Toronto’s couch potatoes

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1:09 pm

Photographer Adam Coish has been getting some buzz for his series of photographs of Torontonians on their couches. The Couch Series started as a 10-portrait project for his final year in photography at Ryerson University in 2013. Six years later it is 80 portraits deep, though Coish did take a three-year break in between.

The Dufferin Grove resident has also travelled to Hamilton and Pond Inlet, Nunavut for these portraits. His subjects range from friends to those who answered his request on Bunz.com. He plans to continue shooting as many couch portraits as he can through 2019 and hopes to have a gallery show in 2020. For those interested in being featured, send a photo of yourself and your living space to [email protected].

Behind the smiles of Toronto’s happiest people

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Andrew Mannsbach

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12:19 pm

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THE THOUGHTFUL THROWBACK

As a writer, Claudia Dey understands that being happy isn’t necessarily about telling the best jokes or climbing the highest mountains. It’s about nurturing your gifts and being in the moment. Like, for instance, with her family, her fashion brand Horses Atelier or her new book, Heartbreaker.

Since Dey’s last novel, Stunt, she has first and foremost been a mother which, as she says, “occupied every available space.” But the creative wheels were turning in the background, and when it was time, she knew. Much of Heartbreaker rushed out over 10 days.

“There was something of a miracle to it,” says the graduate of North Toronto’s St. Clement’s School. “I don’t want to be too bombastic or romantic though. I then spent another two and a half years editing the book!”

Dey makes a point of steering clear of social media like it’s a “poison cloud,” when she’s writing. Whether artmaking or simply living, the same philosophy applies: be present. — Ron Johnson

Pro tip: Throw your phone in the lake.
“Spend time with people who make you feel good and smart and whole and loved,” she suggests. “Make them a meal. Light candles and stay at that table as long as you can together. I think happiness is in the small moments.”

THE HOST WITH THE MOST

In the five years since chef Matty Matheson fully embraced sobriety, his career trajectory has gone on a bull run worthy of cryptocurrency. With more than half a million Instagram followers, a bestselling cookbook, a Viceland TV show and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he seems to have the whole positivity thing figured out — but he’s not on cruise control.

For Matheson, happiness requires maintenance, like everything else in life. “The journey is tough. It’s forever,” he says. “If you’re not working the hardest you can on everything in life, you’re not going to get a lot out of it.”

Matheson stays grounded by being appreciative, he says, and resisting the urge to become a different person. He keeps life simple, hanging out with old friends and spending time at home the way he always has.

As he continues to work on keeping it real, he’s also building his empire. He recently opened a second location of Maker Pizza in North York, and he’s also got a new sit-down restaurant in the works. — Jon Sufrin

Pro tip: Put out good intentions.
“I pray that I can perform, that I can be the best version of me today, and I’m going to do whatever I need to do to that.”

THE KITCHEN PARTY QUEEN

Sitting down across the street from King Street’s Royal Alexandra Theatre where her career began, Cynthia Dale is feeling happy and very grateful. The iconic Canadian actress just finished work on a new season of Street Legal for CBC, which premieres in March. The TV show first launched her to stardom in the role of barrier-breaking lawyer Olivia Novak more than two decades ago. To say the least, Dale was pleased to hear the show was coming back.

“It took me a while to get my jaw off the floor,” says Dale. “Gifts like this don’t come along very often in life. I knew how much work it would be, but that was nothing compared to the overwhelming joy and emotional roller coaster that it was. I mean, holy moly, just take a second and be mindful of where you are.” Her idea of perfect happiness is simple: “Hanging out with my boy,” she says, without hesitation. He was born while Dale and husband Peter Mansbridge lived in Forest Hill, a time she fondly remembers. — RJ

Pro tip: Turn your kitchen into a party zone.
“The thing that instantly puts me in a good mood is a kitchen party with my closest girlfriends or even just alone! I do it often, and it’s good for my heart and soul in every way.”

SOUTHERN GENTLEMEN OF TEXAS BBQ

Beach Hill Smokehouse has been a long time coming for co-owners Darien List and Terrence Hill, who come from opposite ends of America: List from Buffalo and Hill from Dallas. They first met at university in Louisiana, whereupon List travelled to Texas to taste first-hand what Hill and his family can do with BBQ. List knew he needed to bring this cuisine northward some day, and made a move with his wife back to her hometown of Toronto to scope out the smoker scene.

