Jared Leto is in Toronto, and it's a huge, huge deal - such a huge deal that the Daily Mail got in on stalking him the moment he touched down.

The tabloid were amused to find Leto donning what the actor might believe is an "OVO swagger" / "Drake-Awkward" style (athletic shorts and black hoody embossed with gold), plus skinny jeans, reminiscent-of-uggs heavy duty winter boots, and a fur trimmed parka, which is a Toronto style in and of itself. If Leto was comfy on the plane, I'm not sure what the big deal is here.

Leto is in town to play the Joker in Suicide Squad - no word on if quirky co-star and model Cara Delevingne is the one who put him up to dressing like this. Will Smith, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, and Joel Kinnaman are also set to star in the DC Comics blockbuster. The actor tweeted a friendly hello to the city, so let's all be nice to him as he settles in.

Hello toronto. Missed you. X

— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) April 5, 2015

Why did no one at the studio tell Jared Leto about official OVO merch and Canada Goose jackets? Let us know in the comments.

The Banh Mi Boys spin-off shut down last summer and has just recently reopened under the same name but with an entirely new menu. Gone are the Vietnamese subs and kimchi fries - the all-new menu boasts bar-friendly snack foods like Nachos Koreano, duck gravy poutine and hambaogers.

Read my profile of Lucky Red in the restaurant section.

The best churros in Toronto have become mainstays at bakeries, taquerias and on Spanish menus citywide - and it's no wonder, this city is donut-obsessed. These long, delicious Mexican fried pastries are often superior to other varieties by virtue of being fried-to-order. There's nothing quite like biting into a piping hot churro, whether filled with sweet caramel or chocolate, or enjoyed with just a simple dusting of sugar and cinnamon.

Here is where to find the best churros in Toronto.

It's hard for a bunnies to get their due online. Cats established themselves as the firm overloads of the internet early on, begrudgingly sharing the spotlight with celebrity dogs and the odd exotic adorable baby elephant or polar bear. Then there's the whole Playboy thing messing with Google's mojo - yep, it's no wonder most rabbits prefer to nibble and wiggle under the radar.

If there's one time of the year when rabbits deserve the limelight, it's Easter weekend. Whether you're devout or secular, you'll be pleased from whisker to toes to find our #bunniesofTO hashtag brought some of Toronto's cutest (and shyest) bunnies out of hiding.

Here are some of Toronto's most adorable bunny rabbits on Twitter. Hoppy Easter.

Do you have an adorable Toronto bunny pal who missed the party? Tweet with the hashtag #bunniesofTO or let us know in the comments.

Hundreds assembled at Nathan Phillips Square last Saturday for International Pillow Fight Day and a chance to make good on every child's dream of smashing complete strangers over the head with a down-filled cushion. A sun-drenched crowd raucously battled away as an almost equal number of onlookers and photographers took in the proceedings. Organized by Newmindspace, this year's pillow fight was the 10th to be held in Toronto, and judging by the looks on everyone's faces, one of the best.

Check out all the action in this photo gallery of the Toronto Pillow Fight.

Photo by BruceK in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto our new overlord of internet-influenced darkwave recordings and dance parties, DETH Records, is turning one year old at Bambi's. Then Joe Strutt of Mechanical Forest Sound's new monthly experimental showcase, Track Could Bend, will kick off - normally he's the one recording/bootlegging the show, but here he's handpicked the lineup.

Starting today at Lula Lounge, the Opre Roma/Rise Up Roma festival of Romani arts and culture will run until Sunday April 12. Learn more here. At Clinton's you can rekindle your feelings for Miley Cyrus' big hit with C!C!C!, then sing karaoke with a live band backing you. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Music: Bernice & Omhouse (Burdock Music Hall)
• Party: DETH Records 1st Anniversary (Bambi's)
• Cultural: Opre Rome/Rise Up Roma Festival (Lula Lounge)
• Kitsch: C!C!C! - Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball (Clinton's)
• Star Power: Live Karaoke with Good Enough (Clinton's)
• Games: miniPong : eveningSocial : experiencePlay : vanGrey (May)
• Film: Blood In, Blood Out (Magpie)

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

With Spring weather supposedly right around the corner (forget the official date), now seems like a good time to remember that the outdoors isn't always a grey and forbidding frozen wasteland.

