As a Toronto realtor, I might be a little biased, but I seriously believe that this city is among the world’s greatest places for a woman to call home. Whether solo, in a partnership, or raising a family, there is something for everyone woman in this wonderfully inclusive city of ours.

And sure, 101 reasons may sound like hyperbole — but I promise, it isn’t. The truth is, if this post included every single woman that helps make this city so fab, I could have easily exceeded this number.  

Instead, I’ve condensed it all into 10 categories, and have made every effort to acknowledge the superwomen responsible for much of Toronto’s greatness, when possible. (I’m sure that once the post is published, I’ll be kicking myself for having unintentionally left someone out!)

So without further ado, here’s my take on why Toronto is such a great place for women to live…

1. Countless ways for women to connect

As the woman behind “The List,” a monthly list of female empowerment events happening in the city, I have to say this one’s a biggie. Even if you don’t like networking… even if you’re an introvert… it’s hard to call a city home without at least one woman-centric community to hang out with.

Lucky for you, I have the inside scoop on most of the female-led organizations in the city and the awesome events they often host. Let me just say, there are A LOT to choose from. But don’t let a case of FOMO get the better of you — there are opportunities to make life-changing connections with like-minded women every single month. Check out these local women’s organizations to see what I mean. (Special mention goes to Lean In Canada, an organization I co-founded in 2013!)

2. Revolutionary health care for women

Toronto has some of the best health care in the world, not to mention care that is centred around women’s health specifically. Women’s College Hospital is “a world leader in health for women,” providing a range of care programs — including a Breast Centre, a Gynecology Program, and a Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre. They are also soon to launch Women’s Virtual, a virtual hospital for women that will integrate with onsite care.

But it doesn’t stop there. From fertility testing and egg freezing services for women who don’t want to worry about a ticking biological clock (Lilia), to a patient-centric birthing space that replaces the sterile hospital environment with the comfort of a home-like atmosphere (Toronto Birth Centre), female health care in this city is nothing less than extraordinary.

3. Serious support for working moms

As a dog mom, I don’t have to worry too much about things like affordable childcare, but I keep hearing about these awesome spaces (both physical and virtual) whose goal is to support moms who love their careers (almost) as much as their families. For example, The Workaround (east end) and Working Ensemble (west end) are two co-working spaces* that also offer onsite childcare for WFH parents.

Then there are also local, online communities like Black Moms Connection, a safe and encouraging environment for black mothers to find support (led by event planner, writer and mom, Tanya Hayles), Tellent, a community of professional women looking for flexibility in their careers (led by Jennifer Hargreaves, an entrepreneur that represented Canada at the Canada-US Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders roundtable in New York), and Moms at Work, a virtual group of working moms that come together for encouragement, career tips, and networking opportunities (led by career coach, return-to-work expert, and mom of three, Allison Venditti). 

All three platforms help busy moms in a variety of ways: from landing flexible and/or remote work, to finding affordable childcare, to providing access to scholarships, emergency funds, or career advancement programs. Just as awesome is that some Toronto employers are beginning to recognize how important it is to retain women after maternity leave, and are teaming up with Allison to offer “Ready to Return,” Canada’s first supported online program for mothers returning to work. 

Speaking of working moms, I can’t forget to mention organizational apps like HELM.life (a.k.a. “your personal parent assistant”) or websites like League of Moms (a.k.a. “the ultimate mom directory”), both of which exist to help mothers offload some of the never-ending mental load.

*Love the idea of a co-working space, but don’t have kids? Or maybe you do have kids, but they’re in daycare or at school? Rachel Kelly’s Make Lemonade is an another lovely place for women to “get sh*t done.” (It just doesn’t come with onsite childcare.)

4. Women-run sports and more

You may remember when the Toronto Raptors proudly celebrated their female fan base in early 2019, or that they hired 26-year-old Brittni Donaldson as their assistant coach later that year. Well, when it comes to women and sports, Toronto is just like Drake’s favourite team. Whether you love to hit the pavement, the gym, or a punching bag, this city has a place for women who love to play sports, watch sports, compete in sports — and even those who don’t know the difference between soccer and football. (Is there even a difference? That was a trick question.)

From female-only gyms (Elle Fitness, MumNet, Sister Fit) to organizations that support women in sports (She’s4Sports, founded by Ainka Jess), to a newsletter that gives not-so-sporty women a run-down on the latest sports news (the Gist) so that they too can analyze last night’s game at the water cooler, Toronto women have certainly got their foot in the world of sports.

5. Politics that has a place for women

It may be 2020, but women today still have to fight for our rights. Thankfully, Toronto is a place where women’s voices can be heard, either as a political figure (Parkdale’s MPP, Bhutila Karpoche — voted Toronto’s Best MPP in NOW Magazine’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards AND Toronto’s Best Local Politician by TO Star readers — comes to mind!), behind the scenes (I’m thinking Siri Agrell who formerly worked with both Mayor John Tory and Kathleen Wynne), or in forms of protest (Think: Handmaid’s Local 416, one of the many sister groups that popped up since the lead-up to our most recent federal election.)

