A guide to watching the World Cup in Toronto’s Little Portugal

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3:00 pm

Rosa Branca Sports Bar in Little Portugal — @rosabrancasportsbar/Instagram

Little Portugal is recognizable for its standout street art, with many of its brick walls decorated with colourful murals. Little Portugal runs with Lansdowne Avenue to the west, College Street to the north and Ossington Avenue to the east. Little Portugal can be accessed easiest by hopping on the 505 or 506 streetcars, which both serve Dundas Street West, or by riding the Bloor-Danforth line and exiting at Lansdowne Station. And with the 2022 FIFA World Cup underway, Portgual fans might be looking for places to celebrate the beautiful game within the neighbourhood.

Catch the team play their first game in the group stage against Ghana at 11 a.m. on Thursday, and again at 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28 against Uruguay.

Watch

Looking to be surrounded by Portugal fans while you watch? Amigos da Dundas Sports Bar is right in the heart of Little Portugal and will surely be teeming with soccer fans throughout the World Cup. Enjoy Portuguese classics including bifanas, a marinated pork sandwich, while cheering on your team.

Rosa Branca Sports Bar is also in the neighbourhood and ready to cheer on Portugal (and maybe a few other teams too). Open until 2 a.m. every day and home to a pool table for those who like to stay entertained while they watch, it’s the perfect place to host your unofficial World Cup watch party.

There’s plenty more to choose from; Little Portugal is home to all kinds of sports bars that will definitely be showing the World Cup over the next few weeks. Try The Dock Ellis for beer, large-screen TVs, foosball and pool, Opera Bob’s Public House for a place that’s accustomed to being descended upon by sports fans come game day, or Man of Kent if you’re ok with English pub fare while you’re cheering on Portugal. Or, try Nossa Casa Sports Cafe for those morning and afternoon games thanks to that pesky eight-hour time difference.

Eat

Funky bars with Brazilian and Portuguese wine lists and family-run Portuguese-style bakeries all serve traditional pastries, sandwiches and freshly-baked breads and cookies. If you can’t book a trip to Portugal just yet, Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood is the next best if you’ve been craving pasteis de nada or custard tarts.

Along Dundas Street West, which is the centre of Little Portugal, Brazil Bakery serves old-school specialties at prices normally unheard of in a city as big as Toronto. From behind a modest glass service counter, you’ll find authentic, indulgent Portuguese treats like chocolate drizzled or plain pasteis de nada, traditional Portuguese biscuit cookies (biscoitos) and a selection of cakes and tarts. The bakery also does a hot table, where foods like bifana, a pork sandwich simmered in sauce, can be ordered, along with a selection of other custom-made sandwiches to go.

If it’s classic Portuguese chicken you’re after, go for dinner at the humble Bairrada Churrasqueira Grill. The establishment specializes in traditional grilled meat and seafood entrees, as well as quick to-go bites including fried calamari. For a fine dining experience, don’t miss Chiado Restaurant, which pairs Portuguese wines with refined, old-world recipes and is run by one of North America’s leading chefs, Albino Silva.

Explore

One of the best ways to explore Little Portugal is by walking. Although the area is largely residential, located in Toronto’s “Old City,” Little Portugal is always a hub of activity, with events taking place year-round. Dundas Street West is also home to many art galleries, some established, and some up-and-coming, where visitors can view a mix of everything from modern art to fine art.

The neighbourhood is also home to the Little Portugal on Dundas BIA, which is a small and independent business collective located on Dundas Street West, between Shaw and Lansdowne Avenues. This eclectic mix of small boutiques, bars, venues and galleries makes it easy to see a lot of Little Portugal all at once, and also makes it easy to shop local, as big box stores and chain restaurants are scarce here.

Everything you need to know about SABS (Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule)

By

Jarrod Daley

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1:44 pm

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See all posts by Diamond and Diamond Lawyers

SABS (Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule) applies to all people residing in Ontario and is included in all Ontario car insurance policies to cover motor vehicle-related injuries. While SABS is included in car insurance policies, individuals who are not insured (passengers or pedestrians) are still entitled to benefits through the insurer of the driver involved in the accident. SABS is no-fault, meaning that even if one party is responsible for the accident, they are still entitled to benefits if injured.

What Does SABS Cover?

