When the weather finally warms up in Toronto, everyone and everything goes outside — including, it seems, our workout classes. A new wellness experience is taking over Casa Loma for the summer, and it’s bringing Hollywood’s outdoor yoga trend to the city.
In June, Casa Loma is launching Breathtaking Gardens, a Sunday wellness series pairing pilates, yoga, stretching, breathwork and live music within the castle gardens. The experience is intentionally cinematic, the city’s newest answer to the luxury outdoor wellness culture often associated with sunny-skied Los Angeles.
The stately castle is opening its gardens for this series, run by Soul Expansion, from June 7 to Aug. 30. Each two-hour session kicks off at 9 a.m. on Sundays, so that you can start your day surrounded by the beautiful flowers and landscaping on the castle grounds.
“This summer we are opening up the castle’s best-kept secret for a wellness experience right in the gardens,” said Luca Di Donato, vice president of Liberty Entertainment Group.
The collaborative wellness classes will be led by a community leader in yoga, pilates or stretching before flowing into the Soul Expansion experience (which partly features breathwork set to live music) led by Freddy Gervasi and The Band of Souls.
Throughout the summer, expect to enjoy surprise offering from brand partners from other local wellness-minded companies, including DavidsTea, Blume and Formula Fig.
If you’re planning on picking up a totally new hobby for the season, you can sign up for a full summer of Breathtaking Gardens sessions. But if you don’t know if you can commit just yet, guests are also welcome to join for a single Sunday or buy a three-pack of tickets.
Said to strengthen mental health benefits, boost mood through sunlight, improve balance on uneven terrain, and increase vitamin D intake, outdoor exercise is trending for a reason. As the weather warms up, Torontonians can take advantage by practicing their movement routines in outdoor spaces. And Casa Loma isn’t the only venue taking wellness classes outdoors. Park Yoga Toronto runs regular yoga sessions at popular parks like High Park and Riverdale Park throughout the summer, and closer to the start of the season, quite a few wellness studios will launch their own outdoor versions of their top classes.
There’s no better way to celebrate the warm weather than with an outdoor movie night. This summer, open-air cinema nights are officially coming back, with Toronto Outdoor Picture Show (TOPS) returning for its 16th season of free outdoor cinema across three public parks.
The outdoor film festival runs from June 26 to Aug 23 under the theme “Going Places,” with 19 free public events. The season opens with a three-night launch weekend at Christie Pits Park from June 26 to 28, before settling into weekly Sunday night screenings at Christie Pits throughout the summer. The festival will also head east for Thursday night screenings at Corktown Common throughout July, then west to Etobicoke for three consecutive nights at Bell Manor Park from Aug 13 to 15. Keep in mind that Fort York is off the schedule this year due to a scheduling conflict, although it plans to return to the site in 2027.
Moviegoers can expect a lineup of films about travel, discovery, movement and adventure. As in past seasons, each feature will be paired with a short film by local or Canadian filmmakers, giving the programme a mix of international titles and homegrown storytelling.
Best of all: all screenings are free or pay-what-you-can, with charitable donations encouraged for those who can contribute. TOPS is also giving donors a say in the season finale: anyone who makes a charitable donation of $25 or more will be invited to vote on the closing night film, which will screen on Aug 23 at Christie Pits!
Opening weekend will spotlight urban adventure films from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, beginning with Matt Johnson’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a 2025 Canadian time-travel comedy featuring Johnson and Jay McCarrol as best friends who accidentally end up back in 2008 after a failed stunt to book a gig at the Rivoli. Johnson and McCarrol are also expected to attend opening night for an in-person pre-show introduction. The feature will be paired with Pony Nicole Herauf’s Canadian short MOON & BACK, about two goofball BFFs spending their last weekend together before one of them moves to the moon.
On June 27, check out One of Them Days, Lawrence Lamont’s 2025 buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA as roommates racing to avoid eviction after rent money goes missing. The night’s short film is Lloyd Lee Choi’s Closing Dynasty, which follows a seven-year-old girl hustling on the streets of New York City while her family’s restaurant struggles to stay afloat.
The opening weekend wraps on June 28, with the Toronto premiere of Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Güeros, a black-and-white coming-of-age road movie set during Mexico City’s 1999 student strikes. The feature will screen alongside Yassmina Karajah’s Rupture, a Canadian short about four Arab teens searching for a public pool in their new city on a hot summer day.
Screenings begin at sundown, at around 9 p.m. in June and July and 8:30 p.m. in August, with food and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) available for purchase on-site at all three venues.
And no worries about straining to hear the sound: all films will be screened with open captions, and select screenings will include optional audio description.
The full summer schedule is set to be announced on May 20 at TOpictureshow.com. Follow @topictureshow for more info.
If you consider extra cheese a lifestyle rather than a topping, and you’re currently itching to ditch the Toronto traffic for a day, we may have just found your next road trip.
