Results tagged “getout”

Plagued by complaints, the City of Toronto has finally gotten around to ticketing some homeowners who don't clear the snow in front of their property. A city spokesperson said they prefer not to send out inspectors in the winter because it's so difficult to get around.

Torontoist Environment Editor Chris Tindal is currently engaged in a federal by-election campaign. This weekly column is an attempt to offer a behind the scenes glimpse into what it's like to be that mysterious Other: a politician.

In case you were wondering, it's probably not a great idea to be hanging out in the entertainment district at 3:15 a.m. Especially if you're in a luxury SUV. And especially especially if you've got a ponytail.

Photo by Jeremy Farmer from Flickr.

It's time to sharpen your skates, start bubbling up the hot chocolate, and get out your kneepads (and asspads and helmet, if you're like us), because today kicks off the skating season at Nathan Phillips Square. If skating isn't your bag, then you can still come down tonight to check out the Cavalcade of Lights kickoff. The events include performances by Jully Black, Sarah Slean, and Kim Stockwood, as well as a performance by...

In the opening line from 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa, author Stephanie Nolen illustrates a feeling many of us understand. "I looked at AIDS in Africa for a long time before I understood what I was seeing," she writes. Nolen is an award-winning journalist who has spent the past several years as our eyes and ears on the AIDS pandemic in Africa. As the Africa correspondent for the Globe and Mail, Nolen has written many articles on the ruthless disease that involves people we easily ignore. "It targets subjects we least like to discuss—the drugs we inject, the sex we have, especially the sex with people we aren’t supposed to have sex with—and the interaction least open to honest discussion."

No word yet on whether that giant lemon will be making an appearance (Yonge and Dundas anyone?), or whether it will finally be revealed how one might actually dismantle an atomic bomb, but hundreds of U2 fans will be rattling and humming into Toronto for the fifth annual (!) inTO the Heart U2 Fan Festival, taking place from November 1 to 3.

Provincial and federal elections in Canada are largely determined by quirks of geography. That is, the number of seats each party receives in the legislature is rather independent of the popular vote and has more to do with the way people of particular political leanings are concentrated (or not) within arbitrarily-drawn districts. This makes pre-election polling an interesting exercise in extrapolation; a particular percentage of popular support could translate into quite a range of possible seat totals. Most polls, therefore, gauge public opinion well enough, but are unreflective of the reality of our electoral system.

As long as there have been cowboys, there have been gay cowboys. Now that we consider it, Torontoist isn't sure there are any real cowboys any more (well, other than those ones). But if living in Toronto teaches you only one thing, it's that there are gays; gays who want their dress-up parties. This Thursday marks the second appearance of the amazingly-named Steers and Queers, a quarterly queer country night at the Dakota Tavern. The last Steers and Queers was a blast, combining bluegrass music with Western-inspired burlesque and MCed by Dolly Parton herself (or at least a very convincing drag parody). This week's edition is hosted by the delightful Wynonna Judd and features the bands Strong Like Bull and the Strawberry Apostles, as well as burlesque from Big Daddy K, Trixie & Beaver & Male Gayze and DJ sets by Big Eva Edna, Sigourney Beaver and Some Random Tall Guy.

Mark Carney has been named the new governor of the Bank of Canada, which oversees the nation's monetary policy. Carney is currently the senior associate deputy minister of finance, a job for which they probably don't use the acronym SAD minister of finance, even though it would be funny.

Say good-bye to your mushy Macs, tart Grannies, foreign Fujis, and sweet Ladies, and say hello to your new favourite apple, the Honeycrisp. Known to aficionados as one of the sweetest and crispest apples around, the Honeycrisp is just starting to make its seasonal appearance at farmers' markets and better fruit boutiques throughout the city.

If you've ever fantasized about designing your own skateboard deck—and really, who hasn't—the best day of your life may rapidly be approaching.

