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Queen Street's troubled food court planning another makeover

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A food market on Queen West is hoping to shed its problematic past with a major renovation and rebranding effort. 

Queen Live Fresh Food Market – which occupies the city-owned historic building at 238 Queen Street across from the former home of Citytv – is at the outset of an estimated two month-long renovation and renaming itself to Queen Street Eats.

queen street eats

The current view of the interior at 238 Queen St. West. 

The space will be revamped to include washrooms, upgraded kitchens, a graffiti wall, and a seating area for guests – which, until now, city guidelines forbid in the building – in an attempt to make the space a hip destination for lunch and late night eats. 

Having long suffered from an identity crisis, what was once known as the St. Patrick Market has already rebranded multiple times over the past several years: from Queen Street Market to the meant-to-be healthy food court concept The Grove and finally to Queen Street Live.

At the moment, the space might best be remembered for headlines related to mice prancing around on one of the market stall's baklavas after hours last July.

The offending stall Mali Baklava was given a red card from health inspectors, and though no infractions were committed by the four other restaurants contained in the market, they were slapped with red cards as well. 

According to Shinji Yamaguchi, owner of the Gushi stall at Queen Live, that was an unfair move that cost his business money.  

"There was nothing wrong with our property but the city gave us a red card anyway," he says. "It was just a matter of how the building was run." 

Shinji and the three other business owners of My Sandwich, Panino Cowboys, and Jerk Joint headed to city hall last year to try and have their red card statuses revoked.

Though they managed to have the rodent-related infractions quashed, the red cards remain on their business records to this day.

queen street eats

The lone stall currently operating in the market.

Gushi is currently the only stall left standing in Queen Live but will be closing down at the end of the month. According to Shinji, he was going stay until June until the property owner began dismantling the building while his stall was still in full operation. 

"[I'm] not comfortable opening while they start taking down the place, which is one of the reasons why we're moving out earlier," he says. "I don't feel it's right to have these conditions." 

Jerk Joint owner Sharon Slacks believes this disregard for businesses plus the mouse incident is indicative of the property managers simply not caring about their vendors, demonstrated by her experience with overflowing garbage cans and uncovered drains in the market.

"When I signed the lease five years ago I was given a wonderful brochure about how the building was supposed to look," she says. "It  was supposed to be a fully occupied building of vendors, and none of that happened." 

Jerk Joint ended its lease in December of last year and has since been looking for a new space to occupy. Sharon says the market's foot traffic never recovered after the incident with the mice. 

Savills Retail, the firm piloting the project, believes this round of renovations will buck the trend.

queen street eats

Rendering of what the new Queen Street Eats will look like following renovations. Image courtesy of Savills Retail.

According to representative Jay Katzeff, the company is completely gutting the space, which was built 1912 and declared a heritage site in 1975. By discarding old ducts and fumigating, he says the building is protected from accidents like that happening again. 

He also says the company has hired a property management firm to be responsible for operations like coordinating with stall owners and waste management. 

As to why the building's interior is being torn down as Gushi attempts to operate, he refused to comment. 

With Queen Street Eats vendor applications open until February 23, this latest rebrand shows potential for new businesses to benefit from a revamped building, which has always seemed like it should be more successful given its location.

For many former businesses of the property, however, the new plans come with a healthy dose of skepticism.


Rental of the week: 329 Manning Avenue

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Not many people can afford a $6,000+ apartment in Toronto, but those who can might like this intriguing spot in Little Italy. On the outside, it looks like another Victorian semi, but inside it opens to a modern dwelling with a few features you're unlikely to see elsewhere.

329 manning avenue torontoAs a furnished house, the prospective renter here is likely an ex-pat worker with budget to burn or someone looking for an upscale short-term rental, which is the real estate listing make sure to note is possible to arrange. 

329 manning avenue torontoWhat this place has going for it is style. The living area might be a bit sparse, but it's modern and clean, which will appeal to a certain design sensibility. Ditto for the kitchen which would be a bit more useful with a larger eat-in area. 

329 manning avenue torontoUpstairs, the two main bedrooms are both a nice size, but it's the master bedroom that takes the cake on account of its size but also the bathing nook (yes, let's call it that), which is tucked away in a corner by the window. It looks like a hyper relaxing space — until the window cleaner comes calling.

329 manning avenue torontoThe ceiling height in the basement is a bit of a bummer, but it's worth noting that with a kitchen area, it can functions as its own self-contained living space, so it would be ideal for hosting long term guests. 

329 manning avenue torontoLet's be honest, $6,300 seems steep for this rental, but it's certainly novel and unique.

329 manning avenue torontoSpecs
  • Address: 329 Manning Ave.
  • Apartment type: Semi
  • Rent: $6,300
  • Listing agent: Tracy An
  • Furnished? Yes
  • Utilities: Included
  • Air conditioning? Yes
  • Bedrooms: 2 + 1
  • Bathrooms: 2
  • Parking: 2
  • Laundry? In suite
  • Outdoor space? Backyard
329 manning avenue torontoGood For

An ex-pat worker in Toronto for more than six months. The style of the unit doesn't scream family, but someone with older kids might like the combination of modern design and excellent neighbourhood amenities.

