Accident prevention: Putting safety first in 2020
See all posts by Diamond and Diamond Lawyers
January is a great time to sit down and think about the year ahead – particularly when it comes to keeping yourself and your loved ones safe this season. Canadian personal injury law firm, Diamond and Diamond, deals with cases every day that could have been prevented by taking some simple precautions:
Automobile Safety
Automobile safety starts with understanding what unforeseen dangers are most likely to creep up. You can prevent many of them just by thinking ahead:
- Make sure your regular vehicle maintenance checks are up to date
- Invest in winter tires
- Equip your car with an emergency kit
- Fully charge phones and bring chargers on long trips
Sidewalk Safety
You have a responsibility to ensure your property is safe. Protect yourself, your loved ones and anyone else on your property from injury by following these simple steps:
- Make sure to shovel snow off your stairs, driveway and the sidewalk in front of your home
- In case of ice, remember to salt your sidewalk and walkway too
- Tie-down loose items on your balcony or lawn that may blow away during strong winds and cause damage or injuries
Fire Prevention
While the idea of winter conjures up images of sitting by the fireplace drinking cocoa, candles, fireplaces, and even furnaces can increase your risk of fire.
- Keep debris two feet from around a gas furnace or heater
- After a heavy snowfall, check to make sure the air intake and exhaust to the furnace are not clogged
- For fireplaces, make sure the flue is not clogged before lighting fires to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Ensure fires have a protective screen and never leave fireplaces unattended
- Update your smoke alarms to include ones that detect gas and carbon monoxide and place one near the furnace and fireplace
- Check all smoke, natural gas, and carbon monoxide alarms and make sure they have fresh batteries
- Ensure lit candles are placed away from furniture and any other flammables and remember to blow out candles when you leave the room
Pet Safety
Keep pets safe during extreme weather temperatures. Remember that if it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for your pets. Don’t leave pets outside or unattended in vehicles during freezing temperatures. For outings, be sure to give your pet extra protection with a pet-jacket and waterproof foot protection to prevent hypothermia and frostbite in freezing temperatures.
Dress Appropriately
For outings in extremely cold temperatures, don’t just dress for the temperatures inside your car or indoors, plan ahead for emergencies like having to change a flat tire or having to wait outside for first responders after an accident. Be sure everyone in your group is dressed warmly for outdoor weather including waterproof boots with slip-resistant outer soles. Store some extra blankets, snacks, and drinks in the trunk for any travel in snow-covered roads that could involve extended traffic jams from accidents or blocked roads.
Monitor Weather Reports
Plan ahead by checking weather reports for snowstorms and extreme cold alerts, not only in your area but anywhere you will be traveling to. You don’t want to travel somewhere and end up stuck there because of a blizzard or snowstorm. For your local area, stock up on pantry and household items to avoid unnecessary trips when you know roads will be more hazardous due to an upcoming storm.
Do Welfare Checks
Check on vulnerable people who you know, such as the elderly, the sick, those struggling with mental illness, or neighbours generally isolated and make sure they are also prepared for upcoming extreme weather and snowstorms.
Keep Outdoor Activities Safe
Wear appropriate clothing and protective gear for outdoor activities on the slopes or the ice. Avoid risky or dangerous stunts, and stay within your skill sets and abilities.
Even with all of these precautions, sometimes an accident or injury can still occur because of the negligence or irresponsibility of others. If you or any of your loved ones are injured this winter despite your best efforts to stay safe, the personal injury lawyers at Diamond and Diamond have many years of experience and are here to help. Call 1-800-567-HURT 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.
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Brandon Cronenberg’s latest turns heads at Sundance Film Festival
A new film from Toronto director Brandon Cronenberg is getting serious attention and praise for a successful premiere and run at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Possessor is billed as a gruesome thriller set in a futuristic age of identify theft.
Some film critics seem overwhelmed by the level of violence and carnage in the film while others are in awe of Cronenberg’s hyper-realism. Either way, it is clearly one of the most unique and singular works at the festival.
