Something political (part 1)

 What does one do when they are away from their home riding at a time a national election is taking place?  This was the conundrum that faced me while I was on my epic two month journey 3,904km (give or take a few hundred kilometers) away from home.  If I were to point to my normal election habits I would vote, go home and curl up in front of the tv alone to watch the election results and be riveted to the screen for 3 hours or so before I decided to call it a night.  But I was travelling and these were hardly normal circumstances - after all I did not have a tv!  Since I'm slightly passionate about Canada (give or take a few degrees of passion [mostly give]) I knew that not watching the election coverage results first hand was not an option, so other arrangements would have to be made.

First of all, voting - I made arrangements a month in advance of the actual polling date to vote by mail.  I might have snorted very loudly in amusement when I opened the envelope from Elections Canada to discovered that it was like a Russian nesting doll inside, with one, two, three more envelopes and a ballot required for use in order to return my vote.  I had to write my vote on the ballot, put it in an envelope, seal and sign.  Then I had to put that envelope in another envelope and seal and sign.  Then I had to put that envelope in yet another envelope, address it, attach my own postage (Seriously Elections Canada no pre-posted envelopes?  I'm so disappointed in you.) and mail it.  Talk about a process!

Second, finding a place to watch the election coverage - I just happened to be in Toronto for the week that the election was taking place so I figured that there was some place out there showing results for the public.  After all, this was Toronto: the city that blew my mind as I entered it and realized how absolutely huge it and the greater surrounding area was.  We're talking about an area that is half the population of Ontario, equal to the population of BC or three times the population of the Maritime provinces put together!  If there was no place in a city this big to watch the election coverage results then I was going to eat my toque, or hat (for those non-Canadian readers out there).  Still there was the chance that finding a place might be difficult since the election night conflicted with an all-important Toronto Blue-Jays baseball playoffs game, and an equally important debut of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer during Monday night football (priorities, people, priorities).  After looking online, however, I realized that my fears were in vain.  The problem was not finding a place that was showing the election results; no, the problem would be narrowing down which place out of all the plethora available that I wanted to spend my night.

It was a tough decision, but in the end I settled on a cinema up in the university district that was hosting a free screening of the election coverage. I was secretly hoping they would be selling popcorn too! Having made my decision, I announced my evening intentions to my international roommates in the Toronto hostel I was staying at, giving them the opportunity to join me, only to receive incredulous looks all around.  The Swede declared that this was absolutely fascinating - that Canadians actually get together outside of the home together to watch election results!  This was something she has never heard of before, which I find absolutely fascinating.  I guess Canadians are comparatively very passionate about their politics, something that was apparent only after receiving an outsider's perspective.  Despite the fascination, however, she declined to join me for my exciting evening on the town.  No problem, having been single for so long I am used to going to the cinema on my own!

Decision and arrangements made, it was the evening of October 19th. I bundled up and stepped out into the heart of downtown Toronto.  My mission: to spend my evening at a cinema celebrating with other Canadians our democratic right to vote.  It was to be a unique, fun and historic night.

The story continues!