''Let's All Hate Toronto'' is a 2007
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
co-directed by independent documentarian
Albert Nerenberg and
Rob Spence. The documentary is a comedic examination of the reasons why so many people in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
seem to hate
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Ontario. In the film, co-director Robert Spence, nicknamed "Mister Toronto", takes off on a cross-Canada journey to find out why there seems to be so much resentment for Canada's biggest city, all the while promoting a fake "Toronto Appreciation Day".
Synopsis
Mr. Toronto starts his journey in
Hamilton after he sees a billboard boasting "Toronto Sucks" as an advertisement campaign. He finds out that some fans of the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats put on bags over their heads because of the shame of losing to Toronto during the Labour Day
CFL game every year. He decides to go around Canada on a fake "Toronto Appreciation Day" tour. Mr. Toronto visits
St. John's and
Halifax, where Atlantic Canadians spit on his "Toronto Appreciation Day" banner. Then he travels to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
where local comedy troupe The Dancing Cock Brothers sing "Goodbye Toronto, Bonjour Montreal"
CTV.ca , Filmmaker takes risk, touting Toronto in Montreal
/ref> and where his Toronto work ethic influences the city to change the light bulbs on the giant cross atop Mount Royal
Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the ...
. Next, he skips the Prairies
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
(because "every Torontonian does"), and lands in Calgary and Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, where he learns that resentment towards Toronto runs very deep.Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
where he risks his life by wearing a faux Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
jersey during the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
’ Stanley Cup run.Nuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche () (White Night) is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival of a city. A Nuit Blanche typically has museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the ...
art event, where, after admitting that Toronto does suck, he receives over 1,000 hugs from the Torontonians at the event, including the mayor of Toronto
The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; there are no term limits. While in ...
. This makes Mr. Toronto believe that his native city ''does not'' suck as the rest of Canada seems to think.
Throughout the film Mr. Toronto does several television and radio interviews and is frequently asked, "What city in Canada hates Toronto the most?" At the end of the film he realizes that Toronto hates itself the most.
See also
* Toronto-Montreal rivalry
References
External links
*
{{Toronto
Canadian documentary films
2007 films
Documentary films about Toronto
English-language Canadian films
2007 documentary films
2000s English-language films
Films directed by Albert Nerenberg
2000s Canadian films