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What's open and closed Family Day 2017 in Toronto

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What's open and closed Family Day 2017 in Toronto.

Closed
  • Municipal buildings
  • Banks
  • Libraries
Open
  • Canada Post offices (with exception of some retail outlets)
  • Federal passport offices
  • The TTC will operate on a holiday service schedule
  • It's worth calling ahead to restaurants before heading out - many already consider Mondays a day off, and are taking advantage of the holiday to recoup after Winterlicious and Valentine's Day.
  • Most major grocery chains will be closed on Family Day with a few confirmed exceptions listed below.
Open
Closed
  • LCBO
  • Beer Store
Open
  • For a complete list of indie bottle shops in Toronto, see this directory. Holiday hours are provided where applicable but we advise calling ahead to confirm.
Closed
  • Bayview Village
  • CF Fairview Mall
  • Dufferin Mall
  • Scarborough Town Centre
  • Sherway Gardens
  • Yorkdale Shopping Centre
Open
Closed
  • Canada's Wonderland
Open

Canadian Music Week announces strong lineup for 2017

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Canadian Music Week is Toronto's favourite excuse to break free from the clutches of winter and get out to see some shows during the multi-day springtime music fest. A partial 2017 lineup was previously announced, but it just got a whole lot better.

While the 2016 must-see show list was impressive, the 2017 festival brings the same musical power with newly announced acts like Earl Sweatshirt, Wolf Parade, Allie X, Good Charlotte, Tim Darcy and Weaves.

They join previously announced bands and artists like Charlotte Day Wilson, Melissa Etheridge and Hollerado.

There are lots of shows happening from April 18 to 23 at various venues around the city, with a heavy spotlight on local talent. This is one of Toronto's few music festivals that sticks to the club show model, which is actually refreshing these days.

And don't forget the music conference, the comedy fest and the film fest all happening at the same time with feature authors, guest speakers and panels. 

The Best Late Night Cafes in Toronto

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The best late night cafes in Toronto are for those who need a jolt of java for a nighttime pick-me-up and a nice spot to enjoy it in. Some of these places offer optional extras, like alcoholic drinks, desserts or even board games, but clearly the coffee is key.

Here are the best late night cafes in Toronto.

6 - Cafe de Paris

Definitely a place to indulge, this South Korean dessert cafe in Scarborough offers up caffeinated drinks until it closes at 11 p.m. from Sundays to Thursdays and 1 a.m. on weekends. Its special Dutch coffee is limited though, so it may sell out long before then.
2 - Boxcar Social

With four locations around the city (in Summerhill, Riverside, Harbourfront and the Financial District), its carefully curated espresso-based drinks menu runs until 10 p.m. most nights. To help you transition from coffee to liquor, there’s the Whisky Tango tasting flight, which includes two featured espressos and two bourbons.
1 - Snakes and Lattes (College St.)

Serving coffee until at least 10:30 p.m. (and booze until later than that), this popular board game cafe in the Annex and its location in Little Italy will keep you caffeinated so you can keep trouncing your friends at Catan.
9 - Infuse Cafe

This cafe uses a unique brewing system to make its coffee (and tea). Both its Yonge & Elm location and its second outpost at Gerrard Square Mall can help you keep the buzz going until at least 10 p.m.
5 - Light Cafe

This bright, contemporary Taiwanese cafe on Baldwin St. serves its specialty coffee (like cotton candy coffee) and espresso-based beverages up until it closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.
7 - Remarkable Bean (Beaches)

Its Beaches location has been an east-end staple since 1994, and continues to offer its customers coffee every day from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. (Its spot in Leslieville closes a bit earlier at 9 p.m. daily).
8 - Cafe Pamenar

When other Kensington Market cafes close, this hip hangout that also serves alcohol keeps on trucking, open until at least midnight most nights (except Mondays, when it closes earlier). Be warned: don’t bring your laptops after 8 p.m., as the nighttime atmosphere there won’t be very conducive to getting work done anyway.
3 - Voodoo Child

In the evenings, this College Street cafe just east of Bathurst dims the lights and transitions into a cocktail bar. Depending on demand, it’ll usually keep the espressos coming until 11 p.m. or midnight. Get the best of both worlds with one of its boozy coffees.
4 - Tango Palace Coffee Company

A long-time fave in Leslieville for over two decades, this cafe is the workhorse of coffee slinging; it’s open seven days a week, keeping the neighbourhood caffeinated from 6:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. with its potent cups of joe.

