Toronto Life articles from March 2003

Toronto Life archives from March 2003

Curtain call. (This City).(Toronto mayor Mel Lastman not to run for third term, Ontario)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... As the leader of a city renowned for its modesty, Mel Lastman was shameless. With the gold-plated pizzazz of a salesman, he promoted aggressive self-love, free enterprise and brash confidence. Lastman brought flash and much needed emotion to...

The avenger. (Profile).(lawyer Harvey Strosberg)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... He has a peasant's hands. Big, broad and meaty, they are almost comically unsuited to the delicate manipulations required of afternoon tea at the Four Seasons, in which ceremony, complete with darling little sandwiches, lawyer Harvey Strosberg...

Altar boy. (Telling Tales).(National Post columnist introduces her much-written-about fiance, Toronto, Ontario)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In a deluxe engagement party at Canoe in January, National Post columnist Rebecca Eckler introduced the object of her affection to 300 of her nearest and dearest. Who is this man of mystery, the one she generally referred to in print as the...

Antagonized. (Telling Tales).(diners presented with ant-infested table at restaurant Sassafraz, Toronto, Ontario )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The staff of Yorkville's Sassafraz is used to serving visiting celebrities like Sly Stallone and Sharon Stone, but how do they deal with the not-so-absolutely-fabulous? This New Year's Eve, the boite was hopping, chockablock with second-tier...

Little shop's horror. (Telling Tales).(Seekers Books caught in libel suit between human rights lawyer and conspiracy theorist)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Human rights lawyer Richard Warman has issued a million-dollar libel suit against U.K. conspiracy theorist David Icke. Warman is after Icke, who claims in his latest book, Children of the Matrix, that the lawyer has attempted to shut down...

Wired Barb. (Telling Tales).(mayoral cadidates Barbara Hall, David Miller take part in fundraiser, Toronto, Ontario)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... An early round of the Barbara Hall versus David Miller bout for the title of leading lefty mayoral candidate took place at Woody's, a Church Street bar, during a fundraiser hosted by the Toronto Polish Gay and Lesbian Association. As drag queen...

Dressed for success. (Telling Tales).(philosophy professor Mark Kingwell being considered for presidency of King's College, Halifax, Nova Scotia)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Foppish University of Toronto philosophy prof Mark Kingwell is on the short list for the presidency of Halifax's wee, distinguished King's College. One of three finalists for the job, Kingwell will have to retool his act if he wants to pass...

Urban Decoder. (This City).
March 1, 2003... Dear Urban Decoder: Why is it that after dark the city is overrun with yellow garbage bags? --Kelley Walker. Riverdale Here's the dirt. Now that our rubbish is being trucked to ultra-pricey landfills in rural Michigan's...

Ice capades. (Found).(iceboat racing on Lake Ontario)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... For about a century, iceboat races on Lake Ontario were wild showdowns, with each vessel careening at 100 kilometres an hour on just three metal blades. Boisterous crowds, clad in buffalo coats and bowler hats, gathered to watch summer sailing...

Mod couples. (The List).(well-known couples, Toronto, Ontario)
March 1, 2003... It's the part of the bedtime story that starts the little one snoozing: "...and the prince and princess lived happily ever after." Happiness, just plain happiness, bores even as it comforts. But there are some couples who somehow make connubial...

Sole survivors. (Inside).(footwear collection at Bata Shoe Museum)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Bata Shoe Museum's murky basement stores over 9,000 shoes--each poised for a foot that will never come. The cool rooms house neatly filed pairs and a few singletons, darkness disturbed only by the arrival of a gloved curator. The footwear...

This issue.(writer Katherine Ashenburg)(Editorial)
March 1, 2003... I SPENT CHRISTMAS IN ASOLO, A MEDIEVAL HILLTOP TOWN northwest of Venice known to foodies in these parts as the birthplace of Franco Prevedello, the Italian restaurateur who gave us Pronto, Biffi, Splendido, Terra, Acqua and Centro. The beating...

