The place: Caffe Doria at Yonge and Roxborough. The people: actors Arsinée Khanjian and Megan Follows. The subject: collaborating with loved ones
By Nathan Whitlock | Photography by Derek Shapton

Before Anne of Green Gables made her a teen star, Megan Follows (above right) was known as the youngest in a family of theatre people that included actor-director Ted Follows, her father, and actor Dawn Greenhalgh, her mother. They separated when Follows was young but continued to collaborate occasionally. In the decades since, Megan has worked with various members of her acting clan, including in an all-Follows production of Noël Coward’s Hay Fever. This month, she stars as the wife of Odysseus in the stage adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s tartly revisionist The Penelopiad. Arsinée Khanjian also knows the perils and joys of working with family: her best-known roles have been in the films Exotica and Ararat, both directed by her husband, Atom Egoyan. This month, Egoyan directs her onstage for the first time ever in Cruel and Tender, by the British playwright Martin Crimp and based on a work by Sophocles. Like Follows in Penelopiad, Khanjian plays the wife of a soldier who brings his work home with him—in this case, a terrorism-fighting general who may be doing more harm than good. We invited the two to Caffe Doria in Rosedale and listened in as they chatted about mixing the personal and the professional.

THEATRE
The Penelopiad
Jan. 10 to 29
Buddies in Bad Times

Cruel and Tender
Jan. 21 to Feb. 18
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

Naturally, with someone the likes of Rob Ford at the city helm, it was no easy task to pick only our 10 favourite mayoral moments. But we did it anyway. Here, a look back at the year according to Ford—from the ridiculous (remember the Marg Delahunty brouhaha?) to the righteous (two all-night executive committee deputations!) to, yes, Giorgio Mammoliti (after all, what’s the mayor without his right-hand man—and thumb?).

1. The vehicle registration tax saga
That Rob Ford eliminated the vehicle registration tax in 2010 with almost no opposition was a testament to the strength of his campaign rhetoric. But now that he says the city is teetering on the brink of financial freefall, his opponents claim the crisis is more manufactured than real—and it actually started with Ford axing important sources of revenue.

2. Turns out transit planning is difficult
Ford killed Transit City just hours into his tenure with a simple proclamation: “Transit City is over.” Of course, pulling out of a plan of that magnitude doesn’t come without its own costs, and now the city is looking at a $65-million price tag for something that will never exist. And then there’s the pesky Sheppard subway extension and the Eglinton Crosstown business.

3. Aspiring idea man Doug Ford gets schooled
While Doug Ford’s ideas for the Toronto waterfront were often described as a “vision,” the plan—which included a Ferris wheel and a monorail—sounded more like Richie Rich’s Christmas list. It wasn’t long before Ford’s grand fantasy met the cruel indifference of, um, financial and legal realities (and, in turn, his brother was forced for the first time to part ways with him politically).

4. Giorgio Mammoliti
“Hot Wheels” Mammoliti thinks Toronto should be its own province, he wants to build a red-light district on Toronto Island and he can smell communism. A one-time NDP MPP and long-time Ford foe, Mammoliti has emerged as one of the mayor’s most loyal—and most distracting—supporters. Mammoliti certainly kept us entertained in 2011—we just hope he hasn’t done too much irrevocable damage in the process.

5. Toronto Community Housing gives Ford a gravy-licious gift
The misspending at Toronto Community Housing uncovered by the city’s auditor general was a political offering to a mayor who has struggled to find the waste and inefficiencies at city hall that he decried on the campaign trail. Spa treatments, sole-sourced contracts—the auditor general’s report on TCHC had it all. (And don’t forget the jazz hands.)

6. Marg Delahunty versus Rob Ford
After news surfaced that Ford called 911 after a visit from This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ resident warrior princess, the CBC reported the mayor also cursed at dispatchers and gave himself a profane honorific. The story was called into question shortly after it was printed, but it was believable because it seemed to fit the image of Ford we know so well: brash, bumbling and remarkably shortsighted.

7. Opposition mounts as Ford’s axe dangles over city services
By the time Ford released his proposed 2012 budget, many of the most controversial cuts had already been taken off the table. But certain programs and facilities remain on the chopping block, and councillors and citizens remain committed to saving them. While Ford said no department would be exempt from his 10 per cent reduction edict—a commitment he’s already broken—it looks likely the budget will bring a few early defeats for the mayor in the New Year.

