New food truck rules could be a game-changer

By

-

8:45 am

It looks like good news for Thunderin’ Thelma — North York native Zane Caplansky’s gourmet food truck — and others like her, after City of Toronto, Municipal Licensing & Standards reduced the required distance between curbside food trucks and nearby restaurants from 50 to 30 metres. The final decision will be voted on at Toronto City Council on May 5 and, if passed, will be enacted on May 14.

The division also approved cheaper, pro-rated six- and nine-month permits and longer parking limits in pay-and-display spots (from three hours to five). The annual permit costs $5,000 for 12 months.

The city finally approved new rules allowing food truck businesses on city streets last year, issuing a bylaw on May 15, 2014. But, the new system had a strict set of rules that prevented any food truck from parking less than 50 metres from any restaurant. The move dissuaded many of the mobile restos, and only 17 food truck permits were purchased.

Me.n.u, the panda-repping Asian fusion street food truck that is regularly parked at Mel Lastman Square in North York, was one of the trucks that bought a permit.

Bryan Siu-Chong and Allen Tran of Me.n.u have had difficulty finding viable spots to set up and admit that some of their success can be attributed to the small number of trucks competing for curbside space.

As for the cheaper permits, Siu-Chong said it’ll definitely help with costs. “We’ll probably get a nine-monther because we don’t operate during the winter,” he said.

“Last year, Toronto stuck its toe in the water,” said Caplansky. “This year, we’re going up to the ankle, and hopefully [by next year], we’ll convince city council that we really add vibrancy, choice and quality to the Toronto food scene.”

Caplansky was elected as head of the Toronto Food Truck Alliance, a group of owners and operators, and is helping to lead negotiations.

Other food trucks that venture north of Bloor, like Burgatory (spotted at 4800 Yonge St. on April 21) or Urban Smoke (coming to 4110 Yonge St. on May 13), will also benefit from the change.

Richmond Hill gains support in OMB battle

By

-

8:36 am

0

The City of Vaughan has come forward to support the Town of Richmond Hill in its appeal of a precedent-setting decision by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), which would see developers contributing less to the preservation of parkland.

Earlier this year, the OMB ruled that developers would pay no more than 25 per cent to support town parkland acquisition as part of the development process. Richmond Hill is appealing that decision.

Vaughan is the latest municipality to apply for intervener status at the appeal, along with Oakville, Mississauga and Markham. This came after Richmond Hill mayor Dave Barrow sent a letter to about 25 neighbouring municipalities in February, calling for support in its fight against the OMB’s Jan. 15 decision.

“It’s an arbitrary number. There is no basis for it. That’s the frustration,” said Barrow, of the 25 per cent figure.

The Town of Richmond Hill’s director of policy planning, Patrick Lee, said the OMB overstepped its bounds by erroneously interpreting the Ontario Planning Act, which clearly states what the municipality can charge a developer.

For lower-density developments, such as detached and semi-detached houses, five per cent of land area can be dedicated to parkland. For higher-density developments, an alternate rate of one hectare of parkland per 300 residential units can be applied.

“The board has ignored the direction of the Planning Act by effectively removing the second option based on density,” Lee said.

He added that the cap may lead to the town using tax dollars if it hopes to protect a significant area of parkland — 63.4 hectares, from now until 2031.

“If the OMB’s decision is upheld, it could clearly affect the funding available to other municipalities to build parks in new areas,” says Coun. Alan Shefman.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that developers will apply to have the same sort of ceiling applied in other municipalities. It’s to their advantage; they save money.”

Markham mayor Frank Scarpitti shares the same view as Shefman. “It has dire consequences for us. The decision has tipped the balance tremendously toward the development industry, and it runs contrary to our best interests,” said Scarpitti.

“Parks are enjoyed by residents and important to the city in terms of financial management,” Shefman said.

Richmond Hill’s three-year battle with the OMB for more parkland in the community continues. The town is seeking leave to appeal the decision at the board as well as at an Ontario divisional court with a court hearing likely to be scheduled for sometime this summer.

“I urge you to join our fight for the right to determine our own futures,” Barrow said in the letter.

The New Mid-Life: Rebecca Eckler takes gets hooked on free-fall adrenaline rush

By

-

8:33 am

0

Thankfully, I don’t have time to worry that I’m going skydiving. It is before 8 a.m., and I’m rushing to iFLY Toronto, which is located in Oakville, for what they describe as “an epic experience.”