329 manning avenue torontoMove On If

You'd prefer a big condo space with an amazing view. There's a lot that you can get in Toronto for the monthly rent on this one. 

329 manning avenue toronto329 manning avenue toronto

329 manning avenue toronto329 manning avenue toronto329 manning avenue toronto329 manning avenue toronto

Toronto is putting more cafe and park spaces on city streets

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In good news for Toronto's downtown residents, two new projects would see city streets enlivened with cafes in what the city is calling parklet spaces. 

Eariler today, a proposal to allow Boxcar Social and John & Sons Oyster House to set up small retail spaces on the street in front of their bricks and mortar locations on Temperance St. passed through community council. 

If ultimately approved by city council, the low traffic section of Temperance between Sheppard and Bay would be turned into a shared street from at least April until November.

The section of Temperance Street slated for change. Photo courtesy of Lisa Power.

A second proposal aimed at building on the city's continued attempts to revamp the area inside the King Street Pilot was also approved. It too would witness cafes in parklet spaces, this time inside the curb lane space that has been opened up by the transit pilot.

A  variety of different vendors would be welcome to occupy the space beginning in March through to December with the ultimate goal of attracting more people to the area and creating an overall more animated urban space.

Toronto's attempts to transform pockets of the downtown core into little green spaces and, in the case of the two planned proposals, bring more European vibe, has bloomed in recent years.

The city hopes that by setting up cafes and public installations featuring street furniture, beautification like street art and planters, as well as other pedestrian amenities, more of the downtown core will foster a sense of community.

Look forward to grabbing some oysters and a cuppa on your lunch break this spring.

Join the blogTO team

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We have a number of full time and freelance jobs currently available. Check out our jobs page to see if one interests you. Here are some of the roles we're actively hiring for right now.

  • Managing Editor 
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  • Culture Writer
  • Podcast Host and Producer 
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Toronto is getting fed up with food delivery apps

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It's a great time to be alive for people who don't feel like going outside today.

Need some toilet paper? Amazon Prime. Bored? That's what Netflix is for. Lazy? Lyft. Sober? Runner. Lonely? Tinder. Hungry? The app store is your oyster, my friend. 

Phone-based food delivery services have changed urban living in a way that's subtle, yet profound, and Toronto is only just reaching a critical mass of regular users. 

It's no longer considered indulgent to get multiple meals a day delivered to your condo door via Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes or DoorDash – and if it is, most of us don't care. Not after last month's brutal cold snap. Not when we're hungover on a rainy Sunday.

Spend 5 minutes in a neighbourhood like Liberty Village or CityPlace if you don't believe me. Cyclists with pink Foodora bags are more common now than cabs. Big square Uber Eats backpacks spend more time in elevators than dogs with balloons on their feet.

Skip The Dishes, a relatively small player in Toronto's market, saw revenues grow by 10,969.6 per cent between 2013 and 2016 alone.

It doesn't take much math to figure out the damage that these seductively easy services can cause to our bank accounts, but the appification of food delivery isn't just hurting our wallets, it's hurting our favourite restaurants

Some businesses won't even deal with Uber Eats and the like because it's just not worth the damage to their brands.

"It wasn't bad in the beginning," says Joe Lombardo, who owns That's Italian Ristorante in Richmond Hill and Woodbridge, noting that he'd been using Uber Eats and Skip The Dishes for about a year before swearing off delivery apps entirely.

He, like many restaurant owners, had a problem with the lack of quality control staff could exert over food once it left his establishment. 

"We're a bit more in the mid to high range. People order $75-200 worth of food," he said. "And when its -20 C outside, these [Uber Eats drivers] are showing up without insulated bags."

Lombardo says that, despite repeated requests, Uber Eats drivers kept showing up at his restaurant without the right equipment to transport his food – and when customers would receive cold meals, "they'll call ME back," he says. "I look like the bad guy."

Uber, in its defense, told us that "given the speed of delivery, food temperature tests show that thermal bags have a limited impact."

Skip The Dishes was even worse, according to Lombardo, on account of a "rigid system" that charges restaurant owners by the minute if orders aren't ready when the driver pulls up.

And yet, he says, if the driver is late to pick that same order up, they incur no penalty at all– even if food gets cold in the process.

"It's easy for these apps and these drivers," he says."I'm the one who gets the negative reviews and the complaints."

Business owners regularly turn to their peers on the popular Food and Wine Industry Navigator Facebook page for advice on such matters. A recent post from asking if its "worth it" to sign a partnership with Uber Eats was met with a resounding chorus of "no", "nope" and "stay away."

As someone in another thread from the group put it, the delivery app is a "parasite business model that's out to f-ck you while smiling and telling you it's all great."

