Toronto Life articles from March 2005

Toronto Life archives from March 2005

A rising tide.(disaster relief)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Throughout January, as the tsunami death toll rose ever higher, so did the outpouring of financial relief from Canadians. At grocery stores and cafes and cop shops, everyone seemed to be giving. But the single biggest private donation--and a...

The accidental activist.(Profile)
March 1, 2005... Nearly 13 years ago, lawyer Martha McCarthy landed the case of a lifetime. She was only 26--barely a year out of Osgoode--when the indigent M., a lesbian seeking financial support from her prosperous ex, arrived at her office. "I knew nothing,...

Humdinger.(Telling Tales)
March 1, 2005... It cost a billion dollars! It has the third-largest gaming floor in North America (three football fields--three Canadian football fields)! And, if you believe the tagline, it's brought Vegas to our doorstep. It's the new Fallsview Casino Resort...

Have a nice Dave.(Telling Tales)
March 1, 2005... David Muller has a history of being impulsive. He once put a shelled egg in a microwave just to see what would happen (it eventually explodes). While a student at Dalhousie, he bolted a pair of cattle horns onto the hood of his beloved Jeep,...

Repast from the past.(Telling Tales)
March 1, 2005... On a dark and dreary winter night, 12 disciples of good food and wine gathered for supper in a cramped Park Road apartment. The host was writer Gina Mallet, the occasion a celebration of her new memoir, Last Chance to Eat. TVO's Studio 2 was on...

Urban decoder.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Dear Urban Decoder: On walks in the Cedarvale Ravine, near Spadina, I've noticed a circular entranceway with doors leading into the hillside. Are there hobbits living in the area? --Caroline Mayhew, Annex Nothing quite so...

Furious George visits the hospitals; our rambunctious health minister backs himself into a corner--and finds a surprise.(Reality Check)
March 1, 2005... This is George. He lives with his friend, the man with the red hat, at a place called Queen's Park. George loves parks. One day, the man with the red hat handed George a BIG portfolio. On the front, it said "Ministry of Health and Long-Term...

Gym dandies.(Diesel Fitness)(The Yorkville Club)
March 1, 2005... A few months into winter, with those extra holiday pounds settling in all the wrong places, we begin to wake up to our reflection in the mirror and mutter, "is that really my ass, or is Kirstie Alley's new show set in my blue jeans?" So begins...

Bruce Almighty.(Camera)
March 1, 2005... A few of the books peeking out from the shelves of millionaire fine-art dealer Bruce Bailey's penthouse: Rembrandt's Eyes, Gore Vidal's United States: Essays 1952-1992, The Story of Art, Michael Snow's Cover to Cover. Oh, and add Phantoms of...

The issue.(Toronto Life)
March 1, 2005... A PROMINENT TORONTONIAN RECENTLY APPROACHED THE CEO of the company that owns this magazine. "I'm this close," he said, holding his hand in front of his nose, thumb and forefinger a millimetre apart, "to cancelling my subscription to Toronto...

Super Dave.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Someone at Toronto Life must really love our mayor. Your January issue starts with a flattering portrait on the cover, followed by 11 photos inside, including a special "people we loved" citation in your annual review ["The Year That Was"]. ...

Oops!(Letters)(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2005... In "The $40-Million Man" [Fashion, February], we stated that Ray Civello's personal fortune is $40 million. In fact, that's the net worth of his company. We apologize for the error: Letters to the editor must be accompanied by the writer's...

Theatre.(this month)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... OPENINGS Dream Machine. Since its founding in 1982, Calgary's One Yellow Rabbit theatre company has produced some of the nation's most innovative, but still accessible, drama. This musical tells the story of Brion Gysin, the Canuck member...

Bewitched.(This Month)(Wicked (Broadway musical))(Theater Review)
March 1, 2005... Forget everything you know about Dorothy, Toto and those ruby slippers-this isn't Judy Garland's Oz. Wicked, a heady musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz, welcomes us to a land where slave labour paved the yellow brick road, animal...

