Weekend events in Toronto don't only include Mother's Day markets, yoga sessions and brunch, but there are lots of other parties and gatherings happening, including the annual Dwayne Gretsky 90s night and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. 

If you collect Aeroplan points, you might want to start redeeming them before June 2020. Air Canada announced today it would be ending its contract with Aimia (Aeroplan's parent company) to start an in-house loyalty program.

It's unclear what Air Canada's new loyalty program will look like, but details will emerge over the next three years.

According to Air Canada, it'll be business as usual for customers who use and redeem Aeroplan points and rewards until June 2020.

"All Air Canada and Star Alliance activity after June 2020 will be earned into the new program, and you will be able to redeem miles for rewards including Air Canada and Star Alliance partner flights," says Air Canada's website.

As CBC News reports, Aeroplan points won't transfer over to the new Air Canada program. 

"Aeroplan Miles earned up to June 2020 stay in your Aeroplan account and may be redeemed for Aeroplan Rewards. Beyond June 2020, Air Canada expects to continue making Air Canada flights available for Aeroplan redemption.

"Star Alliance partner rewards will only be available through the new Air Canada program," Air Canada's website continues.

Aeroplan, as the Toronto Star notes, actually began as Air Canada's own loyalty program. Aimia has owned and operated Aeroplan for about 10 years now.

Feelings are mixed about Aeroplan, so not everyone's sad to see Air Canada cuts ties with it. But of course, there's been lots of chatter about this shake up.

Toronto's about to get a lot goopier. That's because Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle brand Goop will be popping up in Nordstrom's at the Eaton Centre tomorrow.

This so-called "pop-in" store will stick around for five weeks, until June 25, and will feature clothing, accessories, beauty products and homeware centred around three themes: "what we put on our bodies, what we put in our bodies and how we treat our bodies." 

The Toronto store will be one of eight Nordstroms to host this Goop collaboration.

“We love how goop has created a lively community around everything from zoodles to Zen,” said Olivia Kim, vice president of creative projects at Nordstrom in a news release. 

“They have a way of conveying wellness concepts so they are not only easy to understand, but also adopt and make a habit into a ritual. Whether it’s through health, fitness, or food, or whatever is manageable through your day, integrating self-care should be easy!”

Despite being easy to understand, Goop and Paltrow have come under fire from the scientific and medical communities for promoting a variety of questionable and unproven practices, not limited to certain cleanses, detoxes and vaginal jade eggs. 

Due to governmental regulations, as the Toronto Star reports, Paltrow's line of vitamins won't be available at Nordstrom, but there will still be $72 (USD) candles on offer.

Here's an intriguing condo tucked away in Toronto's oldest neighbourhood. This sixth floor unit at the Market Wharf Condos straddles the podium and tower of the building, and has unique features like glass windows in the floor.

Yes, that's right. You can look down to the street below. The architecture has its quirky features, but this is actually a pretty well-designed unit. Spread across two floors, there's lots of space and natural light, and there's even a 240 square foot private terrace.

Area-wise there's not much to turn your nose up at. You can buy your food at St. Lawrence Market, and it's only a short walk to the Financial District and retail options on Yonge Street. 

Specs

• Address: 1 Market St. #624
• Price: $1,139,900 
• Bedrooms: 2
• Bathrooms: 3
• Parking: 2
• Taxes: 1
• Maintenance Fee: $695.04
• Walk Score: 98
• Transit Score: 100
• Listing agent: Brent Park
• Listing ID: C3785777

Good For

Someone who likes quirky architecture and isn't all that concerned with privacy. There's lots of space here considering its central location.

Move On If

While the floor windows aren't that invasive, you wouldn't want to walk around naked a whole lot. That could be a deal breaker. 

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

Outdoor art fairs in Toronto this year give painters, photographers, sculptors, local makers and other types of artists a chance to show off and sell their finest in an easy-breezy outdoor setting.

Relief is in sight for your soaring hydro bills, but it might only be temporary. 

As the Canadian Press reports, the Ontario Liberals introduced new legislation today that would cut hydro rates by 25 percent by taking off part of the global adjustment part of the bill. Increases, until 2021, would be capped at two percent.

But according to the Toronto Star, who cites a document leaked to the Progressive Conservatives, following 2022, hydro rates could go way up for much of the next decade: 

"Average monthly bills will rise 6.5 per cent a year from 2022 to 2027 and are forecast to jump 10.5 per cent the year after when they will hit $195. That’s up from $123 this year with the promised cut, lowering bills from an average $158 in 2016," reads the Star report.

