Toronto has been ranked the 10th most desirable travel destination in 2015 by Lonely Planet, the popular publisher of international travel guides. Rather than noting some the more cliched traits Toronto is known for, the guide references specific events and developments that will have an impact next year. Here's the blurb:

"This multicultural megalopolis promises to be extra vibrant in 2015. An estimated 250,000 visitors will arrive for the Pan American Games. Public works projects have advanced, including the Union Pearson Express train, which will whizz passengers from Toronto's airport to downtown in 25 minutes. 2015 will be another massive year for Toronto's drool-worthy restaurant scene. And the influences of nearby New York and Montreal keep things cutting-edge, with live music thriving in grassroots bars."

Ok, so it's still Lonely planet. The reference to Montreal and New York is a bit annoying, but the company in the top 10 is impressive. Other cities to get the nod include Washington DC, El Chalten, Milan, Zermatt, Valletta, Plovdiv, Salisbury, Vienna, and Chennai. Yup, Toronto's the second North American city on the list. Let your heart swell with pride.

Photo by Neil Ta in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Just one block from Trinity Bellwoods Park, this cute semi-detached located at 118A Robinson St. offers a pretty good picture of what you can buy with $650K in Toronto these days. The curb appeal won't blow you away, but the bones of this house are solid. Wide plank hardwood floors cover the first floor, and the open concept design is highlighted by the unique entrance to the dining area. No cookie cutter design here.

Though the lot is narrow (less than 12 feet!), there's room for more than a couple here. With three bedrooms plus a nursery (or an office), the house is deceptively large. It could, however, obviously use a reno. That kitchen probably isn't where you'd imagine cooking your dream meal, and the parquet flooring on the second level is just tired. Dump some money into this one and remain for a few years, and you'll be selling it for way more than it's listed at now.

SPECS

• Address: 118A Robinson St
• Price: $639,000
• Lot Size: 11.42 x 58 ft
• Bedrooms: 3+1
• Bathrooms: 2
• Parking: 0
• Taxes: $2,700
• Walk Score: 97

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Great location one block from Trinity Bellwoods
• Hardwood floors throughout (but parquet in the master bedroom)
• Unique moldings and finishes
• Walkout from basement

GOOD FOR

First time home buyers looking for an in downtown. It's harder and harder to purchase a house in this neighbourhood (or any centrally located neighbourhood) for less than $700,000, much less one with three bedrooms. Save on the maintenance fees you'd pay for a condo by snapping up this place.

MOVE ON IF

You're looking for all the bells and whistles. This house has its limitations. There's no parking, to start with, and a tiny backyard. The kitchen and bathrooms could use an update, as could the parquet flooring upstairs. But it gives you the chance to make updates to your taste, so bust out the design magazines and start scheming.

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

The El Mocambo drama never stops here in Toronto - except it really, really will soon. After doomsday speculation made what seemed like a permanent and cozy nest around the historic concert venue, the building has been sold, the last parties have been booked, and we no longer have to wonder what will happen to the iconic sign - until a whole new mystery unfolds. That being the mystery of who buys it on Ebay, and what they chose to do with it.

Sam Grosso is selling the sign on Ebay now, and you have until the end of the month to place your bids (and bask in its glory IRL). The price has risen steadily over the afternoon to about $3,000, but I'd expect Grosso is hoping to recoup the $20,000 he spent on the sign's restoration just a couple of years ago.

It's jarring to see the sign on an Ebay page instead of where it ought to be (uh, Spadina?), and since there's no museum for stuff like this in the city as of yet, anyone's guess is as good as mine as to where it will end up. Anyone want to invest in a Yonge and Dundas Square install?

Photo by dtstuff9 in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto imagineNATIVE kicks off at TIFF, Hot Docs, The Everleigh, Trinity Square Video, and Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. The 7pm screening at Bloor Hot Docs features Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's What We Do in the Shadows, in which a New Zealand documentary crew are "given unparalleled access into the lives of a posse of vampires." The festival runs unto Sunday.

