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Toronto Twitter reacts to the U.K.‘s decision to leave the European Union

By Chris Bateman
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An ocean and several thousand kilometres of land separate Toronto and the United Kingdom, but the implications of the U.K. referendum on its European Union membership were followed closely here—partly for sport, and partly with an eye to possible financial effects on Canada.

As the Brexit polls closed, the mood in Toronto was nervous about which way the vote would swing.

As results began to trickle in around 7 p.m. local time, it appeared the Leave campaign had fared better than expected, and the value of U.K. currency fell off a cliff.

By 10 p.m. in Toronto, the results were on a knife edge, with neither side clearly winning.

Canadians, of course, know all about tight referendums, and minds turned back to the Quebec vote in 1995. (“Quebexit?")

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As midnight approached, it became increasingly clear that Leave was heading for victory, and all hell broke loose.

On the plus side, however, traveling to London just became a whole lot cheaper.

Right around midnight Toronto time, the other shoe fell. The BBC called a Leave victory—52 to 48 percent.

By morning, the far-reaching implications of the decision were becoming clear. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, who backed Remain, announced his resignation, Scotland made noises about another independence referendum, and Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister announced a possible vote on reuniting Ireland.

But, don’t worry, this is Canada.

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