differences and diversity are celebrated more; there is no pressure to conform to a “standard”. Toronto also has soo much to offer and there is certainly more diversity in the neighbourhoods than Montreal. Kensington to the junction to eglinton to the beaches in toronto is vastly different from the plateau to old port to Verdun in montreal. What I do love about Montreal is the public transit system! Soooo much better than the ttc and the publicly available wifi downtown 😂
Is you feel inconfortable about the french lenguage this is your problem. Quebec is a french province, you like it or you dont this is why there are Toronto. OTTAWA, Vancouver etc etc
A ROME on fait comme des Romains !
@@bustamantedavid you're what's wrong with Montréal
@@bustamantedavid Funny how quickly you demonstrated her point
@@sharvin0161 if you don't like the culture of the country you can go to a next one
Thanks for the Saskatoon shoutout! I moved from Saskatoon to Montreal and would never have considered moving to Toronto. Montreal has culture and small city feel in a big city just like you mentioned.
🐢 That pies advertisement was so funny!!! Third week in Montreal and I don't have my pie ... YET!!!
Born and raised in Montreal as an Anglophone. Speak pretty bad French but I understand French perfectly. Most primary French speakers understand English but have insecurities speaking it. If someone is speaking French to me I respond in English and they respond in French and that seems to work perfectly for us 😂. Or I'll speak my broken French and the majority of time they appricate me just trying (and find my accent cute).
I've worked in the IT industry in Montreal for 18 years now and have never had to speak English once. Plus some close friends primary languages is French. My Girlfriend is born French speaking. I've gotten by in life with no problems here 😁
For me it's the opposite i'm french but respond in english every time i hear an accent because i'm try to practice my english
Being raised in Montréal without speaking French fluently is just beyond belief. How come everyone can speak French on a native level in Luxembourg while most English people in Québec refuse to make the effort?
@@maximeschmitt2094 To annoy you prudes lol
@@krisppynugget You just proved that English speakers are both ignorant and arrogant
The biggest realization from traveling all over Canada for years was whenever I came back(or during travel) and heard an anglo-queb speak I would know straight away if you're from here or emigrated. You guys have an accent. A quebec accent. You don't speak English the way a Toronto or calgary native speaks it. There's a whiff of French sounds influencing vowels. Or some pronunciations.
Very subtle. But definitely there.
I figured it out after a couple of encounters where I thought the guy I was talking with was a Franco who spoke very good English like me. so I'd ask in french what part of quebec he was from and would answer back in English or in french with a thick accent.
After like the 20th time I had to accept it wasn't a fluke. Turns out there's an Anglo quebecer accent.
as a french speaker from MTL, i would say that a very high percentage of people in Montreal speak at least french, english, if an english speaker makes the effort to try to speak to me in french, I will speak to him in english
I lived my first 39yr in Toronto. Love it. Have visited Montreal a few times and it’s nice and chill. It’s very different from Toronto, which I really liked. But omg the winter there is so bad!
I now live in the South of France and prefer that to both Toronto and Montreal.
Was the process of moving to France difficult?, ik it’s not exactly a easy or smooth process but how would you describe it overall?
@@DCT876 the process of adjusting to a country that I don’t speak the language? or the legality of moving?
@@heatherheaney4060 legality of moving
@@DCT876 I moved here in 2019 on my UK passport I am also Canadian and since Brexit I hold a WARP card and that was given to British ppl who lived here post Brexit.
You can go to the French gov website and see how a TCN can move to France. You can come here as a student and get a student visa. That is the easiest way.
the happiest country in the world is Finland ... much colder than Montreal and no daylight for 2 months. Montreal offers a better quality of life . Even the french from France are moving to Montreal .
Originally from Montréal, I moved to Toronto in 1994. Being francophone kept me gainfully employed without interruption. I love both cities but most good things that happened to me happened in Toronto and I would never move back to Montréal. And the winter is one of the main reasons.
Great video. Would love a part 2 or 3 or 4 on this.
I read an article about how suburban Montreal has problems with walkability and related things but does better than most Canadian cities in having lower-rise multi-unit buildings which leads to more home ownership. With what you said about the atmosphere of more central areas, it sounds as though the larger Montreal area meets a lot of the requirements that can make suburban areas better places to live. Places that take into account a broader and longer-term view of life than seems the usual. I hope so!
Coming from California when I went to Montreal think it was in March so cold my tooth cracked 😂 went to Quebec City and I thought I was in Europe
Why did you come to Quebec?
@@Babyblue3333 famille
Tabarnac are you American
I like turtles 🐢 been living in mtl for 4 years now and love this city to death. I’ve been to Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver but Montreal just feels like home.