In The New Mid-Life, I’m all for epic experiences, but I’m also a little more fearful than I was when I was younger. For example, not too many new mid-lifers I know want to start a new sport for fear of injuring themselves.

But my outgoing and very cute 21-year-old instructor, Adrian Uracz — am I making myself sound like a cougar? crap! — tells me that they get indoor skydivers as young as four years old.

The eldest iFLY Toronto indoor skydiver? 93 years old!

I figure if a four-year-old and a 93-year-old (who came with her son and her grandson) could do this, then certainly this new mid-lifer could … and probably should.

So what is indoor skydiving? Well, according to iFLY Toronto, it’s an opportunity to experience the sensation of free fall. Participants watch a video that gives an overview followed by classroom training of body position, hand signals, entrance and exit procedures and a safety briefing. You are then in a 14-foot cylindrical diameter vertical tube that is 45 feet tall, in which an airstream is passing at a speed of up to 250 kilometres per hour.

Once inside the wind tunnel, you get the experience of what skydivers experience during the free-fall portion of the jump (without actually having to jump out of a plane, which, to almost everyone, is the scary part), which is generally done from 13,500 to 3,500 feet of altitude at a speed of 200 kilometres per hour.

I know this isn’t rocket science, and that I’m not about to perform brain surgery, but I tell Uracz that I’m a little nervous.

“It’s normal to feel nervous. I’d be nervous if you weren’t nervous!” he says.

But, he stresses, “This is not supposed to be stressful!” Easy enough for a 21-year-old to say. A little hard to believe when you are a mother of two.

Today, I am going to indoor skydive four times, 60 seconds a pop.

As for new mid-lifers, he says, groups of women and men come in “all the time.” They also host birthday parties and bachelorette parties.

After I’m all suited up, I hold my arms to my chest (as instructed by the video) and am ready to fall into the tunnel. “Remember,” Uracz yells, “stay relaxed and smile!”

I fall forward and am immediately swept up, feeling the skin of my face flapping (and a little drool falling from the sides of my mouth).

“That’s perfectly normal. I had a five-year-old do this, and there was so much drool,” Uracz says and laughs.

Immediately, inside the tunnel, I know I am hooked, feeling, well, kind of like a superhero, mixed with the kind of rush you get when you are at the top of a roller coaster.

Yes, I sometimes fly into the walls, but it’s easy to push yourself back. Yes, I sometimes fall right to the ground, and Uracz tosses me back into the air. I feel weightless and free, and, looking back, all I could think about in that tunnel was, “I don’t want this to end!”

I think this new mid-lifer is going to be a repeat flyer. I know my 11-year-old daughter would love this.

“My mother isn’t so much a fan of me actually skydiving. But she feels more comfortable with the indoor skydiving,” says Uracz, when asked how is mother feels about his job.

The company has another location in Montreal, and iFLY is celebrating its first anniversary in May.

They are often so busy, says Uracz, that, especially on weekends, they have back-to-back indoor skydivers. Often there is a waiting list for a few weeks.

Interestingly, no one has ever thrown up. No one has ever stood at the entrance of the tunnel and said, “Nope. Not going to do this.”

But more interestingly for some, is that there is a fitness factor to indoor skydiving.

“I think I lost about 20 pounds in the first two months I started indoor skydiving,” says Uracz, who is very lean. He tells me I’ll feel sore tomorrow, as if I just had “a really good workout.”

Sadly (and yes, I mean I WAS sad when my session was over), I feel both exhausted and full of adrenaline.

That adrenaline rush lasted the entire day. I don’t remember the last time I’ve been so excited by something. And, yes, when I woke up the next morning, my shoulders and stomach muscles did feel like I had done a hard yoga class the day before.

I can’t help but ask, “When you tell people indoor skydiving is your job, is it a good pickup line?”

Uracz laughs and says, “Yes. It has worked a couple of times.”

I guess the big question is, will I ever try actual skydiving? After this, the answer is a definite, “YES!”

Post City Magazines’ columnist Rebecca Eckler is the author of Knocked Up, Wiped!, How to Raise a Boyfriend, The Lucky Sperm Club and her latest book, The Mommy Mob.

David Suzuki challenging Mayor Tory to take nature challenge

By

-

11:16 am

0

Mayor John Tory’s first few months have focused on the laudable goal of getting Toronto moving. We couldn’t agree more.

So this month we’re issuing the mayor and the rest of council a challenge that could inspire Torontonians to transform their lives, spark creativity and innovation and improve their health and well-being.

