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Dear Montreal,

We’ve come a long way you and I; I first met you 17 years ago, at the end of one of your infamous winters. I was studying electronic engineering and everybody told me how rich I would become if I were to go to North America.

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Later, when I decided to live my life with you, not because I would become rich, but for love and studies, I started uncovering your richness and your tolerance of diversity. This is when I discovered that for a human to become free, it is much easier within a tolerant environment.

We can take some things for granted after a while. So 17 years later, not materially rich at all, amid a North American environment that had turned rightward, I chose to leave you.

There are many things I will always be grateful for, and several others I’ll be grateful to be away from. Here’s a shortlist just in case you care to know.

Things I will not miss:

Traffic cones: You find them by the thousands lined up on the highways marking absolutely nothing, on sidewalks blocking pedestrian access, or left in the middle of the street for no apparent reason.