About 90 minutes from the city, there’s a Cheese Trail in Oxford County that runs Big Cheese Days every Saturday this month. It’s a simple way to move through the area’s dairies, backroads, and small local stops that don’t usually make it into a weekend plan. You can see how the curds are made, or take it slower and work your way through a few dairy-focused stops along the way.
@tourismoxford/Instagram
If you get out of the city early enough, you can hit the Woodstock Farmers Market by 8 a.m. It’s the best spot to grab a coffee and stock up on local haul like Greener Pastures meat or Wild Comfort soap before the real dairy crawl begins. From there, head to Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese where you’ll be able to head into the aging cellar to see thousands of wheels of cheese stacked to the ceiling.
By lunch, you’re going to be looking for something to soak up all that sampling. You can go the pub route at Brickhouse Brewpub for a massive braised beef poutine featuring local ale gravy and more Gunn’s Hill curds, or keep it a bit more low-key at Upper Thames Brewing Company with a prosciutto and Brigid’s brie pizza. Both spots do a ‘beer and a bite’ deal for around $20, which is probably cheaper than your last Uber Eats order in the city.
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If you’ve got an hour to spare, you definitely want to hit up GoodPud in Tillsonburg. They host a Decadent Dairy Desserts workshop every Saturday where you actually learn how to make two different desserts using local Oxford produce. It’s super laid back, costs $20, and you walk away with a recipe booklet and 10 per cent off their shop.
As you wind your way back toward the city, make sure you hit the roadside spots that make this county famous. Mountainoak Cheese is a must for Gouda lovers — they have dozens of flavours, including a black truffle that is a mustr-try. If you have kids (or just love goats), Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life offers 50 per cent off admission with the code BIGCHEESE, and their goat milk ice cream will probably be one of the best things you’ll eat all year.
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Before you hop back on the highway, finish the day at six39 for their 6-course prix fixe or grab a $5 Turkey and Avocado ciabatta from Your Farm Market for the road. Just make sure you pack a cooler, because you’re going to be hauling a lot of Bright’s old cheddar and New Galma bitterballs back to Toronto.
Dear Sangita: My “work husband” and I have a LOT of chemistry. My actual husband is starting to notice. I haven’t crossed the line, nor has my work husband, but that’s almost made it worse — it’s like there’s tension simmering underneath our interactions sometimes. There are a lot of work socials, and so my actual husband has seen us together quite a bit now, and he’s starting to notice there’s something there too. I’m very happy with my work situation and home situation, and I don’t want anything to change. But for some reason I’m feeling a little guilty now… — Can’t a girl have both?
Dear CAGHB: You know exactly what’s going on: you’re having an emotional affair. You’re already in it! When you say you both haven’t crossed that line, I assume you’re talking about the physical line, but you know you’re in the wrong already. If your husband is starting to notice, it’s because you’re getting caught in the way you’re acting toward this guy. The fact that your husband hasn’t said anything about it yet makes me think that he just doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers, but you’ve already done that by engaging in this emotional affair. I think you need to acknowledge that you have feelings for this guy. It could just be flirtatious infatuation — in fact, it probably is! — but it’s not fair to your husband. If you want to save your marriage, you may have to leave this job or step into a different department at the company, because it’s difficult to have a clean slate with someone when you’re seeing them nine to five every day.
Dear Sangita: My wife got mad that I wouldn’t have sex with her on a vacation with my entire family. But my parents were in the connecting room next door! This was our first vacation in a long time and our first together since having a kid, and I was mostly just looking forward to a few days of relaxing and sleeping in. She said she’d have to “adjust her expectations” going forward if this is “how I’m going to be.” I thought it would be obvious that we wouldn’t be having sex if my parents were next door like that. And I’ve frankly been too tired for sex these days anyway. Was she being fair? — No sex on the beach
Dear NSOTB: If you guys always had sex on vacation before this, then I’m sure she did have an expectation. This was your first trip together after having a kid, and maybe the expectations and pressure you put on yourself were high too. Yes, your family was there, but is it possible you used that as an excuse because you didn’t feel up for sex? You mention how tired you are. Clearly this part of life is taking a toll on your own health but also on your relationship’s health. Your wife should be sensitive to that. If she hasn’t picked up on that, that’s kind of concerning to me. It’s time to have an honest conversation about how your desires might be misaligned right now and how you can help each other through this. Scheduling sex can help!
Dear Sangita: My wife met my “work wife” for the first time. Now, she has a lot of questions. I thought I was protecting my wife by not telling her too much about her, but now I feel like it’s making me look suspicious. What do I do?
Dear Sangita: My husband discovered I was having an affair, but since it happened he hasn’t mentioned it at all and is weirdly pretending like everything is the same. We have to talk about it, and I know he’s probably hurt. How do I get him to open up?
Dear Sangita: I’m engaged to a married man. He was supposed to have mailed in the paperwork before he proposed to me, but I found out after that some documents were missing when he did. Was I wrong for calling off the wedding?