Classical music.(this month concerts)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... CHAMBER AND SOLO Mooredale Concerts. Mooredale's artistic director; cellist Kristine Bogyo, presides over this showcase, dubbed Boccherini and the Art of the Cello. Artists include Japanese-born violinist Etsuko Kimura, who studied at U of...

A change would do you good.(this month)
March 1, 2005... "Now that we can do anything, what will we do?" That's the loaded question behind the sprawling exhibit Massive Change: The Future of Global Design, alighting in Toronto after much hoopla in Vancouver. A thinking person's trade show, it's...

Dance.(this month)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Artists' Play. Fusion, the new show by this experimental collective, gathers installation art (Lawrence McKeon), dance (Bronwyn K. Shaw and Elizabeth Dawn Snell) and live music (Mike Brisbin, Jeff Burke, Michael Clark, Marlon Van Zyl and...

Art.(this month)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Barbara McGill Balfour's 11-inch-high action figures, faithful replicas of herself, are middle-aged Barbies with a strong face and a no-nonsense bob. The Tenure Track Barbara doll (McGill Balfour teaches art at York), clad in teeny...

Back to the future.(concert)(Futureheads)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Past and present collide, to startling effect, in the music of this exuberant young British band. Formed in the northeastern city of Sunderland four years ago--when the members were still in their teens--the Futureheads have grown wise beyond...

Nightlife.(concerts this month )(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... CONCERTS Ensemble Kaboul is an Afghani group known for having taken a defiant stance in response to the Taliban's no-music edict, fleeing the country for Geneva in 1990. The ensemble is led by Khaled Arman, a master of the rubab, a...

Jazz and standards.(this month)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Directions in Music. Pianist Herbie Hancock, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter Roy Hargrove first came together in 2001 to commemorate the 75th anniversaries of the births of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. A recording of their...

Kids' events.(this month)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Art Gallery of Ontario. Inspired by the gallery's Massive Change: The Future of Global Design exhibit (see listing on page 34), the AGO's Family Studio is transformed into the Think Big Lab. In it, families are encouraged to work together to...

Start the insanity.(Lewis Black)(Interview)
March 1, 2005... Lewis Black is the reigning heavyweight champion of the rant. Unlike other comedians, unlike even his fellow correspondents on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Black isn't wry or ironic, and he's not a smartass. Instead, he seems fuelled by...

Diversions.(this month events)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Andre-Philippe Gagnon. Known for his 18-voice rendition of "We Are the World," the Vegas-based Quebecois entertainer mesmerizes with a flawless flow of impressions drawn from a repertoire of more than 400 voices. March 12. $50-$60. Roy Thomson...

The It Spot.(Century Room)(Restaurant Review)
March 1, 2005... Century Room, 580 King St. W., 416-203-2226 Where: Removed from the crush of clubland and steps from Susur Lee's sexy new resto, this high-end drinking den transforms a soaring, 100-year-old warehouse space (formerly the Mockingbird) into...

Red-hot poker: over the past 12 months, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu has won three Vegas tournaments and accumulated a fortune in prize money. Now, in his final match of the year, the stakes are even bigger. On the line: his ego and a couple of million bucks.(Sports.)
March 1, 2005... DANIEL NEGREANU PULLS AN INCH-THICK wad of cash from his pocket, peels off $1,570 (U.S.), which makes hardly a dent, and slips it to his rotund friend, David. It's 15 minutes before noon on a December Wednesday, near the tournament sign-in desk...

My life as a cleaner: she fluffs sagging pillows, scoops up used condoms and scrubs grimy toilets by the dozen. But being a cleaning lady is about more than wielding a duster. She's also the keeper of the family secrets.(Memoir.)(Column)
March 1, 2005... IT WAS A BRIGHT SPRING AFTERNOON WHEN Suzanne * told me she wouldn't need me anymore. I had just finished my four-hour cleaning shift--tearing up and down the stairs of her three-storey Parkdale home, scraping crayon goo from broadloom and...

