The late, great ocean conservation hero and documentary filmmaker Rob Stewart, who grew up near Bayview and York Mills, made it his life’s mission to save the sharks. And there has been no greater threat to the endangered species than the practice of commercial shark finning, which is responsible for the killing of millions of sharks every year. Stewart’s passion and life’s work has paid off as Canada recently became the first country in the world to ban the import and export of shark fins.
Crucial to the effort were Rob’s parents Sandy and Brian, who carried on their son’s fight after his tragic death in 2017 while diving off the Florida Keys, as well as Toronto city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and many others.
The 31st edition of the Toronto Fringe Festival hosts more than 150 shows this year. The long-running event boasts a wide range of entertainment available for less than the regular price of a movie ticket. This year’s festival isn’t as widespread as last year’s. But it has established a foothold in Toronto’s east end by using the Streetcar Crowsnest as a new location. It’s also more accessible than ever before with a new category celebrating artists with disabilities.
As always, the programming is entirely selected by lottery, so there are no guarantees as to the quality of shows (and there are no refunds, either). But we still have high expectations for much of the festival’s offerings, based on the artists’ past work—and also, look forward to catching some new and unexpected shows that may go far on a good premise. Here are 10 picks (and more honourable mentions), broken down by category (ours, not the festival’s).
Funny goes far at this fest; comedy is by far the largest official category, with even dramatic plays making it their primary descriptor in the guide. This year has a bumper crop of new sketch shows, from the all Filipina stylings of Tita Jokes (award winners at this year’s Toronto Sketchfest), to the feminist underpinnings of Herbeaver, to the non-binary slant in Friendly Fire: The Art and Execution of Friendship, from new troupe The League of Extraordinary People on The Gender Spectrum, which features cast members from past Fringe hits like Generally Hospital and Songbuster. We’re especially intrigued by Woke N’ Broke, a new BIPOC revue that “may contain traces of avocado and millennials”, and is directed by Dora award winner (and Second City alum) Anand Rajaram.
The news that the Spice Girls are reuniting is timely for this new play, which features members of The Sketchersons as a reunited supergroup that can’t even get along for “one night only”. Written by Emily Richardson, it also boasts original music by Second City Toronto musical director Ayaka Kinugawa, who contributes tunes as well to Tita Jokes and the KidsFringe show Boy Vs. Fly. More comedic plays at the fest include Elmar Maripuu’s Moving On, a farce nominally about marijuana entrepreneurship that already had a trial run last November at Alumna Theatre, and Jess Beaulieu’s Emotional Labour, a comedy about unequal opposite-sex relationship work.
Another Sketcherson member, Colin Sharpe, had a surprise hit at the 2017 Fringe with Murder In The Cottonwoods, a drama that utilized local comedic performers. His follow-up play centres on a married couple. When Viv is diagnosed as terminally ill, her wife Rose decides to die with her, but their doctor intercedes. More choices if drama is your thing: an adaptation from James Joyce’s Ulysses, entitled Molly Bloom, and a new office-set play by prolific Fringe hit writer Michael Ross Albert, entitled The Huns.
Oddly, very few solo stand-ups take part in the Toronto Fringe, despite the art form being a mainstay at other renowned Fringe festivals in Edinburgh and Adelaide. In fact, two of the stand-up shows at this year’s festival feature comic duos; Comedy Records Presents Jay and Eytan is a double bill of Canadian-born comics now based in NYC, and Habib Siam and Jean Paul co-star in Wha’ ha’ happened was…. Our top pick, though, is Just For Laughs Homegrown winner Courtney Gilmour; the multiple amputee’s Congratulations! is one of the flagship shows for the Fringe’s new Accessible category.
The other big draw at Fringe is music, and especially musicals; much has been made of the fact that Come From Away’s creators Sankoff & Hein started their musical writing careers at the Toronto Fringe. The biggest musicals at the Fringe now marry (lots of) performing arts students with professional composers; Babara Johnston and Suzy Wilde’s Be Kind, Rewind and Steven Gallagher and Kevin Wong’s Drama 101, A New Musical are examples of these. But we also love to root for the small, scrappy, risque musicals, like Laura Bailey’s Clitoria: A Sex-Positive Superhero!, or Evelyn Long and Marley Kajan’s Omen: The Musical, a post-apocalyptic story wherein singing witches attempt to avert further disaster.