Dear Sangita: My mom is going through what some might call a mid-life crisis since divorcing my dad, and it’s giving me a lot of stress! I’ll call her at 11 p.m., and she’ll be getting ready to head to an all-nighter club. I want her to be happy, but I also want her to be safe. What should I do?
Toronto chef Kaitlyn Lasagna (better known as @thedonlasagna) has the kind of name that’s almost too perfect for the job.
Raised in an Italian household where food was at the centre of nearly everything, Lasagna has spent years cooking and working through some of Toronto’s most beloved kitchens. Now, she is stepping into something of her own with Buon Riso, a new pop-up concept bringing Roman-style supplì to the city.
This new chapter officially begins on June 14 at Pasta Forever, where Lasagna is currently working. The plan, at least for now, is to start slow: pre-orders will open the Monday before, with a few extra pieces available for walk-ins and the possibility of a Sunday residency throughout the summer (everybody cross your fingers — and toes).
“I’m not rushing into this business,” she says. “I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.”
And rush she is not. Buon Riso was born out of her sister’s trip to Italy nearly two years ago, where she first tried supplì — Roman street food made of fried rice balls filled with sauce and mozzarella, crisp on the outside and molten in the middle. The difference between supplì and arancini? Both are breaded, deep-fried rice balls, but they differ in origin, shape and filling. Supplì are smaller, oblong Roman snacks with sauce and mozzarella at the centre — often called al telefono for the cheese pull — while arancini are larger Sicilian rice balls, typically round or conical, filled with saffron rice, meat and peas.
For Lasagna, the format offers room to play. Buon Riso will feature classic flavours, but also Toronto-inspired ideas rooted in memory.
“I want to make something that feels comforting to people,” she says. “Something where people are like, ‘Oh my God, this flavour is so nostalgic.’”
One early idea is a Kraft Dinner-inspired supplì — a slightly elevated take on the fluorescent pantry staple. She also imagines future collaborations with chefs across the city, pulling from different cuisines and childhood memories. A jerk chicken version could happen with the right collaborator. A fried lasagna version is also on the table. “Who doesn’t love fried foods?” she says.
Lasagna (left) and the Tutto Pannino team
After first hearing about supplì through her sister’s travels, Lasagna didn’t think much of it. Then she started to hyperfixate. The name Buon Riso came from a brainstorming session with her sisters. It loosely translates to “good rice” — though she laughs, noting she often gravitates toward Italian names that don’t quite hold up grammatically.
“I just liked the way it sounded in my head,” she says. “Four letters and four letters.”
That instinct says a lot about her. Throughout the conversation, she moves easily between childhood memories, restaurant stories and Toronto food opinions, without needing to over-explain the connections.
That sense of food being central started early. Growing up, it anchored everything — weddings, funerals, birthdays, holidays and Sunday dinners. Her father owned bars and restaurants, while her mother and nonna shaped much of her earliest relationship with cooking.
“Growing up in an Italian household, food is the centre of everything,” she says. “It’s how I show love.”
She remembers watching her mother and nonna cook, where recipes were instinctive rather than written down. A cup was not a cup, but the cup in her nonna’s kitchen. A pan was the one that lived through every Sunday.
One dish that still lives vividly in her mind is her nonna’s Sunday sugo, cooked low and slow with different cuts of meat until the sauce became rich, silky and unmistakably Sunday.Cooking was always tied to home, though it wasn’t initially a clear career path. School was difficult, and culinary school felt like one of the few options that made sense. But once she enrolled at George Brown, everything “clicked.”
Her first job was assisting one of her chefs with cooking classes at Loblaws before moving to her cousin’s restaurant on Harbord Street — a place tied closely to her family history. It had once been her uncle’s burger shop, and she grew up in the house attached to it. Her career later moved through several Toronto kitchens, including Woodlot and Robinson Bread, before Tutto Panino, where she helped shape the menu before stepping away earlier this year to focus on Buon Riso.
Woodlot, she says, influenced her more than almost anywhere else. Working on King Street, she would walk past it each night with a friend, watching the overnight baker through the window loading the wood-fired oven.
“He’d be there at like one in the morning, mixing dough by hand with the fire going behind him,” she says. “I just thought, that’s so cool.”
Kaitlin Lasagna
And eventually, she did it herself. After joining Woodlot, she moved into bakery work and trained under Patty Robinson of Robinson Bread. The work was physical and demanding, but it stayed with her.
“I think I cried every night the first week,” she says. “But it shaped me.”
With Buon Riso, she is pulling all of that together — the Italian table, bakery discipline, years in kitchens and an instinct to feed people.
Eventually, she hopes it becomes a small production space and storefront, supplying restaurants and bars around the city.
“I want it to be something that feeds people and brings people together,” she says.
In her ideal future, Buon Riso shows up at a bar, warm behind the counter, ready to be eaten with a glass of wine — food that makes people put their phones down.
“That’s how you know it’s good,” she says.
For a chef named Lasagna, a fried rice ball project feels almost inevitable — rooted in tradition, deeply Italian and exactly the kind of comfort Toronto doesn’t have enough of.