At the AFT Campus de Spadina history buffs can see an exhibition of Berlin's Hotel Bogota, an artists' studio converted by the Third Reich into their Ministry of Culture. The Drake is launching David Balzer's booking about "how curating took over the art world and everything else," and Rookie is throwing a party for their third yearbook at the Great Hall. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Film: imagineNATIVE
• Lit: Rookie Yearbook Three Toronto Launch Party (The Great Hall)
• Beer: Beerworking - Sustainable Series (Project: OWL)
• Art/Lit: Curationalism (Drake Hotel)
• Art: Bogota in Berlin (AFT Campus de Spadina)
• Film: LIFT presents "Found Found Found (Cinecycle)
• Food: Restaurants for Change
• Fashion: Shoppe and Tailor Launch Party
• City: Suffer-gette City! a municipal politics cabaret (Videofag)
• Art: Toons On Tap - Session 59: The Devil (Round)

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

Image: What We Do in the Shadows (imagineNATIVE)

The same hospitality group behind The Chase Fish & Oyster and Colette have opened the doors to their much-anticipated take-out spot serving creative sandwiches stuffed with all sorts of seafood.

Find out more in my profile of Little Fin in the restaurants section.

It's hard to say what takeout food Toronto likes the most, but you know that Thai would be part of a heated competition for top spot. We challenged our readers to post their best photos of Thai eats -- both takeout and otherwise -- with the dangle of prizes from the Doi Chaang Coffee Company and Sabai Sabai. Our winning photo, taken by chewtoronto, has won a gift basket of single and estate roasts from Doi Chaang and dinner for two at Sabai Sabai. Lucky, lucky.

Check out all the other candidates and get hungry with our Thai food in Toronto stream.

If there was any doubt that John Tory is the favourite heading into the municipal election, the latest numbers from Forum Research should put that to rest. The same company that put Tory and Doug Ford neck and neck two weeks ago, now has the mayoral candidates separated by 14 points with less than a week to go before the election.

Here's the current breakdown in the mayoral race according to Forum: John Tory 43 per cent, Doug Ford 29 per cent, Olivia Chow 25 per cent. Most of the movement has taken place between Tory and Ford, with the former snapping up a portion of the votes once believed to be going the latter's way.

Polls are notoriously unreliable, and even the amount of swing Forum has tracked over the course of two weeks should be enough to draw questions at the enterprise of advance surveys -- but 14 per cent is a big enough gap that you can bet the Ford and Chow camps are worried heading into voting day.

As work on Ryerson's new Student Centre nears completion, the university has just announced a major new development on Church just north of Dundas. Although the building has yet to receive a name, we do know what it will house. The new structure will be home to the School of Nutrition, the School of Occupational and Public Health, the Midwifery Education Program and the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing.

The 166,000 square-foot building, which will be built to LEED silver specifications, will also feature 250 residence beds, 10 clinical experience suites, teaching labs, modular labs for research initiatives, and a fabrication zone with 3D printers, robotic arms, a laser cutter and CNC lathes for prototyping. Welcome to the future, Ryerson.

The Perkins+Will designed building will break ground later this year, with an estimated completion date of the 2018 academic year. Have a look at the renderings below for a picture of what the new addition will look like.

Renderings care of Ryseron University

Scarborough is one of the biggest districts in the GTA. Spanning from Victoria Park Avenue to the borders of Pickering, it's home to a vastly diverse population due to waves and waves of new immigrants over the years, as well as a handful of natural landmarks worth a long gander.

It's no surprise the neighbourhood is a hotbed for ethnic food and wholesome outdoor activities - there's definitely no roti or greenery quite like Scarborough's anywhere else in the GTA. The area may have an undeserved bad reputation, but there are quite a lot of things to do in its 188 square kilometres.

Here's how to spend a day in Scarborough from morning until late night.

BREAKFAST AND COFFEE

Scarborough has no shortage of breakfast spots worth a visit. Among my favourites is Panagio's on McCowan Road - a greasy spoon with a patio and generous portions. I'm a dedicated eggs benny eater, but anything that comes with their home fries will do just fine. As for coffee, Gerhard's Cafe and Francesca Bakery are my go-to options but not for the coffee alone. I can't resist one of their delicious pastries like a slice of blueberry cheesecake or a cannoli, even if it's my first meal of the day.

