Prime Minister Stephen Harper won't be attending the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, but says that it has nothing to do with the current situation in Tibet. A cautious Canada walks the middle ground of diplomacy, earning the emnity of the Chinese government without even making a useful political statement. Tory MP Tom Lukiwski has apologized for homophobic remarks he made on video back in 1991, when he referred to "homosexual faggots with......

What Honest Ed’s lacks in architectural artistry compared to more high-brow institutions, it makes up for in self-promotional bombast. From its "quirky hand-painted signage" to the low-price Toronto souvenirs, badly painted Elvis busts, and abandoned theatre props, Honest Ed’s is a museum of kitsch. Now a local illustrator, Christopher Hutsul, has designed a stationery set paying tribute his neighbourhood’s "foremost local architectural landmark." "When Ed Mirvish died the building took on greater historical significance,”......

Honest Ed's turkey giveaway successful like always. Which, Torontoist supposes, is not technically "news," but considering the rest of today's actual news, we felt it appropriate to lead off with a softball. Canada to encourage "constructive" emissions agreement at the Bali climate change summit. Since this is John Baird we're talking about here, expect "constructive" to mean something along the lines of "voluntary," or perhaps "nonexistent." 16-year-old gunned down in doorway of his home.......

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo (or two) from a photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. It's our way of giving the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention that they deserve. Honest Ed's Sign BY MUTE* RELATED ON TORONTOIST: "Honest Ed" Mirvish, 1914-2007, Vintage Toronto Ads: Honest Ed's Smells Out Bargains For You!, Celebrating A Great Life......

Canadian Bar Association demands that Stephen Harper negotiate with the United States to return Omar Khadr to Canada. The country's largest legal organization (and Khadr's own American military lawyer, for that matter) states that Khadr will not get a fair trial in the United States, which is obvious. Also obvious: the likelihood of Harper doing exactly dick about it. Gay Nicaraguan man goes into hiding in Toronto after being denied refugee status. Which is......

"Honest Ed" Mirvish passed away nearly a month ago, but Toronto is still in mourning. On Sunday, August 12, his family will be hosting a celebration of life outside of the Honest Ed's Emporium (581 Bloor Street West) in lieu of Ed's famous annual birthday party—he would have turned 93 on July 25. With live music and entertainment scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., the city is closing down Bloor Street between Bathurst......

"Honest Ed" Mirvish was many things—successful merchant, theatrical impressario, civic booster. For almost as long as his store at Bloor and Bathurst has operated, he also brought smiles to the faces of advertising bean counters at local newspapers. Large-scale discount stores gained popularity in the 1950s, as post-war shoppers looked for economical ways to support their families and new lifestyles. First came the local store, often an outgrowth of a pre-existing department store, dry......

Chicago prosecutors expected to ask that the book be thrown at Conrad Black. HA HA HA ROT IN JAIL YOU UNKIND GENTLEMAN [Needless to say, the previous two words originally read...uh...differently. They were swears!—Ed.]. Sorry, that was not very objective. Please amend the previous sentence to read "hee hee hee rot in jail you freaking aardvark." In other news, he may also go bankrupt, making this officially the best news story of the year so......

Three elephants from the Garden Brothers circus escaped their handlers and took a brief tour of a residential neighbourhood in Newmarket last night. The elephants aren’t kept in cages but do have a rope around their foot to keep them from wandering, which doesn’t work. Local residents said that after initial alarm they were delighted with the unexpected early morning zaniness. Good news for traveling half-wits—airport screeners have been instructed to issue a warning......

"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. Toronto police board still making up its mind about whether or not to approve Tasers. Insert bad joke about "shocking" here if you want to pretend that you are actually listening to Humble and Fred rather than reading Torontoist. New......

The flags will be at half-mast Thursday at all civic buildings and an entire city is saddened by the loss of "Honest Ed" Mirvish at the age of 92. The Mirvish family has released public details about the funeral: Friday, July 13 Beth Tzedec Synagogue 1700 Bathurst Street, just south of Eglinton Avenue [map] 11:00 a.m. (a strictly private family Shiva will follow) Donations can be made in lieu of flowers to the Ed......

Toronto legend Edwin "Honest Ed" Mirvish has died. He was 92. The philanthropic businessman was a crucial part of Toronto's reputation as a world-renowned theatre centre, and had been mostly out of the public eye after contracting a severe case of pneumonia in 2003 and experiencing deteriorating health ever since. Mirvish died at St. Michael's Hospital at 1:30 a.m. Mirvish was born in Virginia on July 25, 1914 to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. His introduction to......