Costs would then flatten out after 2028. It's worth noting, however, that the rates mentioned in the report are long term forecasts that are subject to a variety of changes based on market demand and other factors.

A new addition has been made to Toronto's roster of spots where you can watch movies under the stars. 

The Toronto Outdoor Picture Show (the same folks behind the Christie Pits Film Festival) will present outdoor film screenings throughout the entire month of July at Corktown Common.

They successfully screened  Apollo 13 in the park last year and have extended things to a full month for 2017.

It's not a floating cinema or right next to the lake, but this is one of the city's newest and most spectacular parks, with a stunning view of the skyline in the distance.

Claim a piece of the lawn in front of the giant screen every Thursday starting at sundown (around 9 p.m.) from July 6 to 20.

There'll be food vendors in the park starting at 7 p.m., and it's a bring your own blanket affair. The Toronto Outdoor Picture Show will announce their full film schedule on May 29. 

The Drake will open the doors to its new food palace at 128 Sterling Road next month.

Called the Drake Commissary, this 8,000 square foot former condiment factory will serve as the Drake Hotel Properties' central production kitchen. It'll also be a restaurant, bakery, bar and larder, or a "gastronomic town square," as it's described in a news release.

Along with a 5,000-square-foot kitchen, the space will include a dining area, a patio, a coffee and cocktail bar and a retail area, or pantry.

If you visit, you'll be able to peek into the production area. “We’re removing the mystery from the kitchen and bridging the gap to the dining room, welcoming our diners to see everything we’re doing,” says Ted Corrado, The Drake's corporate executive chef, in a news release.

Like all Drake properties, the Commissary will feature an program put together by the Drake's curator Mia Nielson. You can also expect to find food-related workshops, talks and parties there.

Since it's right next to Henderson Brewing Co., it'll serve up its own special blonde ale called Art House and you can start sipping it when the Drake Commissary opens on June 9.

This is the one of many new additions arriving on Sterling Road. The next big one, of course, is the Museum of Contemporary Art.

It's almost the weekend, and you know what that means! It's time to prepare for another TTC subway closure. For the first time this year, the central portion of Line 2 will be closed for maintenance, but the good news is, it's only for one day.

There will be no subway service between St. George and Broadview stations on Saturday, May 13 as crews complete track work. Shuttle buses will operate between stations during the shutdown. 

The TTC recommends that riders headed downtown from the east side consider taking the 504 streetcar from Broadview as a way to work around the closure. 

Regularly scheduled subway service will resume when the system opens on Sunday at 8 a.m. That means there's no excuse to skip visiting mom on Mother's Day. Remember to bring flowers!

The grocery store wars are heating up in a west side Toronto neighbourhood after residents in the Junction Triangle learned that instead of Metro at the base of Fuse Condos, they're getting a Food Basics.

Food Basics is slated to open in the restored warehouse that makes up the podium of the Fuse2 condo development at Dupont and Landsdowne. Previous signage indicated that a Metro would be calling that space home. 

One pro-Food Basics resident reached out to us to share a "Keep the Metro" online petition, indicating that some folks who live in the area aren't too pleased to be getting a discount supermarket. Thus far, nearly 100 people have signed it.

Others, however, seem happy to get a grocery store in the area that sells food at more affordable prices.

"The business decision was made to open a Food Basics at Lansdowne & Dupont because we believe it will better suit the needs of the community, said a rep from Metro Inc., which owns Food Basic, in a statement.  

"We’re excited to open this beautiful new store in a historic location, paying homage to the neighbourhood by customizing the store’s décor to reflect the industrial factories that were housed there in the early 1900s. The vendors and products on offer at this store have been tailored specifically to the taste of the community."

This condo podium will still be getting a Shoppers Drug Mart because this is still Toronto after all.

As the Globe and Mail building continues to be dismantled along Front Street West, more information has come to light about its future replacement, The Well. 

We already knew that this development was going to have a huge retail component, but according to Urban Toronto, the latest plans also call for a sprawling European-style market hall that'll feature 89 stalls offering everything from fine meat and cheese to luxury cookware.

The market area will be located on the lower level of the retail portion of the development, above which will be what's being called the food hall. This will essentially serve as a high end food court that'll cater to shoppers, residents, and office workers. 

In addition to these already robust food offerings, the developers and retail architects BDP also envision as many as 12 restaurants on the site, nine of which would be located on the ground floor of what looks to be an impressive galleria space.

All told, the Well might feature well over 400,000 square feet of retail and hospitality space — all this right at the corner of Front and Spadina streets. You can bet that the Puente de Luz bridge is going to get a lot busier in the years to come. 