MORNING ACTIVITY

Scarborough has a whole roster of places to enjoy the fresh air so if I have a couple of hours to kill I'll escape to The Bluffs or Rouge Park to get some fresh air and admire the views. If it's a warm day I might even take a dip in the lake or the river and swim with the fishes. Rouge Beach is Scarborough's best kept secret - it's always quiet and the sand is completely rock-free.

LUNCH

What's a day in Scarborough without Johnny's Hamburgers? The iconic, standalone burger joint has been open since the '70s - everyone and their moms can get behind their old school cheap eats. Mini-chain Retro Burger by Kennedy Station is my personal favourite charbroiled burger spot, only because they have deep fried Mars bars (on a stick!).

The Scarborough location of Mainsha right on the corner of Birchmount and Finch makes filling (and cheap) Caribbean food. On Tuesdays, I usually waltz in and get a big ol' serving of fried chicken, rice, and coleslaw for $2.50 - and wash it down with whatever homemade juice they decided to whip up that day (pineapple and ginger being my favourite).

If it's not a Tuesday, I might hop over to Perfect for dim sum plates at less than $2 every week day or Ho Ho BBQ for a whole lunch box filled to the brim with roasted pork, rice, soup and veggies for about $7.

Other lunch favourites are too numerous to mention but a short list would include Agincourt Bakery for a veal sandwich, ACR Hot Roti for doubles, Mona's for roti, Lamanna's for lasagna and Maple Yip for Chinese.

SHOPPING & CULTURE

I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend all of tenth grade loitering at the Scarborough Town Centre like every other teenager in the neighbourhood. Today, the mall is newly renovated and rebranded so it's actually a decent place to get real shopping done - Calvin Klein, Brandy Melville and a soon-to-open Michael Kors are a few stores on their ever-growing roster.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

If there's one thing every Scarborough native loves, it's a good patty. I could be found at Allan's Pastry Shop snacking on one every day in high school - their flaky crust and spicy beef are what dreams are made of. Samosa King on Finch is, well, the king if I feel like eating five of something for $1. And as for my sweet tooth, Patisserie Royale's baklava or 0109 Dessert & Chocolate's flavoured creme brûlée both satisfy without fail every time.

DINNER

Going out for dinner in Scarborough usually means one thing: Asian food. Zen Japanese has some of the freshest sushi in town, but I usually go for all-you-can-eat spots like the ever-popular Ten-Ichi or Matsuda.

If those are way too rammed, I've never had a problem getting a seat at Tatami at Warden and Eglinton or Chako at Kennedy and McNicoll. For a fierier meal, the Mediterranean fried rice at hole-in-the-wall Hakka Chinese restaurant Federick is red hot.

DRINKS AND ENTERTAINMENT

While there isn't much nightlife in Scarborough, there are a number of chill spots to drink and hang out in. The Queen's Head is a local watering hole that packs a big crowd during big games. If my friends and I are too lazy to make the trek downtown, Twilight gets so packed on Thursdays it almost feels like a club -- likely because you can get a whole bucket of beer at $20 while jamming out to Dancehall.

If I want to do something outside of consuming my weight in beer, Le Spot and VIP are my go-to billiard lounges though a wee bit run down. Shisha is another option - Alexandria on Lawrence has that perfect sketchy vibe but everyone goes there anyway and Habibiz is cool just because Drake thinks it is.

LATE NIGHT EATS

Scarborough has a couple of 24-hour places I like to hit up after a (very) long night. The Markham Station is a Malvern staple - though they offer steaks and sandwiches, it's rare for me to stray away from their $5 breakfast special.

T-Bones on Eglinton East is key if I'm looking for something extra greasy like a gravy-doused poutine. Both are perfect for those drunken 4am meals we all know and love (or hate).

