Who knew that a year ago, while surly construction workers were working away at completing the incredibly polarizing ROM Crystal, the ROM's head honchos decided that the new building needed a signature drink to go with it? It may seem odd to picture the charmingly quiet-natured former Globe and Mail editor and current ROM Director and CEO William Thorsell pounding back different martinis with the ROM's governors and trustees and arguing well into the... [continue]

You may have noticed the sharp rise in coffee cups littering our streets, which can only mean one thing: it’s Roll Up The Rim time at Tim Hortons once again. When Torontoist was young and starry-eyed, we used to dream of unrolling our cup and finding that we had won a car or a boat or some awesome camping gear. (What ever happened to that prize anyway? It was always the best one.) After... [continue]

In every neighbourhood there is one dude who goes a bit overboard with the Christmas lights. It's the stuff of bad Christmas movies. But few go quite as far as the Lindsay family, who seem to be trying their best to outdo the ZooTV tour. Every year since 2000, the Thornhill family has dressed up their home with a bigger and better light show. The lawn lights are buried under snow right now, but... [continue]

The half-wit OCAD student who planted a fake bomb at the ROM on Wednesday has turned himself in to police and been charged with mischief and common nuisance. Ha, closing a major thoroughfare, wasting the time of hundreds of police and emergency service personnel, and forcing the cancellation of an AIDS gala—what a lovable scamp. The death rates at Canadian Hospitals have now been made public in a report from the Canadian Institute for...... [continue]

Overheard outside the ROM during last night's bomb scare. A small group of friends is standing on the corner of Bloor and University, facing the museum. Guy: You know, if they could figure out a way to destroy just the crystal and leave the rest of the museum intact, I think I'd be okay with this......... [continue]

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has announced that the rich pay the lowest tax rates of all income groups. Heather Reisman, Jim Balsillie, and everyone who lives on the Bridle Path celebrated this by heating their gigantic mansions with a fireplace full of money and cackling. Maniacally. Dalton McGuinty is adding to economic fear-mongering by claiming that the rising loonie is hurting Ontario’s economy and that interest rates should be lowered. Meanwhile on...... [continue]

Eat Me is a regular feature about the nooks and crannies of Toronto's restaurant scene, about the amazing restaurants that are––for some reason––criminally underpatronized. It's pretty easy to find sushi places in this city. From the Bloor Street strip to North York, sushi places range from suspiciously cheap to ridiculously expensive, from having incredibly creative culinary creations to the same old rolls. Quietly tucked on the east edge of Little Italy is Jun Jun Sushi...... [continue]

Just because you're being indulgent doesn't mean you have to ignore environmental, human rights, and health concerns. That's the philosophy of the Kakayo Chocolate Company, a fantastic new truffle shop that opened last week. Located at 1584 Queen St. East, right at the edge of the Beaches, Kakayo is a truffle shop with morality in mind. Not only can you fulfill your cravings for delectable, high-quality chocolate, but you can do it ethically. Founder... [continue]

So, what’s scarier: a zombie infestation or the melting of the polar ice caps? This is an urgent and legitimate question! And later this week, Toronto cineastes can compare and contrast, for just as the After Dark Festival winds down, the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival springs up. Running from October 24 to 28, Planet in Focus is the most acclaimed film festival of its environmentally-minded ilk. This year, to... [continue]

Photo by Greg Clow from Flickr. Yesterday, Torontoist got to go check out what's brewing with the Ontario Craft Brewers at the absolutely gorgeous LCBO that's been built into the old Summerhill-North Toronto CPR station. (Seriously. Go check it out. It's beautiful.) If you haven't heard of the OCB, it's an association of 29 small Ontario breweries dedicated to the craft of beer-making and to providing an alternative to the rather bland Molson-Labatt monopoly... [continue]

Policy Monday is a weekly feature during the lead-up to the provincial election where Torontoist will dive into the mean and gritty world of public policy, turning a critical eye at a specific area of the policies and machinations of the four major provincial parties. Photo by J.A.L.E.X. from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. The environment is kind of a big deal. It has been for a while, but it's only really been in the public... [continue]

Policy Monday is a weekly feature during the lead-up to the provincial election where Torontoist will dive into the mean and gritty world of public policy, turning a critical eye at a specific area of the policies and machinations of the four major provincial parties. Photo by Jay Morrison from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. Saskatchewan may have given us Tommy Douglas, the father of Canadian medicare, but we in Ontario are a bit obsessed with... [continue]