The development still requires approval from the city, so it's a little early to bank on everything looking exactly as it does in the snazzy renderings, but this is planned as much as a retail and food destination as a condo, and that will make many people quite happy.

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

Metrolinx seems to really want to open up the Eglinton Crosstown LRT by 2021, which doesn't seem all that far away now.

That's why the provincial transit agency just agreed to buy 61 light rail transit vehicles from the French company Alstom.

If Metrolinx doesn't open the Crosstown on schedule, they'd apparently be on the hook for a $500,000 per day fee to the construction company building the LRT.

"We are pleased to be able to say we have certainty that there will be trains to run on this line," wrote Metrolinx President and CEO John Jensen in a press release. "We know for sure that Alstom’s light rail vehicles work. They are currently producing quality vehicles on-time for Ottawa’s Confederation Line LRT project."

Should the Bombardier cars be eventually delivered, Metrolinx will put the Alstom cars on the Finch West and Hurontario (in Mississauga) LRT lines instead.

As the Toronto Star writes, Metrolinx inked a $770 million deal with Bombardier in 2010 to buy 182 LRT vehicles. The first test vehicles were supposed to arrive in 2015, but they haven't gotten here yet. 

It's finally starting to get warmer out in Toronto and of course, our housing market is still heating up too.

According to the latest Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index (which, as Reuters writes, looks at changes for repeat sales of single family homes), in April, housing prices in Toronto were up 2.6 percent since the previous month.

Compared to April 2016, prices were up about 26 percent. Both stats reportedly mark a record high for the city.

Now we'll have to wait and see whether things cool down later this year. 

Want to meet new people in Toronto? It's often a strange roll of the dice. Of course, by and large, we meet the people in our lives through pretty pedestrian channels like work and mutual friends. But sometimes, your social life needs a little bit of a jump-start.

Here are my picks for the top ways to meet new people in Toronto.

Join a sports league

If you're the team-sports type, there's absolutely no shortage of rec leagues in the city. In the warmer months, there's a whole gamut of summer sports leagues. There's also leagues dedicated to sports like dodgeball, indoor soccer and floor hockey available. 

Become a volunteer

While volunteerism sees a big spike around the holidays, there are tons of organizations in need of your help year-round. Check out Volunteer Toronto for tons of short-term opportunities. Some of the city's biggest volunteer draws include recurring cultural events like TIFF and NXNE.

Dine with strangers

One of the funkiest new ways to dine in Toronto is with strangers. The app VizEat lets you meet up with other individuals and book dinners in your price point and choice of cuisine. If this doesn't strike you fancy you can always check out one of Toronto's many pop-up restaurants like Revel Food.

Go to a networking event

Business contacts can also turn into friendships so consider attending one of the many networking events happening almost every single day in Toronto. Just check Eventbrite for proof. Some of the most popular recurring events are from the folks behind TechToronto and Hip Haus.

Photo by Jesse Milns at SoulCycle.

Hit up a fitness class

Some fitness classes are better for meeting folks than others - try one of the many group fitness classes in the city. Martial arts classes, boxing, spinning classes and specialty fitness classes are all great options too.

Practice a language

This is a good one for shy types, because you are literally forced to speak to other people. Every Wednesday, Torontonians of all native tongues get together for the TorontoBabel meet-up at the Rivoli to shoot the breeze. Over a dozen languages are represented. 

Join a choir

Time to get that singing voice out of the shower. Choir! Choir! Choir! holds two drop-in sessions every week in Koreatown in the back room of Clinton's Tavern. They’re open to anyone, all you need is $5.

Learn a quirky new sport

Nothing like sparks a conversation like a bemused look that says "are we really learning to do parkour, throw a battle-axe and indoor snowboarding right now?" Points for skills that involve teamwork.

Photo by Jesse Milns at the Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival.

Go to a drink tasting event

Want to meet people with taste as excellent as yours? Toronto's top whiskey bars often hold tasting events, there's plenty of places to learn about wine and don't even get us started on beer events. 

Embrace your inner activist

Toronto's activist movement is livelier than ever. If you want to meet people with the same strong beliefs you can make your voice heard with them at various marches and protests that occur around the city. If you're not sure where to begin check out our handy guide.

Get some Internet friends

The Internet is sometimes as good a place to meet folks as any. Sometimes, those communities make it the easiest. The r/Toronto subreddit hosts ongoing meet-ups and groups like Bunz force social interaction between traders. 

