[ssiguy]

Between 1970 to 1980, the difference in population between the two was really just a rounding error but Montreal remained, by a long shot, Canada's premier city.

My dad lived in Windsor in the early 50s and at the time EVERYONE went to Detroit as at the time Detroit was a very vibrant and cosmopolitan city and nearly everyone in London did the same as the 401 wasn't open and more importantly nobody wanted to go to Toronto........too boring, too ugly, and too uninteresting. He said he would take the train to Toronto only if it was for business and he hated every minute of it. He said him and relatives, if wanting to go shopping for the weekend or just have a good time would take the train to Montreal and completely ignore Toronto as there was absolutely nothing there that would entice anybody to go. You made your money in Toronto but had to spend it in Montreal. This when Torontonians would go to Buffalo "for a good time". My Dad said people always said the same joke about Toronto............First prize, a week in Toronto, Second prize, 2 weeks in Toronto, Third prize, 3 weeks in Toronto.

It started to change in the late 60s but it wasn't until the mid-80s that Toronto started to finally shine and slowly take off it's conservative cloak and take the carrot out of it's ass but it would be until the mid-90s before Toronto would securely say it's was Canada's most important city.

Now, for both Canadians and worldwide citizens, Toronto is THE Canadian city and Montreal has been relegated to an also-ran. Equally importantly is that Torontonians now KNOW they live in world class city that everyone on the planet knows about and is no longer in the shawdow of it's once bigger and more glamorous rival down the 401.