I remember my first time visiting ‘Out West’ as a quasi grown-up at the ripe ol’ age of 24, and meeting a bunch of people. Some were native to the western region (born and raised, not meaning First Nations in this case), and others were implants. You know, Ontarians that implanted themselves on the Best Coast. Sorry, I mean West Coast.

While there, I was shocked to learn the distaste that many westerners felt for Ontario, or as many called it ‘Onterrible.’ I had no idea that a major portion of the country thought that Ontario was a garbage dump filled with terrible people. What’s that all about? I had no idea about this because it’s not at all true.

So many that I had met, were obsessed with the beauty that is B.C., and I don’t blame them, it is beautiful, but it isn’t the be all and end all. Ontario isn’t an unlivable wasteland just because B.C. has mountains.

While B.C. is a wonderful province, it is no better than any other province that our great country has to offer. Each province has it’s own set of idiosyncrasies that makes it a great place to live and/or visit. And, there are problems in each province as well. I don’t have rose-coloured glasses on. I have really old glasses on that aren’t quite strong enough for my aging eyes.

With that, below is a list of what makes Onterrible wonderful:

• We have three awesome wine regions. And, if you like to drink the red-stuff as much as I do, this fact alone should keep you interested. Most people tend to only think about our Niagara wine region, but having sampled some Prince Edward County wine, and having been to pretty much every winery in Essex County, there are so many amazing alcoholic grape juices for everyone to try.
• We hosted World Pride. WORLD PRIDE!
• In our last provincial election, we had two female candidates, and one of them was a lesbian. Crazy fact: not once were either of those facts a part of the campaign discussion. Only policy and politics were at hand. And, the winner was a woman lesbian. Can you believe that! Not once did her period get mentioned, nor did her ‘nontraditional family values’ get brought up. Why? Because we don’t believe in that nonsense. Periods and sexuality have nothing to do with how you govern a province or raise a child. Not only does this show the maturity of our media outlets, but it also shows how far Ontarians have come in the whole LGBTQ equal rights issue. I know many have a long way to go, but it sure says a lot about our culture and how awesome we’re becoming. 
• Our beaches are spectacular, and not once do you need to worry about sharks.
• Toronto is less expensive to live than Vancouver, and people wear clothes other than MEC and Lululemon.
• And, Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Because of that, dining here is amazing.
• Have you seen the Grotto or Flower Pot Island? It’s like we have our own little piece of paradise here.  
• There are over 250K lakes here. Do you know how much cottage property that equals? Me neither. But it’s a lot.
• Speaking of lakes and beaches…the Great Lakes really are great.
• Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-lake. One is like a cross between Vegas and Disney World with the most spectacular waterfall that you’ll ever see, and the other is like a tourist time-machine that is also a little piece of heaven.
• Point Pelee – Point Pelee is a National Park that is filled with migrating birds, and is in line with California. It’s the most southern and hottest part of the country. And, it shares the name with with Pelee Island (winery) where some of the province’s best wine comes from.
• People are nice here. I swear. We are.
• The Kee to Bala. Nothing else needs to be stated here.
• And lastly, the third best pizza in the world comes from Windsor Ontario. There’s a lot of places that make pizza so to place third is pretty outstanding. Mmm pizza.

Really, there are so many other reasons why Ontario is great. And, I know that there are things to complain about, like how our biggest city has a mayor that is a better punchline than politician, and that every road is under-construction at the exact same time, but these are just minor obstacles that we will overcome.