When a person gets in a motor vehicle accident that causes injuries, there are a lot more expenses beyond healthcare. SABS covers the following benefits:

Medical and rehabilitation costs;
Income replacement (income lost as a direct result of not being able to work due to the injury);
Non earner (for those who do not qualify for income replacement because they did not have a job at the time of the injury, but are still prevented from working in the future);
Caregiver;
Housekeeping;
At-home assistance;
Long term aid;
Funeral expenses

Timeline for SABS

After a motor vehicle accident occurs, you have 30 days to notify your insurance company, who will then open two claims automatically. The first is for property damage, and then they will ask if you’ve been injured, and assign an accident benefits adjuster. It is the client’s responsibility to submit an application within 30 days. However, there are some extenuating circumstances where that is not possible. For instance, if the injured party is in hospital with no ability to notify the company of the accident. If a person has missed the 30 day time limit, they typically seek assistance from a legal professional to file for an exemption for this rule.

Different Categories Within SABS

While all car accident-related injuries are entitled to SABS benefits, there are different categories that determine the monetary amount of benefits a person can claim based on the severity of their injuries. SABS is broken down into three categories:

Category 1: Minor Injury Guideline (MIG).

This category is intended for minor accidents like soft tissue injuries. Everyone who falls under this category is automatically entitled to $3,500 in medical benefits to cover physiotherapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, etc. This amount is considered the bottom limit intended to bring most people back to their pre-accident state.

Category 2: Non-Catastrophic Benefits

To fall under this category, a person must be diagnosed with a concussion or head injury, have broken bones, require surgery for a torn ligament, or an injury of similar severity. For this category, they consider a combination of physical and psychological issues stemming from the accident. Coverage in this category can range from $3,500 (the bottom limit for anyone under SABS) and $65,000.

Category 3: Catastrophic Benefits

To fall under this category, which reflects the highest level of impairment and injury, a person must have severe, catastrophic accidents and injuries. Injuries can either be deemed catastrophic instantaneously (the accident resulted in a coma, loss of limb(s), eye loss, etc.) or through testing done at the 1 year mark from the accident. Coverage can fall between $3,500 and $1,000,000.

Evolution of SABS

Prior to June 1st, 2016, persons who fell under the Catastrophic Benefits category had access to two separate ‘pots’ of benefits – rehabilitation and personal care, each with separate funds allowing up to $1,000,000. This meant that the catastrophically injured person could access up to $2,000,000 in benefits prior to the major changes that took place. After major car insurance changes came into effect on June 1st, 2016, these two ‘pots’ were combined into one totalling $1,000,000, meaning that the total amount of benefits a person could receive in this category after that date was halved. This amount unfortunately does not cover long-term care for many people with this level of impairment.

In addition to reducing the allowable benefits, this change also updated the definition of ‘catastrophic impairment’ to make it more difficult to be deemed such. This narrowed definition means that many people who would have previously been considered catastrophically impaired were and are only able to access benefits in category 2 – non-catastrophic benefits.

These changes mean that many injured people are unable to access the benefits that they need to adequately support them after their injury. There are many groups and individuals lobbying to fix this.

If you’re looking for a personal injury law firm in Canada or Florida in the United States, don’t hesitate to call Diamond and Diamond today at 1-800-567-HURT to schedule a free consultation.

About Jeremy Diamond

Jeremy Diamond is a lawyer and member of both Ontario and Florida Bars. Jeremy practices in the area of Plaintiff personal injury litigation. Click here to learn more about Jeremy Diamond.

A guide to watching the World Cup in Toronto’s Little Poland

By

Dorothy Chudzinski

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3:01 pm

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The Roncesvalles Village area of Toronto, also called “Roncy,” has traditionally been known as the city’s Polish-centric hub. To the east, Roncesvalles Village borders one of Toronto’s most sought-after green spaces, the 400-acre High Park, as well as the surrounding Parkdale neighbourhood. And with the 2022 FIFA World Cup underway, Poland fans might be looking for places to celebrate the beautiful game within the neighbourhood.

Exploring Little Poland is easy, as its boundaries include King Street West and Dundas Street West. Visitors can take the Bloor-Yonge subway line and exit at Dundas West Station. Prominent Polish institutions, small businesses and Polish-speaking restaurants, bakeries and delicatessens exist in this tight-knit community.

