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Major addition to Robarts Library starts to take shape

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toronto robarts libraryPlans for a 1,200 seat reading room to be built on the west side of the University of Toronto's Robarts Library are beginning to take shape.

The five-storey extension, to be named Robarts Common, will span the Huron St. side of the building, adding 4,300 square metres of additional space to the crowded interior.

According to recently filed plans with the City of Toronto, Robarts Common will be connected to the main library by a four-storey bridge and include an extensive green roof. A separate plaza connecting the corner of Huron and Harbord streets is planned for the south end of the new pavilion.

toronto robarts libraryThe exquisitely solid-looking library opened in 1973, its hulking stature drawing the ire of numerous observers and earning it the nickname "Fort Book."

Ron Thom, the designer of nearby Massey College, said the design of Robarts "represents everything in architecture that's arrogant and wrong. It is one of those buildings that were it not for its extreme cost should be taken down and done again in a manner more befitting its important role on the Toronto campus," he wrote.

More than 40 years later, the controversial building just as formidable looking and divisive as ever.

The design for Robarts Common, prepared by Diamond Schmitt Architects, promises to draw heavily on the library's robust exterior, copying its vertical and horizontal rectangular elements. A light glass curtain wall will wrap the exterior of the building, allowing oodles of natural afternoon light into the four floors of usable space.

The addition will add about 25 percent more study space to the building, which is used by about 18,000 students a day and routinely at capacity.

Work is due to begin next year, pending approval from the city.

What do you think of the design?

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

Images: Diamond Schmitt Architects.


Soon you can borrow tools from the Toronto Public Library

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toronto tool libraryGood news for those of us who don't know where to store a garage's worth of supplies in our tiny apartments: the Toronto Tool Library (TTL), currently with two locations in the city, is partnering with the Toronto Public Library for its third location at the Downsview branch at 2793 Keele Street.

Ryan Dyment, co-founder of the TTL, tells us this marks the first time in Canadian history
that both books and tools will be offered for loan under the same roof. The common sense pairing means you can borrow books on home renos and the tools to do 'em properly (but not the common sense, that's on you).

For a cost of $50 a year anyone will be able to borrow hand, power, and gardening tools from the TTL at Downsview. A Toronto Public Library card will get tool borrowers $5 off their annual membership.

The official opening of the third location of the Toronto Tool Library is April 30.

Popular coffee shop opens pizza & pasta spot next door

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Annette Food MarketOwners of a well-liked neighbourhood coffee shop have opened an equally charming licensed restaurant next door featuring creative cocktails and wines by the glass, small sharing plates, fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza.

Read my profile of Annette Food Market in the restaurants section.

King Street West

Today in Toronto: Blade Runner, Images, Feminist Porn Awards, Shlohmo, Colour War, Laugh Sabbath

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Today in TorontoToday in Toronto TIFF will screen Blade Runner: The Final Cut at 9pm. My best advice is to buy tickets ahead or show up early, but don't panic - there will be other screenings on the 17th and 21st. Then the city will heat up as the Feminist Porn Awards continue celebrating a decade of award-bestowing in Toronto, with a steamy after party (and vegan donuts) at the Steady to follow.

If performance art is what you're after, don't miss Jess Dobkin's performance piece about performance art How Many Performance Artists Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb For Martha Wilson at Images Fest. Before you turn up your nose - the press release contains art jokes. ("Q: How Many Performance Artists Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb? A: I don't know. I left after 4 hours."). 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.

Correction: The Feminist Porn Awards are hosting an event at the Bloor tonight - tomorrow's event is at the Capitol.

Toronto Restaurant Openings: McRamyun, Za Pizzeria, Soi Thai Street Food, Smash Juice Bar, Hollywood Cone

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toronto restaurant openingsToronto 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

  • Smash Juice Bar, a new spot specializing in raw vegan and fermented foods is open at 36 Toronto St.
  • McRamyun a new spot for noodles and Asian bar foods is now open at 1 Baldwin St.
  • Za Pizzeria opens tomorrow, Friday, April 17 at 402 Bloor Street West. Expect to find gourmet thin-crust pies made in less than five minutes in a custom built pizza barbecue.
  • Loveless Cafe from the same folks behind Unlovable is now open at 1430 Dundas St. West.
  • Soi Thai Street Food is in the works at 651 College St. Look forward to dishes like Khai-Jiaw Grob and Khai Krata.
  • Lit Espresso is opening a third outpost at 1517 Bayview Ave.
  • BBQ outfit When the Pig Came Home (known for appearances at The Junction and Sorauren Farmers' Markets) is doing a pop-up hosted by Sorella Toronto (2763 Dundas St. West) every Sunday.