I went to Montreal and I loved it.
How time changes everything. I emigrated from France to Québec in 1960 I could read and write English but could not speak it or understand the spoken language, result : no job. I moved to BC just as the people started demanding to be served in French in the large department stores in Montreal. The start of the quiet revolution of the Québécois.
I must be lucky I traveled through Quebec playing hockey in the turbulent 70s and I never experienced a language issue. It's all about how you approach people. 7:18
I have lived in Toronto for 20 years and visited Montreal a few times. I think both cities are great, except I just can't stand the winter in Montreal.
I've never been to Toronto, though I hear good things about it. I did, however, live in Longueuil and study in Montreal decades ago. Moving to Montreal from Phoenix (and eventually back to Phoenix), I was amazed at the differences between two cities with the same city proper and metropolitan populations. Montreal: artistic, densely populated, old AND modern, cultured, educated, philosophical, dynamic, excellent public transportation, festivals. Phoenix: sunny, dirty air, hot, insane drivers, lawless, lacking a useable downtown, hot (again), cookie-cutter architecture, disdain for art, lacking in community, and strictly enforced blandness. But, Phoenix is home and always will be... at least until it dries up and everyone has to evacuate.
Lived in both for many years and agree with what you spoke of in the end.
Great video as always I love your videos on Montreal. I lived in Toronto for many years I've always wished I lived in Montreal and I think you're right, one of the things that make Montreal unique l is that missing middle in housing or density. It creates a really different sense of the city and really different communities and I think that's something we're missing in most large Canadian cities.
I am an anglophone from Ontario who has lived in Montreal since 2008 and I can’t say that I have ever been made to feel unwelcome here because I’m an anglophone. Frankly, the majority of the complaints around language I’ve heard in the city are from anglophones themselves.
I have also noticed that a LOT of people in Toronto have this misconception that anglophones are treated poorly here. However, I take no issue with them believing that as it keeps them out of the city and keeps our rents low.
Those same people believing nonsense like « anglophones are treated poorly » are the same ones who don’t bat an eye about the treatment of French speakers in their own province. And when called out for it, they’ll shrug it off and say « so what? » I can speak from 10 years of experience.
I mean if they're enforcing a bill that strengthens the use of French and discourages English then ya, you're definitely gonna get more complaints from one side than the other dude
Personally, people were lovely to me when I visited Montreal and spoke atrocious french rarely and mostly just english (shamefully). But, I also come from an anglophone family that left Montreal decades ago. You can guess I have two mind on this.
Love it 😂
I've never been to Toronto. But I have been to Montreal, in 2012. People we knew warned us that we wouldn't like Montreal. Most hadn't been there. But they had heard bad things about Montreal. Mostly that no one will speak to you there if you don't speak French, even they can speak English. Well of course we found out that the people in Montreal are warm and welcoming. Most speak fluent English. And those that don't do their best to communicate anyways. Since then we have also been to Paris. Parisians deserve their lousy reputations.
That is ok if you dont understand or you dont want to understand why french is important in Montreal, stay in Toronto 😉
Toronto is way better. It actually shows you what the expectations is in other parts of the world including talent. French is a dying language, France is a declining country. If Canada or Quebec becomes so expensive and you need to move, you have very few options with French.
I have visited Montréal a few times. Bien que je parle seulement un peu de français avec un accent des États-Unis, tout le monde semblait aimer que j'ai essayé à parler avec eux en leur langue. But I was clearly a visitor. I have visited Toronto (does ANYone say the final "t") only a couple of times. While I enjoyed my stay it didn't seem to be a place I could move to.
About the final "t" - - - the Canadian actors on Murdoch Mysteries have discussed having to learn to pronounce that letter because it WAS pronounced during the time period of the show. At some point it went the way of the "t" in Sacramento among English speakers. Poof.
Nice video Dan! I can't speak for Toronto because I've never visited, and have never wanted to. Toronto appears too large, overwhelming, and just like any other large American city. I love Montreal for it's European feel and charm in every respect. I love the Jean Talon and Atwater markets! I love the opportunity Montreal provides to use and revitalize my intermediate French! To me, Montreal and CDMX are the two top tier world class cities in North America!
I always thought that the Montreal urban fabric had more of a Brooklyn-esque vibe. The mid -tier density is really lacking not just in Toronto, but most Anglo North American cities
Amazing video, thank you very much, it is truly important content for me!
Glad it was helpful!