Strength in numbers. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... I was one of Donald Coxeter's doctoral students and was pleased to read your article about him ["Figure Head," January], but I have a few comments. First, there really was no chasm between him and the Bourbaki scholars. In fact, they considered...

Hall monitor. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... I can only give my head a shake when I hear that Barbara "City" Hall once again wants to be our mayor ["Split Decision," January]. Last time around, she spent her entire term dithering and trying to "achieve a consensus." Gosh darn, but that...

So square. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... It baffles me that the new Dundas Square ["Piazza, Piazza," January] has won design awards and that it is described as our answer to Times Square. It should more aptly be called the Dundas Void. It may have looked great on an easel, but so far...

Goodis Samaritan. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... I was Jerry Goodis's lawyer for some 25 years, and Martin Keen's diatribe [The End, January] left me feeling uneasy. Money actually meant little to Jerry. If during his early years he drove an expensive car or furnished his office with...

True patriot love. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... What was the purpose of "Twain Spotting" [Telling Tales, January]? I'm utterly disgusted by it. First you refer to Up! as Shania's "postpartum album." Did you say this about other vocalists who produced albums following the birth of a child?...

Give me a break. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... The blurb about me in your December issue ["Best and Worst of the City"] is no doubt an attempt at humour/irony/satire and of course mean-spirited back-stabbing. But I can't be too upset because--ironically--I have received two fact-checking...

Theatre. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... OPENINGS The Blues. The subtitle of this theatre season might as well be "The Second Coming of Hrant Alianak." The 50-something Armenian-Canadian with the intriguing bio is again driving at full throttle, directing four plays this season,...

Back to the future. (This Month).(theater director Hrant Alianak)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Notorious for introducing a B-movie pop and corn sensibility to conservative '70s Toronto theatre audiences, writer-director Hrant Alianak fused gangster characters and gritty, hard-boiled narratives with THX-style audiovisual collisions. His...

Dean of music. (This Month).(jazz clarinetist Phil Nimmons)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... To catch Phil Nimmons in concert is to hear a clarinetist at one with his instrument. His playing delicately transforms from subtle, introspective tones to a rushing stream of notes that eddy and swirl above the music's current. At nearly 80...

Classical music. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... CONCERTS Esprit Orchestra. Marie Berard, violinist and concertmaster for the Canadian Opera Company orchestra, is the distinguished performer in this show featuring music by Wolfgang Rihm (one of Germany's leading contemporary composers),...

Telltale heart. (This Month).(The Romantic)(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... Is there another word in the English language as capricious and heavily freighted as "love"? In her latest book, The Romantic, Barbara Gowdy explores many varieties of that complex emotion and our often Injurious tendency to Idealize it. When...

Dance. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... Ballet Creole. The company's ambitious spring season includes the new work Orisha Voices, which explores commonalities between the religion of the Orishas from Nigeria and the folklore that later developed through slave culture in their new...

Home security. (This Month).(exhibition of artwork by Liz Magor)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... At a group show in an industrial warehouse 14 years ago, Liz Magor entranced viewers with a homespun Image: a glass-enclosed installation of a cozy log cabin nestled in a vast blanket of ersatz snow, fluffy and deep. The ultimate cold-climate...

Art. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... Ask the Dust. Royal Art Lodge, a collective of young Winnipeggers, has been making art together since the mid-'90s. Their decidedly quirky drawings, created both autonomously and collaboratively with consistently deadpan humour, are addictive...

Nightlife. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... CONCERTS Engelbert Humperdinck. It's hard to imagine the leap of faith he must have made to believe his would be a successful stage name, but hey, it's clearly faith rewarded. The Hump, as his fans call him (friends and family dignify him...

Jazz and standards. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... Guido Basso With Strings. The burnished sounds of Basso's trumpet and flugelhorn have graced recordings and performances for decades, and this promises to be a particularly lush setting for his music. Saxophonist Phil Dwyer provides...