The best part: It doesn’t require any digging, tunnelling or deft political gamesmanship. And it’s absolutely free.

Mayor Tory and city councillors: We challenge you to get into “the nature habit” by joining the David Suzuki Foundation’s 30×30 Nature Challenge. Will you heed the call of nature, for the good of the city?

It’s simple. During the month of May, participants commit to spend at least 30 minutes in nature each day for 30 consecutive days.

Most adults sit indoors or commute more than nine hours a day. Kids spend more than six hours in front of screens each day and mere minutes outside. Our increasing disconnect from nature is hurting our health and productivity.

But research shows something most of us know intuitively: nature is good for us.

Spending time in a natural setting reduces stress and boosts immunity, ingenuity and energy.

If you’ve ever witnessed a council meeting or wandered through city hall, you’ll agree getting these folks out for a breath of fresh air each day can’t hurt.

But how can a busy mayor, councillor — or any of us, really — fit more green time into our hectic schedules? We’ve prepared a tailored, city hall daily green time itinerary.

Start the month by checking out one or two free, citizen-led Jane’s Walk walking tours of a local park or one of the city’s lost rivers. Sundays are great for a soothing stroll through one of the city’s ravines. On Monday, plan at least one meeting outdoors. Tuesday, make it a walking meeting. Start a new hump-day tradition by inviting colleagues to have lunch in a nearby park. On Thursday take the scenic route home — be sure to check out a green space along the way. Stop to smell the flowers and take notice of critters, trees and plants.

During the second week, brush off your green thumb and spruce up your garden.

In week three, as the weather warms, take a hike in Rouge Park, the wild green space that will soon become Canada’s first urban National Park.

Check out some of the great natural spaces in the city — the Evergreen Brick Works, High Park, Riverdale Farm, Toronto Island and Leslie Street Spit. While you’re there, tap your inner child — splash through a puddle, roll down a hill or hunt for bugs and birds.

Mayor and councillors: When you take the 30×30 Nature Challenge, you’ll join tens of thousands of your fellow Canadians who are getting into “the nature habit.”

Remember, getting Toronto moving with a daily dose of nature is good for our heads, hearts and health. See you outside.

David Suzuki is the host of the CBC’s The Nature of Things and author of more than 30 books on ecology. (With files from Jode Roberts.)

Hilarious new Second City show highlights stellar cast

By

-

12:34 pm

0

Second City’s new revue, How to Kill a Comedian, finds the legendary sketch comedy institution going strong.

The set is a Danish Modern warren of doors and flats with a projection of a whimsical mega doodle, which may also be a reference to the messy state of the world, a theme that constantly pops up during the show.

Sometimes a revue here may have a snappy topical title but then shy away from any real concerns, but not this time.

The show opens with a song, “Please Don’t Kill Us,” which is all about comedy, free speech and the chilling events at Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Then, the first sketch is about a confused couple trying to negotiate consent for everything they do together, a topic ripped from the headlines of Cosby and Ghomeshi. Only a few minutes in, and already the show is relevant.

A sketch about cultural bias sees friends play a Trivial Pursuit–type card game where the middle-class white male gets all the breaks.

Moments later, a couple argue about whether it’s possible to separate the artist from his or her art, this time making explicit references to Cosby et al. Picking up where the first sketch left off, the piece is a very funny critique of gender and media politics.

I couldn’t quite figure out why the cast created a sketch about competing Schwarzenegger impressions. It would have been dated a decade ago. And the impressions themselves weren’t even that good.

Veteran cast member Ashley Botting did a funny song that wowed the audience. Even better that she can really belt out a tune. But a flu lecture sketch by two Shoppers Drug Mart employees felt forced, even though the actors worked their hearts out and won the audience over.

Maybe this is the time to note that this show really belongs to the women in the cast. The three women, Botting, Leigh Cameron, and especially Kirsten Rasmussen, represent Second City at the top of its game. Perhaps it’s not a big surprise, as women’s contributions to comedy have never been greater than in this age of Fey, Poehler, Silverman, Dunham, etc.

But Rasmussen is the key player in the show, elevating every sketch she’s in. You can’t take your eyes off her, and it wouldn’t surprise me to find her doing Kristin Wiig heavy lifting in a future season of Saturday Night Live.

After intermission there was a sketch about a jester’s audition run by a very cruel queen. The jester’s jokes were sharp, dark and mostly unprintable here.