8. Ford’s skips Pride, the city parties without him
Ford ended a long-running streak of mayoral appearances at the Pride Parade, opting instead to spend the weekend at his family cottage. If that’s not disappointing enough, Ford is already dodging questions about whether he’ll attend Pride in 2012. For the record, Toronto had plenty of fun without him.

9. Ford accidentally invigorates the city’s activists
Margaret Atwood probably didn’t expect her tweets to spark a surge in the mission to save library branches; we didn’t anticipate that a citizen campaign could help lead to a unanimous vote against Doug Ford’s waterfront “plan”; and then there’s the whole business of regular citizens staying up all night—twice!—just for the chance to fight for their city and smack talk the mayor to his face.

10. Ford’s surprises everyone by actually getting stuff done
It was considered conventional wisdom during the mayoral campaign that even if Ford managed to get elected (and, really, what were the odds of that?), he’d have a hard time winning any major votes on council. Well, so much for that. Ford’s support base is looking pretty shaky these days, but few can claim they anticipated the broad base of loyalty he established in his first year.

(Images: Christopher Drost and Shaun Merritt)

Photographs: Houses by Daniel Neuhaus; faces by George Pimentel and CP Images

Elbow-patched academics, keg-emptying frat boys and earthy middle-incomers have long ruled the Annex. But lately, a clutch of moneyed, high-powered Forest Hill and Rosedale types have wandered south, looking for cool downtown bustle without having to give up the acreage. And who can blame them? The east Annex is a natural geographical nexus for the intellectual and moneyed elite, what with U of T and all the museums to the south, and the revamped Bloor Street promenade—not to mention Whole Foods—a short stroll away. The choicest address is Admiral Road, a winding, bucolic boulevard with huge heritage homes ripe for renovation. Margaret Atwood is its most famous resident; she’s lived there since ’85. Ex-GG Adrienne Clarkson became her neighbour in ’05. Adrienne’s ex-hubby, eminent egghead Stephen Clarkson, is down the way on Lowther—a strip dotted with luminaries like George Cohon of McDonald’s and real estate king Jimmy Molloy. Above, we chart the most recent arrivals to Toronto’s newest Golden Mile.

Writers’ Trust executive director Don Oravec and author Margaret Atwood (Image: Tom Sandler)

Forty-three of Canada’s most distinguished authors were invited to share an evening with over 400 guests last night, raising $190,000 for the Writers’ Trust of Canada. Members of the literary elite like Margaret Atwood, Lawrence Hill, Karen Connelly, Michael Lista and Jane Urquhart were presented with white medals alongside more unexpected authors, such as Fashion Television host Jeanne Beker, politician Michael Ignatieff, celebrity chef Mark McEwan, Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean and Dragons’ Den’s Kevin O’Leary. Authors were scattered throughout the space, each seated at a roundtable of paying guests—every attendee received an autographed book from their table’s author. “We’re trying to expose writers to an audience. If people meet the author, they’re more likely to not only buy the book, but also to become fans of the author,” explained executive director Don Oravec. Proceeds from the night went towards Berton House, a writers’ retreat residence, and the Woodcock Fund, an emergency fund for writers. Check out the scene in a gallery after the jump.

Hill was overheard laughing about his Movember ’stache, while CBC’s Shelagh Rogers gushed over MacLean’s wife Cari, saying “I feel like I know you, especially after reading the book,” referring to MacLean’s October release, Cornered. Beker mingled with Canadian musician and new novelist Sylvia Tyson and was overheard complimenting Atwood on her printed silk jacket (esteemed author, Twitter celebrity and fashion plate). As the guests sat down to dinner, a video featuring Jane Urquhart, Yann Martel, Russell Smith, Graeme Gibson, Lawrence Hill and Anna Porter was played to illustrate why the Writers’ Trust is so important to Canadian writers, and the night ended with a literary treasure hunt with prizes from Tiffany’s, Elmwood Spa and Whole Foods. Nothing like a good treasure hunt (with gifts from Tiffany’s, no less) to quash the myth that the literary community is stuffy.