Shock treatment. (This Month).(Japanese choreographer Kim Itoh)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... With his bald head, sinewy limbs and eye patch, Japanese choreographer Kim Itoh almost seems typecast. This rogue of the modern dance world has been unleashing his aberrant yet beautiful mix of butoh, kabuki and Western forms since 1990, first...

Kids' events. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... Art Gallery of Ontario. The Thunderbird serves as a guide through the galleries, as March break family activities borrow heavily from First Nations legends and culture. Visitors can learn about the mythology of the Ojibwa by taking in a...

Diversions. (This Month).
March 1, 2003... Bill Cosby. He hasn't had a regular TV series for three years, but the Jell-O-loving comedian's appeal springs eternal. March 7. $38.50-$68.50. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255. Canada Blooms. Three hundred people work around...

Unusual suspect: thirty years after he robbed a bank and hijacked a plane to Cuba, Patrick Critton was finally busted. The cops expected a hardened criminal. The man they met came as a total surprise. (Crime).
March 1, 2003... DETECTIVE DONALD JORGENSEN IS 40 years old, a father of two and a 15-year veteran with the Peel Regional Police. Thickly built, he has a ruddy, healthy complexion, and blond hair so tightly cropped a pinkish hue shows through. Given the sort of...

Divided highway: conventional wisdom for fixing the waterfront has always included taking down the Gardiner. Now two Toronto architects have a radical proposal: leave the expressway standing--and build beneath it. (Politics).
March 1, 2003... IS IT POSSIBLE TO BEAUTIFY THE GARDINER? That's the question Robert Fung, chair of the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation, put to a pair of local architects last September. It seemed like an odd request. For three years now, Fung has...

The pleasure principle: women brag about their facials, swear by their mud wraps and spend hundreds each month flushing out their "toxins." Even guys are clamouring to be pampered. But does anyone truly enjoy a cornmeal scrub or a blackhead extraction? One woman's reluctant journey into Spaland.
March 1, 2003... SHE HAD NEVER PARTICULARLY WANTED TO GO THERE. Something--some combination of awkwardness, superiority, puritanism and inadequacy, perhaps--kept her on the far side of its borders. Even the name irritated her, slightly. Until the 20th century,...

Rituals: drug trials.(on receiving methadone treatment for heroin addiction)
March 1, 2003... She is really beginning to bug you. She won't stop pacing. A skinny woman with severely reprimanded hair, wearing a fringed buckskin jacket, jeans and black platforms, she is somehow managing to juggle a cellphone, a big bottle of iced tea and...

The hustler: he's not the best on the team. Not even second or third best. So how did Jerome Williams, a middle-of-the-road basketballer, become the Raptors' most popular player? The making of Junk Yard Dog.(Interview)
March 1, 2003... WHEN YOU ASK PEOPLE WHO KNOW JEROME WILLIAMS to talk about Jerome Williams, they'll eventually mention The Story. "You know The Story, right?" says a Raptors media liaison as we stand at the edge of the practice court, waiting for Jerome. "You...

Icons: tall, dark and handsome.(Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower, Royal Trust Tower, Toronto, Ontario)
March 1, 2003... When they rose at King and Bay in the late '60s, Mies van der Rohe's twin skyscrapers--the Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower and the Royal Trust Tower--caused a sensation among the city's aesthetically conservative burghers, in part because of what...

Arrivals.(travelers at Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... Every day, almost 37,000 passengers land at Pearson International Airport. They pass through customs, wearily collect their bags and make their way to the arrivals section. As they walk through the sliding doors to meet with family members, old...

As you like it. (Zip service and a bedmate).
March 1, 2003... Provence-born designer Christian Lacroix has always infused his fashion designs with a bold, uniquely Mediterranean flavour. Now, with his new collection for the table by the house of Christofle, the designer's customary sunny French 'tude has...