Late in the show, Rasmussen and Cameron play a couple of BFFs whose friendship is tested when one of them decides to go back to college in Calgary. The character work of both actors is stellar, and I found the piece touching, funny and masterful. It was the sketch that resonated for me during my long taxi ride home.

Only one thing marred my enjoyment of the show. In the last sketch, a coda to the first song, the actors interrupted the ditty to ask why they hadn’t mentioned the prime minister. Then they F-bombed Harper and Bill 51 and went back to the song.

It left a bitter taste in the mind because it was name calling, not satire. If ever a topic were ripe for skewering, it’s Bill 51.

I’m hoping something more pithy will replace the catcall, because this show is more than that, much more.

Another T.O. label explodes onto the international scene

By

-

10:16 am

0

The Canadian fashion industry is about to see another home-grown label explode onto the international scene: Greta Constantine. The “accessible luxury,” ready-to-wear women’s label is a favourite of many actresses, singers and media personalities here in Canada as well as in the U.S.

At the helm of Greta Constantine is Toronto’s design duo Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, who have set their sights on steering their label to fashion’s capital and introducing it to the industry’s prominent influencers, tastemakers and media.

Pickersgill and Wong both come from impressive fashion backgrounds: Pickersgill is a stylist, having worked in Milan for Dsquared2 and Neil Barrett and has guest-taught at Istituto Marangoni in Milan. Wong worked as a costume designer in Toronto and has designed for big studio films like American Psycho, Glitter, Chicago and Hairspray. The designers met in Toronto, became good friends, and with a shared design esthetic and vision. They launched Greta Constantine in 2006.

They caught the industry’s attention with their signature draped and architectural jersey dresses — and were quickly dubbed the “jersey boys of Toronto” by several publications. After showing at Toronto Fashion Week for several seasons, Pickersgill and Wong decided to skip the sponsored fashion week and began presenting their collections to press and buyers independently in the city as well as in New York.

“When we started this business, a good friend of ours gave us this advice: ‘You have to be willing to live and breathe fashion 24/7.’ I took it quite literally and devoted all my time to working, and my personal life was non-existent. I’m now trying to have more of a balance, but it still remains that my main goal is to focus on building and growing Greta Constantine,” says Wong.

Greta Constantine is well recognized in Canada (with strong sales in the Middle East, as well, the designers reveal), but the logical next step is to reach customers across the pond. Of course there’s no better place to make a splash than in Paris, which is what Pickersgill and Wong did with their fall/winter 2015 collection — presenting it for the first time during last month’s Paris Fashion Week.

With the goal “to be recognized internationally,” as Pickersgill shares, expect to see Greta Constantine making international fashion news and solidifying its presence in the French capital. Of the recent fall/winter 2015 collection, which Pickersgill and Wong presented at the opulent Salon Pompadour in the hotel Le Meurice in Paris, Wong explains that it took some time to arrive at that moment.

“We see everything that Toronto has to offer. It’s grown into a very cool and sophisticated city.”

“We had been coming to Paris for the past three years to market [and do] sales appointments. Last year, we secured a PR office (Laurent Suchel), and it was a good friend, the stylist Darryl Rodrigues, who gave us the push we needed to make our debut [there].”

This Paris introduction of their sharply tailored, sophisticated looks in an all-black palette “with the odd touch of greys,” made a positive impression on the French press and buyers. Pickersgill and Wong say that for this collection they were inspired by the fashionable women they know and dress (T.O.’s Coco Rocha is one of their favourite clients), and they wanted to present a more elevated, luxurious Greta Constantine vision.

“When using a monochromatic colour such as black, we felt it was important to have a wide variety of texture to give it depth, so we found some very luxurious fabrics, such as double-faced twill, cotton velour with metal threads, plush wools, sheer silk tulle, textured peau de soie and a dense armour-like satin. We used these, along with our standard fabrics like silk/wool weave, and a technical, neoprene-like knit,” says Wong.

Speaking after the Greta Constantine designers’ Paris debut, Wong shares that the duo has big plans on the horizon: “Now that we’ve taken this first step in presenting in Paris, we have to continue with it — [to] build momentum, to establish the brand here in Paris and in the rest of Europe.”

Although the duo is looking for international reach and recognition, Toronto remains Pickersgill and Wong’s home base.

As Wong says: “This is where our heart is. We both grew up [here] and we see everything that Toronto has to offer. It’s grown into a very cool and sophisticated city with lots of diversity and open minds. I have many friends visit from all over the world, and they’ve all expressed that it feels like there’s something great bubbling up to the surface here.”

