We searched high and low for your next home
July 25, 2012 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Special Features
CANARY DISTRICT Even in its initial phase, the beauty of Canary District Condominiums and Townhomes is transparent. With a glass, steel and grey limestone shell, this residential waterfront condominium community at the cornerstone of Front and Cherry Streets is slated to be the official athletes’ village for the 2015 Pan Am Games.
www.dundeekilmercondos.com
101 ERSKINE With a strong standing for sustainable building, Tridel and Beaux Properties’ 101 Erskine — now selling and located in the burgeoning Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue neighbourhood — is designed for green-inclined condo dwellers. Among its beyond-textbook amenities is a sixth floor outdoor terrace that features a bright blue infinity swimming pool and fireplace lounge. www.tridel.com Read more
Vaughan Hospital – A Prognosis on Vaughan Hospital
June 19, 2012 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Special Features
An enormous promise is entrenched in an otherwise vacant 35-hectare field at Major Mackenzie Drive and Jane Street. “Future Home of Vaughan’s First Hospital” reads the conspicuous blue and white sign that’s weathered a few more storms than expected. In the background, the vibrant colours of Canada’s Wonderland offer a unique parallel to a far less amusing theme: for the City of Vaughan, it’s been a roller-coaster ride to the realization of a premier health-care facility.
The ups and downs were set in motion in 2003, when Vaughan Council decided it was time Canada’s largest municipality without a hospital finally built one. The city has swelled significantly since then, yet it’s faced with an empty stretch of land, a recently relinquished health-care foundation, a contentious $10 million federal grant that’s slipped out of grip and a sign that’s getting stale. With a major player
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Fears and Phobias – In Fear and Trembling
June 14, 2012 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Special Features
Sprawled out on a lakeside dock, you revel in the sun as it warms your body. A tall glass of lemonade with crackling ice cubes sits next to you, beckoning another refreshing sip. With a page-turning book in hand, you absorb the words found beyond the lines of everyday life in a faraway land called cottage country. Slightly sensationalized perhaps, but we can all relate to that idyllic sense of escapism that can’t possibly be marred by anything. Right?
For most, this is true, but for some, this seemingly perfect scenario can be curtailed by one itsy bitsy encounter. For the latter group, an eight-legged creature can creep through the cracks and kill the entire experience. In fact, it can go further than that, preventing you from ever putting yourself in situations where the presence of spiders is probable.
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High Roller
April 12, 2012 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Special Features
It’s too high for me; look at it! It hurts my neck,” says Vaughan resident Jimmy Leone as he sizes up Canada’s Wonderland’s towering new ride from a coffee shop at the corner of Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive. A young man a few seats away has a different point of view. “I’ll go this summer. Why not? It’s fun, it’s exciting.” Suddenly, all that’s heard is a group of people echoing the back-and-forth dialogue that began when news broke last August that a 306-foot roller coaster was coming to town. Stretching far beyond the city, thrill-seekers and evaders are dogmatic about whether or not they will strap themselves into the prodigious seafoam green Leviathan, set to debut this May.
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Equestrian Dreams
April 11, 2012 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Fashion
Pay homage to the heyday of design with fashion and décor that will woo even the wildest horses.
Horseshoe www.anthropologie.com
Mounted trong>
Anchor your home with striking ironwork inspired by the equestrian life. Anthropologie’s Stable Hook is a subtle detail that no one will be able to overlook.
www.anthropologie.com
Take the Reins
A throwback to the saddlebag, J.W. Hulme Co.’s Legacy Shoulder Bag is great for the girl on the go. If you need a purse that will come along for the ride, the lifetime guarantee offers added insurance.
www.anthropologie.com
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Centre Stage with Aubrey Dan of Dancap Productions
April 11, 2012 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Success Story
First impressions mean everything to Canadian impresario Aubrey Dan. It’s all about foreshadowing – priming the audience for an unforgettable experience – even if it means asking your staff to find palm trees in the middle of a harsh Canadian winter so they can feel the warm rays of the sun long before the first act of South Pacific. “That emotional connection is critical,” says the eccentric president of Dancap Productions Inc.