Spice Girls tribute band continues to rule Toronto

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Toronto's Spice Girls tribute band exploded out of the gate with their sold-out opening show at the El Mocambo five years ago. But don't try and attribute their popularity to the 1990s revival trend because Wannabe is still ruling Toronto.

"From the beginning, Wannabe has had some sort of power that’s beyond us. I guess that’s the power of Spice," says Barbara Johnston, a.k.a. Ginger Spice.

All five members completely embody their characters during a show. Photo via Facebook.

Five Toronto women each take on the identity of a Spice Girl and put on a show with a live, six-piece band, choreography and a message of friendship, inclusiveness and of course, girl power. 

This is what's made the group last so long and has enabled them to tour across Canada, and into New York and Texas.

"In my five years of being a Spice Girl professionally, what’s so captivating and what gives Wannabe staying power is we’ve really tapped into is the spirit of the Spice Girls more than just the impersonation," say Johnston.

Beyond the fact that every show is a high-energy explosion of pop and positivity, Wannabe's five members, made up of talented writers, actors, singers and choreographers, have tapped into something that had a huge emotional impact on a whole generation of people during their adolescence.

"Everyone is in their 20s and 30s and we can finally drink and party and sing these songs that we never forgot," says Catharine Merriam, a.k.a. Baby Spice. 

"They’re fearless and represent the best values: girl power and  friendship."

The five women who make up Wannabe are not only all singers, dancers, performers and writers, but good friends. 

It might seem like a simple statement, but these values seem relevant now more than ever.

Fans sent Merriam photos they spotted at recent Women's Marches around the globe of women using Spice Girls sayings as slogans for signs. 

Women's March signs spotted. Photo via Instagram.

"We’re big believers in female companionship and support, especially now that we live in a time where it’s very much in need," says Johnston. "We’re committed to demonstrating that, and it’s become the undercurrent that drives our shows."

The band has even altered some of the messaging in their newest show to reflect the Women's March and the state of current feminism. 

Even booking manager Jorge Diaz at the Mod Club sees the unique and unstoppable power of Wannabe. "It's reliving memories, everybody sings along... it's so much fun" he says. "They turn into little kids again."

"Very rare is there a night like this from start to finish... I've seen it for a song or two during other shows, but not this one."

By bringing girl power to a whole new generation and time in history, Wannabe isn't going anywhere. "We have no intention of slowing down with this," Johnston says. "We feel more of an incentive to keep moving."

Their next show is tonight at the Mod Club.

New Toronto condo a marvel of engineering

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If there's a common criticism of Toronto condos, it's that they're accused of being bland glass boxes with little regard to the nuances of architecture and design.

There are plenty of exceptions, of course, but few projects have quite the technical appeal of the one rising at Dundas and University right now.

488 university avenue torontoOnce a 1968 office tower, 480 University Ave. has been reinforced and given a new shell, which paves the way for the construction of a 37 storey condo atop the existing structure. When complete, its new address will be 488 University.

When we last checked in on the site, the exterior of the old building was being stripped and bolstered with a new steel frame. Now, just over a year later, the building has been almost entirely remade as the base of the condo to come. 

488 university avenue torontoThe crossed steel beams will not only divert the weight of the massive addition to the exterior of the building, but will also provide a nice design touch.

Core Architects and engineers Sigmund Soudack & Associates have already done some stunning work on the first phase of this structure.

488 university avenue torontoConstruction on the upper condo has, in fact just started, even as there are finishing touches to do at the bottom of the building, including completion of an extension to the lobby on the east side that's starting to take shape. 

This is an intriguing time in the process, as the months ahead will see the tower steadily rising in the sky up to a total of 55 storeys.

For now, the previous building is still easy to imagine behind the new facade, but as work progresses, I'm sure many will think this is a new structure altogether.

488 university avenue toronto

Anti-Islam rally meets with counter protest in Toronto

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A deeply troubling scene played out on Toronto streets today as self-proclaimed Islamophobic group Rise Canada rallied outside a mosque at Dundas and Chestnut streets.

The small but vocal gathering was said to be in response to MP Iqra Khalid's Motion 103, which calls on the federal government to condemn Islamophobia.

It was difficult to ascertain just how large the group was because a counter protest formed relatively quickly showing solidarity for those targeted by the initial rally.

There didn't appear to be more than 50 people in total, though the sight of a brazen anti-Islam rally elicited both fear and reproach on social media.  

According to reports, Toronto Police eventually moved the two groups away from the mosque. Here's how the scene played out earlier this afternoon. 