November has unofficially become Movember, which means that brothers, sons, fathers, husbands and lovers have taken to growing whatever semblance of a moustache they can to become “mos.” For one month, the 1970s male escort look will become ubiquitous, and some will like it and others won’t, but it’s all in the name of charity—donations raised by participants go to Prostate Cancer Canada. We thought we’d call on some of the most talked about Toronto notables (who could make a big difference with their wallets) this Movember, and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to mock up just what that might look like. Check out Rachel McAdams, Margaret Atwood, Rob Ford, Suzanne Rogers, Justin Bieber (we know he isn’t exactly a Toronto notable, but we thought it would be fun) and more in a gallery after the jump, and if you like what you see, get the look using Torontoist’s very helpful grooming tips on how not to look like a jerk this Movember (it is our belief that everyone will want the “McAdams”).

Phillip Addis as Don Giovanni, giant pumpkins at the Royal Winter Agricultural Fair, Matthew Good

1. LITERARY DEATH MATCH TORONTO
In this singularly silly lit event, four authors (Grace O’Connell, Carolyn Black, Rebecca Rosenblum and Dani Couture this time around) give readings of their best pieces of writing. After each reading, the panel of judges (poet Ryan Kamstra, comedian Lindy Zucker and National Post books editor Mark Medley) offer up American Idol–esque commentary (more Paula than Simon) before narrowing the field to two finalists, who compete in a madcap showdown (last time involved throwing cupcakes at a poster of Margaret Atwood). November 6. $10. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635, literarydeathmatch.com.

2. THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR
Even the hippest Torontonian could use a little rodeo in their lives now and again. The annual fair is back in town, with its gigantic horses, veggies of unusual proportion, craft shopping and the ever-popular SuperDogs. We do have one small beef with this longtime Toronto tradition: why does it have to be called the winter fair? For the record, it’s still fall, and we’re not nearly ready for winter yet. November 4 to 13. $22. Ricoh Coliseum, 100 Princes’ Blvd., 416-263-3400, royalfair.org.

3. DON GIOVANNI
One of Mozart’s most popular operas, this Opera Atelier performance combines drama, dark comedy and the supernatural to tell the tale of the titular character (played by Phillip Addis), a lascivious playboy who gets his comeuppance via hellfire, demons and a most unusual statue. With Carla Huhtanen as Zerlina and Vasil Garvanliev as Leporello, backed by the Tafelmusik Orchestra. To November 5. $55–$175. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St., 416-870-8000, ticketmaster.ca.

4. SMASH, BANG, BOOM! (FREE!)
For most, college nostalgia runs more to the keggers and “study dates” than to actual school work. But for those who think back just as fondly on their lectures, there’s this series of science talks hosted by the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science. This one, by Natalia Toro of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, is part particle physics 101 and part musings on the Large Hadron Collider, which smashes protons or lead ions into one another and monitors what happens next. November 6. MacLeod Auditorium, Medical Sciences Building, 1 King’s College Circle, 416-977-2983, http://www.yorku.ca/rci/Site/Fall_11.html.

5. LEONARDO DA VINCI’S WORKSHOP
Leonardo da Vinci might be more famous for the painterly left side of his brain, but this exhibit celebrates his greatest achievements on the right. Featuring a reproduction of the master’s workshop and full-scale models of some of his most ambitious designs, including a mechanical lion and soldier and a self-propelling cart. Visitors can also browse Da Vinci’s notebooks in digital form. To March 18. $17–25. Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Rd., 416-696-1000, ontariosciencecentre.ca.

6. THE SECRET LIFE OF A SCHOOLMISTRESS
The Historic Zion Schoolhouse, which was built in the late 1800s and looks now just as it did in 1910, is both the setting and venue of this site-specific performance. School mistress Hattie Dickson (Adrianna Prosser) is on the cusp of retirement, but before she leaves the schoolhouse for the last time, she reflects on her years of teaching—ups, downs, lifelong secrets and all. Advanced tickets required. November 4 and 5. $22. 1091 Finch Ave. E., 416-395-7432, toronto.ca/culture/museums/featured-events.htm.

7. ANIMALS THAT HOOT AND HOWL IN THE NIGHT
This nature walk is not technically a spooky event (we are, after all, well past Halloween). Still, there’s something pleasantly hair-raising about going on a night hike to look for nocturnal animals. Visitors also meet a real live owl, practice animal calls and end the evening roasting marshmallows over a bonfire. November 5. Adults $12, seniors, students and children $6, ages four and under free. Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Dr., 416-832-2289, kortright.org.