With high-profile newcomers Book Bar announcing a June opening date and others such as Pizzeria Badiali set to open in May, Mirvish Village is on the cusp of a shift — from construction project to a destination neighbourhood that will draw visitors from across the city.
Along Markham Street, finishing touches on the public realm are lining up with the arrival of these early tenants, offering the clearest signal yet of what this reimagined stretch of the Annex is about to become.
“We’re very excited,” said Ryan Baddeley, of Pizzeria Badiali, about the opening. “[The new location] takes inspiration from old European cafés and restaurants, with lots of beautiful tiling and wood accents. It will be the same concept as our Dovercourt location but will have more indoor and outdoor seating.”
Another exciting opening on the way soon is Book Bar, a two-storey bookstore and bar housed in one of the original Victorian homes along Markham Street.
“The development itself is so unique, and I think it’s just going to be a gem in the city,” said Tom Freeman, one of the founders of Book Bar, along with his partner Robin Storfer. “So we’re just so excited to be a part of the community, and we just think, with the level of retail that’s coming into the place, it’s going to be just amazing.”
The Mirvish Village project replaces the former Honest Ed’s site with a five-building, mixed-use community.
Rising between 13 and 26 storeys just west of Bathurst Street and south of Bloor Street West, the development brings more than 900 rental units together with retail, institutional space and a network of pedestrian-oriented streets and courtyards.
Markham Street at street level will be the focal point. But, it is taking time, and city councillor Dianne Saxe has been working on it.
“I’ve been pushing very hard to get this project finished and opened,” said Saxe. “I passed some motions at TEYCC and today [April 22] to implement the site plan changes for traffic control. Markham Street should open in the next few weeks, and the [Honest Ed’s] park later this spring.”
The rebuilt streetscape prioritizes pedestrians, with pavers replacing traditional asphalt, raised planters installed along the edges and a shared-street design intended to slow vehicles and encourage foot traffic.
The row of heritage storefronts — long associated with the old Honest Ed’s block — has been carefully restored, with repaired brickwork, updated windows and subtle contemporary interventions that prepare the spaces for new retail.
Within the site, the public realm is in place. Curving walkways connect Markham Street to the interior courtyard, where new trees, planting beds and timber seating areas have been installed.
A glazed market hall beneath the towers is also nearing completion and is expected to open later this year, adding even more retail and food offerings.
What happens next will depend largely on the tenants. With independent operators like Badiali and Book Bar leading the way, the early signs point to a mix that leans local.
If that approach holds, Markham Street could quickly establish itself as a destination and more organic extension of the Annex.
The white-sand beach of Sauble Beach near Toronto feels like an island escape without leaving Ontario
Beach weather is slowly creeping up on us, and while Ontario has no shortage of pretty resort-like beach towns, there’s one destination that delivers a full-on island fantasy thanks to its sweep of powdery white sand and gorgeous sunsets.
Sauble Beach (now officially recognized by Saugeen First Nation as Saugeen Beach) is one of the most sought-after white sand destinations in the province and Canada’s No.1-rated freshwater beach. It’s nestled on the shores of Lake Huron, in the South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, and is only about a three-hour drive from Toronto.
Wander through the iconic Sauble Beach archway (just make sure to snap a few Insta pics!) and take a leisurely stroll along the 7-kilometre stretch before taking a quick dip in the clear blue Lake Huron waters. If you’re looking for a little more action, the shoreline is also used for windsurfing, wakeboarding, fishing and even sailing.
Stick around until evening. The west-facing Lake Huron shoreline is known for its sweeping sunsets, so end the day with a calm walk along the beach at dusk for the most amazing views.
And Sauble has a lot more than just white sand and waves. Nearby Sauble Falls Provincial Park is perfect for anyone who wants a little nature with their beach trip, with cascading falls, picnic areas and spawning runs for rainbow trout and Chinook salmon. Then, explore the Sauble River paddle route: it takes canoeists and kayakers through red pine plantations and ancient dunes, with a portage at the waterfall.
Check out local activities like the nine-hole golf course at Pinewoods Golf and the outdoor adventure course at Ascent Aerial Park. If you’re visiting with kids, Putterama Mini Golf has been a local family tradition since 1965, and Sauble Beach Antiques is a good rainy-day or post-beach browse, with up to 20,000 items spread over two floors!
Sauble’s food scene is just as trip-worthy. Start with custom espresso drinks or Ontario-made Coppa gelato at Amicis Coffee Bar, which is just steps from the sand. For sweets, Happy Donuts Dessert Bar serves everything from made-to-order puff donuts to Belgian chocolate-dipped cones and cereal milk lattes, while Luscious Bakery offers treats like Portuguese custard tarts, cinnamon swirls, brownies and more. At dinner, head to the Dunes Restaurant and Bar for classic sit-down beach eats like smoky summer BBQ plates, fresh salads, pastas and stone-fired pizzas.
