Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i Toronto Life

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“I can wear a mask and have a stage name and still be authentic”—Orville Peck, p. 18 The old Regent Park was damned from day one. Built in the 1940s, it was intended as a post-war utopia, but the devil was in the design. Its architecture was depressing, and the complex was largely cut off from the city, devoid of essentials like grocery stores and community services. That flawed vision has been almost entirely reduced to rubble. The $1.5-billion revitalization—a combined effort of Toronto Community Housing, the Daniels Corporation and Tridel—has so far yielded thousands of mixed-income homes, a world-class aquatic centre, artist space, an MLSE-funded sports haven and an actual namesake park. And the last phases of demolition are finally underway. After 75 years, Regent Park has become what…

$1.15 New price of a single domestic postage stamp, up eight cents from last year. The change comes after Canada Post reported a $748-million loss for 2023. $16,600 Cost to taxpayers for Scarborough councillor Nick Mantas’s nine-day trip to Italy, roughly $7,800 over his initial estimates. Among his expenses: eight nights at a Holiday Inn (for a two-day conference) and a BMW rental. $88,000 Retail value of alcohol that a Toronto man allegedly stole from 45 LCBO locations. He currently faces more than 280 charges. $2,000,000 Value of a lawsuit launched by injured passenger Asifa Khatoon against the City of Toronto for the 2022 Sam McBride ferry crash, which retired captain Brian Smith called “avoidable.” $104,000,000 New funding from Ottawa to help cover Toronto’s 2026 World Cup costs. The tournament…

DAVID THOMSON AND FAMILY Chairman of Thomson Reuters Corporation $97.8 billion ED ROGERS AND FAMILY Chairman of Rogers Communications $11.5 billion PETER GILGAN Founder, CEO and chairman of Mattamy Asset Management and founder of Mattamy Homes $7.2 billion MICHAEL LATIFI CEO of Sofina Foods $6.5 billion CARLO FIDANI Chairman of Orlando Corporation $6.4 billion STEPHEN SMITH Chairman and CEO of Smith Financial $6 billion MARK LEONARD President of Constellation Software $5.9 billion MITCHELL GOLDHAR Executive chairman and CEO of SmartCentres $3.7 billion LARRY TANENBAUM Chairman and CEO of Kilmer Group $3.4 billion GERRY SCHWARTZ Chairman of Onex Corporation $2.1 billion MICHAEL LEE-CHIN Chairman of Portland Holdings Ltd. $1.8 billion MICHAEL ANDLAUER CEO of Andlauer Healthcare Group $1.5 billion…

JOHN TIBBITS Conestoga College $494,716 ANN MARIE VAUGHAN Humber College $445,838 DAVID AGNEW Seneca Polytechnic $444,513 JANET MORRISON Sheridan College $406,350 SASIMA VEZINA Algoma University $332,250…

In 2014, researchers in Florida pitted a group of mice with ADHD against their neurotypical peers. The rodents were trained to make their way through a maze—from a noisy, distressing environment to a cozy escape pod, with a bunch of alternative paths jutting out along the way. Two weeks in, the “normal” mice had memorized the most direct route from A to B. Meanwhile, the ones with ADHD continued to get there via a series of unnecessary diversions—like middle-aged women bouncing between the jam and souvenir shops on their way out of wine country. This was to be expected: ADHD is, in the simplest possible terms, an inability to tune out distractions and stay on task. What was remarkable was that the mice with ADHD completed the course in the…

THE BUYER: Alexis Levenson, 40, a senior account manager at a financial technology company. THE STORY: In 2016, Alexis purchased a one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo in Corktown for $375,000 with the goal of eventually buying a house. By September of 2022, her unit had almost doubled in value and the market was starting to slow, so she thought it was a good time to upsize. She wanted a place with at least two bedrooms and a basement suitable for a rental suite to help cover her mortgage. She was willing to move anywhere in the city as long as the new property was near a subway station. She set herself a budget of $750,000 and started her search. OPTION 1 ELWARD BOULEVARD near Victoria Park and Danforth Listed at $699,999 Sold…