RECENTLY REVIEWED

OPENING SOON

  • Hollywood Cone food truck is about a week away from opening its first brick and mortar location in Oshawa at 1 Simcoe St. North.
  • Famous Laffa is opening two doors down from Dr. Laffa at 3023 Bathurst St.

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

Photo of Famous Laffa's Yonge St. location

Toronto woman crowdfunding to go to Harvard

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crowdfunding harvardTonika Morgan was a high school drop-out. She was homeless, and now she's been accepted to Harvard University. The catch is that she only has until May 15 to come up with $71,000 for her tuition and to meet the requirements for her student visa.

Being media savvy, Tonika has taken her fundraising efforts online. She's launched a Go Fund Me campaign asking people to help her reach her dream of going to Harvard. So far she's raised a bit over $25,000, not even half of what she needs. But Tonika is used to beating the odds.

She was exactly the kind of girl that falls through the cracks. She had left her family home, was in and out of shelters throughout high school, and missed plenty of classes, which meant she was failing.

"You should rethink your future because you're clearly not going to university," her principal once told her.

But when she was told to drop out of advanced courses in her high school, she refused. "I knew I was capable of doing something," she tells me.

Now, years later, Tonika has managed to get a university degree from Ryerson. She worked jobs throughout her undergrad to pay for her tuition and bills, and excelled academically.

That hard work has paid off. She's been accepted to Harvard at the Graduate School of Education.

But going to Harvard as an international student isn't cheap. Tuition and living expenses for an international student is approximately $70K USD a year.

Tonika says she's been overwhelmed by the support she's received from people online.

"The power of social media is that I can see the names and faces of all the people who are helping me. I'm really grateful and humbled," she says while choking back tears.

You can help send Tonika to Harvard by donating to her The Mission for Harvard Tuition! crowdfunding campaign.

This is what a raccoon looks like at 700 feet

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Raccoon TorontoHow far would you climb in Toronto to get some privacy? Our rooftopper scene is no longer limited to brave human explorers anymore, and naturally the next to attempt domination of the summit of Toronto's skyline are our most intelligent four legged friends (and foes): raccoons.

Tower crane operator Rob Mac discovered a raccoon 700 feet up above Toronto this morning, and Instagrammed the cute (if hostile) aerial stowaway / barbarian: apparently the little critter needed to go to the bathroom somewhere private. Now, its face is all over social media - isn't that always the way.

Mac reported on Twitter that the raccoon was less than pleased at his attention - "blank looks, a bit of hissing when I got close and general annoyance with my presence," but sky-high crane sightings of raccoons aren't unheard of in Toronto right now.

Maybe the furry climber was in a huff over the new green bins, or perhaps raccoon condos are the next wave in Toronto real estate. Either way, Mac reports that the animal has since vacated its position watching over us from above - for now.

When will the first flying raccoon sighting be in Toronto? Watch this page.

Photo: skyjacked793 on Instagram


Tickets for the Pan Am Games back on sale today

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pan am games ticketsTickets for the Pan Am Games are back on sale today as of 1pm, and the Ontario government would really like it if you bought some. Gentle jokes aside, there's less than 100 days to go before the big event gets underway in Toronto, and seats for some of the more marquee events are back up for grabs.

Tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies are on offer, as are seats for soccer and basketball. Additional events are scheduled to go on sale April 30, and all events will be made available by May 8.

Gold medal events for basketball and football have already sold out, but this round of tickets sees preliminary rounds made available on a two-for-one deal. If the idea is just to see some elite athletes do their thing, then these are still an attractive option.

Tickets start at $20 and go up to $350. Three quarters of the tickets for the Games will come in at under $45.

Photo via Toronto 2015 on Facebook.

Is summer 2015 the year of the block party in Toronto?

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block party torontoA slew of Facebook pages promising street parties in locations all over Toronto are causing wide eyes and furrowed brows at the city. So far more than 50,000 people have RSVPd to the events online, and while that certainly doesn't mean that number will attend, the numbers are enough to be potentially troubling, especially as most don't seem to have applied for permission.

