Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Toronto Life

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“There was a period when we were doing cocaine just to keep the energy up”—Geddy Lee, p. 24 Statistically speaking, this car shouldn’t be here. That’s because it’s a Lexus in the Etobicoke neighbourhood of West Humber-Clairville: one of the most commonly stolen cars in the most commonly targeted area. A record 9,800 vehicles were boosted in Toronto in 2023, many stashed in shipping containers and lost to parts unknown. Still, there are signs of progress. In October, Toronto police charged 228 people—mostly small-time crooks working for international networks—and recovered 1,080 vehicles with a total value of $60 million. But, until they catch the ringleaders, all we can do is park indoors, buy Faraday boxes and cross our fingers.…

Designer cabanas, a serene yoga sanctuary, stunning common spaces designed to invoke future nostalgia—there’s nothing quite like living at The Parker. Welcome to this exquisite new hotel-style rental destination conveniently located in the heart of midtown Toronto, steps away from Yonge and Eglinton. The resort life—every day Step into The Parker, where an award-winning lobby lounge awaits—an expansive, airy space inspired by Scandinavian design, featuring pendant lighting, herringbone flooring, a tapestry of lush plants and curated furnishings. An emphasis on design and craftsmanship echoes throughout the rental community, evident in such premier amenities as the rooftop resort-style infinity pool, a 24-7 two-storey fitness centre, a two-lane bowling alley and a chef’s kitchen. Finally, revitalize and find tranquility in a meticulously fashioned sanctuary—your suite. A uniquely crafted lifestyle experience Newly completed…

THE CONDUCTOR Michal Hay, chief of staff The woman behind Jagmeet Singh’s successful bid for the federal NDP leadership was also responsible for Chow’s historic campaign. Now Hay is the mayor’s top adviser at city hall. THE ROOKIE Amber Morley, deputy mayor, west Morley, a community activist and first-time councillor, has vaulted through the ranks. She sits on the boards of the Toronto Police Service and the Toronto Public Library. THE CLOSER Gord Perks, chair, planning and housing Perks has doggedly pushed back against gentrification in his ward of Parkdale-High Park. It’s why Chow tagged him to steer city hall’s housing strategy, her top concern. THE SUSTAINABILITY PRO Jennifer McKelvie, deputy mayor, east A geoscientist, the councillor for Scarborough-Rouge Park chairs the all-important infrastructure and environment committee. She’s also heading…

THE INVESTOR Marissa West, president of GM Canada Electrifying one of the world’s oldest and largest automakers is daunting, but West is on it: she’s overseeing $40 billion of investment in the North American EV and autonomous market. THE TITAN Seetarama Kotagiri, CEO of Magna International Under Kotagiri’s leadership, the manufacturing giant recently spent $471 million upgrading its factories and building a new one to meet its goal of hitting $4.5 billion in EV-related sales by 2025. THE BUILDER Pierre Boutin, CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada Announced in April, VW’s $20-billion battery factory in St. Thomas, Ontario, is the largest investment in the EV supply chain in Canadian history—and Boutin’s the guy on the ground. THE PROSELYTIZER Cara Clairman, CEO of Plug’n Drive Clairman touts the benefits of a gas-free…

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Let’s start with the title: My Effin’ Life. What’s that about? I’ve been known to drop F-bombs. Originally, I wanted to call the book My Life in Comedy, because I often pause at the absurdity of it all. But my publisher was convinced such a title would be mis-leading. My jokes tend to be very inside. You turned 70 in July. Did your age make you want to write it all down? I prefer to look forward, not back. But a few things happened to me recently. My mother was diagnosed with dementia before the pandemic. When I finally got to see her after lockdowns, there was a second where she didn’t recognize me. That really freaked me out. Also, Rush’s drummer, Neil Peart, lost his battle with glioblastoma in…

