Now’s the time to remember why Toronto is so special

These are strange days. Particularly in the wake of the savage attack in Quebec City and two shootings in 24 hours downtown, it’s hard to sit here and pretend that real estate matters, or mortgage rates matter. At the end of the day, it’s only people who matter. The rest is just accessories.

We may not see eye to eye on everything, but there’s one thing on which I do agree with our Prime Minister — diversity is our strength. As we continue to keep a wary eye on the chaos to the south, it bears remembering that we are Canadian, and even in Canada, Toronto is unique.

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world; nearly half of our residents weren’t born in Canada. That’s something of which we are right to be proud. We live in what is objectively, statistically, a very safe large city. It’s clean too. While we’ve all complained about their shortcomings, the buses and subways run most of the time and can get you all the way across town for a fraction of what a cab would cost. We have vast expanses of green spaces, we value public art, and our sports teams are (occasionally at least) contenders.

We have it good. We are among the luckiest, most privileged people on the planet. While we squabble about road tolls, at least 80% of humanity subsists on less than $10 a day (according to globalissues.org).

Our city supports indie coffee shops as much as it does big chains. We get to spend summers strolling the shores of one of the most enviable sources of freshwater on Earth. We have our own islands. We have a distinct neighbourhood for just about every taste. We have a shoe museum, a gorgeous zoo, and an industrial-era, cobblestoned haven for hipsters. We can eat pakora, har gow, pad thai and gelato on the same day without even having to get on a streetcar. We can live, work, shop, dine, catch a movie and get a cavity filled, all without even going outside if we choose, thanks to one of the world’s largest underground complexes. We can be in wine country, cottage country, or on the precipice of one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders in about 90 minutes.

Toronto is rare, and it is special, and like all rare and special things, it needs care and nurturing to stay that way. Don’t submit to the pervasive negativity that seems to be engulfing the world right now. Don’t get me wrong, stay informed, but take a break from the internet if you have to so you can reflect on how lucky you are to live in Toronto and the GTA. Just don’t forget who we are, and be grateful for what we have.

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• Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s Rhubarb Festival, which is in fact a theatre, dance, music and performance art event that has nothing to do with produce
• TIFF Next Wave Film Festival offers free screenings to the under-25 set
• The Danforth hosts the Winterfolk Blues and Roots Music Festival
• The fifth Annual Toronto Black Film Festival runs Feb. 15 to 19 at various cinemas
• Wander Balmy, Kew and Ashbridges Bay beaches from Feb. 20 to March 27 to see Winter Stations, a public art exhibit that transforms lifeguard stands
• The Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place hosts the Artist Project, an annual art fair;
• From Feb. 23 to 26, you can say goodbye to an urban institution by attending the epic farewell party for Honest Ed’s.

Get out and enjoy it all, and remind yourself just how lucky we are.