Toronto Today - December 2010

DECEMBER 2010 TORONTO TODAY 1

ORONTOTTTODAY December 2010

Last-minute shopping tips Gifts for foodies and techies

Say goodbye to Mayor Miller

KNOWKNOWTHIS FACE?THIS FACE?North Toronto funnyman is this season’s head elf

www.MyTownCrier.ca

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Midtown

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This is the most wonderful time of the year: the holidays.

And with that comes one of my favourite things: shop-ping.

Last weekend, I hit up some shops for my Annual Girls’ Christmas Shopping Weekend with my sisters and cousin — I won’t keep you with all the girly details, but it’s a tradition that has been going on nearly a decade. Do you have a holiday tradition to share? Send us an email at [email protected].

Thank you all for your feedback regarding last month’s premier issue. We hope to continue to grow and provide you with the news and lifestyle stories that mat-ter to your neighbourhood.

We had a lot of fun put-ting together this edition of Toronto Today, complete with some fabulous ideas for last-minute presents, great advice on surviving shopping and lots more.

Home and Garden expert Mary Fran McQuade invites you to bring nature into your home holiday décor this year, and gives you some great tips on how to do so in “Have a natural holiday home”.

If you have a foodie in your family — or you like to cook, bake, or eat — check out our Dining section for delightful and delicious gift ideas.

And with a new year upon us, Yael Panet offers her take on what we ladies should

have in our closets in “Must Haves for 2011”.

In addition to gift giving and spending time with the fam, I believe it’s at this time of year we should especial-ly think of our friends and neighbours in need. Within our community, there are countless wonderful holiday helper initiatives going on. In “Jake gives really big”, reporter Tristan Carter shares the story of the Schwartz family and their initiative Jacob’s Ladder.

City Hall bureau chief Kris Scheuer caught up with outgoing mayor David Miller during his last week. Check out what he had to say about his legacy in “Former mayor re� ects on tenure”.

All of us here at Toronto Today wish you and your family a safe and joyous hol-iday season and all the best in the New Year.

’Tis the season to be jolly — and giving

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2626Diary of a silver fox:Diary of a silver fox:

Author Elaine Mitchell on dating Author Elaine Mitchell on dating over age 50over age 50

4NEWS: Say goodbye to Mayor David MillerOutgoing mayor talks legacy, transit and more

15ARTS REVIEW: Laughs at comedy clubReporter Shawn Star had a blast at Absolute Comedy

20FASHION: Must haves for 2011Four items you need in your wardrobe

33SPORTS: Football fameDave “The Sponge” Sapunjis on breaking records

Plus lots more...

Alexis DobranowskiManaging Editor

On the cover: Midtown’s top elf Justin Landry

Photo courtesy Canwest Global

Contents

4 TORONTO TODAY DECEMBER 2010

Former mayor reflects on tenure

BY KRIS SCHEUER

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David Raymond Miller hopes people remember him as an ethical mayor with a heart, who focused on transit, environment, helping people and good � nancial management.

Miller swept into power in 2003 with a broom as his symbol promising to clean up Toronto — literally and � guratively.

Sitting in his city hall of� ce during his last week in of� ce, Miller re� ected on his years at city hall.

Scandal-free Miller touts the fact his administration has

not had scandals like the previous government with the MFP computer-leasing mess.

As a councillor, Miller helped push for an inquiry into the computer scandal that unveiled allegations a former politician got bribes over connection to a city-contract.

“The (current) city government has come under some criticism for relatively minor things like a councillor renting a squir-rel costume, which I would suggest rather pales in comparison to the MFP scandal, where hundreds of millions of dollars (in contracts) went out the back door,” Miller said in an interview a week before his term ended.

In the last seven years, Miller hired an integrity commissioner, ombudsman and lobby registrar at city hall and council banned corporate and union donations in elections.

High taxes? Some paint Miller’s leadership as

heavy on taxes and wild on spending, but he said that’s false.

“It’s ludicrous in the extreme to sug-gest that there was a wild spending spree going on. It’s just not factual,” Miller said.

Owners of single-family homes in Toronto pay the lowest property taxes in Ontario, and the city delivers ser-vices such as streetcars and subways that other municipalities with higher taxes don’t offer.

“If you pay the least and get the most, something must be going well,” said Miller, � rst elected as a council-lor in 1994. “(Plus) taxes on ten-ants and businesses have gone down under my administration.

“The other objective measure is

our credit rating is stable to trending upwards.”

No free lunchWhile Mayor Ford campaigned on “ending the gravy

train” — stopping “perks”— Miller said he tried to lead by example by not accepting such things.

“I bring my own lunch from home. I think setting that kind of example is really important. I don’t trumpet that kind of thing, but I have always sent back all the freebies you can get as a councillor and mayor until I earned a Metropass by being on the TTC commission.”

Spending spree? He admits, the city’s gross budget has gone up in

seven years. “We spent more on police because we wanted to put

more police of� cers on the street as part of a community safety strategy,” he said. “Which has resulted in crime being cut in half.”

There was also more spending on transit includ-ing replacing a � eet of buses that was 24 years old, he added.

Some budget increases are because provincial legisla-tion mandates these programs.

“When welfare goes up, technically our spending goes up. We are legally mandated to do that by the province.”

Suburbs vs. downtownHe disputes the idea that his city council spent more

money downtown and ignored the suburbs. “Amalgamation exposed that there’d been a con-

sistent under-investment in North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke, particularly in neighbourhoods marked by poverty,” he said. “So the major investments over the past seven years have been in those (suburb) areas because they were needed.”

But that doesn’t mean midtown was ignored. “You have seen the list of achievements. If you look at

them, there is something in every neighbourhood there.” The city manager’s of� ce released 40 pages listing

city policies accomplished under Miller’s seven-year reign. This includes everything from neighbourhood beauti� cation projects, to new buses and more commu-nity police of� cers.

But he’s not always got his dues because as a politi-cian, you can’t cut ribbons on a new sewer system.

“People may not know the details, but generally speaking they know that we invested in the city. We were city builders as a government,” he said.

He said even though most of the major mayoralty candidates spent 10 months attacking his record, a week before the Oct. 25 election his approval rating was at 60 percent.

On Nov. 24 he wasn’t saying what his next job would be, but his career will focus on pairing the economy and environment.


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We would like to acknowledge the following Realtors for contributing to the Shelter

Foundation through each commission earned.Ellie Amasya, Louisa Baumander, Taylor Cameron,Alain Cohen, Alina Cornea, Ali Dabiri-Kashkouli,

Patrice Gale, Joanna Gorka, Ellen Hanbidge,Frank Khan, Cheryl Lefton, Belinda Lelli, Valerie Lennard,

Paul MacMillan, Cia Moazzam, Honey Moore,Mihaela Nitescu, Maz Parto, Marisha Robinsky,

Bosko Scepanovic, Evan Schwartz, Lorraine Smith,Mark Smith, Andrea Stark, Peter Szummer and Elizabeth Taylor.

Thank you for a successful clothing drive to the Shelter Foundation

Thank you for a successful clothing drive to the Shelter Foundation

Peace and Love to AllThank you to those who have entrusted

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Liz Taylor

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“I was thinking about simply ‘David Miller cre-ating jobs, changing minds.’ That’s the role I see myself in.”

He will also be staying on in an advisory role to the World Bank plus the C40 climate change cities leadership group.

Have a heartMiller hopes to be remembered as a mayor who

cared and created a city that helped people. “They know who (Mayor) David Miller was. He

had a heart for people who needed a hand up. He supported the environment. He supported public transit and he was ethical and led a government of integrity,” said Miller, a Harvard economic grad and lawyer by trade.

“That’s the legacy I wanted to leave.” TT

Cont. from Page 4

On transit: “We replaced all the buses. Now why had people allowed all the buses to run down for 24 years?”

TORONTO TODAY FILE PHOTO

MAYOR DAVID MILLER visited the Town Crier offi ces during the 2006 election campaign.

On replacing sewers: “It’s hard to show people. It’s not, ‘I want to be mayor because I want to replace the sewers.’ Doesn’t quite have cache.”

On legacy: “They know who David Miller was. He had a heart for people who needed a hand up. He was ethical and led a government of integrity.”


Spotlight on Midtown

Q: I was a patron at a restaurant last month. I went to use the rest room which is located down a flight of stairs. It was

hard to see the steps which were quite steep and there was no handrail. I slipped off the edge of one step and fell to the bottom of the stairwell. I fractured my ankle so badly that I needed sur-gery. I also have other injuries. I can’t work right now and I can’t look after my house or my family. Is the restaurant responsible for my losses?

A: Under Ontario’s Occupier’s Liability Act, the restaurant may be liable to you if it was negligent in the construction,

maintenance or repair of the stairway where you fell. It must be in compliance with minimum standards established by local by-laws. These usually include the requirement for a handrail which you say was not in place and will establish maximum step heights. It also sounds as though the lighting was inadequate and created a danger for restaurant patrons. You may be entitled to recover dam-ages for your pain and suffering, loss of income and housekeeping and childcare expenses. Your family members may also have a claim for your loss of care, guidance and companionship.

