Like so many people over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided I needed a change.
I’d lived in Toronto for 10 years, building a network of friends and contemporaries, and growing my career, from my first job after university (running a not-for-profit) to becoming a director of marketing with an international network of accelerator programs via Toronto Metropolitan University.
When Toronto entered lockdown in March 2020, the benefits of a worldly city filled with food and culture evaporated overnight. Like most urban centres, the city was ravaged by a lack of foot traffic, and many businesses shuttered, including my favourite local bar. My 500-square-foot condo, formerly a cute retreat, felt more like a cell to which I was confined for weeks at a time.