Both designers have their favourite, diverse neighbourhoods in Toronto. Pickersgill lives in Yorkville, and although he’s a self-described homebody, he does love to frequent Asuka on Yorkville Avenue, Joso’s on Davenport, and Parts and Labour in Parkdale for a night out dancing.

Wong lives at Yonge and College and loves the fact that he can walk everywhere or use public transit. He lists off some of his go-to spots around the city: “I am having a ramen moment. The best place for ramen in Toronto is Sansotei Ramen. For a date, I like 416 Snack Bar — it’s got a great menu, amazing vibe, and my date always thinks I’m cool when I take them there.”

The Canadian fashion industry might be small, but its creatives have immense potential, and Greta Constantine is another great example of that.

Faceoff: Is T.O. ready for a casino?

By

-

9:06 am

0

LAYTON VS. RUTSEY

Mike Layton

T.O. councillor who led the fight to defeat both the proposed mega-casino and expanded slots and tables at Woodbine

There is an old saying: “If it is too good to be true, it probably is.” Unfortunately, some T.O. politicians are so mesmerized by the glitzy lights of casinos that they don’t care to see the truth. Casinos take money out of the local economy and put it into the hands of a few. Studies show the cost of casinos to social infrastructure — from increased addiction rates, bankruptcy, family breakdown, crime and the cannibalization of income generated from local businesses — costs local governments more money than we gain.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) estimates that 30 to 40 per cent of the revenue from casinos comes from those facing gambling addiction. That means a third of casino revenue comes from people willing to risk it all. For government to prey on them is not leadership. It is exploitation.

Casino operators will make promises. They will talk about jobs — will they materialize? Jobs are being cut in the casinos in Windsor and Niagara. And it is the casino workers that are most at risk of developing a gambling addiction.

Tables and slot machines are the most addictive forms of gambling — exactly the expansion being proposed at Woodbine. CAMH and the Toronto medical officer of health have both said the risk of addiction increases for those that live closest to a casino, making expanded gaming at Woodbine a lousy bet for Rexdale and North Etobicoke.

We can do better than expanding casinos. We should imagine a city where revenue and jobs come from prosperity, not from a policy to exploit gambling addictions. Do we want to be rebranded as a casino destination? We can come up with far better ideas that will bring better, permanent jobs to our city. We can find solutions that do not hinge on the addictions of our residents. It’s time governments stopped the chase.

VS.

Bill Rutsey

President and CEO at the Canadian Gaming Association and a national advocate for the gaming entertainment industry

What is being asked of council is to revisit their decision to prohibit increases to the gaming that is currently offered at Woodbine. If they vote the way we want them to, they will remove that restriction and then ask developers to come forward with their proposals as to what they would like to do on the site in conjunction with Woodbine Entertainment Group.

We don’t know what the entire proposal will be, but the components I am putting forward are those that would likely be part of an integrated entertainment centre, as there currently isn’t one in the GTA.

I speculate that the enhanced development on the site would include a more attractive facility that will include food and beverage, retail space, a hotel with a spa, meeting and convention space, as well as elements of the gaming itself. The gaming component would take up 10 per cent or less of the entire footprint of the development.

It will create tourism, economic development and permanent jobs in all aspects of the development that could equal up to 12,000 jobs. I think if people are morally opposed to gaming, that’s their right. But what’s not right is people who present fabrications and urban myths rather than valid arguments against gaming.

The debate that occurred in Toronto last time was people raising the issue of crime, and the chief of police and the deputy that was responsible for the Etobicoke area that includes the racetracks said that there are no issues that they’ve seen with respect to crime.

With respect to problem gambling, yes, problem gambling is a very, very serious issue for a very small number of people. Problem gambling rates have stabilized across Canada and around the world over the last 20 years at approximately one per cent of the general population regardless of the supply of legal forms of gambling, including casinos.

Hannah and the art of physics

By

-

12:47 pm

0

Salt and chocolate. Popcorn and M&M’s. Melon and prosciutto. Every now and again, there’s that brilliant moment when someone discovers an unexpected combination that ends up working.

For Toronto playwright Hannah Moscovitch, this unexpected duo was playwriting and theoretical physics.

Her new play, Infinity, centres around a mathematician experimenting with love while her parents — a composer and theoretical physicist — struggle to keep theirs alive. Highlighting what it means to be citizens of time, the play shows that love and time are connected in ways that we never could have imagined.