Fringe is also a great vehicle for singer-songwriters, especially if they have a firm grasp on the theatrical. Anesti Danelis: Six Frets Under has eight evening residency shows at the Tranzac Club’s Tiki Room; Unbridled Futurism, which we caught an entertaining preview of this spring at the Burdock, features “Captain” Nick Di Gaetano as an inter-dimensional traveller backed up by a live band and video visuals. Musical act Cat and The Queen has previously staged several cabarets around town, and Pump is her latest—and apparently, most autobiographical.
Dance is another art form that thrives at the Fringe, whether that’s a travelling tango duo (Into The Tango) or a local modern dance & movement troupe (I Feel You). The most intriguing dance show description we read actually appears in the program’s “Storytelling” category; Fox Woman features dancer Denise Yao and guitarist Gareth Owen telling a Siberian myth using this Spanish dance form.
With over 150 shows, the Fringe relies on some non-traditional venues: bars (Personal Demon Hunter), swimming pools (Deep End), even an East End front lawn (Cyrano De Bergerac). But the best show and venue pairing this year is Clotheswap, a new show about “the seams of empathy” between women, co-produced by (and hosted at) the Textile Museum of Canada. Patrons can bring clothes to be donated to Sistering and Dress for Success, and each ticket for the show, which features Second City alumna, includes free admission to the museum.
Many of the shows we’ve mentioned already are for mature audiences only (you can always check the Fringe’s ratings below each show in the program for age guidelines and warnings). But the shows at KidsFringe are for all ages, and often feature professional performers who’re taking part in the (low) profit-sharing endeavour to entertain children especially. That’s the case with shows like Gremlin Hour and Boy Vs. Fly, which features Second City and Bad Dog Theatre alumnae in fantastical roles.
And the most mature shows of all… many Fringe shows are difficult to define. How to categorize Mayhem At Miskatonic: A Burlesque Mystery Game? Or Death Ray Cabaret, an improvised musical experience? But of all the genre-defying shows, we think we’re most eager to see Sarah Joy Bennett’s Night Feed; a co-production with CLUNK Puppet Lab, in which an exhausted new mother is plagued by hallucinations of her living room effects coming to life. It has puppets and babies, but it comes with a content warning and a 14 and up label.
The 31st annual Toronto Fringe Festival runs July 3-14 this year; for further details on shows, venues, and tickets, visit Fringe Toronto.
Canada’s oldest thoroughbred horse race is set to take over the turf at Woodbine Racetrack this month. The 161st running of the venerable Queen’s Plate will take place on June 29. The event, first run at the Carleton Track in downtown Toronto in 1860, has evolved into a two-day festival over the weekend of June 28 to 29.
In addition to a historic day of horse hooves and fine hats, the equine-forward festival also includes a full slate of country music concerts from performers such as Washboard Union, High Valley and Madeline Merlo as well as swanky soirees for the horsey set, including the White Party. Whether you are a fan of the horses or are just there for the hats, the Queen’s Plate has become a can’t-miss social event.
With the retirement of Ricky Ray, James Franklin will be stepping in as the Argos new starting quarterback when they kick off the season on June 22. We caught up with Franklin to learn a little more about his life off the field with his wife Kaylee.
How they met
Technically we met on Instagram, but ended up meeting in person at my best friend’s high school graduation. I had just gotten to California to train with a quarterback coach, and I was going to take a picture and post it on Instagram.
I opened the app and her picture was there, and she wrote that she just got to California. It took me about two hours to comment but I finally did. Then I tried to find her on Twitter. I went through about 200 Kaylee Thompsons and finally found her and sent her a private message. After messaging, we found out we had a mutual friend and met up at his graduation.
The first date
Our first date was in Norman, Oklahoma in 2013. I was supposed to show up at 9 a.m. but showed up at 7 a.m. I was excited. So I got to her parents’ house and talked to them for about two hours while Kaylee got ready, and then we left to go to a three-on-three basketball tournament I was playing in.
The entire hour drive there and back, I talked about my first girlfriend. I was just so nervous and excited, but that was all I could talk about. I can’t believe I did that now.