A tad too simplistic. Toronto is a city of small towns. I grew up in toronto and felt like anything outside of east T.O. was totally foreign and vis-a-versa to my west end friends. either side just wasn't toronto, let alone the smaller neighbourhoods, north and south. Love Montreal and visiting and would be quite happy living there. great city. but toronto is much more than what it seems to new arrivals or visitors.
I lived in Toronto for 40 years. If you work downtown it’s very noisy p, but I lived in the beach, where it was lovely and quiet. Given the choice I would live in Montreal.
WHERE'S MY PIE?! Asked a stranger on the street in Montreal... NO PIE -__-
Almost everyone (Including those who live in Toronto) ignore Scarborough, Etobicoke or anywhere else that isn't the core.
I had to buy my own pie in Montreal so that advice is shakey at best.
Damn, I didn't even notice that I said Torono instead of Toronto lol. That's a good point!
it's easy to not see the Canadian culture and use Quebecois culture as a foil for why Canada is so inclusive... Canada still expects assimilation 🐢
As a montrealer who goes often to tdot, mtl is a larger scale village compared to tdot being a real city.
So only cities with mega talls are "real cities"? Wonder what you'd consider most of Europe.
@@franghan what no, plus Montreal has got tall building. Cmon man it’s a city of 3M ppl, it is a small city
@@ALittleBitAboutALotChannel I mean I wouldn't consider mtl a huge city but to say it's a small city is absurd
I've lived in Toronto for 16 years. Moved here at 16 and lived downtown for 12 of those years with the rest either in the Beaches or Greektown. I love Toronto but it's a city you need to take a vacation from. I love visiting Montreal as a tourist but couldn't live there due to language barriers and the winter is always extra wicked. Montreal is fun to party in and better for people in their early to mid 20s for quality of life. They have later last calls and the club atmosphere is always better. Toronto kind of sucks to party in because it's so ram packed with people and for the amount of people wanting to have a fun night out on the weekend we don't have enough (fun) places to accommodate the masses. Since it's a pain in the ass to actually finally get into a decent place everyone is stressed and pissy and no one wants to mingle, just have a few drinks, get your groove on and hightail it out. Whenever I have partied in Montreal I've never had to wait in line to get in and the spaces were always fun and easy to meet people. You'll see a lot of death glares when you're out at a similar sized club in Toronto. Montrealers are more relaxed and open to having a good time, we're a little more keyed up and fed up in Toronto. Toronto is great if you want to have a nice dinne, hit a swanky cocktail lounge and do day time activities. Toronto is great for everything else except our overall social scene isn't where it could be for the type of city we are and the cost of living is very high.
Very accurate, I appreciate the POSITIVE sides of Toronto (I live in Montreal) but I wasn't keen on the nightlife and people's cold/unfriendly attitudes- for the rock/nightlife scene anyway.
Your Comments are good and balanced on both cities. I'm a Montrealer and it is true it is a city of neighbourhoods and they have a lot of character. It's a nice feel. Toronto not so much, big condos, super expensive and looks very American. I often think that Toronto is Detroit North, it certainly does not feel like Chicago where I also lived nor NYC. As for French language issues, frankly why is it that so many people expect and demand that everyone speak English to them? What a ridiculous assumption, but people are funny. Both cities are very different from their history to their culture, so comparisons are difficult.
Maybe bcs Montreal is a part of Canada, which is English speaking country?
@@Sakura-bc6ejMontreal is part of the province of Quebec, French being the official language. Nice try though!
I told Dan when I would be in Montreal...he did not show up at the hotel with a fresh baked pie. I was very disappointed. lol
I lived in Montreal for 3 years and then moved to Toronto. Now it's been 13 years that I've been calling Toronto MY HOME. To me Montreal was cute, but never compared to the diversity and cultural competence that Toronto has to offer. Toronto is a giant community, a melting pot of cultures that unite and accept and help each other, regardless of what language we speak. In Québec, forcing people to speak French to succeed is not very diversity friendly to be honest. Anyhow, back to Toronto, the skyline, MAN! The skyline that Toronto has is just breath-taking. And it keeps growing! And the entertainment, plenty of options for theater plays, art exhibits, film projects, we also have plenty of world class artists that come here for incredible concerts and world class sport teams... and the food scene! So good! Man... I love Toronto. The big problem of Toronto is that, as most world class cities, it is so unaffordable... huge issue. But if you can afford to live here, you got it all! And you feel part of a family, a big diverse family. Also, Montreal sometimes gave me the feeling of being a compact city. I know it's not small at all, and that it has plenty ot 3 - 4 story building neighborhoods outside their downtown core, with different cultures and character and all that, but guess what, Toronto has all that too. Riverdale, Greektown, Parkdale, Little India, The Beaches, all those hoods in Toronto are outside the downtown core, and all of them have their own character and feel, with no condos or skyscrapers, just people and low rise buildings and parks and thriving communities.
