Winding and swift. Or stoic and looming. People live where the water is, and that's the way it's always been. And this water defines who we are; how we came to be, and why we're here. Riverside camps, seaside ports, and lake portage bases. Each unique in their own right, and some have maintained as vibrant and viable communities for hundreds of years.
Toronto is one of them. Established as the mighty Fort York on the shores of windy Lake Ontario, it warded off the onslaught from the south, and carried on as the gathering point that it is today. Winnipeg is another - where a progressive, unified and diverse society was created at the forks of two rivers; borne out of a strong sense of defiance and rebellion.
But today, as both cities have firmly established themselves within the edict of Canadian identity and history, they couldn't be more different. Obviously, size is a huge factor - with the GTA weighing in at around 5 million, and Winnipeg a mere fraction of that at 700,000. There is an intense influx into both cities of newcomers from a variety of circumstances. They are both in a state of constant change. But there is one thing that sets the two apart, and that is identity.
These are the only two Canadian big cities that I've live in. And both have been huge eye-openers. Whereas Torontonians think they are setting the pace for what Canada is, Winnipeg experiences it to a more distinct degree. There is an identity here that Toronto has long lost. One of staying in touch with roots; knowing where the community came from and where it is going. A city that has historically made its mark standing up to what Canada is, and grudgingly becoming a part of it.
With becoming that "one" Canadian urban metropolis, Toronto has lost those original ideals it was based on. Not many people are friendly in the streets anymore. People have forgotten that Toronto means "meeting place", in some dying, distant language. Sure, these are broad, sweeping generalizations, but it's what sets that now-urban sprawl apart from this bastion of community on the Prairies. People here might not necessarily be proud of that, but it's an impenetrable sense of being that I have yet to experience in any other Canadian city.
The winters are cold and windy. Floods devastate the new hopes of the springtime months. And summer brings the unwelcome winged annoyances. But these waters move fast along the Assiniboine and Red rivers. They have no time to sit and bask in their supposed self-righteous might. They flow, and evolve with their ever-changing surroundings. Yet at the same time, a rush of these river waters always seems to cycle back.
Posted by waub at October 15, 2006 03:01 PM