This unfunded TTC program could significantly improve your commute

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We tend to focus on the big things when summing up what's wrong with the TTC. There's no funding plan for a relief line, our new streetcars are delayed, King St. is a mess for transit— you get the idea.

But sometimes it's the small things that can make big differences in our daily commute. Case in point, the TTC wants to put in place modest measures to improve subway reliability, but it was deemed that there just wasn't enough money in the 2017 budget to make that happen.

We're not talking about a lot here. A motion to to fund "13 positions for signal track and traction power reliability initiatives that will improve subway performance compliance" to the tune of $1.228 million was put forward by Councillor Mary Fragedakis at the budget meeting this week, but ultimately voted down. 

It might sound like small potatoes, but the TTC claims that such measures would decrease track-level delays by as much as 30 per cent compared to 2014 levels. That's a pretty big deal when you consider the investment required.

"The bottom line was to improve customer service through increased preventative measures we undertake to address some of the root causes of delays before they happen," explains TTC spokesperson Stuart Green.

"We are still committed to achieving improvements in this area and will do so without additional bodies."

Despite boasting about the city's financial contributions to the TTC this year, John Tory was one of the votes against the initiative. Municipal money is tight, to be sure, but it's hard to swallow the idea that there wasn't a way to get the funding in place for this.

At a minimum it's worth remembering the next time you're stuck in a train delay.

How online reservation services changed the dining scene in Toronto

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If you want to book a table in Toronto, you usually have to go online. That's because services such as OpenTable, based in the United States, and Toronto's YP Dine have largely cornered the reservation market in the city.

These services make it easy to grab a table and take the stress out of calling multiple restaurants to try to secure dinner reservations.

Pantelly Damoulianos co-founded the reservation service dine.TO back in 2002. Yellow Pages bought his business in 2014 along with the Quebec-based company Bookenda.

He's now the Brand Director at the Yellow Pages's YP Dine (its consolidated reservation system) and knows the ins-and-outs of online reservation services in the city.

Since the early 2000s, he's seen them grow in popularity and thinks they're beneficial for both diners and restaurateurs. He says they not only help restaurants fill tables, but they also help them gain insight about their customers and track cancellations and no-shows.

Yet, Damoulianos says that even though YP Dine sends out reminders to those who've booked tables, not everyone honours their reservations.

During big events such as Winterlicious, as well as on Fridays and Saturdays, no-show rates can rise up to around 30 per cent.

While YP Dine and OpenTable restrict diners from making multiple reservations at once, Damoulianos explains customers often skirt these these limitations.

In a party of six for instance, each diner will make a different reservation and at the last minute, they'll actually choose where to eat. 

YP Dine currently has around 500 restaurants onboard in Toronto and 1,500 Canada-wide. And trends are shifting for who's signing up.

“In the beginning it was more of a fine dining restaurant scene,” he says. “Now you see a lot more casual restaurants using reservation systems.” 

reservations torontoOne of those casual spots is Otto's Bierhalle, a restaurant and beer hall in West Queen West.

“At the beginning, a lot of people were coming at the same time and we were turning a lot of people away, so we thought it would be more convenient for people,” says co-owner Konrad Droeske about why he and his team decided to start taking reservations.

Since the space does operate as a bar, about one third of the room's reserved for walk-ins. Bigger restaurant chains, such as Terroni and the Chase Hospitality Group also leave room for passersby.

These two organizations both have hosts and hostesses call patrons to confirm their reservations - it might be pesky, but it does add a bit more humanity to the whole reservation process. 

As Mark Pupo wrote in Toronto Life, sometimes it seems like it's impossible to use online services to book tables at popular restaurants during prime dinner times.

At Baro, says assistant general manager Steve Baert, they don't take reservations between 7 and 9 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday.

“We try and limit the amount of reservations we take per day so that there is an opportunity for people to walk in off the street and at least sit at the bar or in one of our hot seats,” he says, noting that this helps maintain a better, more fun vibe at Baro.

Damoulianos says restaurants choose which tables get listed online and the reservation system works around these parameters.

And if you can't find any tables at your first choice restaurant, these systems do make it easy to search for other options because who want to wait in line, right?


This photographer turns Toronto into a fantasy land on Instagram

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Toronto might not have a roller coaster running through it or be located amidst a snow-capped mountain range, but for one local photographer, nothing's impossible when it comes to reimagining the city.

Ethan Hunt, who goes by @phantamos on Instagram, has nearly 50,000 followers on his feed filled with surreal, fantastical depictions of Toronto.

Hunt, who's originally from Lima, Peru, started drawing and later got into Photoshop after his brother introduced him to the Adobe program back in the early 2000s. He says he's entirely self-taught and now uses it, along with Lightroom, to bring his creations to life.

