Entries from Torontoist tagged with 'winter>'
March 25, 2008
TTC union reps walked away from the bargaining table yesterday, meaning you could be walking to work as early as next Tuesday. Much like everyone else on the planet, the union is looking for more money and better benefits, but unlike everybody else on the planet, they can force the city into shutdown if they don't get it. As Clint Eastwood famously said in Unforgiven, "Deserves got nothin' to do with it." More snow......
Continue Reading "TTC Strike Much Closer, Spring Not Closer At All, Leaf Series Could Be Closer"March 20, 2008
Cows cause traffic tie-ups on the QEW. Best line of story: "We have someone en route with rodeo experience." Rodeo experience. To get a cow to move off the damn road. (Did nobody just try waving food in front of the cow's face?) China admits that anti-government rioting has spread outside of Tibet to other provinces. However, the Chinese government characterizes the rioting as "very small," suggesting it is "barely more than a couple......
Continue Reading "Cows And Groundhogs In Massive Anti-Human Conspiracy To Make Life Suck More"March 16, 2008
The streetcar, subway, or bus is never a fun place to be during rush hour, and it’s even worse during those slow, wet, and frustrating during- and post-snow storm trips, where the Better Way can turn into hell on wheels/rails. Between angry drivers, puffy coats, and that strange gentleman who mutters to himself about Polish androids eating his muffins, you’ve got to wonder just how the taking transit could ever seem like a nice......
Continue Reading "Beating the Suburban Winter Transit Blahs"March 13, 2008
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. Anxious to cement a reputation for self-serving indifference to the public interest, more than 99% of TTC workers have voted more to reject their most recent contract offer.......
Continue Reading "Homeowners Not Clearing Ice, TTC Not Playing Nice, Spitzer Is Paying Price"March 10, 2008
So, you may have noticed it snowed this weekend. If you don't believe us, go check out the Toronto Star's website, where nine out of ten local stories are about the snow, people dealing with the snow, and celebrities talking about the snow. Notably absent among them: the probable cause for all of this snow. Rare meteor lands somewhere near Georgian Bay. This would as opposed to the common, everyday type of meteor that......
Continue Reading "It Snowed Some More, Rare Meteor Lands, and Clinton Loves Potential Clinton/Obama Ticket"February 25, 2008
The Village of Yorkville Park rang to the sound of chisels and chainsaws on Saturday as ice sculptors took part in the Bloor-Yorkville IceFest Festival Ice Carving Competition. More images after the jump.......
Continue Reading "PhotoTO: Icefest"February 20, 2008
Snow globes, ice sculptures, and an ice bar...sound like an arctic paradise? Even if you're sick of slipping on the white (and sometimes yellow) stuff, you're still invited to Bloor-Yorkville's IceFest Festival this weekend—and you don't even have to get your feet wet! IceFest ent-ice-s with enough of the cold stuff to carve out a ship—and that's 25,000 pounds! By donating five bucks to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, you buy yourself a pose......
Continue Reading "Ice-InFested"February 11, 2008
Extreme cold alert! Be forewarned that this extreme cold is not extreme in the sense of "it is totally radical like Doritos and Mountain Dew," but rather extreme in the sense of "it can kill you if you stay out in it too long." Environment Canada will discuss the prospects of the extreme cold's effect on totally shredding slopes with your snowboard later today. Barack Obama thumps Hillary Clinton over the weekend, with impressively......
Continue Reading "It's Cold, Obama Wins Big, And Worst. Heist. EVER."February 10, 2008
The winter sport of slush puddle vaulting is a game we’ve all played before. As an alternative to leaping over the slush filled gutters at Queen and Victoria last week, some inventive soul placed two shipping skids to bridge the puddle. Thank you mystery innovator, as many soakers were certainly avoided. Illustration by Kevin McBride.......
Continue Reading "Illustration Sunday: Like A Bridge Over Slushy Water"January 28, 2008
What kind of people don't like riding their bikes in a Toronto winter? People who have never tried it, that's who. Even as more and more people choose not to get off their bikes when November comes around, many non-cyclists still view winter cycling as unwise, dangerous, or impossible. So as part of its first Bike Winter campaign to raise awareness of cycling as year-round transportation, the City of Toronto is hosting the Coldest......
Continue Reading "Coldest Day of the Year Ride"January 6, 2008
It’s a well-known fact that tobogganing kicks ass. Sadly, the mild weather we’re experiencing is not suited for snow-related activities. What begins as tobogganing quickly becomes slush-bogganing. As conditions deteriorate, you may wind up mud-bogganing, and possibly even mud wrestling. Fear not, for it’s only January, and winter is certain to provide more snow. Until the flurries fly again, why not prepare by readying your snowsuit and waxing your sled? Illustration by Kevin McBride.......
Continue Reading "Illustration Sunday: Slush-bogganing"December 28, 2007
All photos by Kristin Foster. After a blur of relatives, feasts, and gift wrap, some of us have returned to the confines of the office for peace and quiet while others are on the couch. Welcome to the Holiday Hangover! Torontoist told you what was going on for Christmas Day, now we've found a great way of avoiding Boxing Week in the comfort of your own neighbourhood. With 49 outdoor rinks maintained by the......
Continue Reading "Skate Your Heart Out!"December 20, 2007
What's the most fun you can have in the days following a big snowstorm? Unlike many winter sports, snowshoeing is relatively inexpensive and requires little in the way of specialized equipment. Other than the snowshoes themselves—a decent pair costs less than a good pair of skates—you need only some warm layers of clothing, a sense of adventure, and as much time as your legs can stand. It really couldn't be any easier to learn,......
Continue Reading "We've Got a Really Big Shoe"December 17, 2007
It snowed a whole lot. Of course, you probably didn't need Torontoist to tell you this, unless you've been on a serious World of Warcraft run all weekend. In which case you are probably trapped inside your home, and soon will perish—which probably gives you just enough time to make it to level sixty! Panel to seek more family-friendly Ontario legislature. The panel will look at cutting out some evening sittings, setting up an......
Continue Reading "Snow Day, Tory Emission Plan Draws Criticism, And Heath Ledger Makes A Wicked Joker"December 10, 2007
According to Environment Canada, this winter will be the coldest in fifteen years. That news should send us all running for the comforts of indoors, but once again Harbourfront Centre provides the perfect reason to play outside. DJ Skating Nights return for a third year, providing those who brave the cold to skate under the glittering skyline with a soundtrack from local DJs. The five Friday nights of the series will feature five different......
Continue Reading "You! Me! Dancing! (and Skating, too!)"February 22, 2007
With this morning's surprise snowfall, Toronto pedestrians are once again relegated to nimbly navigating slush-covered sidewalks—an unpredictible process that leaves us carefully weaving through each other like mountain goats passing on a cliff. What really gets our goad, however, is one of winter's notorious peeves: the lazy sidewalk shoveler. Mandated by the City to clear the sidewalk within twelve hours of a snowfall lest they face a $105 fine, the lazy shoveler quickly does......
Continue Reading "Winter Peeve: Lazy Snow Shovellers"