Cronenberg is, of course, the son of iconic Canadian director David Cronenberg. The younger Cronenberg’s first feature film, Antiviral, which premiered at Cannes and won numerous awards, delved into a similar type of body horror that was present in much of his father’s earlier work. But despite the similarities, Brandon has made a point of trodding his own path to the point where people are still surprised to learn David Cronenberg has a son in the family business.
Cronenberg grew up in the Republic of Rathnelly neighbourhood nestled between the Annex and Casa Loma in Toronto and spent plenty of time on his dad’s film sets before attending Ryerson University.
Cronenberg also wrote the film and ended up crafting a storyline that seems a perfect vehicle for the body horror genre: “Tasya Vos is a corporate agent who uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people’s bodies, driving them to commit assassinations for the benefit of the company.”
“Bodies melt into liquid flesh; a thousand faces yell a single primal scream; the camera zooms through a tunnel of pink organs.” @IndieWire review of DGC Ontario Director Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor from #Sundance2020 https://t.co/nSvSC4zbNj
— DGC Ontario (@OntarioDGC) January 27, 2020
It is easily one of the most talked-about films at this year’s festival and has drummed up a lot of interest and positive reviews. Although there isn’t quite unanimous praise, there is consensus that the film will leave its mark, viewers will be in for a wild ride and Cronenberg’s unflinching vision is something to which film fans should be paying close attention.
For instance, Indiewire.com film critic David Ehrlich writes: “Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor is so drunk on its own sick potential that it doesn’t have the time (or the balance) required to realize most of it. On the other hand, 90 minutes of Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott engaging in ultra-gory psychic warfare over control of the latter’s body is more satisfying than what most of the current Best Picture nominees have to offer, so maybe it’s wise not to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
The film stars Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean and Jennifer Jason Leigh — who also starred in David Cronenberg’s 1999 film eXistenZ. Just saying.
POSSESSOR: The feel-bad film of #Sundance, exactly as a Cronenberg would want. Unflinching brutal visuals, well-thought-through premise, plenty to say. Great lead performances from Andrea Riseborough & esp Christopher Abbott. Will never watch again! #Sundance #Possessor pic.twitter.com/ZakXs2vkEY
— Ed Travis @ Sundance (@Ed_Travis) January 26, 2020
Possessor has one screening left at Sundance on Jan. 31. We eagerly await word of a Canadian release date.
Former Drake chef starts new “high”-end dinner series
The legalization of cannabis edibles is spawning a new kind of dining experience. Cannabis lifestyle brand byMinistry is putting the “high” in high-end dining with its new Enlightened Dining Club dinner series, which kicked off this January.
Helmed by chef Ted Corrado, the Enlightened Dining Club is hosting a series of monthly dining experiences featuring cannabis-infused dishes.
These events are not only meant to introduce a new normal, but also to inform Torontonians about the different ways in which ‘cannabistronomy’ and adaptogenic superfoods can enhance the culinary experience.
“One of the things that really resonated with me was just the notion that the (cannabis) industry really needed to be elevated with food offerings,” says Corrado.
With high sugar content products like gummies, cookies or brownies as the primary source of edibles, cannabis infusions are given a sort of stigma associated with the college experience most people might have had in their youth.
“‘You think, I’m going to eat a brownie or a gummy and god knows what’s going to happen to me. There’s that risk that you’re taking,” says Corrado, who is aiming to offer an entirely new and elevated side to cannabis edibles with his new program.
The evolving series looks to shake up misconceptions about cannabis cuisine by replacing the typical edible offerings with refined, multi-course meals prepared with low doses of THC.
“It’s not about getting stoned. It’s about consuming in a safe way that you can incorporate into your everyday life,” says Corrado. “Throughout the whole dinner, you consume from 7 to 10mg of TCH, depending on how many canapés you have.”
The low dosing encourages consumers to understand how using an infusion or low dose product can enhance not only the food but also the health benefits.
“You know we just did a bunch of these dinners and one of the compliments I received was after I ate your meal Ted, my pain went away.” Corrado believes that understanding how to utilize cannabis to its full culinary potential is similar to the growing plant-forward movement.
Each month the Enlightened Dining Club will feature top chefs and guest designers in a secret location.
Ted Corrado, who was formerly the corporate executive chef of The Drake, has moved into a new role as director of culinary at byMinistry.