“I feel like every picture I take, I’m seeing something. Like I feel like I’m a movie director at that point,” he says of his process. 

Many of his photographs blend reality with fiction, and he likes to make people think about whether his pieces are real or not.

However, he doesn't like the term “manipulation,” to describe what he does. “I just call it digital art because that’s what it is,” he says.

“I know, I get it because it’s being manipulated and tampered with and whatnot, but if you really look at it, it’s art at the end of the day. It’s not something you’re forging or creating something illegal.”

To get some of his most dramatic shots, Hunt does rooftopping in and around the Financial District; he also likes to take photos outside of the city in Niagara Falls. And he often adds elements such as birds, bats, lighting and tornados to these images.

While some of his pieces can get a little dark, he also likes chasing sunrises and sunsets.

When he's not shooting, Hunter does marketing and graphic design for Coffee Club Canada. But in his downtime, he makes sure to carve out time to get creative.

“I do everything like it’s possible," he says. “There’s no I can’t with the way I create.”

10 new restaurants with beautiful interior design in Toronto

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Toronto has its fair share of restaurants with stunning interior design, but within the past six months there's been an influx of spots that have taken things up a notch. These new restaurants aren't just a must-visit for their food, but for their breathtaking settings as well.

Here are 10 new restaurants with beautiful interior design in Toronto.  

Baro

This Latin restaurant is a rebranding of Valdez and is now located across the street from its original location on King West. The entire restaurant has a speakeasy vibe and tons of copper and warm wood tones inside. 

Photo by Jesse Milns

Grey Gardens

Jen Agg's much anticipated Kensington Market venture showcases a spectacular interior. The space is filled with brass, marble, vintage glass and ceramic pieces.

Photo by @theblackhoof

Khao San Road

Found on Charlotte St. the popular Thai restaurant now boasts a much larger space. While the restaurant features many design elements of their previous space, this location exhibits a two-storey wall made up of tiles imported from Thailand.

Photo by Jesse Milns

La Banane

The French restaurant found on Ossington boasts a decor separated into three distinct areas. The front is outfitted in shades of green, with plush settees and library lights, the middle has a marble-topped bar, while the back has a spectacular dining room.

Photo by Jesse Milns

Lake Inez

This cosy gastro pub in Little India features a menu of Asian-inspired eats and comfort food. It boasts an eclectic assortment of decor, including chandeliers, a hodgepodge of antique/vintage furniture acquired off Kijiji, and a stained glass and tile mural.

Photo by Hector Vasquez

Lena

This multi-storey restaurant located in the former Hudson Bay  space embraces the building's historical elegance. The etched stained glass, oxidized copper cornices and grand staircases are all original and mesh well with the luxe velvet booths and rich leather upholstery.

Photo by Jesse Milns

Oretta

King West is now home to a sophisticated, but casual Italian restaurant with a chic mid-century modern environment. The space gives off '60s vibes and is airy with pastel and jewel tones. It also has mesmerizing swooping arches.

Photo by Jesse Milns

Planta

Plant-based menu offerings aren't the only thing to admire here. The space features a funky jungle plant printed wallpaper, couches and comfy chairs everywhere, as well as eye-catching light fixtures.

Photo by Jesse Milns

Pray Tell

The snack bar at College and Ossington is a sister spot to the popular Toronto bar Track & Field. They ditched the rec room vibes and instead have a decor punctuated by adorable touches. Greenery dominates an entire shelved wall and is the real stand out of the entire space.

Photo by Hector Vasquez

Souk Tabule

Souk means "market" in Arabic, and the design of this space is based all around that. It's divided into a marketplace, cafe and restaurant. Notable features include a beautiful vintage chandelier and a portrait of Beirut in 1890.

Photo by Hector Vasquez

Toronto has a new luxury dog hotel

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Toronto canines just got a major accommodation upgrade. The city now boasts a bright and shiny luxury dog hotel, boarding service and daycare so that your pet has as much fun on the weekend as you do.

The new venture comes from Scott Mathison, owner and veterinarian at Queen West Animal Hospital. If you live in the neighbourhood you may have noticed he and his team took over an entire building at the corner of Queen St. West and Strachan.

It's now not only a vet clinic, but also a hospital and the Animal Haus. "This is my dream space," says Mathison  proudly. "It's totally high end and spectacular... if I do say so myself."

A view of the open concept space, with suites to the right and up the stairs. 