The process of writing the play started when Volcano Theatre’s artistic director, Ross Manson, simply requested that Moscovitch write a play about time. Her first reaction: to turn to the people who know time best.

“I started reading the work of theoretical physicists and trying to catch up on the many formative years of physics,” says Moscovitch.

She eventually came across Lee Smolin’s Time Reborn, which counteracts Einstein’s view that time is a “stubbornly persistent illusion.” Rather, time is real, and the very laws of physics evolve over time rather than being fixed, Smolin argues.

Soon, Smolin became Moscovitch’s “consulting physicist,” helping her write and revise the technical elements of his theories that were incorporated into the play.

“It’s been really beautiful to get to work with him, and it’s so rare in a way for artists and scientists to collaborate,” says Moscovitch. “We really like each other because we’re creative types on both sides.”

Although the exploration of physics may be new territory for Moscovitch, other themes are expected of the playwright. Audience members surely won’t be surprised with this dark comedy’s examination of love — a typical topic choice for Moscovitch.

“I’m always drawn toward anything that sort of refutes simplification,” she said. “And love is like that. Love has its dangers and yet is essential to our happiness.”

Infinity also deals with “large systems of thoughts that we aren’t aware of” and how ideas are passed on from generation to generation. At six and a half months pregnant, the playwright admits it’s a subject that resonates with her deeply at the moment.

“I’m fully in the throes of thinking about how my systems of thought will be communicated to the baby — what my systems of thought are and which of my systems of thought are unexamined,” she says. “There’s a whole set of cultural ideals that get passed down.… And because the play is about that, it’s coming out at a hilariously appropriate time.”

Moscovitch is an award-winning playwright. Her first full-length play, East of Berlin, premiered at Tarragon in 2007 where she is currently playwright-in-residence.

Infinity opens April 1 at the Tarragon Theatre’s Extraspace.

Tom Wilson and Lee Harvey Osmond back with Beautiful Scars

By

-

3:39 pm

0

It’s been a long time since the first time I saw Tom Wilson in concert, but I remember two things: one, his incredible voice was so deep and so full of enough emotion that he could move you to tears in one song and absolute outrage the next, and two, he loved to make references to chunks of hash the size of his head. That’s the thing with Wilson, there is no filter. It’s up to us to take it or leave it. Thankfully, we’ve continued to take the incredible talent of Wilson to heart.

Beautiful Scars is the title of the latest album by Lee Harvey Osmond, the moniker bestowed upon his “acid-folk” project, initiated with Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies and Josh Finlayson of Skydiggers. And the name couldn’t be more fitting. Wilson has been through it all over the decades and has come out of the darkness like a guitar-toting prophet bestowing pearls of honest and gritty brilliance to the masses.

The figure of Wilson looms large on the Canadian music landscape, and not just because of his sheer size. Wilson seems to have experienced every facet of the business, from the highs that come with success — such as being flown overseas to perform a private concert in a castle — to the other kind of highs that could have killed him. Now, the proud father and grandfather stands as a symbol of tenacity and longevity, thriving in a world of creativity that allows him to basically do much of what he wants, when he wants.

This is Lee Harvey Osmond’s third album, the followup to 2013’s Juno-nominated and Polaris Prize shortlisted Folk Sinner. The album release show is slated for April 7 at the Dakota Tavern.

One of Wilson’s other gigs is with the equally brilliant Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. He also paints, really well, as evidenced by his new mural — an homage to his beloved Hamilton’s musical roots — that was revealed during last month’s Juno Awards festivities. And he’s penning his first book for Random House.

“I do have to be a businessman quite a bit of the time, but I get to be an artist mostly,” he says. “If you put the art first, everything else will follow. It’s a hard lesson for people to learn, especially if you want to be really famous, really successful, really rich. But if you want any of those things, if you want to just make money and want a dental plan, you should go do something else.”

Wilson’s early work with the Florida Razors and then Junkhouse earned the baritone a taste of success. Junkhouse’s 1993 debut album, Strays, produced three hits, including the memorable song “Out of My Head.” There were a few subsequent albums, but none approaching the level of Strays. But Wilson continued to work on his solo career in addition to getting together with Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing in 1996 to form roots and blues supergroup Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, which released their debut album in 1996 and won a Juno Award in 1999 for their album Kings of Love.

It’s been a long time coming, but the estimable Wilson has earned his place amongst the greats of Canadian music by following his own path.

“Understanding who you are is really important,” says Wilson.