In fact, it's quite nice out there when the sun is shining and the grass of city parks is soft and green. The amateur boxing matches (above) might have been replaced by drum circles and off-leash dog parks, but Toronto's parks still serve the same vital role they did 100 years ago. In short, they are our communal back yards.

This is what Toronto parks used to look like.

The gates of Trinity-Bellwoods Park on Queen St. W. The park was originally the grounds of Trinity College, an Anglican educational institution founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan, the first bishop of Toronto (think Strachan Ave.) The college was merged into the University of Toronto and the original Gothic Revival building closed in 1925. It was eventually demolished in 1956.

The view of Trinity College and Gore Vale (right,) a three-storey red brick home owned by Francis Gore, who was Lieutenant-Governor from 1806 to 1817. After a brief period as a hospital, the home was knocked down in the 1920s.

After Trinity College moved to its current location on Hoskin Ave., the old grounds were turned into a public park by the City of Toronto.

Though there are still some hills in Trinity-Bellwoods, much of the original geography has been erased. Garrison Creek, a quite substantial river despite the name, used to run through the grounds from north to south. Its steep-sided ravine was popular with tobogganers.

Girls in Christie Pits Park near a makeshift bridge over a small stream. The green space on Bloor St. W. was once the site of a gravel pit (hence "pits") and was originally called Willowvale Park.

Boys pose for a staged photo in front of sign warning against "disturbing the turf in search of mushrooms." Truffles perhaps?

Water used to collect in the bowl of Christie Pits Park, making a perfect natural paddling pool.

Baseball in Greenwood Park on opening day, July 3, 1920. Like Christie Pits, Greenwood was also built on top of a former quarry.

Apart from green spaces, Toronto was also once home to several amusement parks. At Hanlan's Point, two high-diving horses named King and Queen were part of a traveling show brought to Toronto several times by entertainer J.W. Gorman. A wooden roller coaster, merry-go-round, dodgems, even a freak show were also popular.

Hanlan's Point was also home to the ball park where a young Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run. After a period of decline in the late 1920s, the last amusements, including the Whip, closed for good in the early 1930s.

Located on Queen St. E., ScarboroBeach Park was another popular summer amusement park. Central to the waterfront attraction was a massive log flume. Today, the portions of Hammersmith Ave., Scarboro Beach Blvd., and Glen Manor Dr. south of Queen St. E. cut through the former site of the park.

Just to the west of Scarboro Beach Park was "The Canadian Kew Gardens." Promising "innocent amusements" such as tennis (below,) camping, swimming, and sledding in winter, the park was a stark contrast to the in-your-face pleasures available just down the street. Founder Joseph Williams named the park after Kew in London, England. He must have really liked the name because he called his son Kew, too.

Kew Gardens was sold to the City of Toronto in 1907 and cleared of many of its buildings. A stone, city-owned structure on the waterfront used to rent bathing suits and towels to swimmers, but has since also been razed.

Straw hats and cars on Half Mile Rd. in High Park during the summer of 1912.

A restaurant and ice cream parlour in central High Park, 1912.

The High Park Mineral Baths were located in a natural swimming hole at Bloor St. W. and Clendenan Ave. As David Wencer writes at Torontoist, the business was operated out of a house on nearby Gothic Ave. and directly associated with a U.S. sanitarium run by anti-masturbation advocate and Corn Flake magnate Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. The spring-fed pools, nicknamed "The Minnies," closed and were filled in in the 1960s during construction of the Bloor-Danforth line.