The entire building is 12,000 square feet, but Animal Haus takes up the second floor space. While they count dogs as their main clients, they're also cat-friendly.

Like the Four Seasons, but for pets , it's a bright, open concept space with six individual suites that feature everything except Wi-Fi.

There are cameras so clients can watch their pets whenever they want (they're also in the main room), mini trampoline-like dog bed,s and automatic watering systems.

A bed, a couch and some runs for when dogs needs a moment alone to eat or relax.

Some suites even have windows if your pet likes to stare longingly outside, and there's calming classical music playing in the background at all times. If you're dog is a vocal one, don't stress, they've sound-proofed the rooms.

There's a meet-and-greet prior to any stay to make sure your pet is comfortable and won't trash their hotel room. Once in, they can try out the outdoor turf dog-run off the main room with a special drainage system so dogs can take a bathroom break. 

Skip and Forest take in the view from the common room.

It's $60 a night for an open concept sleepover and $70 for a private suite. Daycare pricing ranges from $20 for six hours and $35 for anything more than that (excluding overnight).

What the Brunswick House will look like as a drugstore

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If you frequented the Brunswick House, you probably don't really remember what the interior looked like. But now that it's almost a Rexall drugstore, you might be able to jog your memory.

That's because the company is keeping many of the Brunny's interior features intact. According to Rexall spokesperson Derek Tupling, it's retaining the original chandeliers, tin roof and rather iconic Ye Olde Brunswick House sign.

The Rexall team worked with the city's heritage preservation division in order to respect the history of this nearly 150-year-old building.

“We wanted to design a store or create a store that captured the local heritage of the community,” Tupling tells us.

rexall brunswick house torontoOne of the most noteworthy features of this newfangled Rexall is the check-out area. It incorporates the old keg barrel bar.

“When you go through the store and you get all your stuff and go through the check out, the bar that you used to order your drinks on, that’s the one where you’ll be checking out,” Tupling explains.

While picking up a deodorant, shampoo, body wash and a loofah might not be quite as exciting as grabbing a shot at the bar, at least this part of the spirit of the Brunny will live on. 

This Rexall has certainly caused some amount of controversy, but it's definitely not the first big name brand to move into the Annex. It already has a Starbucks, David's Tea, Aroma and Chipotle, so perhaps it's just part of a trend.

The Brunny Rexall is slated to have its soft opening on March 1. 

Toronto smashed a temperature record today

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It was another day of sun in Toronto, and hopefully you got out to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather.

According to Global News, today was the warmest February 18 on record. The mercury hit 12 C shortly after noon, breaking the previous record of 10.8 C hit back in 2011. 

The weather's supposed to be relatively mild all week, with temperatures sitting well above 0 C - on Wednesday, it might be 12 C and sunny, so happy hump day.

Those on Reading Week might have a little trouble studying, but at least they can have fun in the city without schlepping around a parka.

15 restaurants for Family Day brunch in Toronto

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What's better than brunching on a Monday of a long weekend? Nothing! And lucky for us some of Toronto's best brunch purveyors are staying open this holiday. From blueberry pancakes to good 'ol fashioned biscuits and gravy, prepare to get stuffed this Family Day.

Here's a roundup of restaurants serving brunch this Family Day in Toronto.

Aunties and Uncles

Breakfast tacos and pockets make the perfect start to the holiday Monday. The Little Italy staple will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Beast

Wind down the long weekend with an extra day of breakfast sandwiches and challah French toast served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tecumseth restaurant.

Cafe Neon

Both locations will be serving brunch on Family Day. Their Queen location will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and their Wallace location from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cardinal Rule

The Roncesvalles brunch go-to will be serving up their specialty from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chow down on offerings of French toast and breakfast sammies.

Dirty Food

The Junction restaurant will dish out all your favourite guilty brunch pleasures from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Emma's Country Kitchen

From 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Family Day the St. Clair West restaurant will be dishing out its famous brunch-time fare.

Hollandaise Diner

This Danforth East spot is also ready to serve its menu of eggs Benedict and pancakes on Family Day. They will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

La Cubana

Make your way to their Roncesvalles location this Monday as they will be serving up their delectable Cuban brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lady Marmalade

Finish off the long weekend with a visit to this Leslieville institution. They will be dishing out brunch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Le Petit Dejeuner

Head to this King East restaurant on Family Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to stuff your face with offerings off granola, crepes, waffles and eggs bennies.

Lisa Marie

S'mores pancakes, pad Thai fries and pancake pork burgers will be served from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. at the popular West Queen West eatery.

