April 2012 Contents
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Editor’s Letter
This City
The Moment How Karen Stintz became an unlikely transit hero
Q&A CUPE 416 pooh-bah Mark Ferguson, a.k.a. Dr. No, on why he said yes
Camera RFK Jr. charms the pants off Toronto’s enviro-A-listers
Reason to Love Toronto Because we’re the kind of city that saves a Regent Park performance space from certain doom
Social Networks Who worships where at the city’s power congregations
Ego Meter What’s making and shaking the city’s self-image this month
Columns
Tony Keller The end of the pension plan as we know it
Stephen Marche An unflinching assessment of Jack Layton’s legacy
Features
Where to Eat Now
Our annual ranking of the top new restaurants. Plus: haute sandwiches, the final word on wood-fired pizzas, tacos 2.0, food trucks galore and our verdict on the best and worst dining trends of the year
Allah in the Cafeteria
When the principal at Valley Park Middle School allowed 400 Muslim students to pray in the lunchroom, he thought he was being progressive. What he got was a scandal—over the preaching of conservative Islam and the separation of girls from boys—that’s testing the TDSB’s policy of religious accommodation By Natasha Fatah
What I Can’t See
For 20 years I inhabited the city’s most brash and stylish social scene. I went out four nights a week, flirted with pretty women, helped myself to the occasional line of coke, and considered it all material for my books. Until the day I lost the vision in my left eye. A year later, it happened in my right eye. Was my hard-partying life to blame? By Russell Smith
Navigator
The Thing A serious umbrella for monsoon season, i.e., April
The List Ten things it girl Cassie Steele can’t live without
Great Spaces Swoon-inducing live-work lofts—perfect for Type A, commute-averse design hounds
Real Estate A $700,000 search for suburban comforts in the urban wilds
Culture
Spotlight Theatrical virtuoso Daniel MacIvor exposes a bitterly funny slice of life in Was Spring
The Argument How Hot Docs got so huge, so fast
See, Hear, Read Know-it-alls pick the movie, music and book release of the month
The Conversation The COC’s Johannes Debus and ex–Barenaked Lady Steven Page talk about sowing their musical oats
Celebrity Watch Mapping Margaret Atwood’s march toward ubiquity
Going Out
Restaurants, Theatre, Music, Art, Dance, Family, Etc.
Memoir
I found love at Occupy Toronto By Chris Wiseman
