I ranked Canada's major cities on how unfriendly they are — Toronto (shockingly) isn't #1
Canadians have a reputation for being some of the friendliest people in the world, but anyone who's spent enough time travelling around the country knows that some Canadian cities are a whole lot friendlierCanadian cities are a whole lot friendlier than others.
I've lived in Canada and the U.S., and spent enough time in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa to have developed some very strong opinions about where it's easiest to actually connect with people. So, I decided to rank five of Canada's major cities from least to most unfriendly.
Obviously, this isn't a scientific ranking of Canada's most unfriendly cities — it's based entirely on my own experiences with strangers, making friends, going out alone and attempting basic human interaction in each place.
Some cities will chat with you at the bar. Others will politely smile at you while making it abundantly clear they have absolutely no interest in ever seeing you again. Here's my ranking.
#5. Montreal
Montreal is my favourite city in Canada. I've lived in the U.S. for 10 years, but if I ever moved back to Canada full-time, there's no doubt I'd be in Montreal.
Socially, it's unparalleled — and probably the least cliquey major city in Canada. It's also the least weird place to be alone, which I think says a lot about how non-judgmental it feels. If someone asks you for a cigarette, they'll probably strike up a conversation too. They don't just ask, fake-offer you a dollar, and then immediately turn their back on you (cough cough, Toronto and Vancouver).
The humour can be a little drier and more European, which might read as unfriendly at first, but I actually think it's the opposite. Instead of the fake warmth you sometimes get in Vancouver — dead eyes, tight-lipped smile, vacant nod — Montrealers will actually banter with you.
It's easily my favourite place to travel solo in Canada.
💪 Strengths: Banter, strangers, solo travel, minimal cliquey bullsh*t.
👎 Weaknesses: Dry humour can make you think someone hates you when they're actually flirting with you.
#4. Calgary
I didn't get Calgary until my sister moved there, and I'll admit I had the completely wrong idea about what it was going to be. I pictured way more oil tycoons dressed like Kid Rock with retired OnlyFans girlfriends they met on a business trip in Edmonton — which, slay — but it was actually mostly just normal people chilling.
My sister moved there knowing basically no one, got a serving job and made a bunch of friends almost immediately.
Calgary is also one of Canada's best social-mirroring cities. If you're chatty, they're chatty. If you're not down, they're not down. People aren't necessarily going out of their way to talk to you, but they're not actively pretending you don't exist either.
It's a surprisingly cool, down-to-earth city where, from what I've seen, making friends — and especially dating if you work in the service industry — is pretty easy.
💪 Strengths: Down-to-earth, socially reciprocal, surprisingly easy to make friends.
👎 Weaknesses: You may have to make the first move.
#3. Ottawa
I'll be real: it's been a minute since I've been to Ottawa, so fam, fact-check me if you've changed your ways.
But from what I remember, Ottawa was the most socially mid-city I've ever visited — and I don't even mean that as an insult. You say hi to someone walking down the street, and they'll say hi back. You avoid eye contact, they'll avoid eye contact. Nobody is going out of their way to be rude to you, but nobody seems particularly desperate to become your best friend either.
Toronto always gets the "time is money" reputation — probably because men who work on Bloor Street keep putting that in their bios before posting things like, "Move in silence. Let your success speak." — but Torontonians are actually incredibly loud about all their moves.
Ottawa is where people really seem to move in silence.
That's how I've deduced they're not overly friendly. They're not mad at you. They're just getting down to business and staying in their own lane.
💪 Strengths: Polite, respectful, excellent at minding their own business.
👎 Weaknesses: Excellent at minding their own business.
#2. Toronto
Toronto CAN be friendly, but my God, does it require social legwork.
You have to network. You have to follow up. You have to make plans. And when someone you've been trying to become friends with finally says, "We should get a drink sometime," you need to get that thing in the calendar before the conversation ends.
And whatever you do, do NOT cancel the first friend date. I don't care if you're exhausted. Get some coffee in you and get moving because if you blow it, there's a very real chance you'll simply never see that person again.
Once you're actually in, Toronto can be incredibly social. The problem is actually getting in.
💪 Strengths: Extremely social once you're actually in.
👎 Weaknesses: Getting in requires the networking skills of a mid-level publicist.
#1. Vancouver
I'm from Vancouver, so I feel uniquely qualified to say this: if you're an outsider moving here, Vancouver fails in basically every friendliness category.
Making friends with locals? Impossible.
Meeting someone organically who you might actually want to go on a date with? Never.
Having a Cactus Club server make genuine eye contact with you? Absolutely not.
That's the thing about Vancouver: people aren't outwardly rude. In fact, they're usually extremely polite. But there's a weird social wall around everyone that can make it incredibly difficult to actually connect.
If you grew up there, you already have your friends — and they're probably all from high school. If you didn't? I hope you enjoy hiking and your acting class.
💪 Strengths: Polite, beautiful, nobody is going to bother you.
👎 Weaknesses: Nobody is going to bother you.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
