Should Ontario move its capital to London? One Londoner thinks so
Ian Gillespie of the London Free Press likes the idea, floated this week by Tory MPP Bill Murdoch, that the capital of Ontario should move from Toronto to London.
The idea that London should be the capital of Upper Canada (which was the name of Ontario back when Toronto was still known as York and Maple Leafs fans still had a reason to be optimistic) was born back in 1793 when Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe and a few pals paddled down to the forks of the Thames.
Of course they would have liked the idea in 1793. Would British colonial overseers consider anywhere but a place called London for a capital? They wouldn’t even need to change their stationery. But Gillespie offers more modern reasons “to say ta-ta to Toronto and lookie-here London!”:
• Beer is from London; whisky is from T.O.—and beer is more popular in Ontario • Toronto’s mayor tweets; London’s mayor doesn’t • Toronto ships its garbage far away; London keeps its refuse nearby • London is the birthplace of Rachel McAdams; she merely opted to live in Toronto
Toronto may remain the seat of power in Ontario, but the title “provincial capital” is more suited to London.