Make it a chic, retro-style weekend getaway by booking a stay at the June Motel! The spot was featured in Netflix’s Motel Makeover and boasts the coolest sunset-inspired rooms decked out with neon signs, hanging plants and wave-like wallpaper.
This weekend marks the first one with truly warm weather in Toronto this year, and we’re ready to celebrate! From a rib fest and wine fest to the Jays and a new musical, here are 10 things to do in Toronto this week.
If you’re looking for more things to do in Toronto, check out our Instagram page, @streetsoftorontodo.
With the weather finally starting to warm up in Toronto, a Jays game sounds more tempting than ever. This week, they’re facing off against the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game home series on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Grab a pair of cheap outfield tickets and soak in the sun from the stands!
See an iconic musical when it premieres in Toronto this Tuesday! Kinky Boots, the spirited and entertaining show featuring a Tony-winning score by Cyndi Lauper, follows the tale of an unlikely pair with more in common than they realise.
Spend this Victoria Day long weekend sampling the GTA’s best ribs (and more!). Vaughan Ribfest is back from Friday to Monday with every kind of smoked meat you’ve ever dreamed of, plus other classic festival snacks like Beavertails and roasted corn, live entertainment and fireworks.
There are many signs that summer is here — and in Toronto, the start of the season is more about vibes than the actual weather. One such sign is the first Electric Island of the season. This electronic music festival is taking over Woodbine Park this weekend for the season opener!
Eurovision is back this week, with the final showdown taking place on Saturday. If you love rooting for your favourite countries (and booing your leas favourites), join in on a watch party at Pegasus on Church! The live broadcast begins at 3 p.m. and there will be flags and scorecards for you to take notes.
Sip your way through the long weekend at Wine Fest Toronto. Taking over the Heritage Court at Enercare Centre, you’ll get three complimentary pours with your ticket and access to over 30 vendors, live music and even free educational wine-themed seminars.
On Friday, Outside Looking In is hosting their annual showcase! An Indigenous-led organisation supporting Indigenous youth, the annual arts showcase will feature incredible performances from over 115 Indigenous performers, including Canada’s Got Talent golden buzzer winner Rebecca Strong.
Celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Toronto this Saturday with Stackt Market’s Asian Night Market! Featuring more than 50 Asian-owned vendors, authentic eats and drinks, cultural performances and a DJ spinning all night long, get ready for a full night market experience!
One of Australia’s most successful and beloved comedy acts, Sooshi Mango was created by brothers Joe and Carlo Salanitri and their close friend Andrew Manfre. Inspired by the experience of immigrant families, they’re bringing The Home Made World Tour to Toronto on Saturday!
Rewinds to the 2000s with Ground Control’s HEY YA! 2000s Video Dance Party on Friday! Dance all night to videos from Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Outkast, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Madonna, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys and so many more.
For generations of Canadians — especially in Toronto — Martin Short has embodied a uniquely Canadian style of comedy: quick-witted, self-deprecating, warm and just a little chaotic. And we love him for it.
Long before the fame of hit TV show Only Murders in the Building, or even Broadway acclaim, Short was a Hamilton kid imagining himself as a television star while growing up in Ontario. Later, he would make his way into Toronto’s theatre and improv scene, eventually helping create one of the most influential comedy movements Canada has ever produced alongside legends like the late Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, John Candy, Andrea Martin and others through SCTV.
Now, Short is reflecting on that remarkable life and career in the new Netflix documentary Marty, Life Is Short, directed by Lawrence Kasdan.
And it was during a lengthy interview on CBS Sunday Morning promoting the documentary that Short also spoke candidly about grief, mental health, family including the devastating loss of his daughter, Katherine Short, earlier this year.
The emotional comments were part of a much broader conversation about his life, his career, and his philosophy that has helped him make his way through some extraordinary highs and painful losses.
“You can choose joy,” Short said near the end of the interview. “You can find the light even in the darkest moments.”
The documentary focuses on Short’s career and personal journey, using decades of home movies and archival footage — much of it filmed by Short himself and by his friend and not so bad filmmaker Steven Spielberg. He said that he had long resisted the idea of making such a personal documentary.
“I’ve written a book, and I’m Canadian,” Short joked. “We’re a little more conservative about revealing everything in our lives.”
But Kasdan — the acclaimed filmmaker behind The Big Chill and Grand Canyon — eventually convinced him.
The result is a film deeply rooted not just in Hollywood history, but also in Ontario and Toronto’s comedy scene.
At one point in the interview, Short reminisced about growing up in Hamilton in the 1960s and ’70s, imagining his possible television careers from his attic bedroom.
“It was fantasy that I thrived in,” he said. “When I was 15, I had an imaginary contract with NBC to do an hour show every other week, which left me time for my imaginary film career.”
He even created fake TV Guide listings for his imaginary variety show.
Later Short studied social work at McMaster University before being encouraged by a young struggling Toronto actor named Eugene Levy to seriously pursue performing.
“Eugene Levy, who was now a struggling actor in Toronto, said, ‘You should really give this a shot,’” Short recalled.
