The top parties in Toronto this April give you an excuse to get out and get festive. From the Blue Jays home opener blowout to a legendary soul night from New York, you have no excuse but to bust out your springtime dancing shoes. 

Winter has finally disappeared, and a new crop of places to eat are soon set to bloom. From popular international chains to promising locally owned restaurants featuring indigenous cuisine, there's a lot to be excited about.

Here are my picks for the most anticipated restaurant openings in Toronto this spring.

Drake Commissary

The Drake's newest property in the Junction Triangle is home base for Drake Catering, and it will also be a bakery, cafe and community hub with licensed table service in the evenings, plus a weekend brunch spot.

The Halal Guys

We've patiently been waiting for a while now, but it looks like this popular NYC food-cart franchise's first Toronto bricks-and-mortar at Yonge & Wellesley will (finally!) be opening very soon.

Hollywood Cone

Originally an Oshawa-based food truck, it's known for its over-the-top ice cream-based concoctions. Its first Toronto dessert shop should be opening any day now on West Queen West near the Drake.

Jollibee

So Winnipeg may have ended up with the first Canadian outpost of this Filipino fast-food chain and Mississauga will be getting its next location this spring, but job-post sleuthing has revealed that Scarborough is next.

Kiin

Chef Nuit Regular (Sukhothai, Sabai Sabai, Pai) is taking back the old Khao San Road space on Adelaide St. W. with this restaurant concept that promises to introduce us to some new Thai flavours.

Kū-kŭm

From the owners of Snakes and Lattes, this Canadian Indigenous restaurant on Mt. Pleasant Rd. will offer two different tasting menus along with à la carte options from chef Joseph Shawana, who grew up on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve on Manitoulin Island.

NishDish

Traditional Anishnawbe ("Nish") food will be served at this small First Nations-owned and operated food emporium taking over the old Tacos El Asador space in Koreatown.

La Palma

Offering "all day dining from coffee to cocktails," this sibling restaurant to chef Craig Harding's Campagnolo is taking over what was formerly Caffe Brasiliano on Dundas West.

Poor Romeo

It's mostly been kept hush-hush, but the owners of Pinkerton's Snack Bar are planning to open an old-school diner across the street on Gerrard St. E. by Jones Ave. this spring.

Tennessee Tavern

Restaurateur and chef Grant Van Gameren is on a roll. He already owns Bar Isabel, Bar Raval, El Rey, Harry's and Pretty Ugly, and he'll soon be adding another place to the mix: an Eastern European-inspired bar in Parkdale that used to be The Tennessee and Mitzi's Sister.

In a city that could use an influx of townhouses, it's nice to see one that's well designed. This example at 28 Givins St., around the corner from Trinity Bellwoods Park, is a good model for what this type of housing can offer buyers in Toronto's high demand areas.

Unfortunately, with the local real estate market as hot as it is, even these homes are pushing beyond the $2 million mark, which puts them well out of reach for the vast majority of first time buyers.

The consolation here is that the design makes it easy to rent out a basement unit to subsidize a mortgage. That's generally a more difficult proposition in an older detached home, which might not have an apartment unit and would probably require more maintenance.

Aside from the basement apartment, this house also has nice modern features, like a spacious en suite and walk-in closet. They add a touch of luxury that, quite frankly, is expected based on the price.

Specs

• Address: 28 Givins St. 
• Price: $2,388,000
• Lot Size: 17 x 120 feet
• Bedrooms: 3 + 1
• Bathrooms: 4
• Parking: 1
• Walk Score: 95
• Transit Score: 100
• Listing agent: Mark Andres Vaher
• Listing ID: C3735451

Good For

Previous home owners looking to upgrade but who still need a bit of help with the mortgage. You could ask for a good chunk of rent for a brand new apartment in this area, even if it's mostly underground.

Move On If

You want a traditional backyard. This house has good outdoor space, but not much grass. At this price, some buyers will also have their sights set on a detached home.

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

Toronto is losing a much-loved Queen Street coffee shop, but the reason for its closure is not completely sad. 

R Squared, the sunny little spot at 668 Queen St. West, has been serving up coffee, snacks and ample seating for free Wi-Fi for over six years. The owners have decided to close at the end of this month because they feel the timing is right. And they found a business they liked to move in.