If it's not the crack of dawn when a craving hits, The Real Mccoy and Destiny are always open until a bit past last call. I've spent a few too many nights snacking on the former's good old-fashioned deep fried everythings and downing the latter's bubble tea while playing (losing at) card games with a group of other night owls.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions for how to spend a day in Scarborough to the comments.

Photos by Jesse Milns, Simon Yau, Adrenstreet and Johnny Madden on Flickr.

If you've felt underwhelmed by the transit plans of our leading mayoral candidates, you might be taken with this soaring vision from Ari Goldkind. At first glance it seems like just another fantasy map, but a little digging through the accompanying 21-page document reveals that the long shot mayoral candidate has also put together a funding plan. It's wildly ambitious, of course, but that might be a dose of just what Toronto needs to break its complacency when it comes to transit expansion.

It's difficult to summarize the sprawling plan, which Goldkind plots out in three phases over a 15-year period. By way of highlights, the $57 billion proposal features 207 kilometres of new routes and 120 stations, the majority of which would be serviced by LRT. Some of the key initiatives include the LRT lines connecting Don Mills Station and Union, Wilson Station and Union, Mount Dennis and Humber College, as well as the expansion of the Eglinton Crosstown to the airport, new LRT routes on the waterfront and Lawrence East, plus a subway link between Downsview and Sheppard-Yonge.

As far as funding goes, Goldkind isn't shy about calling for increased property taxes and tolls. His big idea (at least on the finance front) is to implement a $183 per year tax that would generate $1 billion for transit funding. Add to that tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway, and you have the type of radical thinking that would actually usher in huge changes to our transit infrastructure.

Will it happen? No. Are there some good ideas in this plan? Definitely. Check out the video below to see Goldkind pitch his vision.

Modern day Etobicoke, like the City of Toronto, is a relatively recent construction. Once a disparate collection of small towns and villages, the current city is a suburban spread of high-rise apartments, leafy residential streets, and tough-looking industrial zones.

Toronto's western neighbourhoods are also home to numerous tantalizing curiosities, including remnants of a lost village absorbed and almost erased by the encroachment of modern industry, a massive and ornate Hindu temple, a pioneer cemetery landlocked by highway ramps, and a tiny fragment of a cancelled light rail line at Kipling station.

Here are 10 quirky things to know about Etobicoke.

The name "Etobicoke" is a reference to trees
The Etobicoke name with its bizarre silent "k" is derived from the Ojibwe word "wadoopikaang," which is used to refer to a place where alder trees grow. Over time, the word was gradually corrupted and anglicized into "atobecoake" and finally "Etobicoke." The land was part of the controversial Toronto Purchase of 1787, a deal that transferred control of a large swath of Toronto land from First Nations people in exchange for 2,000 gun flints, 24 brass kettles, 120 mirrors, 24 laced hats, 96 gallons of rum, and a bolt of floral flannel.

Long Branch used to be a summer resort
In the days when the intersection of Brown's Line and Lake Shore Blvd. was a rural oasis, entrepreneur Thomas Wilkie bought and subdivided a portion of prime lakefront property into 219 cottage-sized lots, just southeast of where the 501 Queen streetcar ends today. The new neighbourhood included a park (called, imaginatively, Sea Breeze,) a luxury hotel, and numerous spectacular mansions. Before the streetcar, access was via rail or steamer from the foot of Yonge St. Several of the old summer homes still remain.

Hurricane Hazel killed 35 people on one Etobicoke street
When Hurricane Hazel ripped through Toronto in 1954, the area around the Humber River was hit particularly hard. The river swelled to several times its normal size and burst its banks, washing out bridges and dragging away homes. On Raymore Drive, which was located inside the river valley just south of Lawrence, 35 people were killed when the water washed away their homes. The location of the disaster, which was responsible for almost half of Hazel's deaths in Ontario, is now Raymore Park.

There were once plans to build light rail out of Kipling station
Transit plans change as frequently the seasons in Toronto, so it's perhaps no surprise that Kipling station harbours evidence of a dead light rail transit line. The route, planned in the early 1980s, would have run north along the Kipling hydro corridor to Pearson airport, then east to York University. Had it been built, the light rail line would probably have used articulated streetcars, possibly tethered together. The roughed in platform opposite the bus bays was the only piece ever built.

