Society | torontolife.com

The comprehensive index of every blog post, magazine story and restaurant review that appears on Torontolife.com

All stories relating to society

Gregory Burke pulled the Power Plant out of debt and enhanced its international reputation. Then, he quit.

By Daniel Baird

Gregory Burke with Sarah Bywater, the former Power Plant head fundraiser, at the 2009 Power Ball (Image: George Pimentel)

The Power Plant’s first board meeting of the year was held at noon on Monday, February 7. The gallery, situated on prime waterfront property, is a magnet for the city’s wealthy society figures. The clubby board of governors reflects that. Trinity Jackman, an archaeologist and the daughter of Hal Jackman, is the vice-president. The Drake Hotel owner Jeff Stober is a member, as are Rosedale hostess and arts patron Elisa Nuyten and the entertainment lawyer Paul Bain. The board’s president is Shanitha Kachan, an art collector and the wife of investment guru Gerald Sheff. Kachan called to order what should have been a routine, low-key meeting. Then came the big revelation.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Informer

The Harrowing Present

March 25, 2011 | 2:07 pm

Comments

Ontario schools to poor people: suck it

One thing that the provincial Liberals are proud of as they run for a third term is their record in education. Full-day kindergarten, lower dropout rates, more spending in post-secondary education: these are all things the Grits will be certain to make sure people know about before October’s election. The problem, according to The Globe and Mail, is that Ontario’s high schools are increasingly charging fees that are at best exploiting loopholes and at worst are illegal.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Informer

From the Print Edition

March 14, 2011 | 9:14 am

Comments

She who cures all: Q&A with Dhun Noria

For over 30 years as a doctor, Dhun Noria has battled disease. As the newest citizen member of the police board, she’s turning her attention to fighting crime By Sonia Verma

(Image: Adam Rankin)

You’re the chief of laboratory medicine at the Scarborough Hospital. What do you do, exactly?
Almost every patient who comes into our hospital has an encounter with the lab. Eighty per cent of treatment decisions are made on the basis of lab tests. My specialty is cancer diagnosis.

You studied at U of T?
Yes. I came to Canada from Hyderabad, India, in 1968 to do my fellowship in anatomic pathology.

And you raised a family here, too.
My husband, Farokh, studied nuclear physics but now makes fashion jewellery. We have a manufacturing plant in India, and my son, Zubin, helps with the business. My daughter, Sabrena, is a surgeon in Columbus, Ohio.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Informer

From the Print Edition

December 6, 2010 | 9:11 am

25 Comments

Hell House: Why the Don Jail is a wretched, dangerous dungeon that should have been shut down ages ago

Last year, Jeff Munro was beaten to death at the Don Jail over a bag of chips. His fate was not unusual. The Don is a wretched, dangerous dungeon that should have been shut down ages ago. Instead, it’s where we send people who haven’t yet been convicted of anything By Nicholas Hune-Brown

On a Sunday last November, Christine Munro was putting the Christmas tree up early, just like she does every year, when two police officers came to her door. Christine is a dental assistant and mother of four. She lives on a quiet cul-de-sac in Paris, Ontario, with her husband, Paul, who is a mechanic, and their 15-year-old son, Devon. She also has two grown daughters, Brittany and Melanie, who visit often. When Christine saw the officers on her front porch, however, her thoughts immediately jumped to her eldest child. “I opened my door and said, ‘Please don’t tell me it’s about Jeff.’ ”

(Image: Boris Spremo/CP)

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

The Velvet Rope

November 30, 2010 | 3:23 pm

1 Comment

The sartorial highlights of last night’s George Pimentel party

There’s nothing Toronto society loves more than looking at a bunch of pictures of themselves. Or so we’re left to assume after the socialite-studded turnout at last night’s Absolut George photo exhibit, a vodka-drenched soirée in celebration of Toronto’s celebrity shutterbug George Pimentel. It’s not often that so many of the city’s fashion plates are gathered under the same roof. See who sizzled and who fizzled in our slide show.

View the photos now >>

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

Telling Tales

November 29, 2010 | 12:34 pm

3 Comments

Secrets of a society photographer: George Pimentel shares his favourite shots

Galen Weston Jr.’s Bieber haircut, a commando mission to shoot Conrad Black, and the never-ending battle for fashion supremacy—George Pimentel has seen, done and documented it all. Tonight, the celebrity photographer shares 300 of his favourite Toronto society snaps at a VIP-filled bash at the Carlu. In case you didn’t get an invite, here’s a sneak peek at some of Pimentel’s most memorable shots.

