This thread is making me want to hop (pun not intended)on a plane and sample real ales!Unfortunately there aren't too many around Toronto. A few brew pubs exist and there are some micros. Creemore , as Mooh said is, pretty good and is what I normally have. Cameron's Pale once you find it. I should go up to the Granite Brew pub - been to the one in Halifax, Nova Scotia and it was marvellous.
For English ales beggars can't be choosers so we do have to have John Smiths though Ruddles is now around.
Rana