Vancouver, BC. no question about it. I’m not canadian though, and haven’t been to many of their cities. I’ve been to Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Windsor, Niagra Falls, Banff, and Montreal(which is probably my least favorite).
Ottawa - Go Sens!
Vancouver rocks too. Heck. They’re both wunnerful.
Matsky1981, are you in North Bay? I used to live in New Liskeard…
I want to jump in and just say Vancouver, with a real close second to Calgary.
But a more important point – I’ve lived in a lot of cities in Canada, and visited many others. There’s no “best” city. Each city has a unique character and culture. When you go somewhere, you seek out the good it has to offer. To judge between Vancouver and Montreal is to pick between European culture and history (but extemes in weather) and Asian influenced Canadian culture, moderate climate, and incredible potential for activity. They’re both wonderful.
Even Winnipeg has redeeming qualities. Heck, after living there, you’ll never be cold again anywhere else, not even Ottawa (my present locale). (now Thunder Bay, well…)
The one where I am.
looks around what? 
Montreal. Definitely. I’ve lived in various Ontario towns and cities in my life, and Montreal beats 'em all hollow.
I’m afraid I’m rather Ontario-centric and don’t we all know that Toronto IS the centre of the universe?
However, Toronto isn’t my favourite city but I do like it a great deal. (It’s pretty cool. Queen street W is always interesting to walk down and I like the shops in the beaches).
Montreal has to high on the list for being the most romantic city with great food, clothes (check out the shop Il n’y a que deux), and architecture.
Kingston is both quite pretty and has CORK (Canada Olympic-training Regatta at Kingston) every year. (I love walking along the water).
The east coast is full of super-friendly people.
Cities in the rockies have beautiful scenery and skiing.
I’m still unconvinced that Winnipeg has many redeeming qualities unless you are either a mosquito repellant salesman or a block heater salesman.
I’ve not seen enough of Calgary to have any strong opinion - it seems nice.
But I’ld have to choose Ottawa (were I live) lots of cultural activities (NAC, little theatre, dance activities, museums), lot of outdoor activities (easy access to sailing, white water canoeing, biking trails, X-country skiing, triathlon/running, hiking, walking paths and not too far from Tremblant for downhill skiing). Various parkways are closed to cars on Sunday mornings during the summer for biking/roller blading. Sure the shopping generally sucks but Montreal is close as is Toronto.
Whichever Canadian city wins the cup this spring will be one hell of a place to visit for a few days, that’s for sure.
I loves ya, Ottawa, but Vancouver’s gotta roll T.O. in the final.
Go 'Nucks!
Ooops I forgot Coburg as a favourite city… primarily for sentimental reasons (but the Lake Ontario shoreline is quite pretty).
My coworker, who hails from northern Wisconsin, would like to add that his favorite city in Canada is Yellowknife, because a glance at their weather conditions always makes Green Bay seem balmy by comparison.
Dude, Whistler is a village with a mountain. It ain’t no city. Nope, nohow, noway in heck. It’s a nice place to visit, but the only jobs in Whistler are catering to tourists by working at a restaurant, hotel, or on the slopes.
Vancouver is a great place, but it barely qualifies as a city. It’s like some small town got cancer and grew out of control. However, it is slowly metastatizing towards city status. Point-in-favour: Best restaurants in North America.
I’m constitutionally biased against Toronto, although I’m told it’s gotten better during my lifetime.
Montreal is fantastic, but I know things have changed since I moved away six years ago. Regardless, I still want to move back.
I can’t say anything about other Canadian cities, having never been there…
I don’t think I could live any place smaller than Ottawa. I get nervous as soon as I head into smaller cities or towns, because of being confusing-racial-mixture girl. Outside of the big places I always feel obviously not white, and as though I ought to be carrying a camera and wearing a flat-brimmed net-backed baseball cap. “You stay steer, I take picha? Reer Canadian paak bench!”
How many Dopers are there around Toronto right now?
I grew up in Toronto , but at present i am living in Barrie
Declan
Come to think of it, now that I no longer live in Yellowknife, it’s my favourite weather city. Simply because a) I’m in shorts here in Maryland, and b) my sister is freezing her patoot while still in kamiks and amouti. BWAHAHA!
You’d be surprised, I think, at other cities. Saskatoon, for instance, has a relatively high amount of non-white population due to the University and the fact that it seeks out foreign students (highest proportion in Canada univ., AFAIK).
It also punches above it’s weight in cultural activities because of the university (about 10% of the city’s population is students when it’s in session).
I have been to Calgary, Banff, Edmonton- actually, straight across Canada on family trips. Never got up north, though. . I can’t count the number of times people assumed either my father (born in Canada) or I (also born in Canada) didn’t speak English. It was annoying and made quite an impression. I have had better experiences with smaller places since I’ve grown up, but I still feel conspicious sometimes.
It’s not that there aren’t any other Asians outside Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, it’s just that I notice my not being white much more when I’m not in a city with an at least 20% non-WASP population. It’s a comfort thing. Like the weirdness of being in Iowa last summer, and realizing that I was 1. practically the only Asian, and 2. practically the only person wearing black most of the time. YMMV.
When you come up the coast of Washington State its pretty nice in the Olympia area but past that it gets kind of crappy. Port Angeles is across the water from Victoria. Its like night and Day, you leave a run down port city get on the ferry and you’re dropped off in a gem of a city. Victoria BC- Lots of culture and different folk everywhere. It seems like alot of the nicer Canadian cities are right across the border from the US.
It’s like the quality US cities kind of dwindle off at the border but some of Canada’s best Cities are practically on the border
Calgary gets my vote hands down - and I’ve lived all accross Canada so I have something to compare to.
I spent a while in a bunch of Canadian cities, and it’s a toss up between Montreal and Edmonton (sp?). Montreal because I used to drive there back when I was 18 and get legally smashed at the bars, and Edmonton (sp?) because the people there were the absolute nicest I have ever met. I met a musician who cancelled a gig so he could take my friends to all the “good” bars, as he was playing in a boring one. Just very, very friendly.
Better make that two. I was just watching a TVO documentary on winter roads, when several kids in Muskrat Dam were asked where they would like to live. Most said Bearskin Lake, but one said Thunder Bay.
from the cities I’ve been to I’d say Montreal but Old Quebec City is awesome.
It could have been worse. He could have said Cornwall :eek: