Photo by Cobby17 in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto events on September 4th, 2013

ART | Poster Party
Steam Whistle's September art show opens this evening, and it celebrates one of the most under recognized of all visual art forms: the poster. Certainly the associations of this artform with advertising have impeded its complete validation by the art establishment, but many curators and academics are starting to realize that pioneers like Wes Wilson, Nigel Waymouth, and others were groundbreaking visual artists who had a huge influence on popular culture in their time. This particular show will celebrate the poster by focusing on the work of a group of OCAD students - both poster artists and printmakers - who know each other through their time at school together. Contributors include Kyle Michael Murray, Jay Beckett, Reid Jenkins, Rebecca Ladds, Ella Selbie, and several others. Poster Party runs at Steam Whistle until September 30th.
Steam Whistle Brewing (255 Bremner Blvd) 7PM

MUSIC | Snarky Puppy @ Lee's
Snarky Puppy returns to TO tonight, and rather than their usual multi-night run at The Rex, they are opting for one big blast at Lee's Palace this time. This Texas and New York-based collective is headed by bassist and composer Michael League, and is known for bending and mixing genres, while still remaining under the broad umbrella of "jazz fusion". These guys are heavy on groove, and have built a very devoted and large following after years of constant touring. This year has seen the release of two Snarky Puppy albums, Amkeni w/ Bukuru Celestin, and Family Dinner. After Funk, a local up 'n' coming 8-piece funk act, with a considerable following of their own, open the show tonight.
Lee's Palace (529 Bloor Street West) 8PM $20 adv / $25 door

FILM | The 8th Annual CaribbeanTales Toronto Film Showcase
The CaribbeanTales TorontoFilm Showcase opens at Harbourfront this evening. This ten day event will bring a taste of Caribbean culture to the city, with a wide a variety of images and sounds via the film making talents from both the region and the Caribbean diaspora. Both emerging and well known film makers of from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds will be contributing to the showcase. Tonight begins with a launch party and reception with live entertainment, followed by the film, No Bois Man No Fraid, a story centered around two men's rediscovery of kalinda, a Trinidadian martial art. The CaribbeanTales TorontoFilm Showcase runs until September 14th.
Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen's Quay West) 6PM $45

ART | Elaine Whittaker - Ambient Plagues
An exhibition of Toronto sculptor and installation artist Elaine Whittaker's work, Ambient Plagues opens today at Redhead Gallery. Whittaker's work is concerned with the biological aspect of human nature, and the natural forces that shape us and influence our behaviour, as well as other organisms created and maintained by these forces, often on a microscopic level. In addition to a variety of media, including paint, wax, audio, and photography, Whittaker's installations will incorporate microorganisms to explore the "transformations" experienced by humans from biological forces and the fearful perspective that guides these observations. Ambient Plagues runs until the 28th of September.
Red Head Gallery (401 Richmond Street West, Suite 115)

Also Of Note

• Play
• Golden Kingdom - A solo show by Graham Krenz

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Photo of Steam Whistle's gallery

Porter Airlines wants to extend the runway at Billy Bishop further than it originally announced for its proposed new fleet of jet aircraft. Under an alternative proposal, the landing strip would be extended by 200 metres at both ends - 32 metres longer than the airline first claimed would be necessary. Porter says the extra room will make the Bombardier CS1000 jets quieter by giving them extra landing and take-off space. Should passenger jets get the green light?

Public consultations on Porter's plans start today at 2 PM, 250 Fork York Boulevard.

The teenage girl struck by a dump truck on her way to school yesterday is being described as a "fantastic student." Violet Jia Liang, 14, was walking to C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute for the first day of new year when she was hit at Sentinel Rd. and Lamberton Blvd. "She was always happy and she always knew how to make people laugh," family friend Cindy Tran told CTV News.

An 80-year-old woman fractured her him after being tasered in Mississauga last week. "At some point" in a conversation with police an officer deployed the the stun device, knocking the woman to the ground where she sustained the injury. The SIU is investigating.

Toronto police have charged a man in connection with the bizarre theft of a rare piano from a downtown hospital. The Steinway Boston baby grand valued at $27,000 was taken from Toronto General Hospital on July 14 and later sold to a local business. Artem Timofeyev, 27, is charged with theft over $5,000, trafficking in stolen goods over $5,000, exposing a counterfeit mark and fraud.

Lake Ontario was a lovely neon blue last week - too bad you had to be in an airplane or a space station to see it. The spectacular colours were caused by microscopic cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, and are actually responsible for some environmental nastiness: when too much algae grows in a body of water it absorbs the oxygen and kills other aquatic life. Still, it made good pictures.

A metre-long escaped snake was found winding its way through undergrowth at Port Royal Public School, near Midland and Steeles yesterday. The non-venemous but still extremely creepy reptile was scooped up by Toronto Animal Services a short time later. It's possible the snake was someone's pet who had broken lose.

