Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i Toronto Life

MOVING ON UP These city hall veterans just made the leap to Queen’s Park. That means a bigger region and a bigger role. What do they plan to do with that? We found out MARY-MARGARET MCMAHON MPP of Beaches–East York LIBERAL Dream job as a kid: “An author. I like dreaming up ideas.” If you could have one superpower: “Flight. I’d be able to see the world from a different perspective.” Death row meal: “The pork, veggie and noodle dish from Mi Mi on Gerrard.” Why you decided to leap from city hall to Queen’s Park: “To tackle the climate emergency.” Your best and worst political attributes: “Best: I’m a people person. Worst: I’m way too honest.” Something every aspiring politician should know: “You get a lot of nasty stuff…

Where to get a piece of paradise for less IS THERE ANYTHING more Canadian than going to the cottage? That ritualistic escape from the noise, crowds and stresses of the city? Cottage country offers a serene environment where urbanites can commune with nature—and with a cocktail or two on the dock. Of course, the national love affair with cottaging isn’t new. Neither is the fact that most cottages are wildly out of reach financially, market cooldown or not. As of May, the median price for waterfront properties in the Muskoka Lakes area was $1.7 million, an increase of 135 per cent since before the pandemic. Every inch of that region, plus Georgian Bay and the Kawartha Lakes, has been scouted, assessed and appraised multiple times over, which means the deals…

“IN 2015, VAL AND I bought a cottage in Apsley on Jack Lake. We went every weekend, especially after our kids were born. We took day trips and discovered the town of Bancroft. Something about the place was just magic. “In 2018, we went back for a visit and saw that our favourite restaurant in town, a fish-and-chips shop called For the Halibut, was for sale. Val and I looked at each other and were both thinking the same thing: Wouldn’t it be cool if we bought this restaurant and ran it? I was already working remotely as an education curriculum developer. Val was working as an investment and retirement planner, but he was ready for a change. Years ago, I’d studied culinary arts at George Brown. The plan was…

When did the market start heating up in Magnetawan? Definitely during the pandemic. That first summer, in 2020, a lot of people who hadn’t previously owned cottages were trying it out. And then, that fall, the market really exploded. The supply in Muskoka was so limited and the prices had shot up, so buyers were willing to look a little farther. How far are we talking? Magnetawan is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Toronto, which is a lot. But people who can work remotely may have the option to take extended weekends or longer stretches over the summer. Is Magnetawan the new Muskoka? I have heard people refer to the main lakes in the area (Magnetawan, Beaver and Cecebe) as “the new Big Three,” the old Big Three being Muskoka,…

“I’VE BEEN WITH CLAIRE, my wife, since 2004. When we first got together, we bought a one-bedroom condo in Liberty Village. Then our first child arrived—we now have two—and we needed a bigger place. So we bought a townhouse across the street and slowly traded up every few years. Our dream has always been to own a big bungalow with a deck to lounge on. “We hunted around Port Elgin because we love the South Bruce Peninsula, Southampton and Sauble Beach. I took up lake surfing during the pandemic. A big part of moving here was the proximity to Lake Huron. We bought a beach house in July of 2020 and a bungalow nearly a year later. Then, last March, we leased a commercial space for my business. I’m opening…

Erik Millette, 43, tower crane operator PROJECTS HE’S WORKED ON: Aqualuna, the Bond, Corus Quay, Neptune, the One, Park Hyatt, PwC Tower ERIK MILLETTE SPENDS most days perched hundreds of feet above the city. Over the past 15 years, he’s manned tower cranes that loomed high above downtown office towers, condo construction sites—including Aqualuna, Neptune and the Bond—and commercial builds like Corus Quay. “I love how action-packed every day on the job is,” he says. “It’s incredible seeing the results of my hard work as a site goes from a hole in the ground to a beautiful, glistening building.” In 2018, Millette began working on his most monumental project yet: the skyscraper known as the One, currently under construction at 1 Bloor Street West. Once finished, it will stretch 85…

Andrew McLaughlin, 33, ironworker PROJECTS HE’S WORKED ON: Concord Canada House, the LakeShore, Queen Richmond Centre West, the Rosedale on Bloor ANDREW MCLAUGHLIN started at the literal bottom. His first job as an ironworker, almost 10 years ago, was building the underground tunnel to Billy Bishop Airport. Lakewater seeped through the walls and dead fish littered the floor. At the time, his life was underwater too. He was drinking heavily, and a rocky relationship had sent him spiralling. His union covered a $15,000 35-day stay at a treatment facility for construction workers, but a year of relapses followed. He gained more than 100 pounds and drank himself into seizures and the beginning of liver failure. In late 2016, he was laid off. The following year, McLaughlin got clean and revived…