To kick off the first event, Corrado created a five-course experience for his guests, incorporating both art and design into the evening.
The food Corrado is preparing is not outside his wheelhouse. He says the only thing that’s really changing is how he encourages guests to expand their minds.
“My food concept has always been around seasonality and sustainable ingredients and getting to know my purveyors and farmers I work with,” he says. “Now I get to add this new ingredient that adds a whole other dimension and experience to dining.”
ByMinistry is also showcasing other creative industries at its events, such as visual artist Dahae Song and digital experience specialists nVoid.
“It’s this intersection of design and art and culture and food and cannabis that’s given me the opportunity to collaborate with a couple of different artists,” Corrado says. “It’s about like-minded people trying to push the boundaries and present something in a new format.”
This dinner series is also a perfect way for Corrado to gauge his guest appetite for his experimental cuisine before byMinistry launches its matcha tea café set to open in February at 298 Markham St.
The new café is described as taking “a micro-dose of wellness, with an adaptogen and superfood infused food and drink menu from Ted Corrado, designed specifically to rebalance, unlock, enlighten, and elevate your state of mind.”
For their February gathering, Corrado will be working with one of Toronto’s leaders in plant-based cuisine Matt Ravenscroft, head chef of Grant van Gameren’s vegan Mexican restaurant Rosalinda.
February’s immersive dining experience will be held at a new location featuring design elements from award-winning Toronto architecture studio Partisans.
Look out for more events from byMinistry to follow in the coming months.
The Mahjong Bar team is launching a new Toronto restaurant
The team behind Dundas West’s ultra-cool Mahjong Bar is launching a new restaurant and bar concept. Set a few doors down from its sister spot, which is famously “hidden” behind a bodega, Bar Mordecai takes a cue from hotel lobby bars for both its style and menu.
Mahjong Bar’s retro Hong Kong aesthetic earned it a win at the 2018 Restaurant and Bar design awards, and Bar Mordecai promises to be an equally unique space.
Grey North Design, the same studio responsible for Mahjong, have drawn on the distinctive aesthetic of Wes Anderson’s films for Bar Morecai’s look.
According to a press release, we can expect a glowing pink centre bar, paintings inspired by 18th century hunting art, and quirky vintage accessories.
Chef Brian Ho is putting a fresh take on hotel lobby bar standards with a menu featuring finger sandwiches, lamb short ribs, and house-made charcuterie.
The cocktail menu, too, brings a modern approach to the classics, while the wine program focuses on low-intervention bottles.
The restaurant and bar component of the new space is now open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., with a lower-level lounge and private dining rooms with karaoke expected to open in the coming weeks.
Bar Mordecai, 1272 Dundas St. West
Trouble brewing at tiny coffee shop in Toronto
Last May, Sula Kogan was ready to open a little coffee shop on Avenue Road, just north of Davenport Road. She had renovated the space and purchased the necessary equipment after checking with the city that a café would be permitted.
It was all going according to plan until the shop’s business licence was rejected just before opening day, due to a 1949 bylaw.
It didn’t help matters that a local residents group decided it wasn’t in the neighbourhood’s best interest to have such readily available caffeinated beverages.
The opening of a local coffee shop is now in question after the residents group appealed a committee of adjustment decision that granted Kogan an exemption to a zoning bylaw prohibiting restaurants.
Kogan had hoped to open No. 211 Coffee House, located at 211 Avenue Rd., in May of 2019.
Kogan said she was surprised to learn of the 70-year-old bylaw as there are several restaurants in the area covered under the same bylaw.
On July 22, 2019, Kogan submitted an application to the city for a minor variance in order to permit restaurant use in the two-and-a-half–storey building and to reconstruct the rear deck.
Records show minor variances have been granted to allow restaurants in the area. On Nov. 20, the Toronto and East York Committee of Adjustment approved the application despite letters of objection from several residents and lawyers representing the ABC Residents Association, as well as councillor Mike Layton.
“The current zoning prohibits a restaurant as a permitted use, and therefore I would suggest that the application is not minor in nature and should be subject to a rezoning application,” wrote Layton. “My office has heard from many residents who are concerned about the impact of the proposed use on the neighbourhood, as well as the precedent this decision will set on future applications.”
