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House of the Week: 119 Manning Avenue

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119 Manning Avenue TorontoThis semi-detached home located at 119 Manning Avenue is a perfect marriage of historic Toronto and modern living. While you might not make the pages of Dwell by default, the set up is ripe for a creative design mind. The interior of the home has been fully renovated into an open concept design, making the narrow space feel bright and spacious. This holds true for the master bedroom as well, which occupies most of the top floor and benefits from a large skylight and a back deck that looks out upon the skyline and the CN Tower. This would be a nice place to wake up (though not, perhaps, with a hangover).

Despite the renovations, the house doesn't feel totally gutted. The hardwood floors, stairways and windows help retain the historic character of the building. And with central air and a new furnace, you can live in 21st century comfort with a 20th century feel. No need to call up HGTV - this home already is an income property. The basement holds a one bedroom apartment with a separate entrance. Even if the apartment itself is nothing to write home about, it's enough to offset some of your mortgage if you can fork for the down payment.

119 Manning AvenueSPECS

  • Address: 119 Manning Ave
  • Price: $899,000
  • Lot Size: 14.92 x 135 Feet
  • Bedrooms: 3+1
  • Bathrooms: 3
  • Parking Spaces: 1
  • Taxes: $5,904
  • Walk Score: 98

119 Manning AvenueNOTABLE FEATURES

  • Fully renovated open concept home
  • Urban location near Trinity Bellwoods Park
  • Master bedroom deck with views of downtown and the CN Tower

119 Manning AvenueGOOD FOR

Families who want to live downtown or devout west-enders. Those who believe location trumps space. The house is a quick walk to Trinity Bellwoods, Dundas and Ossington, (West) Queen West...you get the picture. You don't have to go far to get to your favourite bars and restaurants.

119 Manning AvenueMOVE ON IF

You have dreams of privacy or a big backyard. The long and skinny lot (less than 15 ft wide!) makes the backyard better for wind sprints than a game of tag. If you're looking for a private space to set up a swing set, this might not be the home for you. And speaking of privacy, this semi-detached shares a wall with the neighbours. Fingers crossed for no crying babies next door.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

119 Manning Avenue119 Manning Avenue119 Manning Avenue119 Manning Avenue119 Manning Avenue119 Manning Avenue119 Manning Avenue119 Manning Avenue119 Manning AvenueThanks to The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) for sponsoring our obsession with Toronto's real estate market.

Read other posts in this series via our House of the Week Pinterest board.

Writing by Isabel Ritchie


10 must-see art shows in Toronto this spring

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EvaMust-see art shows in Toronto this spring might pose a bit of a challenge to you, oh lover of patios, cold brews, and park hangs - but the weather is finally fine, and it's time to do a little spring cleaning inside your retinas, and, dare I say, focus your mind on something other than your frantic list of reasons to wait until April before giving up on life forever. Not that you made that list. Eat the list. Read this list instead, and try to hit as many of these killer shows as you can. Want more? There's also a bus tour of public art works on Sunday, April 27: learn more and reserve your seat here.

Here are 10 art shows you'd regret missing this spring if you were already dead.

Michael AwadMichael Awad - The Entire City Project 2014
On now at Nicholas Metivier Gallery is Michael Awad's solo photo exhibition focused on Toronto, captured through the "hybridized cinematic cameras" he crafted himself and strapped to his vehicle. The results are DIY time lapse stills of the city. It's a unique concept that's turned into an admirable success story, the latest results of which you can see now. You have until April 19 to catch up on the project.

Eva Koťátková
Czech artist Eva Kotátková's first solo exhibition in Canada begins at Scrap Metal Gallery this Thursday. Working with drawing, collage, installation, sculpture, and performance, Kotátková builds strange and playful objects, and interacts with them (that's a shot of her work in the image at the top of this post). The show runs from April 3 to June 28.

VersoMax Lupo - Objects of Note
This month at VERSO Gallery Max Lupo is obsessed with the power of objects like vintage telephones (check it out), typewriters, and strange inventions that are hard to put a name on right away. Do objects have healing powers? Can they react to their users? Do they contain ironic elements and are they laughing at us, or with us? The exhibit is up from April 5 - 27. Performances will happen Saturday April 5 from 4-6 pm, Saturday, April 12 from 1-4pm, and Sunday, April 27 from 1-4pm.

Scott Conarroe - China
This week at Stephen Bulger Gallery you can take in some phenomenal looking new work by Scott Conarroe, shot while he was in China (all the photogs are heading to China these days). If that isn't enough (and this lens has me addicted), check out some of his Rails series photos online. Gorgeous work. The exhibit is up from April 5 - May 3.

Francis BaconFrancis Bacon / Henry Moore
The Art Gallery of Ontario will host a massive Francis Bacon and Henry Moore exhibition starting this weekend, featuring over 60 works by the two British artists, both major players in the postwar art scene exploring bleak existentialism and the distortion of reality and human form. While Moore's less brutalizing works will balance Bacon's dread, it'll still be dark for a spring show (take some Gravol before bed the night after this one). The show runs from April 5 - July 6.

Vanessa MalteseVanessa Maltese
In Vanessa's Maltese's understated paintings and geometric sculptures, lines, patterns, colours, and architectural elements (this describes a lot of art, but bear with me) make for rare abstracts that are compelling to spend time with - just see it for yourself. Winner of the 2012 RBC Canadian Painting competition ($25,000!), her solo show at Cooper Cole runs from April 10 - May 10.

Glenn Priestley - Yonge Street
If you're a fan of our history posts, you won't want to miss this exhibit. Odon Wagner Contemporary will showcase Glenn Priestley's depictions of the changing face of Toronto's Yonge Street. You can preview some of the works online here. The opening is April 10th, and then you have until May 3rd to stop by.

Toronto art showContact
This year marks the 18th year of Contact, the largest photography festival in the world, where you can take in public installations showcasing the work of over 1,000 photographers in galleries and spaces across the city, plus attend films, lectures, and workshops. The fest launches May 2nd at MOCCA, who are presenting In Character: Self Portrait of the Artist as Another with works by Bill Burke, General Idea, Rafael Goldchain, Rodney Graham, Yasumasa Morimura, Shelley Niro, Cindy Sherman, and my personal favorite, Sophie Calle from May 1 - June 1. Look out for our full preview.

Mitsuo KimuraMitsuo Kimura
Mitsuo Kimura was one of the artists who participated in the Sanko mural at Queen and Claremont. If you're a fan of psychedelic Toronto illustrator Alex Mackenzie, prepare to feast your eyes. Kimura's ultra detailed psychedelic paintings might just start the first rumblings of a seizure - and then you'll want more, naturally. Read an interview with Kimura in Juxtapoz here. His show at Le Gallery opens May 9th and runs until May 31 (don't miss the Tristram Lansdowne show opening June 6th, either).

Angela GrauerholzAngela Grauerholz
German born, Quebec based photographer Angela Grauerholz's ghostly black and white images make one think of the strained world of Béla Tarr. There's a sadness lurking in her landscapes, interiors, and portraits, but they're not without their comforting qualities, too. Her show at Olga Korper Gallery opens June 5 and is up until June 28.

BONUS

IAIN BAXTERCommunicating Vessels
Okay, one more -- especially since this one pulls us so far out of downtown. IAIN BAXTER&, Luis Jacob, Roula Partheniou and Judy Radul (three generations of Canadian artists working with familiar objects and defamiliarization) will show at Blackwood Gallery for one month this spring. If you're not able to get out to Mississauga, make this on your calendar: there's a free Contemporary Art Bus Tour April 27 from 12-5pm (more info here). The exhibition runs from April 16 - May 11.

Francis Bacon photo via thisrecording, Vanessa Maltese photo via Studio Beat, Eva Koťátková photo by Haupt & Binder

David Miller to make surprise run for mayor

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toronto david millerOlivia Chow has her first real competition for left wing votes. After a four-year absence from Toronto politics, David Miller is preparing to add his name to the increasingly crowded 2014 ballot.

"David has seen the division, the broken transit promises, the public scandals that erupted after he left City Hall in 2010," said interim campaign manager Avril Tromper. "[Miller] is the only candidate with a proven track record. This city needs him."