Rony Barbosa, 42, shop steward and safety representative PROJECTS HE’S WORKED ON: Charisma on the Park, Glas, M5V RONY BARBOSA NEVER saw himself working in an office. As a young man in Portugal, he enlisted in the army and then worked as a bartender. When he moved to Toronto, in 2002, he got a summer job paving sidewalks. Then his union, LIUNA Local 183, asked if he’d be interested in full-time work paving something a little loftier: high-rise apartment buildings. He was afraid of heights, but the pay was better, so he decided to go for it. “If you never try, you’ll never know what you’re capable of,” he says. “You just have to deal with your fears.” That decision kicked off 12 years in high-rise construction. Earlier in his…

“I don’t have Twitter. I don’t need any more anxiety in my life”—Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, p.24 You’re looking at the southern section of Vaughan’s Nashville Conservation Reserve, one of the GTA’s largest natural grounds and home to dozens of at-risk species. If the Conservatives pull the trigger, the bucolic landscape pictured here will be replaced by the new highway: a proposed $10-billion project and the central bugaboo of June’s provincial election. Opponents of the road argue that it will lay waste to 2,000 acres of farmland and 400 acres of the Greenbelt while injecting over 17 million tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions into the atmosphere. Premier Ford claims it will cut daily commutes by 30 minutes and that such infrastructure is necessary to mitigate the province’s population explosion. While…

“We’re saving to buy a cottage in the next five years” REGULAR EXPENSES MORTGAGE: $2,300 a month. UTILITIES: $500 a month. CELLPHONE AND INTERNET: $260 a month for unlimited talk and text with Fido. STREAMING SERVICES: $22 a month. “We use only Netflix and Amazon Prime,” Jovan says. INSURANCE: $800 a month for home and auto. CAR: $700 a month. “I bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2020, so most of that goes toward financing,” says Ida, “but we’re also spending a lot on gas these days, taking the kids to visit family.” GROCERIES: $800 a month. “We get our dry foods and diapers delivered from Walmart, which saves us time and money,” says Ida. “Otherwise, we shop for meat and produce at Costco.” ORDERING IN: $150 a month.…

During the pandemic, a popular restaurant on our block applied for CaféTO, expanding its service onto the sidewalk. It was fine at first. Most people in the neighbourhood understood that any disruptions to the peacefulness of the street were for a good cause—helping the restaurant stay afloat in a precarious time. But, recently, the patio seems to have doubled in size, and I can’t walk past without tripping over a table. What to do? —Road Rage, Roncesvalles UD: When the city decided to permanently extend CaféTO, in late 2021, many flâneurs and motorists alike felt kicked to the curb. A robust restaurant industry benefits all Torontonians, but there are rules. First, go see if this place even has a permit: all CaféTO businesses must display credentials out front. Next, make sure…

Wassim Sharaf, 37, safety representative PROJECTS HE’S WORKED ON: Avia, Regent Park redevelopment, Solaris WHEN WASSIM SHARAF left Iraq, in 2003, he was broke. He settled in Oakville and worked odd jobs to get by. Then a friend tipped him off to a gig with good pay and reliable hours: general labour in high-rise construction. Sharaf was a bit apprehensive—“I had never been higher than maybe 10 floors,” he says—but decided to give it a shot. Nearly 20 years later, he’s a veteran of the industry. He’s worked on condos across the GTA, including the new towers in Regent Park and Solaris, a 41-storey building in Scarborough. His current job site is Avia, a pair of residential buildings, 38 and 50 storeys tall, near Mississauga’s Square One. Sharaf is a…

Ken Windatt, 45, electrician PROJECTS HE’S WORKED ON: Concord Canada House, Eden Park Towers, Seasons KEN WINDATT WAS JUST 10 years old when he started pulling wires. His father, an electrician, enlisted him to help on the job and paid him enough to finance his GI Joe collection. Thirteen years later, Windatt realized that those early experiences were the seeds of a lifelong career. He was lying in bed watching the fan spin and wondering about what made it go around. There’s a lot of work that goes into this, he thought. Seeing his father’s T4—he made $90,000 a year—sealed the deal. “I said, ‘Holy smokes, these guys make a lot of money!’” Windatt has spent the 22 years since wiring up skyscrapers across the GTA. In high-rise buildings, the…

A very special episode of Euphoria “FUCK ANYONE WHO’S NOT A SEA BLOB” (Crave) Recommended byHeidi Sopinka, writer “For those who shied away from Euphoria’s dark maximalism (the show opens on a 12-year-old drug dealer with face tats, after all), I recommend you start with this stand-alone episode, and I guarantee you’ll go back to the beginning. It was co-written by trans actor Hunter Schafer. Her quietly powerful performance is one of the most devastating and truthful articulations of gender I’ve ever seen.” A summertime anthem from rising sibling artists “WISHY WASHY” by Haviah and Omega Mighty Recommended by Rodney Diverlus, choreographer and activist “I’ve become obsessed with Toronto’s Mighty sisters, two uber-talented musicians on the rise. Lately, I’ve been grooving to their collab ‘Wishy Washy,’ which reminds me of…