Obtaining a permit to host an event in one of Toronto's public spaces brings with it insurance, security in the form of paid duty police officers, a liquor license, and permission from the city to close streets, among other things.

Take the Yonge-Dundas Square water gun fight that has so far garnered a whopping 10,000 online RSVPs. Natalie Belman, the square's events manager, says no-one has approached her office for a permit.

"We haven't received an application from the organizers and I look forward to them getting in touch with me," Belman says. "It's within their constitutional right to congregate on the square, but we do permit events, so if they were to show up and there was already an event on the square we wouldn't allow it."

Belman says a permit starts at $3,570 and covers security, insurance, and other costs related to safely managing an event. Besides, the capacity of the square is 4,500 people.

"We can't possibly fit 10,000 people in the square, it's just not possible."

A street party planned for the square outside Union Station is likewise a mystery. "We do not know anything about this party," said Syma Shah, Union Station's programming and special events director, in an email. The posting on Facebook promises "the most epic block party of the summer."

Events are also being planned at Trinity-Bellwoods Park, where 19,000 have said they will attend, Woodbine Beach (21,000 RSVPs,) and Cherry Beach.

Watch this space, I guess.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman. Photo by Riff Raff of the Mad Decent Block Party in the blogTO Flickr pool.

CBC fires 2 execs in wake of new findings on Ghomeshi

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Jian GhomeshiThe CBC's internal investigation into the Jian Ghomeshi scandal has been released today, and with it two executives have been axed. Chris Boyce and Todd Spencer, who have been on leave since shortly after sexual abuse scandal blew up, have been relieved of their duties at the CBC.

The 50+ page report, which involved interviews with almost 100 employees, paints a damning picture of management's role in the Ghomeshi affair.

"Management knew or ought to have known of this behaviour and conduct and failed to take steps required of it in accordance with its own policies to ensure that the workplace was free from disrespectful and abusive conduct. It is our conclusion that CBC management condoned this behaviour," it reads.

It also notes that there were multiple occasions for management to address Ghomeshi's inappropriate workplace behaviour, but it failed to act. One of these occasions involved a document prepared by Q employees outlining hostile working conditions at the show.

According to the report, the majority of Ghomeshi's workplace indiscretions were not considered to be of a sexual nature, but staff did reveal that the former host had a tendency to share "information that witnesses found too personal, too graphic, and generally unsavoury."

The document ends with a series of recommendations on how the CBC can improve the environment of its workplace. Read the full document here.

Province confirms beer will be sold in grocery stores

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beer grocery stores ontarioIt's pretty much official now: the province has announced that it will grant 450 licences for the sale of beer in supermarkets across Ontario. There is a small catch, however. As is the case currently at the LCBO, grocery stores will only be permitted to sell single bottles and six packs.

I suspect that this won't prove too much of a damper on the news. The sale of booze in this province has required reform for a long time, and that fact that it's actually happening is welcome news for many consumers.

Also worthy of note is that the Beer Store will be required to devote 20 per cent of its shelf space to craft brewers (up from seven per cent). Ownership of the conglomerate will also be opened beyond the three foreign companies that currently hold stakes.

A $100 million annual tax will be placed on beer alongside these changes, but consumers won't bear the burden of the levy for two years. Wine sales at grocery stores is being investigated further and will not be part of the initial changes to our booze laws.

What do you think? Is this enough of an overhaul?

The top weekend events in Toronto: April 17 - 19 2015

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rave thrones torontoWeekend events in Toronto are a strange collection of the kitschy (a cat-video film fest), the culty (Record Store Day or Game of Thrones rave, anyone?), and the mystery-shrouded (you'll see). Then, there's boozy Shakespeare to wash it all down.

Here are my picks for the top events happening in Toronto April 17-19, 2015.

Rave of Thrones (April 17, the Phoenix)
Along with the Game of Thrones pop-up shop, the icing on the cake for fans of the HBO show will be a "rave" this Friday headlined by none other than Kristian Nairn, a.k.a Hodor. The venue will be divided into the seven "kingdoms" (White Harbour and Gulltown are already sold out) and costumes are "highly encouraged." DF

FOOD & DRINK

The Betrayer's Banquet (April 17, 18, Secret Location)
This theatrical dining event takes place at an undisclosed location. Presented by the Classical Theatre Project and Original Content London, a banquet table will be set with exquisite dishes at one end, unpalatable dishes at the other, and a spectrum of dishes in between. Tickets are $190. LI

ART

Love Art Fair (April 17-19, Direct Energy Centre)
Last year's inaugural Love Art Fair, Toronto's version of the Affordable Art Fair, was an impressive showing, although it appeared a little dwarfed sectioned into a corner of the massive Direct Energy Centre. This year, see a huge array of galleries showing contemporary and commercial art in a set up that's better curated than the Artist Project and more relaxed settling than Art Toronto. Want to go for free? Follow this link and enter code BLOGTO for free general admission access.

