Toronto Life February 2024

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…

When Work Just Isn’t Working Let’s begin with an awkward truth: millennial and Gen-Z workers are less industrious than the boomers who raised them. Here’s another: their careers aren’t a defining part of their identities; they’re a means to finance their lifestyles. We could argue about the outliers—those hardworking 20- or 30-somethings you know—but studies confirm the stereotype. Before you reach for the pitchfork, here’s a third truth: these young workers may be on to something. Sometime in the last 10 years, a silent revolution occurred in Canada: millennials overtook boomers as the largest cohort in the workforce. No one really noticed at the time, but the change ought to have been blasted over loudspeakers. Why? One group was raised on Leave It to Beaver; the other grew up watching…

Under the Influence Our annual power list, in which we rank the city’s top 50 movers and shakers, generated the usual range of emotions: delight, elation, irritation, contempt. Here, a small sampling from both fans and hecklers (mostly hecklers). “So this year’s most influential Torontonian is the guy we need to blame when Terminator becomes a reality?” —f4rbie, Instagram “I needed to know about Geoffrey Hinton yesterday. Is there an AI for Dummies? I need to educate myself.” —lockdownsurvivor, Reddit “It was a stroke of genius to assign a non–tech writer to profile Hinton. It’s the first time I have understood the dangers of AI. Excellent piece of journalism.” —Tom Scanlan, Toronto “Great to see Canada’s chief nursing officer included on this list!” —@canadanurses, X “Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was born in…

“My $20-million concept car is the world’s most expensive business card”—Flavio Volpe, p. 18 The ruin pictured here, suspended in a state of demolition, is the former Lever Brothers soap factory, built in 1890. Soon, the 38-acre property it occupies will be the site of East Harbour, a gigantic transit hub and currently the largest commercial project in Canada by square footage. It will link the Ontario Line, GO trains and streetcars, becoming Union Station’s crosstown sibling for the nearly 60,000 people living or working nearby. The east end used to be the land of hippies, dog walkers, beachgoers, sleepy commerce and non-existent nightlife—but those days are over. Its future is dotted with crystalline office towers, Danish-style condos, fancy bridges over the waterways and a new park by Claude Cormier.…

What compelled you to design Canada’s first zero-emissions car? This started, funnily enough, with Donald Trump and his attempt to reopen NAFTA when he took office. I’m president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturer’s Association, an advocacy group, so Ottawa tapped me to take part in negotiations. We got a deal that was very favourable to Canadian parts makers. Because of that, I was invited to attend the prime minister’s 2019 throne speech, where he challenged everyone to make their respective industries netzero. I went back to the office and came up with the concept for the Arrow. Which is what, exactly? The Arrow is Canada’s first lightweight zero-emissions self-driving vehicle. It is, as people have said, “the world’s most expensive business card”—a platform for Canadian parts makers to show off…

“We’re on a variable mortgage, but so far we’re not worried” REGULAR EXPENSES MORTGAGE: $2,500 a month. “It’s a variable mortgage,” Michael says, “but we’re not worried. We have an emergency fund in case we need to increase our monthly payments.” CELL: $145 a month. “Work subsidizes half of my phone bill,” says Ginette. “I’m with Telus, and Michael is on a friend’s business plan with Rogers.” GROCERIES: $500 a month. “Usually I cook and Ginette does the dishes,” says Michael. BIKE SHARE TORONTO: $80 a year. “I bike to work every day, which takes about 12 minutes,” says Michael. “It’s faster and more convenient than the TTC.” CAR: $3,110 a month. “This includes payments, parking, gas and insurance,” Ginette says. “I drive to Ancaster for work. We also use…