More than two decades later, Beach Hill Smokehouse opened in the east end of Toronto with Hill as pitmaster overseeing some of the best Texas-style BBQ this city has ever seen.
“I learned from my dad,” says Hill. “Texas style is very traditional southern cuisine. The meats are important, brisket is huge. Texas is cattle country.”

The city is a few years into a serious smoker crush, so there is no shortage of BBQ, but what makes Beach Hill special is these owners and that easy American hospitality.

“The way you see me and him, that’s pretty much how we are,” says Hill. “You see us at Metro or the gas station, this is who we are. It’s part of our upbringing.” — RJ

Pro tip: Love what you’re doing.
“You love what you do, you’re going to spread happiness to everyone else,” says List.

THE BODY IMAGE GURU

It’s important to note that Madison Schill is happy right now. But during her formative teen years, she wasn’t. Not for a long time.

Outward appearances may have suggested otherwise, given that Schill was a model appearing in fashion shows and magazines around the world while living in Paris. But her impossibly thin body and the pressure to maintain some other person’s off-kilter fantasy of female perfection was so great that it overwhelmed her. She quit to save herself. Schill returned home to Toronto to work on “redefining herself based on her intellect not outward appearances.” She wrote about her experiences and her passion for body positivity, started a website dedicated to transparency in the beauty industry, began mentoring young girls interested in modelling and recently finished a documentary project called Straight/Curves that redefines body image.

But what she really loves is people. “If I could, I would have a 30-minute conversation with everyone on the planet,” she says, from her office in Rosedale. “I think seeing other people’s points of view, what brings them joy is so amazing.” —RJ

Pro tip: Private dance parties.
“I really encourage it,” she says. “It sounds weird, but it’s science!”

Image: Katherine Holland

THE CROSSFIT QUEEN

Sangita Patel’s positive attitude is infectious. The ET Canada reporter, HGTV Home to Win host and Covergirl’s Simply Ageless spokesperson says it’s the unpredictability of her career that excites her and keeps her positive.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day,” she says, but her life wasn’t always so adventurous.

Patel’s first career was as an engineer. She indulged in her passion for journalism by volunteering at night until she took the leap into broadcasting and decided to live her dream. But happiness extends beyond the work day, and for Patel, focusing on her family and her fitness rounds out the equation.

“I had my second child and I felt like I was going into a depression. I was not happy. I didn’t know who I was, my identity was all confused. Was I Sangita or was I a mom?” she says.

She remembers going to a CrossFit gym and learning about weight training. “From that point on, fitness has become a routine for me,” says Patel.

Another part of her routine is limiting phone use. Extra time is spent playing silly games with her two daughters or watching Ozark with her husband. — Nikki Gill

Pro Tip: Smile.
“There is something about smiling that changes your attitude.”

THE FEARLESS FUNNY MAN

If your name is an acronym that stands for People Having A Terrific Time Always, it’s no surprise that you are kinda fun. Toronto’s PHATT al was once a rapper and part of the music group Len. (“Steal My Sunshine,” anyone?) PHATT al’s interest in rap dated back to his days at Central Tech in the Annex, but after basking in La-La-Land for a spell to pursue a rap career, he returned home to Toronto. He worked for years with Juno-nominated band God Made Me Funky, and one auspicious day he walked into Second City. Now, after landing a role in the touring company, he is hard at work on his first mainstage show, premiering this March.

It’s a testament to his philosophy that if you jump in with both feet when opportunities present themselves, the universe will provide.

“If I trust in myself and go for it, I don’t really look at failure as a bad thing,” he says. “Real failure is not having the trust in myself to go and do something.” — RJ

Pro tip: Tap into your childhood memories.
“I watch things that brought me joy in the past. I love comic books. I like to watch animated series. I’m still that kid. I can still have that fun. Go watch those cartoons!”

THE KINDNESS-RAISER

In some ways, Hannah Alper is like any other teenager. She likes dogs, hanging out and is not a fan of mathematics. She just happens to also want to change the world. When she was just nine years old, the Thornhill native decided to start a blog about her life and some of the changes she wanted to see — Callmehannah.ca.

