Toronto Life November 2023

DIGITAL EDITION FREE FOR PRINT SUBSCRIBERS Your Toronto Life subscription now includes free access to the Toronto Life and FASHION digital editions. In your digital newsstand store, search “toronto life” and “fashion magazine,” download/open the apps, and follow the prompts. SUBSCRIPTION EXPIRY To find out when your current subscription expires, check the mailing label. BILLING AND RENEWAL NOTICE Invoice and renewal notices are printed one week before they are mailed to you. With delivery time, it’s possible that your payment or renewal order will cross in the mail with our invoice or renewal notice. FRAGRANCE-FREE ISSUES Some issues of Toronto Life include perfume strips. If you prefer to receive your copy without perfume strips, write to us at the address listed below. MAIL PREFERENCE On occasion, subscriber names and addresses…

Rise of the Machines Our cover story about how universities are functioning in the age of AI raised more than a few eyebrows. The author, Simon Lewsen—a university instructor himself—spoke with several students who copped to using ChatGPT, either as a research tool, as a cure for writer’s block or, on occasion, to produce entire essays. Is it cheating or progress? Readers had thoughts. “The cheaters are making themselves unemployable. The last thing my organization needs is intellectually stunted, culturally illiterate, unethical kids who can’t write independently at a senior level or think strategically. Not serious people.” —@Fidelissma, Twitter “On the day ChatGPT was released, my two oldest children, ages 19 and 22, subscribed immediately. Both are on the dean’s list in science. ChatGPT saves them time. Time management allows…

The Perilous Practice of Ranking Listen closely and you can almost hear the murmurous rage: Toronto Life is at it again. They’ve ranked every part of the city in one gaudy, infuriating list, pitting Leslievillians against Riverdalers, North Yorkers against L’Amoreauxois. Well, yes and no. We have ranked every neighbourhood—one through 158—with the vital assistance of some professional dataheads. But the idea isn’t to incite neighbourhood warfare or publicly shame those areas that placed near the bottom. Our city is growing so fast that it sometimes reminds me of raising a toddler. The grandparents don’t see the little gremlin for a few weeks and then remark on his wild growth spurt the next time they visit. Meanwhile, you, covered in spaghetti sauce, have barely noticed. In Toronto, if you miss…

“This spa is not a place for millionaires”—Therme Group CEO Robert Hanea, p. 28 September 26 was a hallelujah moment at BMO Field. The women’s national soccer team secured its spot at the Paris Olympics in front of 29,212 fans—an attendance record that usurped the men’s 2022 World Cup qualifier. It also reflected a broader trend. Women’s sports have skyrocketed in popularity, and Toronto has the money, diversity and infrastructure to be the epicentre of the action. In January, the Professional Women’s Hockey League will launch with Toronto as a founding member. In 2025, AFC Toronto City will debut with pro league Project Eight. And the city is a favourite for WNBA expansion—with rumours of Drake as a potential team owner.…

What is Therme, and how did a Viennabased conglomerate find itself in such a heated debate over Toronto land? Our company started in Europe 20 years ago, when new heating and cooling technology allowed us to bring the thermal-bath experience to the masses. About eight years ago, the Wynne government put out a call for bids to revitalize Ontario Place. We had already been talking about a North American flagship, and we liked Toronto for its diversity and vibe. In terms of opposition, the land use was decided by the province. I realize that a lot of people have sentimental attachments to Ontario Place, but 50 per cent of Torontonians were not born in Canada. They need a new history, a new place to connect to the water. And what…

“We’re stuck in a variable mortgage, and it keeps going up” ROSELLE RAMIREZ, 45, AND DANIEL GUTOIU, 34 WHAT THEY DO She’s an executive assistant at a software company; he’s a logistics and accounts coordinator for a manufacturer as well as a lender with the car-sharing company Turo WHAT THEY MAKE $275,000 combined WHERE THEY LIVE A two-bedroom townhouse in West Rouge with their four-year old son, Nathaniel, and their Aussie Doodle, Denver REGULAR EXPENSES MORTGAGE: $2,500 a month. “We’re stuck in a variable mortgage,” says Daniel. “And it keeps going up.” CELL: $225 a month. HYDRO: $180 a month. “It used to be around $120,” Daniel says, “but now we have a Tesla Model Y as well as a Jeep hybrid, so we’re using more power.” GROCERIES: $1,000 a…