You live in America Lite. A city with no pride and habitants with very little knowledge of it's history
we force people to speak English in Toronto what's the difference? 🤦🏾♂️
@@CobraJeans well bobpatate I dunno where in Toronto do you live or work... but in all the hoods I've lived and the one I currently live, I hear all sorts of languages spoken on the streets, on the ttc, in the supermarkets, etc. And, just so you know, I work using English and Spanish with my clients and co-workers.
@@cara1111 same in Montreal people on the street metro and supermarkets speak different languages
@@CobraJeans the difference is that a lot of English speaking people from Montreal are leaving to Toronto, a bit of an exodus if you can call it that way, because of Quebecois recent policies that are not inclusive for English speaking students, whether in schools or post secondary centres. Whereas in Toronto, or Ontario in general there are no policies affecting or favoring in any way a language over the other.
I love that pie disclaimer, should’ve finished the video first before asking my neighbour for one. Lmao
It's odd how people say Montreal feels European because they speak French. English is a European language as well. No one would say Boston feels European because they speak English there. They'll point to the French colonial architecture. Again, a double standard. No one would say Boston feels European because of its English colonial architecture. The real difference is which European country influenced each city. I agree about the mid-rise nature of Montreal. That's very different from Toronto.
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
Great video !
Very interesting. If you visit Ottawa I'm curious about what the people there would say. Its in between both cities so I wonder if there might be a little mix of both
Ottawa is the cemetery with lights, you don't want to go there, just visit quickly.
Most of the unilingual English speakers from Montreal moved to Toronto in the '76 exodus ! I am seeing more people from Toronto moving to Montreal simply for the simple reason that the cost of living is much cheaper. Electricity/heating, car/health insurance and rent home purchases is around 3-4 times less expensive. It's simple to see who came from Toronto since most are unilingual.
I don't blame people from Quebec getting mad when someone else speak in English. They are just try to protect their culture and their language.
It's funny to me that the Torontonians who haven't been to Montreal make up negatives that don't exist whereas those that have actually been to Montreal point out real negatives.
Here's the Major difference :
Montréal is artistic
Toronto is cerebral
Toronto is artistic as well
@patfatal
Toronto is super artistic and intellectual. But the problem with Toronto is its blandness. And it is too big and expensive. Montrealers by and large sound uneducated. They don't read anything.
Going to Canada in Aug, I’m 43 and single male, I need to you to help me on selecting between Toronto and Montreal for a week vacation. Where would I have a better time with the ladies?
🐢 Bonne vidéo !
I love Montreal..great city..but I like Quebec city more.
I live in Montréal, grew up in Montréal, south shore of MTL, San Francisco and Paris. To be honest french is important but not at a big level. Outside of Montreal. Must learn. In… not Really. Everyone speak both. With my friends and others we always min language. Start in french finish in english or the orner way around. Or even, your friend speak in english and answer in french… no Biggy ! At the end we understand each each other… 😊
Good video men 👍
I'm from Montreal but now live in Toronto. As a visible minority, Toronto is the best place. People are way more open minded and I've never been called a single racial slur. Montreal, as beautiful as it is, there is a lot of racism even though I speak fluent French. Toronto is just a city that accepts everyone.
Probably because half the people isn't white in Toronto (and the majority isn't in some neighbourhoods). I guess it favours having less racism against non-white folks considering how much less white people there is.
I don't think it's fair to say there is a lot of racism in Mtl when Toronto whould'nt have none tho. Montreal is known for its open-mindedness. But some people who hate French consider those who want to protect French language to be racists, which is why some people say Mtl and Québec is more racist, which is pure diffamation. Montréal has a cutlure to protect, Toronto doesn't have that, it's just a melting pot of people who do not share a common culture (that's what multiculturalism is). In Mtl, whatever your background is, your physical features, you share the Québec culture, which is the only one in North America that is not English speaking.
@@fs400ion bullshit.
@@imanitucker4023 Explain your thought
@@fs400ion Trop de gens se cachent derrière le concept de préserver l'identité et la culture québécoises comme prétexte pour être racistes. Sauf si vous suggérez qu'être raciste contre les minorités visibles fait partie de l'identité québécoise.
@@AmedeeBoulette Who’s generalizing? That is their experience and opinion. Who are you to invalidate it?
When do you get to 184K subs? 😯😯😯 That's great. So much growth in a relatively small space of time.
