Every Saturday, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. Group photograph dinner for the Italian Red Cross Society, Toronto, c. 1915. Library and Archives Canada (PA-091122). Even more than a tired man, Vito is a sad man, all Sunday afternoon finds him [...]

From The Raven by Lorenzo Mattotti, courtesy of Galerie Martel. Italian cartoonist and multidisciplinary artist Lorenzo Mattotti has enjoyed a long and successful career, winning several awards for his graphic novels and has illustrated covers for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. And fortunately for local fans, he will be attending this year’s Toronto Comic [...]

Still from Matt Gallagher’s Grinders, a look at backroom gambling that makes its world premiere at Hot Docs 2011. Putting your parka into storage, seeing the flowers begin to blossom, or noticing that Canada Post employees have wiggled back into the pleated short-pants they wear nine months of the year may be good tip-offs, but [...]

It hasn’t been the greatest season for the Raptors; in fact, it’s been one of the worst yet. At eight games back of Chicago and with nine left to play, the players and coaches must already have their flights and tee times booked. What better time to thank the Raptors season ticket holders for enduring [...]

Whether we like it or not, some of us will be in Toronto all summer, with nary a trip or vacation elsewhere in sight. As a remedy, we’ve created Tourist. Every weekend morning, bright and early, of the summer we’re featuring a photo (or two) from a globe-trotting photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. Venice [...]

Whether we like it or not, some of us will be in Toronto all summer, with nary a trip or vacation elsewhere in sight. As a remedy, we’ve created Tourist. Every weekend morning, bright and early, of the summer we’re featuring a photo (or two) from a globe-trotting photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. Untitled [...]

The younger members of the “Toronto 18″ were clueless dupes, according to the RCMP informant on the case. Best line from the story: “At one point, he said, the leaders hid in the bushes and made wolf and bear noises.” Thank God we caught them early or they would have been making animal noises outside [...]

Toronto has been called a city of neighbourhoods: The Beach, Yorkville, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, The Annex; all have their defining characteristics that make them appealing to locals as well as visitors. And when it comes down to it, most of these areas are well-defined by the intersection of two major streets. Photo by David [...]

Toronto has been called a city of neighbourhoods: The Beach, Yorkville, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, The Annex; all have their defining characteristics that make them appealing to locals as well as visitors. And when it comes down to it, most of these areas are well-defined by the intersection of two major streets. Photo by sono [...]

Toronto has been called a city of neighbourhoods: The Beach, Yorkville, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, The Annex; all have their defining characteristics that make them appealing to locals as well as visitors. And when it comes down to it, most of these areas are well-defined by the intersection of two major streets. Photo by Cari Miller What are we doing at Bayview & Eglinton? It’s a fair enough question to ponder. After all, there’s not...

Hip-hop blues music maker Buck 65 drops his new album Situation at the end of the month. The release is an ode to 1957, a time period the man born Richard Terfry considers world-changing in terms of pop culture (or, as he says in a video on his website, “the year all hell broke loose”) [...]

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 [...]