In 2003, Miller, a long-time city councillor, beat Tory, who had just quit as President and CEO of Rogers Cable, for the top job.

During his previous term of office, Miller opposed Island airport expansion, favoured LRTs over subways, announcing the Transit City light rail plan in 2007, and implemented the unpopular $60 vehicle registration tax.

Miller decided not to run in 2010, leaving Rob Ford, George Smitherman, Joe Pantalone, and Adam Giambrone to duke it out.

"David wants to bring people together. It's Miller time - again," said Tromper.

More details are expected this afternoon.

Image: Joseph Chan/blogTO Flickr pool.

Breakout Toronto Bands: Picastro

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PicastroEverything in music is about struggle: not only the performance and the interplay of the instruments with each other (then confronting the temperaments of listeners), but every aspect of stepping outside of everyday life to plan and create music can be a real battle in itself.

It's approaching half a decade since we last checked in with Toronto's premiere source for introspective chamber folk (as a "breakout band" this act is slow steeped tea compared to the espresso hype machine), Picastro, and Liz Hysen's always evolving band has naturally undergone a lot of struggles and changes to bring us her outstanding new album, You.

Who is she?

Playfully nicknamed Liz Picastro by many of her friends in Toronto's music scene, guitarist, singer and songwriter Hysen has been leading a revolving cast of players since 1998 (read more about her early years from our first conversation with Hysen) not only through the dark recesses of her exploratory songwriting, but out on board many tour across the United States and Europe. It's a lot of hard work and continued effort when you're going it alone, and Picastro has always been about the DIY approach, with a little help from her friends.

PicastroOne such friend is doom-metal duo Nadja who, after relocating from Toronto to Berlin, teamed up with Picastro for a European tour which also spawned the collaborative album Fool, Redeemer, a 2011 release on Alien8 Recordings. Picastro's down-tempo folk and Nadja's spacey invasions were an ideal match, but in the years that have followed Hysen has had to focus just as heavily upon another equally wonderful creative struggle - her family life.

"I only get a few hours a week - if that - of any creative time, so Picastro is all I do when I have free time," says Hysen. "I have taken the kids and husband on tour with me at different stages when I knew they would be easy to bring along. It's tough for sure. I don't know if the two things are all that compatible really but I basically just try every combination of something out to see if it's going to work. It can put on strain, but at the same time it makes me more careful about my choices, and that's a good thing. I would definitely be a less happier parent if I wasn't playing music, though - it's just so important to keep up with that part of your life."

She sounds like...

Bare bones folk-rock that dances on the edges of madness, Picastro's music cavorts instead of settling down. In previous years the band has changed in light of losing its astounding drummer Brandon Valdivia to his many other projects (Not the Wind, Not the Flag, Mas Aya, and Pachamama), but cellist and experimenter Nick Storring, who completed Picastro's long-term trio lineup, is still involved, and handled much of the production and mixing of You along with the always delightful Sandro Perri.

Released a couple of weeks ago by Static Clang (and by Function overseas), You feels more like a collection of significant photographs taken throughout time than a single night's session laid down in a studio, and what adds to the stimulating variation between these songs is the vast array of storied players and collaborators lending their hands: Evan Clarke and Alex Lukashevsky (currently of Eucalyptus, previously of many), Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers, and Caleb Mulkerin and Colleen Kinsella who hail from Cerberus Shoal.

"It's very collaborative," says Hysen of You. "I do write things solo sometimes and keep it that way but for the most part, I just really enjoy playing with other musicians and the trust that goes along with it. It's very comforting."

Likewise, it is human relationships that often feed Hysen's songwriting and lyrics, an inspiration that came across in full flight on You. "It's definitely focused on the various people in my life, friends and family," she says. "It's also based on things I have read about or seen that affected me. I will take something in and then not know how much it bothers me until a week or two later. It's hard not to feel empathy with those around you sometimes, even strangers."

Hear her / see her

PicastroPicastro are getting out in support of You for some shows in the USA, England, and will be gracing Toronto's wonderful arts slum spot Cinecycle (129 Spadina) on April 9th, presented by Wavelength. Hysen's quintet for this brief tour will include Storring, Clarke, Matthew Ramolo (of Khora), and percussionist Germaine Liu, so it promises to be an elaborate affair, a grandiose compositional struggle, and an enlightening experience all wrapped up into one enchanting evening.

Beyond this tour and You, Hysen has many exciting plans for the future. "We're probably going back to Europe later this year, but I am doing a few shows with this Finnish musician I really like, Islaja. I heard about her and the other amazing bands on Fonal and realized we both had records coming out at the same time. Hopefully I can get her to come over here and do some collaboration."

Writing by Kevin Hainey

Province to allow wider sales of booze at grocery stores

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LCBO grocery storesSome good news might be brewing as regards wider availability of booze in Ontario. Reports suggest that they're about to roll out LCBO kiosks in grocery stores on a wide scale across the province. This is a far cry being able to pick up a six pack at 1am at your local convenience store, but it would mark progress over the current system, which of course ties us to bricks and mortar LCBO locations (and their typically conservative opening hours).

The province originally launched the kiosk program at 10 (non-urban) grocery stores as a pilot about a year ago. Today's announcement would see expansion of the program, which is somewhat encouraging from a convenience standpoint. It's a sad state of affairs when you feel lucky that there's a Kittling Ridge outlet in the grocery store nearest you. Plenty of people would like to buy their wine and their food together (what a wild concept), and these kiosks would help to accommodate that.

The question is really whether this is enough. You know the rollout will be modest to begin with, the selection won't be great, and it's dubious what kind of an extension consumers will get on opening hours via grocery stores. What do you think? Will these kiosks serve your needs/wants or should the pressure to expand booze sales beyond the LCBO still be applied heavily?

Photo by Samatha Tan in the blogTO Flickr pool

Chapters store at Richmond and John to shut down

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chapters torontoTimes are tough for bookstores - even, it appears, for the largest booksellers in Canada.

On Monday, Indigo announced that it planned to shutter the Chapters location at Richmond and John, just one day after the World's Biggest Bookstore finally closed for good, and less than two months after the Runnymede Chapters location met a similar fate.

The company gave its 60-day notice to end the lease on the three-floor location in the Festival Hall retail complex, which it currently shares with Scotiabank Theatre and Marshalls.

The company says it plans to relocate the store and transition employees to other positions. Indigo's vice president of public relations, Janet Eger, said in a statement that the company was "actively looking for new real estate options in Oakville, downtown Toronto and Bloor West Village that will best meet our requirements."

With the intersection long dominated by the glass facade of the former chain flagship, it remains to be seen who will pounce on the space next. The Runnymede location, which shut its doors in mid-February, is set to become a Shoppers Drug Mart, while the World's Biggest Bookstore will reportedly be converted into a row of restaurants.

Photo by Tom Flemming on Flickr.

50 things to do this spring in Toronto

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spring in torontoSpring has finally arrived in Toronto, and not just in name. As temperatures threaten to reach double digits and the stubbornest of snow piles melts away, activities and events draw us outdoors with a fervor unlike any other season. But it's not just sunshine that we get to enjoy in the coming months. Toronto undergoes a cultural renewal in spring as well, with festivals like NXNE, Luminato and Contact (to name a few) all on the horizon. This was one of the worst winters in recent memory, so appropriate payback is to soak up every second of spring.

Here are 50 things to do in Toronto this spring.

FOOD AND DRINK

Visit Toronto's newest farmers' market
Toronto already has a thriving farmers' market scene, but there are always room for more. Time to check out the newest additions, including Farmer's Market 707, in and around the Scadding Court Community Centre and the Sanderson Public Library. It starts May 1st, every Thursday until September 25th, 3pm until 7pm, and includes such vendors as Forsythe Family Farms, Monforte Dairy and Mnandi Pies.

Get soaked at the Songkran Festival
It's time to get fed and wet all at once (that is not a sexual reference). Khao San Road celebrates the Thai New Year with a water gun fight in a big heated tent on Saturday, April 12th. Admission is $16 and water guns are supplied, while $6 food tickets will get you dishes supplied by a solid roster including La Carnita, Come And Get It, and Matt Blondin's, yet-to-open Junk Bar.