Catch Poland’s first game at 11 a.m. on Tuesday against Mexico and then again on Saturday at 8 a.m. against Saudi Arabia in the group stage while enjoying everything Little Poland has to offer.

Watch

Just want to grab a seat and a beer and keep your eyes glued to the TV for the duration of the game? No problem! There are a few Little Poland pubs and bars that will surely be turning the channel to the game when Poland is playing. Inter Steer Tavern has been around in the neighbourhood for over 30 years and, along with live music nights and amazing Polish eats, has hosted events with special beer and wing deals for sports events including the Super Bowl in the past. Pints and pierogies? Say no more.

Or, try Round the Horn on Roncesvalles Avenue, a dedicated sports pub that offers board games and pinball alongside great beer and pub food. You’ll definitely be surrounded by some major Polish fans while you’re there to cheer on your team!

Explore

Interested in checking out the rest of the area while you’re there? Start your trip to the neighbourhood with a stroll down Roncesvalles Avenue, where you’ll take in the sights and sounds of vintage shops, bookstores, cafes, restaurants and shops you won’t find elsewhere in the city. Eastern European fare is alive and well in Little Poland, with hundreds of small cafes and shops to choose from.

Eat

Located in the heart of the neighbourhood, Cafe Polonez has been catering to the Little Poland community for more than 30 years, serving home-cooked Polish foods, like traditional breaded chicken schnitzel (also available on a sandwich or as a melt), Polish sausage topped with fried onions, and, of course, pierogies served with a side of sour cream for dunking.

For a cool treat, don’t miss Ed’s Real Scoop, a local ice cream shop specializing in small-batch ice cream, gelato and frozen yogurt, as well as ice cream cookie sandwiches. One of the most enchanting things you’ll experience in Little Poland is just how well its butcher’s shops and cafes honour the Eastern European way of life.

In this neighbourhood, it’s not uncommon to see older gentlemen sipping czarna (strong, black coffee) in the mornings and well into the afternoon, chatting amongst one another and watching life go by on the crowded sidewalks. Grab a coffee and a treat to go from Cherry Bomb, a cafe located on Roncesvalles Avenue, known for its delicious baked goods and freshly-brewed coffee, and head over to High Park for a leisurely stroll.

With its cherry blossoms in the spring, breathtaking colours in the fall, warm, quiet nights in the summer and snowy trails in the winter, it’s the perfect way to experience the best of Little Poland year-round.

Toronto’s beloved 100-year old fashion house just opened a general store in a massive new space

By

Jennifer Schembri

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9:53 am

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Today Creeds, Toronto’s luxury dry cleaner, premium coffee bar and gourmet grocer, has just reopened in a newer, bigger space.

Retail shoppers can enjoy all of their Creeds’ favourites and more from a stylish new location. Set inside the lower level of the nine-storey Bianca Condo building, the new spot is just one block away from its original outpost, located at 450 Dupont St. The new spot is double the size of the existing space.

The new space features lofty, industrial ceilings with exposed iron beams, plenty of natural light and wooden shelves stocked with Creeds staples like dips, spreads and condiments. The larger space allows for more room while shopping, and features plenty of seating room via wooden benches and bistro tables.

Creeds originally started out in the city in 1921 as a fashion house that specialized in furs. By 1950, the brand was selling replica couture outfits seen on the runways of Paris, and by 1960 began offering authentic Chanel, Dior and Valentino designs. The dry cleaning business arrived in 1982 and finally, in 2015, the brand evolved even further as a triple threat with a food and beverage component with the arrival of the Creeds Coffee Bar in 2015. Pivoting as a response to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Creeds launched its General Store which currently sells premium grocery products.

Located steps away from Dupont Station, there will also be 70 ground level parking spaces available for customers at the building. Parking is available off Albany Ave. behind the building.

The Creeds Coffee Bar and the Creeds General Store are open Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. The Creeds Dry Cleaning centre is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m to 3 p.m.

The man who brought sushi to Toronto’s ACC receives top honour

By

Jennifer Schembri

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2:51 pm

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272795409_1156186925214699_5363961961456154174_n-1 — Edo on Instagram

Barry Chaim, the founder of beloved sushi restaurant EDO, was recently conferred the Foreign Minister Commendation of the Government of Japan for his contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries.

