(Image: Hasbro)
Toronto real estate may be red hot, but in the fictitious marketplace of the classic board game Monopoly, Toronto is about as valuable as a four-bedroom house next to a GM factory in Detroit. The new Canadian edition of Monopoly (on sale June 28) was unveiled this morning, and Toronto’s place on the board is in the lowly light blues, the home of Vermont Avenue in the original version.
The coveted Boardwalk spot went to Chatham-Kent, a farm town you’ve probably never heard of in southwestern Ontario. We’ve got ourselves to thank for this—the positions were decided in an on-line vote by more than one million people. Park Place went to Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec, population 87,000. Apparently the voters weren’t from urban areas, since Vancouver and Ottawa were also banished to the light blues; Montreal only made it to orange; and Halifax didn’t even make it onto the board. There is, however, one Toronto asset on the board: Pearson Airport—one thing Canadians value in this city is where they can get out of it and fly home.
Wow. Ugly design.
June 22, 2010 at 2:19 pm | by andrewChatham-Kent … yes is a farm town cummunity of 110,000 people. If you haven’t heard of it that is okay. Don’t complain that you have a terrible spot on the board of monopoly. You as a big city should of blown us out of the water but instead as usual you complain about it! Are you city dwellers never happy? Blame yourself! Everyone else is happy!
June 22, 2010 at 2:28 pm | by JeremyUm, your ‘Toronto Asset’ YYZ is actually not in Toronto. You knew that, right?
#justsayin
June 22, 2010 at 4:27 pm | by Glennyes chatham is boardwalk. and it should be, home of the famous under-ground railway, chatham is just as good if not better than any big city like toronto or ottawa.
June 22, 2010 at 6:37 pm | by drake.Not that big city people couldn’t blow Chatham out of the board, but Chatham possibly has the most number of idle people voting every minutes, or has people who can devote every minute voting for their farm town. I’ve been voting for Niagara Falls ONCE everyday but am dumbfounded another relatively obscure town Beauceville trumped Niagara Falls.
I for sure will not buy this ridiculously designed game.
June 22, 2010 at 8:20 pm | by DenThose who thought of this voting system is either not a Canadian, or should be fired.
How Canadian is it when you can’t even get all 10 provinces on the board? So the Great Minds decided it would be an online vote, Stop crying about your position Toronto, Prince Edward Island is not even on the board and Confederation was born here. Even if everyone in the whole province voted we would not stand a chance. Take your Canada, I would not buy a board. Congratulations to the Great Minds, you have made some great decisions pitting one against one another. Another marketing company please.
June 22, 2010 at 9:09 pm | by Arlene BairdHi,
Why can’t everyone just be happy with what you get ? If you vote for your city an encourage others to vote, then I hope you got on! If you did all of that and didn’t make it on the board, you still tried and thats all that matters. We are proud that Chatham made it on the Monopoly Canada board!! Toronto, Halifax, Montreal .. they all should have been at the top, but because nobody voted from those places it’s obvious they didnt make it up as high. We’re proud community and I commend all those who’s efforts got their city onto the board, as well as those who gave it their all and didnt make it!!! It was a fair chance and it was up to us. They put the vote in our hands, you know, Like CANADA, Democracy :)
June 22, 2010 at 9:27 pm | by Jason BrownGo Chatham Kent woot woot!!
June 22, 2010 at 10:02 pm | by joeUh, why would anyone care about this at all? The placement of any place on this board reflects nothing more than the level of insecurity in town.
June 22, 2010 at 10:34 pm | by Craig WhiteReally!?! If your upset with your town’s spot on the board then you should have voted more! Congrats to the people of Chatham Kent, who clearly take much pride in where they come from!
June 22, 2010 at 10:52 pm | by ShawneeLooks like Montrealers stopped caring after getting the first spot on the World edition.
June 22, 2010 at 11:04 pm | by RogerWhere was this voting advertised? A stupid idea followed by an incompetent advertising program. I not only will not buy this game but will go as far as to discourage any Winnipeggers or Manitobans from buying it.
June 22, 2010 at 11:10 pm | by NikiaToronto worth basically nothing – I love it – couldn’t have happened to a nicer town!
June 22, 2010 at 11:12 pm | by Darrenreally who cares, who plays monopoly as an adult anyway, chatham is gay, but only because their city council cant even agree on building hockey arenas and parks, but yet they are marching in a parade over a stupid board game.
There are 2 good things about toronto, The leafs and the Jay’s other than that its a city trying too hard to be like new york, when anyone who’s ever been to new york knows that toronto doesnt even have 1/10th the character of new york.
June 22, 2010 at 11:23 pm | by Jack_the_ripperWell I have been to New York, and it’s character is highly over rated.
I am sure that someone, somewhere, within Hasbro will be missing out on their bonus this year when this game turns out to be a colossal flop. One can tell that a small number of people by voting numerous times swayed the vote and the results being relatively obscure places in Canada even to many Canadians getting top spots.
Unfortunately, unless everyone in those obscure spots buys a copy, which is unlikely to happen, this will flop.
I do not even live in Toronto (or Ottawa or Montreal or Vancouver or ….) and I will not buy this. It does not reflect Canada; either in the importance of our cities or in the breadth of our country. Frankly, it is just dumb!
June 23, 2010 at 12:05 am | by John