In a survey conducted throughout Canada, Preply discovered that the residents of Burlington, a city in the Halton region, topped the ranking by using an average of 15 swear words per day, earning them the title of Canada's biggest swearers.

According to the survey, the typical Canadian uses around nine swear words daily, but Burlington surpassed this norm with an astonishing 15 swear words uttered daily. The study also revealed that more women than men claim to "never swear," with 23% of women versus 18% of men falling into this category. Guelph and Chatham Kent secured second and third places, respectively, in the ranking.

Preply's survey encompassed over 1,500 residents across 44 of Canada's largest cities. Respondents were asked about their encounters with common impolite behaviours, their frequency of swearing, and their perceptions of the stereotype that Canadians are known for being polite.

While "sorry" is often associated with the Canadian vocabulary, Preply sought to investigate the extent of this ingrained tendency to apologize. The findings indicate that the average Canadian says sorry or apologizes nine times daily. However, Burlington claimed the top position for its frequency of apologizing, averaging 18 times daily. Oakville followed closely with 15 apologies, while Longueuil and Guelph each recorded 14 apologies daily.

Based on the results, Vaughan, Coquitlam, and Brampton were the three cities exhibiting the least courteous behaviour. Scoring notably higher than the average rudeness score of 5.22, these metropolitan areas achieved 8.05, 7.85, and 7.05 out of 10, respectively.

Overall, Canada is an uncommon example of a nation populated by polite citizens, with 83% of Canadians endorsing the stereotype of their politeness.

Among the cities surveyed, Markham (2.91), Saguenay (3.87), and Cape Breton (3.88) emerged as the most courteous. Notably, all the top ten most polite cities are situated in eastern Canada, possibly indicating a regional divide.

Saeed Akhtar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Milton Reporter, Milton Reporter