We've seen some amazing images of Toronto blanketed by fog and clouds, and this extraordinary capture of the CN Tower just peaking out from low lying clouds, by Ron Gallagher, is no exception.... [continue]

Mention the name "O'Keefe" in association with Toronto and several things come to mind for those over a certain age. A brewery that was a cornerstone of E.P. Taylor's business empire, which eventually merged with Molson. A performing arts centre that has undergone several name changes. A downtown laneway whose length has been shortened by developments at Yonge and Dundas. But soft drinks? Thanks to prohibition measures that were in effect in Ontario for... [continue]

Snappy Answers runs every Saturday afternoon. Send your questions, be they tough or trivial, to snappyanswers@torontoist.com. Ok seriously. As an avid reader of them, I must know: why won't any of the plethora of adorable Toronto women that I see in the city Missed Connections me? It's all that I, the helpless romantic Craigslist addict, want out of life (give or take a few other minor things). I dress fine, I make eye contact but... [continue]

Stephan Marinoiu, the frustrated father of a 15 year-old autistic boy, began a hunger strike outside the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen’s Park last Sunday, May 4. Six days later, he’s still hanging in there, and although he’s reportedly beginning to show signs of weight loss, he appears to be in good health. Marinoiu’s son Simon is one of an ever-growing number of children on the waiting list for a government program called... [continue]

Remember when the town crier would stand on Yonge Street and shout his hear-say and hear-ye, passing out copies of the daily news for a penny a pop? Yeah, us neither. The fast-spreading news of today is a far cry from days of old (take us for example), and we'll bet you didn't see what was coming next. But tomorrow at the corner of Queen and John, you just might. Walk past Pages and... [continue]

Photo by wili_hybrid. There is little more dreadful for a parent than unintentionally hurting one's own child. There is little more traumatic for a child than having something they dearly want taken away from them. A Toronto psychologist is under fire for recommending controversial treatments which some believe cause just that. A heartbreaking NPR documentary released this week tells the story of two families struggling with the gender identities of their children. "Bradley" is... [continue]

Photo of Howard Moscoe at March's OCAP protest by Miles Storey. His forty-six friends include Adam Giambrone, Bob Rae, Adam Vaughan, David Miller, John Tory, Dalton McGuinty, and the Ottawa Citizen. His political views are "Left wing and a prayer." He's interested in "Friendship" and "Networking." His lone activity is "sculpting wooden birds." He cleans "council furniture with the Mayor's toupees at the start of council meetings." His favourite TV show is the Glenn... [continue]

Photos of CablePulse24's broadcast on July 25, 2007, courtesy of Joel Charlebois. Just before noon on July 25, 2007, Joel Charlebois caught a man, he says, breaking into his house. When Charlebois gave chase, the man fell from the second-storey deck, landing hard on the ground below and breaking his leg. As police arrived, Charlebois—an avid photographer who has a Flickr account under the name uwajedi, who is an active member of Torontoist's Flickr... [continue]

Photo of NinjaX, by NinjaX, courtesy of NinjaX. Four days ago, a kid who calls himself NinjaX (real name? We don't care) set out to face hunger, "brutal weathers" (that mid-May zephyr can be vicious!), and "the risk of getting robbed/stabbed/raped/killed" (in that order, presumably). What does that spell? Homelessness! Or rather, NinjaX's Official Seven Day Homeless Adventure: "Stay tuned for lols." With only $20 to spend on survival—kind of commendable, actually, considering that's... [continue]

Over in the U.K., closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras are a ubiquitous sight: the country—led by London—has more of the tiny public surveillance cameras than any other country in Europe. They're now a part of pop culture and are referenced in songs, used as album artwork, and in the case of one intrepid band, used to make a music video. The latest zinger in the debate over the effectiveness of CCTV is that, well, they’re... [continue]

Is anyone else sick of those borderline-offensive Canadian Club ads they've been running in NOW lately? Based on the strange notion that thinking about your parents having sex will make you want to buy things, the whiskey's "Damn Right" campaign tries to create nostalgia for the fatherly masculinity of yesteryear. They use "vintage" photos and the grammatically invincible tagline "DAMN RIGHT YOUR DAD DRANK IT" as a rallying cry for some kind of boozy... [continue]

American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann will be making an appearance in Toronto this week. She’s about to embark on a tour in support of her new album, @#%&*! Smilers (out June 3), which will see her back in Toronto for a concert on August 28, but you can catch a sneak preview instore at Sonic Boom (512 Bloor Street West) this Friday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. Mann is possibly best known for her musical... [continue]

Photo by Marc Lostracco. In upcoming months, Toronto's summer temperatures will once again strain the power grid, and the demand for more power means more power generation—and consequently, more pollution. For Ontario customers wishing to utilize renewable energy sources, there are currently only two options: expensively retrofit your property to generate some of its own electricity, or sign up with Bullfrog Power. For many condo owners and apartment dwellers, neither of those options have... [continue]

Hey Star readers. An article published in the Ideas section of today's paper, titled "Why Toronto's got style," opened with this:Toronto. Style. When describing the greater city's architecture, can the two words be used together? "If you really stop and look, Toronto is butt ugly," says a blogger's entry on a hot, unresolved, topic – does Toronto have its own style of architecture? – at the popular website Torontoist.com. The city, the blogger ruthlessly writes,... [continue]

Every Saturday morning, beginning today, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. The southwest corner of Yonge Street and Montgomery Avenue is rich with history. Montgomery's Tavern, the spot where William Lyon Mackenzie and his followers launched the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, is honoured with a plaque. Oulcott's Hotel served customers and community groups in the late 19th century. The current... [continue]

Yes, we're being very obvious by leading with Iron Man this week, considering that it's everywhere anyway as this year's first big "summer" blockbuster. However, and we have a feeling we might have mentioned this before, we're sold on any film that recognizes that a trademark way to make your hero look as awesome as possible is to have him walk towards the camera with his back to an explosion—like they don't even care!... [continue]

The Pug Awards are back! Now in their fourth year, the awards name the best and worst new buildings in Toronto, as determined by visitors who choose whether they love or hate the 21 nominees on the Pug Awards' website. In the previous three years, Toronto Police Service 51 Division's building, the National Ballet School, and Gardiner Museum have all been winners, based on percentage of positive votes; Wellington Square, Glen Lake, and—most spectacularly—Be... [continue]

We're happy to report that the looser who sat behind you in Grade 12 English class just got a job as a copy writer. You always knew that he'd make his mark on the world in some way, didn't you? How exactly does such a glaring mistake make it through all of the design and approval stages that must be required before an ad like this is even printed? Interestingly, they managed to spell... [continue]

Photo by mag3737. Brimming with ice, syrup and syntho-flavours, the right slushy can truly hit the proverbial spot on a hot day. Refreshment possibilities aside, our research has indicated, as per undoubtedly reliable sources, that these concoctions are also capable of giving you the power of not only song, but dance—Broadway style! With that in mind, jazz hands a-ready, and our insulin levels relatively in check, we went slushy hunting.... [continue]

The idea of a TTC riders' union is nothing particularly new, but after what happened this weekend, it's quickly—and deservedly—picking up steam. Torontoist's last article about a possible riders' union was written by Roxanne Bielskis in November 2007. Our article was inspired by Erica Barnett on WorldChanging, who described the problems of Seattle's transit system and looked at the success of riders' unions (or their equivalents) in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Santa Clara, Atlanta, and... [continue]