8. MATTHEW GOOD
We have a special place in our hearts for alt rocker and BC native Matthew Good, whose eponymous band’s 1997 album Underdogs provided the soundtrack to countless middle school lives. But nostalgia isn’t the only thing Good’s got going for him—he broke up the band in 2002, and his solo work since then has been just as strong. He’s touring in support of his latest release, Lights of Endangered Species, so expect to hear songs like the mellow “What If I Can’t See the Stars Mildred.” November 3 and 4. $39.50–55. Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Exhibition Place, 190 Princes’ Blvd., 416-870-8000, ticketmaster.ca.

(Images: Addis, Bruce Zinger; pumpkins, Suzanne Long; Good, Sean McGrath)

Occupy Wall Street marked its one-month anniversary on Monday, and over the course of the last 30-odd days it’s attracted some big name supporters—Kanye West and Russell Simmons were spotted checking out the scene at Liberty Square and Zuccotti Park, as were Mark Ruffalo, Penn Badgley, George Clooney, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Tim Robbins and Mike Myers, just to name a few. Here at Occupy Toronto, we’ve witnessed a single star commingling with the 99 per cent: Rachel McAdams. Since the Toronto protest is still relatively new, we thought we’d put out a call to a few of our favourite local celebs to help give the campers in St. James Park a little extra exposure. See the slideshow of who made our celebrity wish list, after the jump.

(Images: Occupy Toronto, Marc Falardeau; Ryan Gosling, Christopher Drost; I Was Told There Would Be Cake, Kelly Finnamore; Sarah Polley, Lia Grainger; Hands in the air, Ryan; Margaret Atwood, Marco Secchi/ Getty Images Entertainment/ Getty Images; Trickle Down Economics, Michael Kooiman; Drake, Brennan Schnell; Occupy Toronto, Marc Falardeau; Kevin Drew, Simon Schoeters; Feist, Amanda Hatfield; Occupy Toronto General Assembly, Ryan; Gordon Pinsent, George Pimentel/WireImage; William Shatner, Greg Hernandez; Dave Matthews, Grey Goose Soho House; Occupy The Planet, Michael Kooiman)

At the end of last week, Toronto Public Library staff proposed a host of cuts as part of an effort to meet Rob Ford’s demands for slashed budgets (we’re not even going to bother making efficiency jokes anymore). Ford backed away from outright library closures amidst widespread public outcry last month, but it’s likely that the new proposed cuts could generate just as much opposition.

The Globe and Mail has the details:

The money-saving measures are in a report by Toronto’s head librarian in response to a demand for a 10 per cent reduction in all city operations for next year. The report will be considered next week at the first meeting of the library board since the appointment of eight new members. It stops short of recommending all the cuts, instead proposing the board back $9.7 million in savings, or about 5.7 per cent of the amount requested.

To meet the 10 per cent target, the chief librarian says in the report that the board would have to consider an additional $7.3 million in added belt-tightening, which would include eliminating Sunday service at eight branches, and summer closings at the remaining 19. Also among the options not recommended to the board were reducing weekday and Saturday hours seven per cent, with some morning and evening closings at lesser used branches. It added that the collection budget could be chopped by nearly $1.9 million or about 11 per cent, resulting in longer waits for high demand material.

The fight against library cuts subsided somewhat after it was announced that no branches would be closed. Margaret Atwood was delighted (we think), and she and Doug Ford sowed the seeds of what we hope will blossom into a beautiful friendship. But the usual suspects on council are already railing against these new proposed cuts—the Star has councillors Paula Fletcher and Kristyn Wong-Tam on record as opposing the reductions.

Service reductions may not make for the same explosive rhetorical ammo as outright branch closures, but it should still be fairly easy for Ford’s opposition to mobilize against them. (Look, Janet Davis has already started.) Ford also told the National Post that closing a single library branch on a Sunday amounted to a significant service cut, so he can expect to be nailed for flip-flopping if he endorses the cuts. Add in a recently reconfigured library board, which includes one member who has worked for KPMG (who recommended library closures in the first place), and it appears another protracted fight could be in the offing.