In 1986, Chaim opened EDO in Midtown, and so began his journey to serving Torontonians authentic Japanese cuisine. Back in 1986, there were only about 40 Japanese restaurants in the city, and EDO soon become known as not just one of the best sushi spots but one of the top restaurants in Toronto.

In 1999, Chaim introduced sushi to the masses when EDO opened at the Air Canada Centre. The restaurant became the first sushi spot (outside of Japan) to be featured in a sports arena.

The EDO restaurants have grown rapidly in popularity due to their unique practice of combining Washoku with Seiyo-Ryori. Washoku is the traditional cooking method, including staples like tempura, teriyaki, sushi and udon. On the flip side, Seiyo-Ryori is a combination of European, although most French, sauces and influence Japanese methods, techniques, and standards.

“Not to be confused with fusion – which we call confusion – the EDO approach is a careful consideration and combination of the two Japanese streams of training in an ever-evolving unique style,” says a statement on the restaurants website.

Barry Chaim and the Consul-General of Japan in Toronto, Mr. Sasayama Takuya

Chaim has dedicated his life to understanding Japanese culture and food. Upon completing his Bachelor of Psychology at McGill University in Montreal, he received the Japanese Government Mombushu Research Fellowship. He took advantage of this opportunity by studying at Tokyo University in 1973.

Once he completed his research, he returned to Montreal in order to start his own product development, marketing, and distribution company. This venture led him around the world, allowing him to experience cultures and the delicious food they had to offer.

Chaim was made a fellow of the Ontario Hostelry Institute in 2003 for his outstanding efforts to bring Japanese food to Toronto as well as his consistent efforts to educate and bridge cultural gaps between Toronto and Japan.

Toronto FC’s Mark-Anthony Kaye on making history with Team Canada at the World Cup

By

Julia Mastroianni

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1:54 pm

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Mark-Anthony Kaye will represent Canada at the World Cup — Courtesy Toronto FC/Kschischang

Congratulations are due. It’s been nearly 40 years since Canada competed in the FIFA Men’s World Cup, and the fans can’t stop raving about it. Mark-Anthony Kaye, the Canadian men’s national team midfielder and recent Toronto FC addition, accepts the enthusiastic “Congrats!” gratefully.

A team player, he immediately recognizes the collective effort it took to get the team to this point: “There’s been a lot of us who have been on this journey, sacrificing and working hard to get this far.”

The road to the World Cup is never easy, and the COVID-19 pandemic was an added obstacle to an already difficult feat.

“Mentally, it was definitely exhausting because of the amount of time we’re travelling, being away from family in an isolated location,” he says.

Despite these difficulties, Kaye and his teammates have been able to rise above them. “The pandemic definitely made athletes more resilient. We’re very fortunate [to be] in the situations we’re in, with people whose jobs are to make sure we have everything we need,” he says.

A graduate of Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute, Kaye played for a number of clubs in the GTA, starting at Wexford, when he was nine, then moving to Ajax Soccer Club and later Glen Shields. After spending a year on York University’s varsity soccer team, Kaye was invited to play at TFC Academy. After spending a couple of years balancing both his commitments to York and TFC, Kaye decided to go pro, feeling as though it was “the right move to focus on that.”

Over the span of his career, Kaye has played for the Louisville City and Los Angeles football clubs. After a short stint in Denver, Kaye has returned home to play for the Toronto FC.

“I feel like I got a little bit from each place that I’ve lived in and it’s allowed me to be comfortable wherever I am, wherever I go,” he says.

For many sports, not coming from a particularly wealthy and often white background presents systemic challenges for those hoping to go pro. Kaye says he’s seen that difference as well.

“Privilege gives you more opportunities at a younger age, which sometimes can be the deciding factor for whether or not you’ve got a certain amount of professional training hours from the best team or coaches,” He says. He notes that, since he’s gone pro, “The soccer system in Canada, especially in Toronto, has done a much better job to bridge that gap that so many people see, such as financial hardship, that stops young players from getting opportunities.”

That being said, he believes that determined and motivated players will find a way to achieve the success they desire.

“You can’t be too hard on yourself when an opportunity doesn’t go your way, especially because it allows you to become more resilient, ” he says.

Although Kaye’s career has only just begun, having a World Cup qualification under his belt is something few Canadian players can claim.

“It hasn’t been done in so long, and [head coach] John [Herdman] got a great group of guys together for this mission,” he says.