MUSIC

Record Store Day (April 18)
Saturday is a holiday for music lovers, with in-store shows and special vinyl releases galore. Read our full preview of what to see and do here.

FILM

The Feminist Porn Awards (April 17, Capitol Event Theatre)
On Friday night the city will heat up as the Feminist Porn Awards celebrate a decade of award-bestowing in Toronto. They promise "smart smut" plus performances and filmmakers in attendance. It's 18+.

Just for Cats (April 17, TIFF)
TIFF's Just for Cats Festival is back with special guest Deadmau5 - yeah, the guy who named his car the Purrari. Co-presented by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) and Temptations, Just for Cats is a fest for the best of international cat videos. There will be adoptable kitties on the red carpet. Read more here.

Images Festival (April 9-18)
Images may be the world's most wide-reaching film and media event. The experimental finds a home here with screenings, installations, performance, art exhibits, and more. Check out their website for programming.

COMEDY

Shakesbeer (April 18, Wychwood Barns)
Pie, pints, and the bard - the complete works of William Shakesbeer, I mean Shakespeare, will be performed twice in one evening. If you can only sit through one show, they understand.

SHOPPING & LIFESTYLE

City of Craft Spring (April 18, Theatre Centre)
This veteran craft fair is returning to the Theatre Centre on April 18. But if you think you've seen it all before, think again - the organizers are promising 70% of the vendors at the spring edition will be brand-new. NM

Bazaar of the Bizarre (April 19, Pia Bouman)
On April 19, lace up your six-inch black platform boots and head down to Pia Bouman Ballet School, where you can shop the works of Toronto's creepiest craftsfolk. This spring's theme: Circus Sideshow (there will be at least one spooky clown, I'm warning you now). NM

ACTIVISM

Toronto Day of Action to #StopC51 - Part 2 (April 18)
Following March's massive City Hall protest in Toronto, part two means gatherings will be going on city-wide (and Canada-wide). If you think Bill C-51 violates the rights of Canadians and you want to get involved, find the protest closest to you here.

For more events this weekend click on over to our Events section. Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit it for free using this form.

Contributions by Liora Ipsum, Derek Flack, Natalia Manzocco

Lead Image: Ed Kwon on Flickr

Beer garden and brewery coming to the Club District

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beer garden torontoIf all goes according to plan, Toronto will soon be able to boast about a brand new microbrewery and beer garden in the Club District. The three-level venture is set to occupy the old Bauhaus space at 31 Mercer Street and will operate under the name Mascot Brewery.

From what we can gather, the project is revamp of what was once dubbed 100 Days of Summer, a similar concept planned for Queen and Peter streets. The good news is that the latest iteration on Mercer Street already has a tentative opening date set. The rooftop beer garden is slated for a May 21 launch, with the restaurant-brewery space to follow in mid June.

Wedged between the two Mascot spaces, a second floor beer bar called Odd Thomas is also set to open at the beginning of May.

While the details are a little scarce right now, it's worth noting that Mike Duggan has been tapped to work on the beer development side of things and that Aaron Prothro (Nyood, Kultura, F-Stop) is leading the ownership team.

The beer garden sounds particularly exciting. The concept is a 200 capacity patio done Bavarian style with house-made pretzels, sausages and schnitzel on offer. Plans for a barbecue and smoker are also in the works.

Assuming everything opens on time, this could the hottest spot for beer this spring in Toronto.

With contributions from Christina Cheung and Derek Flack

5 under the radar burrito joints in Toronto

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Burritos TorontoThe business of burritos in Toronto is dominated by a few key players that operate multiple locations and seemingly hog all the attention. There are, however, a number of often overlooked burrito purveyors, who boast their own local followings addicted to these bundles of joy, overstuffed with seasoned meats, fresh vegetables, salsas and sauces.

Here are five burrito joins in Toronto you may not have heard of.