“Everything that comes out of my mouth is who I am. I’m not proud of who I was all the time in my life, but I’m definitely proud of who I am now.

“As artists we have to get on a level of communication that is true to the conversation we have across the table over a cup of coffee and a cigarette. The same voice in writing to audiences, in communicating to our grandkids, to our lovers, it’s all got to be the same. As a 55-year-old artist, I’m on that road now.”

Jeanne Beker: Pattern play with modern and classic graphic prints

By

-

9:54 am

0

Jeanne’s pick (A)
Oscar de la Renta at Holt Renfrew,
50 Bloor St. W., $3,395
“This is all about fun and frivolity! Feathers have become a classic, and tiny sequins add that extra amount of dazzle. This could be worn by a woman of any age.”

Trippy tribal (B)
Nicole Miller at Andrews,
Bayview Village, $350
“Nicole Miller really knows women’s bodies. The ruching makes it very flattering across the belly.”

Make a mark (C)
Soia & Kyo at Sense of Independence,
511 Eglinton Ave. W., $300
“I love this Canadian label — they do beautiful coats. It’s a scuba fabric, so it has great body to it and a really nice weight.”

Optical tricks (D)
Ohne Titel at Intermix,
130 Bloor St. W., $565
“Oh, I love this flirty little skirt! Such great stretch in this knit; there’s lots of movement to it. Wear it all year round.”

A playful soul (E)
Jil Sander at Gravitypope,
1010 Queen St. W., $385
“These remind me of sandals I wore when I was a little kid. They have a European vibe to them. It’s a heavier look for sure; it’s a funkier look. Wear with boyfriend jeans, shorts, a sundress — anything!”

A zig with a zag (F)
Nicholas Kirkwood at Davids,
66 Bloor St. W. $875
“The minute I looked at these, my eyeballs fell out of their sockets because this is op art at its best. They just scream, ‘Look at me!’ I love them. Fabulous.”

So sportive (G)
Town Shoes,
Promenade, $150
“These are great because they’re what you wanna run around in. They’re an ultra casual sporty shoe, but there’s a great level of styling to them. There’s a lot of design value for your buck.”

Sharp lines (H)
Judith & Charles,
Bayview Village, $475
“They do great career dressing. You could do serious business in this. It’s gonna be very slimming because of the black panels on the side.”

French affair (I)
A.L.C. at Hudson’s Bay
Yorkdale Shopping Centre, $740
“This is great. It’s that fabric that reminds me of those Azzedine Alaïa dresses — for 8 million dollars! Very body-hugging, great for travel.”

Gamely graphic (J)
Ksubi at Room 2046,
1252 Yonge St., $235
“You can never have enough sunglasses. These look like stained glass windows — incredibly graphic. They’re very flattering on.”

Sneak-y spirit (K)
Toms,
toms.ca, $75
“These are just fun little high-tops with a really beautiful satiny fabrication and a great digital print. You could wear them in a myriad of ways. Great value.”

Not a square (L)
Balenciaga at 119 Corbo,
119 Yorkville Ave., $695
“These are so gorgeous. They look like old bistro floors. It’s a great quality jean with a bit of a low rise — not for women of a certain body type. If you’ve got the body, wear them!”

The night Paris Hilton played matchmaker in T.O.

By

-

10:35 am

0

Roz Weston, co-host of The Roz & Mocha Show on KiSS 92.5 and senior reporter on Entertainment Tonight Canada, is not a fan of crowded nightclubs and neither is his girlfriend, photographer Katherine Holland. However, that is exactly the setting in which they met a decade ago.

How they met
Roz: Neither of us likes to be out late. We also hate clubs and Paris Hilton equally. That said, we met at 2 a.m. at an overpacked nightclub party in Toronto hosted by Paris Hilton. Two minutes after we first met, we were hand in hand looking for a way out. Which we found. And found each other. There was almost a foot and a half height difference and a 10-year age difference, but our hands fit perfectly. I love holding Katherine’s hand.

The first date
Roz: Honestly? I don’t remember where it was. We drank somewhere. This was the night after we met and was simply a way to see each other as soon as possible. I’m not even sure we finished our second round before we left together.
Katherine: Ha! I also barely remember our first date, but I’m pretty sure it was over sunny cocktails at the Drake Hotel, and I think I brought a wingman.