The excitement is high and still mounting leading up to the Nov. 20 World Cup kick off. (Canada’s team plays its first game on Nov. 23 against Belgium.)

“I’m glad we’ve made people happy, especially considering everything that’s gone on the last couple of years. I think it brings a newfound hope and positivity to the country,” he says.

Yes, low-rise pants are back. Here’s how to style them and shop the trend in Toronto

By

Julia Mastroianni

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1:15 pm

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That’s right, you heard correctly – the low-rise trend is back. A staple of Y2K style, it was only a matter of time before low-rise pants made their way back into the fashion zeitgeist. If you’re someone who has become accustomed to the comfort and ease of high-waisted pants, don’t worry: they’re not going anywhere. But if you’re interested in shaking up your wardrobe a bit and not opposed to an exposed belly button or two, this might be the trend for you.

Want to figure out how to make a pair of low-rise pants work in your wardrobe? Here’s your go-to guide for low-rise style and some places to shop the trend in Toronto.

Compromise and go mid-rise

Low-rise pants can be tough to approach if you haven’t sported the style in 15 years (or never at all), so try to compromise with the mid-rise style instead. Yes, it’s not exactly low-rise, but it will add a new dynamic to your style without making too much of a change. Mid-rise pants hit a little below the belly button, whereas low-rise hits even lower. You can find some great pairs at one of the Levi’s stores in Toronto, or at secondhand shop Expo Vintage (stop by their shop-by-the-pound location to really find some great deals). Style with baby tees or turtlenecks that hit right above the waistline to really lean into the early 2000s look.

Prioritize comfort with baggy low-rise cargos or denim

So you’re willing to go full low-rise. Now what? The easiest way to give it a try is by styling a baggier pair of pants lower on the waist for a skater style that is both on-trend and mega-comfortable. If you have an older pair of pants that are too big for you, those will do the trick. To really up your style game, try this trick with cargo pants, which are really having a moment right now. Many cargo pants come with drawstring waists for you to style as high or low on your waist as you want with ease. Don’t have any pants on hand to make this style work? Check out People’s Champ Vintage in Toronto for a whole bunch of jeans perfect for styling low-rise. Or try these baggy palazzo-style pants at Over the Rainbow for a slightly pricier option.

Lean into the full Y2K look

If you’re ready to take it all the way, go full Y2K and look for the major low-rise styles that often feature flared bottoms. TNT Fashion has some options, including this black ultra-flare pair. From there, you can go a few different ways – pair them with an oversized sweater for a cozy winter look, a belly button-grazing t-shirt to go full Britney Spears, a corset top for a model-off-duty look or even a Miu Miu-inspired preppy look with a belted pair of pants and a cropped collared shirt under a sweater. Whatever you wear, remember that low-rise is for anyone and everyone – if you want to wear it, you’ll look good it in!

Toronto commuters could be transported to Yellowstone’s famous TV ranch on the way to work tomorrow

By

Ron Johnson

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4:47 pm

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The users of the ride-sharing service Lyft might be in for a surprise tomorrow. The company is in cahoots with RAM trucks and Paramount+. To celebrate the new season of the wildly popular, Kevin Costner-led TV series, three pickup trucks that are exact replicas of those used on Yellowstone’s Dutton Ranch will be picking up lucky passengers all morning.

Sure, it’s a publicity stunt, but being transported from the slushy and cold streets of Toronto to Montana’s warm western landscape sounds good right about now. And, those picked up at random will also win a seven-day trial of the streaming service so they can binge the entire series.

Now, not surprisingly, this little cowboy adventure happens to correspond to the premiere of a new season of Yellowstone. Season 5 just dropped and it’s already breaking records streaming to a whopping 12.5 million viewers.

The show stars Costner as the grizzled and kinda cantankerous family patriarch John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. The guy has a lot of enemies and some kids that are real pieces of work. There is corruption, intrigue, murder and, yes, cowboys. Lots of cowboys.

Acclaimed Montreal chef Antonio Park opens anticipated new Yorkville restaurant

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Jennifer Schembri

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1:42 pm

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The wait is over. Famed Montreal chef Antonio Park’s anticipated new restaurant is finally open, high atop the 51st floor of The Manulife Centre in Toronto’s prestigious Yorkville neighbourhood.