See also:

The Best Burritos in Toronto
The Best Late Night Burritos in Toronto

In N Out Burrito
This burrito joint on Wilson is in no way affiliated with the popular west coast burger chain, but it certainly has its own cult following. This indie outfit does massive burritos packed with a choice of seasoned meats like mango chicken, steak or halibut with fresh cut veggies, beans, gauc and salsa, hot sauce and sour cream.

Big Bite Burrito
Two Scarborough locations serve classic burritos as well as unique specialties like tequila chicken, lemon tartar fish, and baja chicken customized at the counter to order. Select from three sizes varying in price from $6 to $11.50.

Burrito Burrito
Locations in Woodbridge and Liberty Village pride themselves on offering a healthier alternative to most fast foods. The menu boasts burritos ($7.83-$15.88) packed with veggies, soy, chicken, steak, halibut or shrimp plus an assortment of Tex-Mex toppings. For a delectable deluxe experience, try the surf and turf with steak and shrimp together ($9.92 to $15.88).

Como En Casa
Of the many delicious dishes on the menu at this Mexican kitchen, the burritos ($7.85-$8.95) are a house favourite. The establishment on Yonge near Wellesley fills burritos with a choice of beef, chicken, pork or veg that come wrapped in a flour tortilla with rice, beans, cheese and sour cream and classic fixin's like roasted corn, salsa, and fresh vegetables.

New York Subway
Don't be deterred by its grubby appearance or the deceiving name that suggests its a sandwich shop - the burritos ($3.50-$11) are without a doubt the real gem on this menu. The potato burrito is inexplicably delicious, it comes dressed with lettuce, tomato and what I think is ketchup.

Photo from Como En Casa


GO Transit cracking down on illegal drinking on trains

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Go transit drinkingIn another example of No Fun Toronto rearing its head, GO Transit is cracking down on drinking aboard its trains. It would seem that baseball fans have acquired a bad reputation for pre-loading before Jays games, which has led to Metrolinx to get serious about fining those spotted with open alcohol.

The $125 fine was doled out to multiple riders in advance of the home opener on Monday, and Metrolinx plans to keep its officers on alert for drinking in advance of future ball games. The transit agency wants to send a message that drinking isn't tolerated on its vehicles.

This is one of those situations where it's likely that a few rowdy fans have ruined it for everyone else. Riding the MTA out of Grand Central at 5pm, you can buy a beer or two for the ride home, which is rather dignified even as it's technically against the rules.

Should Toronto be more lax with situations like this? Is GO Transit being too strict or is this crackdown justified?

Photo by Still the Oldie

Toronto Under Fire

Toronto Food Events: Marketlicious, Underground Chef Cartel, 2015 Almanac Dinner, Toronto Taste

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food events torontoToronto Food Events rounds up the most delicious events, festivals, pop-ups, winemaker dinners, supper clubs and other food related happenings in Toronto this week and next. You can find us here every Friday morning.

THIS WEEK

UPCOMING

  • GlutenFreedomTO presents a pop-up at Tori's Bakeshop After Hours (2188 Queen St. East) on Thursday, April 30. The menu for the evening offers options like antipasto, gnocchi, savoury spring vegetable torte and a choice of dessert for $64.
  • Reserve your table now for the Cinco de Mayo Guest Chef Dinner at the Drake One Fifty (150 York St.) Donnie Masterton of critically acclaimed The Restaurant in San Miguel de Allende Mexico will be offer an a la carte menu of Mexican-inspired dishes one night only with optional tequila cocktail pairings.
  • Toronto Taste, the Second Harvest fundraiser presented by The Daniels Corporation, turns 25 this year and will feature 50 chefs and a startling array of beverages. The culinary event takes place lakeside at Corus Quay on Sunday, June 7 from 6pm. Tickets are on sale now for $250, which includes all food and drink plus a charitable tax receipt issued for $125.

Photo of the tacos at Market Street Catch

OVO and Raptors roll out Playoff tees

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raptors ovo playoff teesIf you don't have enough Drake x Raptors gear, OVO has unveiled a new shirt design for the playoffs. The simple shirts bears a huge red "6" on the back, so you can run through the 6 with a big red 6 on your back. Rejoice, fans, it's t-shirt weather.

Will these shirts be Drake Night giveaways, or will they be available for purchase? As with all things OVO, the mystery is what sustains both you and the franchise.