A group of women during a race in Monarch Park, near Danforth and Coxwell avenues.

Aerial view of the Perth St. Playground in the Junction Triangle, 1920.

The Perth Ave. Playground was a popular baseball venue. Several junior and senior teams used the diamond during the 1920s.

Looking south over Riverdale Park circa 1914. The factory building in the background is likely the Kemp Manufacturing Co. Ltd., a maker of stoves, ranges, and other metal products which used to be located at the southeast corner of Gerrard and River streets. The circular building in the distance is one of the storage tanks belonging to the Consumers Gas Company on Eastern Ave.

A black bear in a tree at Riverdale Zoo. During its 75-year history, the east end menagerie was home to camels, hippos, monkeys, sea lions, an elephant named "Princess Rita," and many other animals patently too large for the tiny property. The zoo closed in 1975 and was replaced by the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo. Riverdale Farm, which specializes in rare animal breeds, opened on the site in 1978.

More straw hats on display in Riverdale Park in July 1912.

Looking over the rail corridor in a pre-Don Valley Parkway Riverdale Park. Look closely at the top of the hill: there's a wooden structure belonging to the massive winter toboggan runs that used to be set up in the park.

A lush Don River just south of Riverdale Park in October 1913. The buildings at the top of the bank were part of the Isolation Hospital, which treated people suffering from contagious illnesses such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles and polio in a controlled environment away from the crowded city centre. Today, Bridgepoint Health occupies the site.

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

Images: City of Toronto Archives

This week there are no closures on DineSafe, but two different churrascos got yellow cards as well as two locations of Mainsha. I'd insert a pithy comment, but I'm actually just bummed out about the state of chicken in this city. Let's get it together, guys.

Here are the rest of the results on DineSafe this week.

Mangiacake (160 McCaul St.)
Inspected on: March 30, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 7 (Minor: 1, Significant: 5, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Wrapido (729 Bloor St. West)
Inspected on: March 31, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 4 (Significant: 3, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Churrasco St. Clair (679 St. Clair Ave. West)
Inspected on: March 31, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 2 (Minor: 2, Significant: 5, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated.

Reds Midtown Tavern (382 Yonge St.)
Inspected on: April 1, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 3 (Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Mainsha (700 Lawrence Ave. West)
Inspected on: April 1, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 1, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Churrasqueira Costa Verde (370 Oakwood Ave.)
Inspected on: April 1, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 3, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous foods at 60C (140F) or hotter.

Jimmy's Coffee (191A Baldwin St.)
Inspected on: April 1, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 2 (Significant: 1)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Mainsha (1430 Eglinton Ave. West)
Inspected on: April 2, 2015
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous foods at 60C (140F) or hotter.

Note: The above businesses each received infractions from DineSafe as originally reported on the DineSafe site. This does not imply that any of these businesses have not subsequently corrected the issue and received a passing grade by DineSafe inspectors. For the latest status for each of the mentioned businesses, including details on any subsequent inspections, please be sure to check the DineSafe site.

Toronto has long fancied itself as an underground city. Since the early 1900s, when Boston and New York were excavating their first underground rail lines, this city has dreamed of building subterranean streetcar "tubes." By heading beneath the earth, the citizens of Toronto could commute, move between downtown buildings, visit the Toronto Island, even drive through the core without being troubled by the unpredictable elements.

Unfortunately, for all its ambition, Toronto has a long history of finding ways to kill or indefinitely delay its tunnel projects, sometimes after construction has already begun. It hasn't always been the city's fault, but the fact remains, Toronto's tunnel building record is less than perfect.

Here are 5 unbuilt Toronto tunnels.