The celebrity restaurateur is the founder and owner of famed restaurant, Park in Montreal’s affluent Westmount enclave, known for its fish-centric Japanese menu with Korean and South American influences

“I wanted to do something different here, something personal, something that’s all about who I really am. Park is my background. It’s my roots. It’s me,” said Park on the restaurants’ website.

The chef-driven menu will highlight Park’s unique approach to classic Japanese and pan-Asian cuisine. There will also be a extensive selection of premium sakes and Japanese whiskies.

“The chef wanted to call on his different experiences and with his roots being in Argentina, it will be a reflection of all those things,” said a representative for the restaurant.

The menu is broken down into nine sections including hot starts, cold starts, gyoza, sushi, Tokyo style tamaki, maki, wagyu, mains and AP Classics.

Standout dishes include the surf & turf maki ($65) made with shrimp tempura, torched prime beef filet mignon and avocado as well as the 5A Japanese Wagyu ($65).

As for mains, there’s octopus ($32), a marinated black cod ($43) and classics like egg on egg on egg ($120) made with hokkaido uni, salmon ikura, quail egg uzura, koviari caviar, fresh wasabi, AP soy and sushi rice.

Expect “traditional Japanese cuisine with some fun fusion options,” said the representative.

The space, designed by Block Plan Studios exudes luxury beginning with the private custom-finished elevator that takes you directly to the restaurant’s foyer. Along with spectacular north and south views of the city, the interior features subtle nods to Asian influences including a unique ceiling installation that envelopes the centre of the space. The main dining room seats 82, while the private dining room seats 30-40. On Friday and Saturday nights, guests can sip sake while a DJ spins the latest tunes.

AP is located at 55 Bloor St. W. Reservations can be made through OpenTable.

Toronto just got a chic new piano bar with a hidden secret entrance

By

Jennifer Schembri

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1:25 pm

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Jean Darlene Piano Bar is a new speakeasy spot that melds IYKYK vibes with the chicness of a piano bar and camaraderie of an open mic. You can swing by for drinks and stay for the regularly scheduled live performances that range from pianists, drag shows, live samba and themed singalongs. If you have a flair for the dramatic, there’s tons of opportunity to hop on stage and show off your own singing and performing chops, too. And who knows, maybe the owners will like you enough to invite you downstairs, where they have a full-fledged recording studio.

If Jean Darlene sounds like just another sick venue in a sea of uber cool spots across the city, that’s likely because its backed by some of the same people who have brought us other dimly lit venues with good food, good drinks and even better vibes. Think: Ossington’s dark and glowy The Haifa Room, its expansive and cool neighbor, Paris Paris and College Street’s new spot for delicious old-school pie, Danny’s Pizza Tavern, to name a few.

Jean Darlene is owned by local Toronto restaurateur Fadi Hakim who hopes to deliver 70s Hollywood vibes with low light, a fully restored 1920 Heintzman Player Piano and luxe black and gold finishings. The entire establishment screams ‘refined-yet-approachable elegance.’

And who’s Jean Darlene you might ask? The spot’s moniker is an ode to its history, named after a clothing store that called the space home from 1972 to 2018.

Take a date or bring a group of live music aficionados to the 1203 Dundas Street West spot, located in the laneway behind the building. Open the last door to your left and voila! To keep up to to date on all the latest happenings at this secret new piano bar, keep an eye on Jean Darlene’s Instagram page.

Toronto’s Amrit Kaur on what season 2 of The Sex Lives of College Girls will bring

By

Julia Mastroianni

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1:11 pm

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With season two of the Mindy Kaling hit show The Sex Lives of College Girls premiering this week, it’s hard to imagine the show without Bela, the group’s fearless leader and sex enthusiast played by Amrit Kaur. But the Toronto actor almost didn’t audition at all for the show. The reason? Because she’s Canadian. Everyone auditioning for the show from outside the United States needed an O-1 visa, which allows people in the arts to work in the U.S. for three years.

“My manager at the time said that if they like your work, they’ll go for it anyway. But I had a callback, and they cancelled my callback because they found out that I didn’t have the visa,” Kaur says.

She says her manager convinced someone that they’d be able to get her the O-1 visa quickly, so she auditioned again only to find out that she didn’t get the visa. At that point, she applied a second time, this time with the help of her entire team and the team behind The Sex Lives of College Girls (including Mindy Kaling herself) pleading her case to the immigration office.