Kathleen TimmisLinett & Timmis

Personal Injury Lawyers1867 Yonge St., Suite 1004, Toronto

416-366-51001-800-363-5100

[email protected]

Please write to our experts:If you would like to take advantage of their years of experience, send your questions to “Ask the Experts” and they will be happy to reply to you in this space. By E-mail: [email protected], by Fax: 416-488-3671 or write: Ask the Experts, c/o Town Crier, 101 Wingold Ave., Toronto, ON, M6B 1P8.

Kathleen Timmis, a partner in the personal injury law fi rm of Linett & Timmis, has been practicing accident and insurance litigation in Toronto for over 19 years. Her fi rm has established a solid reputation, representing thousands of injured victims and their families throughout Ontario.

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We do have the city’s priciest homes, but...It’s no surprise to learn Central Toronto is the most expen-sive place in town to live — starting with our housing costs. In this month’s “Spotlight on Midtown” we over-lay average year-to-date selling prices from the Toronto Real Estate Board’s November � gures on the city’s ward layout.The midtown wards stand out as having the costliest real estate in Toronto — by far.

Part of Ward 25, including Bridle Path, Hoggs Hol-low and York Mills, tops the list at nearly $1.5 million per sale, followed by the Rosedale-centred Ward 27 at under $1.2 million. North Toronto, Forest Hill and the Casa Loma-Davenport areas are also edging toward the million-dollar mark.

But the Leaside area is still priced moderately. And, remember, these are averages— so there are still plenty of lower priced discoveries, even into the $400,000s, to offset the tonier properties.Watch next month for a real estate feature and map that will reveal more shocking news. — Eric McMillan

Jake gives really bigBY TRISTAN CARTER

Young ladies with wings were buzzing about and an eight-foot-tall bear danced with children as the DJ played pop tunes.

The � rst annual Jake’s Gigantic Give was held last month.

All around kids were exam-ining toys and crafts but they weren’t choosing items to add to their wish list — they were picking out gifts for less fortu-nate children.

“This is our 10th year of planning events, but this is our � rst year of doing this shopping for others,” said Ellen Schwartz, who envisioned and organized the unique fundraiser with her husband Jeff.

The couple’s eldest son, 13-year-old Jacob, suffers from a neurodegenerative disorder known as Canavan disease. When he was very young, they started the Jacob’s Ladder Foun-dation, which raises awareness of and funds for neurological research and genetic screen-ing. To date, the foundation has raised over $2 million.

Tickets for Jake’s Gigantic Give sold for $25 with proceeds going directly to the founda-tion.

“The funds from today go to

Jacob’s Ladder’s efforts at Sick-Kids, but the gifts go to all the other charities,” Schwartz said.

Starbucks coffee and snacks were available at no cost for those in attendance. Even usage of the empty jewellery store on Lesmill Road where the event was held was provided free of charge. The toys that kids picked out were donated to the fundraiser knowing that they would then go to places such as the Chum City Christmas Wish or Jewish Family and Child Services, among others.

“It’s kids helping kids and charity helping charity,”

Schwartz said.Jacob was smiling through-

out the giveaway as guests took pictures of him and his family members. The Schwartzes hope the event not only helps needy children and those like Jacob who live with an illness, but instils positive values in the children taking part.

“I really wanted kids to understand what it meant when they were creating a gift for others,” Schwartz said. “I just really believe if we teach chil-dren at a young age the power of giving, it’ll resonate through-out their lifetime.” TT


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There’s a solution to surviving holiday shopping this year at malls: don’t go.

Unless you’re a shopping masochist who gets a thrill out of half an hour wait lines and � nds joy in getting trampled over as eager customers race to the sale section, opt for local shops and boutiques rather than heading to the congested shopping malls.

Jane Martin said you don’t have to go to the mall to experi-ence great shopping. The retail expert — who launched a website called Toronto Shopoholic — said there are other areas that offer just as many shops as malls, if not more.

“Depending on what you’re looking for, the top three neighbourhoods to shop in are: Yonge and Eglinton, Leslieville and Queen St. West,” Martin said. “With Yonge and Eglinton, you get a mix of mall stores and boutiques so you get the best of both worlds. Meanwhile, Leslieville has cool indepen-dent designers — vintage fashion shops and local Toronto designers, and with Queen West, you have a lot of shopping stores in one area.”

But if you still remain a little skeptical, opt for online shopping. Martin said this will make for a quick, easy and enjoyable shopping experience for anyone.

Though online deals will be rampant, be conscious of delivery dates, Martin said.

“Depending on the retailer, many will have on their website of when you have to shop by,” she said. “Usually you can pay for

Help for the holidays

“Keep your stamina up,

pop into a café.”


an express shipping – it’s just a lot more expensive. Read what the retailer says, because you can receive your shipment within two business days or two weeks later.”

Knowing where to shop is not the only weapon against Christmas shop-ping. It’s also important to keep in mind what to shop for.

Tamika Auwai — creator of the website Shop Socials — said if you’re looking for something in particular, ask someone, especially if you’re shopping in local boutiques.

“(Boutique shops are) smaller and don’t have the mall to support them and so they will help you,” the shopping specialist said. “They’ll give you their undying support in � nding that perfect gift because they value your business.”

Indeed, being prepared and knowing what to purchase in advance can contribute to making your shopping experi-ence a pleasant one. Part of this means doing your research and making a list.

“Make sure you know what they want beforehand because it speeds up the whole pro-cess compared to if you’re just wandering around aimlessly,” Martin said. “And know what types of stores they shop at, because if all else fails you can get them a gift card.”

If you’re strapped for cash however, Martin suggests other alternatives such as bak-ing or hand-making a gift. And for parents — who she said are the most dif� cult to shop for — giving them a professionally snapped photo of the family is a great idea.

With any gift, Auwai said it may not always be about what they want but what you desire as well.

“It may be bold to say that everybody likes what you like, but some-times friends and family appreciate the things that you might have tried and liked,” she said. “You can expose them to different products that they might not be aware of but may develop a liking to.”

No matter where we end up shopping and what we end up buying — or making — for our loved ones this holiday, Auwai said take pleasure in it.

“Keep your stamina up, pop into a café, have yourself a hot chocolate and enjoy your shopping experience instead of getting stressed out.” TT


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How to find the BY KELLY GADZALA

It’s your � rst yoga class ever and as soon as you sit on the mat, the instructor launches into an impos-sible-looking V-sit. The entire class follows, except you.

Vowing never to return, you decide then and there to swear off yoga for life.

You’re not alone. The experts say that one bad class can wreck yoga for a person – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are some tips for � nding the yoga style that’s right for you:

Hit the mat and experimentFirst, pat yourself on the back for getting out

there and trying a class in the � rst place. There are so many styles and yoga studios that it can be intimidating just getting to the studio.

Toronto yogi YuMee Chung says there are nine internationally recognized brands of yoga, but that different styles spin out of those and that people also mix and match the different types.

“There’s so many hybrid styles,” she says. “You name it, it’s out there.”

Chung advises sur� ng the ’net to get a sense of what each style entails — she recommends web-

sites torontobodymind.ca and yogajournal.com as good yoga resources — and then jumping in and trying classes.

“It’s such an experiential thing,” she says. “You can talk (about it) ’til you’re blue in the face.”

Chung co-founded Passport to Prana � ve years ago in Toronto to give people the chance to experi-ence different yoga styles. She says at the time there wasn’t a lot of crossover between the different types of yoga.

The passport card, which has taken off in the last year and is now available in L.A., New York and San Francisco, enables users to try out a yoga class at participating yoga studios in their city.

Ashtanga or restorative?If you’re unsure which class to try � rst, try

matching a yoga style to your personality. It’s a phenomenon Tasha Rooke has noticed while teach-ing yoga classes at Mount Pleasant wellness facility Zen Beginnings.

The Type As tend to be athletic and have high-stress jobs, she says, and they want a more � ery class where they move around.

For that reason they tend to gravitate towards a form of hot yoga called Moksha, where the room is heated to over 37 degrees Celsius, she says. Either

Heal

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that or Ashtanga yoga, Bikram yoga and Power yoga, all dynamic styles that entail lots of cardio.

Those looking to relax and de-stress may prefer Hatha yoga, she says, or other styles where you move slowly through the poses and really focus on what’s happening inside.

For high stressed or injured folk, Rooke recommends restorative yoga — it’s slower, can be less intimidating for beginners and can also complement more rigorous regimes, she says.

Though Chung agrees that certain personality types gravitate to certain styles – the gym crowd goes for Ashtanga as it’s a dynamic cardio workout – she won-ders if a high-stress person wouldn’t bene� t from a more mellow classes.

“Don’t just do what you like,” she says. “Explore.”She also suggests looking for a certi� ed instructor

with teaching experience. Rooke adds that each instructor has his or her own

way of teaching even the same style.“You need to feel comfortable with their language

… and to ask questions.”

What to expectKeeping an open mind as to the various bene� ts

and effects of yoga can be a good strategy when you � rst start a yoga regime as often, there are unexpected results.