Begin the slide show >>

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 13, 2010 | 11:48 am

14 Comments

Spotted! Belinda Stronach partying with a shirtless young man at Maison

Stronach at Maison (Image: Fraser Abe)

When the official after-party for last night’s Amfar fundraiser was a bust—after Martha Wash performed, the round room at the Carlu cleared out quickly—the unofficial hot spot for post-partying was Maison on Mercer Street. Ciara Hunt, erstwhile editor of Hello! Canada, piled into the back seat of a BMW convertible and tore off to Maison, as did Society gal Ashleigh Dempster and hubby Matt George (owner of new bar Goodnight).

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

The Velvet Rope

September 8, 2010 | 5:00 pm

Comments

Oh boy, George: Toronto society types head to the Four Seasons to toast George Pimentel

One of Pimentel's festival snaps (Image: George Pimentel)

The city might not be in the full throes of TIFF just yet (official celebrations begin tomorrow), but that didn’t stop the society types from fêting noted celeb photographer George Pimentel with a lavish party at the Four Seasons’ Avenue Bar. The room, though festooned with shots of such bigwigs as Robert De Niro and Scarlett Johansson, wasn’t packed with the Hollywood crowd, but Toronto royalty—Stacey Kimmel, Hello! magazine’s outgoing editor Ciara Hunt, Food TV’s Rocco DiSpirito, ASC PR honcho Alexandra Weston (preggers again) and Canada AM’s Seamus O’Regan—congregated to congratulate Pimentel on the exhibition of some of his most memorable festival photographs (see a slide show of the works here).

Read the rest of this entry »

The Goods

Weddings

August 23, 2010 | 12:09 pm

17 Comments

Monika Schnarre, Canada’s first supermodel, ties the knot. See the photos

(Image: 5ive 15teen Photo Company)

It’s official: Canada’s first supermodel is off the market. Monika Schnarre (whom, modelling pedigree aside, many of us know best as the he-she who seduced Steve Sanders on the original 90210) made it official with her beau of two years, Storey Badger. The couple exchanged vows in front of family and friends in Muskoka, which is where they met two summers ago…on the same day that Schnarre split with her ex. So, ladies (or at least lady supermodels), it is possible to find true love after 35. Here, some snaps of the bride on her big day, which included a grand entrance on a 1936 Ditchburn and a live serenade courtesy of Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, who performed the group’s classic “Feel Like Makin’ Love” to put the bride and groom in the consummating mood. See the slide show >>

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

Pretty Young Things

August 5, 2010 | 4:18 pm

5 Comments

Promoting Guess and Budweiser, how one Toronto socialite makes her money

Ainsley Kerr at a TIFF after party in 2009 (Image: Sonia Recchia/WireImage/Getty Images)

Bud Light Lime, that love-to-hate beer seen at many a party, has just gotten a little classier(?) with socialite Ainsley Kerr signing on to promote the suds. As an ambassador for the brand, Kerr, a mainstay at every Toronto event with a guest list, will talk about the ins and outs of planning a sophisticated summer soiree, including “ambiance,” the transition from “chic to casual,” “palette etiquette” (whatever that means) and at the centre of it all, Bud Light Lime as a cocktail of choice. Where she’ll be doing this, we’re not sure.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Culinary Curiosities

July 8, 2010 | 4:05 pm

10 Comments

Guys socially conditioned to think yogurt makes them gay: study

Approved for dudes: bangers and gravy (Image: Alpha)

Turns out mancakes have scientific weight to them.