There's a hidden pioneer cemetery in the Highway 427/401 interchange
Richview Memorial Cemetery doesn't really do the whole "rest in peace" thing. Bound on two sides by highway and on another by Eglinton Ave., the resting place, which dates back to 1846, is never dark or quiet. Amazingly, despite the oppressive surroundings, burials still take place at Richview in full view of speeding trucks and cars. About 300 people are currently working their way through eternity there at time of writing.

The Bloor-Danforth line could have reached Sherway Gardens or Mississauga
The Bloor-Danforth line has been extended twice since it opened in 1966--from the original terminus at Keele to Islington in 1968, and from Islington to Kipling in 1980. A plan to push the line west into Mississauga via Sherway Gardens was floated at various times during the 1980s and 1990s, but was repeatedly shelved over the projected costs and a predicted lack of ridership. Had it been built, there would likely have been stops at East Mall, West Mall, and Dixie.

Northwest Etobicoke has its own ghost town
Before Claireville effectively became an industrial park, it was a small village on the outskirts of Toronto. As Sean Marshall writes for Spacing, at its peak, the little community had several churches, some small businesses, and a smattering of homes, a small number of which survive. The area was rezoned as the city grew and all but a few pieces of the town were demolished. Just south of the old village lies a disused portion of Indian Line that runs parallel to Highway 427.

A gorgeous Hindu temple is hidden on industrial Claireville Drive
Completed in 2007, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Etobicoke's extreme northwest corner is made of 24,151 handcarved pieces of marble and stone. There's no central steel structure or central supporting skeleton--the entire building, all 10,000 tons of Italian marble, Turkish limestone, Indian sandstone, and granite, is self-supporting. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, and former mayor David Miller attended the grand opening.

The first Toronto piece of the 401 was built in Etobicoke
Highway 401 was originally conceived as a high-speed Toronto bypass. Drivers travelling on Highway 2, snarled by traffic lights and heavy traffic, would be able to cruise over the top of Toronto en route to Windsor or Quebec. The first Toronto section was built from the Humber River to Avenue Rd. in 1951. The four-lane highway was the first in the city to feature cloverleaf interchanges and the now-familiar highway-style access roads. Unfortunately, the highway was never a driver's dream. By 1956, the traffic was already "intolerable," according to the Globe and Mail.

The oldest home in Etobicoke dates from 1832
Located on a street overlooking the Humber River and nuzzled up against new suburban-style property, Etobicoke's oldest surviving home predates the name of the Thistletown neighbourhood to which it belongs. John Grubb, a businessman responsible for the construction of Albion Rd., built the stone cottage on Jason Rd. in 1832. The area was predominantly rural until the spread of the suburbs in the 1950s and 60s.

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

Images: Jack Landau, o.mutukuda, Marika van Velsen/blogTO Flickr pool, City of Toronto Archives.

The best fitness clubs in Toronto are the city's most beloved places to break a sweat. And that's saying something: Toronto has hundreds of gyms and clubs representing countless activities and workout styles, meaning those who want to stay active have a huge range of options. (Parkour? Yep. Spin classes soundtracked by a DJ? Check. Martial arts of every concievable type? Uh huh.)

What sets these gyms apart from the pack, however, boils down to a few things: Beautiful, well-kept facilities, ample workout equipment and class offerings, convenient hours and locations, and friendly staff. Everything you need to go from couch potato to gym rat is right here.

Here are the best fitness clubs in Toronto.

See also:

The best specialty fitness clubs in Toronto
The best crossfit gyms in Toronto
The best spinning classes in Toronto
The best yoga studios in Toronto
The best martial arts in Toronto
The best boxing gym in Toronto
The best pilates in Toronto
The best personal trainers in Toronto

Photo by Oscar Flores in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto it's a huge day for art, lit, and music (and a rough day to be home with extra work or a cold). The International Festival of Authors (IFOA) is launching, on until Nov 2, and art fair newbie Feature is on at the Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre if you want to drop four or five figures on something contemporary for your condo/renovated duplex.