Le Dolci, the kitchen behind the maple bacon jam that sickened more than fifty people at this year's CNE, is planning to re-open, presumably without the item on their menu. The Dundas West bakery made the toxic topping for the cronut burger and closed voluntarily in the wake of Toronto Public Health test results. The team of bakers returned for the first time yesterday morning.

IN BRIEF:

• Officer who collapsed at half-marathon full of gratitude a year later [Toronto Star]
• Boy, 14, charged in fatal shooting of Yusuf Tifow [CBC]
• Alouettes, rookie QB Tanner Marsh dump Argonauts [CBC]
• Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays blast Diamondbacks [CBC]

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Jonathan Castellino/blogTO Flickr pool.

This Week in Fashion rounds up the week's style news, store openings and closings, pop-up shops, sales and upcoming fashion and design events in Toronto. Find it here every Wednesday morning.

EVENTS/PARTIES

Later today (September 4) from 4 pm until 7 pm, Trinity Square (southwest of Yonge & Dundas) will be home to Fashion On Yonge, a festival featuring over 600 of Downtown Yonge Street retail stores and restaurants. Complete with a live DJ, stylist consultations, three themed runway shows, a red carpet, and a chance to win a care package valued at $1500, this free event isn't one to pass up.

Asia Clarke of local jewellery brand Wild Moon is headed to Dominica to volunteer for CUSO International, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing poverty and inequality across the globe. For this reason, she's turning to her endlessly supportive community for help - party style! Tonight (September 4), jam out at Measure (296 Brunswick Ave) with DJ Tona from 7 pm until the wee hours of the morning, and pick up some Wild Moon photography prints and 20% off jewellery while you're at it. Cover is $10 and the first 30 attendees get a blingin' free giveaway.

Creep - a local label designed by Hiroshi Awai - is landing for the first time at Uncle Otis (26 Bellair St) this upcoming season. As the only stockist of the city, it's only right that they throw a launch party complete with Sapporo and sounds by the designer himself. Tomorrow (September 5) from 7:30 pm until 10 pm, stop by for a cold one and a gander at the quintessentially Canadian yet unmistakeably Japanese fall/winter collection.

This weekend, stop by V by 69 Vintage (702 Queen St W) for first dibs on Caitlin Power's fall/winter collection. From noon until 6 pm on Saturday (September 7) and Sunday (September 8), meet with the designer herself and shop the sales of up to 60% off over complimentary treats by Clafouti and refreshments by Tealish. Post launch party, the collection will be available at both V Boutique and Pomp & Pageantry (112 Scollard St).

Every second Sunday of the month, find unique treasures at the Junction Flea - an eclectic market filled to the brim with independent vendors. This time around (September 8), get your vintage and handmade anything and everything fix at Dundas Street West and Keele Street from 10 am until 5 pm.

A bit of Bombay is coming to Toronto next week from Tuesday (September 10) until Saturday (September 14) in the form of NorBlack NorWhite's BOM >> YYZ, a cross-cultural pop-up shop held at Oz Studios (134 Ossington Ave). Shimmy to the sounds of Neky the Kid and Yes Yes Y'all - while perusing the likes of Aish's snazzy Calcuttan scarves or local artist Rajni Perera's magical prints - at 7 pm on opening night (September 10). If you can't make it, don't fret -- they'll be open all week long.

SALES

Gotstyle's running a little made-to-measure promotion to help you get back to business post summer relaxation mode. For $899 plus tax, get a two-piece suit, dress shirt, and tie made just for you until Sunday (September 8). This event applies to the Bathurst location (62 Bathurst St) only; don't forget to book an appointment online before popping in to take your measurements.

Photo from Fashion on Yonge's Facebook page

Originally opened in the Junction back in 2008, Crema has steadily increased its presence with three additional locations spread across the city. Now in its fifth year, the company is on the cusp of opening its own roasting facility, Propeller Coffee Co. The 7,000 square foot west end roastery will include a cupping lab, kitchen and café. And that's not where the expansion plans end, either.

Read my review of Crema Coffee in the cafes section.

Parking in the city is a constant headache. Finding a parking spot that isn't miles away from where you are going is like winning on a scratch ticket and getting one that is free without a time limit is hitting the jackpot. But the reality is that we find ourselves circling the streets before waving the white flag and entering a paid lot which can totally ruin your day. Toronto is filled with free parking spots but how many of them are you even aware of? If only there was a way to easily see them all! Yes my friends, there is an app for that!

Toronto Parking Finder - a new app that just hit the Google Play store, aims to equip Toronto Android smartphone users with the information they need to stop paying through the nose to park their car.

Behind Toronto Street Parking Finder are three independent developers all of whom are graduates from Ryerson. The team, which goes by the name ForageFox, created the app out of their personal frustration with finding and paying for parking around the city. In looking at the parking apps out there, they saw a gap in providing information around free street parking. There are many Green P and private lot apps out there for Toronto, thirty-five when you search for "Toronto Parking" in the Google Play store, but none focus on the free parking opportunities around the city.