"We knew from day one that this day would come at some point," says co-owner Reza Yazdjerei. "It's like being a movie director, you have to know when to cut."

Yazdjerei owns the coffee shop with his friend, who's also named Reza, which is why they called their business R2. They run it together with their wives.

"In this coffee industry you have two paths, either sell the business at some point or franchise to get bigger. That wasn't our interest, so we knew we'd sell it," says Yazdjerei.

They've sold R2 to cafe and cannabis culture shop Tokyo Smoke. They're fans of the coffee shop and lifestyle brand that recently raised $3 million and has plans for a big expansion.

After being in talks for a year, they finally struck a deal and now the two Rezas and their wives will move back to Iran to pursue other business ventures. 

"We've met and worked with a lot of good people," says Yazdjerei. "It's been a great experience."

Used and cheap appliances in Toronto can be found if you know where to look. Look beyond stores like Home Depot, Caplan's and Appliance Love to discover deals on washers, dryers, stoves or fridges.

Here's where to find used and cheap appliances in Toronto.

The Appliance Warehouse

This mega-showroom at Weston Road and the 401 sells both used and new appliances. It has monthly clearance specials, but the best thing to do is to call ahead to get exact pricing on the items you're looking for.

The Brick

This is a go-to for many appliance hunters, especially since it has a deal where you get 20 percent off your purchase when you buy three items from the same brand.

Canadian Appliance Source

With locations near Yorkdale, in Etobicoke and in Mississauga, this appliance specialist constantly has major deals on big brand names. It also does price matching and delivers.

Corbeil

Corbeiloffers delivery, but the team here will also pick up your old appliances and get rid of them for you. It's been around since 1949 and offer discounts on pretty much everything in store.

Faulkner's

Faulkner's has been around for 60 years and offer in-store specials and dealer promotions on all of its appliances. It also has a clearance centre for even bigger deals.

Kam Impex

This family run business in Brampton stands out because it also sells parts and offers servicing on its machines. KamImpex features cheap delivery, warranties and wholesale pricing on many of the small to mid-size appliances in store.

Open Box

Find a mix of discount, wholesale and retail pricing on a huge range of name brand appliances at this Canadian-owned business on St. Clair East.

RHD Used Appliances

This used appliance specialist in Scarborough has a showroom open every day but Sunday. Call ahead to make sure they have what you're looking for.

TA Appliances

Though TA has a showroom in Mississauga, you'll want to check out their clearance outlet on Arrow Road. They sell all sorts of major appliances.

There's lots on the agenda at the ongoing city council meeting, including a certain subway line. But one proposed motion is garnering lots of attention, even though it likely won't be discussed for another month.

As CBC News reported this morning, Councillor John Campbell is working on a motion that would deny Pride Toronto its annual $260,000 city grant if it upholds its ban on having policeofficersparticipate in the Pride Parade.

Councillor Campbell apparently has support from fellow councillors Glenn De Baeremaeker, Jon Burnside, Justin Di Ciano, Mark Grimes and Stephen Holyday.

Earlier this year at Pride Toronto's annual general meeting, members voted to accept all of Black Lives Matter Toronto's demands, including banning police officers from the Pride Parade. 

Last month, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said Toronto police wouldn't be marching in this year's parade, which is scheduled for June 25.

As CBC notes, Campbell will likely present his motion in April or May. 

Toronto's real estate market is a pretty scary place these days. Prices seem to be going up and up, so it's not really surprising that a new report out of Sydney, Australia (another city with prohibitively expensive properties) says we have the fastest rising house prices in the world.

According to data compiled by CoreLogic for Australia's Daily Telegraph, Toronto's median home price grew 19 percent over the past year - Sydney's grew 18.4 percent.

As the Huffington Post points out, many Canadian real estate organizations measure average (or mean) selling prices.

In February 2017, the average selling price for a Toronto house (including detached, semi-detached and townhouses) was $875,983, up 27.7 percent since February 2016.

The annual home price increase analysis out of Sydney looked only at cities with populations over one million.

As cliche as it is to say, it's remarkable to see how much and how little Toronto has changed over the last 50 or so years. For the purpose of comparison, nothing beats looking at intersections, which always hint at their former state no matter how much their surroundings have been altered.

Here are 10 Toronto intersections as they were in the 1960s.