The 1910 Toronto subway
Toronto's subway dreams go back a long way. Long before the Yonge, University, Spadina, Bloor-Danforth or ill-fated Queen line were envisioned, controller and later mayor Horatio Hocken planned a network of transit "tubes" beneath our streets. At the time, the city was locked in a legal battle with a private, pre-TTC streetcar operator, the Toronto Railway Company, over service to suburban areas. In response, Hocken conceived a transit system running beneath downtown streets that would circumvent the TRC's contract for "street" transportation.

At the request of the city, New York engineering firm Jacobs and Davies designed a three-line system centred on old Union Station. One line would run east to Broadview and Danforth. Another would terminate in the Junction, traveling via Front, Spadina, College, Dovercourt, and Bloor. The idea was thrown out in 1912 when voters rejected the $5.2 million cost of the initial phase of construction.

The Two-Tier Streets Plan
Traffic congestion has been a pressing issue in downtown Toronto for almost a 100 years. In an effort to improve the flow of people through the city, we've built highways, and subways, and streetcar lines. Trouble is, the various users of the road are often forced to battle it out for a finite amount of space.

In 1962, in an effort to improve the quality of downtown streets, the Toronto planning board briefly recommended making Bay and Yonge two-tier streets with pedestrian areas on the surface and roads underneath. The scheme mirrored one that has been in place in Chicago since the early 1900s, but was ultimately dropped in favour of the downtown PATH network for pedestrians.

The Island Tunnel
The Western Gap between the Toronto Island and the mainland is laughably small. The ferry ride between the airport and the foot of Bathurst St. covers just 121 metres and only takes 90 seconds. So really it's not surprising that since the 1930s the city has seriously considered building a bridge or digging a tunnel to close the gap once and for all.

The 1935 proposal would have accommodated pedestrian and auto traffic (a controversial inclusion as the Islands were supposed to be a bucolic retreat) and roughly followed the route of the present day ferry. Construction started in October of that year, but $1 million in federal funding was revoked just two weeks later when the incumbent Liberals were ousted in a general election. It would take 77 years for work to start on the airport pedestrian tunnel.

The Eglinton Subway
Toronto came this close to building the Eglinton subway. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in August 1994 at Eglinton and Black Creek Dr., the western end of the five-station line (Allen, Dufferin, Caledonia, Keele North, and York Centre,) but not even putting shovels in the ground could save the doomed project, which was first proposed in April 1990 as an LRT line.

Premier Bob Rae's NDP were crushed in the 1995 election and the new Progressive Conservative government under Mike Harris indefinitely deferred the $750 million project. A pit excavated at Eglinton West station for the line's tail track, the area where trains would turn around, was filled in. 20 years later, the tunnel boring machines and construction workers of the Eglinton LRT are currently hard at work.

The Spadina Tunnel
Continuing a storied local tradition of dreaming up tunnels, 2010 mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi promised that, if elected, he would build an underground road beneath Spadina Ave. from Allen Rd. to the downtown core. The attention-grabbing idea harked back to the infamous Spadina Expressway of the early 1970s. That highway, which was nixed by the provincial government following a lengthy campaign by activists, would have continued today's Allen Rd. south to the intersection of Spadina and College.

Rossi's 8-kilometre "Toronto Tunnel" was, of course, never built. Councillor Adam Vaughan called it "insane," deputy mayor and opposing mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone said Rossi's idea lacked vision, and a host of other observers also trashed the costly proposal. In the end, Rossi finished a distant fourth behind Pantalone, George Smitherman, and Rob Ford, and the tunnel was forgotten.

Note: The image at the top of the page shows workers inside a tunnel that was built in 1895 beneath the Toronto Harbour. For decades it carried freshly filtered drinking water from a purification facility on the Toronto Island to a pumping station on John St. near the waterfront. Today, it's still in use as part of the Enwave network.

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

Images: Lead: "Interior of tunnel," City of Toronto Archives, Series 376, File 5, Item 113a; subway map: City of Toronto Archives, Series 60, Item 22; Island tunnel: Toronto Port Authority Archives, PC1/1//111180.