Toronto Street Parking Finder is a dead simple, well-designed Android app which let's you find the free or cheapest parking on a street near you with one tap. The app gets its information from permit data direct from the City of Toronto. It currently has over 4,000 different parking spots (free and metered) in the downtown area in its database.

Outside of showing you a map of parking spots nearby, the app also comes with some neat features. You can set the radius of your search results, get directions to the parking spot you selected and can even plan ahead by entering your time, date and location. As a bonus, the app also has a timer which you can set to help remind you of when you need to go back and fill up the meter, or worse, move your car.

The app is available as both a free lite version and a premium version at $2.99. The premium version removes ads and provides color-coding of parking spots on the map for easier price comparison. At $2.99, the premium version of the app is among the highest in the Toronto Parking apps in the Google Play store - of which most are either free or $0.99.

Aydin Yuce, one of the three co-founders behind the app, told me that users of the premium version also benefit from updates and new features faster than those who have the free app. So if you are one of those people who need to have things first than perhaps the paid app is for you otherwise the free version really does the trick.

Yuce and his team intend to release an update in the next few weeks which add Green P information to the app to round it out and allow them to further compete in this space. They also plan to release an iOS and possibly a Windows and BlackBerry version of the app depending on the success they see on Android. You can download both versions of the Android app from the Google Play store.

Have a parking app you can't live without on your smartphone? Let us know in the comments below.

As they make plans for an eventual brewhouse and restaurant in the Collingwood area, fledgling beer company Northwinds Brewery is bringing a sampling of their of beers to Toronto-area restaurants and bars.

Founded by Geoff Conway, a Prud'homme certified graduate of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in London who took home the gold at the 2013 Ontario Brewing Awards in the Homebrewer IPA category, Northwinds Brewery is Intended to "celebrate the Georgian Bay lifestyle" by being "bold and adventurous" like the area it hails from.

Joining Conway is Northwinds' head brewer, Andrew Bartle, a graduate of the inaugural class of Niagara College's Brewmaster and Brewery Management Program who has experience working at breweries in Canada, the United States, and Denmark.

Conway and Bartle tell me that when creating the Northwinds portfolio, they'll be crafting both sessionable and heavier eclectic beers, but that they will focus on a predominantly North American style.

First up is Corduroy Rye India Pale Ale, "a full bodied beer with a hefty addition of hearty rye malt and loads of hops" that will be on the market as of September and, while it's their first offering, that doesn't mean it's going to be the one they hang their hats on.

"Our main goal is to be a brewhouse and eatery" Conway tells me, explaining their desire to change up styles frequently. "We do not intend on having a 'flagship' or 'signature' beer."

The Collingwood brewhouse location is still under wraps while they finalize details, but they're optimistic the doors will open sometime in 2014 when they'll work to collaborate with local producers and businesses to provide seasonal menus, craft brewed beers, and other local selections showcasing the region.

Until then Northwinds will be contract brewing their beer in order to offer Ontario's beer fans a taste of their brews (and, one would assume, build up some capital to finance said brewhouse).

As is frequently the case when new brewers are finalizing accounts, the folks at Northwinds were hesitant to say publicly where you'll be able to find their beer just yet, but it's a fairly safe assumption that Toronto's more beer-focused bars will be the target of Northwinds first efforts when the beer starts flowing early this month.

In addition to maintaining accounts here, collaborating with Toronto's brewers will be part of Northwinds' ongoing strategy and Conway tells me that in addition to pouring eight Northwinds beers at a time at their forthcoming brewhouse, they'll also have two rotating guest taps (in addition to cask and barrel-aged options) so that Ontario craft brewers might have a place to showcase their beers in Collingwood.

For more information about Northwinds Brewery, including the other styles of beer they plan on brewing in the future, check out their website.

Ben Johnson also writes about beer on Ben's Beer Blog.

4am extended last call for TIFF 2013 is one of the fringe benefits of the annual festival that appeals as much to industry movers and shakers anxious to make a deal and those of us who just like to drink a lot. And the options have never been more plentiful. At present, almost 50 restaurants and bars have been approved for extended hours during the festival, with a few more likely to roll in over the next few days.

Not all of the establishments listed below have an extended license for the entirety of the festival, so it's important to check ahead when looking to make a post 2am stop, but given the breadth of the options out there, it should be easy enough to find a late night tipple during this year's fest.

Hungry at 4am? Make sure to take our Bars, Pubs and Late Night eats app with you.

Behold, the bars, clubs and restaurants with 4am extended last call for TIFF 2013.