Some people are surprised they sweat and are sore the � rst few weeks, Rooke says. Others expect to get the poses right in the very � rst class (remember the V-sit?). If you don’t get the poses straight away, be patient:

“Yoga is a practice,” she says. “It takes time to master.”

If one style doesn’t work for you, she adds, try another until you � nd the one that works for your body.

On the � ipside, those who seek out yoga for physical � tness reasons often discover it has other effects.

“It does really calm your body and mind,” Rooke says. “It brings more than physical stuff.”

Aside from physical bene� ts like better � ex-ibility, more energy, and better circulation, Rooke says the calming effects of yoga can extend beyond the yoga studio.

“You start to take les-sons from the mat and apply them to your per-sonal life.”

Chung can relate. She took her � rst yoga class when she was a stressed out lawyer and it changed her life. She left the world of law

and became a yoga instructor and yoga studio owner, and now, a yogi entrepreneur.

Yoga gives her insight into her emotional life, she says, and the breathing she’s learned through yoga helps her deal with challenging or stressful situations.

At close to 40, Chung says she’s healthier and hap-pier today than she’s ever been thanks to yoga.

“It continues to be a crash course for me in under-standing my own mind and body.” TT

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Q: What’s the deal with the dressed up moose on Moore Avenue?

A: Her name is Florence Moos-engale, but employees at Integracare call her “Flo”.

The 10-year-old moose statue sits majestically on the lawn in front of the private nursing of� ce located at Bayview and Moore.

You may remember Mel Lastman’s Moose in the City campaign of the year 2000. Well, Flo is one of the few remaining survivors of Lastman’s failed attempt to boost tourism and bring the 2008 Olympics to Toronto.

The former mayor � lled the city with 325 of these Canadian landmarks decorated by local artists, and sold off to private sponsors with the pro� ts going to charity. Mark Selkirk, the Etobicoke entrepreneur who’s com-pany Merlinworks created the moose, died on Nov. 24.

A decade later, Flo is one of only 20 of the moose still standing in the GTA as part of his legacy. She was originally dressed as a nurse to cheer up Integracare patients.

However, as managing director Philip Russel explains, a simple Hal-loween costume led to her expanded wardrobe.

“We dressed her up as a witch for Halloween,” Russel said. “Ever since then, we’ve been changing her clothes based on suggestions from the staff and community.”

Integracare’s of� ce is adorned with pictures of Flo’s different looks over the years, including time spent as a chicken and a bunny during Easter, or wearing bathing suits to celebrate summer heat.

And where does one � nd an out� t for a moose? She currently stands wearing black and white checker-board blouse, a jet black skirt, accent-ed by a pair of ruby red slippers and a matching red scarf, an out� t designed by volunteers from the Junior League of Toronto organization.

Now you know.—Tyler Edwards

Do you have a burning question you want answered? Let us know. Email what you wanna know to [email protected] and we’ll do our darndest to � nd out for you. TT

You oughta know

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How a citizen can make a changeThere’s a new city council embark-ing on how to shape Toronto for the next four years.

Rather than sit on the sidelines and watch the new Mayor Rob Ford and 44 councillors make decisions that shape the city and your neigh-bourhood, get in the game.

Now’s the perfect time to push for something you are passionate about. We often complain to our loved ones, neighbours, colleagues or strangers about speeding cars on our street or sketchy characters hanging out in a nearby parking lot.

It’s easier than you think to voice your concerns and make a positive difference.

Keep in mind Mayor Ford was elected overwhelmingly in the sub-urbs, so he may focus more on these voters.

“Rob Ford will cater to his sub-urban base, so voices from the sub-urbs will be more powerful,” said Midtown Councillor Joe Mihevc.

That doesn’t mean Ford will ignore Midtown, especially as he campaigned on better customer ser-vice.

Midtowner Adam Chaleff-Freu-denthaler is no stranger to political action. He started as a teenager pushing for better education and community safety.

“It starts by deciding what you want changed and sharing it with friends, neighbours and family and people you have never met,” he said. “Get a critical mass together.”

He suggests calling Mayor Ford even if you don’t think he will sup-port your cause.

“The public citizens don’t need to change with the political climate. The citizens are there to tell govern-ment how to change,” Chaleff-Freu-denthaler said.

Customer service 311 info lineIf you have a basic issue like a

pothole, missed garbage pick-up or fallen tree limb, start with the city’s 24/7 customer service line 311.

Call mayor, councillorsIf you have no luck with 311,

or you want to push for a bigger change, call your councillor or the mayor.

“All different councillors got elected, so different voices count,” Mihevc said. “If you want some-thing more, like crosswalks, a build-ing application, renovating a park, then your best alley is a city coun-cillor.”

If you don’t know who your city councillor is, call 311 and tell the customer service rep your address and they will give you the info. Or go to toronto.ca.

Success for your project If you want something that costs

money, you will have a harder time,” Mihevc said.

You will improve your chanc-es for city approval and money if you bring fundraising dollars to the table, he added.

A great example is Glen Cedar Park, where community members sold engraved park benches, tree plaques and walkway bricks to raise $100,000 for a new playground. The city chipped in another $100,000.

The community volunteers developed a website, contacted their councillor and the Town Crier, which wrote several articles about their progress and success.

Civic Engagement 101To be successful, you need oth-

ers to join your cause. “Working alone is almost a

one-person dream,” Mihevc said. “Working with people with the same dream creates a vision. So get organized.”

Coach House Books just released Local Motion: The Art of Civic Engagement in Toronto, with advice by more than a dozen activists, jour-nalists and writers.

Included in the book is an essay called Civic Engagement 101, writ-ten by Dave Meslin, one of the book’s editors.

He advises you to know your councillor plus city staff who write policy reports. This way you can have some input before staff makes recommendations to politicians.

If you know the city staffer or department you need to contact check the city’s site for a list of names and phone numbers.

Meslin also suggests you make a � ve-minute deputation to a commit-tee of councillors deciding on the issue you care about. Don’t forget to bring a crowd of supporters.

Next month: How social media can help your cause, keeping up the momentum and getting radical.

If you have an issue you are pushing for, I’d love to know [email protected]. TT

City ViewsKris Scheuer

Planing the addition?You are ready! You need

more space! However you are not sure where to start from. This will be probably one of the largest investments of your life after purchasing that same house that you need to expand. You have the idea of what you would like to do however you have no clue how much that will cost. You have the budget in mind, however, will that be enough? Where to start? Who to call?

Modular Home Additions Ltd. is the company that can help you throughout the project. From free estimates and setting the budget, design process and obtaining the permits, interior design and � nally construction and project management, Modular can organize everything for you.

You can learn more about the company from their web site at www.modular.ca.

If you would like to know what others had to say about Modular go to www.homestars.com and read what their customers think about them.

ADVERTISING FEATURE


silly’silly’‘big‘big andand

BY TRISTAN CARTER

Due to budget constraints and a lack of interest, the powers-that-be are thinking about cancelling Christ-mas…

That is, unless one North Toronto resident has anything to say about it.

Well, at least that is the premise of the new TV movie, Cancel Christmas, starring local actor Justin Landry.

“It’s de� nitely a family movie. It’s pretty touch-ing and it’s funny,” said Landry, who was born and raised in the GTA. “I think my character brings a lot of fun to the role. But there are some heart-wrench-ing moments in the � lm.”

Landry plays an elf in this original � lm by the Hallmark Channel. He is tasked with helping Santa—played by Judd Nelson of Breakfast Club fame—save Christmas by teaching children the true meaning of the holiday. The � lm was shot in Hamil-ton and is Landry’s � rst full-length � lm.

“This is my � rst movie and it’s a lead role,” Landry said. “When I got the audition and it said ‘lead role’ I thought, ‘This is kind of a waste of time for me to audition for it’.

“But they wanted a silly big elf and I pull off big and silly quite nicely.”

From 2001-2002 Landry was the host of CBC’s

SmartAsk! He has also appeared in numerous com-mercials and even won a Best Actor Award at the 2008 Bessies for his role as Elevator Small Talk Tony in a Diet 7Up ad.

Growing up in Oshawa, Landry was always outgoing and involved. He was the host of his high school’s Christmas assemblies for three years. He also played competitive hockey and baseball before attending the University of Western Ontario where he studied political science.

As a university student, Landry got a summer job working at the Oshawa General Motors plant. It was during his time working on the assembly line that he began thinking of jokes for his stand-up routine.

“It was a great motivating factor working on the assembly line thinking, ‘this is great but I don’t want to do it for the rest of my life. I do want to be a comedian I do want to be an actor’,” Landry said.

From there, Landry worked towards that goal by developing his own one-hour long comedy show and premiering it at the Whitby AMC movie theatres.

“I made it a fundraiser for the Hospital for Sick Children and raised some money for sick kids and I got a tape out of it and that’s how I got my � rst agent in Toronto and a manager in Los Angeles,” Landry said.

Even before his success, Landry was focused on

helping the community and the world of comedy and acting changed nothing. He spent his � rst three years in North Toronto volunteering his spare time as a novice hockey coach.

“It’s great to daydream about the next greatest toy or the next greatest gadget. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with thinking about that,” Landry said. “But it’s also nice to spend some time to think about what you can do for others.”