Then we went out for dinner where I stood my menu up on the table so it was blocking her line of sight. After we ordered, the waitress tried to take it, but I told her I wanted to keep it. Every now and then I’d pull the menu down and tell Kaylee I thought she looked nice. In my head I was doing great, but in reality it was terrible. There was even an older couple there who gave Kaylee a look like “What in the world is he doing?”
Then we went to the movies, followed by dessert and then to the park to talk. At this point I had calmed down a lot and started acting “normal.”
At the end of the night, I walked her to the door thinking “This is when they always kiss in the movies.” But I didn’t want her to think I was going to. So after about 20 minutes of mostly silence, I asked if I could give her a hug. She said yes, and it was about a minute long.
Afterwards I was speechless and couldn’t say any words and she said, “Have a safe trip home James.”
The proposal
I proposed at the restaurant she used to work at, and the owner recorded it. Kaylee thought she was just talking about her experience at the restaurant in the video. My parents were there and her parents were there. I asked them how they met and to tell their story. Then it got to me and I told our story, and at the end, I said: “I was speechless and didn’t know what to say, but now I do.” Then I just confessed how I felt and asked her to marry me.
The wedding
We got married on July 5, 2014 in Texas. It was exactly one year and one day after we met. We then went on an eight-day honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The kids
We have one daughter who is 15 months old, and her name is Adelynn Rae Franklin. We have another girl on the way named Brinlee due in August.
Secret of success
I don’t think it’s a secret, but we make sure to communicate as best we can. The better we communicate, the more we know about each other and can give each other what we need. We are both people of faith, and keeping God in the centre of our marriage is always when we are the strongest.
Life after retirement
Once I retire, I see us having three kids to raise in Oklahoma, me doing some small coaching, owning a couple of rental properties, doing a lot of evangelism and motivational speaking, being a faithful family and hopefully being very happy!
A captivating songwriter and spellbinding performer, Jones has come full circle on her new album, returning to the jazz roots of her 2002 stunning debut Come Away with Me. She plays the Sony Centre, June 26.
DIANA ROSS
The queen. With a career spanning well over half a century, Ross is one of the most revered and enduring artists of the modern era. Her music is a wonderful exploration of jazz, funk and gospel. She plays the Sony Centre on June 24.
GHOST-NOTE
It’s a gift to find a contemporary collective exploring the sonic edges of jazz in such compelling fashion. This band of seasoned jazz veterans with a penchant for improv play the Horseshoe Tavern on June 26.
TOWER OF POWER
Celebrating 50 years “Down at the Nightclub,” the Tower of Power brings the baddest horn section around to Toronto for a rare Bump City concert appearance at the Danforth Music Hall on June. 25.
Don’t have your child registered for a summer program yet? Not to worry, these Toronto camps deliver quality experiences for stressed parents (and bored kids) this summer. Whether you’re looking for an athletic or educational program, or a bit of both, there’s a camp for nearly every child. These programs will have your kids wanting s’more!
Campers as young as 4 can participate in a mind-boggling array of smart programming at this Toronto camp. Clever kids can immerse themselves in great STEAM options — building apps, creating films, claymation and 3D design, coding, bionics, and aerospace are just some of the tech and science options your kid will love. Qualified, experienced and highly trained staff have been guiding campers’ adventures here for 45 years.
Want a bit of everything so each day is a different experience? Prestige offers programs that include weekly field trips, visits to the pool, with breakfasts and hot lunches included! There’s a sports program if your child likes being outdoors, as well as educational options, and fun science and art activities as well. Camp runs from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Door-to-door transportation is available. Summer School Credit Courses for grades 9-12 now offered.
Is it your child’s goal(ie) to improve their ice game? As part of the hockey community for over 20 years, Canlan camps provide a week (or more) of hockey conditioning, skill development and off-ice games for kids of all ages and skill levels. Every Canadian child should experience shooting a puck at least once, and Canlan’s world-class facilities and quality programming means your child will have fun getting ready for the big leagues (or at least improve their skills and technique) this summer!
Help focus your child’s learning skills with a dedicated educational program just for them. From students struggling with learning difficulties, to those who wish to strengthen their learning capacities, this program strives to open more possibilities for every individual to better understand the world around them. Using principles of neuroplasticity, Arrowsmith’s Cognitive Intensive Program is committed to programming that strengthens the critical capacity underlying comprehension, logical reasoning, processing speed, cause and effect reasoning, and conceptual grasp of science and mathematics.
