Jet-setting philanthropist Peter Munk, the 85-year-old founder of Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp., is taking a rogue approach to real estate: he’s dumping big money into condo developments at a time when Toronto’s already overflowing with high rises and other developers are backing away. Munk is using his personal wealth to help finance CD Capital, headed by Todd Cowan and Jordan Dermer, who were previously execs at another real estate company backed by Munk. The developers’ projects include, among others, the 300-unit Sixty Colborne project near St. Lawrence Market and 155 Redpath at Yonge and Eglinton, an area Dermer argues is ripe for development. Munk, meanwhile, says the city’s starry future is reason enough to invest. Hard to argue with a billion-dollar man. [Globe and Mail]
All stories by Andrew Wallace
Five things to do in Toronto on the weekend of May 11-12
(Image: Courtney Wotherspoon)
In this edition of The Weekender, the Junction Flea returns, the Toronto Flower Market launches and three more things to do in Toronto.
MARKET
Toronto Flower Market (FREE!)
The first-ever outdoor flower market at 99 Sudbury takes place Saturday. Fresh-cut, potted and bedding flowers from Ontario greenhouses are available, as well as coffees and baked treats from the market café. Horticulturalist or not, strolling through the colourful oasis with an iced coffee sounds like an awfully nice afternoon. May 11. 99 Sudbury St., torontoflowermarket.ca
Five things to do in Toronto on the weekend of May 4-5
Jason Priestley is a special guest at the 9021-OMG Block Party (Image: George Pimentel)
In this edition of The Weekender, the Contact Photography Festival, a block party with Jason Priestley (yes, Brandon Walsh himself) and three more things to do in Toronto.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Contact Photography Festival
For the next month, Toronto turns into a city-wide art installation. Billboards, subway stations, cafés, stores and even airport terminals become galleries, joining institutions like the ROM and MOCCA in showcasing more than 1,500 artists across 175 venues. Check out exhibits from iconic Toronto photographers Michael Snow and Arnaud Maggs or the controversial work of emerging talent Jonathan Hobin. Our top 10 picks are here. Free! May 1-31. Various locations. scotiabankcontactphoto.com
Five things to do in Toronto on the weekend of April 27-28
(Image: Investors Group Stars on Ice/ Mike Okoniewski)
In this edition of The Weekender, the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Montreal Canadiens, Hot Docs and three more things to do in Toronto.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leaf’s final tilt of the regular season pits them against their long-running rivals, and potential opening-round opponents in the postseason, the Montreal Canadiens. Expect the Air Canada Centre to be brimming with anticipation for the home team’s first playoff appearance in nine agonizing years. $79-$459. April 27. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St. mapleleafs.nhl.com
Five things to do in Toronto on the weekend of April 20–21
Buddy Guy plays Massey Hall on Saturday (Image: Paul Natkin)
In this edition of the Weekender, Stomp, the Toronto Bridal Show and three more things to do in Toronto.
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Stomp
These eight percussionists, who create rhythms out of mundane objects—brooms, tires, trash cans and lids, matchboxes, hubcaps, Zippos—still sound explosively innovative after 22 years. Rush seats for their five-day Toronto run are being released first-come, first-serve at the box office on the day of each show. $25-99. April 16-21. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W. mirvish.com/shows/stomp
Six Toronto chefs battle for doughnut supremacy (and $10,000) on the new reality series Donut Showdown
Mmm… Doughnuts… (Image: Janice Cullivan)
Food Network Canada is launching another competition-based reality TV show. Each episode of Donut Showdown begins with three chefs vying to produce the most delicious doughnut from a basket of mystery ingredients. Then the weakest entrant is dropped, the remaining two chefs cook a big batch of doughnuts based on a theme and the winner takes home the $10,000 prize. (Three contestants, two straightforward contests, one consistent dish—this is no Top Chef.) Cooks from across North America will compete, including 12 Canadian contestants, six of whom hail from Toronto: Amanda Harmer of Barque Smokehouse, Trista Sheen of Crush Wine Bar, Kristen Boates of John & Sons Oyster House, Rachelle Cadwell of Dough by Rachelle, Michelle Edgar of Sweet Escapes Patisserie, Rachel Pellet of Emma’s Country Kitchen. The first episode airs April 2.