Food writer and author Corey Mintz explored the business benefits (and costs) behind using food delivery apps in a recent article for TVO.

As it turns out, merchants pay a lot of money to use them – upwards of a 35 per cent commission on every sale plus a significant "startup" fee for Uber Eats, slightly less for Foodora and DoorDash.

"Most restaurateurs, however, seem resentful, feeling that these companies have poached their customers, and that they can't afford not to pay the ransom in the form of a sales commission," says Mintz.

"But they feel they can't say no," he explains, "as these companies gobble up market share by transforming diners into delivery customers."

To top it off, a lot of food ordered through the most popular delivery apps in this city actually goes to waste. Lombardo says that an order can go through to a restaurant, but then get cancelled by a driver (or simply ignored by drivers in the area who don't want to pick it up.)

In this case, the food is either tossed out or, in some cases, donated to local shelters.

Customers, for their part, have become increasingly disillusioned with food delivery apps in Toronto over the past few years.

Whether its a case of more people using the apps (thus more people complaining about the apps,) surge pricing fatigue, or a genuine decline in service quality, more people seem to be griping about orders gone wrong lately.

Missing items, cold food and super long wait times are among the most common complaints. I literally waited two hours a few weeks ago for something from Fresh that, in retrospect, I should have walked 15 minutes to pick up.

My boyfriend has had items missing from his order (usually pop) at least five times this year alone, all from different restaurants, using various delivery services (but mostly Foodora.)

"I have found hair, raw chicken, and even blood on a napkin," says Toronto-based digital marketer Vanessa Cito of her experience with some local delivery apps. 

"Drivers should be responsible to look at the food and see the quality or if items are missing," she said. "The majority of my orders, something is wrong."

Designer and podcaster John Leschinski recently paid almost $40 for two iced teas and a Coke from McDonald's.

"I order McDonald's for 3. All combos," he said. "It takes forever, but I assume it's cause they are on a bike, like the app showed."

When the driver arrived at his place (in a car) she handed him a tray with three drinks in it. Nothing else.

"I ask where my food is," he explained. "She says he doesn't have it and that it's Uber's problem – to call them."

When Leschinski phoned the customer service number for Uber Eats, he was told he'd get a refund – after they calculated how much the drinks costs to deduct it from what he'd get back.

"Hard no," he said. "Never ordering from Uber Eats again."

10 things to do in Toronto today

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Events in Toronto today feature the opening of Yoko Ono's highly anticipated Riverbed exhibition as well as the always popular Artist Project. There will also be free poke bowls to consume and a burlesque show to warm you up after the sun sets. 

Events you might want to check out:

Yoko Ono's The Riverbed (February 22 - June 3 @ Gardiner Museum)
This three-part installation by Yoko Ono invites visitors to participate in the artwork through everyday action and contemplation.
The Artist Project (February 22-25 @ Better Living Centre)
Collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers come together to let visitors explore and discover works of art from over 250 top Canadian and international artists.
Recipe for Change (February 22 @ St Lawrence Temporary North Market)
Get your fill of all you can eat and drink from over 30 top chefs in support of FoodShare's work promoting healthy food and food literacy in schools.
Best of Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short Film Festival (February 22 @ Carlton Cinemas)
This free events features seven of the best sci-fi short films from around the world today.
A Burlesque Mystery Game (February 22-23 @ Painted Lady)
The first of two shows, get immersed in a show that promises an unforgettable evening of striptease, horror, and hilarity.
Empowerment (February 22 @ Burdock)
This LGBTQ, female, and non-binary identifying comedy showcase brings together some of the best names in the game.
Free Poke Bowls (February 22 @ H2 Kitchen)
Choose from a selection of signature poke, salad, noodle, and smoothie bowls as part of H2 Kitchen's grand opening.
A Night Of Excellence (February 22 @ The Boat)
Celebrate ethnic diversity with a variety of vendors and performers, featuring Afro fusion, R&B, dancehall, and reggae tunes and the sounds of DJ Ty Hale.
First Shot Charity Bash (February 22 @ Free Society TV)
Support a good cause at POV 3rd Street's First Shot Charity Bash featuring music from some of Toronto*s hottest female DJ's including DJ Cookie Doh, DJ Lisa Monet, and DJ Killa Kelz.
The Stories We Tell (February 22 @ Royal Ontario Museum)
Visual storytellers David Coulson and Samantha Stephens use video and photography help us see what goes into understanding the world around us.

K-Pop band GOT7 playing the ACC in Toronto on world tour

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It's official. The Seoul-based boy band GOT7 (not to be confused with Game of Thrones, Season 7) is booked for a stadium concert in Toronto this summer.

The K-Pop and J-Pop icons announced the dates for their 2018 world tour on Twitter yesterday, sparking a frenzy of fan activity both locally and around the world.

Of the 16 tour stops announced, only five are in North America – and only one of them is in Canada. That show will take place on July 3, 2018, at the ACC in Toronto. Tickets can be purchased via VividSeats and start at $201 US.

GOT7, which has seven members, has been on the scene since early 2014 when it debuted under South Korean music label JYP Entertainment.

Its not the biggest K-Pop group in existence, but, like every boy band ever, individual members of the group all have their own hardcore fan bases.

Between JB, Mark, Jackson, BamBam, Jinyoung, Yugyeom, Youngjae and the group itself, GOT7 is sparking some serious, neo-N*Sync level hype online in the wake of this tour announcement.

GOT7 will be the first ever K-Pop boy group to perform at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn this summer, and the second ever to perform at the Air Canada Centre (the first was Big Bang, which should come as no surprise to anyone with even borderline knowledge of Korean pop music.) 

The world tour will kick off in Seoul, at Jamsil Indoor Stadium, on May 4, 2018. Good luck getting tickets, if you haven't already.

Annex residents upset about proposed 29-storey luxury condo

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More than 100 people showed up to an open house meeting in the Annex last night to give their thoughts on a proposed, 29-storey luxury development in the area.

"This is, without a doubt, one of the most ridiculous and ugly proposals I have seen," was one of those thoughts. "This meeting is a farce" was another. "I guarantee you this ugly proposal will not see the light of day."

And that was just Councillor Joe Cressy.

The proposed building at 64 Prince Arthur Avenue would, in many ways, be a new architectural landmark for Toronto.

Designed by the award-winning international architecture, planning and interior design firm CetraRuddy, it features a sculptural glass and steel design around a twist-shaped core.

Renderings show the helix-shaped structure – which would be CetraRuddy's first building in Toronto – rising high above the existing low and mid-rise buildings in the area.

64 Prince Arthur

One of the most recent renderings for a new tower proposed at 64 Prince Arthur Ave in The Annex. Photo via the city of Toronto / Adi Development Group.

The building looks cool, sure, but residents say it's too big. Too tall. Too close to existing private residences. 

"I personally think it belongs in Dubai, or in Las Vegas," said Annex Residents Association planning and zoning committee co-chair Edward Leman to CBC News on Wednesday. 

Others (though not everyone) at the meeting said they felt deceived by ADI Development Group, which originally told residents the building would be 17 storeys – not 29.

"You don't show up one day and say, 'we want to work with you on a proposal in the teens,' and then a year later apply for a 29-storey building and then immediately appeal it to the OMB without even talking to the neighbourhood," Cressy said. 

"It's as if you're giving the middle finger to the neighbourhood and that's just wrong."

Cressy, who recently took some heat for converting an Annex home into a city shelter, said that he plans to fight against the ADI Development Group's application at city hall.


Toronto Restaurant Openings: Kid lee, Colette Grand Cafe, Hanabusa Cafe, Enat Buna

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Toronto restaurant openings highlights the latest food news in Toronto and gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

Open now
  • Kid lee, a new food venture from Susur Lee and his sons Kai and Levi, has opened in First Canadian Place's food court at 100 King St. W. in the Financial District.
  • Speaking of First Canadian Place, a third location of Calii Love can now be found there in the PATH, with other outposts soon to come at Union Station and on King East.
  • Colette Grand Cafe has opened a second location in the city, this time inside the Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale.
  • Laundry and Lattes (yes, it's exactly what it sounds like – a laundromat and espresso bar) is now open at 1152 Dufferin St. (at Wallace St.) in Dovercourt Village.
  • Hanabusa Café, a Japanese spot serving up an "authentic soufflé pancake" has opened at 77 Kensington Ave. in Kensington Market.
  • Enat Buna, an Ethiopian fusion café, has opened at 175 Queen St. E. (by George St.) in Moss Park.
  • Crush’d Juice Bar opened earlier this week at 314 Queen St. E. (at Berkeley St.) in Corktown.
  • Gin Mill, a craft beer and cocktail-focused gastropub, has replaced Yellow Griffin at 2202 Bloor St. W. in Bloor West Village.
  • El Habanero & Churrobar is now open at 4915 Steeles Ave. E. in Scarborough.
  • ABC Euro Delicatessen can now be found at 6 Lebovic Ave. in Scarborough.
  • Su&Bu now has an outpost at 8020 Bathurst St. in Thornhill.
Recently reviewed
Opening soon
  • Labothéry Inc., a "lab-themed tea cafe," will be opening soon at 717 Bay St., just north of Gerrard St. W.
  • Good Things Cafe + Juice Bar looks to be opening very soon at 235 Broadview Ave. (at Dundas St. E.), straddling East Chinatown and Riverside.
  • FK, from the team behind the former Frank's Kitchen, opens next week on Feb. 27 at 770 St. Clair. Ave. W. (at Arlington Ave.).
  • Quebec City-based Chocolats Favoris will be opening a new location at 1370 Major McKenzie Dr. in Vaughan on Saturday, March 3.
Other news

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

Paramount Fine Foods buying naming rights to Mississauga hockey arena

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From chocolate chips to chunks of meat, Mississauga's premier sports and entertainment venue is changing names.