That advice changed everything, and he moved to the big city to give it a shot.
Short soon landed a role in a now-legendary Toronto production of Godspell, where he worked alongside a generation of future comedy legends, including Gilda Radner, Martin, Victor Garber, Levy and future wife Nancy Dolman. He also shared stories about the old Toronto theatre and entertainment scene, including nights at the Pilot Tavern in Yorkville and performer-filled parties he and Levy hosted while living together on Avenue Road.
“We used to do these parties in Toronto,” Short said. “Paul Shaffer would play piano, Gilda would sing, and everyone would perform.”
The documentary also highlights Short’s decades-long friendship with Catherine O’Hara, whom he described as “like a sister.”
“There was no one more brilliant, there was no one sweeter, and there was no one funnier,” he said during the interview.
The interview got quite emotional when the conversation turned to the death of his daughter Katherine, who died earlier this year after a long struggle with mental illness, which Short has never spoken about until this interview.
“You know, it’s been a nightmare for the family,” Short said. “But the understanding that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases, they are terminal.”
He added that Katherine “fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could until she couldn’t.”
Short said he hopes speaking out on the issue can help reduce stigma around mental illness and suicide.
“Not hiding from the word suicide, but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness,” he explained.
The actor also spoke about the recent accumulation of loss in his life, saying that within just four months he lost multiple close friends and family members in addition to his daughter.
“I mean, it’s been in four months staggering, staggering,” he said.
Still, throughout the interview, Short repeatedly returned to themes of resilience, humour and gratitude — ideas that longtime fans of his work will instantly recognize.
“I think I do have the happy gene,” he said. “My orientation is to be happy.”
If we take anything from the interview, from the life of this Canadian icon, it is simply that: Be happy, choose to smile.
The first long weekend of the warm weather seasons in Toronto is finally approaching! Victoria Day long weekend, also known as May 2-4 (though this year falls pretty far away from the actual May 24), kicks off the start of the summer for many in the city. This year, the historic holiday lands on Monday, May 18, and part of the annual festivities is fireworks. There are a few notable places in Toronto and beyond to enjoy a colourful display lighting up the sky — this is also one of only two holidays in the city where you don’t require a permit to set off your own small-scale fireworks! If you don’t want to worry about the logistics of making your own fireworks display, check out one of these in Ontario for Victoria Day long weekend.
Every year on Victoria Day, Ashbridges Bay Park turns into a massive show for the city’s official fireworks display! Fireworks begin at 10 p.m. and will last for about 14 minutes. Ashbridges Bay Park (1561 Lake Shore Blvd. E.) is located on Lake Shore Boulevard East at the foot of Coxwell Avenue and is accessible by public transit. Visitors are encouraged to use public transit and leave their cars at home (check the TTC website for info about schedules, routes and long weekend service). For those who do drive, parking is available (two Green P lots can be found at Woodbine Beach and Ashbridges Bay).
Start your day at the amusement park and end it with a custom-designed fireworks display of 6,000 explosions over 800 feet set to an original soundtrack. You won’t have to fight for a perfect spot for the viewing — there will be multiple viewing points throughout the park! And if you live nearby (or have a friend that does), you’ll know that sometimes gazing at the sky from your backyard is the easiest way to enjoy the Wonderland fireworks. The show will start at about 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 17.
This Victoria Day long weekend, Vaughan (at 80 Interchange Way) is transforming into a four-day fest dedicated to ribs — and finishing off with a fireworks show! Get ready for a whole bunch of food vendors that go way beyond ribs (like bloomin’ onions, Beavertails, tornado fries and Tiny Tom donuts), live entertainment and even a gelato eating contest. The fireworks show is scheduled for Sunday, May 17 at 10 p.m., so plan accordingly.
The Niagara Falls Summer Fireworks Series kicks off for the long weekend and beyond on Friday, May 15 at 10 p.m. Five-minute fireworks shows will run every night against the backdrop of the falls until Oct. 12, 2026! The best spots to watch the fireworks include right by the falls, at Queen Victoria Park, at the Skylon Tower Observation Deck, while on the Niagara Skywheel, or while dining at the Fallsview Hotel (6361 Fallsview Blvd., Niagara Falls, Ont.).
For over 50 years, Nobleton has been celebrating Victoria Day with an annual fair and fireworks show! Happening on Monday, May 18 starting at 11 a.m. with the parade, there will be all your favourite fair traditions, including a parade, midway rides, games, live music, local artisans and a food truck. Due to the Nobleton Park Revitalization project, fireworks viewing will be limited to the outfields of the two baseball diamonds this year.
Celebrate the long weekend with rides, games, fun events and great food at the Virgil Stampede, and stick around until dark to enjoy the fireworks! Located at Virgil Sports Park (1565 Four Mile Creek Rd., Virgil, Ont.), about a 1.5-hour drive from Toronto, this annual celebration makes for the perfect long weekend day trip. This year, the fireworks will begin at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18 — if you’re planning on visiting for more than just the fireworks, the rides and midway are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday. Children 10 and under get in free, otherwise admission costs $5 per person!
