When you’ve lived in Ontario long enough, there are certain things you just stop questioning…
The province is huge and incredibly diverse, but whether you live in a big city, a small town, or somewhere in between, there are a few common threads that connect us all.
I grew up in Ottawa and stayed in Ontario my whole life, so while everyone’s experience here is obviously different, these are the nine unspoken truths that most Ontarians accept as a normal part of life.
We measure distance in hours instead of kilometres
I honestly couldn’t tell you how many kilometres it is from Ottawa to Toronto (or anywhere) without looking it up.
But ask me how long it takes to drive? About four and a half hours.
I feel like that’s just how Ontarians measure distance.
When the province is as big as it is, nobody’s saying, “It’s 450 kilometres away”.
We’re saying, “It’s about five hours” or “It’s only two hours up the road”.
Buying a house feels more like a dream than a plan
These days, I feel like one of the biggest conversations across Ontario (and Canada, honestly) is the cost of living.
The part that sometimes goes unspoken is how many of us have come to accept that homeownership feels more and more out of reach.
At least for a lot of the Gen Z and Millennials I know, we grew up hearing the traditional path: “go to school, get a job, and buy a house”.
Now it sometimes feels like you either need to win the lottery or move farther and farther away from the places you actually want to live to make it happen.
That being said, I’m sending good vibes out there so we can all eventually buy our dream homes… preferably for the price of a quarter and a loaf of bread.
Driving through Toronto is basically everyone’s worst nightmare
I feel like anyone I’ve ever talked to about driving through Toronto has some kind of traffic horror story.
I’ve driven there and been a passenger plenty of times, and when you hit that stretch of the 401 where traffic barely moves for what feels like forever, I’m convinced we all let out a collective sigh.
The highways are only part of it, though.
Driving in downtown Toronto is a whole other experience, which is why I’d much rather explore the city on foot, by public transit, or using anything that doesn’t involve parking.
OnRoute always shows up exactly when you need it
I know I’m not the only one who’s been on a long drive across Ontario, completely desperate for a bathroom break, a snack, and somewhere to stretch my legs.
Then you see the OnRoute sign ahead, and suddenly it feels like you’ve been saved.
Whether you’re stopping for gas, grabbing Tim Hortons, or just taking advantage of the many bathrooms, an Ontario road trip doesn’t really feel complete without an OnRoute stop (or three).
Ontario is way bigger than some of us realize
I vividly remember colouring in maps of Canada in elementary school and memorizing all the provinces, territories, and capitals.
But looking back, I don’t remember learning much about Ontario itself.
I spent my life taking little road trips around the province, but if I’m being honest, I’ve only ventured four or five hours away from Ottawa max…
Then I moved to Japan, and as I travelled around the country, it felt huge — only to learn later on that Ontario alone is more than twice its size.
I can’t be the only one who’s underestimated just how massive this province is, and the fact that it takes more than 20 hours by car to get from one end to the other still blows my mind.
I’m definitely doing a full Ontario road trip when I’m back home.
One quick stop at the LCBO…
If you drink, you already know.
The LCBO is the classic last-minute stop before a summer BBQ, cottage weekend, dinner party, or when you realize you need a gift and have absolutely no idea what to buy.
Most Ontarians I know don’t even say the full name — it’s just the “lick-bo”.
Bonus points if you grew up close enough to the Quebec border and realized you could cross over to buy booze a year before you could shop at the LCBO.
Our Big Apple is a road trip staple
Okay, this one might be more familiar to people in southern Ontario, but if you’ve ever driven on the 401 in that area, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
The Big Apple.
And no, I don’t mean New York.
As a kid, I already thought it was cool because it’s literally a giant apple on the side of the highway.
Then I found out there was an entire bakery inside with pies and all kinds of other treats, and suddenly it became even better.
At this point, seeing the Big Apple out the window is basically my cue that we’re making good road-trip progress.
Everyone knows someone with a cottage
If you grew up in Ontario, chances are you either had a friend with a cottage or knew someone who did.
My family never owned one, but over the years I’ve had plenty of childhood friends invite me up for weekends, and later on, adult friends with family cottages who still do the same.
Heading up to Muskoka, Prince Edward County, or the Kawarthas just feels like peak Ontario summer.
And if your cottage friend has a boat with a tube to pull behind it, you know you’ve hit the jackpot.
Toronto and GTA slang made its way across the province
I know Ontario has all kinds of different accents and lingo depending on where you grew up, but I also don’t think we can deny how much Toronto slang has influenced the way a lot of younger Ontarians talk.
A big part of that is social media and pop culture, but because Toronto has been shaped by so many different cultures and communities, words like “yute”, “bare”, and “fam” have made their way into conversations well beyond the GTA.
I’d know — I have teenage brothers and cousins.
And then, of course, there’s the Toronto accent itself. If you can decode, you’re definitely from Ontario.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.