• Bovine Sex Club
• Brant House
• Cherry Colas
• Cinema
• Cobra
• Crush Wine Bar
• Dog & Bear
• The Drake Hotel
• EFS
• The Everleigh
• The Fifth
• Fox & Fiddle
• Four Seasons
• F-Stop
• Gabby's
• The Garrison
• Hey Lucy!
• The Hideout
• The Hoxton
• Hush
• Ivy Social Club
• Maison
• Marben
• Media Bar
• Momofuku
• Monarch Tavern
• Office Pub
• Patria
• Park Hyatt Hotel
• Peacock
• Ritz Carlton Hotel
• Senses
• Shangri-la Hotel
• Soho House
• Spoke Club
• Stirling Room
• Storys
• Switch
• Templar Hotel
• Thompson Hotel
• Trump International
• Tryst
• Weslodge Saloon
• Windsor Arms Hotel
• Wrongbar

MAP

Thanks to Grolsch for sponsoring our coverage of TIFF13Photo of the Everleigh by Jesse Milns

Over a year after having been evicted from their longstanding home at Queen and Broadview, the Real Jerk has finally found a new home. The restaurant is set to take over the former Playpen space at Gerrard and Carlaw. While no official date has been set for the grand re-opening, the restaurant has repeatedly promised on Twitter that it'll be "soon." Global News puts the date at around three weeks, so that's exciting news for fans of the former Riverside staple.

The Real Jerk has initially planned to relocate to 625 Queen Street East, just a stone's throw away from the original restaurant. After securing the space on the ground level of Edge Condos, resident opposition to their liquor licence caused owners owners Ed and Lily Pottinger to rethink the space.

In some sense, the Jerk might be a more natural fit in a neighbourhood in transition. One suspects there will be more freedom to redecorate the exterior of the building given the drab strip mall surroundings, and with Queen Street well gentrified between Riverside and Leslieville, it's a safe bet that the area around Gerrard and Carlaw will see some of its own redevelopment action.

Brett Clifton doesn't want the Sam the Record Man sign to gather dust in a warehouse, but he needs your help to make it happen. An online petition started by the city employee wants members of the local community council to hold Ryerson University to its end of a five-year-old preservation deal.

In 2008, Ryerson agreed to hang the giant neon sign on its new Student Learning Centre in exchange for permission to demolish the record store building at Yonge and Gould. Now, in a revised plan awaiting approval from the city, Ryerson hopes to back away from that agreement, citing design, cost, and safety concerns, all of which were known when the deal was first agreed upon.

The size of the sign would block natural light entering the modern glass building and toxic mercury inside the bulbs could leak in the event of a fire, the university says. A shortage of neon light workers is also a factor, it claims.

If the new proposal is accepted, the sign would be placed in storage for two years while Ryerson considers alternative options. In the meantime, a granite or bronze plaque would be sunk in to the sidewalk outside where the main entrance used to stand.

Clifton hopes Toronto and East York Community Council chair Cllr. Paula Fletcher will put up a fight and force the university to bring back the sign.

"This would never be permissible in a private exchange," he says. "I might have reasons why I don't want to pay my rent this month, you can't just make excuses for that, it's a deal. And that's what's happening here."

At time of writing the Change.org campaign has garnered more than 120 supporters, but Clifton hopes more people will sign up before next week.

"We're not asking the city to do anything at all except hold them to the deal, the legal deal," Clifton says. "We're not asking them to do more, we're asking them to do the bare minimum here."

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Stephen Gardiner/blogTO Flickr pool.

Helmed by Royal York-trained chef Jenny G, this modest restaurant on Queen East is committed to offering some of the freshest fish 'n chips around town. But the real key is the batter, which is both crispy and cake-like without a hint of oily sogginess.

Read my review of Ackroyd's Fish n' Chips in the restaurants section.

Ontario has announced plans to extend the Bloor-Danforth subway line to Scarborough Town Centre. The provincially funded line will run close to the route carved out by the current SRT at a cost of $1.4 billion, the amount previously committed to reworking the crumbling above-ground transit line. The current plan is to outfit the 6.4 kilometre line with two stations and turn it over to the TTC for operation.

This differs from the last conception of a Scarborough subway discussed at city council, which was to be longer and feature more frequent stops. That version also depended on municipal and federal funding, which isn't required for this project. Should the federal government kick in funding, the line could theoretically be extended to Sheppard (as per the version agreed upon at city council), but that would not be under the purview of the province.

Supporters of a Scarborough subway score a major victory today, even as critics will surely point out that a two-stop line is far from ideal. That said, given the municipal dithering on the matter, it feels a bit like our provincial parent chose to be decisive on a matter the City just wasn't able to settle on. One thing's for certain, Rob Ford will say he got his Scarborough subway, even if he had relatively little to do with it.

What do you think? Given that the city isn't picking up any of the bill, is this a good plan?

