Toronto is under attack from gangs of criminals, too many immigrants threaten our secular society, and China poses our country’s biggest national security threat. At least that’s what I heard at the Leader’s debate. But on Good Friday, I drove my daughter to visit a friend in Etobicoke and her grandma on Caledonia. And that’s not what I saw.
It was warm and many families were outside enjoying their time off. Traffic moved slowly and the city felt calm.
In my friend’s neighbourhood in Etobicoke, kids and their families from Asian and European backgrounds held an impromptu street party. At Bert Robinson Park at Caledonia and Kitchener, where I took my daughter to play afterwards, parents spoke Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Everyone was getting along just fine.
Where I live, my neighbour pulled up his car to my driveway to wish me and my wife a happy Easter. Across the street from us, Muslim women with head coverings were talking to each other and watching their children play in their driveway. Beside them, a home-grown Canadian neighbour wearing a muscle shirt was enjoying a cigarette and a can of beer on his porch.
No one was wearing designer clothes. Some wore traditional clothing. Most wore clothes with no popular brands and very affordable. Most likely made in China.
Back at the park, the warmth is floating away, dark clouds are moving in and it’s getting colder. As we walk to her grandma’s place, my 6-year-old asks me, “In 10 years, can we buy a bigger house?” I said, “I don’t know. Houses are very expensive now and they’ll be much more expensive in 10 years.”
I think about her question, and then think back to the leaders’ debate. It’s like we live in two different worlds, and I want a repeat. This time, debate the problems we have in this world.