Hurricane June: in her 80 years, she has written 30 books, 1,500 magazine articles and 450 newspaper columns. She founded four shelters and threw her weight behind hundreds of causes. She's a high school dropout with 16 honorary doctorates. June Callwood is faster (and decidedly more humane) than a speeding bullet. My friend the action figure.( June Callwood)
March 1, 2005... IF IT WEREN'T FOR JUNE CALLWOOD, I MIGHT ALREADY HAVE been for 20 years. It was February 1983, and I was in Women's College Hospital, recovering from a hysterectomy. As soon as June came into my room, she saw what the medical staff had missed:...

A fine balance: the average household income in Toronto is $76,454. For some, that's more than enough, leaving lots for travel, restaurants and big-ticket, quilt-inducing splurges. But for others, it's a stretch--too little to get by on without the help of bank loans and credit cards. A close-up look at five families who earn almost exactly the GTA average.
March 1, 2005... We are a wealthy city. Nowhere in Canada is the average household income as high as it is here. Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal don't come close. Tech-rich Vancouver can't touch us. Hogtown even tops a booming Calgary, where the average household...

Police story: with allegations of shakedowns, payoffs and cover-ups, 2004 was not a great year for the cops. Alan Heisey, as chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, aimed to clean up the mess. But one week into his tenure, he found himself the target of a brutal smear campaign. Things went downhill from there.
March 1, 2005... Police headquarters at 40 College Street is a postmodern fortress of pink granite and geometrical clutter. As chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, Alan Heisey had an office on the seventh floor, down the corridor from Chief Julian...

Here are the facts on aging skin.(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... Maybe you're starting to nonce a wrinkle here or a fine line there. You don t want to look 16 again, but it would be nice if how you look on the outside matches a little better with how you feel on the inside. You probably know you can...

Hard case and a soft shoe.(super shopper)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... Home stretch These bright elastic ribbons, so-called BodyBands, are the latest development in minimalist exercise accoutrements for space-deprived condo dwellers. Used mostly in Pilates-style strengthening workouts, they have been embraced...

Extreme make-over: reno lore dictates that every project takes longer and costs more than anticipated. So what happens when an architect works on her own place? History repeats itself.(Design.)
March 1, 2005... IN A LIVING ROOM JUST OFF AN OCTAGONAL hall, a mother is showing her little boy the model of their house. Adam, aged four, wears a yellow hard hat and listens intently as she explains. "There's your room, Adam. This is what our house will look...

Dairy kings: import quotas, fad diets and public health regulations couldn't quash our love of cheese. Now, thanks to a small army of artisans, purveyors and chefs, curds and whey have never tasted better.(Food)
March 1, 2005... "FONDUE IS MAKING A COMEBACK." I FIRST heard those words on a bright summer morning in 1987, at a yard sale in suburban Don Mills. We were newly returned to Canada and trying to furnish our home economically. Alongside the empty terrarium, the...

Drink.(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... White wine Schloss Gobelsburg 2003 Gruner Veltliner Renner **** 1/2 $28.50. Kamptal, Austria Rich, profound and ageworthy, from a leading purveyor of Austria's indigenous grinner veltliner, grown in one of several terraced,...

French connection.(Drink.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... For years now, the French have been losing ground to New World wines. But the 2003 vintage may change that. The sweltering August heat wave that made international headlines has yielded a superb year, thanks to ripening levels more akin to...

Restaurants.(ratings)
March 1, 2005... 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...

Tidbits.
March 1, 2005... Curtain twitchers in Niagara-on-the-Lake report that designers have been walking through the Oban Inn-the latest thread in the decade-old cocoon of gossip woven about hotelier Si Wai Lai. The town was abuzz last year when news broke that Lai...

Shopping with chefs.
March 1, 2005... Chris McDonald of Avalon, 270 Adelaide St. W., 416-979-9918 It's one of those dark winter mornings, so cold the streets are deserted. The shop window at Nikolaou (629 Queen St. W., 416-504-6411) is opaque with frost, and as each customer...