The end of the CNE, complete its deafening jets tearing across the sky, always marks the unofficial conclusion of summer in Toronto. Post-Ex, the night air gets a little cool, kids go back to school, and the weight of existential dread drowns us all. Um, never mind about that last bit. But, about the Ex. What a year it was. With a PR crisis related to the cronut burger, a spiffy new zip line, and a host of time-honoured traditions that make the fair an exercise in ongoing nostalgia, it makes it difficult to summarize the event in one go. Thankfully, we have the help of our followers, who by tagging their Ex photos with #cneblogto, have contributed to a wonderful visual overview of this year's event. Below are 30 highlights from the 2013 CNE.

Check out the entire collection of colourful Ex photos in our streams section.

THE FOOD

The notorious cronut burger by blogto

Lumberjack poutine by patrickrea416

Dirty ice cream by blogto

Lobster roles and poutine by rebelology

Waffle ice cream sandwich by sergeyszest

The colossal onion by sarz987

THE MIDWAY

Photo by winniehoang88

Photo by melanieb_cdn

Photo by hanz_schmidt

Photo by cboliphoto

Photo by kmaltz25

Photo by blogto

Photo by shellche

THE RIDES

Photo by rebelofthefuture

Photo by acardarelli86

Photo by adds29

Photo by comeshot

Photo by gummyting

Photo by stephcanarte

Photo by terrylevine

Photo by terrylevine

Photo by tonoariki

THE REST OF IT

Photo by adds29

Photo by rebelology

Photo by eddbot

Photo by whyilovetoronto

Photo by patrickrea416

chloemrodgers

Lead photo by winniehoang88

The TIFF party season of 2013 begins tonight and features free, ticketed and invite only events at dozens of Toronto venues. With A-list stars such as Matthew McConaughey, James Franco, Sandra Bullock and Hugh Jackman scheduled to touch down in Toronto this year, there will be plenty of events to scope out a celeb or two. Want to get your party fix during this year's film fest? We've got you covered almost every night of the week.

Here's the lowdown on what parties will be buzzing at this year's TIFF.

TOP PARTY VENUES
These venues are hosting multiple parties throughout the festival. Whether you can get in sometimes depends on who you know, how much you're willing to pay or if you mind waiting in line.

Bars with extended 4am licenses
As we reported earlier today, there are almost 50 bars, restaurants and nightclubs that have been granted special permits to serve booze late into the night. Many of these venues are bringing in high profile DJs or entertainment just for TIFF and their events will be open to the public. For example, Uniun Nightclub is featuring a DJ set by comedian Russel Peters this Saturday while Momofuku Nikai will be hosting DJs Johnny Hockin and Kings of the North this Friday.

The Grolsch Open House
The Grolsch Open House is back at TIFF again this year at the corner of Pearl and John Streets. In operation just for the first weekend of the festival, the beer-focused venue comes complete with art installations, food truck eats, and a music lineup featuring bands Most People, Kashka, and Grounders. Hours are 4-11pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Beers are $5. No cover.

Storys Building
The revamped Storys Building including new lounge The Cocktail Parlour is aiming to be one of the top party destinations this year. Located around the corner from the Bell Lightbox, the historic five-floor venue will throw 30 private events over 6 days including parties or dinners for the films Horns (Daniel Radcliffe), Lucky Them (Toni Collette), All is By My Side (Andre 3000) and Blood Ties (Clive Owen).

Nikki Beach at the Spoke Club
From September 5th to 8th, Nikki Beach will once again open its beach themed pop-up during TIFF on the rooftop of the Spoke Club. Local furniture store Andrew Richard Designs will be outfitting the venue and specialty cocktails will be whipped up using Avion Tequila and Elyx Vodka.

SoHo House
The swanky members-only club and Grey Goose have teamed up to host several industry parties this year. Thursday night sees them hosting Michael Sugar, producer of the TIFF opening night film The Fifth Estate while throughout the week they'll be feeding celebs and special guests dinner and cocktails out of arms reach of the common folk.

Festival Music House at Adelaide Hall
This annual concert series will showcase Canada's top musical talent to an audience of TIFF producers, directors, writers and invited guests. On September 8th and 9th, Adelaide Music Hall's stage will feature the likes of Dragonette, Diamond Rings, and July Talk.

Goodnight Gansevoort
This US-based hotel chain still plans to open a hotel in Toronto next year and to show they mean business they'll be transforming C Lounge into a Vegas-themed afterparty with a mock casino and showgirls to complement the venue's poolside bar. Stake out Wellington starting at 5pm this Friday to get a glimpse of Kristin Wiig and Guy Pearce who are expected to arrive here for a shindig celebrating their TIFF Gala film Hateship Love.

THE BUZZIEST PARTIES AT THIS YEAR'S TIFF BY DAY OF THE WEEK

SEPTEMBER 4TH

8th Annual Canadian Filmmakers Party
Produced by The Spoke Club and CTV's eTalk, Ben Mulroney, Emily Hampshire, and Katie Boland emcee this invitation-only event. Start time is 7pm.