Pilot Coffee RoastersGet a caffeine kick at Pilot Coffee's new tasting bar
If you want a full immersion into all aspects of coffee and coffee culture, head to Pilot Coffee Roasters new and impressive tasting bar and roasting facility. You will be amazed at the level of coffee production and pulling there, and may have your taste buds transformed in a way that will make your usual coffee habits pale in comparison.

Take a bite out of Susur
While details are still scarce about Luckee, Susur Lee's new restaurant located inside the Soho Metropolitan Hotel, the concept is rumoured to be set to launch in late April. Transformation is underway in the former Senses restaurant courtesy of Brenda Bent and Karen Gable, while the menu of classic Chinese dishes and dim sum is being developed with a nod towards the culinary traditions of Guangzhou, Hunan and Szechuan regions.

dim sum fest torontoPig out at the Yum Cha! Dim Sum Fest
Does anything sound more promising than a dim sum fest? These are the food events we need, Toronto. Tickets for this celebration of steamed buns and fried dumplings are selling fast even though a complete the line-up of participating vendors has yet to be announced. Admission is $10 to the festival happening at the Chinese Freemasons Association on Sunday, April 13th.

Have dinner at the movies
Take in a tasteful film at TIFF's monthly Food on Film series or at the Revue Cinema's bi-monthly Epicure Review series paired with food samples from local restaurants. Stick around after the show at each screening for programming featuring guests and experts ready to delve into the topics and themes of the film du jour.

Cinqo de Mayo TorontoDown some tequila for Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo runs a close second to St. Patrick's day when it comes to holidays most likely to be exploited via misappropriated cultural tropes and binge drinking. That aside, we're all in need of a reason to party at some point, and if you're looking for excuses to imbibe freaky amounts of tequila, this is the excuse for you. Mexican restaurants are typically your best bets, but both the Drake Hotel and the Monarch Tavern have hosted quality 5th of May events in past years, so just be sure not to enter the day with a hangover and everything will go swimmingly.

Go covert at an underground supper club
Snag a seat at an exclusive dinner party thrown by Luke Hayes-Alexander, Charlie Burger's or the Rusholme Park Supper Club. Expect an intimate evening of chatting with the chef(s) meeting fellow guests, and dining on multi-course feasts or experimental cuisine.

Ontario Craft Beer FestDrink some seasonal suds at a beer festival
We're spoiled for choice this spring when it comes to beer drinking events and festivals, but Ontario Beer Week might take the cake. The fifth annual tribute to Ontario's independent brewers takes place June 15-21 and features over 30 Ontario Craft Breweries pouring local brew at 150 events in over 50 different Ontario communities. Festivities will include food and beer collaborations, tap takeovers, tasting events, brewery tours, cooking demonstrations, beer dinners, contests and more.

Be a masochist at Toronto's Ice Lounge
It was (is?) the winter that wouldn't end, so the best thing to do this spring is to check out the soon-to-open Ice Lounge, which will shuttle you right back to winter where you know your could heart belongs. Although a firm opening date has yet to be confirmed for the Chill Ice House at Bathurst and King, it's only too fitting that it arrive in spring.

Toronto TasteDrop some cash for a good cause at Toronto Taste
Tickets will run you a pretty penny, but this fundraiser event for Second Harvest pairs a good cause with some exquisite eats. Presented by The Daniels Corporation, the event will take place lakeside on Sunday, June 8th at Corus Quay. Over 70 of the city's finest chefs, vintners and brewers will partake to showcase their talents and delicious creations for a worthy cause. Tickets are on sale now for $250, and all proceeds will go to food rescue programs.

Hunt down Toronto's newest food truck
Get ready to chow down curbside as a whole new breed of food trucks rev up for the warmed months. Joining the city's existing roster of food trucks, expect Fish St. Market, the midtown fishmonger to debut their new food truck by the end of the month. Download the Toronto Food Trucks app to keep up with locations, service times and menus.

OUTDOORS

High Park Cherry Blossoms
Arguably the most spring-like of all of these spring events, the annual pilgrimage to High Park to check out the sakura trees has become wildly popular over the past few years. There's no doubt it's a spectacular sight, but it's not exactly serene given the snap-happy frenzy that takes places as people try to capture the beautiful display on everything from iPads to medium format cameras on tripods. Word to the wise: take the TTC and walk it into the park.

Hit the pavement in new sneaks
Let's get physical! All those swank sneakers need to finally slap some pavement for a cause, and Toronto has plenty of spring runs to get your body moving and heart pumping and endorphins flowing. Something for everyone- novice to marathoner: Toronto Yonge Street 10 k, Harry's spring run off 8 and 5 K run to fight prostate cancer, Color Me Rad, and the Goodlife Toronto Marathon to name but a few.

paddle the DonPaddle the Don
Though it seems like it might be a paddler's paradise, the Don River is actually a bit of a pain in the ass to navigate by canoe given its various dams and unpredictable water levels. If you're going to do, the annual Paddle the Don event is by far your best bet. Not only does one benefit from the safety of the group (there are usually more than 200 canoes in the water), but other support is on hand should you run into trouble. Let's just hope that by May 4th the weather is reasonable.

Plant a community garden
Not only to community gardens give land stewardship to urban dwellers, they give opportunity to grow culturally diverse food and plants, beautify the vacant lots, give you a chance to meet and connect with neighbours, and heck, studies show a community garden even cuts down on crime. Who doesn't brighten up at the sight of the first tender stalks pushing up through the earth?

Do some serious sculling
While part of the fun is just being out on the water when the weather turns nice, the added fun of joining a rowing club is that the sport is a real challenge, both physically and from a skill standpoint. Lots of clubs around the city offer introductory courses in the spring at which you can test your mettle to determine if the sport is for you. For my money, the best place to row is in the barrier-protected waters by Marilyn Bell Park, but the other club locations don't give much away in terms of setting.

ENTERTAINMENT

Get your Daily Dose of Imagery offline
Most Toronto photographers and photography fans will remember Daily Dose of Imagery, Sam Javanrouh's photo blog that made a 10 year run and developed an international following along the way. If you missed the photo of day thing or just want to see the whole project in one place, this exhibit presented by Spacing Magazine will get you caught up. Read our interview with Javanrouh from 2013 here. Runs until April 26th at Urbanspace Gallery (401 Richmond Street West).

Francis BaconCreep yourself out with the art of Francis Bacon
The Art Gallery of Ontario will host a massive Francis Bacon and Henry Moore exhibition for from April 5 to July 6. The show will feature over 60 works by the two British artists, both major players in the postwar art scene exploring bleak existentialism and the distortion of reality and human form. While Moore's less brutalizing works will balance some of Bacon's dread, it will be pretty dark for a spring show. Curmudgeonly weirdo, sadomasochist, and just gother-than-goth, Francis Bacon is best known for painting screaming popes, abstract and grotesque human portraits, and skinned animal carcasses. Warning: prepare for nightmares (you might want to take some Gravol before bed the night after this one).

Cross over to the great beyond at Images
The most unique festival out there, Images Film and Video Festival is in a league of its own. Focusing on experimental film and video art, Images' programming is some of the most avant-garde and innovative in the city. This year they'll run from April 10 - 19. See their calendar for exhibitions, screenings, artist talks, guided tours, parties, and more.

Take in some playoff action
As I write this, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a free fall and dubious to make post-season play (still, fingers crossed they pull it out). The Raptors, on the other hand, are first in their division and look like they have a good shot of making the playoffs for the first time since the 2007/2008 season. Assuming you're not a season ticket holder or willing to fork out hundreds for seats, the best bet for cheering on the home team is to head to a quality sport bar.

Circle more films than you could possibly see on a Hot Docs schedule
The 2014 Hot Docs Festival will take place over eleven days and nights between April 24th and May 4th. Hundreds of hypey and underground documentaries will screen at Toronto's second-largest film event (behind TIFF), and the printed schedule is always a huge exercise in frustration no matter how much time and money you have -- there are just too many intriguing titles.

