Election day is tomorrow, which provides a good opportunity to look back at how election ads were handled in the past. Today's selections come from the 1955 campaign, which Premier Leslie Frost's Progressive Conservatives won in a landslide on June 9th (83 PC, 11 Liberal, 3 CCF, 1 "PC Independent"). The "Big Blue Machine" was firmly entrenched, remaining in power for the next 30 years. York Centre was a new riding for the 1955......

Generally, it’s not very nice to take advantage of the misfortune of others. Sometimes though, the deal is just too good to pass up. (Liquidation World has built a business out of it: “A hurricane came through and you reap the benefits!”) Local band Hotel has decided to call it quits. And since this means they don’t need their equipment anymore, they’re selling it all this weekend. The resulting list, itemized on their website,......

Every two weeks, Torontoist looks to fill up all the square feet in your abode. Eschewing the Ikea catalogue, delve into the unique design shops, interesting sales, and easy do-it-yourself projects that can be found scattered throughout Toronto. Furnishing a space can easily add up and if your tastes lean towards vintage or antique, your pockets might be looking more bare than most. Deal hunters usually end up doing searches on Craigslist and eBay but......

Torontoist Flickr Pool member snapparker has posted this shot of the aftermath of Tuesday morning's three-alarm fire at the corner of Baldwin and Spadina, right where Kensington Market meets Chinatown. The conflagration started in a rooming house above stores at 368 Spadina Ave. Flames quickly spread to neighbouring businesses. In all, over 100 firefighters and 30 trucks were called in to battle the blaze. Torontoist contributor Shaun Merritt spoke to a firefighter at the scene......

Are you a fan of municipal development and urban planning? Do you read Spacing (or at least say you do)? Then you should endeavor to visit A Visual Legacy: The City of Toronto’s Use of Photography, 1856-1997, an exhibition of images from the City of Toronto Archives. The exhibit holds appeal to planners and history geeks alike simply because all images were taken specifically for administrative purposes, meaning that these shots aren’t pretty enough......

When you go through the doors of City Hall, one of the first things you'll probably see (especially if you're headed to the café, library, or washrooms) is "Metropolis" to your immediate right, an expansive "mural" made out of 100 000 nails, their blunt ends jutting out in patterns of concentric circles. And you won't be able to resist running your hand along it, no matter how late you are for your meeting or......

And where can we get some? 110 Spadina Ave. is the building that houses the House of Anansi Press among other things. The medium-sized publisher is having an amazing year. First was the news that two of their books, Rawi Hage's De Niro's Game and Gaetan Soucy's the Immaculate Conception, made it on to the weirdest Giller shortlist in years. Then this morning the boys and girls at Anansi got even more good news. Hage's......

Torontoist thinks that Toronto Star writer Andrew Chung was having a bad day when he wrote his lament on the death of Toronto's Chinatown (the one on Spadina) in Sunday's Star. Mr. Weisblott pointed out that the discussion over on the Urban Toronto forum has been brisk and we can understand why. Chung's doom and gloom don't actually reflect what it's like on Spadina. Once a prosperous hive of activity, Toronto's downtown Chinatown, centred......

T.J. Dawe all sold out? Too hot to brave the notoriously AC-free Glen Morris? Or maybe you just have a peckish hour to kill between shows? If your Fringing is confined to the central axis of Bloor and Brunswick (the Tranzac, aka Fringe HQ; Poor Alex; Royal St. George’s; and several BYOVs), it’s impossible to walk three feet without falling mouth first into good eats, but patrons of slightly farther flung venues might occasionally feel......

Sshh, sshh, don't cry: Auntie TOist is here and is gonna make it all better. Prom girls in distress, with nightmares of a fouffy, pouffy dress that will land you on this list, weep no more. It's the seasonal Damzels In This Dress Frock Sale this afternoon. Racks of fabu frocks -modern, retro, tomboy, girlie, long, short- from previous seasons, samples and more. 101 Spadina Ave., First Floor.Today noon to 7, Saturday noon to 5.......

After devouring what appears to be a growing amount of Easter Eggs and other Christian foods around this time of year, April becomes the perfect month to balance out your faith-based eating. There are so many ways in which one can reach this religious and gastronomic equilibrium, but none better than Bella's Authentic Jewish Brunch at The Free Times Cafe. Every Sunday, the Free Times mythical cook Bella whips up a revered buffet that Toronto......

Not all Irish, but serving green beer: The James Joyce (386 Bloor St. W.) Grossman's Tavern (379 Spadina Ave.) Revival (783 College St.) Warning: Crazy green hat celebration Hugh's Room (2261 Dundas St. W.) Ein-stein's (229 College St.) C'est What? (67 Front St. E.) Duke of York (39 Prince Arthur Ave.) Duke of Gloucester (649 Yonge St.) Paupers (539 Bloor Street W.) Shamrock Shake (McDonald's?) But for the love of all things green, don't drive!......