Head to Lake Ontario Park in Kingston (920 King St. W.) on May 18 from 7 to 10 p.m.; it’s only about a 2.5-hour drive from Toronto! Celebrate the start of the summer at this free event, featuring live, local music in the park, a cutting edge drone show by Slush Puppy and, of course, a spectacular fireworks display over Lake Ontario beginning at 9:35 p.m. City park amenities also open on the long weekend, meaning you can spend a full day in Kingston enjoying the splash pads, Public Market and downtown shops before settling in for fireworks.
Victoria Day events kick off on Sunday, May 17 courtesy of the Dundas Lions Club, Dundas Sunrise Rotary Club and City of Hamilton. Expect a kids zone with bouncy castles, slides and obstacle courses, live music and entertainment and more than 15 food trucks and vendors. The night ends with a beautiful fireworks show after dark (approximately 9 p.m.).
In the span of a single week, two of Toronto’s most prominent dining rooms moved in completely opposite directions. Michelin-recommended SARA announced it was ditching choice for a mandatory seven-course ‘Journey’ while others doubled down on the flexibility of à la carte. It raises a massive question for the city’s food scene — in a struggling economy, is it better to give the guest total control or take it away entirely?
Fresh off a renovation, Michelin-recommended SARA has officially moved to a fully tasting menu format. Their new ‘Journey’ menu is a seven-course experience that co-founder Adam Minster says was a natural evolution for the brand.
“This shift was actually a very natural evolution for us. Over time, we noticed that more than 70 per cent of our guests were already choosing the tasting menu, and many were fully leaning into that experience with wine pairings. It became clear that this wasn’t just an option people enjoyed, it was the experience they truly wanted,” he says. “By focusing entirely on a tasting menu, we give ourselves the best possible chance to deliver that. It allows us to control the flow, pacing, emotion and storytelling of the meal in a way that an à la carte format simply can’t.”
At the storied George Restaurant, chef Lorenzo Loseto is taking a tasting menu one step further, personalizing it for each guest.
“The reputation that people have come to expect from George Restaurant is the versatility of the tasting menu,” he says, noting that 20-plus years in operation has “allowed us to perfect the experience.” He adds that it’s also about flow and logistics — “the right fit factors in” when planning the room each night, including “how long they would like to stay.”Ultimately, he says, the tasting menu “shows what we excel at,” adding that it’s “as exciting for us to cook as it is for the guest to eat.”
As Restaurant Lucie evolves, the à la carte menu remains central to the experience. New chef Michael Angeloni says location and layout played a big role in keeping it that way.
“Given the restaurant’s space and location, it feels perfect for à la carte dining,” he says, whether that means a steak and a glass of wine or a full multi-course meal. For him, it comes down to flexibility: “Giving options was our primary motivation,” he says, adding that it allows guests to come in for different occasions — and return often without the experience ever feeling the same twice.
@restaurantlucie/Instagram
Chef Miheer Shete of Curryish Tavern says offering both formats is about letting guests “choose their own adventure.”
He explains that à la carte is built for variety and flexibility — “a bit of everything for everyone” — designed for sharing and accommodating different diets, allergies, and preferences.The tasting menu, on the other hand, is more focused. It’s “perfect for an intimate dinner date” and for diners who want a more experimental, multi-course experience where the kitchen can really push technique and creativity.
Across the board, there’s agreement that seasonality — and refreshing menus a few times a year, whether tasting or à la carte — is what keeps things interesting, both for guests and the kitchen.
“Tasting menus can sometimes feel out of reach or intimidating, and that’s not what we’re about. We want this to feel warm, inviting, and grounded in hospitality, while still delivering something exceptional. Everyone deserves to be wowed,” Minster says. “Our true measure of success is still our guests. If they feel taken care of, if they leave happy, if they come back, that’s what matters most to us. When you do the right things, people will notice.”
Toronto is a city defined by its pace. Whether navigating the dense traffic of the 401 or walking the rain-slicked sidewalks of the Entertainment District, residents are constantly in motion. However, this momentum can come to a jarring halt in a single second. For those who suffer a significant personal injury, the immediate aftermath is often a whirlwind of hospital visits, insurance adjusters, and legal consultations. Yet, as the initial shock fades, a deeper, more complex journey begins: the process of holistic recovery.
In Ontario, personal injury law is designed to do more than just pay for vehicle repairs or immediate ER visits. It is built on the principle of “restitutio in integrum”, restoring the injured party, as much as possible, to the position they were in before the accident. Accomplishing this requires a sophisticated understanding of both the legal system and the multidisciplinary nature of modern rehabilitation.
The Legal Framework of Rehabilitation
When a person is injured due to the negligence of another, whether in a motor vehicle accident, a slip and fall, or a specialized medical incident, the Ontario Insurance Act and the Occupiers’ Liability Act provide the primary pathways for compensation.