Eggs Benedict.(Oliver & Bonancini Cafe Grill, Mitzi's Sister, Le Petite Dejeuner, Niagara Street Cafe.)
March 1, 2005... On a day in 1894, sometime before noon, a bleary-eyed Wall Street broker wandered into the old Waldorf Hotel, hoping to cure his hangover. Lemuel Benedict ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a hooker of hollandaise," a...

Calendar.(events)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... The scoop on this month's events and promotions from advertisers: BAT BOY--THE MUSICAL Hot off the presses! A half-boy, half-bat has been spotted in Toronto! See him live on stage in this classic love story with serious bite. "A...

Goodwill buy the pound: 1993-2005: the Jarvis Street thrift shop hawks its last treasures this month.(The End.)
March 1, 2005... It's a snowy Sunday morning at Buy the Pound, the bargain-basement annex to the Jarvis Street Goodwill, where clothes go for $2 a pound, books and records for 50 cents apiece. All the regulars are here: the psych prof in the loud felt jacket...

Heritage inns.
March 1, 2005... Beild House (1) Situated in a neighbourhood of historic homes, the 1909 Eden Smith-designed house was once a doctor's residence. Today it makes a comfy weekend country inn retreat. Favourites include room 6, with its Moroccan tapestry,...

Itinerary 1: Niagara-on-the-lake: oenophiles, theatre buffs and cyclists converge in this neo-Victorian village.
March 1, 2005... WHAT TO DO The Shaw theatre festival is the town's main draw and recent years (and a new artistic director. Jackie Maxwell) have seen the program evolve into a mix of cleverly staged masterpieces (by Shaw and his contemporaries), popular...

Itinerary 2: Montreal: the ever-chic and civilized city will bring out your inner culture vulture.(destination)
March 1, 2005... WHAT TO DO The Montreal International Jazz Festival 1-888-515-0515) offers some 350 free concerts from noon to midnight at 10 outdoor stages surrounding downtown's Place des Arts (June 30 to July 10).The legendary Roberta Flack and Al...

Destinations.(Canada)
March 1, 2005... Arowhon Pines (31) 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...

Spa retreats.
March 1, 2005... Ananda Yoga Spa (40) The soft rumble of Indian ragas and a gleaming brass statue of Laxmi, Hindu goddess of fortune, greet visitors. when the spa opened in 2000, the age-old Ayurvedic treatments (milk and rose petal baths, luxurious...

Getaways for grown-ups.
March 1, 2005... Arc the Hotel (51) 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, 2005... Algonquin Outfitters (61) Day-long excursions organized by Algonquin Outfitters are popular with newbie and old-hand paddlers alike. A favourite destination is Hailstorm Creek, known for its exceptional wildlife-watching opportunities,...

Cruising.
March 1, 2005... Gananoque getaway (66) Through the late 19th century, wealthy Brits and Americans snapped up property and built summer retreats in the Thousand Islands. In order to preserve a portion of the area's natural beauty, environmentally conscious...

The great outdoors.
March 1, 2005... Bronte Creek Provincial Park (69) Located on a 19th-century former farm between Burlington and Oakville, this provincial park is gradually being returned to a wilderness state--but not too wild. Three years ago, a new campground was...

Itinerary 3: Ottawa: edifying cultural excursions and the pretty canal make for a restorative getaway.
March 1, 2005... WHAT TO DO This summer's blockbuster show at the National Gallery is Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Renaissance in Florence (May 27 to Sept. 5), featuring 120 masterful paintings, sculptures and drawings ($12). Admission to the...

Horsing around.(travel tips)
March 1, 2005... High Pointe Inn and Equestrian Centre (82) 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.
March 1, 2005... The Good Earth Cooking School (86) The emphasis at this cooking school is on fun--courses titled Beer Hunter and La Brie en Rose should make it plain. An al fresco kitchen set among peach trees and gardens is an idyllic summer venue. Come...