The original location of the this popular Toronto coffee shop opened near College and Gladstone nearly a decade ago. Now it's opening a third location, this time in the Annex across from Future Bakery. There are existing options for coffee in this neighbourhood to be sure, but one suspects the formula established at previous locations will be a hit here as well.

Read my review of The Common (Annex) in the cafes section.

TIFF's Just for Cats Festival is back next week, and who better to this year's special guest (not exactly host, purr se) than the Torontonian who named his car the Purrari. If you've been too busy playing with a laser pointer and a ball of fluff to keep abreast of Toronto cat events, Just for Cats, co-presented by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) and Temptations, is a Canadian film fest for the best of international cat videos. Thankfully there is no festival devoted to Deadmau5videos. Yet.

You've had thousand times to rub shoulders with the 'mau5, so the real question is: will there be cats? Yes. A pre-show red carpet adopt-a-thon will take place before each screening, meaning the TIFF atrium will fill with lovable, pet-able, Instagram-able, ready-to-adopt kitties. The cinema itself will be cat-free for the screenings, but we'll see if Meowingtons obeys*.

Deadmau5 seems a safe choice for this year's event: at 2014's Just for Cats, Lauren Harper (who apart from being shacked up with Stephen Harper, loves cats, apparently) was interrupted on stage by protestor Hailey King, asking why a charity event for cats was more important than addressing missing and murdered indigenous women. Neither Harper has addressed this question appropriately since.

*Correction: we've been informed Meowingtons will not be at the Just for Cats Festival. No word on if he declined an invitation due to other commitments (bird at the window) or was just not invited at all. Our apologies to any Meowingtons fans.

Toronto's Just for Cats 2015 is Friday, April 17 with screenings at 7pm and 9:15pm. Cats will be on the red carpet from 6-7pm and 8:15-8:45pm. Ticket proceeds and donations go to CFHS and the Toronto Humane Society.

Hot on the heels of news that the average price for a detached home in Toronto surpassed the $1 million mark, another benchmark was hit last month when the average price of all homes climbed above $600K.

Yep, that would be the average sale price for all residential transactions in March (i.e. condos, townhomes, semi-detached, etc.). That's a bit scary if you don't currently own a home, but could be music to your ears if you're looking to sell.

According to the Toronto Real Estate Board, the $613,933 average price represents a 10 per cent increase over the course of a year (the figure was $557,684 in March 2014). In other words, it continues to be a seller's market in this city, and there aren't any signs that's going to change in the near future.

The Grand Hotel and Suites at Dundas and Jarvis could be about to get a major overhaul. According to plans filed with the city late last month, developers are planning to work the existing 13-storey tower into a new 45 storey, 451-unit condominium complex.

The hotel would remain in a slightly expanded form, but its chunky concrete exterior will be completely stripped back to match the contemporary look of the rest of the development. In the rendering above, it appears as the rectangular structure behind the new tower.

The new podium and residential tower will contain a total of 541 units, slightly more than half of them 1-bedroom. Developers are planning 112 studio, 40 2-bed, and 54 3-bed layouts, some of which will take the form of town homes facing George St.

A Heritage Impact Statement prepared by E.R.A. Architects suggests the current plans will have little negative impact on the surrounding properties, although some new shadows will be cast on a heritage property at 14 Pembroke Street. The Grand Hotel is not a listed or protected historic building.

Built in 1972 to designs by architecture firm Mathers and Haldenby, the precast concrete tower was originally the Toronto headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's "0" Division. The detachment moved to London, Ont. in 1992, leaving the building vacant. It was converted into the Grand Hotel and Suites in 1999.

The Grand made headlines earlier this month when one of its exterior signs caught fire and melted. Despite the incident, E.R.A. believes the tower is in good overall condition.

What do you think of the plans?

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

Image: Core Architects

Construction might be dragging at Union Station, but there's signs of progress. One of these is the announcement that a new outdoor food market is on the way to the newly rebuilt plaza in front of the train station.