Yonge and Bloor

Not much remains of the buildings in this photo from the late 1960s, save for the apartment slab and row of stores across from Hayden St. These too will soon be obscured by a massive condo on the southwest corner. Have a look at the contemporary view here.

Bathurst and Dundas

Here you're looking northwest up Bathurst St. On the corner today is a Tim Hortons, but a number of the houses and buildings in the background are still there today. This is the present day view.

St. Clair and Keele

Remember when the northern Junction was one of Toronto's major industrial areas? On the northwest corner we see the Swift's Packers plant, which would eventually give way to the Bunge complex before becoming the Stockyards shopping centre. Here's the view today.

King and York

We're looking at the northeast corner of King and York streets, which was home to the Globe and Mail between 1937/8-1974. In the distance, you can also see the old Toronto Star Building. The intersection looks entirely different today.

Bloor and Lansdowne

Here's one that looks somewhat similar, minus the streetcars and the brick street. The Loblaws is now a discount shop and the movie theatre is the Toronto Coffee Compnay, but the buildings to the right still remain. This is the approximate view today.

Yonge and Front

Recognize that stately old building at the centre of the frame. Yes, it's now the Hockey Hall of Fame. This view today remains intriguingly consistent, save for the towers in the background. This is what the intersection looks like today.

Bloor and Palmerston

The character of Bloor St. has remained remarkably consistent through this stretch over the last 50 years, which is about to change with the redevelopment of Mirvish Village on the south side. Love that black Pontiac. Here's the view today.

Bay and Bloor

This photo was taken shortly after the opening of the Bloor-Danforth subway, so the streetcars are gone. You can see the old University Theatre on the right and a few taller buildings on the left that remain. The scene has been greatly filled in today.

Queen and Coxwell

The signage might not be as quaint and the streets have been re-paved, but the main elements in this scene remain remarkably similar between the 1960s and today. Here's the present day view.

Queen, King, and Roncesvalles

From this angle, the foot of Roncesvalles looks very much the same as it did some 50 years ago. We don't make signs quite like that Esso one today and the guardrail between the two streetcars is gone, but the rest of the scene is intact. Here's the contemporary view.

It looks like Scarborough's one step closer to getting a subway following today's marathon city council meeting.

After hours of debate and discussion, city council voted 26-18 in favour of the one-stop subway alignment that would run under McCowan Road.

Scarborough subway extension passed 26-18. This will be it for tonight. #TOpolipic.twitter.com/tWYovinHLF

— Kristyn Wong-Tam (@kristynwongtam) March 28, 2017

Council also voted to move forward with building an underground bus terminal at Scarborough Town Centre Station. This would add about $187 million to the project, bringing its total to a whopping $3.35 billion.

Back in 2013, council first approved the Scarborough subway instead of pressing ahead with a fully-funded LRT line.

As the Globe and Mail reports, once 30 percent of the project's design is complete, it'll go back in front of city council. That should happen sometime in the middle of 2018.

Today in Toronto some major events kick off. The Human Rights and Water film festivals start today, as does the spring edition of the One of a Kind Show, where you can shop for fresh outfits and apartment decor. 

The top warehouse sales in Toronto this April are meant to get you ready for spring with a much-anticipated Nordstrom event, a sunglasses sale, a designer shoe extravaganza and a furnishing blowout for post-spring cleaning.

Toronto's tech community is getting another big boost thanks to a new artificial intelligence institution that's slated to open in the city.

The Vector Institute, as the Toronto Star reports, will focus on both research and business-related ventures. It'll also will serve to retain (and attract) talent.

Even though Canada's a leader in AI-related research, many of those in the field leave the country to work south of the border. However, we do have a growing number of AI startups in the city now.

As the Star writes, the Vector Institute will get $50 million from the province over five years and at least $40 million from the federal government as part of the newly announced $125-million Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

Have to say, The Vector Institute might be the best name for any AI institute (okay, maybe a tie with Alan Turing Institute).

— Ali (@ismuhammadali) March 29, 2017

Among the 30 corporate backers, sponsors include the big five banks, Google, Loblaws, and Air Canada. The institute is also affiliated with the University of Toronto.

According to a U of T news release, computer science professor emeritus and vice president of engineering fellow at (and AI pioneer) Google Geoffrey Hinton will be Vector's chief scientific advisor. 

