Baby it's cold outside.

I was reading the news this morning, for the first time in a few days, and I found myself laughing, which is a nice change from "Surprise! Another 15 shootings in you neighborhood while you slept!"

Molson Coors Canada has removed billboards posted in B.C. because if was offensive, to Torontonians. From what I understand, they've received approximately 40 email/phone complaints regarding the ad. The billboard itself reads "colder than most people from Toronto".

My first thought? "Ha ha..."

My second? "Ouch, that's kind of low."

My third? "Wait, what? That doesn't even make any sense."

First of all, I promise, over the last few days or so, the only "cold" Torontonians have been sitting in front of their air conditioner. With temperatures feeling near 40 degrees Celsius for the last while, "cold" would be greatly appreciated.

Back to the ad not making any sense. "Colder than most people from Toronto"? does that mean that most Torontonians are in fact warmer than this beer? Or that some people are colder than this beer? Because that will be fact anywhere in the world, some people just suck. Honestly, I'm a little confused as to how this ad was approved in the first place, it just seems like it wasn't very well thought out on any level.

I've lived in Toronto, all of my life, with the exception of maybe a combined 6 months over 25 years. Growing up, I loved it here. As a teenager, there were no rules, I could do whatever I wanted, see whatever I wanted to see, and be wherever I wanted to be. The city, especially the downtown core was filled with great music, and great people, and no matter what you want to experience, if you look a little bit, you're going to find it, if not something better.

Toronto has a great selection of bars, pubs, restaurants, concert venues, clubs, parks, coffee shops, bookstores, hobby shops, and the list could go on forever. There really is something here for everyone.

Now here's where it becomes a little bit depressing. I grew up, I started a family (not the depressing part). I stopped hanging out at my favorite places, and with my favorite people. Instead of heading to the Green Room (popular with the university students), I go to the grocery store. No Frills specifically. In stead of being surrounded by people I have common interests with, I'm now surrounded by people with common problems.

I have no money, and a family to feed for the next two weeks, when I'll still have no money, and I'll still have to feed my family. If I get "no name" bread, peanut butter, mac and cheese, dish soap, and laundry detergent, maybe I can splurge and get diapers that work. Maybe I'll be a vegetarian until the cost of chicken is reduced. Let me rethink that, maybe I'll become a pasta-tarian until the cost of produce is reduced. Maybe I'll cancel my cable so we can have Christmas. Yes. I'll do that. What do you mean there's a $75 charge to cancel my cable? That's more than my bill is. Why won't they open more than 3 registers? There are easily 400 people in here. Is she really paying with pennies? I have to be at work in less than an hour, I need to bring this stuff home, drop the kids off at the sitters, then take the bus for 45 minutes. This will be fun. "I'm sorry, this register is closed". Well, fuck.

The best part, everyone is thinking the same way. Needless to say it's going to be a little less than happy in there, and it's not even a matter of being cold, it's being so distracted that you're not even sure there are other people there, until you run someone over with your shopping cart. And that's just the grocery store. Let's also replace taxi's with rush hour public transit, 1 load of laundry with 8, weekends with much needed extra shifts and sleeping in with sleep deprivation.

Working a minimum wage job, starting this coming march, full time (40 hours/week) before taxes will pay approximately $1700 a month. I live in one of Toronto's less desirable, more affordable neighborhoods, if not the most affordable neighborhood, and my 2 bedroom apartment is more than $1000 a month. I'm quite happy with my unit. It's spacious, and I've put some effort into making it feel like home. The catch? I'm afraid to leave it.

Every city has at least one, a less that nice neighborhood that fortunate people will be happy to avoid. Why do these neighborhood exist? Remember those people in the grocery store? That really gets to you after a while, especially when despite your best efforts, you're situation isn't getting any better. People eventually do what they think they have to to survive. Unfortunately, some people think very differently than others. These neighborhoods though, are usually full of hard working, loving families and great people. But you'll hardly see them, because for the most part, you avoid going outside. These people that like to run around with knives and guns, really ruin it for everyone.

It is really, really difficult to live in Toronto with a less than six-figure-income, and the reality of it, most of us are trying to do it with a less than 30k yearly salary. Doesn't make much sense, does it? Do I let this make me come across as a cold person? I certainly hope not, but I'm sure there are days that I let circumstance get the best of me.

I too find myself questioning the "niceness" of my fellow Torontonians, but after seeing that ad, the comments, and really giving it some thought, I think next time I come across a particularly "cold" person, I'll ask if there is anything I can do to make their day a little easier instead of rolling my eyes and pushing by.

Oh, and just in case this blog is spotted by certain individuals who have commented on the various news sites I read this morning, Toronto isn't a province, it's a city. Way to be Canadian. Oh, and I'll never buy a Coors again, not that I would have in the first place.