Sack pleasures. (Zip service and a bedmate).(Au Lit Homestyle)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Splurging on a new pair of shoes might be indulgent, but blowing a bundle on the latest chic for the sanctuary of your bed and bath is survival. Such is the thinking behind Au Lit Homestyle, a clever emporium that makes styling up the boudoir a...

Write of passage. (Zip service and a bedmate).
March 1, 2003... For years, Rapp Optical has been the place to go for innovative eyewear. Now Shilo Rapp has applied his unique sensibility to the ever widening arena of stylish writing instruments, with his own exclusive line of beautifully sculptural pens....

White hot. (Zip service and a bedmate).
March 1, 2003... Spring's favourite topper is a fitted zip-up motocross-style jacket with a vaguely retro flair. But rather than follow the crowd in plain old leather, why not take the look up a notch with this clever biker-goes-to-Palm-Beach version in luxe...

Somme of all parts. (Zip service and a bedmate).
March 1, 2003... Longing for picture-perfect skin? Do what Angie Everhart, Patricia Duff and some of the world's best-known faces from Elite, Ford and Wilhelmina do: slather on some groovy new bio-cosmetic offerings from the minimal-chic Somme Institute. Based...

Bread winners: when philanthropists Martin Connell and Linda Haynes opened a small bakery on King West, they hoped to raise funds for charity. Ten years later, Ace has changed the way we think about bread. (Food).(Interview)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... A FROZEN BAGUETTE? YOU COULD LIFT your lorgnette and say it like Lady Bracknell, each syllable stiff with pompous incredulity. Follow it with a comical pause, then let the other shoe drop: a frozen baguette from Ace? I know. It doesn't quite...

Tasting notes. (Drink).
March 1, 2003... Grey matters A growing number of ABCs ("anything but chardonnay") are turning to pinot gris for relief. Easy to drink, this white cousin to pinot noir ranges from lightly spicy and fresh to rich, opulent and sweet. It flourishes in the cooler...

Restaurants.
March 1, 2003... Restaurants are rated on a five-star system by Toronto Life's anonymous reviewers, who are required to be honest, accurate and fair. Marks are awarded only for a restaurant's cooking, taking into account the kitchen's ambitions, consistency of...

Billy Van 1943-2003. (The End).(Obituary)
March 1, 2003... When it first aired in 1971 on CHCH, we didn't think Party Game would have a long run--one, maybe two seasons. Somehow it became one of the country's quintessential '70s shows, lasting 10 years. The concept was as simple as the budget was low:...

Leisure-seekers: 306 plans for fun and frolic. (Getaways And Day Trips).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... You know it's high time to book a vacation when you can't quite recall your last foray beyond the city's boundaries. Hardened lumps and fleet-footed itinerants alike will find year-round inspiration in the Getaways and Day Trips guide. For...

Heritage Inns. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Blue Heron Bed and Breakfast (1) Once a bustling mill town, today's Almonte has been rebuilt as condos, cafes and smart shops. The Blue Heron is a comfortable base for exploring the area's attractions. The recently renovated 1850s log and...

Destinations. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Arowhon Pines (16) Found at the end of a private road that winds eight kilometres through Algonquin Park woods to the shores of Little Joe Lake, Arowhon Pines is far enough off the beaten track to leave you with the sense of being in some...

The big chill: skiing and snowboarding.
March 1, 2003... Opinion may forever be split on whether Blue Mountain (112) is an actual mountain (overlooking Georgian Bay, it's part of the Niagara Escarpment), but as far as nearby resorts go, you won't find anything bigger. An hour and a half north of the...

Spa retreats. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Ananda Yoga Spa (23) Since Linda Quinn opened her Northumberland spa in September 2000, her ancient Ayurvedic treatments have become wildly popular. To keep up with the demand, she's expanded the former residence into an 8,000-square-foot...

Getaways for grown-ups. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Arc the.hotel (33) Renovated in September 2000, downtown Ottawa's former Howard Johnson's was reborn as a smart boutique hotel with a sleek, current look from Toronto design house Yabu Pushelberg. Sedate shades of grey, beige and brown...