Constant Craving After two years of mostly takeout, however lovingly received, readers reacted to our post-pandemic collection of the city’s best new restaurants with an overabundance of emojis and enthusiasm. A small sampling of the latter: “Toronto Life is an absolute godsend for this city’s food scene. I have no affiliation, but damn that was such an enjoyable read. And the photography!” —theleverage, Reddit “I was impressed that Toronto Life’s coverage of the city’s best new restaurants extended beyond Bloor, Ossington and Yonge. It was also great that they featured a lot of smaller places, like Katsupan and Crumbs.” —moo422, Reddit “Those crispy mushrooms! That wedge salad! And the cocktails!” —saraurban416, Instagram “This is definitely a treat for our eyes and appetites.” —perkysouls, Instagram And, because everyone’s a critic, a…

The Millbrook Mercantile The charming village of Millbrook, off Highway 115, is a quaint community halfway between Toronto and Bancroft. Stop in at the Millbrook Mercantile, which opened three years ago, for some creative customizable charcuterie boards and fancy cheeses. CABIN ON A COVE $267,000 ON BAY LAKE 350 square feet (since renovated) 1 loft 1 bathroom Sold in May 2019 THE LOONS COTTAGE $359,000 ON ALBION LAKE 1,300 square feet 4 bedrooms 1 bathroom Sold in December 2019…

“I WAS PREGNANT in 2018 and set to take an 18-month mat leave when I decided to move from Toronto to Magnetawan. My husband works remotely, and we just thought, If not now, then when? “We found a place on the Magnetawan River and have never looked back. Every morning, I have my coffee looking out onto the river and feel so lucky to be here, which is funny because, when I first met my future husband, in 2013, I was the furthest thing from an outdoorsy type. When he suggested we go on a date by paddling Lake Simcoe, I was secretly really nervous. “A couple of years later, I was a total convert: 14-day trips to Porcupine River in Northern Saskatchewan, fly-ins to some of the more extreme…

LAKE-VIEW LODGING $710,000 ON LAKE HURON 740 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Sold in October 2021 A LIGHT-FILLED LAKEHOUSE $869,000 ON LAKE HURON 1,500 square feet 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms 2-car garage Sold in May 2021 The Burger Guru Need a satiating lunch on the way to the beach? The Burger Guru, located in the village of Flesherton, just off Highway 10, serves up all kinds of deliciousness on a bun: locally sourced smash burgers, southern fried chicken and meltingly tender pulled pork.…

Rokhaya Gueye, 46, apprentice scaffolder technician PROJECTS SHE’S WORKED ON: Tyndale University, the Well, Woodbine Casino AFTER 17 YEARS WORKING in telecommunications with the same company, Rokhaya Gueye was laid off. Instead of looking for another job in the field, she decided it was time for a reset. She wanted something new, something challenging. As a single mother of two, she was handy around the house, installing doors and repairing windows. And, years earlier, she’d studied construction engineering at George Brown College and loved it. She googled “construction skilled trades” and discovered a nonprofit labour coalition that helps BIPOC people get into the industry. Through the nonprofit, Gueye found a carpentry apprenticeship and, later, her first job: building concrete forms for the Woodbine Casino expansion. Since August 2021, Gueye has…

John Eccleston, 56, concrete formwork carpenter; Henry Eccleston, 25, apprentice PROJECTS THEY’VE WORKED ON: Crosstown Community, Forest Hill station THROUGHOUT THE 2000S, John Eccleston made a living as a singer-songwriter playing pubs around Toronto. But, by 2011, he was tired of the gigging life. “I thought, I don’t want to be singing ‘American Pie’ in bars forever,” he says. He realized he’d enjoyed renovating his house more than hitting the stage, so he contacted a local carpentry union and found a job as an apprentice. John’s work involves building forms—structures made from plywood, aluminum and composite materials. Other workers pour concrete and steel into those forms, creating the columns, beams and slabs that act as the bones of high-rise buildings. A couple of years ago, John’s son, Henry, dropped out…

ON A SUNDAY EVENING in late May, I walked into my basement apartment in Cabbagetown with my partner, Alexis. I was flying to PEI early the next morning to visit family, and Alexis had agreed to help me pack and drive me to the airport at 4 a.m. Five minutes into packing, our front door, which we usually left unlocked until we went to bed, swung open, giving way to a man dressed in black. We watched, stunned, as he darted through the living room, climbed the stairs connecting our apartment to the home’s main unit and kicked open the door. We screamed. He noticed us and started yelling, “I’m not here! I’m not supposed to be here!” We soon saw his steel-toed boots charging back down the stairs. He…