The variance was granted on several conditions including prohibiting cooking facilities in the coffee shop, restricting the use of music on the patio and the requiring the storage of garbage inside the premises until it is picked up.
On Dec. 9, ABC appealed the decision to the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB), which is due to make a ruling April 1.
The coffee shop will remain closed until then. Kogan said that lawyers’ fees and paying rent on an unopened coffee shop is taking a financial toll.
“If we get to open, we’ll have to work for three years for free to have paid off the ability to have opened,” said Kogan, who doesn’t believe that ABC’s views represent the neighbourhood and has launched an online petition.
“We have lots of support. We keep getting emails from neighbours and people asking why we’re not open,” said Kogan. “They know about ABC and they sympathize, and people want to come out and support it.’
Kathrin Bohr, a director with ABC Residents Association, said any kind of eating establishment would create issues with noise, garbage and traffic. She said the city doesn’t have the proper resources to enforce the restrictions put on the variance and questioned the actual support for the coffee shop in the neighbourhood.
“It’s not a minor variance, it’s a zoning change,” said Bohr. “And that should not be done at the committee of adjustment level, and that is what we’re opposing in principle.”
Kogan said that if the TLAB rules against the coffee shop on April 1, she will abandon the project rather than pursue a zoning change for financial reasons, which she said is what ABC wanted all along.
“They have the nerve to go around and suggest that they represent the neighbourhood when they absolutely, in this case, don’t.”
Toronto’s top spots to spend Super Bowl Sunday
Super Bowl fans are gearing up for the big game on Feb. 2, where the San Francisco 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Whether you’re a football fan or you’re only watching to see Jennifer Lopez and Shakira rock the half time show, Super Bowl Sunday is day of true fandom and celebration. For those of us in chilly Toronto, we’ve rounded up seven party-ready spots where you can watch the game while surrounded by quality eats, discounted drinks, and tons of giveaways and prizes.
Batch House
Batch House is laid back and beautiful, making it uniquely versatile for everything from pub nights to wedding receptions. The Creemore brewery is also in the business of throwing a great Super Bowl party every year: $5 drafts, $15 pitchers, and $4 Kilbeggan shots will be plentiful, and in addition to the regular menu, platters with a variety of bites will run for $30. The Batch kitchen knows what they are doing, so if you’re in this more for the food than the touchdowns, you’re in very good hands. If you’d like to pre-game with the best of them, register early for their popular beer pong competition ($15 for teams of 2).
Assembly Chef’s Hall
Celebrated chefs from around the world (17 in total) contribute to the offerings at Assembly, so there will be something here for everyone on your team. Thanks to their open concept and large tables, you’ll also actually be able to fit your group in here, which is great for those of us who prefer to yell at televisions while seated next to ten of our closest friends. Beer specials and giveaways will be on deck all night. There will also be live DJs spinning before and after the game.
Annex Commons
The gorgeous jewel-toned restaurant and bar Annex Commons (not to be confused with its neighbour, the Annex Hotel’s dedicated lobby bar), has fast become a favourite sojourn for locals since it opened in May 2019. The kitchen will be serving up Big Trouble Pizza, burgers, wings, and tacos. For Super Bowl Sunday, this spot is running a big game of trivia, while live streaming the game. They also have a pile of NFL gear to give away, so if you’re a trivia buff this is the party for you. You’ll also be entered for a free stay at the Annex Hotel with every pint of Budweiser or Bud Light you buy, or you can triple your chances by going for the pitcher.
Black Lab Brewing Company
Black Lab Brewing is teaming up with Phancy Food & Catering for a unique tailgating experience. So if you’re into tailgating at a great brewery with chairs and tables instead of a sprawling parking lot, Black Lab is the place for you. They will have beer specials running all night, while Phancy Food will be serving up some delectable Super Bowl snacks. As this caterer often teams up with all of your favourite Toronto breweries (Trinity Bellwoods, Henderson, etc.), you know that their wide variety of fried or cheesy (or both) snacks will pair beautifully with a frosty pint.
