Although I grew up in Ontario, I have lived most of my adult life in the UK, which means that visiting Ontario is not really like going home, more like visiting my youth. And who doesn’t want to visit their youth? I never really had a proper adult life in Canada. I lived there in my 20s, but mortgages, marriage and children didn’t really feature. That all happened elsewhere.
Even though I have changed a lot over the years, Canada seems to have stayed pretty much the same. Even the food doesn’t seem very different – a few healthier options such as kale chips, vegan protein and organic kombucha have crept onto the menu, but all the old favourites are still there. Happily, muffins, cookies, Nanaimo bars, Tim Hortons donuts and apple crisp are still available everywhere, as well as that perennial favourite: onion dip made with sour cream and dried onion soup mix.
The people are still open and friendly and the autumn colours are as spectacular as ever. Despite the endless building, there still appears to be more space than anyone knows what to do with. There is one new addition: roundabouts, complete with signs giving full instructions on how to use them. I understand that there have still been a few accidents and some people refuse point blank to use them.
Sadly, the turbulence of Canadian politics also remains unchanged, with the same regional divisions that have festered for years. Being in Ontario for the federal elections was a real eye-opener. There is yet again a Trudeau in charge who divides public opinion, but it was the phrase ‘western alienation’ that really concerned me. Although I had never heard it before, it was used endlessly during the election and even more after the final votes were counted and it became obvious how little support Trudeau’s minority government had in the western provinces. It all puts Brexit into perspective. Britain is not the only place struggling to hold together a country full of people with strongly opposing views on the direction that the country should take. However, we can all take some comfort that it could be worse when we look at a certain world leader with a spun sugar arrangement placed where his hair should be.
This meandering discussion hasn’t done much to answer the question of whether you can go home. Or even if you’d want to. Maybe not, but you can certainly visit from time to time.