As of July 1, the almost 20-year-old Hershey Centre – home of the Raptors 905 and Mississauga Steelheads – will be known as the Paramount Centre (after the Middle Eastern restaurant chain, not the film studio.)

Paramount Fine Foods, which is headquartered in Mississauga, purchased the facility's naming rights for a period of 10 years after Hershey Canada opted not to renew its own agreement.

"I am proud to continue to grow the Paramount Restaurants Brand in a city that believes in cultural diversity, innovation and small business development," Paramount founder and CEO Mohammed Fakih said in a news release on Wednesday.

The venue's related, neighbouring facilities will also be renamed under the agreement (ie; the Hershey SportZone will become the Paramount SportZone,) according to the release.

Most importantly, perhaps, for concert-goers and sportsfans: Paramount will take over food services for the entire facility.

This means that, by summertime, you could be eating shawarma in the stands of a boxing match, hockey game or Sesame Street concert – and that's worth cheering for.

Toronto is getting a virtual reality arcade and bar

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Alcohol and VR headsets don't always mix, but when they do... well, it can be magic.

Coming soon to Toronto's clubby King West district is a new date night / fun times / "why not?" venue that fuses virtual reality with cocktail culture.

Called VBAR, the space is expected to have a full service bar with "unique drinks and snacks," more than 25 custom VR gaming booths, and a rotating roster of 35 games.

A launch date has yet to be announced, but the address has been confirmed as  590 King St. W., near Portland Street, in the same building as Lee Valley Tools.

Toronto does already have its fair share of VR lounges and arcades, in the meantime – though this appears to be the only one that's marketing itself specifically as an alcohol-serving bar.

The concept has already proven successful elsewhere. Entrepreneurs in Atlanta launched Revery: VR Bar– billed as the "the nation's first full bar to incorporate the virtual reality technology" –  in December and it's been blowing up Instagram ever since.

Weekend events in Toronto February 23-25 2018

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Weekend events in Toronto will help you make the most of mercifully warm temperatures as February draws to a close. From skating parties to outdoor art exhibitions, there's lots to lure you out of hibernation. It's also the last chance to catch all the eye candy at the sprawling Auto Show this year.

Events you might want to check out:

