St. John’s is the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, a province on the furthest edge of Atlantic Canada’s east coast. It is an awesome city, but there have been a lot of big challenges over its history. It’s easy to be pessimistic, and it's easy to take the place for granted.

In this video, you’ll hear the voice of Masai Ujiri, the president of operations for the Toronto Raptors. The city he is speaking of is actually Toronto, not St. John’s, but there are a couple of reasons why his words are so poignant here:

First of all, the words simply apply to St. John’s, and people who live here deserve to be proud of our one-of-a-kind city.

Second, the contrast between Toronto and St. John’s here illustrates how the perception is everything. In terms of relocation to Canada (or within Canada), Toronto is quite often the first city that comes to mind, while the consideration of a New Canadian to come to NL is almost a brand new idea. However in terms of the NBA, Ujiri is explaining how Toronto has been considered a distant outpost that most players weren’t interested in coming to, but that if people shifted their attitude, they could see that it was in fact one of the more exciting destination cities available in the league. He’s not suggesting that it is perfect, but he is saying that Toronto is awesome. Similarly, St. John’s is by no means perfect, but it is AWESOME.

The parallels between Newfoundland and Labrador’s place in Canada, and the Toronto Raptors’ place in the NBA are amazing. After many years of mismanagement and mediocre performance, the Raptors have turned the corner and have proven themselves to be winners. They have finally begun to garner respect in the league. Newfoundland and Labrador's centuries-long search for effective leadership continues, but we’re not waiting for so-called leaders to show up anymore. We are starting to take matters into our own hands, and for the first time in a long, long time, the future genuinely looks bright.

Filmed and edited by Mark Royle for ComeToNL.com, in St. John's Newfoundland between July 2021 and April 2022.

Song: Tribal Splash by Rhythm Scott
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We want you to Come to Newfoundland and Labrador! This channel aims to showcase the beauty of this Canadian province and its people. The future is bright here, and like we always say:
Wherever yer from, wherever yer to, there's a place for you here!

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