For Canada, 2015 was an annus that started horribilis but ended mirabilis. For Toronto, it was the opposite; a year that began so hopefully got bogged down in the usual bickering and bone-headedness.

The big news, of course, was the rejection — no, repudiation — of Stephen Harper. His departure wasn’t just the end of an era, it was the lifting of a decade of darkness. The dismantling of the Conservative legacy, which began within hours if not minutes of the election, has already transformed the country.

The overnight shift from cynicism to optimism, negative to positive, illusion to reality, accomplished in the blink of an eye, has been extraordinary to witness. A country ignored by the world suddenly found itself the object of global admiration. A nation hungry for leadership responded with unabashed enthusiasm. One need look no further than the overwhelming response to the Syrian refugee crisis. As much as the 25,000 migrants who make it here will benefit from this humanitarian outpouring, the real winners are Canadians, who finally got a chance to feel good about themselves.

For the city, the good news started in 2014 when Rob Ford withdrew from the mayoral race clearing the way for John Tory to take over in January. The former, of course, was a disaster of global proportions. The latter, despite his dusty thinking and retro sensibilities, brought dignity, decency and credibility to the chief magistrate’s office.

While the change in style was welcome, the problem of substance continues. Councillors are learning to make nice, but their grasp on reality remains shaky. Despite the mayor’s earnest pronouncements, the $3.5-billion Scarborough subway still makes no sense and spending another $450 million to move and expand the east end of the Gardiner Expressway represents a missed opportunity of historic proportions. And although Tory bravely proposed a new “levy” to pay for transit, that long promised “adult conversation” about taxes has yet to take place.

As a result, even if the city knew how to fund its infrastructure needs, it can’t decide what those needs are. Trudeau has committed $125 billion to infrastructure over ten years. That’s a great start, but odds are Toronto will devote its share to accommodating drivers and expensive subways to nowhere.

At the same time, Canada moved beyond knee-jerk climate change denial and finally acknowledged that the environment is the issue of the age. Shrugs and indifference have given way to acceptance and even resolve. Today there’s talk about the enormous economic potential of going green, something not heard in these parts for years.

But the culture of denial runs deep; the return to the real world won’t be easy. Regardless, in 2015 the process was launched, even if only just. Resistance, however futile, is inevitable. Though some insist we can’t afford to get smart, and a few still maintain that climate change has nothing to do with us, the signs are good. Momentum is starting to build, even if the hard work lies ahead.

It’s too soon to say where it will lead. Canada has lost years. But 2015 will be remembered as a turning point, the year when Canada, even Toronto, redefined themselves. It remains to be seen whether Trudeau’s relentless optimism will be enough to turn things around, to succeed. For now, though, the more important thing is that the prime minister’s “sunny ways” were exactly what Canadians desperately wanted. In 2015 they made that abundantly clear.

Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca

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