The courtship
Roz and Katherine: We each lived in small places, and we both had roommates, so we spent a ton of time in bed. We actually spent ALL our time in bed. We ate in bed. Talked for hours in bed. Bonded over movies in bed. Napped in bed. Drank in bed. Laughed in bed. It was very hippie and very intimate.

Their daughter
Roz: Her name is Roxy Alabama Weston, and she’s just the greatest. She’s five and she’s funny and kind.
Katherine: She fills our life with this magical energy. It’s hard to express what a privilege it is to see someone learn everything about the world for the first time. It makes you feel five years old again, and sometimes that is exactly what you need. It’s very hard to see your own child objectively, but she has a real fire in her belly, and it’s contagious.

Their lives now
Katherine: When we first met, we BBM’d like crazy during the day and were happy just to watch hockey and eat in bed every day after work. And honestly, very little has changed since then except that now we have a lovely five-year-old girl who drags us to the park for swing rides, and I traded in hockey for HBO. I am very spoiled in that Roz is an absolutely excellent cook, so it’s difficult to find the motivation to go out to restaurants together.

Secret for success
Katherine: We both love really hard and do our best to never take advantage of that quality in the other. You never fall in love with one person, really. You fall in love with everything that person was and everything that person is going to be. You have to give each other enough room to figure that out and not too much room, so that they always have that core, that support, the feeling that they are truly loved, and accepted.

Relationship advice
Roz and Katherine: Save your best for each other, don’t waste it on people who don’t matter. You can never say, “Welcome home,” “I love you” and “Damn you’re sexy” too many times. Eat together, fall asleep together and always keep the bathroom door closed.

Food Crawl: Five fabulous food finds in Leslieville

By

-

12:55 pm

0

Leslieville denizens are a fiercely proud lot. If you say you’re supping at a Leslieville eatery, it best be located east of the train tracks and west of Coxwell. And don’t you dare conflate Leslieville with its just-to-the-west neighbour Riverside; that’s sure to garner a stink eye or two from the locals.

The neighbourhood traces its origins back to the mid–19th century, when George Leslie set up his 150-acre nursery. At the time, it was the most diverse nursery in Canada, growing everything from fruit trees to grape vines. The area already had a bustling brick industry, but Leslie’s nursery attracted a whole new cohort of workers, gardeners mostly.

By 1868 the village’s 450 residents had almost no need to trek two miles west to visit Toronto. Leslieville boasted two schools, a church, a post office, a brewery, a distillery, a brickyards and a vinegar factory. There were even three hotels and a newspaper. Here are five must-hit food hot spots while spending a day exploring Leslieville.

Start the day with one of Mercury Espresso Bar’s lattes, made from George Howell beans. For almost a decade the plaid-clad crew at this nine-year-old café have been pulling some of the best espresso shots east of the Don. If you’re lucky, the baristas might bless your mug with some funky latte art — a flower or swan are a sure sign spring is in the air.
915 Queen St. E., 647-435-4779

Lady Marmalade is synonymous with two things: fabulous all-day brunch and long queues for said fab nosh. This cheery joint offers your standard morning plates (eggs with bacon), but it would be a sin to miss out on their signature dish, huevos migas: a heaping plate of rice, perfectly scrambled eggs, cheese, sausage, smashed beans and pico de gallo. For the egg-averse set, the lunch options (like a spicy wild salmon sandwich with mango salsa) are equally scrumptious.
898 Queen St. E., 647-351-7645

For a mid-afternoon perk-me-up, Bobbette & Belle has one the prettiest displays of macarons in town. If your sweet tooth is hankering for something more substantial, a slice of carrot cake is sure to sate — its cream cheese icing is cloud light, and the cake is perfectly dense and moist.
1121 Queen St. E., 416-466-8800

For dinner, head over to the always-welcoming Eastside Social, a recent addition to the local dining scene. The two-room, maritime-themed restaurant serves up homey favourites with a dash of panache. Poutine, for example, swaps out gravy for demi-glace and adds a Yorkshire pudding to the saucy mix. The liver ’n’ onions plate looks nothing like your grandmother’s: a brick of brûléed chicken-and-duck liver pâté is served with scones and caramelized onions.
1008 Queen St. E., 416-461-5663

There’s perhaps no better spot to cap off the night than at the Céilí Cottage. Pull up a seat in the all-too-charming yurt, which occupies the patio from October through May, and order a pint of Irish brew. If Guinness, Harp, Kilkenny or Smithwick’s aren’t to your taste, then perhaps something from the five-page whisky list will appeal.
1301 Queen St. E., 416-406-1301