Paris is for lovers - the Paris of the Prairies, that is.

The online retail giant Amazon.ca has named Saskatoon this country's most romantic city, placing just ahead of Calgary and Victoria.

It's a welcome distinction for the Saskatchewan city that is perhaps better known as Canada's most violent metropolis.

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"It makes sense," says local comedian Dez Reed, father of nine children. "You could cash out at any moment here, so we live our romantic lives to the fullest. What could be more romantic than having your wife standing over you while you bleed out into the snow?"

Certainly the city is well endowed with striking bridges, a cute downtown core and quaint riverside strolls, but what about the cold?

"We tend to be more snuggly here," said Mr. Reed, who lived in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto before settling in Toon-town.

But a closer inspection of Amazon's questionable criteria - sales data of romance novels, sex books, rom-com DVDs and Michael Bublé CDs - suggests Saskatoon may be more lovelorn than lovestruck.

With that in mind, the romantically inclined may be better advised to visit the amorous locale that placed last on the 20-city list. Because nothing says romance like a trip to Windsor, Ont.