The spirit of giving is a common theme is Can-cel Christmas and Landry points to one scene in par-ticular that exempli� es this. Typically, when children visit Santa at the mall they sit on his lap and tell him what they want for Christ-mas. This scene puts a bit of a spin on that tradition.

“(Santa’s) saying not, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ He’s saying: ‘What are you going to give?’ and people, they forget that. That’s totally an option,” Landry said.

Cancel Christmas will air Dec. 24 at 8 p.m. on Showcase and again on Dec. 25 at 6 a.m. TT

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silly’Laughs roll at amateur night

BY SHAWN STAR

Religion. Race. Politics. Sex.These are all topics you avoid at the dinner table,

but at Absolute Comedy, they’re par for the course.I ventured into the comedy club just north of

Eglinton Avenue on Yonge Street, last month to wit-ness the Pro/Am night — the one time a week that the club showcases aspiring and amateur comedians as openers for the pros.

Even with getting there an hour early, tables were already starting to � ll up, and by the time the show started (8:30 p.m.), there wasn’t a seat available.

Knowing the � rst few comics would be ama-teurs, I braced myself for some tough-to-swallow secondary embarrassment. I was also desperately hoping none of them would engage me in conversa-tion as a part of their act. Lucky for me, neither fear came to fruition.

The evening’s host, comedian Ben Mathai, start-ed with a great set that involved talking to all � ve tables that line the front of the stage.

I’ve never been happier to be in the second row, but I bet the couple in front of me — who were on their second date — would de� nitely have preferred to go unnoticed. Almost every comedian who performed found a way to include them in a joke or two.

Rhiannon Archer hit the stage next. From the very beginning, she warned the crowd she no longer has a sensor that lets her know when she’s crossing over the line. She wasn’t lying. There’s not much of

her material I can include here, since she managed to cover three of the four aforementioned categories in a single joke.

Clifford Myers was next, and the massive comic impressed everyone, except maybe the two people seated in the very front, who had the best (or worst) view when he explained — with demonstration — why he doesn’t wear that particular shirt to sport-ing events. They didn’t seem to eat much of their nachos after that.

Third to the stage was British comic Bernice May, who relied heavily on sexual humour, and often winked at the male half of the second date couple. She even kindly (and suggestively) remind-ed him that she likes her coffee as a double-double in the morning.

Eric Clifford took the stage and proved clean can be funny. Always honest, he told the audience kids are great, but he doesn’t care about yours. Then he described his frustration with people who are impressed when a kid learns to walk, meanwhile he’s been doing it for years.

Ricky Singh followed with all new material, which could have used a bit more rehearsing. While some of his jokes bombed, the comic was quick on his feet and managed to close his act strong by educating the crowd about the platypus (Absolute Comedy’s logo) during mating season. You can ask Singh for the details.

Self-described ‘Bob-Saget-and-Charlie-Sheen’s-brother-from-Two-And-A-Half-Men-look-a-like’ Anthony Ciardulli got a lot of laughs, especially

when poking fun at Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol. “She danced about as well as dead wood, but I

don’t like to say that because it’s an insult to dead wood everywhere,” he said of her appearance on Dancing With The Stars. “Bristol, just because your mom is a complete idiot, it doesn’t make you a star.”

Finally, the headliner of the evening, Ward Anderson took the stage and kept the audience roar-ing with laughter.

He was great, with one bit about how his girl-friend is smarter than him and the difference in the books they read: “She reads books about poor people in third world countries and I read the novels that are based on movies I’ve already seen.”

And with his on-the-spot moments, like his impromptu example of why the video game ‘Marching Band Hero’ doesn’t exist, Anderson’s performance was something you’d expect to see headlining a major comedy festival.

So when the show came to an end, and I left the club after almost two hours of comedy, I couldn’t believe the night only cost me $6 (food and bever-age not included). I’ll be heading back soon for another round of laughs, but this time I’ll make a reservation, otherwise I might get stuck in the front.

Absolute Comedy is open from Wednesday to Sunday and showcases the same headliners throughout the week. Prices vary depending on the day, and whether you want to include dinner with your ticket. TT


Dini

ng Gifts that keep on giving (yum)

Atlantic Seafood: Recipes from Chef Michael Howell, by Michael Howell, Nimbus Publishing. $25.

Nestled in Nova Scotia’s gorgeous Annapolis Valley, Tempest just keeps win-ning awards as does its chef/owner, Michael Howell. A James Beard-invited chef and leader of Slow Food Nova Scotia, Howell is renowned for his commitment to using fresh, local ingredients which, he says means he often spends “as much time explaining to patrons why I don’t have Atlantic salmon on the menu as I spend cooking the sustainable seafood that is on it.” His book approaches seafood from a cultural as well as an ethical perspective – not a guilt trip, just an eye-opener. Engagingly written, the recipes and technique tidbits he offers are remarkably use-ful to cooks of all experience levels.

Fresh with Anna Olson: Season-ally Inspired Recipes to Share with Family and Friends, by Anna Olson. Whitecap Books. $29.99.

Blessed with the bounty of Niag-ara, television chef Anna Olson has always encouraged viewers to seek out their own local, seasonal ingre-dients. Her new book offers recipes that make the best of the offerings of farmers markets and home garden. It’s all about the seasons and the community in her kitchen. This is a cookbook that helps you to make the ordinary extraordinary.

French Taste: Elegant Everyday Eating, by Laura Calder. Harper Col-lins. $39.95.

Laura Calder won her � rst food competition at the age of six, and in 2010, her Food Network show, French Food at Home, won the James Beard Award. Now her elegant new cook-book has captured gold in the Cook-book Category. French Taste takes the mystique out of contemporary French cuisine, and her recipes make elegant French food accessible. While convey-ing real pleasure in shopping, cook-ing, eating and entertaining, she also inspires readers – both the accom-plished and the less assured – with con� dence in the kitchen. Vancouver Cooks 2: Chefs’ Table

Society of British Columbia, Douglas and McIntyre Publishers. $40.

In the English Canadian Food Cul-ture category, top prize went to the second volume from the Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. A celebration of Van-couver’s world-class dining culture, this compilation of creative recipes from the city’s most innovative chefs is nonetheless intended for the home cook. Divided into four sections – local food, international � avours, emerging talents and pioneering chefs – it also offers helpful wine pairing notes, fas-cinating chef pro� les, mouth-watering photography, and, oh yes, a foreword by Vicki Gabereau. Royalties from the sale go to the Chefs’ Table Scholarship and Bursary Fund.

Tony Aspler’s Cellar Book: How to Design, Build, Stock and Manage Your Wine Cellar Wherever You Live, by Tony Aspler, Random House Canada, $32.99.

Silver in the same category went to Tony Aspler, who explains in simple lan-guage how to put together a home wine cellar. The book follows him as he builds up his own condo cellar and even offers tips from wine celebrities about how they built theirs. Ideal for burgeoning oenophiles, there’s information about the wine regions and what they offer as well as food pairing advice. And you have to love Aspler’s unique style: “Wine gets ‘bottle shock’ when � rst introduced to the container in which it will spend its life, rather like an unsuccessful � rst date that turns into a lock-down arranged marriage.” TT

BY LIZ CAMPBELL

Foodies rule! And those of us who love food want to read about it. Cuisine Canada’s list of 2010 Canadian Culinary Book Award winners provides some choice reading – and cooking! Here are some of my favourites.

Why not give the foodies in your life a gift they’ll be able to keep opening all year long? Prices are list prices; check at your favourite bookstore or online for savings of as much as 40 percent.


Oil You NeedIn olive oil as in wine, it’s all about terroir

– where did it grow? TV chef Christine Cushing has just launched her new Vibrant Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, made in Greece from Peloponnesian koro-neiki olives. Partner to her original Bold, it’s buttery with a smooth peppery � nish, a � tting dressing for Bibb or subtle lettuces and vegetables, drizzled over pasta, and as a � nishing oil for a piece of mild, white � sh. Check out Christine’s recipe for Christmas brownies made with olive oil. $23.

Hot ChutneyBlack pepper and lime are the in � avours. Picture

peaches, onions, red peppers and herbs with black pepper and lime in a chutney you can serve with almost anything from chicken to scrambled eggs. Gorgeous! Rootham’s Black Pepper Lime Chutney. $8.

Beet This!You can’t beat beets, according to Grace Lalle-

mand. ‘The Beet Lady’ has been around for a couple of decades, but still keeps coming up with great, new beet-based products. Check out Beetroot Delights’ elegant new Roman bottle of beet wine vinegar ($10) and my perennial favourite for a quick, easy starter, Ginger Beet Jelly ($8) – a zinger served with sharp cheddar cheese and crackers ($10).

Looking and Keeping CoolSanyo’s 45-bottle Wine Cooler has slide-out

wood racks, blue LED interior lighting (switchable)

that emits no heat, a smart, brushed metal door frame, and two separate compartments to maintain optimum serving temperature and humidity for both red and white wines. There’s even a dual zone temperature control on the front door to avoid cool air escaping. And this makes an attractive addition to any home. Available at Costco and other retailers. $500.