The best butter tarts in Toronto exemplify one of Canada's favourite baked goods, whether their sticky-sweet and overflowing with filling, dense, flaky, or even chocolate- or maple-flavoured. Everyone has their favourite version of this classic treat.

Here are the best butter tarts in Toronto.

Toronto's rental market might be inflated with overpriced condo units these days, but if you look long enough, you'll still find spaces in solid old apartment buildings—you know, the kind with real wood floors and radiators.

This one-bedroom apartment at 85 Silver Birch Avenue is a lovely, light-filled space with loads of potential. It's also a two minute walk to the beach, which might be its primary selling point.

There aren't too many apartments in Toronto with better access to the lake than this one. You'll pay a premium for the Beaches location at $1,475, but that's still well below many of the condo units on the market.

From an amenities standpoint, the building is pretty standard. There's on-site laundry and parking, both of which are nice. The kitchen won't dazzle any aspiring chefs, but it's got everything you need.

Specs

• Address: 85 Silver Birch Avenue
• Building type: Apartment building
• Rent: $1,475
• Utilities: Included
• Bedrooms: 1
• Bathrooms: 1
• Parking: Garage
• Laundry? Yes, on-site
• Outdoor space? Balcony
• Pet friendly? Not specified

Good For

Someone who loves the idea of being so close to the lake. You could spend your whole summer in and around Balmy Beach without having to venture more than a few minutes from home.

Move On If

You need to be downtown. The Beaches is an amazing neighbourhood, but if you work in the Financial District, you're going to spend some time commuting on the 501.

Clothing donation bins in Toronto are a great way to give back to the community and clean up the cluttered mess that fills your closet. The city is home to hundreds of donation bins in various neighbourhoods — you just need to know where to look.

Here are some noteworthy Toronto organizations taking clothing donations followed by a map of their various bins throughout the city.

Diabetes Canada

Gently used clothing items can be dropped off at anyone of their dozens of bins across Toronto. 100% of the proceeds raised by Clothesline goes directly to Diabetes Canada and world-leading diabetes research, education and advocacy.

Oasis Clothing Bank

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to get rid of unwanted clothes, Oasis has nearly 100 donation bins scattered across the city. They give the donated gear to participants in the Oasis Addiction Recovery program or it's sold for funding.

Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy

The OFCP will accept everything from garments to bedding at their donation bins. The money earned from their resale helps fund the organization's programs and services.

The Salvation Army

This organization has various donation bins around Toronto and the GTA. The money earned from donated clothes goes toward the charity's programs, services and emergency relief efforts.

Blue = Oasis Clothing Bank. Red = The Salvation Army. Green = Diabetes Canada. Purple = OFCP. Donation bins are subject to move so we recommend calling organizations ahead to confirm.

Mirvish Village is a ghost town. All of the businesses on Markham Street hauled out before the end of January because the area will soon be redeveloped as part of the incoming Westbank project.

While some of the local stores and restaurants shut down for good, many others opened up in brand new locations. You can now find these former Mirvish Villagers scattered throughout the city.

Here's where they moved to.

A Different Booklist

After getting help for its move across the street, this bookstore opened its new space at 779 Bathurst St.

The Beguiling

One of the city's most beloved comic book shops is now in Little Italy at 319 College Street. Its kid-oriented offshoot, Little Island Comics, closed for good.

Butler's Pantry

While the Markham Street location shut down, you can still visit this restaurant at 371 Roncesvalles Ave.

The Central

For more than a decade, The Central gave up-and-coming musicians a space to perform. Owner Lucan Wei hopes to bring The Central's programming to his other bar and venue The Smiling Buddha. 

Coal Miner's Daughter

This boutique still has three locations on the city's west side. It moved its Mirvish Village outpost to 3023 Dundas St., in the Junction.

Gigi's House of Frills

For vintage, and vintage-inspired, lingerie, head to Gigi's new location at 731 Dovercourt Road.

The Green Iguana Glassworks

You never know what you're going to find at this quirky shop. But if you're looking for it, it's now at 948 Bloor St. W.

Hollywood Canteen

Movie lovers can still visit this La La Land-inspired shop at its new east side outpost at 1841 Danforth Ave.

Neurotica Records

Little Italy is now home to lots of Mirvish Village expats, including this record store at 567 College St., which should open in spring 2017.

The Rock Store

For all your crystal needs, visit the new Rock Store at 154 Harbord Street, in the former DT Bistro space.