That was just the beginning. Over the last half-dozen years, the pint-sized preacher of positivity has expanded her impact exponentially by speaking at events in numerous countries as well as in local schools and publishing the book Momentus, a collection of inspiring interviews with luminaries such as Malala Yousafzai and Lilly Singh.

On Feb. 11, Alper is organizing the event Food T.O., partnering with different companies and the community to spend the day handing out meals to those experiencing homelessness in Toronto. It’s just one example of a philosophy she dubs kind-raising. “There is more than one way to make the world better, and one way is simply by being kind and compassionate,” says Alper. — RJ

Pro tip: Random acts of kindness work.
“Do something for someone else. Being kind always makes you happy, whether it’s holding the door open for someone or writing a thank you note to your teacher.”

THE MINDFUL MUSICIAN

Justin Nozuka has always had something special. The Richmond Hill native, who put out his fourth album, Run To Waters, last year, started singing along to the radio at a young age and just never stopped.

He was nominated for a Best New Artist Juno Award following the release of his debut album. The follow-up hit number one on the U.S. Heatseekers album charts, and Nozuka seemed destined for pop stardom. Instead, he opted for the path less travelled, took four years and produced a deeply personal work that belied his young age. He’s like that.

For his new album, he decided to rock out.

“I was feeling the urge to pick things up a little bit,” says Nozuka, who worked with producer Chris Bond for the new album, a producer best known for working with British singer-songwriter Ben Howard.

Nozuka has toured extensively in Europe, where he has always enjoyed a strong following. To keep happy, he relies on having deep connections with friends and family as well as having a purpose to his work. — RJ

Pro tip: Meditation.
“One of the most profound things that I’ve practiced. I’ve found it to be extremely helpful to quiet my mind.”

THE 6IX MOM

Andrea Bolley, also known as the 6ix Mom, is an artist who has taken the Toronto society and nightlife scene by storm thanks to her legendary dance moves and non-stop energy.

It’s no wonder she’s often on the Instagram stories of notable DJs, socialites, club-goers and celebs with her handle #the6mom. She radiates pure joy and happiness.

In fact, it’s her infamous “dance like no one’s watching” moves that got Drake’s attention, and the two became fast friends. So what does she think of all the attention?

“It’s quite a compliment,” she says. “It’s great by myself, but you need people around, too, at this age.”

So what makes Bolley happy? “Getting up every day because the alternative is.… It’s like Woody Allen said, ‘I know I’m going to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.’”

She lives in her Queen West studio and feels most at home in Yorkville and the Annex. “All the museums are there, the ROM, Gardiner. There’s art, music, shopping, eating. It’s a great area, a hub for me. I love dancing at Amber, One and Bar Reyna. And for years, at Bemelmans,” she says. — Jen Kirsch

Pro tip: Be yourself.
“That’s it. Don’t listen to anyone else. It’s the hardest thing to be yourself. There’s so much pressure to conform and create this perfect image. Keep your honesty and integrity.”

A Toronto love story both onstage and off

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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11:21 am

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This month, actors Kate Ross and Fraser Elsdon will take to the stage at Streetcar Crowsnest in Mary’s Wedding. The pair stars as Mary and Charlie, a young couple whose love story is shaped by the First World War. Little known fact: Ross and Elsdon are a young couple themselves, whose love story started about a century after Mary and Charlie’s.

How they met
Kate: We met at George Brown Theatre school. We were in the same class for three years and started dating toward the end of second year. Nothing like a few romantic scene studies to get that spark going!

The first date
Fraser: Well we were friends for a year and a half before we started dating and went on outings together that were emphatically not dates. Our first official date was a trip to Rainbow Cinemas Market Square to see One Week. That movie date was on a Friday, and that weekend Katie’s parents were away, so we spent the weekend house-sitting for them. We were both afraid that we’d get sick of each other if we spent too much time together, but it didn’t happen. We’re still waiting.

Memorable moments
Kate: That first summer, Fraser had plans to live and work in Ireland. He was set to leave a month and a half after we started dating. One day we went for a walk down Cherry Street, sat on a pier and had a nervous conversation about whether we would stay together for the four months he was away. We were trying to be so careful, but really we were in love and wanted to be together, and so we agreed, and that was that. Also, one time we had a “night of many bars” where we put our favourite bars on pieces of paper and drew them from a hat. We went to four different bars, ate and drank a bunch and ended up on the bleachers at Central Tech singing “Moulin Rouge” at four in the morning.