Taking place between July 6th and August 28th, the market will serve as the centrepiece of what's being called Union Summer, a series of programming designed to utilize the ample outdoor space in front of the iconic building.

Organized by Front Street Foods, the market will feature approximately 30 vendors, including restaurants, caterers, bakers, and artisanal food makers.

Better still, there will "bistro-style" seating in what is being called Sir John A. MacDonald Plaza. Wedged as it is between Union and the Royal York, this plaza looks like it has lots of potential to be a unique urban space.

The call for market vendors has just been issued, so there are no specifics to report on that front. If done well, this market could have an almost European town square feel to it. In other words, this is yet another reason to look forward to the arrival of summer.

Photo by Peter Crock in the blogTO Flickr pool.

When one thinks about the Canary District right now, two things likely come to mind: 1) the Pan Am Games and 2) condos. As the future home of the Athletes Village, that makes sense. But what of the future of retail in the neighbourhood? Part of that picture came into focus this afternoon.

Developer Dundee Kilmer has revealed seven of the retailers that will operate in the Canary District once the Pan Am Games have concluded and the area is transformed into a long term neighbourhood.

Dark Horse Espresso, Fuel Plus, OpusGlow Concept Spa, Pizza e Pazzi, Tabule, The Running Room and Think Fitness Studio will all call the area around Cherry St. and Bayview Ave. home.

That's a healthy mix of business for the budding neighbourhood, which will ultimately boast about 46,000 square feet of retail space. Combine that with the cafes and stores opening on King East, and you can see that at least some lessons have been learned from the initially retail-starved CityPlace development.

Photo by George Socka

From the outside, 505 Ontario Street looks like your typical Cabbagetown Victorian with original brick and a well-manicured front lawn. However, step inside and discover a funky two and a half storey home with personality.

Currently listed for $1,299,000, the front hallway greets you with a decorative wall of mirrors, antique double doors and a stain glass window. Head past the living room with its original fireplace and vents, the modern Scandinavian kitchen, and look up at the ceiling once you get to the back sitting area. A large wood inlay covers much of the ceiling in this over 120 year old house. What's the story with that?

Apparently, the wood ceiling is a decorative piece from Indonesia, purchased by a previous owner to give the house some additional flair. Speaking of flair, the master bedroom features its own wild black and white wallpaper and with four bathrooms, there's plenty of house to love. See if you agree. Take a look at the photos.

SPECS

• Address: 505 Ontario Street
• Price: $1,299,000
• Lot Size: 19 x 107 FT
• Bedrooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 4
• Parking: 2
• Taxes: $5662.26
• Walk Score: 96

NOTABLE FEATURES

• 2 1/2 storeys
• 10 FT ceilings
• Two original fireplaces
• Scandinavian design kitchen
• Backyard patio

GOOD FOR

Backyard entertaining. The private yard has been renovated with ample space for barbecuing and two car parking. Having no garage isn't necessarily a bad thing, given Toronto's exploding raccoon population, there's less places for those crafty coons to hide.

MOVE ON IF

You want a deal. The house was listed last fall for less at $1,249,900. It didn't sell and as the real estate market heated up, the owners increased the price about four percent.

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

Thanks to Bosley Real Estate Ltd, Brokerage for sponsoring our House of the Week. All content and editorial selected and written by blogTO.