Mildred's Temple Kitchen

The Liberty Village restaurant will be serving brunch on Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Load up on blueberry pancakes, skillets and mimosas.

Portland Variety

Keep the ball rolling on long weekend fun with a brunch visit to the King West cafe. They will be serving offerings of thick cut French toast and avo toast from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

School

If you're hankering for some over the top brunch offerings this Family Day long weekend you're luck. The popular Liberty Village brunch spot will be open this Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Drake Hotel

Celebrate the holiday Monday with brunch at the Drake from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The menu is filled with chicken and waffles, eggs benny and much more.

The top 5 free events in Toronto this week

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Free events in Toronto this week will get you outside with the annual Winter Stations art installation and IceFest. But if you want to stay indoors, check out a free screening of the Oscars with a bunch of drunk drag queens. 

Events you might want to check out:

Winter Stations 2017 (February 20 - March 27 @ The Beach)
This impressive public art exhibition transforms lifeguard stands at Balmy, Kew and Ashbridges Bay beaches.
Debaete Club (February 21 @ Gladstone Hotel)
Tired of watching people argue on TV? Head to the Gladstone and watch folks verbally duke it out. Host Eli Burnstein (of Spelling Bae infamy) will pit two teams of two against each other. No experience needed.
Power to the People (February 22 @ Ryerson Image Centre)
This photo and art exhibit is part of the new Ryerson Image Centre season and Black History Month. Get a free tour of the show and get educated.
Icefest 2017 (February 25 @ Yorkville Village)
Bloor-Yorkville transforms into a land of ice sculptures and Canadiana to help celebrate Canada's 150th a little early. It's all free and outdoors.
Screen Queens does the Oscars (February 26 @ The Royal Cinema)
There's only one place you need to be to watch the Oscars and it's with a bunch of friends and some drunk drag queens. Get there at 7 p.m. for the red carpet, Allysin Chaynes hosts with guests and drinks. So many drinks.

The fascinating history of Toronto's oldest bookstore

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Very few book stores in the world have been fought off widespread hate, battled censorship at the Supreme Court, and acted as home base for an entire community of people. Toronto's Glad Day bookshop has, which is why it's even more special that it's not only Toronto's oldest bookstore, but the world's oldest LGBT bookstore.

Glad Day took the title after New York's Oscar Wilde bookstore closed in 2009 because of low sales and high rent. That shop opened in 1967.

Glad Day was opened in 1970 by Jearld Moldenhauer out of his home in the Annex. The residential space also doubled as the office for The Body Politic, a gay and lesbian political paper, which eventually morphed into Xtra and then to the now online-only DailyXtra.com.

After folks moved in and out of the home, Moldenhauer  and a group men bought a place in Cabbagetown at 138 Seaton Street and operated the shop out of there.

138 Seaton, home of the first Glad Day in the Annex. Photo by Jearld Moldenhauer.

It was a time when a gay and lesbian bookstore could exist out of someone's living room and word spread wide enough for the city's queer population to know exactly where to go — all very much on the down low and in fear of violence. 

But, the group eventually bravely decided to move out into the public. The store's first space was at the northeast corner of Yonge and Collier streets. 

As attention started to grow, they moved to second commercial space at 648A Yonge St. They stayed here for about four years, and it was during this time that the "Toronto Morality Squad" entered the shop and charged a Glad Day employee with "obscenity" for selling out-of-date gay porno magazines.

glad day books

648A Yonge was Glad Day's second commercial space.  Photo by Jearld Moldenhauer from the CLGA collection.

As momentum built, Glad Day moved down the street to 598A Yonge St. in 1981, where they remained until 2016. Still a pretty hidden space, customers had to march up a steep set of stairs to get to the second floor store packed contemporary and classic LGBT literature, magazines and videos.

It was, for much of Toronto's history, the only place to find this kind of thing. 

glad day books

From left: Paul Jenkins , behind - Jearld Moldenhauer, front over desk, Robert Banks, behind Alan Li,  James McPhee, Russell Armstrong. Photo by Jearld Moldenhauer from the CLGA collection.

It was a marathon of peaks and valleys during this time. "I admire the courage of everybody who ever climbed those steps," Glad Day manager Scott Dagostino says. "You [didn't] know what’s at the top of those stairs, but they did it."

For decades the store's stock  was constantly stopped at the Canadian border and inspected. "We opened a box once that arrived in 1995 that was called Best American Gay Short Stories edited by Amistad Moffat. It had been opened already by Canada Customs," Dagostino recalls. 

Glad Day's final Yonge Street location. Photo by Troy Pynn.

