Yes I have lived and dined in Toronto. I remember Ossington street very fondly. But I consider these to be exceptions as you have rightfully acknowledged as anecdotal. You have a decent chance of getting authentic international cuisine in cities like NYC, Toronto and London but this is not where most Westerners live. Most Westerners live where they're in some way getting a watered down version of international cuisine.

I've lived in smaller Canadian and American cities also. You'll be fine if you're ok with pizza, burgers (nothing wrong with that) and Americanized Chinese/Mexican of significantly variable quality. Once you go outside of those bounds it's an adventure and often not a pleasant one.