SEPTEMBER 5TH

Official TIFF Opening Party
TIFF kicks things off with an opening-night gala at Maple Leaf Square at York St. and Bremner Blvd. 3,500 revelers are expected to show up to mingle next to graffiti installations and LED jugglers.

YEAA TIFF Party
The Young Emerging Actors' Assembly will gather to commend Canadian actors' contributions to this years TIFF. The party will rage from 8:30pm to 4am at the newly opened Studio Event Theatre space on King West.

The Drake Hotel's Down the Line Launch Party
The Drake wants everyone to feel like a rock star on TIFF's opening night. The party will feature a free tattoo parlour and Keys N Krates spinning a midnight set. Drinks will be flowing with Budweiser's made-on-site malt samples, and Down the Line providing cocktails inspired by 70's music icons. Open 9pm to 4am. $10 cover.

After Party for Blue is the Warmest Colour
Disaronno and Interview Magazine will host the private after-party for the Cannes award winning film Blue is the Warmest Colour at the Thompson Hotel Rooftop. 9pm-12am.

SEPTEMBER 6TH

Only Lovers Left Alive Premiere Party
The premiere of Jim Jarmusch's latest film, featuring Tilda Swinton, will be followed a day later by this cast party at The Courthouse hosted by the Liberty Entertainment Group and Sony Pictures Classics. Red carpet entrances begin at 10pm, and The Sadies will rock the house later in the evening.

A Clockwork Orange
Inspired by Stanley Kubrick's film, this party takes its horror theme seriously. Adelaide Hall will be consumed with light projections, art installations, creepy mannequins, and blasting DJ sets. 10pm. Tickets are $17 advance/$20 at the door.

SEPTEMBER 7TH

Hello! Hollywood
The red carpet will be rolled out at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, where HELLO! Canada will host its 7th annual invitation-only cocktail reception. The event will celebrate the international talent descending on Toronto for TIFF.

SEPTEMBER 8TH

CFC Annual BBQ
The Canadian Film Centre celebrates their 25th anniversary with the annual CFC TIFF BBQ. Former students, faculty and invited guests will toast this year's TIFF CFC films, as well as the work from over 50 of their alumni. The BBQ runs 12:30 to 3pm at the Canadian Film Centre, 2489 Bayview Ave. and is invite only.

Artists for Peace and Justice Film Festival Lunch
This annual charity lunch is co-hosted by Paul Haggis, George Stroumboulopoulos, Diane Bald and Michael Budman. They'll be joined by celebrity guests Olivia Wilde, Maria Bello, Colin Firth, Adrien Brody and Moran Atias with musical performances by Michael Bolton and Daniel Lanois. Held from 2-5pm at The Budman Family Residence. And, yes, this is open to the public as long as you're willing to splurge $1,250 for a ticket.

Hugo Boss Post-Screening Celebration for Enemy
The Toronto-shot Enemy starring Jake Gyllenhaal will have its post-screening party at the just-opened rooftop restaurant The Chase in the Financial District. Hugo Boss and GQ present the private affair, one of two TIFF parties being held at the venue this year.

The Inspiration Gala in support of amfAR
The Carlu will be the setting once again for this year's black tie affair in support of The Foundation for AIDS Research. Fashion designer Marc Jacobs, Alan Cumming and Hilary Swank will all play starring roles as hosts and presenters while a who's who of Hollywood celebs and local monied types are sure to show up to throw some coin around at the live auction.

SEPTEMBER 9TH

Entertainment One Party
The Entertainment One party will celebrate their 29 films premiering at this year's TIFF. This year they move the party to the Roundhouse where the venue will be transformed to exude elegance to more than 1,000 film industry guests. The, ahem, blue carpet will be walked from 9:30-11:30pm.

Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story at Cube
CUBE will become an after-party playground for the cast and crew of Filthy Gorgeous, the documentary screening at TIFF about the founder of Penthouse Magazine. Things will start heating up at 8:30pm.

SEPTEMBER 10TH

The Reel Canadian Party
First Weekend Club is holding a private party to honour a decade of promoting quality films. Inspired by the golden age of cinema, this event aims to take guests back in time with classic elegance and top-notch live jazz performances. It's all going down at The Media Bar starting at 6pm.

SEPTEMBER 11TH

Camera Call: Birks Diamond Tribute to the Year's Women in Film
This invite-only event will honour ten Canadian women who have made outstanding directing or acting contributions at this year's TIFF. It'll take place at Maison Birks Bloor St. West, with red carpet arrivals from 4pm to 5:15pm.

SEPTEMBER 15TH

TIFF closing Night Gala
Roy Thomson Hall will be decked out in a 1970's Motown theme, giving homage to TIFF film Life of Crime based on Elmore Leanord's novel The Switch. 2,000 tired and partied out guests and volunteers are expected to ring out one last festival hurrah.