Contact Photography FestivalLook at photos way cooler than your Instagram feed at Contact
This year marks the 18th annual Contact Photography Fest. Contact is the largest photography festival in the world, and most of it's free -- think about that the next time you get the Hogtown Blues. Take in public installations showcasing the work of over 1,000 photographers in galleries and spaces across the city, plus attend films, lectures, workshops, and of course, boozy openings. The fest will launch May 2nd at MOCCA.

Stalk music industry types at CMW
Corp-y Toronto music festival Canadian Music Week is entering its 32nd year. Between May 6 - 10th over 1,000 international bands and musicians of all backgrounds (from the securely established to the naive and hopeless) will perform and hustle at showcases around the city. CMW also hosts panels and conferences, a film fest, a comedy fest, and award shows. If you're career hungry and the words "music industry" don't leave a funny little taste in your mouth, get ready to shmooze. If not, it's still an opportunity to see acts like M.I.A., Tegan and Sara, City and Colour, and Neko Case (or to troll the city all night for yet undiscovered bands -- not to suggest many people actually do that).

TCAFBump elbows with some of the biggest talent in comics at TCAF
No Toronto Comic Arts Festival is complete without some of the biggest names and rising stars of the comic world showing up, and what's better is you get to knock those elbows (not too hard, that's connected to their livelihood!) or shake those hands (ditto) at the Toronto Reference Library free of charge. This year's madness runs from May 10th - 11th. Kate Beaton will be there -- please don't crush her hands.

Support LGBT film-making at the Inside Out Film Fest
Founded in 1991, the Inside Out Film Festival has grown into one of the most important LGBT film fests in the world. Running over the course of almost two weeks in late May, you can expect up to 200 screenings alongside artist talks, panel discussions, art installations and, of course, parties. The 2014 lineup will be released May 1st.

Meet the real Wolf of Wall Street
You've seen the movie, now you can meet the wolf himself. Jordan Bellfort is touring off the back of the wildly popular Martin Scorsese picture that tells the story of his rise to riches in the 1990s. No, there won't be tips on how to commit securities fraud, but you will learn the "hidden language of influence," which sounds pretty good if you're into that sort of thing. You'll have to pay $137 to see Bellfort speak, so he must still be doing something right. The wolf arrives in Toronto on May 15th.

Get into cosplay at Anime North
All forms of Japanese culture are heralded at Toronto's fan-run anime convention Anime North. Over the weekend of May 23-25 at the Toronto Congress Centre, anime gets animated- there's a Lolita Fashion Tea Party, workshops, skit contests, a Saturday Night masquerade, a big Anime Doll event, videogames, even an anime garage sale (Nominoichi) where you can buy all your favourite characters and have your anime questions answered.

2013515-victoria-day-fireworks-toronto.jpgCelebrate the Queen's birthday with Victoria Day fireworks
Victoria Day fireworks displays happen all over Toronto. Some of the bigger ones are Ashbridges Bay Park, Canada's Wonderland, Dundas Driving Park and Blue Mountain, but head to smaller parks like Trinity Bellwoods and watch the skies light up and listen to the cheers of friends as they set off their own tributes to Queen Victoria and the coming Canadian summer.

Treat a dog like royalty at Woofstock
Toronto's Woofstock, North America's largest outdoor festival for dogs, is part doggie socializing extravaganza, part expo for fancy pooch swag and accessories, and part meet and great for Toronto pet owners. Think designer dogs, luxury products (like dog condos and mansions -- not kidding), handbag sized animals in costume, free swag, and pugs, pugs, pugs. It's also a great chance for the city's dog rescues to get exposure and link up with people looking to foster or adopt dogs in need. Pet owner or not, head down to Woodbine Park May 24 & 25.

LuminatoImmerse yourself in the arts at Luminato
Renew your creative spirit with the Luminato Festival June 6-15th. This year has a particularly stellar line-up of talent and events, from Isabella Rosselini in her short Green Porno, Live on Stage, the salute to Daniel Lanois- Sleeping in the Devil's Bed, or the North American premiere of Stones In Her Mouth a moving and beautiful performance by ten Maori women. Luminato celebrates the best and boldest of creative minds, enlivening the city with cultural activities.

Embrace your Peter Pan Syndrome with an Arts & Crafts Field Trip
Of course Field Trip is coming back for year two: Arts & Craftsmade tons of people happy last year at Fork York Garrison Common. Field Trip will return to the same sod June 7th & 8th, and Broken Social Scene are playing again - shocking, I know - along with Interpol, The Kills, The Constantines (back together!), Chvrches, Shad, Austra, A Tribe Called Red, and more.

NXNE TorontoCheck out what's hypey at NXNE
North by North East (like SXSW but Canadian, but possibly with the same amount of flannel shirts) is pulling a ton of bands into town from June 13 - 22, including Spoon, St. Vincent, Ryan Hemsworth, Le1f, Swans, Perfect Pussy, Spiritualized, and way more for a week of multi-venue concerts here and the usual big free shows at Yonge-Dundas Square. Festivals of this scale can be a delirious and curious experience (why would anyone book the Pizza Underground? Who are all of these no-name SonicBids bands playing shows without sound engineers?), but that's what alcohol is for. There will also be interactive panels, film, comedy, and art.

ACTIVITIES

Run for Mayor
It's not too late! You can still save this city! The deadline to enter the Toronto mayoral election isn't until the fall, but if you hope to build your campaign, the time is now. I mean if a crack-smoking rich boy and an 18 year old can do it, why can't you? Not that ambitious? You could always run for city council. It's not like those folks are particularly impressive, either.

Pillow Fight TorontoGet in a massive Pillow fight
PILLOW FIGHT!!! Don't the words just curl your toes and send a jolt of springing energy through you? Each year a giant urban pillow fight happens in Nathan Phillips Square-this year's theme of Pillow Fight Day (April 5th) is Superheroes versus Villains, so don your Wonder Woman or Green Hornet costume and bring your best pillow swing. I hope Mayor Ford goes as the Penguin.

Get lost in nostalgia at the Old Book and Paper Show
If you're a fan of our history posts, you'll want to take a trip through the past at Wychwood Barns on April 6th. There will be seventy tables of old and antique paper, postcards, posters, and other ephemera. You can also get your (not sticky, I hope) hands on some pretty fine rare and antiquarian books.

boot camp torontoDitch the winter weight at a fitness boot camp
If, like me, you've cultivated your gut over the (long, altogether too long) cold months, then perhaps boot camp is in order. As the weather warms, hordes of motivated people will descend on Toronto parks to combat winter fat with a militaristic vigour. You might have to workout under the watchful gaze of those passing by, but that'll only gear you up even more to get into shape.

Follow the yellow bikes around the Beach
Yellow bikes mark the venues of the Beach Studio Tour so keep your eyes peeled. You can walk around and enjoy the Beach neighbourhood and when you spot one stop into the location and admire the work of the local artists ad craftspeople. You can even buy if something really speaks to you.

Stock up on new vintage duds
From 7 pm to midnight April 17th, hit the west end streets in search of sweet vintage finds at the Toronto Vintage Crawl. The list is long of participating vendors from Kensington Market to Roncesvalles, each one hosting their own little parties, spilling out into street for an all out festive shopping vibe.

420 TorontoGet lit up at 420
If you've ever wondered what Yonge-Dundas Square would look like as a giant hotbox, head on down for this year's 420 celebrations, where hundreds of stoners will flaunt their green in front of media, cops, and fellow potheads. It's always a peaceful affair that proves a boon for fast food retailers at the Eaton Centre afterwards (kill me, I couldn't resist).

Give back to the planet for Earth Day
It lands on Tuesday, April 22 but there are events all that week celebrating Earth Day. Head out into the city and do your part for the environment. Plant a tree, join a community clean-up crew, unplug those extraneous appliances, and switch off the lights. Lots of local businesses and parks are marking the occasion-Evergreen Brick works is having a spring clothing swap on the 20th and there are a myriad of family fun events at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

Record Store DayMake every day Record Store Day -- but especially Record Store Day
If you only shop at record stores on RSD then the industry truly is screwed, yet the event is still a fun thing: for music fans and industry peeps the third Saturday of April is Thy Holy Day of Records, which since 2007 has been a global pep rally for struggling (or are they? Yes, they are.) independent record shops. Bands and labels produce special releases and reissues to be distributed in limited vinyl quantities for RSD, and while it can feel quaint to music fans who are already buying vinyl, or at least music, all year, there's plenty to do, so draw a little black disc on your calendar under April 19th.