East of Brunswick
East of Brunswick is a frequent downtown option for game watching, so they will of course be going hard for the Super Bowl. Wings are all-you-can-eat for $19.99 all night, and/or you can opt for a bowl of chili and a Bud Light for $10. There will be a build your own Caesars bar, and of course, games and prizes. Reservations are encouraged.
Craft Beer Market
Craft is running all-day promotions for the big game, with happy “hour” specials for food and drink starting at $4. Of course, if beer is your pre-game, game, and post-game bevvy of choice, Craft’s selection has got your back. They’re also well-versed in the art of accommodating a large group, so this is a good spot if you’re watching with the whole fandom. Just be sure to book a table if you want to have a chair to leap from when your team scores a touchdown.
Petty Cash
Petty Cash off King West is going all-out for this year’s Super Bowl with live music, giveaways, and specials. From 4 p.m. onwards, select pitchers will be $15, you can mix-and-match your own beer bucket, or order a party platter with game day eats, like parmesan fries, sliders, and wings. The place will likely be packed, so be sure to email in for a reservation.
Toronto’s R & B Queen set to make musical theatre debut this week
Opening on Jan. 30 at the historic Winter Garden Theatre is a new production of Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner’s celebrated musical Caroline, or Change, starring Toronto’s own Jully Black making her musical theatre debut.
The Musical Stage Company production follows on the heels of Black’s work with the company back in 2018 when she worked on a theatrical concert featuring the music of Carole King.
“As a result of that work, I was seen. And they knew they’d be working on Caroline and asked if I’d be Caroline, and I instantly said no,” Black says. “But then I realized something that I actually kind of affirmed into my life.”
Black explains that she had recently confessed to a group of Sheridan College students that she’s always dreamed of going to university for music, but her inability to sight-read held her back.
“Rather than trusting my own experience and my own ear, I shut myself down,” she says. “But I told them, in the end, what you believe is what you become. There are many paths to the same destination, and two months later this happened.”
Black, a Juno-nominated musician often called Canada’s Queen of R & B, grew up in North York and released her debut album, This Is Me, in 2005.
Caroline, or Change tells the story of Caroline, a black maid working for a Jewish family in 1963 Louisiana.
It’s a story that resonates with today’s audiences and, on a deeper level, with Black, whose mother, who passed away recently, was a maid to a white family in Jamaica.
“When I started reading the script before I even got the score, I started to see ancestors from stories my mom told me about being a domestic worker herself in Jamaica, working for a white family that really loved her and really saw her as a person before a maid,” she says.
“This project has been so cathartic and healing and hard because I see myself, I see my daughter, I see so many people.”
Black says the work offers powerful messages for today’s audiences despite being set more than a half-century ago.
“We’re living in a time where so many people, no matter where you’re from, are still afraid of change and afraid to see their own true greatness,” she says.
Caroline, or Change runs until Feb. 15.
Tamara Podemski on her long-distance love story with a fellow actor
Tamara Podemski will hit the stage this month in This Is How We Got Here. Podemski is best known for her role in the original Canadian cast of RENT, as well as playing Maureen in the Broadway company of RENT. While living in L.A., she met her husband Jamie Thomas King, best known for his role in The Tudors. After a transatlantic romance, they’ve settled in Leaside — for now. Here, Podemski tells us how it all started.
How they met
We met at a birthday party of a seven-year-old girl who was the daughter of a mutual friend. Even though we had both been living in Los Angeles for several years, we happened to meet just two days before Jamie moved back to England and one month before I moved back to Canada.
The first date
We only had one night to find out if this was actually something, so there was a lot riding on this date. We went to an amazing restaurant called the Hungry Cat in Hollywood (which, sadly, closed down a couple of years ago). I had made him a mix CD for his plane ride home, but I was going to wait until the end of the night to decide if he was worthy of this premature declaration of love. I gave it to him after the appetizers. After dinner we went to a cocktail piano bar to make the date last as long as possible.
The courtship
We wrote to each other every day until I flew to England two months later, on Sept. 13.
