Toronto Life January 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 of the magazine without perfume strips, please write to us at the address listed below. MAIL PREFERENCE On occasion,…

Happy Returns Our November cover story mapped the trajectories of Torontonians who left the city during the pandemic but decided, for various reasons, to reverse course. Reader response was divided—mainly between people who would never contemplate such a move and those who already left and never looked back. “Kudos to the prodigal Torontonians who were able to get back on the Toronto property ladder. The longer, sadder twin article would have the headline ‘They left, they regretted it, they’re stuck.’” —Luke Jackson “Somebody needs to break it to these families that Schitt’s Creek is fiction—and even the Roses got out of Dodge.” —Sue Gunther, Facebook “I am always stunned by these stories of naïve people who left the city for remote communities during the pandemic, thinking they could work from…

Was he right? Back then, the cost per square foot to buy a condo was $1,000. Today, it’s roughly $1,400. So, yes, he had a point. But here’s what he didn’t see coming: renting has become equally unaffordable. That’s a problem with frightening implications for every Torontonian. For this month’s cover story, “Give Me Shelter” (page 33), Toronto Life’s deputy editor, Lauren McKeon, oversaw a team of reporters who dug deep into the high costs and subpar conditions for renters. The stories that came back were shocking. Just getting started in the rental game is demoralizing. Right now, apartment hunters have to compete with a swarm of suitors just for the chance to rent. Palm-greasing and frantic upbidding are common. And what prospective renters are fighting over often isn’t all…

On the evening of November 17, Toronto Life hosted its annual celebration of the city’s most influential people at Harry Rosen in Yorkville. Superstar chef Matty Matheson, Jeopardy! champ Mattea Roach, publishing powerhouse Kristin Cochrane and other city-shaping personalities turned out to toast a year’s worth of accomplishments. Brampton’s Haviah and Omega Mighty performed while guests danced and enjoyed Louis Roederer Champagne, Tanqueray No. Ten gin martinis, cocktails from World Class Canada and wine by J. Lebegue. Non-alcoholic drinks were provided by Seedlip. Karine Joncas and Basic Maintenance Lab provided gifting. FOR FULL PARTY COVERAGE, VISITtorontolife.com/city/influential2022 THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT PARTNERS HARRY ROSEN basic maintenance lab™…

Four theatres and one pandemic later, Second City finally has a venue to call its own. Located in an office tower on York Street, the 28,700-square-foot comedy palace has three theatres, nine training studios and an Oliver and Bonacini restaurant. It’s about time: the comedy troupe has been displaced twice to make way for luxury condos and hotels. The most recent demolition forced them to squat at the Danforth Comedy Bar for a year. In this city, not even a legendary improv company can escape the real estate market. But things are looking up. Second City has found its dream home just in time for the 50th anniversary of its Toronto arrival. That calls for a round of applause.…

You’ve said your CBC sitcom, Run the Burbs, is a throwback to ’90s series like Full House. How so? If Full House was about the Tanners, you could say Run the Burbs is about their neighbours—the people whose stories never got told. But our show is unique in other ways: a lot of family comedies are about bickering, whereas my show is about two adults who love their kids. It’s funny that such a basic premise feels fresh. You play Andrew Pham, a Vietnamese Canadian with two kids and a distinct haircut. This is your real life, right? It’s very much inspired by my life as a dad. I stayed home when my first child was born, and I loved it. Then he started school, and I had to figure…