Kid-friendly outings.(inns)
March 1, 2005... Breakers Motel (92) On a white sand beach at the eastern end of Cobourg's Victoria Park, this motel is a popular summer destination for families looking for a self-catering getaway. In 2003, an outbuilding was renovated to create three new...

Culture infusions.(art centers)
March 1, 2005... Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts (97) Only in Canada would a new concert hall and hockey museum be built together in the same facility, part of a waterfront redevelopment project in Parry Sound. Not only is it cost...

Alternative escapes.(travel tips)
March 1, 2005... Alexander Henry Bed and Breakfast (103) 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,...

Inn on a budget.
March 1, 2005... Angeline's Restaurant, Inn & Spa (109) 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...

Itinerary 4: Stratford: an antidote for reality TV overdose.(travel tips)
March 1, 2005... WHAT TO DO When money's no object, consider front-and-centre orchestra seats (about $100) for a musical at the Festival Theatre (55 Queen St., 1-800-567-1600). Book 60 days in advance to save roughly 15 per cent on ticket prices. Thrifty...

Architectural wonders.(Day Trips)
March 1, 2005... Campbell House Museum (1) A girl with a mohawk chows on a hot dog from a nearby vendor. Several feet away, a clutch of taxi cabs roars by. If the grand red-brick house with white semi-circular wooden porch looks out of place at the corner...

Art appreciation.(day trips)
March 1, 2005... Albright-Knox Art Gallery (13) The combination of intimate scale and grand painting and sculpture makes for sophisticated ambience at the Albright-Knox. Local philanthropist John J. Albright commissioned the original building for the 1901...

History majors.(day trips)
March 1, 2005... Benares Historic House (27) A graceful relic of early Clarkson, this grand home dates back to the mid-19th century. The red-brick Georgian once anchored the estate of Captain James Harris, who resigned his commission in the British Army's...

Spectator sports: art walks and festivals.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... The third annual QUEEN WEST ART CRAWL summons some 500 artists out of the woodwork--everyone from painters and sculptors to thespians. musicians and dancers. Pick up a free festival guide for details on artists, studio tours events and...

Back to nature.(day trips)
March 1, 2005... Albion Hills Conservation Area (59) Straddling the rough west end of the Oak Ridges Moraine, this forested expanse includes the homestead farm of Henry and Charlotte Jefferson, who settled here in 1820. While the Jeffersons can't have...

Top crops: the best farmers' markets.
March 1, 2005... IN TOWN DUFFERIN GROVE ORGANIC FARMER'S MARKET Under a stand of shady trees, farmers weigh down tables with organic delights. Look for lime green cauliflower, bunches of fresh-picked salad greens, lamb shank wild boar and smoked fish....

Major attractions.(toronto)
March 1, 2005... African Lion Safari (75) Here in the unlikely precincts of rural Cambridge, it's safari season six months of the year. A daily caravan of minivans and SUVs makes the trek off the 401, drawn by that ubiquitous TV jingle. Parents will be...

On the town.(day trips)
March 1, 2005... Creemore (84) One of the prettiest towns in the land, Creemore is becoming Ontario's equivalent of the Hamptons. It's easy to see why Torontonians are flocking here for a relaxing getaway (and after they've spent a weekend, why they stay...

Marine life: waterfront destinations.
March 1, 2005... Our waterfront is notoriously a boulevard of unrealized dreams. While revitalization czars squabble with economic development bodies over the future, it's worth exploring the 46 kilometres of shoreline at hand. At the megacity's southwest...

Antiques hunting.
March 1, 2005... PORT HOPE Estate Treasures (92) The beautiful, bold and ugly cohabit at this combination flea market and antiques shop. Owner David Simmons has run this meticulously organized business for a decade: the egg cups are in one place, ruby...

Sports highlights.
March 1, 2005... Air Canada Centre (95) A new standard for mass entertainment, this stadium not only manages to avoid overwhelming with its grandiosity but integrates itself effectively into the surrounding landscape. A conversion of sorts, the building...