Heart-to-Heart with KMH’s Neena Kanwar

On June 21st, 2011, Neena Kanwar validated to a throng of guests at the HSBC Great Canadian Woman Awards that anything is possible. At the time, she was being honoured for her inspiring entrepreneurial success by founding an independent health-care centre in 1988 with her husband, Vijay Kanwar, that has since become North America’s largest provider of nuclear cardiology. “Nobody should be able to tell you that you cannot succeed where others have failed,” says Neena.

With a family history of heart disease and a father who suffered two heart attacks in his 40s, Neena felt inclined to pursue a career in cardiology. In the early ’80s, she obtained a degree in nuclear medicine from the Toronto Institute of Medical Technology, which led to a position at St. Michael’s Hospital as a nuclear medicine technologist. It was there that she became perturbed by the long waits patients endured to see doctors, take tests Read more

Designer Notebook

City Life’s favourite design sources will fit seamlessly in your home.

1. Roche Bobois waves its contemporary wand in this dynamic dining room. Vibrant wool upholstered chairs from the Chabada collection will make any modern interior stand out. With a palette of 18 colours, there’s no need to play musical chairs. www.roche-bobois.ca

2. Dazzling plum sequins bring a dash of drama to your home’s décor. Accent a chair, sofa or bed with this fun and fearless Starlight Cushion from Bouclair Home. www.bouclair.com

3. Drop your passport and pick up a paint brush with CIL Paints’ exciting new decorating concept. Destination painting lets you travel around the globe from the comfort of your abode. The Asian-inspired colours seen here are CIL’s Oriental Poppy, Read more

Changing the World One Brick at a Time: Vivian Risi

It was October 2008. Major financial institutions in the U.S. were falling at the pace of leaves and the media was saturated with reports of the tumultuous subprime mortgage crisis, market crashes and a looming global recession. Business owners across an array of industries were feeling their first beads of sweat. “Our economy was greatly affected,” says Vivian Risi, owner of real estate firm Royal LePage – Your Community Realty.

Just before the news broke, Risi had taken on the role of Capital Campaign Chair of York Region’s Yellow Brick House, pledging to raise funds for YBH’s much-needed second shelter. “You can imagine the pressure I felt knowing that I had just committed to raising $4 million. I didn’t want to let anyone down,” she says.

In the midst of her concern, Risi was invited Read more

Vitanova Foundation: A Second Chance at Life

Some of us travel down roads that split into darkness until we can’t see where we end up or how we got there in the first place. It’s late afternoon and the sun beats down on idling drivers, frustrated by the wait that comes with a freight train charging through a railway crossing like the speed of life. The horizon appears as the gate arms rise, and, like the train, cars speed off into unknown destinations. Turning off a traffic-laden Vaughan road, a utopia of green and tranquility draws you towards a place that has driven 15,000 lives toward the right direction.

The Vitanova Foundation is a former private residence-turned-rehabilitation centre based on a client-centred treatment philosophy. I walk through double doors and take a seat on a green couch in the foyer to meet Franca Carella, the monarch of a not-for-profit corporation that has helped to rebuild the lives Read more

Enlightening Yoga

When Kathryn Curtis put her passion for yoga to the test, the results were quite riveting. The PhD student in York University’s department of psychology, faculty of health, is the lead author of a pilot research project that suggests yoga reduces physical and psychological symptoms in women with fibromyalgia, a condition that causes fatigue and chronic pain in muscles and joints. “I was inspired to do this project as I have a deep love for all aspects of yoga, and wanted to be able to make this practice accessible to those who might benefit from it most,” says Curtis.

Eligible research candidates completed an eight-week yoga intervention in which they provided pre- and post-program salivary cortisol samples, attended two 75-minute hatha yoga sessions weekly, filled out multiple questionnaires concerning pain, and took part in a final follow-up session. In total, 19 female Read more

Amma, Embracing the World

As I’m motioned towards the floor, pleasantly asked to kneel behind other huddling devotees, the overwhelming tempest of activity swirling around this single individual sparks mixed emotions of apprehension and exhilaration. Crowds of believers, both young and old, have descended on Toronto’s Doubletree by Hilton hotel, all to bear witness to the worldwide spiritual leader now sitting before me. The woman known as “mother;” the woman now offering me her embrace: Amma.

It wasn’t until I casually strolled into the congested lobby, however, that the scale of the night’s event actually revealed its weight. A seemingly endless line of chatter and anxious anticipation filled the foyer: a mass congregation for Amma’s Devi Bhava, and the final night of her 25th North American tour. Read more

City Search

We’ve done all the legwork, all you need to do is pick your favourites.

From the classic to the innovative, Studio Sposa’s diverse collection of wedding dresses features renowned designers that continuously push the envelope of elegance. www.studiosposa.ca

This floral lampshade will keep summer on the mind all through the cold. www.anthropologie.com

Selene nestles Italy’s unmistakable style comfortably into your home with simple and modern furniture that is as refined as it is revered. www.selenefurniture.com

Planning for an autumn wedding? Dizennio Floral’s custom arrangements are beautifully orchestrated and won’t let any detail fall to the wayside. Read more

Technology: Wrapped in Wicked Wires

Our connected world heavily relies on Internet access, but with the weighty costs of connectivity, Canadians might want to switch out the leather and tighten their belts with an Ethernet cable.

According to studies by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the cost of Canadian Internet access is substantially higher than other developed nations (see sidebar). With the tight data caps imposed by major internet service providers, costs to Canadians are becoming constricting.

Through Bell, for example, data caps range from 2 gigabytes (GB) of downloading for $28.90/month, up to 75 GB for $62.90/month. A standard 25 GB package goes for $38.90/month. Varying download speeds aside, you’re paying roughly $14.45/gig on the bottom and $0.87 on the top end. Read more

United Medicine Group: The Balancing Act of Integrative Medicine

Balance is a crucial component of life, it keeps us centred and embraces the strengths of opposing means to uncover a harmonious solution to the problems we face. United Medicine Group (UMG) subscribes to this train of thought, combining conventional medical training with complementary and alternative therapies to harness the strengths of each for maximum results.

Those discouraged by the lack of compassion from conventional medicine, but also with the absence of alternative medicine’s access to modern technology, will find potential answers in UMG’s integrative medicine method. Medical technology such as MRIs and CT scans are made available, as well as specialist referrals, intravenous vitamins, Reiki, reflexology and other more personal complementary health-care services to better treat each patient’s Read more

The Quality of Sapore by Zafferano

For the discerning tongue of a critical gourmand, quality is a special word. It encompasses an unwavering posture towards high standards, exceptional creations and gastronomic excellence. For restaurateurs, it means never settling on a second-rate product and always delivering the best meal possible, one that exceeds the expectations of guests that crave quality.

“Quality is No. 1,” says local restaurateur Steve De Vittoris, owner of Sapore by Zafferano, Sapore North, Spumante and Zafferano. “We buy only top-quality ingredients for all the food that we make. It’s something that I pride myself on.”

A veteran of the Toronto dining scene, De Vittoris believes that a quality meal begins with ingredients. This means ensuring all his establishments serve, at minimum, AAA-grade meat, Read more

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