Lock up the FlavourThere’s nothing worse than stale coffee! For cof-

fee a� cionados, a unique new storage canister keeps their favourite brew fresher longer by eliminating the four main causes of � avour loss in whole bean and ground coffee – CO2 gases, moisture, light and air. A valve vents away trapped carbon dioxide gas created during the roasting process and the Friis Coffee Vault blocks out moisture, light and air to seal in � avour.

Order online at www.friiscoffee.com.

Christine Cushing’s Pecan Spice Olive Oil Brownies

This recipe from The Food Network chef uses her own olive oil and has that touch of spice that seems to be so right at Christmas. “Chocolate and olive oil is such a delicious combination. This recipe was inspired by a food blog competition that I judged recently. It’s so easy yet feels so sophisticated,” Christine says. 100 gm bittersweet choc (3 oz.) 1/3 cup Christine Cushing’s Vibrant extra virgin olive oil (75 ml) 1/4 tsp. salt (1 ml)

1/3 cup all purpose � our (75 ml) 2 eggs 1/2 cup unbleached sugar (125 ml) 1 tsp vanilla (5ml) Grated zest of 1 orange 1/4 tsp. ground cloves (1 ml) 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (1 ml) 1/2 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8”x8” square baking dish with parchment paper or brush with butter.

Method: Melt chocolate over a double boiler over barely

simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk in olive oil until smooth. Meanwhile, toast the pecans on a baking sheet

for 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool.

In another medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, cloves, cinnamon and salt until pale and sugar has dissolved.

Fold in chocolate mixture. Add � our and stir with wooden spoon or spatu-

la until completely blended. Fold in pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in oven

at 350 F for 20-25 minutes until � rm but still moist in centre and crackly on top.

Remove and cool to room temperature. Cut into squares and store in sealed container. Serves 8. TT

Gourmet giftsho wouldn’t want a gift that makes their mouth water? Here are some ideas for the person in your life who lives to eat. (If you’re lucky, they’ll share with you!)

BY LIZ CAMPBELL

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2048 Avenue Road(just north of Dunblaine Avenue)

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Roger Mooking’s Spiced Turkey Minis1 turkey leg1 tsp Kosher salt1 tsp freshly ground black pepper2 tbsp olive oil1/2 tsp coriander ground1/2 tsp cumin ground1 tsp sweet paprika1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub turkey with all ingredients and place on a roasting tray. Roast for 30 minutes or until turkey is fully cooked. Allow to cool.

Add red wine vinegar to the roast-ing tray and scrape the yummy bits from the bottom of the pan and add to a bowl. Once cool enough to handle,

remove turkey from bones by scraping with a fork. Hand chop until diced and add to bowl.

Chili Mayo for Turkey Sliders1 cup mayonnaise1/3 cup of Sambaal Oleck chili paste

Combine until both ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

Putting it together:On a mini burger bun of your

choice, add turkey salad, top with baby arugula and chili mayo.

Roger Mooking is host of Food Network’s Everyday Exotic Tuesdays at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

—News Canada

This time of year marks the start of seasonal parties and friendly drop-ins. Every party host needs a go-to appetizer recipe in their repertoire. One of my favourites is my Spiced Turkey Minis. Not only are they simple to make, they are delicious and perfect for this time of year. Your guests will love them.

Amazing appetizers


Every season I compile a list of my must-have items, and I do so based on the assumption that I can narrow down my purchases if I know exactly what I am looking for.

It keeps me focused and on track and stops me from buying things that’ll never get worn. So far, this practice has been quite successful and, as a result, it is rare to � nd an item in my closet that has not seen the light of day!

With a new year quickly emerging, I thought it’d be � tting to share the top � ve lust-after items for 2011.

With so many stores on sale during the holiday season, now is the perfect time to grab those items and relish the deals to be had.

Fash

ion

Cascading EarringsI think the best way to try a trend is to

exhibit it through jewellery. This past season I was obsessed with vintage “clip-on” style earrings — my way of interjecting the Mad Men theme into my wardrobe without going all out!

Going forward though, I’m all about the cascading earring. This style is long in length and should graze your shoulders, providing a jewelled frame for your face. I personally love the idea of

trying a pair that have bright-coloured stones, like coral or turquoise, but any bold jewels

will be sure to make a statement.

Must haves Must haves for 2011for 2011

Fur VestA few years ago, I

bought a purple fur vest, brought it home and watched my husband

gasp in fear as I sported it around the house. Shocked

at my lack of fashion judg-ment, he questioned whether or not I was fully coherent when I made the purchase. I returned it. In hindsight though, I see where I went wrong: the colour. Well this season, the fur vest has made a strong resurgence and I am currently looking to try my luck again with this trend. I have learned that in order to make this look work, the fur needs to look as realistic as possible, so it’s best to look for one in a neutral tone like beige, black or gray. For all the animal lovers out there, rest assured: there are many faux options available that look and feel like the real thing.

Kitten HeelsWhile no one can deny the effect a stiletto

heel has on a woman’s body, walking around in four-inch heels all day can be no easy task. For fall and this coming spring, the runways are showing tons of kitten heels in ladylike shapes and styles. These are a perfect alternative if you are looking for some height but don’t want the discomfort of trying to trek around in sky scrapers!

Motorcycle BootsYes, they are a classic and have been around since

I can remember, but these amazingly cool boots are back with a vengeance and are proving to be a big

trend heading into 2011. Paired with everything from dresses to skirts to jeans, these are an

easy, go-to boot that will bring some rock and roll into your

wardrobe. TT

BY YAEL PANET

PHOTOS COURTESY BAYVIEW VILLAGE AND DIVANA

GO GET ’EM: Rhodium and Swarovski crystal earrings designed by Vered Lavi. Christian Louboutin heels at Davids, Marc by Marc Jacobs Boots at Browns, fur vest from Judith and Charles.


Busi

ness

Busi

ness

BY TYLER EDWARDS

Pay it forward

The spirit of giving arrived a little early this year in at least one Toronto ’hood.Toronto Random Act of Kindness Day took place in Yonge and Lawrence

Village last month.“It was a feel-good event based on the concept of paying it forward,” said

Rick O’Connor, head coordinator of the Yonge Lawrence Village Business Improvement Area. “It wasn’t any kind of retail promotion, just a way to bring everyone together. We wanted the businesses and the residents to connect under a positive light.”

The BIA spearheaded the initiative, and during the days leading up to the event issued 5,000 kindness cards to local business owners so they could pass them out to the public.

The cards encouraged residents to perform simple acts that could easily improve the lives of a friend, co-worker, classmate or stranger.

“I heard stories of people carrying groceries for each other, holding doors, and helping seniors across the road,” O’Connor said.

He said he hopes for a snowball effect — the program could expand to schools and other communities in the future.

Some other suggestions for random acts included complimenting or prais-ing others verbally, giving directions, cooking or sharing food, donating to a charity, helping a co-worker complete a task, or cheering someone up through an email or phone call.

Ni No Wong, owner of Bayview Blossoms, recently moved her � ower shop onto Yonge Street. She welcomed the Random Acts of Kindness idea.

“I think it’s just a great gesture,” Wong said. “I’ve been passing a � ower along to each customers, they smile and they’re very cheerful. Even if they don’t want it, I tell them to pass the gesture on to someone else. Yonge and Lawrence should de� nitely promote this model for other BIAs in the city.”

Wong gave � owers on several buses and to drivers in cars that pulled over at the TTC stop outside her shop. Passerby Lisa Baker received a carnation.

“I actually wasn’t aware that it was Kindness Day,” Baker said. “I believe in karma so I like it.”

When asked how she would pay it forward, she replied: “I’m going to give the change from my coffee to the next homeless guy I see.”

Bev Don set up coffee and tea to give out to shoppers in her store, Ardith One Canadian Pottery and Gifts.

Don was instrumental in bringing kindness day to the neighbourhood. She learned of the concept from a presentation by the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation at a conference this year.

In 2007, Kitchener-Waterloo distributed over 150,000 cards to local residents. “The idea is that everyone who gets the card, pays it forward and passes it on to someone else,” Don said. “Not only will kindness spread out onto the streets and into our neighbourhood, but we want people to receive the cards and pay it forward to friends and relatives across the city.” TT

TYLER EDWARDS/TORONTO TODAY

JUST CUZ: Ni No Wong, owner of Bayview Blossoms, hands a fl ower to a passerby on Random Act of Kindness Day.

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Have a natural holiday home

Take it outsideOutdoor lights are just � ne.

Who doesn’t like bringing the stars — even multicoloured ones — down to Earth? Then go a bit further and decorate a tree for your porch or garden. If you have one already planted, good for you. Oth-erwise, set up a cut evergreen or an old arti� cial tree.

Deck it with weatherproof rib-bon and shatterproof ornaments — ready-made styrofoam balls wrapped in ribbon are perfect and inexpensive. Tie on bunches of pinecones, stars cut from foil pans and anything else cheap and cheery.

Containers or urns that stay out-doors all winter can hold white birch and red dogwood twigs, plus evergreen branches and bright bows. If you’re not up for that, just spread a mix of different pinecones close together at the top of the con-tainer. (Stuff it with newspaper and a cardboard box or plastic pots � rst, if there’s no soil.)

