Toronto the Ugly?

The famed Just for Laughs comedy festival hits Montreal next week. One joke traditionally heard during the three-week event is being retired. It goes like this:

"The women in Montreal are so beautiful. Where do you send all the ugly women, to Toronto?"

Ha ha. Another laugh at the expense of Toronto.

According to "Let's All Hate Toronto" filmmaker Albert Nerenberg, the joke will be retired at a ceremony after his film is screened in Montreal. The reason? It's simply not true, he says. Toronto ladies are hot.

Yeah, we know.

Sure, Montrealers are admired for their European-influenced style and fashion. Torontonians are better known for Bay St. and relentlessly supporting an unsuccessful hockey team. But we know we're hot, we just don't need a joke to prove it.

Silly Montreal, it thinks it's so sexy with its cigarettes, dépaneurs and joie de vivre.

A Montreal co-worker challenged us hot local people and asked for names of beautiful and famous Toronto women. We tried to brainstorm a list but the conversation quickly turned confusing. Model Daria Werbowy? Ukrainian-born. Rachel McAdams? From London, Ontario. Belinda Stronach? Silence.

Ultimately, I decided that one does not have to be born in Toronto to be a beautiful Torontonian. An increasing number of friends and co-workers are native to other cities and even other countries but they now call the GTA home. That is what sets us apart from cities like Montreal. This city, as Nerenberg says, has something new going on. "There's a certain kind of exotic look and there's a freshness to the beauty of the people here that actually Montreal doesn't have."

As for the joke? The rumour is that the joke is being edited so that we send all the ugly women to Hamilton. Let's all (continue to) hate Hamilton!

Photo by Osei