"The books had be thumbed through and all jammed back in the box haphazardly and many of the books were damaged beyond repair. They had opened it looking for porn, that was kind of routine but ...  it felt like they had this power. These people who knew nothing."

The problem with Canada Customs was also happening to Vancouver's Little Sisters bookshop, which came to a head with a Supreme Court of Canada case.

Glad Day fought its own censorship battles with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice after being fined for selling pornography, winning a landmark case in 2003. 

It wasn't always drama and bad news, though. The Yonge street shop provided a haven and meeting place for Toronto's LGBT community throughout this time, and again in 1995 something revolutionary happened.

Olympian Greg Louganis released his biography called Breaking The Surface in which he revealed he was HIV positive. "That was the first gay book to make it to the New York Times Bestseller list," says Dagostino. "It was a $30 hardback, and we were selling cartons of it."

499 Church Street, home to Glad Day's new home, which is also a coffee shop and bar. Photo by Jesse Milns.

Through the years and battles of Toronto's LGBT community, Glad Day persisted and survived. The store was purchased by a collective of 22 community members to save it from going under in 2011, and it's since moved to its new home 499 Church Street in the Village.

"Glad Day was a protected space, literally a space where you had to know where it was and fight to get into," Dagostino says. But the new space is reflective of the community's status in Toronto today. It's finally on street level, completely accessible, bright and welcoming. 

"Now the new space requires no courage whatsoever," he says. "Glide right in, have a coffee, use the Wi-Fi and check out the literature."

These were hard-fought luxuries.

Why more and more Toronto bars are open during the day

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Some of Toronto's dimly lit cocktail bars take on an entirely different identity during the light of day. These cafe-bar hybrids offer a coffee program - for the laptop-toting freelancer crowd - before transforming into bona fide watering holes once the son goes down.

After Northwood opened in Koreatown back in 2013, it seems like more and more bars are taking on an all-day approach. While this obviously lets them maximize their business hours and cash in on having a liquor license, it also helps them gain a more solid foothold in their communities.

"I find being open in the day is a really nice way to be part of the neighbourhood," say Alison MacKenna, who co-owns The Walton

After living in England and France, it just seemed natural to start a cafe that stayed open all day. 

"You can have coffee, you can have a glass of wine all day long and it's a common sense combination," she says. It just becomes that meeting place and that hub where it serves the community's purposes."

daytime bar torontoThe Orchard's Jason Raabe recently brought in an espresso bar and now keeps his Bloordale music venue open during the day. It made sense for him, considering he also runs a cafe nearby.

He now bakes fresh pastries for both locations and provides another hangout spot in the neighbourhood. He's also paying homage to the Orchard's past. 

Before it was Orchard, and previously Clara's Gourmet Burgers, it was a bakery and a cafe that was in business for about 40 years.

"I remember it being always a coffee shop/bakery," says Raabe, a longtime Bloordale resident. "It always seemed like a natural progression to put it back to that at some point."

The Grey Tiger, which is also in Bloordale, used to open earlier than 1 p.m. But owners Ryan Ringer and Becky Ip said it made more sense for them to start serving coffee a bit later in the day.

"When you are a hybrid space, you end up casting a wide net," says Ip. "And then you think maybe we can open at 7 or 8 a.m., and go all the way until 2 a.m. every single day and that's not realistic for us."

To transition into a cocktail bar, Grey Tiger closes its espresso bar and asks patrons to shut down their laptops at 7 p.m.

While The Walton serves coffee at night, MacKenna says she and her team don't permit laptops after 6 p.m. 

northwood torontoNorthwood co-owner Richard Pope thinks this transition's more natural. "Nobody wants to be the only person on their laptop on a Friday night at 9 pm when everyone else is drink cocktails around them," he says.

And that's just the beauty of these multi-use spaces. 

Sold! How to make $900K on a Toronto house flip

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Every week in Toronto it seems like a handful of homes sell for so far over asking that you wonder if the world's gone mad or if real estate agents aren't relying on under-listing properties even more frequently than before given the intense seller's market it the city.

40 beaconsfield avenue torontoThis isn't, however, the only way to get a sense for just how high demand is in Toronto right now. In fact, it's better to track a property that's hit the market multiple times in a relatively short time span to get a sense for how hot things have got.

Case in point, this house at 40 Beaconsfield Ave. The Mash has tracked this one for a while, and for good reason. It hit the market last June for $1,490,000, ultimately selling for $1,700,000 just over two weeks later.