Trim a treeThere’s nothing quite like a live

indoor tree, but that doesn’t work for everyone. Live trees are heavy, they need to be watered often and they can set off un-Christmassy allergies. (Rudolph’s the only one who really looks good with a red nose.)

So set up one of the great new arti� cial trees and cover it with dec-orations inspired by nature. Think tiny wreaths, stars and even rein-deer made of twigs. Look around for dried � owers or dried seed-pods that you can hang alone or in bunches. Pinecones from the woods can be frosted with glitter and wired or tied to branches.

Shape a miniature nest from grasses or vines and glue in white stones or beads for eggs. Birds certainly belong in trees, so scatter some on yours. Go with simple feathered faux songbirds or splurge on bright Christmas clip-ons or embroidered fabric shapes. Even shiny glass ornaments in natural shapes like squirrels, acorns, ears of corn, the sun and the moon have a place on a nature-themed tree.

And white Christmas or not, don’t forget snow� akes that chil-

dren can make themselves by fold-ing and cutting white paper.

Deck the halls, the mantle...A little Christmas in every room

is a lovely idea. Start with old-fashioned beeswax candles, which smell yummy and burn with a soft light. Bayberry candles are another old tradition, made from the waxy berries of the native bayberry bush.

Pinecones of different sizes and types in a basket add character to a room. Tuck in some bright berries and greens, too, if you like (and if you don’t have nibbling critters in the family.)

Pretty twiggy things work just � ne indoors, as well as out. Choose thin branches with interesting lines and shapes. Leave them natural or spray them white, silver or gold. Add a touch of glitter, maybe, and arrange in pitchers or other pottery pieces.

Children can make simple holiday banners from felt. Sketch and colour a paper design � rst, then cut out felt nature shapes to match. (Older kids can do this themselves.) Glue the shapes to a big background piece of felt with fabric or all-purpose glue. Hang your banner on a dowel when it’s done. Sign and date the back with a permanent marker for future years. TT

Hom

eHo

me&&

Gard

enGa

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BY MARY FRAN MCQUADE

One of the best things about the holidays is that you can adapt it to your own taste.We’ve all seen gorgeous Victorian Christmas decorations, sweet and simple country Christmases and glam

contemporary holiday styling. But if you’re feeling a little worn and frazzled by all the high-speed, high-tech and high-pressure swirl of Christmas 2010, try bringing a little — or a lot — of nature into the season.

After all, it started in a stable with animals, straw and the stars on hand.As a bonus, kids can make or help with many of the decorations, with a little aid from older family members.


Wrapping paper:Reduce: Give your gifts in reusable bags that can be re-gifted for any occa-

sion. Wrap gifts in wrapping paper made from recycled materials.Reuse: When unwrapping gifts carefully cut the present open along the

seams so the paper can be saved for another occasion.Recycle: Most paper can go into the blue box, but metallic, glittery or waxy

plastic-based wrapping paper must be thrown out.

Ribbons and bows:Reduce: Be creative when decorating gifts. If you want to beautify things

you can add a Christmas tree ornament to the outside of the packaging rather than using ribbons or bows.

Reuse: If you receive a gift with a ribbon or bow try and keep it in good condition so you can use it in the future.

Recycle: Most ribbons and bows are not recyclable, but there are com-postable alternatives.

Greeting cards:Reduce: Consider sending electronic cards or sending smaller sized cards.Reuse: Cut out the pictures from the front of the cards and use them as

decorations or to make Christmas crafts.Recycle: Metallic, glittery or waxy plastic-based cards must be put in the

garbage, but all other cards can be recycled. Some cards have wild� ower seeds embedded in the paper, which can be planted in the spring.

Christmas trees: Reduce: Purchase either an arti� cial tree that can be used year after year or

a small live tree that can spend the summer outdoors.Reuse: See Reduce.Recycle: The city will pick up undecorated and unbagged trees and com-

post, or turn them into wood chips. TT

Reduce, reuse, recycle

hen it comes to waste reduction we’ve long been told to follow the three Rs — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In that spirit, here are ways you can deal with your holiday waste in an eco-friendly manner — and remember the tips all year long.

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Gran Turismo 5$59.99, playstation.caGran Turismo is the racing game

that all other racing games are com-pared to. Known for its photorealism and selection of over 1,000 muscle, exotic and tuner cars, the � fth instal-ment adds more real-life tracks and an online community. Online play was introduced in an earlier edition but it’s kicked up a notch now. Compete with as few as one to as many as 16 other real life racers from across the globe.

Playseat WRC and Logitech G27 Racing Wheel

$1,200, playseat.comOf course if you’re going to by a

racing video game you need an authen-tic racing seat, steering wheel, pedals and gear shift. Playseat and Logitech team up to offer just such a contraption featuring the same seats found in actual rally cars and driving inputs designed to simulate real world driving.

Auto LED fl ashlight$24.99, thinkgeek.comIt’s no problem � nding enough

change in your car to buy a round of double doubles during the

day, but when night falls and you’re scrambling at the drive thru window while a parade of cars honk behind you, you’ll be thankful someone gift-ed you the auto LED � ashlight. This compact unit plugs into your auto’s cigarette lighter and charges off of the car’s electrical system. Pop it out and the light comes on instantly.

TomTom GO 2505 Series$329.99, tomtom.comTomTom GPS units are well known

for their pure volume of roadways includ-ed in their units. In fact, TomTom’s data-base has about 2.5 million more kilome-tres of roadway across Canada, Mexico and the USA than it’s next closest com-petitor. The TomTom GO with 5” screen makes use of � nger gestures familiar to anyone who’s ever used a touch-screen smartphone. Its library of over 130 verbal commands helps you keep both hands on the wheel and includes lifetime updates to maps. Of course what would a GPS unit be without integration. Pair your phone to the unit and use its speaker and microphone to chat.

Collapsable Shovel$29.50, leevalley.comShovels rarely fall into the tech cat-

egory but when it folds up smaller than your kid’s backpack it earns some geek cred. Nothing is worse when trying to dig your ride out from a big snowfall than trying to get those 4-foot wide powder movers around your rig. This

unit from Lee Valley folds up to just a foot long, is sturdy

and has a huge han-dle to make it easy to

use. TT

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Tantalize a techie


The dating life of a Silver FoxThe dating life of a Silver FoxBY JOSHUA FREEMAN

There are no good men out there.’ It’s a mantra one hears all the time in the dating

world. It’s often used by women to describe a dating pool they see as less than promising, especially among 50+ women.

But Elaine Mitchell wants to change that. The Forest Hill writer has just released a new book called Silver Fox: A Dating Guide for Women over 50.

“Over and over again, many, many women in their 50s have said ‘Oh, I’d love to have a man, but there aren’t any good ones out there, or they’re all gay, or they’re all married, or they all want 23-year-olds, blah, blah. And it wasn’t my experience as a single woman at all,” Mitchell says.

The 66-year-old says despite the fact she “isn’t gorgeous, or brilliantly talented or rich,” she’s had a vibrant dating life since divorcing 20 years ago. Inspired to help guide women in her writing work-shops who didn’t feel that was possible, Mitchell decided to write the book.

“I just thought, ‘No, I don’t want you to think that way.’ It’s wrong that women are blocking themselves before they even try and go after what they really want,” she says.

Although Mitchell acknowledges there aren’t as many men in the dating pool for a 50+ woman, she says there are enough. She points out that free of the constraints some younger women feel when they date, older women might be open to a wider range of experiences.

“When you’re younger a lot of people feel they have to get married to have a certain credibility in the world. You don’t need that anymore,” Mitchell says.

She notes 50+ women might be open for the � rst time in their lives to dating men of other races or age groups. And without feeling like they need to � nd � nancial security or status in a man, women can focus on simply connecting with men as people.

“You need (someone) for intimacy, the buzz of the energy between you, for companionship, for deep friendship,” Mitchell says. “There are needs, but they’re not about what other people think.”

Through its emphasis on journaling – creating self-awareness through writing – the book aims to help women achieve personal growth and become ‘silver foxes,’ con� dent women who have come into their own and know what they have to offer. Mitchell says it’s also about � nding out what you really want, whether that means marriage or meeting up with someone a few hours a week.

So far, the author says the response to the book has been positive and she’s even aiming to organize a casual meet-up for 50+ singles to interact through facilitated journaling this coming Spring.

In her own dating life, she’s happy with her partner David, a successful set-up staged by her son, incom-ing St. Paul’s councillor, Josh Matlow.

“Josh went up to him at some political celebration and asked him ‘are you single?’ David apparently did a double take and Josh said, ‘No, not for me, for my mom!” Mitchell laughs.

The book is available on amazon.ca or at www.silverfoxthebook.com TT

‘


The Yonge-Eglinton intersection is poised to become as important as Bloor and Yonge as a high-den-sity, mixed-use, modern urban hub of business, living, shopping and entertainment. And its future will be guided by our own Toronto and East York Community Council.