Pretend you're on reality TV and plan a great escape
The Real Escape Game is coming to Toronto this spring. Already popular in Asia and the US, this interactive puzzle puts you in a room with a bunch of strangers and challenges you to work together to escape. This might sound like a nightmare to some people, but if you always think you're the smartest person in the room, then this is a pretty good chance to test that theory out. Participants have a limited amount of time to solve the mystery, and so must work together. The Real Escape takes place on April 25th at The Foundery Buildings (376 Bathurst St.). Tickets go on sale April 7th.

FAT Toronto fashion artsGet fashionable at FAT
FAT (that's Fashion Art Toronto) Arts and Fashion Week is set to go down April 22-26 at the Daniels Spectrum in Regent Park (585 Dundas St. E.). Each night of installations, photography exhibits, and runway shows (including Brit Wacher, fresh off her World MasterCard Fashion Week debut) will revolve around two contradictory themes: say, masculine and feminine, or minimal and extreme. Advance tickets are available now -- they start at $35 for a one-day pass.

Hit up a neighbourhood festival
There are tons of wonderful neighbourhood events and festivals throughout the spring. A great one is the Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Sale and Festival Saturday, April 29th. Look for street-side activities, giveaways, performances and, of course, the sidewalk sales. Last year's newest festival, Dundas West Fest, will also return for 2014 on June 7th.

Doors Open TorontoExplore hidden Toronto at Doors Open 2014
For all the lineups and repeat buildings, Doors Open Toronto can still be a pretty remarkable experience if you plan it properly. First timers will be drawn to buildings like the R.C. Harris Filtration Plant, Osgoode Hall and Redpath Sugar, but it's typically the new buildings in a given year that balance the intrigue of gaining access to a private space and the boredom of suffering through a long queue. The lineup has yet to be released for 2014, but there always seems to be at least five or six new additions each year that are legitimately exciting.

Ride for Heart TorontoRide your bike up and down the DVP
How many mornings have you sat in traffic imagining what it would be like to abandon your car and just ride a bike down the expressway past all your fellow commuters stuck in what Point Break's Bodhi would call their "metal coffins?" Ok, maybe that's just a fantasy that I have. Either way, the Ride for Heart affords you the rare opportunity of riding your bike on the DVP and a portion of the Gardiner Expressway. The whole thing is pleasantly bizarre given how familiar these routes are in one's car.

Solve a mystery
Tap into your inner detective by exploring one of the real-life escape games at Mystery Room. Get together a team of about 6 to 8 players, get the instructions and then find yourselves locked in a mysterious room with only your wits and sleuthing skills to get you out.

World Naked Bike Ride TorontoStrip off your clothes and ride a bike
The annual World Naked Bike Ride must one of the year's most bizarre and fun events. Ostensibly an event to draw attention to oil dependency, it ends up being as much about positive body image as anything else. Usually featuring about a hundred cyclists, the ride takes participants across downtown much to the chagrin of the uniformed passerby who inevitably does a double-take before busting out a big grin. This year is the 10th anniversary edition and goes down June 14th.

30 Bench WineryHead to wine country
While the LCBO now stocks an impressive array of local wines, it's always rewarding to buy direct from the winery -- and wine country is closer than you might think. Some of the country's best wine comes from the Beamsville Bench, a region that's just over 60km away from Toronto. Here you'll find producers like 30 Bench, Fielding Estate and Hidden Bench (to name just a few). Oh, and make sure to look north: the view of the Toronto skyline is majestic.

Writing by Aubrey Jax, Derek Flack, Erinn Beth Langille, Liora Ipsum, and Natalia Manzocco. Top photo by Jason Cook in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto might be OK with jets at the island airport

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toronto island jetsToronto city council says it's prepared to talk about the possibility of Porter Airlines flying jet airplanes out of Billy Bishop Airport, voting unanimously in favour of a staff report that sought permission to enter into negotiations earlier this evening.

The vote only allows staff to present the city's conditions for jets to the Toronto Port Authority and Transport Canada, the other signatories to the tripartite agreement that governs the use of the airport. It's likely the final city council vote on whether or not to extend the runway and allow scheduled jet flights out of Billy Bishop won't take place until 2015 - after the next election.

Some of the conditions include evening curfews for flights, noise level restrictions, and reduced airport operation on weekends.

Council also voted that:

  • Tonight's vote does not support or oppose jets.
  • Money for the possible expansion of the airport can't come from the city or Building Canada Fund.
  • Waterfront Toronto be included in all talks.
  • City staff ask for an earlier curfew and quiet weekends at the airport.
  • The role of general aviation at the airport be examined and protected.
  • All current island airport safety guidelines be reviewed.
  • Changes to the airport agreement are not tied to a particular airline.
  • The impact to human health and bird populations be considered if the airport is expanded.
  • The ownership of Porter and other airlines be monitored.
  • There be no widening of Dan Leckie Way.

Rob Ford, a strong backer of allowing jets, missed the morning portion of the debate with a back injury. Doug Ford said the mayor was sore after injuring his back lifting weights and had been to visit a chiropractor. CTV News reported that Ford's Cadillac Escalade was parked at his Etobicoke home all morning.

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

Image: Ken Sekiguchi/blogTO Flickr pool.


After the Fire

Today in Toronto: Game of Thrones Dinner, ReelWorld, Tell Me Something Good, Food Trucks VS City Hall

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Today in TorontoToday in Toronto we must ask: would you pay $175 for a Game of Thrones inspired dinner at Cote de Boeuf? Because (perhaps more importantly) you could. Meanwhile, the ReelWorld Film Fest kicks off a line up of 79 films in total. Miss playing truth or dare? The Gladstone does too. In anticipation of the Feminist Porn Awards, Tell Me Something Good invites you to play games and throw your name into their (sexy) hat. Looking for drama? Food Trucks are swarming City Hall at 11am. For more events, click on over to our events section.

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

This Week in Fashion: Etsy pop-up shop, Shopify Retail Tour, Aveda celebrates Earth Month

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etsy torontoThis 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.

NEWS

Aveda is celebrating Earth Month throughout April with a whole slew of green initiatives slated to raise $6 million for clean water-related causes. Included is the return of immensely successful events Cut-A-Thon and Beyond (April 7) and Walk for Water (April 22), which garnered over 400 participants last year. Salons, spas, and retail stores will also be peddling limited edition Earth Month Light the Way candles and donating 100% of the proceeds to Global Greengrants Fund.

EVENTS

Shopify's Retail Tour is already underway, but you still have a chance to meet, greet, and pick the brains of e-retail gurus. Learn how to set up an online store, use a POS system, and photograph your products in the best light at multiple workshops throughout the week (April 1-4) by registering online now.

Etsy, an online platform dedicated to vintage and handmade goods from independent retailers, has come to real life in the form of an Indigo pop-up shop. The Toronto Eaton Centre (220 Yonge St.) location will play host to a selection of about 10 sellers offering everything from eclectic jewellery to Canada-centric candles. Though the duration of the pop-up shop is unclear, I've no doubt there'll be plenty more where it came from; Etsy's had several stints in stores like West Elm, Nordstrom, and Hudson's Bay.

Teenage girls and wild child twenty-somethings, rejoice! Wildfox Couture - a Los Angeles womenswear label for the young, hip, and skin-baring - is available for (at least) the next three months at 711 Queen St. W., Balisi's former home. Though the label is found in a smattering of Toronto boutiques, this pop-up is a one-stop shop for rather pricey pre-ripped sweaters, teeny tiny bikinis, and oversized sunglasses. Owner Marcus Fraser says the length of the pop-up's run is up in the air, depending on how Torontonians respond to the brand.

What we got up to this week

Photo via EtsyCA on Facebook.