• Toronto library services face cutbacks [Toronto Star]
• Report proposes $17-million in cuts for libraries [Globe and Mail]
• City’s head librarian pitches $9.7M in ‘efficiencies’ [National Post]

(Images: scissors, Ivy Dawned; books, Abdulla Al Muhairi; Margaret Atwood, Marco Secchi/ Getty Images Entertainment/ Getty Images)

A man with a (possible) case of the Mondays (Image: Phil Marion from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

Library lovers can rest a little easier, at least for now. The Globe and Mail reported this morning that library closures and cutting 2,000 subsidized daycare spaces are off the table as ways of addressing the city’s budget shortfall. The news comes following what was likely one of the worst weeks thus far for the Rob Ford administration: polls revealed his support is drastically dwindling among the city’s taxpayers citizens and his grand plans for the waterfront took a steady beating.

The Globe has the story:

Talk of closing branches and cutting services and hours has been met with widespread public opposition, most notably from author Margaret Atwood who got into a verbal sparing match with the mayor’s brother, also a city councillor, after he said he would shut a branch in his ward “in a heartbeat.”

About 2,000 subsidized daycare spaces that do not receive provincial funding also will be preserved for as long as the current users are in them, Mr. Minnan-Wong said. “Anybody who has a spot will maintain that spot,” he said, adding that the city will continue to press the province for additional funding and will look for greater involvement from the private sector.

Libraries and daycare were two of the issues that prompted the loudest public outcry and the most dissent on council when news broke regarding what services were set to be on the city hall chopping block. So, it would appear that perhaps the Ford administration is slowly becoming more responsive to public opinion. However, there are also a great many reasons to doubt Ford and co.’s commitment to public consultation and dialogue. For instance, consider that just this weekend, Doug Ford suggested that the media frenzy over the Port Lands somehow constituted public consultation (um, really, Doug?).

The timing of this news is also important. The mayor and his executive committee are currently staring down the barrel of a marathon meeting chalked full of public deputations, just like the one it was forced to endure in July. Of course, the executive shouldn’t be surprised that 300 people signed up to speak: extensive cuts will yield extensive opposition.

And so perhaps the public filibustering and council’s change of heart have lead the mayor to—at least temporarily—choose the path of least resistance. That said, there’s good reason to take the news with a grain of salt: libraries could still see reduced hours. Moreover, the mayor’s decision is more likely the product of political convenience, rather than some larger epiphany regarding the value of public services.

• Council preview: Vaughan would prohibit Ford from excluding the Star [Toronto Star]
• Ford support plummeting, poll suggests [Toronto Star]
• Ford ally joins experts in rejecting his Port Lands plan [Toronto Star]
• Toronto Mayor Ford to retreat from controversial cuts [Globe and Mail]
• Rob Ford’s bad week at Toronto City Hall [Globe and Mail]

Every city department is being forced to reckon with major budget cuts—just as Rob Ford instructed earlier this year. Most departments don’t have the public profile or sufficient respect from taxpayers to make a stink about the cuts—unless they have, say, Margaret Atwood in their corner—but the police sure do. Chief of Police Bill Blair has been warning for months now that the budget constraints his department’s facing could lead to close to 1,000 officers and staff getting axed, and as of yesterday he’s no longer being discreet about it.

From the Toronto Sun’s Joe Warmington:

“By the end of the year there would be 1,000 fewer police officers on the streets of Toronto,” Chief Bill Blair told Citytv’s Avery Haines in an interview. “That’s almost one police officer in five.”

Pow!

That was the lead jab. The next one was a low blow.

”That would have a very significant impact on public safety and our ability to keep the city safe,” said Blair.

Ouch.

Translation: The mayor and his cuts to the 5,600 men and women in uniform are putting the city at risk?

We enjoyed Joe Warmington’s narration of the dispute—but the brouhaha gets even more amusing when we learned that the mayor still insists it’s possible to cut the police budget without taking cops off the street (“I’ve always supported the police,” said Ford) and Ford’s defenders, like Michael Thompson, are still defending him. They say that Blair is being alarmist and using crazy numbers to get his way on the budget. Hmmm. That accusation sounds strangely familiar. Oh, right. We’ve heard it before.

• Chief Blair says 1,000 cops could be axed to meet budget target [Toronto Star]
• Blair takes on Ford [Toronto Sun]
• Ford cuts will cost 1,000 officers their jobs, police chief says [Globe and Mail]

(Images: Rob Ford—Shaun Merritt; Toronto police—steelerdan)