But Kaur says that aside from the factual story of how she got the part, the real reason she ended up here is something much deeper. “I think the way I got called to this show is by accepting the way I look,” she says. She says she spent so much time trying to change her nose or being very conscious of it, and had to figure out how to “accept her face.”

“I realized I don’t need to look like the 1 per cent to tell a story. There are a lot of people who will relate to a woman who looks like me, and I should be big and bold in my personality to empower them,” she says. “And that, I think, called Mindy, because that’s what Mindy is.”

Kaur plays Bela in The Sex Lives of College Girls, a character who certainly embodies that big and bold personality, especially in relation to sex. But Kaur says her university experience – at York University’s theatre program – was far from Bela’s college experience of parties, experimenting with sex and stepping outside of her comfort zone.

Kaur grew up in Markham, and her family comes from a village in Punjab, an Indian state. “I came from a very sheltered place, very conservative, so I wasn’t allowed to go out much, and I didn’t have my sexual awakening until much later,” she says. “So I am very much living vicariously through Bela. And not every South Asian experience is my experience or Bela’s experience – I would love to see even more specificity in all the different cultures that are in South Asia. That’s the next step in Hollywood, I think.”

Kaur says she’s learned so much from playing Bela, including starting stand-up thanks to Bela’s love of comedy. “I learned a lot from her bravery when it comes to exploration, and the fact that she doesn’t [subscribe] to any labels,” she says.

Season two, which premieres on Crave in Canada on Nov. 17, picks up where it left off, with Kimberley, Whitney, Bela and Leighton returning from their Thanksgiving break and happy to reunite. Bela is navigating the start of her own all-female comedy troupe while dealing with the trauma of the sexual assault she experienced from a member of the college’s official comedy group. And while she has certainly grown from the first season, Kaur says Bela is still stuck in a similar pattern – seeking external validation.

“She’s very much still addicted to external validation in season two. And she gets in trouble. She still wants to f**k the famous guy, she wants to be the head of a magazine, she wants to be on top,” she says. “She’s addicted to being the person in power as a result of her trauma. And that approach makes her very sad and forces her to face herself by the end of the season.”

Kaur says that while season two doesn’t specifically address Bela’s trauma, but she wanted to show that there was a change in her in the way she carried herself and the way she said her lines. “I myself have been through sexual assault and harassment. I think, unfortunately, a lot of us women have. There’s not one way to deal with it,” she says. “So if Bela encourages people to find healing and share their story with someone and seek help, I think that’s great.”

The new season is full of all the college hijinks we loved in the first season, but with some new and surprising story arcs for a few of the leads. From a rambunctious strip show to raise money to party planning gone wrong, you’ll find yourself rooting for all four women – and here in Toronto, we’re rooting for Bela even harder.

A delicious underground donut tour is coming to Toronto

By

Jennifer Schembri

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12:44 pm

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If you’re in the mood for a “hole” lot of fun and the thought of sampling some of the city’s finest baked treats is right up your alley, an underground donut tour will be making its way to Toronto on Friday.

The delicious tour has been running for seven years in cities across the U.S. including Boston, New York and Las Vegas and in parts of the UK with the first Canadian stop — Vancouver — joining the list of donut destinations earlier this year. To date, the tour has hosted thousands of guests from around the world showcasing the best donuts each city has to offer.

Donut lovers will have the opportunity to visit four of the city’s top spots with the the two-hour walking adventure beginning at mini-donut mecca, Cops Doughnuts where fresh made from scratch donuts are made on the daily.

Next, the tour will make its way Bloomers the adorable Queen West bakeshop serving up some of the best vegan donuts in the city. After a quick bit of history on the shop and the surrounding neighbourhood, guests can sample some of the delicious seasonal flavours Bloomers is known for like pecan butter tart and raspberry pistachio cheescake, as well as top sellers including rose pistachio and vanilla sprinkles. The tour wraps up with stops at two undisclosed donut spots in Kensington Market

“I think guests are really going to love what we’ve put together. We have something for every type of donut fan: hot and fresh mini donuts, vegan donuts, churros, and more,” said Eitan Shalmon tour manager for the Underground Donut Tour Toronto. “We can’t wait to show guests around downtown Toronto.”

Tours start on Friday, November 18, and run year-round every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m., with more dates and times coming soon. Tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for children 10 and under and can be booked online.