Canoeing and kayaking. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Algonquin Outfitters (43) Day-long excursions organized by Algonquin Outfitters are especially popular with newbie and old-hand paddlers alike. A favourite destination is Hailstorm Creek, known for its exceptional wildlife-watching...

Cruising. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Gananoque getaway (49) In the early 1900s, wealthy Brits and Americans started snapping up property and building estates in the Thousand Islands for summer retreats. In order to preserve a portion of the area's natural beauty, the locals...

Tempting fate: daredevil adventures.
March 1, 2003... Take flight on TrikeAir Aviation's (118) ultralight craft. Steering one of these single-winged Pegasus 912 or Microliqht 503 model planes is as close as you can come to flying like a bird. Pilot Keith Connor encourages passengers to take the...

The great outdoors. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Algonquin Log Cabin Lodge (54) Even before you unpack your bags at the base camp--a rustic log cabin on the northwest margins of Algonquin Park--you'll have taken part in an interpretive hike through four kilometres of hardwood forest,...

Horsing around. (Getaways).(resorts for riding)
March 1, 2003... High Pointe Inn and Equestrian Centre (61) The great escape for spoiled ponies and their pampered parents. Owners Gwen and Ron Boyles have built a bright 80-by-200-foot indoor arena roomy enough to run a sulky, an outdoor dressage ring,...

Gourmet excursions. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Apple-wine and food tastings (66) The sandy hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine north of Bowmanville, site of the Archibald Orchard, are splendid for apple growing. Indeed, the Archibald family's 10,000 apple trees produce some 20 varieties of...

Vintner's luck: the Niagara wine route.
March 1, 2003... Tours Whether you prefer a small-group van outing or a VIP excursion, Crush on Niagara Wine Tours (129) (905-562-3373 or 1-866-408-WINE, www.crush tours.com) offers sommelier-led excursions to Niagara's wineries. The popular three-hour...

Belle-de-jour: Montreal's must-see neighbourhoods.
March 1, 2003... Old Montreal (123) The city's renaissance has meant an insurgence of loft dwellers and new-media companies into Old Montreal. The once quiet neighbourhood of cobblestone streets is now vibrant with bars, cafe's and chic shops. Only a handful of...

Kid-friendly outings. (Getaways).(Calendar)
March 1, 2003... (76) Breakers Motel As much a part of summer for some families as the smell of sunscreen, this lakefront lodge at the eastern end of Victoria Park enjoys one of the plushest white sand beaches on Lake Ontario. Poplars and chestnut trees...

Natural highs. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... (83) Delta Grandview Resort A popular Muskoka resort on Fairy Lake, Grandview woos ecotourists with a series of daily nature-watching activities, including birding, canoe excursions, and hikes guided by expert naturalists. Not to be...

Culture infusions. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Elora Festival (88) The 24th annual summer music extravaganza promises excellent choral and other classical music in some unusual venues. Take, for instance, the Gambrel Barn. Used to store road salt in the winter, it provides surprisingly...

Alternative escapes. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Alexander Henry (94) This 1959 Coast Guard icebreaker, now moored at Kingston's Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, is earning her keep even in retirement. In her heyday, the vessel, patriotically painted red and white, serviced buoys,...

Station to station: retro train trips.
March 1, 2003... As it rumbles through a vast boreal wilderness of muskeg and gnarled tamaracks, the Polar Bear Express (124) (1-800-268-9281, www. polarbearexpress.ca) offers a unique glimpse of Ontario's north. The four-and-a-half-hour trip runs between...

Inn on a budget. (Getaways).
March 1, 2003... Angeline's Bloomfield Inn & Spa (101) Don't be fooled by the motel-like exterior; this charming inn offers individually decorated and meticulously maintained rooms at good rates. Many boast nice touches, such as the window alcove seat in...