CUTWATER RUM MAI TAI Ringing in at 12.5 per cent ABV, this small can packs a punch—both literally and figuratively. Enjoy it straight or poured over ice and garnished with a hunk of fresh pineapple. $3.95, lcbo.com COCO RUM ORIGINAL Rum is combined with coconut water in this electrolyte-spiked refresher. Sparkling water adds a bubbly finish for a satisfying summer sipper. $3.30, lcbo.com TURTLE BAY RUM SWIZZLE Made with tropical juices and citrus bitters, this canned riff on Bermuda’s national drink is as carefree as an all-inclusive resort. The one-two punch of white and dark rums doesn’t hurt. $3.50, lcbo.com…

Since releasing your debut single, “Big Sky,” in 2018, you’ve worn a Lone Ranger mask with tassels draped over your mouth. Why remove them now? I like change. With every album, I’ve changed my mask a little bit and shown more of my face. I’m trying to reveal more of myself, lyrically and musically. Losing the tassels forces me to be more vulnerable. Your new project, Stampede: Vol. 1, is full of duets with artists like Elton John and Noah Cyrus. But, until this year, you’d mostly recorded solo. What made you want to collaborate? With Stampede, I didn’t want to just have a bunch of Orville Peck songs with guests. I like to self-produce and play all the instruments, but this time, I wanted to grow. Also, the duet…

DAVID MCKAY Royal Bank of Canada $15,221,000 BHARAT MASRANI TD $13,271,000 DARRYL WHITE BMO $11,217,500 VICTOR DODIG CIBC $11,206,250 SCOTT THOMSON Scotiabank $7,707,808…

RONALD COHN The Hospital for Sick Children $851,414 KEVIN SMITH University Health Network $844,992 ANDY SMITH Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre $765,102 GARY NEWTON Sinai Health System $705,928 KARLI FARROW Trillium Health Partners $668,325…

A three-part blowout PHOTOS BY F10 STUDIO AND RAREMAGIC PHOTOGRAPHY Henry Beedie, a business systems analyst, and Dorcas Etim, a business operations manager WHEN: December 12, 2022, and August 9, 2023 WHERE: Calabar, Nigeria, and the Fives Beach Hotel and Residences in Playa del Carmen GUESTS: 500 and 75 In 2012, Henry and Dorcas both moved from Nigeria to Mississauga for boarding school. They had mutual friends, but it was only after graduation that they started spending one-on-one time together. On a group trip to Ottawa the following year, Henry asked Dorcas to be his girlfriend. The couple dated throughout university—he was in Brantford, she in Mississauga. In 2018, a year after completing their degrees, they moved into a condo in Mississauga. In the spring of 2021, Henry proposed to…

SUNNYS CHINESE 60 Kensington Ave., units 6–14, sunnyschinese.com STAY COOL CATCH SOME RAYS Sunnys took over Cold Tea’s old space in Kensington Market but kept the perfect patio intact, complete with twinkly fairy lights and a dedicated outdoor kitchen area that has, on at least two occasions, doubled as a DJ booth. Outside, diners are treated to a different menu than the one served inside the restaurant. A fired-up grill turns out snacks like spicy skewered pork. And a robust selection of cocktails, beers and baijiu takes the party from your typical summer patio sesh to the ultimate backyard barbecue. EAT THIS: Spicy pork skewers with cumin, shaoxing and fennel DRINK THIS: Mala on My Mind, a potent mix of mezcal, tequila, Cynar and tepache, rimmed with mala spice DOC’S…

ON MAY 13, Toronto Life's annual Best Restaurants event once again proved to be a culinary success. Twenty of the city's most innovative restaurants came together to showcase exceptional dishes, drawing in more than 1,000 food enthusiasts eager to celebrate and explore diverse savours. The quaint atmosphere of Evergreen Brick Works set the stage for an evening of memorable delights, paired with a lineup of elegant cocktails served by World Class Canada. The roster of drinks featured premium brands like Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky, Don Julio Blanco Tequila, Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey, Ketel One Vodka and Seedlip Grove 42, a non-alcoholic fan favourite. Take a shot at recreating the signature cocktails at home.…