Oh! And 🐢🐢🐢.
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Montréal has more in commun with New York than Toronto . Montréal like New York has a rich and strong cultural , architectural and historical sites .Irish people came to Montreal and New York early 1840 . Montreal like New York is strong on arts , food , history , same architects , built on an Island 10 times bigger than Manhattan with a Central Park ( Mount Royal) and the same architect , bridges is part of the skyline and like New York , Montreal has the best night life in Canada .. Montreal is aUNESCO design and creativity city . New York is an Apple and Toronto a banana ... no comparaison ...
Toronto is a UNESCO city of Media arts and yes I find Mtl architecture better but the nightlife is basically the same
Montreal has more Stanley Cups. ;) 24 ;)
And I would love to see #25! Now THAT would be a fun video to film :)
@@TheNewTravel We are all waiting for that {in MTL}!! Keep up the Great Work !
Nice hair bro!
montreal is lit
I have a lot of love for montreal but every time I go and everyone I've ever met from there is so insecure about their city, always wanting to discuss how montreal is better. some things are, but if it truly was a better place they wouldn't need to constantly prove the point. granted this is purely anecdotal. toronto is, or at least was, the same way but with regards to new york. always asking celebrities "so what do you think of toronto?"
Montréal is just overall relaxe, parks & bikelanes everywhere with old buildings while Toronto is a rush, business type of city, like move it or lose it type of thing, great to make a career but honestly, not the place to raise a family
Meanwhile ... about 10 million people live in the Toronto hub ... that's a lot of families in jeopardy, I guess. It's strange that most Montrealers don't have a clue off what Toronto is really about and has to offer ... more arts, entertainment, sports, restaurants, neighbourhoods ....
Team Damascus 💯
"We don't think about Montreal".
Well, about your own thoughts, I could not have said it better myself.
Love Montreal.
Visiting from NYC I thought Toronto was very quiet.
“trono” lol
I’m a born and raised French girl from Montreal, if you’re west of stlaurent it’s completely English, if my kid didn’t speak English she wouldn’t have had any friends! I have a daughter born 10 years before and it wasn’t the same. Also Montreal is a place of it’s own, it doesn’t represent the province of Quebec at all and most English people who live here they never visited the rest of the province and have no interest to do so.
Hey! I can make you a pie if you want one! 🤣
Montreal is way much better than Toronto especially the people
No language barrier in Montreal if you speak French.
@jeancharland3858
There is a language barrier for francophones in Montreal. From their side, one must know B2-level English or one cannot work in Montreal.
Montreal is affordable, Toronto is expensive!
There is a big misunderstanding of what Quebec is and the fight to protect the language and culture. There is nothing to protect in Toronto because the rest of North America speaks english so there is no fight to protect it. By default if you move to Canada you have to speak english, but obviously if you go in the Quebec province you have to speak french. It's like the schengen area in Europe, it's like a big country made of smaller countries that have each official languages. Let's see what French montrealers who doesn't speak English think of Toronto and the language barrier they face. It's like going in Japan and be like ''Oh i like Tokyo but it's hard to get around without speaking Japanese'' like... no shit Sherlock just get a local person to be your translator and stop thinking the world is obligated to please you.
But Montreal QC is part of Canada so it should’ve been a bilingual place. Montreal suck big time I prefer Toronto any day
If the guy in the yellow headband is reading this, please let me know where you got your jacket from !!
Downtown Toronto seriously lacks open spaces, public squares and (mostly) a world class urban park in the center. The barrier of the Gardiner expressway and the railroads are a turn off. Nothing interesting on the lakefront. The wires everywhere. But, truly, it is much bigger than Montreal.
Centre Island is one of the nicest parks in Canada and it's literally in the downtown. Nothing interesting on the lakefront? It's packed with joggers, cyclists, walkers, tourists, boaters all through then good weather - what else can you ask for?
french people born in montreal are defensive of the french language because historically, people wanted to take it from us. we're already the black sheep of canada. if you try and learn french, and show respect for the language, you'll be okay.
many of these people sounded very ignorant towards Quebecois people and culture. actually gave me a bad impression of toronto and I think I'll book that trip to montreal soon.
Quelles sont les artistes de Montreal Laval qu'ils écoutent?💪🏻✌🏼🙏🏻
I prefer the diversity of Toronto where everybody speak english.
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Back in the 70's the only beautiful women in Toronto were visiting from Montreal!! I drove all over the city for hours and never seen a beautiful woman!! Montreal has the most beautiful women in the world trust me on that one!!!🤣🤣🤣