Take a swing at improving their tennis game with a full or half day program. Your little tennis pro can make a racket at one of 11 week-long tennis sessions this summer at the Bayview Village Tennis Club. In its 33rd year, students in all levels enjoy a low student to teacher ratio. Whether your child is just a beginner, or the next Serena Williams or Milos Raonic, they can have fun while learning from certified professionals and an award-winning development training style.
Make a splash this summer with a refreshing swim camp. Summer and water go hand-in-hand, so why not take the plunge and learn to swim? A life skill every child should learn, Davina’s Swim House has four locations within the GTA and is owned and operated by Davina and Geo Lopez since 2003. Boasting creative teaching methods and personal attention, they promise a low 3:1 ration for all classes. Leadership courses for teens looking to further their aquatic skills are also available.
Even preschoolers can enjoy a day camp with different themes to keep them engaged. Little ones have busy minds and bodies that need to be active. Lucky 2 to 6 year olds can play all day at Camp Northwood, which has been ‘camping’ with wee ones for nearly 30 years! Toddlers and small fry are introduced to everything from art and music and cooking and Spanish in fun themes, taught be experienced ECE teachers. A Play and Learn Program is available for children ages 6 to 9. Camp Discovery offers fun activities to keep language, math and science skills sharp. They won’t even know they’re learning! Three locations to choose from and many schedule options including extended hours. Parents are welcome to call and visit before registering.
Make your way over to a camp with top-rated tech programs for kids who like to program! With a new Leaside location, children from Grades 1-8 can code all day, experimenting with Arduino Inventor robotics, video game design, creating worlds in Minecraft, and more. Frequent breaks, games, and outside time means kids can exercise their bodies as well as their brains. Before and after care available.
Learn something new and even earn a high school credit over the summer. WillowWood offers several core credit courses that can help boost your student’s GPA this summer. With a focus on individualized, student-centred teaching and mentorship, WillowWood’s experienced teachers aim to build creativity and teach social, leadership, and teamwork skills. Or opt for the Discovery programs, which include rock-climbing, yoga, music, art and more.
When they’ve got to move it, move it, perhaps gymnastics is the right choice. Toronto Premier Gymnastics Camps, a 12,000 square foot competitive facility founded in 1995, offers weekly camps for kids with energy to burn, ages five years and up. Children can improve their strength, flexibility, coordination and confidence on Olympic apparatus through skill-building games, contests, plus water play, sports, and a variety of arts! Full and half day options available.
Why not learn another language? It’s always a good idea, at any age. Children as young as 3 years old are welcome to learn in age appropriate classes, and if they can, so can you. Founded in 2001, Toronto Mandarin School and Camps now boasts multiple GTA locations and a variety of class or camp types, including Mandarin/English bilingual preschool, weekend and after-school Mandarin programs, Early Years Learning, Parents & Tots, Mandarin for Teens and Mandarin Immersion Summer Camp.
Jonathan Poon, the restaurateur behind some of the west end’s favourite restaurants including Bar Fancy, Superpoint and Paris Paris, has just announced his team’s new project. Favorites Thai BBQ (there’s no ‘U’ in Favorites — take it up with them!) is going to be a modern Thai-inspired restaurant in collaboration with the team from Khao San Road.
Poon confirms that the forthcoming 1,500-square-foot restaurant will focus on cooking over charcoal. Favorites is also going to feature a wine program specially curated by Krysta Oben of the Grape Witches. The kitchen will be led by Chinese-Romanian chef Haan Palcu-Chang, who has cooked in kitchens across France and Denmark, most notably Le Mary Celeste in Paris (which he opened in 2015). He was most recently the chef at SoSo Food Club just around the corner at Dundas and Ossington.
Favorites is slated to be open this summer at 141 Ossington Ave. In the meantime, eager foodies can follow them along for updates on Instagram at @myfavethai.
Textilene industrial mesh and coated faux wicker will stand the test of time
The beautiful weather is finally here, and we Torontonians can’t wait to get outside and make the most of summer. When setting up your outdoor space, it’s a good idea to first think about how you like to spend time outside. Your personality on the patio will be helpful in deciding what furniture, decor and dinnerware you’ll need to best enjoy your space.