6. Technology for women, with women, or by women

We’ve all heard the stories. Tech startups have become yet another space where women are not only being left behind — but in some cases — are experiencing the Old Boys’ Club mentality of the Mad Men era. Luckily, Toronto’s tech hub is for the most part inclusive of its female population. And in some cases, it is even led by badass women, developing technologies and services that improve women’s lives.

In Toronto, you can find:

Programs that encourage both girls and women to get into STEM

• #movethedial (Jodi Kovitz)
• Bridge School (Avery Francis) 
• hEr VOLUTION (Doina Oncel)
• Juno College (Heather Payne)
• Little Robot Friends (Ann Poochareon)
• Tech Girls Canada (Saadia Muzaffar)
• Tech Spark (Tamar Huggins)

Organizations that fund women innovators

• Build With Bloom (Avery Francis)
• Disruption Ventures (Elaine Kunda)
• My African Corner (Chioma Ifeanyi-Okoro)
• SheEO (Vicki Saunders)
• Two Small Fish Ventures (Eva Lau)

Innovative technologies founded by women

• Awake Labs (Andrea Palmer)
• Borrowell (Eva Wong)
• HELM.life (Elize Shirdel)
• Magnusmode (Nadia Hamilton)
• Willful (Erin Bury)

7. Women-led real estate

From awesome female designers creating innovative spaces (Drôle House, by Deborah Mesher, M. Arch.) to a female-run development company (Taya Cook’s Reina Condos), to me, a realtor who is passionate about empowering women through real estate — if you look hard enough — you can find a home in Toronto that was, built, designed, owned**, and/or sold by a female at some point.

**Did you know that women own 52.2% of single-detached homes, and 56.5% of condos in Toronto? (Source: Statistics Canada)

Side note: If you plan to one day be one of those female homeowners and need a bit of help financing your home, I recommend reaching out to local finance experts, like Jackie Porter or Shannon Lee Simmons, for some stellar financial advice.

8. One of the safest big cities in the world

When it comes to big cities and safety, Toronto ranks pretty high. Having lived in various parts of the city throughout my life, I have to say I’ve never felt uncomfortable walking by myself or living on my own. And I’m not the only female who feels this way. Among a random selection of female friends whose brains I picked, the unofficial verdict seems to be that we feel safer here than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Toronto also offers services that help women feel safer — from a woman-centric ride-sharing service currently in the works (DriveHer, by Aisha Addo), to a safe hair-cutting space for the LGBTQA+ community (Dresscode Project, by Kristin Rankin), to an app that makes it easy for those with disabilities to navigate the city (AccessNow, by Maayan Ziv), Toronto tries its darndest to be a place that is safe and accommodating for all types of woman.

9. Some of the best brunch places on this planet — to catch up with your fab female friends, of course 😉

No matter where you happen to live in the city, you are pretty much guaranteed a local brunch spot to adopt as your fave. Take it from me — I’ve lived in 7 different neighbourhoods, and I was never without a nearby restaurant to serve me my favourite meal of the day. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on my top 10 brunch spots in the city — something every Toronto realtor should be able to recite off the top of their head, if you ask me. (I mean, come on, we’re the city of All Day Breakfasts. We love mimosas and French Toast almost as much as we love to hate Vancouver. I kid!)

Psst! Want to support women-owned restaurants? Try Nicki Laborie’s Bar Reyna or Janet Zuccarini’s Gusto 101, and you won’t be disappointed.

10. Most international & inclusive city in the world

No matter what language you speak, what religion you practice, what clothes you wear, what gender you identify with, the beautiful truth is: You can make Toronto your home. 

We are known as the most “international city in the world” because of our colourful array of cultures and cuisines. Our immigrant population is 51%, and collectively, we speak more than 200 languages. (Saiko! ← That’s Japanese for “awesome!”)

Our neighbourhoods are endearingly nicknamed Chinatown, Greektown, Koreatown, Little India, Little Italy (I could go on, but you get the picture!), and we boast one of the largest Gay Pride Parades in the world in another much-loved neighbourhood: The Gay Village. We have safe places of worship for a multitude of different religions, and we have a large percentage of people who don’t practice religion at all.

We also try to make it easy for newcomers. Organizations like Working Women Community Centre support immigrant women who are navigating the challenges of life in a new city (and country). And we offer shelters, transitional housing, and outreach programs for women escaping abuse or living in poverty.

If you’re ready to make this wonderful city of ours your next home, good news: I can most definitely help with that.

Whether you’re looking for a realtor to help you find the home of your dreams, or simply want to chat about where to get a good brunch, feel free to drop me a line!

P.S. Any local women-centric products, services, or organizations — or amazing TO women — missing from this list? Please please please let me know! I absolutely did not mean to leave any of the greatness out… there’s just so much of it in this city of ours, and only so much I can cover in one short post. Reach out!

 

by Despina Zanganas