Parkdale shop part vintage, part new, all California cool

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three fates torontoAfter years of hosting pop-up shops, Robin Vengroff dreamed of opening a store that reflected her own vintage-meets-modern sense of style - basically, a giant closet folks could come in shop in. That dream was realized when Queen West boutique Philistine moved down the road; Vengroff took over their old space and packed it with vintage and new threads, from basics to out-there statement pieces. Best of all, pretty much everything is $50 or under.

Read my profile of Three Fates in the fashion section.

Where to paint Easter eggs Ukrainian style in Toronto

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Ukrainian Easter eggs TorontoWhere to make pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs) in Toronto isn't something I'd ever wondered, if only because I didn't know options existed. Then I heard about Toronto arts collective Kosa Kolektiv's affordable ($20-ish) workshops around the city. Kosa supply all the necessary materials, from the eggs to the wax, candles, kistka (pens), and carefully labeled dyes (ordered from lightest to darkest, of course). This was my second time making pysanky, not only serious art form but a meditative practice.

The group donates the proceeds of the workshops to charity, have books on hand for inspiration, and had a lot of patience for beginners (just like I had a lot of patience for attendees who could make perfect designs). Their next available sessions are April 7th & 9th at their studio near Trinity Bellwoods, using all natural dyes. As it starts to feel like spring and Easter nears, Kosa Kolektiv are a good place to start if you want to connect to Eastern European culture in Toronto - and not just when it comes to pysanka. They were kind enough to answer some of my questions about their work.

Ukrainian Easter eggs TorontoWho is Kosa Kolektiv?

Kosa Kolektiv is a folk art collective based in Toronto that aims to revitalize folk art in an urban context. We explore our folk roots in a variety of ways including practicing traditional crafts (pysanka writing, embroidery, painting, paper cutting, weaving, etc.), singing and learning folk music, cooking and preserving traditional homegrown foods, cultivating gardens and creating beautiful spaces, and putting on a variety of workshops and "happenings" to share these experiences with the community.

Our mandate is to build community through cultural practices that are simple, beautiful, and meaningful, but are becoming fewer and far between. We respect the pioneering spirit and grounded knowledge of our ancestors, and don't want to see that knowledge lost under the pressures of the fast pace of life today. What we're most interested in is bringing people together to share in the beauty of age old traditions and pastimes. Music plays a big part in our lives and most of the events we put on.

Kosa is officially composed of Bozena Hrycyna, Marichka Galadza, Olenka Kleban,  Alex Baczynskyj, Stephanie Turenko, and Oksana Hawrylak. We all bring something different and unique to the table from printmaking, to sculpture to embroidery, theatre, vocals and writing...but the things we all share are a common Ukrainian heritage and a deep appreciation for a folk culture we know we've got to hold on to.


What's Kosa's inspiration?

There are too many inspirations to count ! On a more general level our workshops, crafts,events and even singing repertoire is driven by the seasons. Slavic and many other cultures of the world have so many celebrations dotted all along the calendar year that there is hardly a month that goes by without us getting together to celebrate something. From St. Andrews eve in early December - a night of matchmaking and fortune telling - to Kupala on the summer solstice - a time to bask in natures fertility and celebrate youth and freedom, there are many beautiful folk traditions that follow the seasonal cycle.

We're also inspired by good story-telling. By myths and characters... even in a downtown Toronto / modern setting, there's still room for magic, and I think that possibility is what keeps us doing what we do. Every year our Kupala celebration is nothing short of magic - jumping over a bonfire in pairs, walking in a forest by candlelight, making wreaths and throwing them into the water for potential lovers to catch - these are the ceremonies that our ancestors practiced from year to year and there is something very special and awe inspiring about keeping that continuity going for thousands of years.

In a more specific sense, there are artists and musicians that inspire what we do and provide a soundtrack to our lives if you will. Dakha Brakha, Zozulka trio from NYC, Bozhychi, Hulay Horod, Lemon Bucket Orkestra are a couple of musical groups that capture a good mix of old and new world. In terms of art Maria Prymachenko, Yuri Rafaliuk, Naomi Uman, the list goes on, but those are the ones that have personally touched and amazed us recently.

Ukrainian Easter eggs TorontoHow did you get started? 

In 2010, we found ourselves reconnecting and meeting a group of artists living in Toronto that shared a common interest in Eastern European folk culture. Many of us had Ukrainian roots and were fascinated by them, but somehow didn't fit into the rigid cultural institutions that we had grown up in. Little did we know - at the time - that we were all on a quest for cultural reclamation (seeking out lost and forgotten songs, learning traditional forms of Slavic singing, exploring their ritual and sacred importance, reviving cultural crafts we had lost touch with). Once we realized our common interests, it only felt natural to work together on our ideas and future projects.

Soon after, in collaboration with musicians (now members of Lemon Bucket Orkestra) and artists (now members of Kosa Kolektiv) we started a project called the Organic streetscape project that culminated in an art show at Snowball gallery, then in Parkdale in September of 2010. The project explored what it meant to be Ukrainian from a diaspora and naturalized perspective. We've been creating, collaborating, celebrating and re-defining ever since.

What are the main types of events you're involved with?

Sometime it feels like there is no limit to the type of events that we are involved in. We've organized many craft workshops (pysanky: Ukrainain easter eggs, didukhy: wheat sheaf decorations that have been recently popularized by Ikea (sigh), and mask-making), collaborated with various Canadian and international artists on set-design, promotions and connecting music with open minded people.

We've had the absolute pleasure of working with Lemon Bucket Orkestra (Toronto), Ludy Dobri (Ukraine), Dakha Brakha (Ukraine), Zozulka (New York). We've put together parades, exhibitions and participatory programming for the Bloor West Ukrainian Festival, Dufferin Grove Park Day of Delight, Hamilton Winterfest, Fedora Upside-down Festival, Ashkenaz, etc, and organized traditional celebrations inspired by the changing seasons like Malanka (folk New Years) and Kupala (summer solstice celebration) in the summer. A lot of our events can be found on our website and Facebook page.

Our current priorities as an organization are to continue the work we are doing, keep the momentum going and to expand our activities and collaborations, and it would be nice to eventually get paid for our efforts - just sayin'!

Ukrainian Easter eggs TorontoIs a lot of your work for charity?

It is important for us to help out whenever we can and that is why we've been organizing the pysanka workshops for the past four years. The pysanka workshops were historically a fundraiser for the Pysanka Orphanage in Ukraine, although this year we decided to spread the love to another organization in need - Dzherelo centres for people living with disabilities in Lviv.

Most of us have had direct experience volunteering at camps for orphaned children in Ukraine with "Help Us Help the Children", a project of the Children of Chornobyl Fund and have been very touched by those experiences and are very aware of the need for funding there, and for other humanitarian projects in Ukraine. This year, we donated around 10% of our yearly caroling campaign to aid the efforts of the EuroMaidan movement, in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Euromaidan hit home for us because many of us have visited and lived in Ukraine throughout our lives and experienced the corruption, injustices and journalistic repression in that country firsthand. We felt that as young Canadian-Ukrainians living in a relatively free and democratic society, it was our duty to help our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We are generally not a political organization in any way, but this movement was exceptional.

Overall, we are a completely volunteer run organization. We are a not for profit that strives to make workshops affordable and accessible. We are also open and inclusive to anyone who takes an interest in what we do, and all our activities are conducted in English or at the very least fully bilingual, so no one is left out.

Where do you commonly host events?

We very often host events at St. Vladimir Institute at Spadina & Harbord Ave, because the space is great, easily accessible by public transit, and very open and receptive to our activities. St. Vlad's, as we call it, was a cultural centre and residence built in the sixties, with its hay day peeking shortly after. We are actively trying to contribute to its cultural renaissance by bringing programming that is relevant to a much broader audience.

We also have a small studio space donated to us by St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, at 4 Bellwoods Ave. and often hold events in Trinity Bellwoods Park when the weather cooperates. We venture out of the city to do workshops too, and have been very graciously received by the grassroots crafting community in Hamilton.

Where can people connect to Eastern European or folk art communities in Toronto?