Look at 2023 from just about any angle and a pattern emerges (it’s the economy, stupid). Across Toronto, renters fought to cap rent increases, workers fought for pay hikes, and politicians fought to keep the cost of living from pushing everyone and everything beyond the brink. After a dozen years of right-leaning leadership, voters elected Olivia Chow, an inveterate progressive and Toronto’s first non-white mayor, who has inherited a city in financial shambles. She may be the year’s most prominent big hire, but she’s not the only one: a sports team, a provincial court and a paper of record all got new bosses eager to overhaul the status quo. Some of the most important people of 2023 are familiar—hometown hype man Drake dominated the charts (with a new album) and…

THE KING OF THE COURT Darko Rajaković, head coach of the Raptors After a 2022 season marred by locker-room feuding and wasted potential, the Raptors hired Rajaković to ready the team for another championship run. It’s early days, but he’s switched up the game by prioritizing communication, teamwork and using bench players. THE WHISTLEBLOWER Reema Patel, deputy ombudsman (housing) As the city’s first-ever deputy ombudsman for housing, Patel is investigating and reviewing housing services and programs. Her current assignment: looking into the city’s decision, earlier this year, to deny space in shelters to asylum seekers. THE HOCKEY HEAD Katherine Henderson, CEO of Hockey Canada Henderson, formerly the big boss at Curling Canada, has been given the enormous task of rehabbing an organization rocked by sexual-assault scandals, the controversial use of…

THE SUPPER-CLUB KING Charles Khabouth, Ink Entertainment This year, Khabouth moved into midtown with a reincarnation of Ultra (a collab with Harlo Entertainment’s Michael Kimel, among others) and the Financial District with Daphne. THE RESTAURANT REVIVER Hanif Harji, Scale Hospitality and Iconink Two years after buying Miller Tavern and embarking on renovations to bring in some of his downtown polish, Harji relaunched the Hoggs Hollow fixture this summer. THE SUSHI MASTERMIND William Cheng, Premier Candle Corporation The candle magnate is behind the two-Michelin-starred Sushi Masaki Saito and its more laid-back sibling, MSSM, which opened at the end of the summer. THE FOOD TYCOON Janet Zuccarini, Gusto 54 Zuccarini has 10 Toronto restaurants under her ever-expanding Gusto banner, and she’s just added a second property to her LA portfolio with the…

UNDER$50 Pill case $28 / These sleek dispensers can be customized with tabs that sort pills by day, ailment or medication. They come in several chic hues, but we’re partial to the blush pink. portandpolishco.com Thembo pin $10 / L’Amour-Propre is a Toronto brand that makes queer-affirming and sex-positive accessories, including pins like this one, for the “thembo” in your life. lamourpropre.com OVEN MITT Dusen Dusen’s mix-and-match quilted oven mitts come in delicious colourways like Shortcake, Eclair and Cobbler and can resist temperatures of up to 400°F. 313designmarket.com Hanukkah alphabet book $15 / We love this primer on the Festival of Lights for its retro-cool illustrations of latkes, menorahs and, of course, dreidels. indigo.ca Trans pride ornament $11 / Show your trans pride with this trinket from Calgary’s Little Rainbow…

Debate and dissent are essential to what we do at Toronto Life. As a staff, we regularly spar over all manner of topics. One of my favourite annual traditions begins in midsummer with the kick-off to our search for the year’s most influential Torontonian. It’s a frothy verbal fisticuffs where opinions aren’t worth much without facts to back them up. Eventually, out of the fray emerge contenders for the top spot. This year, by late August, we had three compelling options. One of them was Tiff Macklem, the governor of the Bank of Canada. Over the course of 12 months, he had juiced the key lending rate 3.5 points to sit at a ghastly five per cent. The tick-tock of a rate hike may not be cinematic, but its effects…