Its huge potential lies in the fact that virtually the whole southwest block from Yonge to Duplex south of Eglinton is TTC property slated for redevelopment by Build Toron-to, the city’s development agency.

While Midtown councillors and those representing the old City of Toronto were virtually excluded from Rob Ford’s cast of commit-tee chairs (with the exception of Karen Stintz, who was � agged as TTC chair), residents are not left without representation on so-called issues of local interest. Thus, the amazing future potential of the southwest corner of Yonge-Eglin-ton is in the hands of your reps, unless council decides it is a matter of city-wide importance.

The value slayer for this site could be of course Mayor Rob Ford’s plan to kill Transit City and with it the Eglinton light rail line. By joining the Spadina and Yonge subways, it would make the Yonge-Eglinton hub as important as the Yonge-Bloor interchange.

Lost in the senseless arguments of subways versus light rail transit is the fact that the Eglinton LRT line would run underground from Black Creek in the West to Laird drive in the East — so, a subway by any other name. The project is well underway. In July, tunnel bor-ing machines for the 11-km under-ground section were ordered.

If the line is killed, the promise of the intersection goes with it, and more importantly, a critical and much-needed reliable fast rapid transit solution to backed-up bus service across Eglinton into the inner suburbs.

The more activist councillors on the Toronto and East York Community Council — including Joe Mihevic, Josh Matlow, Kristyn Wong Tam and former Chair Pam McConnell — will meet shortly to

vote in a new chair. I have met several in the last

week, and they are a somewhat dispirited lot. Ford’s inner suburb allies got all the plum council com-mittee jobs. One told me that while most opposed Ford in the elec-tions, they will not act like an of� -cial opposition and simply block his plans for the sake of making his life dif� cult. Most think he will “fall on his face” at some point. One told me at that time he would “not help him up”!

Whatever, we should pay atten-tion to our own community council and support it in its city-building mission particularly as it relates to Yonge and Eglinton. They have every reason to insist on the value to our community and the whole of the city of the Eglinton line, so much of which is underground. If we let them do their work we can have a world-class urban centre at the core of our community that we can all be proud of.

Political pundit Patrick Gossage writes on the issues facing the city and its neighbourhoods. TT

Ford nearly shuts out MidtownBY PATRICK GOSSAGE

ToastyToastyCOURTESY SCOTT MCMANN ROSEDALE BIA

Families got into the holiday spirit at the Rose-dale BIA Calvacade of Lights held Nov. 27, where they took in entertainment and had tasty treats.


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Sat., Dec. 182010 Holiday Stroll on the Eglinton Way 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Treats for the kids, family fun, music and much more! On Eglinton Ave. West, between Chaplin Crescent and Oriole Parkway. Free. The Eglinton Way BIA. 416-487-3294.

Sat., Dec. 18Yonge Lawrence Village BIA’s Winter Retail will feature the Yonge Lawrence Village Carol-ers and Santa, who will make his annual visit to the Village between 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Bring your cameras and take pictures with Santa and don’t forget to ask him for your free Yonge Lawrence Vil-lage Enviro shopping bag.

Sun., Dec.19RBC Public Skate Days at Lea-side Gardens, 1073 Millwood Rd. 3– 4:30 p.m. 416-425-1124. The Laird and Wicksteed branch sponsors free skating events.

Prizes and special guests.

Mon., Dec. 20 and Tues., Dec. 21Christmas Kid’s Club for kids from JK to Grade 7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost $30 per child per day, $50 per child for both days OR $50 per family per day, $80 per family for both days. To register, call 416-422-0510. Leaside Pres-byterian Church. 670 Eglinton Ave. E.. 416-422-0510.

Fri., Dec. 17 – Sun., Jan. 2Dr. Seuss’ classic holiday How the Grinch Stole Christmas the Musical hits the stage in full musical form at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. The highly rated musical fea-tures all the classic characters including the Grinch, Max the dog and the festive Whos of Whoville. It also includes well-known tunes from the TV show like “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christ-mas.” $25–74.

Until Thurs., Dec. 30Soulpepper Theatre Company presents their perennial holiday classic A Christmas Carol as they return with Joseph Ziegler in his triumphant performance as Ebenezer Scrooge. Charles Dickens’ timeless Christmas ghost story is perfect for the whole family. Adapted and directed by Michael Shamata. Young Centre for the Perform-ing Arts, 55 Mill St., Building 49. 7:30 p.m. For more info call 416-866-8666.

Until Dec. 31Santa makes a special stop at Winterfest on Toronto’s Water-front again this holiday season for the 5th Annual Santa Cruise. Located at the foot of York Street, boarding begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by a harbour cruise until noon. $10 + HST per person (children under 6 are free). Visit www.mariposacruis-es.com or call 416-203-0178. TT

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Hockey legend Steve Yzerman was on hand at Thorncliffe Public School last month when hundreds of pairs of skates were donated as part of

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Litigation Law Clerk - Contract - Toronto - We currently are in need of a Litigation Clerk with 3 - 5 years experience to join us in the Toronto office of our Law De-partment for a one year contract. Code # CWKKX

Middleware Support Senior Analyst/Ana-lyst - Toronto - The Middleware Support Senior Analyst/Analyst will work as part of a team responsible for supporting highly available intranet/internet website to ensure performance, availability and stability. Code # CCATZ

Registered Nurse, Family Maternity Centre - Scarborough - Reporting to the Patient Care Manager of Family Maternity Centre, you will be responsible for provid-ing excellent care to a diverse patient population within of our multi-service en-vironment. Code # CCTTK

Packaging Scientist - Toronto - The Packaging Scientist is responsible for the structural and material development of our packaging and is a technical resource to the Operations, Marketing, Procure-ment functions.Code # CCTTY

Medical Quality Associate - Toronto - We are looking for a Medical Quality As-sociate to join our global medical quality teamThe Medical Quality Associate is a quality expert and leader who to develop and implement a strategy to strengthen quality of medical researchCode # CCTTA

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A hot issueBY J.L. GRANATSTEIN

In 2009, Minister of Citizenship, Immigra-tion and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney announced the end of the nation’s heritage languages program. He told a journalist “I think it’s neat that a � fth-generation Ukrai-nian Canadian can speak Ukrainian — but pay for it yourself.”

Liberal Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj responded by accusing Ken-ney of “fundamentally disagree(ing) with the intent of the (multiculturalism) legisla-tion that supports his portfolio.”

In other words, as Ottawa columnist Andrew Cohen put it, “Championing a more integrated country is often called intolerant, even racist, as if the conversation were taboo.”

Multiculturalism, in other words, is a hot issue.

Those who created Canada’s 1971 mul-ticulturalism policy had thought in terms of language and culture. But as immigration patterns shifted, as more visible minori-ties came to Canada, new concerns like employment, housing, education and � ght-ing discrimination, forced a shift in policy thinking. Equality through the removal of racial barriers became the main focus of multicultural programs, and race relations policies and programs were put in place to combat racial discrimination.

Then in 1982, Canada changed its con-stitution, put the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in it, and stated: “This Char-ter shall be interpreted in a manner consis-tent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.”

Multiculturalism, therefore, was now as permanent as the Constitution, and the Con-stitution is very hard to change. The melting pot now was of� cially dead and gone.

At the same time, the Charter also declared: “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to equal protection and equal bene� t of the law without discrimination and, in particu-lar, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability.” Discrimination was against the law.

Parliament soon passed the Multicul-turalism Act in 1988. The act saw multicul-turalism as a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society that was to assist in the preservation of culture and language, reduce discrimination, enhance cultural awareness and promote culturally sensitive change at the federal level. Thus the act sought to increase minority participation in Canada’s major institutions by bringing diversity into them as natural and normal. All this was good and proper.

But what the act meant in practice was the establishment of quotas, preferences in hiring and active recruitment schemes for visible minorities and recent immigrants. This change took place at the same time as

women were receiving special treatment in hiring and after years of preferential hiring for francophones. It is fair to say there was and remains resentment in the segments of the population who felt themselves newly discriminated against by government. Whites of British origin especially were unhappy, but French-speaking Canadians also worried immigrants might change their culture.

What worried these unhappy Canadi-ans was the fear that government was not only not watching as the nation changed, but that it was favouring the newcomers with its preferences and policies. White Canada, both English- and French-speak-ing, saw Canada’s population altering with great speed, and it worried for the future of its way of life. Would the new immi-grants from Guangdong and Manila be able to integrate into Canadian life? Would those who choose to settle in Quebec learn French? Would new immigrants understand the history and accept the democratic ideas that have shaped Canada’s political life? That such questions can still be asked sug-gests widespread concern about the multi-culturalism goals of 1988.

Change is always dif� cult, and the fear of change is understandable. It will, of course, become even more dif� cult for all Canadians, immigrants and the established alike, to deal with and accept if the eco-nomic recession of 2009-10 is long-lasting. What is clear to everyone is that Canada wants and needs immigrants and, while the nation has its share of racists, very few Canadians want to close the door to new-comers on grounds of race or religion.