As he strides into an empty boardroom on the 17th floor of his company’s North York headquarters, he proves that the cardinal rule of first impressions doesn’t just apply to theatre. Extending his arm for a firm handshake, he carefully presents his business card that features the brand’s trademark fedora logo, a silhouette nearly identical to the real-life wide-brimmed Borsalino version he’s wearing today. Read more
A Day in the Life of Emmanuelle Gattuso
February 15, 2012 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Success Story
A private express elevator glides to the 20th storey of a Cumberland Street condo, opening up to Emmanuelle Gattuso’s immaculate oasis in the sky. The stark white walls of wonder act as blank canvases for contemporary artists like Tim Whiten and Barbara Steinman, leading the way to a self-fulfilling great room. It’s 10 a.m. on a mid-January morning and a thick billow of morning fog is dampening the impact of 11 foot-high floor-to-ceiling windows, which on any given Sunday would offer an unrivalled Yorkvillian view.
What starts to feel like trespassing after-hours at an art gallery is quickly curtailed by the raucous voices of Gattuso’s poodles, which protectively ensure that not a single soul slips by. “This is James and this is Stewart,” she says, stepping out of her office. It’s not what you think. While she may have a wonderful life, the pups Read more
Toronto’s LG Fashion Week
December 1, 2011 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Fashion
Photo 1: Klaxon Howl’s Queen Street West shop has managed to achieve commercial success while maintaining its Canadian roots with vintage and military menswear pieces. www.klaxonhowl.com
Photo 2: Inspired by New York City’s club culture, Sid Neigum shows a dark, avant-garde collection this SS12 season. www.sidneigum.com
Photo 3: Proving that home décor and haute couture go hand-in-hand, Korhani shows off a Canadian Made Innovation SS12 indoor rug in Rabbit print. www.korhani.com
Photo 4: Korhani continues to sweep us off our feet with its innovative rug runway fashion show. Model is wearing Korhani’s SS12 reversible outdoor patio rug in China Flower print. Read more
Homelessness: The Good Neighbours’ Club [w/video]
October 14, 2011 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under lifestyle, Special Features
South of Toronto’s Queen Street, at Shuter and Jarvis, an elderly man is tickling the ivories to the tune of Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody. He isn’t singing along, but it’s easy to hear the lyrics as he pours his soul into the second floor of The Good Neighbours’ Club. Is this real life? Is this just a fantasy? The windows are slightly cracked, letting a grand talent anonymously infiltrate the outside world. Based on the crowd he’s garnered, there’s a sense that this centre for homeless and marginally housed men over 50 offers a lot more than food and shelter.
The Piano Man is surrounded by some of the city’s most imaginative minds: members like Ronald Reeve who joined in 2004 and spends his days drawing cartoons and comics that highlight socio-political issues within his community. His preferred pen is sparkly, but specialty ink is running low these days. Read more
David Chilton: The Wealthy Barber Returns [w/video]
October 14, 2011 by Madeline Stephenson
Filed under Special Features, Success Story
When David Chilton self-published The Wealthy Barber during the economic slump of 1989, he had an unassuming goal of selling 10,000 copies and helping Canadians live fiscally solvent lives. The 25-year-old did slightly better. Chilton’s humorous approach resonated with more than two million North Americans by breaking the banal textbook paradigm of personal finance paperbacks. His common sense hit an entire dartboard of demographics, with a novel style that made readers feel like they were having a latte with a financially savvy friend who spoke colloquially about credit cards, real estate and RRSPs.
You can imagine the surreal experience of enjoying that cup of coffee with Chilton a day after the official launch of his long-awaited follow-up, The Wealthy Barber Returns. The conversation coincidentally takes place amongst a backdrop Read more