Toronto Star

If Quebecers ever do get beyond the primitiveness of pure laine politics, the rest of Canada, especially Toronto, had better watch out. But for a political culture rooted in the past, Montreal could be the city of the future. That's unlikely to happen any time soon, though walking the streets of its rejuvenated centre one can't help but wonder what Montreal might have — and could still — become. For Toronto, the lessons are clear: look after the city and it will look after you. On the surface, Montreal is a city that appears to have it all — history, great architecture, a public realm that hasn't been degradedand a full array of urban amenities. Compared with Toronto, a city that often seems to hate itself, Montreal is a place that loves being what it is.