The Artist Project (February 22-25 @ Better Living Centre)
Collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers come together to let visitors explore and discover works of art from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad.
Voice Pieces (February 23 @ Gardiner Museum)
In support of the Yoko Ono's recently opened Riverbed exhibition, Voice Pieces offers an interactive look at the human scream.
Beats and Bents (February 23 @ The Bentway)
If you're mourning the end of DJ Skate Night, the city's newest skating rink under the Gardiner will play host to its own skate night this weekend, this one featuring DJORK.
UBUNTU (February 23 @ Luanda House)
Mix it up with the sounds of Afro, funk, and hip hop at the 2nd annual UBUNTO event.
PodCamp (February 23-26 @ Ryerson University)
Canada's longest running un-conference brings together digital content creators to share experiences and knowledge.
Mama Raty's Finnish Meat Pie Pop-Up (February 23 @ Left Field Brewery)
Get in on some tasty Finnish Meat Pies stuffed with beef and rice for one day only from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.
Bloor-Yorkville Icefest (February 24-25 @ Village of Yorkville Park)
It might not be frigidly cold this weekend in Toronto, but you can get your fill of ice at this festival, which features live ice carving demonstrations.
Black Diamond Ball (February 24 @ Fairmont Royal York)
The Fairmont Royal York hotel will host this year’s Black Diamond Ball featuring a night of music, dancing, and food.
Akin Winter Gallery Crawl (February 24 @ Koffler Gallery)
Take a free tour of some of the city’s well-known galleries, starting with Artscape Youngplace and ending with an exhibition tour at Koffler Centre for the Arts. All are welcome.
No Foreigners (February 25 @ The Theatre Centre)
This play takes a look at the other side of shopping malls by exploring themes of loss and resilience from the Chinese diaspora.
The Wedding Co. (February 25 @ Artscape Wychwood Barns)
The Wedding Co. is back for its 17th year, bringing together over 70 exhibitors for a one-of-a-kind celebration to life.
Fresh Notes Comedy Festival (February 23-24 @ The Social Capital Theatre)
Canada's largest festival of musical comedy will feature sketch, improv and stand up comedians from across the country.
After Wrestling (February 24 - March 18 @ Factory Theatre)
This weekend marks the opening of After Wrestling, a dark comedy show that seeks to push the genre to a whole new level.
The Ethnic Rainbow (February 25 @ Comedy Bar)
LGBTQ comedians of colour take centre stage in the world premiere of any showcase of this kind in Canada.
Movie Night in the Brewery (February 23-24 @ Henderson Brewing Co)
What movie? It's a secret. All you need to know is there'll be tons of free popcorn.
Giving Up The Day Job (February 23 @ Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema)
DJ duo Above & Beyond star in this documentary screening that chronicles their journey to stardom and reimagines some of their biggest hits.
Big Wild (February 23 @ Velvet Underground)
Big Wild makes a stop in Toronto during the brief Canadian leg of his North American tour.
Bananarama (February 23 @ The Danforth Music Hall)
The female 80s group behind some of the decades biggest hits comes to Danforth Music Hall for one night only.
Brown Girl Begins (February 24 @ AGO - Art Gallery of Ontario)
Director Sharon Lewis author Nalo Hopkinson and the film stars will be on hand for the premiere of Brown Girl Begins, followed by a gala reception featuring live music.
Cari Lekebusch (February 24 @ The Jam Space)
Legendary DJ and producer Cari Lekebusch is back in Toronto for one night only, accompanied by a some of the city’s hottest names in techno.
Deer Tick (February 24 @ Lee's Palace)
Indie band Deer Tick is set to make a stop in Toronto to play their unique blend of folk, blues, and country set at Lee’s Palace.
Shiba San (February 24 @ NOIR inside REBEL)
Dress to impress as French house and hip-hop musician Shiba San embarks on his North American tour.
Alan Doyle (February 24 @ Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall)
Massey Hall will be host to Canadian musician Alan Doyle of folk rock band Great Big Sea fame, playing both his new and classic hits.
Wallows (February 24 @ Mod Club Theatre)
Cali rock makes it way to Toronto as Wallows arrive for part of their North American Winter Tour.
Higher Brothers (February 25 @ The Danforth Music Hall)
One of the biggest names in Chinese hip hop is here to rock the mic and take their clever wordplay to the global stage.
Arabian Knights (February 23 @ Club 120)
The 2nd anniversery of Arabian Knights LGBTQ promises an exciting night of music and dance in support of Middle Easterners living with HIV/AIDS.
Saddle Up! (February 23-24 @ Owl's Club)
Break out your rawhides and dancin’ boots for a night of bluegrass and honky tonk.
80s & 90s Dance Party (February 24 @ Remix Lounge)
Break out the Adidas and hit the dance floor for a night floor of retro tunes and the best jams from the 80s and 90s.
Apres-Ski (February 24 @ The Porch Toronto)
Apres-Ski is back at the Porch for a fourth year and will feature ski shots, snow machines, live music, and a hot tub to help wart off the winter blues.
Ice Breakers (January 19 - February 25 @ Multiple Venues)
The weekend marks the last chance to see the five art installations at the Waterfront. Check them out while you can!
Giro d'Italia (February 15-25 @ Multiple Venues)
This is the last weekend to try out 16 of Toronto's best Italian restaurants and explore Italy's cultural regions during this 10-day festival.
International Autoshow (February 16-25 @ Metro Toronto Convention Centre)
The Auto show moves into its last weekend, giving you one final chance to catch a glimpse at some of the world’s newest models from the best names in the industry.
The Radiant Child (February 25 @ Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema)
Chronicling the meteoric rise and fall of art-world wunderkind Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Radiant Child is part of the Game Changers: Throughout Black History Month series.

People are starting to get those $25 grocery cards from Loblaws

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Canada's bread price-fixing scandal saga continues this week as $25 gift cards begin to hit the mailboxes of shoppers who, let's be real, probably spent a lot more than $25 on overpriced bread between 2002 and 2015. 

Loblaw Companies Ltd., which owns over 2,000 grocery store under the Loblaws banner alone, admitted late last year to participating in an "industry-wide price-fixing arrangement involving certain packaged bread products."

A total of seven more supermarket chains and wholesalers, including Metro, Sobey's and Walmart Canada have since been accused of colluding to raise the prices of packaged bread products for more than a decade.

In exchange for cooperating with Canada's Competition Bureau during the resultant investigation, Loblaw was given legal immunity up front – but that doesn't equal customer forgiveness. 

So, as a gesture of good faith, the grocery juggernaut announced that it would give free, $25 gift cards to anyone in Canada of legal age who may have purchased bread from one of its stores between 2002 and 2015 (which is basically everybody.)

Customers could start registering online to receive a card by mail beginning January 8, and can continue to do so until May 8, 2018.

Early takers are already starting to show off their shiny new gift cards online.

Many on Twitter have since pledged to donate their gift cards to local food banks and other charities.

Loblaws expects up to six million Canadians to redeem the offer, which will cost the company an estimated $150 million.

Shoppers can use the cards they receive at any of the company's stores –with some restrictions. They can't be used to buy alcohol or tobacco, for instance.

Customers also agree, when registering for $25 worth of free stuff, to have $25 deducted from any sort of class-action settlement that arise from this case in the future.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated that by registering for a gift card, customers would waive their right to participate in any future lawsuits. 

Condo of the week: 59 East Liberty Street

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As fun as it is to gawk at $5 million penthouse condos, it's also intriguing to see what's available out there for those with a more realistic — a.k.a. modest — budget.