Kosa is a good place to start. We don't say that because we think we're the best (although we do think we're quite nice), but because we are connected to many different outlets in the Eastern European community through our members diverse interests.

The best way to stay connected is by joining our Facebook page or website newsletter. We often post about happenings in Toronto, visiting artists, concerts or other community events. There are so many different outlets for different interests, but to name a few - for people interested in Eastern Europe in a more intellectual way The Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian studies at U of T does a lot of great free lectures, and St. Vlad's hosts speakers and events as well.

The Shevchenko Museum on Bloor at Dundas West station has some unique artifacts. As for folk art communities in Toronto - Fedora Upside Down, Uma Nota, Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington, The Diasporic Genius Project, Funkabelly, Ashkenaz Foundation, Small World Music Festival and many other such groups are doing folk culture from all corners of the globe, and we've had the pleasure of crossing paths with all of them.

On Easter Sunday (April 20th) we will be hosting "Spring Revels in the Park" starting at 4pm in Trinity Bellwoods Park. We and Lemon Bucket Orkestra will be leading people in simple folk dances and songs and games. It's an ancient Ukrainian tradition called "Hailky" and we started to revive this last year, with our first Hailky in Trinity Bellwoods Park, and it was really beautiful and fun!

Kosa Kolektiv's ARTiculations pysanka workshop is now sold out, but you can still register for their April 7th and 9th classes using natural dyes at Kosa Studio (4 Bellwoods Ave). You can also find them at St. Nicholas Church's Easter bazaar on Sunday, April 13th and Spring Revels in the Park April 20th at Trinity Bellwoods. Watch their calendar for more.

Lead photo by Sue Nichols, other photos from kosakolektiv.com

The top 10 Taiwanese restaurants in Toronto

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taiwanese restaurants torontoThe top Taiwanese restaurants in Toronto are (surprise, surprise) located far from the downtown core. While there are many Chinese restaurants in the heart of Toronto that serve a Taiwanese dish or two, you need to look at the city's northern edges to find entire restaurants dedicated to this rather underrated cuisine.

The flavours of Taiwanese dishes are usually quite distinct, though the food itself never feels so rich that it causes a food coma. The three-cup chicken (san bei ji), popcorn chicken (no relation to the KFC variety), stinky tofu, and beef noodle soup are some of the more recognizable examples of Taiwanese cooking. The best part is that these dishes are, generally, very reasonably priced, making them great for both your wallet and your tastebuds.

Here are my picks for the top Taiwanese restaurants in Toronto.

Papa Chang
A regular in Asian night market festivals across the GTA, Papa Chang isn't going to win any points for its ambience (eating there feels oddly like dining in a brightly-lit warehouse that happens to have chairs and tables all over it). But if you're craving Taiwanese street food along with home-cooked favourites, few can top their menu. Delicious fish skewers, popcorn chicken bento boxes, beef noodle soups, Taiwanese pancakes and flatbreads - oh my! The best part? A meal for two, including side dishes, isn't going to cost you much more than $20.

Taipei Chin Yuan Pai Ku
While this isn't a restaurant, per se, there is no way that I can exclude this food court gem from my list. For around $6.50, you can choose any of their six or seven different set items (the Taiwanese pork chop is the most popular). Mixed with some of their homemade pickles and hot sauce, it is insanely delicious, extremely tender, ridiculously cheap, and only slightly unhealthy (OK, that may just be wishful thinking on my part). Shame that the seats in the food court aren't too comfortable.

Ten Ren's Tea Time
To the untrained eye, this looks like just an upscale bubble tea café. But that is where you, young grasshopper, are mistaken. This Richmond Hill location of the hugely popular Taiwanese chain does way more than serving up tea; there's also plenty of food, along with tea-inspired snacks. Their cheap lunch and dinner specials, which are always changing (both in selection and price) are worth looking out for.

Mei Nung Beef Noodle House
Beef noodle soup is, to many, the epitome of Taiwanese comfort food, and Mei Nung serves one of the best versions, hands-down. For around $7, you can get the large-sized variety, and when that chewy noodle and strong-tasting dark broth hit your tongue, you'll know it was money well-spent. The surprisingly good stinky tofu is also one of the restaurant's specialties, but (true to its name) be warned that if you're a little averse to malodorous fumes, you may find yourself pinching your nose as you eat here. Then again, there's always the take-out option.

Tai Ping Hsiang
If you're in the mood for Taiwanese bento boxes, you can do worse than this long-standing restaurant/takeout joint in Metro Square. Located a stone's throw away from Chin Yuan Pai Ku, this mom-and-pop operation specializes in cheap and delicious lunch boxes with ever-changing contents. The popcorn chicken and vegetables is always a sure hit, while the blood pudding and fish cake side dish is much more delicious than it sounds. The lunch sets won't cost you more than $7, which is also a plus. Take note: Service can be a bit hit-or-miss.

Wiki Star
Blink and you'll miss this extremely well-hidden restaurant, located in a small nook in Northtown Way, a North York strip packed with culinary marvels. Once you do find it, however, you will be delighted as you munch on your $5.99 three-cup chicken on rice and sip one of their many bubble tea varieties. Never in my life have I witnessed so much food selection in such a small, confined space. Take-out only due to the establishment's size (I really cannot emphasize this strongly enough). Also, it's cash-only.

Wei's Taiwanese Food
This popular Scarborough restaurant is so dedicated to providing you with Taiwanese food that they even sell their own line of frozen Taiwanese dishes. Their actual store-cum-restaurant is rather modest, but you can regularly find quite a lot of diners feasting on their specialty stinky tofu (bad smell, better taste) for $3.99 or the equally-famous three-cup chicken on rice for just north of $5. Don`t forget to check out their perfect-for-work-lunch frozen dishes, like the sticky rice or the Taiwanese meatballs, for only $2.99 (no, seriously).

T&T Supermarket
OK, this isn't a Taiwanese restaurant. In fact, it's not even a restaurant. However, the roots of this large Asian arm of the Loblaw Group are undeniably Taiwanese: T&T was founded as a joint venture with Uni-President, one of the state's largest food conglomerates. That influence still shines through today at the multiple T&T locations in the GTA. You can regularly find many fried Taiwanese street-style foods, along with a surprisingly excellent three-cup chicken in the cooked foods aisle, and the bubble teas here are pretty good for $1.99, if not exactly stellar.

Lohas Café
I only recently realized that Lohas means "Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability", but for me it just means yummy Taiwanese noodle soups. Despite its rather unremarkable location (alongside many similar-looking restaurants in First Markham Place), this modest restaurant has a steady stream of regulars. Noodles are the specialty; my go-to is the minced pork noodle with bean sauce. At just under $6, coupling it with one of their milk teas is a great way to round off a weekend evening.

Mabu Station
Located in the heart of Koreatown North, Mabu Station is a little bit café, a little bit restaurant, and a little bit dessert place. This modern, cheerful restaurant is one of the few in Toronto to serve oyster pancakes; while they won't be mistaken for the ones from downtown Taipei, the dish more than holds its own. The three-cup chicken isn't bad, but I could sip on their Oreo milk tea forever. Non-Mandarin-speakers may find the servers' relative lack of English skills a bit daunting.

What did I miss? Add your favourite Taiwanese restaurants to the comments below.

Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. He hangs out on the twitter and his own mansion.

New video channels Rob Ford as a 10 year old

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rob ford childRob Ford's excuses at the peak of the crack scandal were pretty childish - "I cannot comment on a video I haven't seen or does not exist," "you're not asking me the right question" - but in the mouth of an actual kid they're pretty, err, frightening.

Here's a short film that puts (slightly tweaked) Rob Ford quotes in the mouth of a 10 year old girl who is accused of breaking a window (or "doing the crack").

It's funny and scary at the same time.

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


What Dovercourt Road used to look like in Toronto

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Dovercourt Road History TorontoDovercourt Road takes its name from the once-prominent Denison family, whose land holdings included a stretch of the street. Neither a main thoroughfare nor a sleepy residential enclave, there's something quintessentially Toronto about Dovercourt. At various points in its history, the street seemed on the brink of becoming more developed, particularly when it was home to a streetcar route, but aside from little hubs of activity at main intersections (notably Queen, Argyle, College, Bloor and Hallam), it never really happened en masse.

To the north, Dovercourt was originally home to poor English migrants who lived in shack-like structures spread around what is now Dupont. As industry developed on that street and along Geary Avenue (formerly Main Street) around the turn of the 20th century, Dovercourt Park became a bonafide neighbourhood, the heart of which was located at the intersection of Hallam. Surprisingly, both streets were served by streetcars at the time, and there was arguably even more traffic at the intersection in the 1920s than there is today.

Dovercourt and Argyle, once home to the Ideal Bread Company (now a rather nice condo), also feels like a mini-hub thanks in part to the presence of Luna Cafe. Ditto for the intersection at Foxley, which is home to Julie's Cuban and one of those classic residential Toronto variety stores. I've always liked this stretch of the street for the degree that it speaks to an older version of the city, one in which corner stores and lunch counters could be found scattered in neighbourhoods off main streets.

If there's a stretch of Dovercourt that's been preserved the most over the years, it's to be found between College and Bloor, where stately homes are set back from the road and look pretty much the same as they did in the 1950s (see photo below). It's a shame not to have an old picture of the Matador to share here, but the latest iteration of 466 Dovercourt will retain the iconic sign, so there's no need to get too mournful.

PHOTOS

Goads Atlas DovercourtGoad's Atlas, 1924

201442-dov-dupont-1899.jpgDovercourt "streetcar" 1899

201442-dov-geary-1912.jpgDovercourt looking north to Geary, 1912

201442-dov-subway-1915.jpgDovercourt looking north to Geary, 1915

201442-dov-bloor-looking-west-1919.jpgDovercourt and Bloor looking west, 1919

201442-bloor-dovercourt-1919.jpgDifferent angle, 1919

201442-dov-college-allens.jpgNorthwest corner Dovercourt and College, 1920

201442-Dov-Argyle-NEc-1920.jpgDovercourt and Argyle, 1920

201442-great-hall.jpgThe Great Hall as the Royal Templar Headquarters

201442-dov-dav-lookingeast-1923.jpgDovercourt and Davenport (looking east), 1923

201442-991-dovercourt-1929.jpg991 Doverourt, 1929

201442-bloor-dov-sec-1932.jpgSoutheast corner Bloor and Dovercourt, 1932

201442-dov-btw-col-bloor-1934.jpgDovercourt between College and Bloor, 1934

201442-dov-dav-1947.jpgDovercourt and Davenport, 1947

2011119-Hamilton-Gear-1957-s0975_fl2426_id34553-6.jpgHamilton Gear at Dovercourt and Dupont, 1957

201442-dov-queen-1987.jpgDovercourt and Queen, 1987

201442-dov-north-hallam-1998.jpgDovercourt north of Hallam, 1998

201442-jules-1998.jpgDovercourt and Argyle, 1998

Shortys Variety TorontoDovercourt north of College, 1998

Photos from the Toronto Archives, Library of Canada and (the last four) from Patrick Cummins.

The top 5 artists making drone music in Toronto

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Drone music TorontoA focused drone is hard to find: there's a lot of other music out there calling itself drone that's totally something else altogether. A worthy drone artist keeps things more sparse than even most minimal composers, creating sounds only a few tones at a time, letting them stretch out without the aid of traditionally organized rhythms and modes into something ultimately formless and meditative. In an age when anyone can slow down a Drake song and call it drone, here are the deepest ambient sounds going in Toronto.

Skull Bong
This solo/duo project creates live environments by filtering hypnogogic drones through sound-scapes of what can only be described as psychedelic weirdness. Sprung from the deep waters of weathered Toronto psych-rock champions Ghostlight and Under Heaven, Skull Bong is the demented dream of lone sharks Marco Landini and Minesh Mandoda, and it comes on like an acid-induced tidal wave.

Hoover Party
Jonathan Adjemian's exploration of outsider synthesizers sometimes flirts with krautrock-inspired melodies and rhythmic patterns, but for the most part his two cassettes with Healing Power Records and years of occasional live performances have exhibited a fascination with the spacier synth tones found out beyond well-trodden structures and sounds---right where they should be.

Panic Engines
This brand spanking new analog drone project by Toronto's surrealist avant-garde veteran William A. Davison isn't taking requests or playing concerts under this name yet, and there aren't even any sounds to be found online, but his uninhibited tonal abrasion can be dug up from a new cassette with a very long title. Just ask him for it via Davison's website Recordism.

Body of Waste
Another solo recording project with but one release (so far), Body of Waste struck me like a breath of freshly, wonderfully rank air as its drones and non-tones recalled such fond American memories of mine as rhBand and Double Leopards. In the interest of full disclosure, I might be biased about this as it was released on a modest independent label that I run, but others agree Adam Hanrahan is making some deep and exciting droning weirdness.

Black Walls
Ken Reaume's Black Walls is a prime example of the place where drone ideals crossover into song-based arenas such as doom metal, shoegazer and post-rock. Much akin to Nadja (Toronto's former drone heroes who became Berlin's darlings of doom), Black Walls stretch basic tonal ideas out until you can't sense their end. And like a good drone, why would you want it to end?

Thanks to Focus: Life Gear by TRIDENT for sponsoring this post. Focus: Life Gear by TRIDENT is a fashion line that blocks your mobile connectivity, allowing you to embrace a lifestyle of focus.Focus Trident

Writing by Kevin Hainey, photo of Black Walls via Facebook

Food trucks rally for looser regulations at City Hall

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toronto food trucksWhile city council debated the fate of Toronto's food trucks Wednesday, those food truck owners set up shop outside city hall, attempting to win some hearts and minds with fish tacos and brisket sandwiches.

Five favourite Toronto trucks - Food Dudes, Caplansky's, Hogtown Smoke, Randy's Roti, and Gourmet Gringos - set up camp in Nathan Phillips Square over the lunch hour. (Choco Churros cancelled their planned appearance due to generator issues.)

The rally, organized by a newly-minted coalition of 26 local food trucks, was an effort to show city councillors set to vote on new food truck rules that there's an appetite for an increased food truck presence on Toronto's streets.

The regulations, which were approved by the city's licensing committee last month, are looser compared to previous guidelines: They'd let food trucks set up in street parking spots or in parking lots, and would allow them to sell their wares from the same curbside spot for up to five hours. That is, unless they don't run afoul of the plan's most contentious rule: They wouldn't be allowed to park within 50 metres of an existing restaurant.

Food truck owners, frustrated by years of restrictions and red tape, have come out swinging against many of the regulations.

"We're trying to show city council how much Toronto wants food trucks to be able to go where we need to go, as opposed to the way the laws are now," says Scott Fraser, whose barbecue-focused Hogtown Smoke truck boasted some of the afternoon's longest lines.

"Everybody'll realize two years from now that we don't affect business - we help business," said Fraser, who also owns a brick-and-mortar Hogtown Smoke location in the Beaches.

"If you want to come and put a really popular food truck across the street from my restaurant, come on down. You're just going to bring more people in front of my restaurant. They may not eat there today, but they'll come tomorrow."

Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, who facilitated the event, said that while she felt the staff recommendations were a positive step, they were "still too restrictive.

"Have a little faith in your foodie entrepreneurs, and get them out there, the way they are in any multi-cultural, world-class city."

The Best Pizza in Toronto

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best pizza torontoThe best pizza in Toronto is a little slice of heaven, beloved for a seductive trinity of cheese, sauce and crust. Whether you're loyal to thin-crusted Neapolitan varieties, crispy stretched Roman-style pies or unabashed mozzarella-topped American classics, Toronto has a pizzeria to satisfy your craving.

Here is the best pizza in Toronto.

See also:

The Best Pizza Slice in Toronto
The Best Pizza Delivery in Toronto
The Best Late Night Pizza in Toronto
The Best Pizza in Etobicoke
The top 10 Neapolitan Pizza in Toronto
5 under the radar pizza joints on the east side of Toronto
The top 15 new pizza joints in Toronto
The Best Italian Restaurants in Toronto
The Best Calzone (Panzerotti) in Toronto
The Best Pide in Toronto

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