Drake's earlier collaborations on apparel with the team were released in March. The new shirt follows the announcement that Drake's Jungle tour will make a stop in at the ACC in Toronto June 2nd, which will undoubtedly bring more sweet, sweet OVO gear.

Are you running through the 6 with the 6 on your back? Let us know in the comments.

Inside the offices of digital production studio Deluxe

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Deluxe offices torontoIn an unassuming building tucked away on King West is one of the world's largest suppliers to the entertainment industry worldwide. Deluxe Toronto is over a hundred years old, started in New Jersey, and used to be owned by 20th Century Fox.

The company started out as a film production house and has since transitioned into a digital production studio. Today, they offer services ranging from production sets on streets to editing, mixing, and post-production and delivery as well as media services like handling broadcasting for TV stations around the world.

Deluxe offices torontoFormerly known as "Filmhouse," Deluxe is headquartered in Hollywood and has over 7,000 employees worldwide in offices from India and Australia to Italy and the UK. The old office was located on Adelaide Street East, but after a 25-year lease, the landlord decided to flatten the building down and convert it into a condo building.

Deluxe offices torontoThe studio's new home is spread across three floors in a concrete building near King and Strachan. The building, which the team found after an exhaustive search in a tough commercial real estate market, needed some serious work before the full time staff of 125 could move in and resume operations as normal.

For starters, in order to build the largest dedicated mixing theatre anywhere outside of Hollywood, the Deluxe team had to remove 190 tonnes of concrete by taking the roof off of the 8th floor so that it could be rebuilt to a taller ceiling height.

Deluxe offices torontoFitted with a Dolby Atmos system, this mixing room has sound and mixing boards where theatre seats would be. Feature films like Pompeii can take up to 8 weeks of mixing room time, while shorter films can be completed in as little as 3 weeks.

The building, which isn't the brick and beam space so many company tend to be looking for, was a challenge to work with. With the help of the landlord and Quadrangle Architects, the team gutted out the entire space down to the concrete and built everything back up from scratch.

Deluxe offices torontoWhile most Deluxe studios around the world specialize in an area of film production, the Toronto office is more of a microcosm in that it does everything from support for feature films like Adam Sandler's upcoming movie Pixels, which was shot in Toronto, to being on the ground for productions happening on the streets of the city.

While most of their clients are bigger feature films or studios like Disney, Deluxe likes to help produce and work in collaboration with emerging and local artists like Ingrid Veninger.

Deluxe offices torontoThe Toronto studio of the company has seen the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Willis, Robin Williams, and Liam Neeson come through to re-record lines and do post-production work for their films.

In addition to mixing theatres and editing rooms, Deluxe has a number of ADR studios, which are like giant Skype rooms except that the video and audio quality is top-notch and the connection never cuts off.

Deluxe offices torontoOften times, talent needs to re-record their lines because of poor quality at the time of filming. If the talent in question is in a different geographical area than their director, they can use one of the ADR studios at a Deluxe location anywhere in the world to come in, link up, and record their lines.

The 6th floor of the office has a dedicated shipping and receiving area as well as a screener production room where the Academy Award screeners are burned on to DVDs and sent off to the Academy Awards committee for review. The Toronto studio exclusively produces these screeners for the Academy Awards committee every year.

Deluxe offices torontoDeluxe has worked on production and processing of movies like Scott Pilgrim, Pompeii, and the Saw series. In order to send these files off to the theatres, the staff loads them up on a specialized hard drive that is locked to the serial number and room of the theatre the movie is set to play in. The movie doesn't play if the hard drive is used with any other projector and in any other room.

Given that they work with sensitive, never-before-seen footage of movies and TV shows, the security measures in the Deluxe office are strict. Visitors are always required to check in with a staff member and should never be seen without their badge. There are also security cameras everywhere as well as certain parts where photography is completely forbidden.

Deluxe offices torontoThe glass walls and doors of the office are decorated with famous movie lines and timestamp decals that note the release or production of a movie the studio has produced.

Deluxe offices torontoBeing the main brand colour of Deluxe, red is featured quite prominently throughout the space, whether it's in the form of a coloured wall in a white room, a piece of furniture, or a telephone headset. Some parts of the studio are also dedicated to smaller rooms for phone calls, as well as large chunks of open space for finance and management staff.

Deluxe offices torontoOne of the most recent projects the Deluxe team is working on is Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak, which is set to be released in October. You can find out more about the company and some of their projects on their website.

Photos by Jimmy Lu and Bob Gundu

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