In motor vehicle cases, Ontario utilizes a “no-fault” system, which allows victims to access Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS) immediately. These benefits are critical because they cover the costs that OHIP does not: specialized physiotherapy, psychological counseling, and occupational therapy. However, for those with “catastrophic” or “non-minor” injuries, the standard medical and rehabilitation limits are often insufficient. Navigating these tiers requires an experienced legal hand to ensure that the “treatment plan” submitted by medical professionals is fully funded by the insurer.
The Intersection of Physical Pain and Mental Health
One of the most significant shifts in Toronto’s legal landscape over the last decade has been the increased recognition of “invisible injuries.” Chronic pain from a spinal injury or a traumatic brain injury (TBI) rarely exists in a vacuum; it is frequently accompanied by secondary health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and, in many cases, a reliance on pain medication.
For an injured party, the management of pain is a delicate balance. In some instances, the very treatments prescribed to manage post-surgical recovery can lead to unforeseen complications. The legal system recognizes that these complications are often a “foreseeable” consequence of the initial injury. Therefore, a comprehensive legal claim in Ontario frequently includes provisions for specialized mental health support and addiction management services.
For individuals whose recovery journey involves overcoming a physiological dependence on prescribed substances following an accident, accessing a specialized medical detox Toronto facility can be a vital component of a court-approved rehabilitation plan. This level of care ensures that the individual can safely transition away from chemical dependencies under expert supervision, allowing them to focus fully on their long-term physical and cognitive therapy.
The Role of “Future Care” Assessments
In a high-stakes personal injury lawsuit, one of the most important documents is the “Future Care Assessment.” This is an expert report that outlines exactly what the injured person will need to sustain their quality of life for the next twenty, thirty, or forty years.
In Toronto’s competitive legal environment, these reports are meticulously detailed. They may include:
Residential adaptations: The integration of access ramps, motorized chair lifts, or barrier-free washroom facilities.
Assistive Technology: Voice-activated software or specialized mobility devices.
Support Services: Personal support workers (PSWs) or vocational retraining for those who can no longer perform their previous jobs.
Medical Interventions: Ongoing specialist appointments and medication costs.
A successful legal outcome ensures that the settlement reflects these lifelong costs, preventing the injured party from falling into financial hardship years after the case has closed.
Documenting the Journey: Why Evidence Matters
In the eyes of an Ontario court, an injury only “exists” to the extent it can be proven. This is why the period immediately following an accident is so critical for documentation. Beyond the initial police report, the “paper trail” of recovery is what determines the value of a claim.
Legal professionals advise clients to maintain a “recovery journal,” documenting daily pain levels, missed milestones, and the emotional toll of the injury. When combined with consistent medical records and witness statements, this creates a narrative of the accident that is difficult for insurance companies to dispute. In the dense urban core of Toronto, where surveillance footage and dashcam data are often available, securing this objective evidence early is the difference between a denied claim and a fair settlement.
The “Reasonableness” Test and Contributory Negligence
It is important to remember that Ontario law applies a “reasonableness” test to both the defendant and the plaintiff. While a property owner must keep their premises safe, a plaintiff must also exercise reasonable care for their own safety.
If a pedestrian is injured while crossing a busy Toronto street against the light, a court may find them “contributorily negligent.” This means their total compensation could be reduced by a certain percentage (e.g., 25% or 50%) to reflect their role in the accident. Navigating these nuances requires a lawyer who understands how local juries and judges view the “standard of care” in a bustling metropolitan environment.
Restoring the Whole Person
Ultimately, personal injury law is a tool for empowerment. It provides the financial resources necessary to navigate the most difficult period of a person’s life. Nevertheless, monetary compensation is merely one element in the broader journey toward restoring a person’s quality of life. True recovery is a collaborative effort between legal experts, medical specialists, and the resilience of the individual.
As Toronto continues to grow and its streets become more crowded, the importance of a robust, fair, and empathetic legal system cannot be overstated. By focusing on the “whole person” rather than just the “injured body,” the city’s legal and medical communities work together to ensure that an accident doesn’t define the rest of a resident’s life, but rather serves as a hurdle they are fully equipped to clear.
Contact Diamond & Diamond Personal Injury Lawyers
The journey to wellness after a serious injury is complex, but you don’t have to walk it alone. If you or a loved one has been injured in Toronto or across Ontario, the team at Diamond & Diamond Lawyers is here to help you secure the compensation and care you need for a full recovery. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t pay unless we win your case.
Focus on your recovery while we fight for your rights. Call Diamond & Diamond today at 1-800-567-HURT or visit our website for a FREE consultation.
About Jeremy Diamond
Jeremy Diamond is a lawyer and member of both Ontario and Florida Bars. Jeremy practices in the area of Plaintiff personal injury litigation. Click here to learn more about Jeremy Diamond.
Jeremy Diamond is a lawyer and member of both Ontario and Florida Bars. Jeremy practices in the area of Plaintiff personal injury litigation. Click here to learn more about 