Carpe Montreal

by Elizabeth Johnston

Your husband, brother, mother or whoever may be a pain in the neck, but only you are allowed to say that. It's one of the perks of family culture.

During her inaugural speechlet, the PQ's new culture minister proclaimed Ontario to be without culture in comparison to Quebec. True or not, only people from Ontario are allowed to say such a thing... people like me.

I moved here seven years ago from Toronto. Not because Toronto has no culture--it's got a charming corporate je ne sais quoi missing in Montreal.

Montreal, on the other hand, has that proverbial joie de vivre. And, nothing says it better than how Montrealers, not nature, decide when spring has arrived. (They crowd onto sunsoaked outdoor café patios while snow stubbornly clings to the sidewalks.)

There's something special about every city, and the more cities you visit, the more you know what Canadian culture is. Montreal--yours to discover!