The entertainer
If you love entertaining, you’ll definitely want a stylish dining table where you and your guests will be comfortable during those long-running outdoor parties. Be sure to invest in plenty of unbreakable dinnerware and glassware, made from melamine and Tritan, and stock up on sturdy wood serveware and flatware caddies that will make table service a breeze. An outdoor bar or simple bar cart set-up will also save on trips back and forth to the kitchen.
The lounger
If you like to lounge for hours on end — lazing with a good book and refreshing drink — you’ll need a comfortable place to lie down. Depending on how much space you have, an outdoor sectional is your best bet for maximum comfort, but for a smaller space, a lounger and side table to rest your things are sure to do the trick. Choose pieces with materials that are durable for all types of summer weather — rust-proof aluminum, Textilene industrial mesh and coated faux wicker will stand the test of time.
The night owl
If you like to stay up late, you’ll want to be sure your patio is well-lit past sundown. String lights, hurricane candles and lanterns will create the ambience you desire as the evening wears on. A basket of blankets will come in handy keeping you and your guests warm if the temperature drops. Fringed cotton hammam towels in whites, blues and greys are on-trend and can double as blankets.
The porch procrastinator
For many of us, the porch is a commonly used — and often neglected — outdoor space. This is a place for impromptu chats with neighbours and friends, so you’re going to want a comfortable spot to sit — deep, cushioned club chairs are best — and likely a side table for refreshments. Adding some curb appeal here with colourful accent cushions, plants, stylish hardware and updated lighting will help this area feel like more of an extension of your home than a transitional space.
The green thumb
If you love to garden, make plants a priority on your patio. Even if you don’t have room for a full garden, you can create your own green area with stylish planters — ceramic, wood and fibreglass ones of all shapes and sizes can be used together for a varied look. Build a vegetable or herb garden or install a “living wall” to take your green space a step further.
The shade seeker
Not all of us love the heat, and for the shade seekers, investing in pieces that keep sun exposure at bay is key. A gazebo will offer maximum coverage for larger furniture and dining sets, whereas an offset umbrella can be conveniently adjusted for shade as the sun moves. Taupe, black and Mediterranean-inspired navy and white stripes feel timelessly stylish, or try a fun pop of colour to brighten your space.
Catch Brian Gluckstein on Cityline, where he is a regular guest expert, shop his collection, Gluckstein Home, at Hudson’s Bay and follow him at @briangluckstein on Instagram.
Celebrated chef and restaurateur Grant van Gameren is teaming up with two alumni from his restaurant Bar Isabel, Nathan Morrell and Ellen Shrybman, to open Piquette, a new wine bar scheduled to hit Queen West next month.
Piquette is a French term for a simple and refreshing wine made from pouring water into the leftovers of winemaking. This process mirrors the ideology behind the upcoming wine bar. The 30-seat bistro will focus on expanding the minds of wine drinkers without the exclusivity and expense of a more fine dining experience. It will feature a clever wine list curated to present lesser known wines and producers. Morell hopes that others will see that pretension and good wine don’t necessarily go hand in hand.
As an award-winning sommelier with experience in some of the world’s top wine regions, Nathan Morell is passionate about expanding the minds and palates of his clients. Piquette is looking to expose Torontonians to wines they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else, showcasing some of Shrybman and Morell’s favourite small vintners. Shrybamn received a masters in Food Culture from the University of Gastronomic Science in Piemonte, Italy.
“In our years working in the restaurant and wine industries, Nate and I have come across so many incredible wines that you can’t easily get in Ontario. One of the most exciting parts about this project is that we can finally showcase our favourite small producers that are making exceptional wines,” said Shrybman.
Each bottle featured on the list is personal to the owners and they can’t wait to share some stories with their eagerly anticipated guests. The wine list will be made up of several different bottles and wines by the glass that will change daily, so there will always be something new and exciting to try.
The menu that is being developed by van Gameren for Piquette will be simple and ingredient-driven, but fashionable with his usual flair for the unique. As fans of the whimsical design and architecture of all Grant van Gameren’s previous ventures, there is little doubt Piquette will be as visually stunning as it is delectable.
