The rudest city in Canada is in Ontario, new survey finds. Here's where Toronto ranks on the list

Two of the top five rudest cities in Canada are in the Greater Toronto Area, according to a new opinion poll of over 1,500 Canadians across 44 cities.

thestar.com
Aug. 18, 2023

Canucks are famous for our politeness, but that doesn’t mean every city in Canada is equally nice --- at least, that’s according to their residents.

A new public opinion poll from Preply, a U.S.-based language learning app and platform, surveyed Canadians across 44 of the nation’s largest cities on how they felt their city performed in terms of rude behaviours.

The poll also determined which actions respondents saw as being most impolite, their swearing habits and whether Canadians really do over-apologize.

The results might surprise you.

These are the 10 rudest cities in Canada
To determine Canada’s rudest cities, surveyors asked over 1,500 Canadians across 44 cities how often they witnessed 26 “common disrespectful behaviours” where they reside, according to the poll.

By comparing specific cities against the overall average of this data, the team compiled a “rudeness score” for each location out of 10 --- with 10 considered most rude and one being most polite.

Here are the top 10 rudest cities in Canada, along with their average scores.

1. Vaughan, ON --- 8.05

2. Coquitlam, BC --- 7.85

3. Brampton, ON --- 7.05

4. Surrey, BC --- 6.91

5. Windsor, ON --- 6.88

6. Thunder Bay, ON --- 6.71

7. Regina, SK --- 6.54

8. Edmonton, AB --- 6.54

9. Sudbury, ON --- 6.41

10. Winnipeg, MN --- 6.24

Half the cities on this list are located in Ontario, with two located in the GTA. This may have been influenced by Ontario being Canada’s most populous province; only the top 44 largest cities in the country were ranked, potentially leading the province to be overrepresented.

The poll speculated Vaughan’s questionable honour of being Canada’s rudest city may arise from its popularity as a transit hub --- improper traffic behaviour was among the behaviours surveyed, and is one of the most common rude actions performed in Canada, the survey found.

These are the 10 most polite cities in Canada
On the other hand, the vast majority of Canadians --- 83 per cent --- agree with the stereotype that Canadians are polite. Surprisingly, all 10 of Canada’s nicest cities are found in the eastern provinces; here’s what made the list, alongside their average rudeness scores.

1. Markham, ON --- 2.91

2. Saguenay, QC --- 3.87

3. Cape Breton, NS --- 3.88

4. Chatham-Kent, ON --- 3.93

5. Lévis, QC --- 4.24

6. Quebec City, QC --- 4.33

7. St. Catharines, ON --- 4.36

8. Oakville, ON --- 4.46

9. Kingston, ON --- 4.53

10. London, ON --- 4.55

Ontario is similarly disproportionately represented on this list, comprising six of the 10 cities; the poll speculates whether these data reflect a cultural divide between eastern and western Canada.

As for Markham, considered Canada’s nicest city, the survey believes its position as Canada’s most diverse community and “cultural richness” leads its varied residents to number among the nation’s “most tolerable and polite.”

What are the rudest cities in the GTA?
There’s a great disparity in the GTA, with several of its cities placing on both Canada’s rudest and most polite lists. Toronto, with its rudeness score of 5.91, made neither list --- it places just above the national average of 5.41, making it ruder than average (but not by much).

Here’s where each GTA city ranked, from most rude to least, as well as their scores out of 10.

1. Vaughan --- 8.05

2. Brampton --- 7.05

3. Toronto --- 5.91

4. Mississauga --- 5.25

5. Richmond Hill --- 4.89

6. Burlington --- 4.76

7. Oshawa --- 4.73

8. Oakville --- 4.46

9. Markham --- 2.91

What are the most common “rude” behaviours?
The survey also calculated which of their 26 listed rude practices was encountered most frequently across Canada, and which city was most likely to exhibit the behaviour.

Each practice was assigned a score out of 10, with 10 being most common; here’s what made the list.

1. Being absorbed by phone in public (6.77) --- most common in Vaughan

2. Being noisy in public (5.00) --- most common in Winnipeg

3. Not letting people merge in traffic (4.90) --- most common in Regina

4. Not slowing down when driving near pedestrians (4.33) --- most common in Saanich

5. Not picking up dog feces (4.30) --- most common in Guelph

Notably, some of the behaviours surveyed, like “being noisy in public” or “closed off body language,” may come down to cultural differences; what one considers rude may be highly subjective and influenced by one’s own culture and background.

Which Canadian cities swear the most?
While swearing doesn’t necessarily equal rudeness, the poll surveyed Canadians for their stance on bad words. Overall, the average Canadian swears about nine times a day, with more women than men claiming they “never swear.”

Here are the Canadian cities with the biggest potty mouths, and how many swears they average every day.

1. Burlington, ON --- 15

2. Guelph, ON --- 14

3. Chatham-Kent, ON --- 13

4. Gatineau, QC --- 13

5. Regina, SK --- 13

6. St. Catharines, ON --- 12

7. Trois-Rivières, QC --- 11

8. Oakville, ON --- 11

9. Kingston, ON --- 10

10. Cape Breton, NS --- 10

These are the most apologetic cities in Canada
The stereotype of Canadians being overly apologetic certainly rings true, at least according to this survey --- on average, locals apologize around nine times per day, the same amount as the average daily swear words.

The figures vary from city to city, however, with Canada’s most apologetic location saying sorry at double the national average. Here are Canada’s most apologetic cities, and their average “sorry’s” said per day.

1. Burlington, ON --- 18

2. Oakville, ON --- 15

3. Longueuil, QC --- 14

4. Guelph, ON --- 14

5. Chatham-Kent, ON --- 13

6. Kingston, ON --- 12

7. St. Catharines, ON --- 12

8. Cambridge, ON --- 12

9. Lévis, QC --- 11

10. Quebec City, QC --- 11

Preply’s methodology for the rudeness survey
From July 24 to 28, 2023, Preply surveyed 1,518 Canadian residents in 44 cities in a poll conducted by global research company Censuswide. To participate, respondents must be a Canadian resident of at least 12 months.

People were asked how often they encounter 26 “common disrespectful behaviours” where they reside, which was later compiled into a rudeness score out of 10 to enable ranking. Respondents were also asked how often they apologize or use foul language every day, and whether they believe the stereotypes of Canadians being polite is accurate.