Our courtship was epic. It was brutal, it was passionate, it was expensive — it was the thing of fairy tales. And nightmares. Anyone who has done the transatlantic long-distance thing knows what I’m talking about. For two years, we flew back and forth, trying to be with each other for important moments or holidays and trying to meet each other’s friends and family during our very brief visits. I remember aiming to be together every two to three months. It was a crazy time. I’m always amazed that we survived that.
The proposal
Yorkdale shopping mall, outside of the Geox. Very matter of fact. It was more like a heated conversation that ended with the conclusion that we were going to get married. It wasn’t a surprise. We had been talking about it for months. It was just that the actual decision happened there — after walking by Tiffany’s, but purposely nowhere near it. The family heirloom engagement ring was FedExed from L.A. shortly thereafter by his brother.
The wedding
We were married in Grimsby, Ont., on the ridge of the Niagara Escarpment at a gorgeous manor built in 1864. We booked almost every B & B in wine country for five days over Labour Day weekend, so that we could bring our two families together for the first time ever — Jamie’s family from England and the U.S. and my family from Toronto. Afterwards, we took a short trip to Paris but only because I was moving my whole life to England. The U.K. doesn’t allow dogs to fly into the country, so I had to fly to France instead, and Jamie had to come pick us up and drive us back to London because dogs aren’t allowed on the train, either! So, I guess we made a honeymoon out of an inconvenient animal-related flight diversion.
The kids
We have a five-year old son named Oliver, who is the light of our life. And we have another son named Benjamin, who died shortly after birth due to medical negligence. He is the other light of our life.
The home
We live in Leaside at Bayview and Eglinton. We have been in this neighbourhood for three years, which is pretty impressive since we move house regularly. This is the sixth home we’ve had in six years.
This Is How We Got Here starring Tamara Podemski runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 16 at Aki Studio.
Toronto mourns Kobe Bryant after tragic helicopter crash
Toronto basketball fans and Raptors alike continue to pay tribute to the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, whose tragic passing has shocked and saddened people around the world.
Bryant died in a helicopter accident on Sunday, Jan. 26, which claimed the lives of eight other people including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. Bryant leaves his wife, Vanessa, and three surviving daughters.
The tragedy shook the international basketball community, causing a temporary service interruption on Twitter on Sunday as people took to social media to express their disbelief and pay their respects.
The late Kobe Bryant’s impact on sports history is undeniable. Bryant played 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, was an 18-time All-Star, and was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2008. He retired in 2016.
Vigils and memorials have been planned and executed around the world, including one scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28. at Maple Leaf Square in Toronto.
The Toronto sign is purple and gold today in memory of one of the greatest players to ever step on the court. Toronto joins the basketball community at large in mourning the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. pic.twitter.com/uSuQXziibe
— John Tory (@JohnTory) January 27, 2020
At last night’s Raptors-Spurs game, which began soon after Bryant’s death was confirmed, both teams ran out the 24-second clock in Bryant’s honour. Bryant’s jersey number for much of his tenure at the Lakers was 24. The Raptors also cancelled their practice.
Both the @Raptors and the @spurs ran out the 24-second shot clock on their first possession of the game in honour of Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/JhD8XVUGFo
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 26, 2020
Raptors players posted their own personal tributes to Bryant on social media, including Serge Ibaka and other NBA basketball players such as Shaquille O’Neal.
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 27, 2020
Fans created memorials for Bryant after the news broke, including several at Jurassic Park. The big screen at Scotiabank Arena, across from the park, also displayed a tribute to the Lakers’ legend.
Toronto honors Kobe Bryant. A fan left photo/candle/flowers in Jurassic Park where big screen pays tribute to Lakers legend. The Raptors cancelled practice today & issued statement that includes “…we are deeply saddened at the loss of one of the greatest players in our sport” pic.twitter.com/dDzEqTU3g8
— carl hanstke (@carl680) January 27, 2020
Last night, the CN Tower was lit up in purple and gold, the colours of the Los Angeles Lakers, in Bryant’s honour.
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Drake also posted his own tribute to Bryant on Instagram, stating his disbelief at the shocking death.
A public memorial in Toronto is planned for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. It is currently scheduled to be held at Maple Leaf Square (otherwise known as Jurassic Park), located at 15 York St.