Photo by Peter Crock in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto you can check out the Burdock Music Hall on Bloor, aka the city's newest music venue. "Lo-fi folk, sci-fi punk, and low-budget" band Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams are playing. At the Royal, the Black Museum will screen American Horror Story: the Film of Larry Fessendent. It's also a historic day for classic Canadian comics at the Reference Library's The TCAF Shop. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Music: Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams (Burdock)
• Film: American Horror Story: the Film of Larry Fessenden (Royal)
• Music: Fist City + Tough Age (Johnny Jackson)
• Comics: Brok Windsor Launch Party (The TCAF Shop)
• Film: Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist (La Bicicletta)
• Film: Inside Out Presents: Show Me Love (Fucking Amal) (TIFF)

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

Skin care stores in Toronto are there for you when you need something a little more heavy-duty than whatever's on the shelves at Shoppers Drug Mart (and want to shop for it in an environment less overwhelming than Sephora). Breaking away from the bigger chains can open your mind (and your pores) to a whole new world of possibilities. Whether your skin craves fragrance-free, all-natural formulations or world-renowned boutique lines, you'll be able to find that glow you're looking for.

Here are my picks for the top skin care stores in Toronto.

Cure Apothecary
This new Queen West shop is low-key, welcoming, and brimming with all-organic beauty products for guys and gals. Products tend toward the light, soothing and easily absorbed, with plenty of fragrance-free options available for sensitive skin. (Be sure to check out the locally-made face and beard oils from F. Miller.)

Gee Beauty
If you've got a high skin care budget, book it over to (where else?) Rosedale. This Yonge and Roxborough salon, in addition to a menu of luxurious beauty procedures, will sell you some of the skin care world's best brands to go, including Eve Lom, Rodin, Skinceuticals and Dermalogica.

Consonant Skincare
This Canadian skin care line started as a pet project for a longtime sufferer of skin ailments, and morphed into a major success story, with a flagship boutique landing near Yonge and Eglinton in 2011. Since then, the company been converting Torontonians to its line of eco-friendly, all-natural products, served up in clean, minimal packaging by knowledgeable staff.

Husk
This Yorkville shop, founded by a nutritionist and personal trainer, merges a hippie naturalism with Mink Mile luxury. Though marquee skin care companies like Tata Harper are represented, the focus on all-natural, holistic products extends to local lines like The Parkdale Butter and finds from further afield, like The Body Deli's fruit-infused cleansers and Hurraw lip balm.

Trinitae
All of Trinitae's skin care products are derived from the fruit, herbs and minerals of Jordan, with Dead Sea mud and aloe vera front and centre in their masks, creams, and cleansers. (Another bonus: Naturally occurring scents like vanilla, lavender, rosemary and patchouli.)

Saje
This Vancouver-based line, a recent Toronto transplant, has the distinction of using absolutely zero synthetic ingredients in their products, from toners and cleansers to serums and moisturizers. (They're even refusing to roll out their forthcoming haircare line until they find botanicals that work just as well as the synthetic stuff.)

Kiehl's
Though they might set themselves apart from Toronto's skin care boutiques thanks to their international chain status, it's tough to leave Kiehl's Queen West flagship store off of the list. The New York-based company has long been a favourite of no-nonsense men and women looking for unfragranced, unfussy skin products that get the job done.

Miracle10
This Toronto-based line, and its accompanying Yorkville boutique, were dreamed up by plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Lista. They dispense with the straight-from-the-earth focus for a medically-driven approach in a sleek, glossy boutique, but their products have drawn rave reviews all the same - and though there's a strong anti-aging focus, those with acne and other skin issues will find something to like.

MenEssentials
On top of being one of the best sources in town for shaving gear and men's fragrances, this Danforth shop has plenty of range when it comes to skin care. Their thousands-strong inventory, featuring a mix of new and old-school brands (including Baxter of California, Anthony Logistics and D.H. Harris) makes them well-suited to hit a number of price points.

Pure + Simple
They made their name as a Toronto chain of skin-oriented spas, but it's worth stopping in for a spot of shopping as well. They've formulated a number of natural in-house lines, including an ayurveda-focused collection and one geared toward men; in addition, you'll find products from Aussie line Jurlique, Germany's Martina Gebhart, and Kaia Naturals, based right here in Toronto.

Did I miss any? Leave your picks for Toronto skin care stores in the comments.

Photo of Cure Apothecary.