Photo by Blainekendall.com from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Today’s Interview: Suroosh Alvi, co-director of Heavy Metal In Baghdad

Last night, the seats of Harbourfront Centre's studio theatre were packed with a mix of middle-aged art aficionados and well-coiffed hip, young homos all dying to see Francesco Vezzoli give a lecture and screen his notorious Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula. Vezzoli is an Italian artist known for his work in video and embroidery (yes, embroidery) who set the art world ablaze a couple of years ago with his re-imagining of the infamous, semi-pornographic swords and sandals schlock-fest that actually was written by Gore Vidal. Vezzoli's trailer for an imaginary remake features Vidal as himself, as well as a ridiculously A-list cast, including original Caligula star Helen Mirren, Milla Jovovich, Justine Bateman, Karen Black, Gerard Butler, Benicio Del Torro and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas fame. The title role is played by both Vezzoli himself and Courtney Love and the costumes are designed by Donatella Versace.

Continuing his love affair with Toronto, American horror king George A. Romero will be stopping by the Bloor Cinema this coming Sunday to answer some audience questions and offer a sneak peek at his upcoming Diary of the Dead. The legendary director, who may not have actually invented zombies, is still single-handedly responsible for the modern portrayal of the cinematic undead. Filmed in Toronto (like its predecessor, Land of the Dead), and premiering September 8 at the Toronto International Film Festival, Diary looks to be a promising addition to Romero's renowned series of zombie films from the photos posted earlier this week. Sunday night's chat, hosted by the fine folks at Rue Morgue, will cost $25 at the door or $20 in advance; it'll be a good bet to get out early.

Songs about zombies, drive-by shootings, Obi-Wan Kenobi, pirates, monsters, punching people in the face, pregnancy, "reeking and seeking," families, obesity, virginity—all of them catchy, all of them disconcertingly happy-sounding, and all of them sing-and-clap-along-able. That is what Austin's Oh No! Oh My! is made of, and their albums—their self-titled full-length; their new EP, Between The Devil and The Sea; and their Jolly Rogers demo that the songs from the new EP are culled from—are the best pieces of pop to come along in a very, very long time. No kidding.

So much for Brampton.

Flush with the success of their campaign to publicly insult women and minorities, the Ontario government has taken the bold step of verbally abusing the entire City of Toronto. Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday indicated he wasn't inclined to share any of the billions of dollars that the province sucks out of Toronto each year, blaming the looming fiscal crisis on the City's failure to use its shiny new tax powers, and by implication on Torontonians for not paying enough taxes. He then leapt into his solid gold Ferrari and raced off to his palace at Queen's Park.

"Honest Ed" Mirvish dies at 92. As the man himself would say: He may be gone, but his bargains sure aren't. Torontoist's obituary for him can be found here. Details on the funeral are here.

According to an anonymous reader, the White Stripes are playing a free surprise show, right now (3:30 p.m.) at Yonge & Grosvenor. No need to get out yer wallets for tonight's show at the Amphitheatre after all...

So much for preserving Toronto's cultural heritage—it looks like pretty much the entire stock of Sam The Record Man's flagship store is going up for auction.

It's almost time to say goodbye to North By Northeast for yet another year. Two longs nights have past, leaving tonight as the last chance to get out an enjoy some of the best new music from around the world. Seeing as it is Saturday, expect a lot of the shows to be really busy so going earlier is always better than later. All the cool kids are doing it!

Reader Jonathan recently let us know about a trip he took to Ottawa and back via (cue dramatic music) Porter Airlines. That's right, the airline of the infamous island airport.

Have you ever marvelled at the sheer partying power of a group of drunken bridesmaids? Now you can join those elite ranks without all the expense and bother of a wedding.

Remember Jean Chrétien? We haven't heard much about the former prime minister in some time (dude's been off the map ever since Paul Martin forced him off it). Well, Mizalaina of the Toronto LiveJournal community spotted Chrétien earlier today in downtown Toronto, and has one hell of a story to go along with it:

Everybody’s talking about the weather—now’s your chance to get out and do something about it. Mayor David Miller is inviting everyone in the city to attend the Climate Change Action Forum this Sunday, April 29 at Exhibition Place.

Each weekday morning, we pick a recent image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve!

After a brief hiatus, the shawarma hunt is back on. No vertically roasted meat is safe.

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico.