Toronto Local Custom Tips by thamitheen

Can I please ask what Toronto is being compared to when it is called diverse? I have done a lot of travelling, although admittedly not so much in North America, and I have never experienced as much racism as I did when I was in Toronto this summer. A smattering of multicultural restaurants does not make a city tolerant; it seemed to me that in Toronto, you are allowed to be diverse until such a point as it is noticably different from the mainstream.
I always thought my home in London was racist because racial issues are always in the public eye, but I realised thanks to my visit to Toronto that in London a huge stir is created when anything remotely racist occurs, because people as a whole really are tolerant. On the contrary, in Downtown Toronto's entertainment district - which should be a cosmopolitan area if such a thing existed in the city - I was the victim of racist verbal abuse on several occasions - and the people who witnessed the events sat and watched in silence. When I raised the issue with a group of Canadian acquaintances, I was told that Canada is big on free speech and therefore my experiences were merely an aspect of Canada's libertarian attitude. It is unfortunate that the behaviour of a minority has clouded my experience, but my bitter advice to tourists who don't blend in with a Western crowd, or perhaps with established minority groups in the area, is to be on your guard and be prepared to be harrassed.

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