A study published last week by Northwestern University concluded that boys are taught that such foods as red meat and beer are associated with masculinity while vegetables and yogurt are feminine. As a result, the study says, men “tend to forgo their intrinsic preferences to conform to a masculine gender identity.” Well, insecure men who think eating a Yoplait equates to kissing another man.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

From the Print Edition

July 5, 2010 | 11:07 am

Comments

Buff Like Harley: How an unassuming kid from North York got his number on every speed dial in Hollywood

Lady Gaga, Halle Berry, Kanye West and Robert Downey Jr. would all be as flabby as the rest of us if it weren’t for celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak. How an unassuming kid from North York got his number on every speed dial in Hollywood By Courtney Shea

Harley Pasternak is desperately seeking a sleeveless T-shirt. The fitness guru has arrived without one at a photo shoot in the Distillery District. The shoot is for a campaign to promote his burgeoning product line on the Shopping Channel. One minion is sent to phone American Apparel and track down this much needed garment. In the meantime, Harley considers other wardrobe options. For casual, man-on-the-street shots, he selects a baby blue polo and jeans—baby blue, he’s advised by an assistant, will highlight his tan. A makeup artist applies foundation and some eyeliner; a photographer assesses lighting options. Bagels and beverages sit untouched while Pasternak noshes on the whole-grain muffin he brought with him. And then he’s on. Pasternak vamps under the bright lights like a bald Gisele Bündchen.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Goods

Telling Tales

April 15, 2010 | 12:26 pm

6 Comments

Oscar de la Renta event raises $750,000 despite Canada being the “smallest fashion market in the world”

“Canada is a small market—probably the smallest fashion market in the world.” That’s Canadian fashion booster Robin Kay telling CTV why most big-name designers don’t travel here. Smallest fashion market in the world? Uh, OK. “We’re not big consumers of fashion and certainly not high fashion,” continued the head of the FDCC, whose job we thought it was to promote the fashion scene in Canada. “We’re just not part of the purchasing landscape.” Explain, then, the success of Suzanne Rogers’s fundraiser for SickKids on Tuesday night, which featured a fashion show from guest of honour Oscar de la Renta. The gala sold out 10 weeks in advance and raised $750,000; according to the Star, late ticket buyers were clamouring for the remaining $25,000 tables. Sounds like a pretty devoted fashion market to us—or at least devoted status seekers.

• Bringing glamour back [Toronto Star]
• De la Renta a rare treat in Canadian fashion scene [CTV]

The Goods

Toronto Fashion Week

April 5, 2010 | 11:29 am

1 Comment

David Dixon’s show gets standing ovation from Suzanne Rogers

A look from David Dixon's fall 2010 collection (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

The buzz around the Allstream Centre on Thursday was that over 1,600 people had RSVP’d for David Dixon’s two back-to-back shows. Such society ladies as Suzanne Rogers (wearing a pouffy green jacket from Dixon’s last collection) and Catherine Nugent sat front row, as did Rick “The Temp” Campanelli (who was more interested in rubbing his date’s knee than in looking at the clothes) and Kristin Booth. Barbie by David Dixon was the first collection down the runway, offering ’60s-style shifts, laser-cut skirts and slim-fitting wool coats. Dixon’s signature line was more contemporary and almost entirely in shades of black and grey. We liked the hand- and laser-cut organza in skirts and dresses. Rogers must have agreed, because she was first up out of her seat to give a standing ovation, a move followed by many in the room.

View both collections in our slide show >>

Read the rest of this entry »

The Goods

Toronto Fashion Week

April 1, 2010 | 9:39 am

Comments

Toronto society turns out for the Joe Fresh show and celeb model Crystal Renn

Model Crystal Renn (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Joe Fresh Style, as we all know, is the show to see and be seen at each season. And, since it conveniently follows the Pink Tartan show (conveniently designed by Mrs. Joe Fresh, Kimberley Newport-Mimran), most of fashionable Toronto society—Galen Jr. and Alexandra Weston, Lynda Reeves, Tommy Ton, Jian Ghomeshi, Tanya Kim, Trevor Born, Susur Lee and so on—turned up to have their photo taken by George Pimentel, their names bold-faced by Shinan Govani and to pledge allegiance to the Mimran fan club. A big-name model always opens Joe; this year, it was the very gorgeous, very trendy and very famous “plus-size” model Crystal Renn (quotation marks are necessary, since Renn was hardly any larger than the other models) and one of the faces of the ’90s grunge scene, Kirsten Owen. Oh, there were clothes, too (view them in our slide show below), but who goes to Joe for the clothes, anyway?

See all the looks from the Joe Fresh Style show >>

Read the rest of this entry »

All stories relating to society

Contests

Links and Offers

The latest from across the St. Joseph Media network