So, who are we now? It is impossible to doubt that Canadians today are a multi-cultural nation, and especially in the three largest cities of Toronto, Montreal and Van-couver. But do they believe in multicultural-ism? To a substantial extent they do believe, though very uneasily. Beyond Toronto and Vancouver, many English-speaking Cana-dians worry that multiculturalism weakens their already shaky sense of nationality, and outside Montreal, most French-speaking Canadians seem to fear that it threatens their hard-won francophone language and culture. For their part, most new Canadians simply want to be accepted not as Somali-Canadians or Filipino-Canadians, but as Canadians.

What is clear is that Canadians, new and old, still want to believe they can make Canada work. The country’s reputation for tolerance matters to most Canadians, and there is a willingness to try to maintain it. But it won’t be easy, and there will be many bumps in the road as Canada moves deeper into the 21st Century.

Historian J.L. Granatstein is editor of The Canadian Experience. He writes in Canadian politics, foreign policy and defence.

The Canadian Experience is a 52-week history series designed to tell the story of our country to all Canadians. TT

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MOVING SALEMOVING SALE

300 York Mills Rd. (York Mills Place)NORTHWEST CORNER OF YORK MILLS & BAYVIEW)

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Spor

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Hockey is Canada’s game.Pardon the truism, but when we

invented the game and dominate at it, it is only ours to give. However, it is our altruistic nature as Canadians to share our sport with the world. Especially when the world comes here.

That’s why Royal Bank of Canada is setting aside $1 million in funds to donate to neighbourhoods who have no access to hockey, spokesperson Jim Little said.

“One of the things that struck us as we were thinking of the program was … that 62 percent of new Canadians thought that playing hockey made them feel more Canadian,” he said.

One community that never shies away from a game of pick-up is Thorncliffe Park, where the neighbourhood organiza-tion bene� ted from one of the � rst grants Nov. 29. Youth outreach worker Aamir Sukhera couldn’t be happier.

“We believe that as it is important to introduce Canadians to cricket it’s just as important to teach newcomers about

hockey,” he told the crowd. “It is essen-tial for Canada’s youth to be good at its natural sport. After all, very few things, in addition to the mighty beaver, de� ne Canada more than hockey.”

Sukhera said playing ice hockey was something he only envisioned as a child.

Thorncliffe Park Public School once had an ice pad in the back, Sukhera recalled. Its unexplained disappearance did not deter him or his friends from play-ing Canada’s sport.

“Literally you walk around any time of the year you will see kids walking around with hockey sticks,” he said. “We play (at Thorncliffe Park PS) every Sun-day night. There’s never a � ght, there are no penalties required.”

Now, with a little help from RBC and some big guns, namely Hockey Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, kids can take their ball hockey games on ice. He was on hand when hundreds of pairs of skates were donated to the community.

Yzerman said Canada is changing.“This game is the fabric of our nation

so it’s important ... to grow our sport, to have them play, to have them follow it,” Yzerman said. “Most of these young kids are very excited about playing. They’re innocent and just playing to enjoy the sport any way they can.” TT

T.O.’s receiver

The Game Fixer Brian Baker

Hockey gets a hand up

Dave “The Sponge” Sapunjis is an outstanding Canadian, two-times over.Of course, that’s during the CFL regular seasons of 1993 and 1995.And recently the North Toronto CI alumnus and legend of the gridiron

was mentioned amid the Grey Cup festivities as being a future Canadian Football Hall of Famer.

Though he wheels away from the rumour mill, the former Calgary Stampeders wide receiver has seen a record of his matched by Saskatch-ewan Roughriders’ Andy Fantuz, who led the CFL in receiving yards.

“Now I don’t know what’s going on with the Football Hall of Fame but I do know this year it’s because of Fantuz,” Sapunjis said. “He hit some milestone that I had accomplished so my name had popped up during a bunch of the games.”

It’s a feat that has not been accomplished by a Canadian since, well, the Sponge absorbed every pass to lead the category in 1995.

“I love seeing it,” Sapunjis said. “I know through the grapevine that Andy Fantuz is a classy guy that comes from a family that is very proud of him.”

Sapunjis grew up in the heart of midtown Toronto. He’s a Town Crier Athlete of the Year winner, class of 1986.

After being drafted by Calgary from the Uni-versity of Western Ontario, The Sponge went on to play seven years in the CFL, amassing 6,566 yards receiving on 460 receptions with 46 touch-downs and a Grey Cup win in 1992.

Now, nearly 25 years later Sapunjis is a father of four and the president of Continental Alloys and Services. That’s not to forget his gridiron past as he is also a co-owner of the Stamps.

“I’m not in� uential on a day-to-day basis with the Stamps but I’m in the quarterly meetings and I do voice my opinion a little bit,” he said.

He coaches his two sons in hockey and the team has even soaked in Sapunjis’ alias.

“Of course, the nickname is still there,” he said. “As a matter of fact, from coaching my 8-year-old’s hockey team, they all call me Coach Sponge.”

Even with his current life in Cowtown, Sapunjis admitted his Hogtown origins are fresh in mind, as his mom still lives in T.O.

“My North Toronto roots are still very special for me,” he said. “I still keep in touch with a lot of my good Toronto friends.

“It’s the foundation of Toronto, North Toronto Collegiate and the friends and family that helped me do well in both football and after.” TT

BY BRIAN BAKER

“My North Toronto roots are still very

special.”


TheL

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ordi

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Re: Toronto Today premier edition, November 2010

I wish to express my reaction to your premier edition of Toronto Today to encourage you to continue in the vein that you are introducing.

Most especially worthy of note is your serious content in this age of triv-ialization and celebrity-obsession. Our new mayor Rob Ford is most certainly not one of the beautiful people, but he has now become the most important � gure in Toronto, whether you love him or hate him. I especially appreci-ate that you go somewhat deeper in your analysis rather than just witter on about what a buffoon he is or about him being a budget-slasher. You actu-ally have got me thinking and looking forward to what happens next.

Further in this vein, you give a good overview of what we might expect from the area’s councillors

who might provide the counterbalance to the new mayor. I trust that Toronto Today does not let up on following our elected representatives (whether we voted for them or not) as they govern on our behalf over the next four years.On top of that, it is good to see through-out Toronto Today the everyday people and families of middle Toronto high-lighted — our local achievers, how we dress, where we shop and eat out, our recreation, and our arts. It seems to be hitting the mark between the uptown snobbery and the downtown grunge-factor of other media which one can pick up in Toronto.

I see Toronto Today developing into our magazine, provided you can give us more each month as you grow, as I am sure you must.

My congratulations and hopes for even better.

William RichardsMidtown, Toronto TT

LETTERS

Congrats on your fi rts edition, Toronto Today

The last word is yours

Do you have something to say? Do you have photos from Midtown?

Send us your thoughts, letters,photos for consideration.

[email protected] ACROSS

1. Roe producer5. Popular schnitzel meat9. Shocking police weapon14. Not there15. Molten rock16. 2005 hurricane ending by Newfoundland17. Levin and Gershwin18. Perched19. Bed supports20. Centre, #2522. Opposite of NNW23. Pre� x for deer, maybe24. The Team28. Left wing, #2131. Kent partner32. Love, in Latin33. Capital of Akkadian Empire (alt.)34. Small amount35. Independent’s acro-nym36. Explosive palindrome37. The Coach40. Weird Al � lm41. Riga’s country, abbr.42. NBA team heading to Brooklyn for 201243. Host45. Gold in Madrid46. Passive blackjack move47. Right wing, #2648. Left wing, #27

50. Drug cop, slangily51. Tear52. The Arena56. Thor worshipper59. What you might need to set if you want to win60. What the blind man said as he picked up his hammer and saw61. Spy62. Level63. Greek letters64. Ballroom dance style65. Chic66. What 20-, 28-, 47-, 48-Across, 28-, and 46-Down have on 24-Across

DOWN

1. Israeli peace camp anthem, ___ LaShalom2. Bonnie Tyler needed one3. Type of racing steed4. Had a yearning for5. Pickle brand6. Toronto family whose namesake business went bankrupt in 19997. Cosmetics brand8. It disappears when you stand9. Type of paper used in gift-wrapping10. Hank Hill’s home11. Watery expanse

12. LOTR tree13. Home, abbr.21. It’s what you should never say22. Audible acronym24. The Younger and The Elder25. West coast skater26. African sugar cane27. Lazy person’s shoe?28. Centre, #2229. Unaware in Rome30. Boxing pro Ricky31. Description of home for an attic-dweller?34. Structural support piece38. One of two beer options39. Informal term of affec-tion44. 1969 remake starring Peter O’Toole, Goodbye, ___46. Right wing, #1647. Inventor’s proof49. It’s preferred to a loan50. How to act to get off Santa’s naughty list52. Fail to resist temptation53. Tennis pro Arthur54. Solo’s partner55. In the event that56. Bat playfully, like a kitten57. Muslim honouri� c58. Barber product59. Vim

“The Sport of Politics”BY SHAWN STAR

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Stuck? Sorry about that. Check www.MyTownCrier.ca/TorontoToday for the answers (and some relief.) Or, if you can wait, � nd answers in next month’s issue.

Modular Can Be BeautifulModular Can Be Beautiful

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Toronto Today - December 2010