Southern Accent

Get your fill of gumbo and blackened meat at 839 College St.

Space Vintage

Find this vintage store nearby Mirvish Village at 617 Bloor St. W.

Suspect Video

One of the city's most famous video stores is closed for now, but the owners hinted they might reopen in the future.

Tosho Knife Arts

This shop is a favourite amongst Toronto chefs. You can shop for high-quality knives at the new Tosho nearby at 934 Bathurst St.

The Victory Cafe

The team behind the Victory Cafe opened the Crafty Coyote at Bloor and Borden. They're not sure if they're going to relocate their original restaurant and bar.

Vintage Video

For hard-to-find movies and memorabilia, visit the new Vintage Video at 1298 Bloor St. W.

Live music venues in Toronto might seem like a dying breed. Lately it seems like it’s all doom and gloom with concert spaces being shut down or turned into condos left and right. But don't despair just yet. These thriving destinations for live music prove we’re still going strong.

Check out all 50 essential Toronto live music venues in this photo gallery.

The Scarborough subway might be getting all of the attention at this month's city council meeting, but there's a whole lot of other important stuff on the agenda.

Today, council voted to adopt a new by-law for apartment buildings, which would help crack down on bad landlords to better protect tenants across the city.

Council voted 40-1 in favour of the new apartment bylaw, effective July 1. Mammoliti the only opposition #TOpoli

— Ahmed-Zaki Hagar (@ahmhagar) March 29, 2017

This new by-law will let inspectors from the city's licensing and standards division keep tabs on rental properties of three or more storeys and 10 or more units.

It features a slew of requirements regarding cleanliness and pest control as well as numerous other stipulations, including that building owners register with the city and develop a systems to track and respond to maintenance requests.

Considering our current real estate climate, it's not surprising that rentals were at hot topic today's council meeting.

Pleased that Council approved @PaulaFletcher30 motion to confirm support for @Peter_Tabuns bill to protect tenants. pic.twitter.com/7KtLhf84EG

— Janet Davis (@Janet_Davis) March 29, 2017

Councillors also voted 32-11 to approve Mary Fragedakis's motion in support of NDP MPP Peter Tabuns' Rent Protection For All act, which would bring rent control to condos and apartments built (and occupied) after November 1991.

When passing through St. Patrick Station, astute observers might notice something odd about the platform design.

Set against the light green panels that cover the tunnel-shaped station, there's a section of white tiles that looks entirely out of place amidst the otherwise rounded walls.

Rather than an architectural oversight, this part of the station hints at one of the most grisly and tragic events to occur on the TTC.

On November 7, 1975 at around 8 p.m., 16-year-old Mariam Peters was stabbed 16 times inside the station, eventually succumbing to her wounds four days later. Her murder has never been solved.

It's hard to imagine today, but at the time the University Line was regularly a ghost town. Because ridership was so low on evenings and weekends, platforms were often empty or populated by just a few people.

Given that there were no security cameras at the time, this meant that there were spots on certain platforms that were completely blind. Some of the passageways between the north and south platforms were particularly problematic.

Police found Peters on an escalator, though it's likely she was initially attacked in one of the spaces between the platforms. There were three in St. Patrick at the time.

The main cross passages, in both St. Patrick and Queen's Park stations, are home to the stairs and elevators and so they see the most traffic. They're also the closest to the fare collector, and thus less likely to attract criminal activity.

The third passage, on the other hand, was used only for moving between the south and northbound sides and was generally deserted. In the days before the TTC installed security cameras, this created a potentially dangerous situation.

Following Mariam Peters' death, the TTC decided to seal these sections as part of a series of safety initiatives. This is also how the jail-like area at the southern end of Museum Station came to be.

In the years that followed Peters' murder, the TTC rolled out a series of safety initiatives. Now there are thousands of cameras spread across TTC platforms, not to mention designated waiting areas, and the yellow passenger alarm strip. 

The subway became safer because it had to after the events of November 1975. With no eyes or cameras on the platform, Peters' killer was able to escape, and police were never able to put together enough evidence to solve the case. 

Some of the safety features we take for granted today were born of the tragic events that happened over 40 years ago.

Today in Toronto the city gets funky. There are three funk, soul and R&B live music and dance nights happening, which will help melt all your troubles away.