This 2 + 1 bedroom in Liberty Village offers a good window into what you can get for $800K these days. On the bright side, it's quite big at 1,206 square feet. The design isn't exactly thrilling, but it's highly livable, which you certainly can't say about all Toronto condos. 

liberty towers condo torontoIn terms of highlights, I'm a fan of the open concept living and kitchen area. Given that there isn't separate living and family rooms, this space has to serve as both, and it does a pretty good job as the central TV-watching area and as a place where you might entertain guests.

liberty towers condo torontoThe bedrooms are a bit more utilitarian, but you wouldn't accuse them of being tiny. The +1 space is really better suited to being an office (as depicted in the photos), but could maybe work as a sleeping area for a young child in a pinch. 

liberty towers condo torontoIt's not the Ritz, but in today's market, a condo like this is sure to prove alluring for its mix of ample square footage, location, and decent finishes.

liberty towers condo torontoSpecs
liberty towers condo torontoGood For

A family looking for a condo space. It'd be nice to see more units of this size built across the city.

liberty towers condo torontoMove On If

You'd rather buy a house in a less central area. The listing price of $800K won't go that far in Toronto, but it's not impossible to find a three bedroom semi in this range. 

liberty towers condo torontoliberty towers condo torontoliberty towers condo toronto

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

Free poke bowls draw huge lineup in Toronto

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Who says it costs a lot of money to buy lunch in downtown Toronto every day?

Everyone, that's who – which is probably why office workers go absolutely nuts when new restaurants open in the core and offer us all free food.

H2 Kitchen at 204 Queen Street West, right between McCaul and St. Patrick, is one of the latest fast-casual spots to open up near the Financial District with a massive line on its first day of business.

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The super health conscious eat-in or take-out restaurant, spearheaded by chef Paul Huang, celebrated its grand opening today by giving away free bowls between noon and 3 p.m.

Customers could order signature poke, salad, noodle and smoothie bowls from a pre-selected menu and walk away with a fresh, healthy and highly creative lunch for free.

But first they had to wait in line. 

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Now that it's open, hungry Queen Westers can order such cool-sounding creations as "Eggroll in a bowl," "Strawberry feta cheese toast," and "the Hokkaido Dive" – a signature poke bowl made with Sea Urchin and Ahi Tuna.

"A healthy community is a happy one," reads the new restaurant's website. Based on how well behaved and patient everyone was in line, perhaps this is true. 


Toronto just got a street named Peaceful Way

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Attention urban cartographers, Toronto has a slew of new streets and lanes to explore following community council meetings this week. Ranging from brand new markers to ceremonial additions, the nominal choices each have interesting back stories.

Of them, the most alluring is surely Peaceful Way, the new name for what was previously a confusing north/south stretch of Sutton Ave. (which also runs east/west) in Regent Park. 

sutton street toronto

Sutton Ave. used to run both east/west and north/south, which was highly confusing. The north/south portion will now be named Peaceful Way.

The name of this short street has a few registers for the community, but most notably hails a "group of mothers named the Dreamers" who were "instrumental in advocating for change in Regent Park."

According to a City of Toronto staff report, "one of their lasting achievements was the creation of the Peace Garden, a small green space intended as a memorial garden south of Dundas Street."

Other new streets/lanes include Campbell Russell Lane in Kensington Market, Pirillo Lane in Seaton Village, Theo Aben Lane near St. Clair and Vaughan, Stanley G. Grizzle Lane near Danforth and Main, and Vimy Ridge Way, which has been appended to Glenhurst Ave. 

The naming of new streets is an opportunity to mark Toronto's diverse history, and this most recent batch continues a tradition of commemorating some of the city's unsung heroes and community builders.

This might be the best play of the year in Toronto so far

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Theatre lovers in Toronto have been gushing over the Factory Theatre's current production of Bang Bang, so much so that it's run has been extended into the weekend.

There's always lots of productions running in the city at a given time, but something about this one has captured the collective imagination of audience members, prompting many to take to social media to express their acclaim.

Written Kat Sandler, Bang Bang's scintillating plot surrounds a white playwright who takes inspiration for his hit play from an incident involving a Black police officer who shoots a Black youth. When the play is optioned as a movie, things get more and more complicated.

The play employs humour to highlight shed light on a highly complex situation and to explore the underside of the oft overused inspired-by-true-events trope.

Originally on from January 27 to February 18, the play is set to continue its run until the 24th. Catch it while you still can.

Furries are taking Toronto by storm

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Toronto's population of people dressed up like animals seems to have exploded in recent months.

Maybe it's a byproduct of extreme cold weather. Maybe anthropomorphism is trending upwards as a style choice. A lifestyle choice? A hobby?

Whatever the case, I've seen more furries IRL over the past two months than probably ever in my life – and I am so, so here for it.

Once considered a relatively niche, albeit totally internet famous community, furries have been popping up all over The 6ix lately, out in the wild, away from the confines of their hotel conventions (or fur cons, as they are called for short) – though they are, by no means, new.