40 beaconsfield avenue torontoShortly thereafter, its neighbour at 38 Beaconsfield sold for $2,096,000. Well, you know what happened next. The thought that #40 could be moved for more cash crossed someone's mind, and it was given interior renovations before being listed at $2,450,000 this month. 

It just sold for $2,400,000. That's over $900K more than what it was listed at just last June. Um, wow? 

40 beaconsfield avenue torontoThe Essentials
  • Address: 40 Beaconsfield Ave.
  • Last known selling price: $1.7 million (July 2016)
  • Hit the market at: $2,450,000
  • Time on market: 11 days
  • Sold for: $2,400,000
40 beaconsfield avenue torontoWhy it sold for the price it did

Because the local real estate market is out of control? Aside from that, this is sizeable historic house on a street that's close to the action on West Queen West. The interior also looks nice, even if it didn't get a complete gutting when it was prepared for the flip.

40 beaconsfield avenue torontoWas it worth it?

Only if you love the idea of living in a heritage home. Despite the sheen of a new interior, this house is over a century old, and will definitely required significant maintenance to keep up. While it's big, it's also a semi, which makes the nearly $2.5 million price tag even harder to stomach.

40 beaconsfield avenue toronto

Family Day events in Toronto for 2017

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Family Day events in Toronto let you make the most of this strange, oddly stuck-in-the-middle-of-winter holiday we're happy to have. If you're at a loss for what to do, you'll be happy to know Winter Stations is back. This art installation along the boardwalk in the Beaches will make you feel like a kid again. 

Events you might want to check out:

Winter Stations 2017 (February 20 - March 27 @ The Beach)
Winter Stations is back for its third year, and it once again invites Torontonians to get outside and explore the beach in the wintertime with installations that transform local lifeguard stands.
The Mother of all Beer Events (February 20 @ Evergreen Brickworks)
The Brewer’s Backyard returns with a huge Family Day beer event. There's a delicious lineup of lcoal breweries.
MUNA at The Drake Hotel (February 20 @ The Drake Hotel)
If you need some darkwave, electronic synthpop this Family Da,y then catch this show at the Drake Underground. They played Jimmy Fallon last November and have been remixed by Tiesto.
Hockey Hall of Fame Family Day (February 20 @ Hockey Hall of Fame)
Expect loads of families at this event, but also loads of cool hockey stuff. Try your hand at goaltending, shooting, play-by-play calling, and even hosting your own sports broadcast.
Blank Blockbusters Presents: La Haine (February 20 @ Blank Canvas)
La Haine is a film about 24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot. There will be a catered meal available along with popcorn and candy and a DJ set to close out the night.
South Seas Tease (February 20 @ The Shameful Tiki Room)
Beat the Monday blues and escape to this tropical variety show. The gorgeous girls of South Seas Tease put on a fun, flirty and interactive show that'll heat things up.

This Week on DineSafe: deKefir, CutiePie Cupcakes, Boil Bar, Tealish, Wah Sing

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This week on DineSafe a popular boil bar restaurant got no love before Valentine's Day when they landed an alarming seven infractions from city health inspectors. These included failure to wash utensils properly. Yikes.

See which other restaurants got yellow cards on DineSafe this week.

Billy's Souvlaki Place (748 Dovercourt Rd.)
  • Inspected on: February 13, 2017
  • Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
  • Number of infractions: 2 (Minor: 1, Significant: 1)
  • Crucial infractions include: N/A
The Boil Bar (664 Yonge St.)
  • Inspected on: February 13, 2017
  • Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
  • Number of infractions: 7 (Minor: 1, Significant: 5, Crucial: 1)
  • Crucial infractions include: Operator failed to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated.
Wah Sing (47 Baldwin St.)
  • Inspected on: February 13, 2017
  • Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
  • Number of infractions: 2 (Minor: 1, Significant: 1)
  • Crucial infractions include: N/A
Ritz Carribean Foods (762 Yonge St.)
  • Inspected on: February 14, 2017
  • Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
  • Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 1, Significant: 3, Crucial: 1)
  • Crucial infractions include: Operator failed to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated.
Tealish (367 Roncesvalles Ave.)
  • Inspected on: February 14, 2017
  • Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
  • Number of infractions: 3 (Significant: 3)
  • Crucial infractions include: N/A
CutiePie Cupcakes (235 Spadina Ave.)
  • Inspected on: February 15, 2017
  • Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
  • Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 3, Significant: 3)
  • Crucial infractions include: N/A
deKefir (333 Bay St.)
  • Inspected on: February 16, 2017
  • Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
  • Number of infractions: 4 (Significant: 4)
  • Crucial infractions include: N/A

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.

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