High-end grocery store Pusateri’s is outraged over a recent proposal by resident council rogue Kristyn Wong-Tam to remove the valet parking area in front of its Bay Street shop. In 2003, Pusateri’s paid big bucks ($75,000) for the city to create a street indent called a “lay-by” that allows customers to stop momentarily and hand off their keys to the valet or to pop in and out for a quick bag of groceries. But now Wong-Tam wants to eliminate the cushy road space in order to double the width of the sidewalk (she says the move is part of the city’s larger plan to build a more walkable, livable city). For its part, Pusateri’s argues removing the lay-by will jeopardize the store’s very existence. After all, that Benz isn’t going to park itself. [Toronto Star]
All Downhill From Here: nine top-notch ski getaways
Ski-loving Torontonians have it rough. The city’s in a topographic dead zone. How else to explain hour-long lineups at Blue Mountain? The only real option for good skiing: get out of town, the farther the better. Here, a few world-class destinations (that aren’t Whistler).
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The Argument: Marion Cotillard, Hollywood’s favourite French actress, gets unleashed in Rust and Bone
(Image: courtesy Mongrel Media)
The first time I saw Marion Cotillard in the flesh was at this year’s TIFF. The jaw-droppingly gorgeous French actress was standing atop a long flight of stairs inside Michael’s on Simcoe. She was in town for the gala presentation of Rust and Bone, a dark and visceral French romance adapted from a collection of short stories by Toronto author Craig Davidson and directed by Jacques Audriard. In the film, she plays a killer whale trainer at Marineland who loses her legs in a freak accident involving an aquatic animal routine gone very, very wrong.
I happened to be coming up the stairs at Michael’s just as Cotillard, wearing bright blue and yellow satin heels, was about to go down. I saw the shoes before I saw the woman wearing them, and was about to compliment her when our eyes met, and I realized I was standing there with my one and only celebrity crush. I instantly froze. And then turned into a pile of mush.
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CIBC has joined the ranks of companies in the Canadian investment community forecasting a brighter less gloomy future for beleaguered Research in Motion. Yesterday, the bank’s capital markets arm raised its price target for the tech giant to $17 (U.S.) per share—more than double its previous estimate of $8. CIBC also improved RIM’s rating from “sector underperform” (not good) to “sector outperform” (good), and an analyst even called the company’s stock “materially undervalued.” Late last week, a National Bank Financial analyst also upped his price target for RIM from $12 to $15 (U.S.) and suggested investors buy shares in anticipation of the launch of the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, prompting RIM to make its biggest gain on the market since April 2009. Now, the company just really, really needs to make sure it doesn’t delay the release of its new OS. Again. [Canadian Business]
QUOTED: a diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fan on why he splurged on a $5,300 toilet
It’s part of an icon. I just thought… what a rare piece and just think of all the people that have spent time contemplating in that dressing room what lies ahead of them.
Reason to Love Toronto: because the Blue Jays made a blockbuster trade
In a city whose sports scene has long been plagued with mediocrity, big, bold moves matter—not only to instantly improve a struggling team’s fortunes but also to let suffering fans know that somebody actually cares. That’s why we love Alex Anthopolous’s mega deal. On Tuesday night, the Toronto Blue Jays general manager made one of the biggest trades in the franchise history, a double-digit player super-swap that brings to Toronto, among others, starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, former Jay catcher (and fan favourite) John Buck and, the coup de grace, superstar shortstop Jose Reyes, all from the Miami Marlins. Anthopoulos always said he would spend big money when the timing was right, and now he’s made good on his promise. It’s the kind of deal upon which a manager stakes his entire career. If Reyes and co. deliver, Anthopolous will be celebrated around the city as a veritable wunderkind. If they don’t, his corporate overlords will surely cut the young GM’s tenure short. When he heard the news, Blue Jays all-star slugger Jose Bautista excitedly tweeted, “It’s a good day to be a bluejay!” At long last, it’s a good day to be a Toronto sports fan, too.
QUOTED: Rob Ford humbly shares his personal experience with bullying
(Image: Christopher Drost)
When you are overweight like I’ve been all my life, you get made fun of and it’s not good growing up. There are many different types of bullying, but being called fat, all that stuff, it bothers you.
Weekly Lunch Pick: the new three-course prix fixe at Richmond Station
The moules frites from Richmond Station’s prix fixe lunch (Image: Andrew Wallace)
Carl Heinrich’s new farm-to-table restaurant Richmond Station provides a much-needed alternative to the stiff dining rooms of the Financial District. The 27-year-old chef and winner of Top Chef Canada invested his $100,000 prize money to create an 80-seat subway-themed room at the corner of Richmond and Yonge, with old-timey black-and-white photos on the walls and Johnny Cash and John Lee Hooker on the stereo. The restaurant opened for dinner at the beginning of October with a packed reservation book before adding lunch service last week. For now, the noon menu mirrors the short, bistro-pub-style dinner menu, with an added three-course prix fixe ($22).
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