Thanks to Grolsch for sponsoring our coverage of TIFF13

Photo by Kat NLM in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto events on Thursday, September 5, 2013

FILM | 38th Annual Toronto International Film Festival
10 days of TIFF brain for industry workers means a festival of solid programming and red carpets for the public. The 38th Annual Toronto International Film Festival begins tonight with gala screenings and one of the best weekends for movies you'll get in this city all year. Buy passes or individual movie tickets through the TIFF online box office and check out the best that indie, Canadian and international films have to offer. Not sure what to see? Check out our top ten movies to watch at TIFF 2013.
TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West) ticket prices and passes vary

FOOD | Cabbagetown Festival of the Arts
Cabbagetown Festival of the Arts hosts a pre-party of sorts with One Night in Cabbagetown, a food-tasting neighbourhood gallivant. Purchase a $10 ticket and access four different restaurants from a list of ten, sampling their food and drinking their booze. Explore the neighbourhood so you'll be well acquainted with Cabbagetown when the festival begins on Saturday. Festivities run until 11PM tonight.
Parliament Street and surrounding area 7PM $10

ART | fART: A Show About Food + Art
Mix food and art together and you get fART, the OCAD U first student showcase of the new school year. A visual feast that marries the obsession of food with art, over 25 artists gather their works that see measure and examine the human relationship with food. Bring an appetite and a good pair of shoes because naturally there will be samplings and music.
OCAD U Student Gallery (52 McCaul Street) 7PM Free

ART | Aimless
Letting go and losing track is what Scott Boniface hopes Moniker Gallery's visitors will do when his show Aimless opens in the Richmond Street space tonight. All of the abstract and mix medium creations Boniface has created for the show are pieces that he himself has become lost in while creating, getting lost in the colours and textures of the works. Stop in or wander aimlessly by Moniker tonight or until September 11th, where Boniface's exhibit will be on display daily from 11AM-5PM.
Moniker Gallery (452 Richmond Street West) 7PM Free

FILM | TO Indie Film Festival
Not into that other bigger festival? If indies and smaller crowds are more your thing, the Carlton Cinema plays host to the TO Indie Film Festival over the next nine days. Each night, two feature films will be screened with six short films for just $8. The festival includes films and music videos from around the globe by a diverse set of directors working within all genres. Go small, go local, go TO Indie.
Carlton Cinemas (20 Carlton Street) 6PM $8

ALSO OF NOTE:

• Forbidden Details
• CBC Live at TIFF

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Lead photo by kaybee07

Scarborough looks set to get its subway, albeit one shorter than originally proposed by the city. At a media event today, Ontario Transportation Minister Glen Murray said the province would fund a $1.3 billion, 6.4 km extension of the Bloor-Danforth line to Scarborough Centre, largely following the existing SRT route but with fewer stops. "We are not asking for any money from the city, we are not asking for any money from the federal government," he said.

Murray used the press conference to attack Rob Ford, who he said was all talk on subways and had failed to deliver results, saying the Liberals are the "only ones" funding new transit. Despite Murray's finger-pointing, Ford took the subway announcement as a victory. "Over the last four years, I have fought against the LRT for a subway to Scarborough -- because that is what Scarborough residents asked me to do," he said.

Cllr. Josh Matlow wants free Wi-Fi in Toronto's public parks and outdoor spaces. In a letter to the Economic Development Committee, Matlow suggests the city follow in the footsteps of Chicago and New York City where free Internet is provided through agreements with the private sector. Toronto's Internet would come from the city and Toronto Hydro, he says. Good idea?

A Toronto city councillor wants to ban large trucks from school zones in the wake of the tragic death of Violet Liang earlier this week. Cllr. Anthony Perruzza says heavy traffic should be restricted close to schools when students arrive and leave. 14-year-old Liang was struck by a large truck on her way to school on Tuesday morning.

Jaywalking is alive and well in Toronto, according to the latest police data. 9,000 people were ticketed for crossing streets mid-block, running to the other side when the red hand sign is flashing, and other invasions of the vehicular realm. The 9,310 tickets issued between January 2012 and June 2013 accrued $473,935 in fines, according to the Star.

One thing we're not so happy to do is give non-citizens a vote in municipal elections. More than half of people polled by Forum Research are against giving voting rights to permanent residents. City council voted in June to extend suffrage to the 250,000 non-citizens living in Toronto but is still waiting on an answer.

Finally, Jose Bautista will play no further part in the Jays' limp to the finish. The team has decided to shut down the outfielder for the remaining 23 games because of a bone bruise in his left him. The slugging right-fielder says he'll be back in time for spring training in February.

IN BRIEF:

• Toronto toddler rushed to hospital after falling from apartment building [Toronto Star]
• Boy, 4, missing from school found safe [Toronto Sun]
• East-end Toronto shooting leaves man with life-threatening injuries [CBC]
• Struggling Toronto FC fires president, GM Kevin Payne: report [CBC]

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: John Collett/blogTO Flickr pool.