A huge group of furries chartered an entire TTC streetcar over the weekend, delighting anyone who happened to see them cruise by. They literally made the rave train of my dreams come true.

The event was called "Kerfluffle 4" and the photos from it are spectacular.

Canada's largest furry convention, Furnal Equinox, is scheduled this year for March 16-18 at the Westin Harbour Castle.

This means that, in less than a month, thousands of furry fandom and animal enthusiasts will arrive in downtown Toronto for an entire weekend filled with furry-themed events, performances, and probably photo shoots.

The event has been taking place since 2010, when it launched at a Doubletree hotel near the airport.

The number of people attending furry conventions has been rising steadily in the U.S. in recent years, however, and organizers in Toronto expect this year's Furnal Equinox to be its "most extravagant, flamboyant party of all."

In the meantime, you can find some of Toronto's coolest furries hanging out in such places as The Bentway Skate Trail...

The FourSeasonsCentreforthePerformingArts...

And, if you're lucky, partying on a streetcar all over the city.

Urban nature at its finest.

Airbnb launches premium rental service in Toronto

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AirBnb just turned 10 years old, and has rolled out a string of new features to mark the occasion. It's all part of what the tech company unabashedly calls a "roadmap" to achieve 1 billion guests annually by 2028.

One of these new features is Airbnb Plus – a curated collection of 2,000 properties in 13 cities across the globe, including Toronto.

Homes in this new listing tier have all been "personally verified for quality and comfort," according to the accommodations platform.

"Airbnb Plus is intended for guests looking for beautiful homes, exceptional hosts and added peace of mind," reads a release issued today.

"Airbnb Plus homes have been inspected and verified in person against a 100+point checklist covering cleanliness, comfort and design."

You can see the homes that made the cut in Toronto right here. As of press time, there are 83. Not all of them are wildly expensive, but they unanimously have stellar visitor reviews and amenities. 

Airbnb Plus TorontoAnother even more baller tier is set to launch this spring according to Airbnb, which winked to its semi-recent acquisition of Luxury Retreats in the press release.

Called Beyond by Airbnb, the new super-luxury tier is promised to offer custom designed "trips of a lifetime, including the world's finest homes, custom experiences and world-class hospitality."

If the service's preview video is any indication, this means private rainforest villas and castles with butlers and heli-skiing. No word yet if Toronto will be involved in this aspirational dream vacay package situation.

Toronto Food Events: Winter Brewfest, Mama Raty's, Latte Art Competition, Dixonlicious

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Food events in Toronto this week are sure to rouse your frost-bitten senses, whether it be in support of a good cause or to get your mitts on a Finnish meat pie. Whatever the reason, there's lots of tasty events going on this week and beyond. 

Events you might want to check out:

Giro d'Italia (February 15-25 @ Multiple Venues)
This is the last weekend to get a taste of the prix fixe festival at 16 of Toronto's finest Italian restaurants.
Mama Raty's Finnish Meat Pie Pop-Up (February 23 @ Left Field Brewery)
Warm, tasty, hand-held Finnish meat pies stuffed with beef and rice will be available at this one day pop-up event.
RC Show (February 25-27 @ Enercare Centre)
The newest innovations in all-things restaurants will be showcased this year's convention, along with opportunities to shop, taste, learn about what's happening in Canada's restaurant industry.
Latte Art Competition (February 26-27 @ Enercare Centre)
This event has stepped up its game this year, moving to a bigger venue and including twelve competitors, all battling for the title of latte art master.
Dixonlicious (March 1 @ Daniels Spectrum)
Biff's Bistro, Barrio, Daniel et Daniel, Paintbox Bistro, and Show Love Café are serving up signature bites in support of food programs in the eastern portion of downtown and Regent Park.
Beware the Arias of March (March 1 @ Amsterdam Bicycle Club)
Enjoy a raucous evening of cheap drinks, memes, operatic hits about rivals... and spaghetti?! It's all fair game.
Toronto Winter Brewfest (March 2-4 @ Enercare Centre)
Get ready for the 3rd annual Toronto Winter Brewfest featuring over 40 breweries, more than 150 beers, food trucks, DJs, games, and more.
Sustainable Dim Sum (March 6 @ Rotunda, City Hall)
There's nothing like the feeling of loading up on dim sum, especially if it's for a good cause. This event is in support of Environmental Defence, so you don't have to feel guilty for overdoing it.
Chau Pop-Up (March 10 @ Henderson Brewing Co)
Chau is throwing down some pop-up action, combining their Asian inspired snacks with brews from Henderson Brewery Co.
Sugar Shack TO (March 10-11 @ Sugar Beach)
Fresh maple syrup, rolled in snow. That's what you can expect at the Sugar Shack again this year, plus a bevy of different vendors serving food and hot chocolate.
Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival (March 10 - April 8 @ Kortright Centre for Conservation)
If you have the chance to get out of the city for the weekend, this might be a good place to go. Expect not only loads of maple-infused goodies, but also demonstrations, wagon rides, and a bunch of different activities.
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