Ontario city voted as the rudest in Canada. Here's the full list

Toronto.Citynews.ca
Aug. 25, 2023
Lucas Casaletto and Stella Acquisto

A Greater Toronto Area (GTA) city scored the rudest in Canada in a new public opinion poll from Preply, a U.S.-based language learning app and platform.

“Canadians have garnered the stereotype of being exceedingly polite. Known for their welcoming attitude and over-apologizing, politeness is seen as a cultural norm,” wrote Preply contributor Adam Volz. “But is this representation just a myth?”

Preply surveyed more than 1,500 Canadians across 44 cities. The respondents were asked how often they witness rude behaviours where they live, and unfortunately for Vaughan, it may not have the best reputation.

Cities were ranked out of 10 from rudest (10) to most polite (1). The unofficial survey found that the top three rudest cities in Canada are Vaughan (Ont.), Coquitlam (B.C.) and Brampton (Ont.).

CityNews asked locals how they feel about Vaughan being considered the rudest city in Canada.

“Well, we’re not from Vaughan. We’re from up north in cottage country, but my mom lives down here, and she’s the sweetest 85-year-old lady I’ve ever seen or met,” said one man on Thursday. “All those saying that Vaughan has the rudest people, I don’t know who they are. They should look in the mirror.”

Another man disagreed, acknowledging that Vaughan residents can be nasty.

“Our roads are very busy. You may come across someone who has a different opinion than you. We can be very rude at times,” he said. “But we can be very genuine and friendly, as well.”

One man went as far as to say Montreal should have been ranked as the student Canadian city.

“You go to Montreal, they won’t even speak to you in English,” he said.

Del Duca comments on Vaughan’s placement in poll
Rounding out the top 10 are Surrey (B.C.), Windsor (Ont.), Thunder Bay (Ont.), Regina (Sask.), Edmonton (Alb.), Sudbury (Ont.) and Winnipeg (Man.).

According to Preply’s results, Markham (Ont.), Saguenay (Que.) and Cape Breton (N.S.) are the most polite cities in Canada. Rounding out the most polite group was Chatham-Kent (Ont.), Levis (Que.), Quebec City, St. Catharines (Ont.), Oakville (Ont.), Kingston (Ont.) and London (Ont.).

When factoring in just the GTA-based cities, here’s how it scored.

The poll results led to Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca issuing a statement.

“I’ve lived in Vaughan for close to 40 years, and I’ve always found our community to be caring, generous and home to hard-working families who look out for one another,” Del Duca said.

“While we are always looking for ways to grow stronger, and we are open to feedback, there is no doubt that Vaughan is one of Canada’s most dynamic, exciting and fastest-growing cities.”

According to the same Preply poll, Canadians swear on average nine times daily, but Burlington residents curse the most.