Pink Martini showcased its newly unveiled cool weather offerings at Neubacher Shor last week, drawing out a crowd of stylists, fashion bloggers and other industry insiders. And while the collection was all about earthy hues suited for fall, the fashionable party-goers were still clad for the summer, which has a little life left in it yet.

Check out all the looks in our Style section.

Another contestant in the recent onslaught of international bubble tea franchises opening up in Toronto, this shop is owned by a Taiwanese-based company with a strong market presence in Malaysia. How does it stack up? Surprisingly well. And there's curry beef rice on offer to boot.

Read my review of Easy Drink Easy Go in the cafes section.

Anyone who has frequented the intersection of Yonge and Bloor over the past few years has probably noticed the giant hole in the ground on the southeast corner. Well it's a hole no longer, and as this massive project finally starts to take shape, this is as good a time as any to take a look at one of the biggest single projects soon to loom high over our fair city.

By late next year One Bloor East will be home to a few thousand new residents who along with having quick access to some of Toronto's best debt inducing shops will also have the oh so coveted bonus of direct subway access. This wavy building with its unique arrangement of alternating window sizes and balcony lengths will sit atop a seven storey podium. The podium, along with holding the buildings amenity space, will bring about 100,000 sq. ft of new retail life to the corner. Although a bit on the glassy side, this huge podium at the very least will put the bunker style Hudson's Bay across the street to shame.

The tower, which contains 732 units, doesn't have the most extensive selection of sizes (which range from one bedroom to two bedrooms plus den) but it does feature some nifty two storey suites for those really excited about stairs. Even with the TTC's busiest subway interchange in your basement, the building does come with an amazingly large number of parking spots, 531 to be exact. With one of the most walkable neighbourhoods at your front door, in addition to excellent TTC access, the likelihood this parking lot will turn in to permanent car storage most of the year until cottage season seems quite high.

When it comes to the insides of these skyscraping units, One Bloor's designers are offering some pretty nice customization options, although it appears that may actually depend on the floor you can afford. Employing a sort of vertical class system, the tower has been split in to three sections, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Depending on your colour, the features and finishes in these units increase in size and shine the higher you go. Gold and Platinum dwellers have solar screens in the kitchen and dining areas as well as blackout screens on the bedroom windows, I'm guessing that's because they are really that much closer to sun?

SPECS

Address: 1 Bloor Street East
Storeys: 75
Number of Units: 732
Height in Feet: 844
Parking Spots: 531
Cost of Parking Spot: $55,000
Ceiling Heights starting at: 9 ft
Types of Units: One Bedroom, One + Den, 2 Bedroom, 2 + Den, 2 storey "City Suites"
Unit sizes in Square Feet: 530 to 1,727
Price: $511,990 to $1,700,000
Maintenance Fees: $0.50 per Sq. Ft
Architect: Hariri Pontarini
Developer: Great Gulf
Interior Design: Cecconi Simone
Landscape Architect: Janet Rosenburg + Studio
Amenities: Pool(indoor and out),Spa with various features, Roof Deck, 24 Hr Consierge, Gym, Party Room with Caterers Kitchen, Sauna, Visitor Parking, Bicycle Parking, High Speed Elevators, Bar, Billiards Room, TV Room,
Completion Date: December 2014

THE GOOD

The rooftop (well, podium top to be exact) pool alone is a pretty nice feature. Although diving from your balcony is not necessarily recommended (not even in the silver levels). If the insides come out as nice as the renderings imply, these might actually be some of the more finely crafted interiors we've seen in a while. This area offers amazing connectivity and endless things to do day and night, with half a million people using the subway station below on a daily basis. But you have to commit to being a part of that, otherwise you've spent a few hundred thousand dollars on some great views and a modest sized unit.

THE BAD

This project may be the big boy on the block for now, but if you are in it for the bragging rights, it won't last long, with even larger proposals like 50 Bloor West and 2 Bloor West soon to hit the area right across the street. No one is moving into this hood expecting a pastoral existence but with new skyscrapers going up at your front door this won't be the quietest area over the next decade, some residents on the lower floors may also lose a bit of sunlight in the process. If you're not the type for crowds this may not be the place for you either, inside or out you are sharing your living space with a heck of a lot of people. The Pool or Party Room certainly don't seem like they will fit many future residents at a time. Maybe some sort of scheduling will have to be worked out, you know like when you had multiple lunch times in school because there weren't enough seats, here is hoping you don't draw the midnight to 3 a.m. card.

OUR TAKE

This is really a prime location, and even if you get sick of sharing your hallways with thousands of neighbours or bumping shoulders on the streets with Botox faced Yorkvillians (Yorkvillers?,Yorkvillans? Yorkies?), there will probably always be someone interested in scooping up your pad at a decent price.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Read other posts in this series via our Toronto Condos and Lofts Pinterest board.