Show off your skills at a trivia night

Toronto has a number of popular recurring trivia nights. Some of the best include trivia nights at the Gladstone Hotel and Drake Hotel as well as Simpsons Trivia at the Cadillac Lounge. 

Photo by Hector Vasquez at Power Up Game Bar.

Go gaming

Nobody is ever allowed to call geeks anti-social ever again. Gamers, you've got options. Hang out at Power Up Game Bar and Raiders eSports Centre. If board games are more your thing there is most likely a cafe or bar to play in your neck of the woods. 

Team up with a furry friend

Those who enjoy walks and playing fetch should head down to Toronto's dog parks and let your four-legged friend do the ice-breaking for you. Another option is to make your way to some puppy friendly events like Woofstock. 

Cheer on your favourite sports team

Toronto fans are some of the most loyal around. Whether you're cheering on the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Blue Jays or the city' hottest new team, the Wolfpack, there's a local watering hole with like minded fans to watch with.

Go on a photo walk

If photography is one of your hobbies you're certainly not alone. Toronto has a massive community of photographers and Instagrammers who regularly do group meet-ups that you can join. This is the perfect opportunity to meet people with the same hobby.

The scene outside Yarns Untangled in Kensington Market. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Get crafty

We tend to think of crafting as more of a solitary exercise, but when you're learning a new skill, you and your fellow newly-minted makers can bond over how difficult it is to thread a damn sewing machine. Lucky enough Toronto has a bunch of DIY spaces all over town.

Lace up your running shoes

If you love the feeling of lacing up your runners and hitting the concrete consider joining one of the city's many great running groups. Toronto is home to groups like the Parkdale Roadrunners, Castle Runners and even a running group that's beer themed. 

Hop on two wheels

If biking is more your thing the city plays host to a variety of biking groups that may be of interest. The Toronto Bike Meetup has over 5000 cyclists in its group and dozens of rides in the works. Here's your chance to get to know people who love a good ride.

Tour the city's food scene

Food tours in Toronto aren't just for tourists. If you're a foodie going on one of these tours may be the best bet to find people with similar eating interests. Foodies on Foot and The Culinary Adventure Co. are among the few organizations providing these type of service. 

Toronto's newly renamed outdoor music venue was supposed to make its debut next week. But thanks to higher than normal water levels in Lake Ontario, its opening concert has been relocated.

The Budweiser Stage (formerly known as the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre) was gearing up to kick off a summer of shows with Future - along with Migos, Tory Lanez, A$AP Ferg and Zoey Dollarz - on May 16. That concert, however, will now be happening at the Air Canada Centre.

"The unprecedented water levels of Lake Ontario continue to rise and as a result, the venue is experiencing a level of water intake that will jeopardize production of the concert and fan experience," reads a news release from Live Nation, which owns and operates the Budweiser Stage.

According to Live Nation, fans who bought tickets to the Future show will get a refund and then a PIN code, which will let them re-purchase the same number of tickets to the concert at the ACC.

Since the ACC is bigger than the Budweiser Stage, additional tickets will go on sale to the public on May 15 at 10 a.m.

Weekend getaways let you take a break from Toronto for a few days to recharge from the hustle and bustle of city life. These spots are all located within a few hours of the city and include provincial parks, cities and culinary escapes. 

Check out all 25 essential weekend getaways from Toronto in this photo gallery.

Queen Street West is about to get another vacancy when New Era's flagship Toronto store shuts down this summer.

According to Retail Insider, the American-based hat company plans to leave the Toronto market, and it will shut down its 3,000-square-foot space at 202 Queen St. W., on August 1.

The stretch of Queen Street between University and Spadina has seen a lot of changeover in recent years and there are still a number of storefronts sitting empty. Now one more will join the fray.

Toronto's shipping container food market is open year round, but things really start to heat up at the corner of Bathurst and Dundas in the summer months.

That'll be especially true this year because Market 707, located outside the Scadding Court Community Centre, will officially welcome a new soup bar into the fray on May 21.

Run by chef Jagger Gordon of Feed It Forward, which aims to eliminate food waste and provide meals to those in need, Soup Bar will operate on a pay-what-you-can and pay-it-forward model to help ensure all people have an opportunity to grab a fresh, warm meal.

"Through Pay-It-Forward, a subsidized meal is purchased and a meal token is placed into a bowl," explains Gordon, via email. 

"A person in need then retrieves a token from the bowl and uses it as payment, a transaction that means no one has to ask or beg for a free meal."

Soup Bar's already had its soft launch, but its grand opening is on May 21.