Little Italy is about to get a new Mexican snack bar
From the owners of Campechano and Good Hombres comes Buena Copa, a brand new snack bar or antojeria in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood.
Buena Copa is set to open up at 460 College St. in the first week of February and will be bringing Campechano’s famed masa tortillas along with it.
The new spot will differ from Good Hombres and Campechano as it is the first antojeria from the restaurant group. “Antojitos are snacks made with masa, typical in markets all across Mexico” says co-owner Raena Fisher. The most common are household favourites like tacos and tostadas, but Buena Copa isn’t just looking to bring us the mainstays.
This new spot will be featuring a variety of different regional dishes like gorditas, sopes, huaraches and panuchos. Trying to broaden the city’s understanding of Mexcian cuisine, they wanted to introduce some lesser known antojitos.
“In México, the term Buena Copa refers to a person that is fun to have a drink with. To bring that sentiment to Toronto, we created a space where our friends, family, and community can share good vibes, good food, and good drink,” says Fisher.
To really encourage that Buena Copa vibe, the new spot is a way larger and more developed space. This allowed for Fisher and co-owner and chef Daniel Roe, a little more freedom in terms of design. The two worked closely with designer Truong Ly, to redefine the space.
They also plan on ramping up their food and drinks menu with this new venture. By adding agave-based cocktails and some Mexican vino to the mix, this new spot is aiming to be the next go-to spot for Mexican cuisine, since La Carnita took the neighbourhood by storm.
Buena Copa, 460 College St.
The trailer for the Rob Ford movie ‘Run this Town’ is finally here
The movie trailer for Run This Town, a film about a young male journalist looking for his big break in the Rob Ford era of Toronto, has just hit the internet.
English actor Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, Homeland) plays former mayor Doug Ford, who, if you somehow don’t remember, exploded onto the world’s stage after being caught smoking crack. While much of the coverage during filming mused about the way our infamous late mayor would be depicted, the makers of the film have repeatedly pointed out that the project isn’t meant to be some sort of biopic.
The plot follows Bram, a young aspiring journalist whose first job at a newspaper leaves much to be desired until he gets a lead on a story about the mayor. Bram is played by Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect), a casting choice that sparked much controversy when details of the film were first announced. Since actual reporter Robyn Doolittle, the author of Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story, was one of the main reporters to break the story on Ford, many (including Doolittle herself) criticized the film’s choice to center the plot around a male reporter instead of a female one. Platt, among others, responded to the controversy with statements of how the film’s goal was not to depict the life or story of Doolittle, but rather to tell a fictionalized account of the millennial experience “set against the backdrop of the Rob Ford scandal.”
Remember when you were younger & mad at grown-ups? Frustrated because your parents didn’t get you? ‘Cause your boss was incompetent? Angry at the mess left by the older & ‘smarter’ generation? This is that story. #RunThisTownMovie March 6 pic.twitter.com/QR26fC93O6
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) January 23, 2020
The one-and-a-half-minute trailer is more of a teaser, setting a scene of suspense and covert grassroots operations. As Bram walks through a dark parking garage, lights flickering, his mother calls his cellphone. Bram hangs up just as a mysterious figure appears to hand him an envelope. We get a quick look at some of the other characters in a series of one-line vignettes, and the trailer ends on a closeup of Bram’s serious yet incredulous expression as he says: “What am I looking at?” which gives off some serious Spotlight vibes. Since its release on Jan. 24, the trailer has been viewed over 1 million times.
Can we talk about Damien Lewis’ transformation into Rob Ford?? pic.twitter.com/YptYNvW8kC
— Bryn Elise Sandberg (@brynsandberg) April 24, 2018
The film stars some Canadian talent, including Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries), Scott Speedman (Underworld), and Mena Massoud (Aladdin). Mostly shot in Toronto, the film’s premiere was in March 2019 at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, and the reviews were mixed. Now Magazine reported that the film’s attention to detail when it came to depicting life during the Ford scandal(s) was on point and affecting and Variety called it an “aggressively cluttered drama,” despite the narrative’s solid insights on the rapidly changing/declining journalism industry.
Run This Town hits theatres on March 6, 2020.