Imagine feasting on fresh lobster and sipping a tasty craft cocktail at a beachfront restaurant overlooking a dormant volcano as the golden Caribbean sun dips into the deep-blue ocean. Towering green palm trees softly rustle in the breeze, soca and reggae rhythms float through the air, sweet aromas waft from the kitchen—the sights, sounds and tastes of St. Kitts intrigue all the senses. When the Canadian winter is in full swing, St. Kitts makes the ultimate tropical getaway—especially for adventurous foodies—offering an abundance of fresh seafood, colourful local produce and incredible experiential dining. This sought-after island is an emerging culinary hotspot with its wide selection of fine dining restaurants, casual pubs serving traditional Caribbean grub and eclectic eateries for intimate evenings—all with a sumptuous view. With St. Kitts’ friendly, welcoming…

$11,755 Charitable funds raised by Grade 7 student Evangeline Link, who walked 100 kilometres from Hamilton back to her home in Leslieville to support Covenant House. $1,000,000 Donations received by Bonnie Crombie’s Liberal leadership campaign as of early October, according to Elections Ontario—almost double the combined total her competitors had raised. More than $30,000 came from executives at development firm HBNG Holborn Group. $2,650,000 Selling price—more than $1 million over asking—for the heritage red-brick house at 93 Broadway Avenue, one of the last hold-out properties on the tower-laden block. The site’s current zoning allows for the construction of a high-rise apartment. $4,580,000 Emergency Covid-19 government aid that Uber driver Rabih George Barake received before Scotiabank froze his account because of suspected fraud. Barake collected the money between March and November…

1. GEOFFREY HINTON SPENT HALF A CENTURY DEVELOPING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. NOW HE WORRIES THAT HIS LIFE’S WORK COULD SPELL THE END OF HUMANITY. INSIDE HIS MISSION TO WARN THE WORLD 2023 was the year artificial intelligence finally caught up to the hype. Last November, American research lab OpenAI released the now-ubiquitous chatbot ChatGPT. It could summarize novels in seconds. It could write computer code. Its potential to generate scripts contributed to sending Hollywood’s writers on strike. Within two months, it had 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing app of all time, and Microsoft threw $10 billion at OpenAI to keep the party going. After decades of false starts, AI was finally off to the races. There was, however, one guy who wasn’t popping champagne: Geoffrey Hinton, the University of…

THE MENTAL-HEALTH LIFELINE Gary Slaight, the Slaight Family Foundation In September, Slaight announced support for 19 youth and mental-health organizations, including SickKids and Kids Help Phone, to the tune of $26.5 million. THE ORCHESTRA DEVOTEE Catherine Beck, the estate of H. Thomas and Mary Beck Beck—the chair of the TSO’s board—and her siblings donated $14.7 million to the orchestra in October, the largest gift in its history. THE WEST-END HEALTH BOOSTER Carlo Fidani, Orlando Corporation Via his family business, Fidani donated $75 million to Trillium Health Partners, the hospital network behind the future Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital and the Queensway Health Centre. THE START-UP SUPPORTER Sam Ibrahim, Arrow Group of Companies The east-end entrepreneur gave $25 million to U of T Scarborough for a new centre focused on innovation, entrepreneurship…

A mini jamón from Carnivore Club TORONTO’S ONLINE MECCA for cured meat is the go-to for avowed carnivores. The site’s selection includes salami bouquets (way better than flowers), charcuterie boards and our favourite: this condo-kitchen-table-sized jamon carving kit, which comes with a one-kilogram hunk ofcured Spanish ham on its own adorable stand. $90. carnivoreclub.co Ginger-scallion seasoning from Hong Shing MOVE OVER, flavourless mid-week stir-fry. With this magic seasoning on hand, anyone can breathe life into even the most mundane meals. The Cantonese-inspired combination of finely blended dehydrated ginger, green scallions, yuzu, chicken fat and parsley can zhuzh up just about anything—from leftovers to popcorn. $12. hongshing.com Cubic croissants from Little Pebbles Circular croissants may be the pastry du jour, but a couple of these cubic versions make for an impressive…