Architectural wonders. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... Campbell House Museum (1) Built in 1822 as a golden-years home for a well-heeled couple (and their servants), Campbell House was intended for luxurious living and lavish entertaining. Sir William Campbell served as chief justice of Upper...

Art appreciation. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... Albright-Knox Art Gallery (11) The combination of intimate scale and grand painting and sculpture makes for sophisticated ambience at the Albright-Knox. Opened in 1862 as the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, it became a gallery when local...

Happy trails: local hiking and cycling routes.
March 1, 2003... During the summer, the temperature at the Toronto Islands (77) is always a couple degrees cooler than the fetid downtown core. If that weren't enough reason to hop upon a ferry, the secluded tree- and bridge-filled refuge of Ward's Island will...

Colouring contest: on the gallery crawl.
March 1, 2003... Yorkville Edward Day Gallery (101) For art that challenges without terrifying, this former church still imparts a touch of the divine. The large, bright, nearly octagonal main room demands your attention, as does the art within it. Owner...

History majors. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... Benares Historic House (26) Fans of Canadian novelist Mazo de la Roche will recognize this 1857 ancestral estate, named for a city in India, as the inspiration for her Jalna series. In reality, the 285-acre property originally served as the...

Sweat relief: the city's best pools.
March 1, 2003... Outdoor wading pools Kew Beach (115) Located in flower-filled Kew Gardens, adjacent to the Beach's boardwalk, Kew Beach is one of the city's largest wading pools and also one of its most popular. Plenty of staff and attendants are on hand...

Horticultural hot spots. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... Cullen Gardens (53) A 36-acre pleasure park of rose, wildflower, topiary, perennial and annual gardens, miniature golf, a pioneer ride, a waterslide play area and an outdoor theatre. Most enchanting (or creepy, depending on your point of...

Kids' stuff. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... Black Creek Pioneer Village (58) Comprising buildings garnered from all over southern Ontario, this recreation of a typical Victorian farm community is a reminder of how arduous even simple domestic tasks were before the advent of modern...

Kicks for free: bargain activities.
March 1, 2003... ROM Friday Nights (21) As the weekend begins, the Royal Ontario Museum throws open its doors for free. Visitors can wander through the ROM's permanent collection, as well as absorb some pan-global music performances in the Corelli Gallery. 100...

Outdoor pursuits. (Day Trips).(Toronto, Ontario)
March 1, 2003... Alexander Muir Gardens, Blythwood Ravine, Sherwood Park (69) Stone balustrades topped with urns, crushed-brick walkways, formal lawns and prim flower beds make this Toronto's most gracious belle epoque garden. Built by the city in 1934 and...

On the town. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... (78) Creemore Despite its discovery by tourists, this enchanting, out-of-the-way town, founded in 1842, has managed to retain both its authenticity and an unpretentious aura. Trek northward via Airport Road; undulating hills and bucolic...

Ready-made plans for rainy days.
March 1, 2003... Scenario 1 Begin the day with a leisurely brunch of smoked Arctic char or poached eggs on toast in the elegant vaulted clerestory of the Gallery Grill (112) (Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle, 416-978-2445, Su 10:30-2:30). Then stroll past...

Shopping excursions. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... (86) Harbourfront, Harbourfront Antique Market The majestic art deco Queen's Quay Terminal building was reconfigured in the early '80s as a venue for boutiques, cafes, restaurants and 72 chichi condominiums. Recent modifications to the...

Antiques hunting. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... PORT HOPE (90) Estate Treasures The beautiful, bold and ugly cohabit at this combination flea market and antiques shop. Owner David Simmons has run this meticulously organized estate-sale business for a decade: the egg cups are in one...

Sports highlights. (Day Trips).
March 1, 2003... (93) Air Canada Centre It may lack the character of Maple Leaf Gardens, but the ACC has a few things the Gardens never did: unimpeded sightlines from each of its nearly 20,000 tush-friendly seats, decent legroom (even on the cheaper...