[Toronto] – The top story on the news in Toronto last night was about the shootings of two young women just a block apart in the downtown area. Apparently the women did not know one another. The police are downplaying the incident as they do not wish to panic the public. The passersby interviewed said they were shocked but had no intention of changing their daily routine. You see, shootings in Toronto are rare.
It is a very odd sensation to land in Toronto from the volatile Middle East. In parts of Iraq, it is unsafe to cross the road for fear of attacks by terrorists, particularly in the run-up to the election. In Yemen and Saudi Arabia there has been a plethora of incidents between terrorists and police officers. In Algeria arrests of perceived reformists are commonplace.
It puts the rare shooting in Toronto into perspective.
In Israel after a bus bombing, the state bus company’s profits nosedive, as would-be passengers opt for taxis and legwork. True, after a couple of weeks people forget, but the fact is that in the Middle East bombings, mortar attacks and missile strikes are expected. If it is not Gaza in 2005, then it is Lebanon in 1982. If it is not Lebanon, then it is Pakistan in 2003 and so on.
Toronto is often voted the best city in which to live, and the safest too. The main topic of conversation is the weather. Today, it will ‘max out’ at minus 14 celsius, with a windchill factor making it feel considerably colder.
Rather than travel warnings about visits to Iraq or Syria, the newscasters here tell parents to make sure their kids wear scarves and remind them that bare flesh will freeze in fewer than 15 minutes.
In Toronto, business news is high up the radio newscast running order. The ongoing National Hockey League dispute is big news on the front pages, not just the reserve of the sports section.
I remember being in a meeting of news editors in Jerusalem when one of my colleagues held up his newspaper and said, “any one of the seven items on our front page would be a major headline in any newspaper in the West.”
You see, it is all about perspectives. While Toronto wins acclaim for its safety and cleanliness, some refer to it as “boring.”
The truth is, sometimes boring can make for a refreshing change.