None of Your Business “Ooh, juicy! Can’t wait to read it but will respectfully decline.” We got a lot of that in our outreach for this month’s cover story, “Who Earns What.” It wasn’t surprising. And by “it,” I mean the three-act play of ripe intrigue, cheerful encouragement and door-slamming no. When it comes to salaries in this city, the sentiment is consistent: everyone wants to know and no one wants to say. In that sense, consider our nine-page compendium of eye-popping earnings (page 26) something of a public service. We went about the research in three steps. In some cases, our lead reporter, Anthony Milton, began by taking the courageously direct (if utterly gauche) route of phoning and emailing subjects, saying something to the effect of “Hello, notable person!…

OUR GAWK-WORTHY 2024 SALARY SURVEY MONEY IS ON EVERYONE’S lips in these financially fraught times—the exorbitant price of food, gas and shelter; the stagnating state of our wages; the ever-expanding income gap—so it seemed like the perfect moment to resurrect our city-wide salary survey, which we last compiled in 2011. A lot has changed. To figure out who makes what in 2024, we dug through documents, consulted experts, emailed subjects, then called them, then emailed them again—and got turned down. A lot. (Everyone wanted to know what other people made, but their own earnings were none of our &@*#%?! business.) In the following pages, you’ll find out who’s squeaking by, who’s maxing out their RRSPs and who’s buy-an-archipelago rich. You’ll read about the CEOs who draw $1 salaries but have…

WHEN ANDREA NICKEL and her husband moved to Leslieville in 2008, the neighbourhood was gritty but quickly gentrifying. The indie coffee shop Mercury Espresso Bar had opened a couple of years earlier and was soon joined by a Starbucks. Along the main strip on Queen East—roughly bookended by Carlaw and Greenwood—cafés and bistros were interspersed with laundromats, convenience stores and a dive bar called Tasty Chicken House that, to the best of anyone’s knowledge, didn’t sell chicken. Nickel liked that the area was diverse and much quieter than the west end. Affordability added to the appeal. The couple bought their place for $570,000, expecting it to be their starter home, but they loved everything about living there—the people, the feeling of community—and they stayed put. Over the next decade, the…

IRENE KIM HAS BEEN HELPING Torontonians achieve their sartorial dreams for over a decade. She’s known for mixing contemporary and vintage looks: she grew up borrowing Benetton and Ralph Lauren pieces from her mother and thrifting London Fog trench coats. “It was the age of grunge, so I stood out,” she says. As the child of Korean immigrants, Kim didn’t realize that fashion could be a real career and instead went into law. But, after five years as a securities lawyer on Bay Street, she craved creativity and left her job in 2011. Two years later, Kim partnered with stylist MT Meikle to launch the personal styling company La Closette. Its offerings now include photoshoot styling, events and uniform consulting. But Kim still prefers the intimacy of working with clients…

TIKI COCKTAILS—the super-potent, too-sweet, neon-coloured concoctions originally inspired (somewhat problematically) by the Pacific Islands—are experiencing a revival in Toronto. “Since the pandemic, there’s been a desire to get away,” says Hannah Egan-Lee of Lulu Bar, the new mid-century cocktail lounge inside the Well. “Tropical drinks let people escape their daily lives without actually leaving the city.” It takes more than just a paper umbrella to make a tiki cocktail. The island-inspired classics (painkillers, mai tais, zombies) are high-octane rum-based tipples made with saccharine juices and syrups. The new generation riffs on these kitschy cocktails, but with quality ingredients, balanced flavours and, in some cases, no booze. Traditionally, a mai tai—a blend of dark and white rums with orgeat and orange curaçao—doesn’t incorporate any fresh fruit (unless you count a squeeze…