This Sunday, July 8 from 12 to 9 p.m., Mirvish Village will host the first Pedestrian Sunday outside of Kensington Market. The neighbourhood is home to the landmark discount store Honest Ed’s and is a collection of boutiques, studios and restaurants, founded and named for the Mirvish family in recognition of Toronto’s retail show biz entrepreneur Ed Mirvish. Inspired by the success of P.S. Kensington, the project is being taken on by the local Business......

Who's up for a trip through time? While an H.G. Wells-style contraption or fourth dimension-smashing telephone box are not available in the consumer market, there are simpler methods of going back through time. All that's required are a date and the arcane knowledge of knowing how to load a microfilm reader. Toronto has a rich newspaper history, with no fewer than three dailies at a time battling for the city's readers. This series of......

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. People who live in the Annex are the envy of just about everyone in Toronto with a culture addiction. And why wouldn’t......

Thanks to Shanghaist Editor Dan Washburn for calling our attention to the latest Cost of Living Survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit, which rates 132 cities worldwide by how much it costs to live there. Toronto, for all our complaining, comes in as only 43rd most expensive, behind North American leader New York City at 28, and fellow Canucks Vancouver and Montreal at 34 and 36 respectively. Blame Honest Ed and all those dollar stores......

It’s cold. Horrifically, monstrously cold. Walking around bundled up like six-year-olds—unable to fully bend at the knees and elbows—reawakens childhood memories of freezing one’s butt off. That and thinking how some hot chocolate would help make everything bearable, at least for a little while. But where can an adult, also chilled by global warming guilt, find a cup of hot chocolate to warm the spirit? Nestled in a corner of Toronto Sprouts (720 Bathurst,......

When you're awesome at something and never ever make mistakes, the most karmic and mature thing to do is embrace and enjoy those who aren't as blessed as you. That's why we're titillated to present our new feature: Lost In Translation. Our introductory piece is in celebration of Deepha Mehta's Oscar Nomination. It's a "Lan Yu Brand Multifunction Strainer" that hails from China and was purchased for a mere $1.99 at Honest Ed's. There's......

Ed Mirvish: theatre tycoon, city hero and...turkey giveaway guru? People lined up overnight outside Honest Ed's for the 19th Annual Turkey Giveaway on Sunday. Now approaching age 93, Ed himself was sadly not in attendance, but son David Mirvish took over greeting duties. City Homicide #64, if you're keeping track: 26-year-old Mississauga resident, Dennis Kwame Oppong, died after being shot in the head near Front and Spadina early Sunday morning. The victim had been convicted......

Energy efficient LED lights in the sky are as enchanting and romantic as the starry nights of the countryside. Perhaps that’s a lie. Regardless, LED lighting displays have been set up in 19 neighbourhoods across the city for the 40th annual Cavalcade of Lights. Even in the less than attractive Bloordale Village, “blue and white illuminated festoons [are] suspended on light poles lining Bloor St from Lansdowne to Dufferin.” Festoons, eh? Take the Cavalcade......

Another August, another Square Foot show at AWOL Gallery (76 & 78 Ossington). Square Foot IV (as in Roman numeral four...not EyeVee) features (feet-sures is the more appropriate spelling) 12x12” works from over 450 Canadian and international artists of the emerging and established varieties; if our calculations are correct, that adds up to a whole lot of 90 degree angles. The pieces will be arranged into a grid from wall to wall and from floor......

Who is Bryan Lee O’Malley? With the strength of character displayed by Scott Pilgrim, the protagonist of O’Malley’s breakthrough comics series, it’s easy to imagine that he is Scott Pilgrim - the unskilled bass player for a go nowhere band in Toronto, dating an American girl, sleeping in the same bed as a gay dude and getting into all kinds of crazy adventures. The kind of guy you could imagine punching a guy “so hard......

Torontoist remembers that wonderful summer afternoon spent in the alley behind Honest Ed's at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. There were just far too many talented artists and graphic novel goodness for us to take it all in. So sadly we missed meeting the three artists appearing at the Revival tonight. Sammy Harkham (Drawn and Quarterly), Kevin Huizenga (Drawn and Quarterly), and Anders Nilsen (Fantagraphics) are current favourites for the comic gurus over at the......

Sure, there are a thousand other things demanding your attention this evening, but how many of them are free and will only take up an hour of your time before you hit the club/gallery/spooktacular house party? The comic store The Beguiling (which just got a nod from NOW as the best in the city) is holding two impromptu signings this weekend featuring Charles Burns, Chip Kidd, and Chris Ware. Tonight is your chance to meet-and-greet......