For indie music fans unfortunately capitalized TWiMFeST, a merger of two names in the local scene, is also new - positioning themselves against NXNE, NXNE is giving away tickets to their show, so who even knows what's going on. Check out our preview here. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Art: Feature Art Fair (Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre)
• Lit: International Festival of Authors (Harbourfront Centre)
• Music: TWiMFeST
• Film: Why Horror TADFF Screening (Scotiabank Theatre)
• Party: Fashion Week After Party (CUBE)
• Art: TUMBLR.HELL (White House)
• Lit: Book Launch Party (#Hashtag Gallery)
• Music: Pistol George Warren (Silver Dollar)
• Fashion: Fashion Week - designer warehouse sale (Heritage Court)
• Fashion: Philistine Four Year Anniversary Party (Philistine)

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

Photo via Atom and the Volumes

Toronto Restaurant Openings highlights the latest restaurant openings and closings in Toronto and also gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

OPEN NOW

• Pig Out BBQ has opened at 650 Spadina Ave. This is the second location for the Pickering-based smokehouse. UofT students should look forward to daily specials - like on Sundays, when the pulled pork sandwich goes for $5.50.
• Bunas Kitchen opens today, Thursday, October 23 at 388 Richmond St. West. On the menu, you'll find an array of salads, sandwiches and hearty mains like house-made pastas and fresh baked quiche.

RECENTLY REVIEWED

• Kujira
• Little Fin
• Kaiju
• Schmaltz Appetizing

OPENING SOON

• With Paese Ristorante now closed, Parlor Foods is set to takeover the address at 333 King St. West. Expect locally focused, Canadiana-themed menus featuring house-made charcuterie, breads and preserves.
• SOCO, a kitchen and bar with an added grab-and-go concept, is opening in Southcore Financial Centre at the Delta Hotel (18 York St.).
• Odin Hus, a restaurant from the same folks Thor Espresso Bar is in the works at 514 King St. East. [PostCity]
• Loaded Pierogi is coming soon to 9-1/2 Church St. The new eatery promises handmade potato and cheddar filled dumplings topped with goodies like duck confit, pulled pork, fried brussel sprouts, lobster or kimchi.

CLOSED

• The windows are papered up at S. Lefkowitz, the shortlived hummuseria (913 Dundas St. W.) [Toronto Life]

Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to liora@blogto.com

Photo via Buna's Kitchen on Facebook.

Toronto will be witness to a rare celestial occurrence today in the form of a partial solar eclipse at sunset. The eclipse will get underway at around 5:40pm local time and continue until the sun dips below the horizon. During this period, viewers in Toronto will be see about a third of the sun covered by the moon. At the eclipse's peak this will grow to roughly two thirds of the surface, but unfortunately that'll be after the sun has set. If you're super keen to see more of the eclipse, you can head way north and west, where the sun's relative altitude is more optimal.

On the bright side, the weather forecast is ideal for viewing in Toronto today. With the sun low on the horizon, photographic potential of the event is excellent. Not only will the sun appear bigger in the sky, but there will be ample options to frame photos with the city in the foreground. Just remember, everyone, don't stare at the sun! Keep it short or get yourself some special glasses or a pinhole camera. Unlike auto affection, this actually will make you go blind.

Photo from NASA

This tiny, Union Jack-festooned shop stocks a healthy selection of imported, hard-to-find British snacks guaranteed to bring out the nostalgia in any expat. There's also a range of airport gift shop quality decor offerings featuring flags and "Keep Calm" parodies.

Read my profile of London Calling in the design section.

When mayoral candidate Ari Goldkind released his surprisingly complex (and expensive) "More than a Map" transit plan earlier this week, one of the proposals that stood out among the tangle of light rail and bus rapid transit was the idea of a TTC "UniverCity," "the world's first post-secondary institution dedicated to transit." But what exactly would that look like?

Goldkind says the $50 million educational institution would develop innovations in transit that could be marketed outside Canada, as well as advocating for better planning and helping to shape public opinion.

"We need to create a culture of transit that takes people away from the lowest common denominator, which is what the top three [mayoral candidates] are obsessed with," Goldkind says.

"Those are legitimate factual concerns ... but we need to stop tripping over dollars to pick up dimes, we need a complete paradigm shift to rise above these kinds of questions and we need to stop looking at transit, or taxes, or spending, or investing in infrastructure as a drain rather than a gain."

In its first years, TTC UniverCity wouldn't be a "bricks and mortar" institution (that would come at a later date, depending on the level success) but Goldkind suggests it might start out of the MaRS Discovery District.

Classes would focus on economics and finance, environmental studies, systems design and engineering, and urban planning. There would be diploma-level qualifications, maintenance and repair programs, and input from Canadian engineering firms like Bombardier and SNC-Lavalin.

"At its core, the TTC UniverCity idea is meant to serve as a catalyst for turning Toronto into a world-leading transit innovation hub," Goldkind says. "I think Toronto should pioneer this kind of idea ... in so many industries like IT, medicine, and aerospace, education is the largest driver of innovation."

Most importantly, the "UniverCity" would attempt to take transit out of the hands of politicians, a problem that the mayoral candidate says has led to a "cult of everything is free."

Unfortunately, the transit plan comes extremely late in the campaign, just days before the city goes to the polls. After being shut out of the final round of debates, Goldkind's chances of winning are minuscule, but he says he would consider pursuing his ideas in some form during the next term of council.

"I'm not prepared to give up on something I'm so passionate about."

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that TTC UniverCity would generate 400,000 jobs. That figure should have referred to Goldkind's entire transit proposal, not just the educational facility.

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

Image: Chris Bateman/blogTO

The Feature Contemporary Art Fair crept into the city yesterday with a modestly attended VIP opening night. A small, hyper curated, contemporary alternative (/complement) to this weekend's gigantic Toronto International Art Fair (Art Toronto) was enticing, with only 23 galleries' applications selected for participation by the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC), the Montreal organizers of Papier.

To participate in the small fair at the Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre, galleries pitched only three artists each, but not specific works. The room was dominated by Montreal and Toronto galleries, with a handful of Vancouver and Ottawa names tucked in between. It might disappoint anyone looking for bloody rivalries to note that four galleries at Feature will also show at Art Toronto.

While not everyone who paid gala prices ($150) to attend Feature's opening VIP event were happy - though I'd imagine there is always talk of collectors storming out after an initial walk through - other buyers were at home enough in the new environment to pull out their chequebooks. Near the end of the night little red stickers denoted sales in the $1000 and $20,000 range; Vancouver's Owen Kydd sold the same $12,000 video several times over.

Names like Gilles Mihalcean and Liz Magor will interest collectors and art fans alike, but the latter be warned: Feature's focus on the contemporary explicitly drives home the fact that the purpose of an art fair is to sell, not to astound, perplex, or drive new understanding of life's complexities into the heart of the viewer. Each gallery's intention, from selection of artists and pieces to their booth's arrangement, is that of a marketer, and Feature's fierce curation works against it here.

A stall installation is not an exhibition, and if you're unfamiliar with the work on hand, it's easy to feel you've wandered into a high end gift shop where any bold colour or risky creative endeavour is lost in a palette of muted tones and bright whites. Ulysses Castellanos's understated black-outs over magazine clippings don't work in a consumer setting, and worse, bring on the wrong kind of discomfort - a suspicion of the creative process. Without context, other pieces are only as good as the name behind them or a gallerist's sales pitch.

With any luck the contextual disservice done to the art works will be balanced by money changing hands, but for tourists it's hard not to wonder at, instead of an sculptor's intent, what a small sculpture would look like on a side table, or where a buyer might chose to install a large, awkwardly shaped one in their home: mysteries of life best pondered out of earshot. Plan Feature, just down the street from Toronto's goliath fair, as a calming chaser after the chaos of Art Toronto.

Feature Art Fair is up at the Canadian Opera Company, Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre (227 Front Street East) until Sunday, October 26. General admission is $15. Hours and exhibitors can be found on Feature's website.

Photos by Derek Flack