“I hope we’re onstage or on set until our dying days, working and creating together.”

The proposal
Kate: It happened while we were reading our books and drinking coffee on a blanket at Ashbridges Bay, which is something we love to do, both ordinary and spectacular on a sunny July day.

The wedding
Fraser: We got married in June of 2016 at Runnymede United Church. The reception was at Katie’s family’s house, the place she grew up. Her parents and brothers made the yard look beautiful, and the neighbours graciously allowed us to tear down part of the fence and use their backyard as well. There were oysters and a big tent and many wonderful people. For our honeymoon we ate and drank our way through Italy for three weeks.

Balancing careers and marriage
Kate: We sort of short-circuit that problem by working together when we can. We’ve created short films together, made theatre together and are currently in rehearsals for Mary’s Wedding, a gorgeous Canadian play about love and the First World War.

Shared hobbies
Fraser: We love to cook together. We have a tiny little kitchen, but we like being in such close proximity. Katie recently took a Vietnamese cooking course at George Brown College, and I’ve been exploring Sichuan cooking, and we’re learning from each other.

Secret to success
Kate: We’re lucky in so many ways. We love being around each other, we can talk for hours, we have many of the same ideals. We talk about our relationship a lot, about how we got together and fell in love. If some problem arises between us, we address it quickly. We both try to be as generous as possible with our time and energy and strive to think constantly about what we can be doing for each other.

Life after retirement
Fraser: Retirement? Ha! I hope we’re onstage or on set until our dying days, working and creating together.

Mary’s Wedding is on at Streetcar Crowsnest from Jan. 31 to Feb. 16.

Getting personal for Valentine’s Day

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Andrew Mannsbach

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3:34 pm

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The holiday of love is just around the corner, and for those looking to give more than flowers and chocolate this year, we suggest a gift with a personal touch. Here, Jeanne Beker picks her favourite monogrammed, engraved, embossed and embroidered gifts for that special someone.

A) LOVELY LEATHER
“The fact that this bag can be embossed makes it extra special, or you can just personalize it with this sweet little tag.”
Roots, Yorkdale Mall, bag $178, tag $18

B) A PEN TO REMEMBER
“You do, at the end of the day, always look for a pen. And this one with your name on it won’t be left behind.”
Things Engraved, Promenade Mall, $20, engraving $1/character

C) FLANNEL FUN
“I love the nod to café, who doesn’t love ‘Rise and Grind.’ And then on the other cuff you can have a name or a message on these great flannel pyjamas.”
SomethingPersonalized.ca, $105

D) BEAUTIFUL BAGS
“I’m very impressed with the kind of artisanship we see on Etsy. I love the gold lining and the richness of that gold embossing.”
Etsy.com/shop/MomentidiVita, $24

E) INSPIRING RINGS
“The symbolism of these interlocking rings is so meaningful with words or even names of people close to you.”
Suetables, 598 Mt. Pleasant Rd., pendant $119, chain $35

Jeanne with the leather-bound notebook from Laywine’s

F) INITIAL IT
“It’s very affordable but a meaningful token that says a lot. Just to have a simple initial on it, I think it’s cool.”
Brika, 642 Queen St. W., $30

G) TAKE NOTE
“There’s something very romantic about a leather-bound notebook. The quality is outstanding.”
Laywine’s, 25 Bellair St., $75 to $295, embossing $10

H) COSY COMFORT
“This speaks of romance and snuggling up with your honey. This knit is so sumptuous, I love the idea of a monogrammed blanket.”
SomethingPersonalized.ca, $120

I) A PERFECT PENDANT
“A piece like this, especially if it’s got the names of people who are very meaningful to you, is just beautiful.”
Suetables, 598 Mt. Pleasant Rd., pendant $139, chain $50

J) ROSY ROMANCE
“Compacts always remind me of days gone by. I love the rose gold. It’s ultra feminine. It also has the heart for Valentine’s.”
Things Remembered, Dufferin Mall, $22, engraving is extra

K) HAUTE YOGA
“It’s a gift for someone who practises yoga or who may need to be inspired to. I love the tie-dye motif and the embroidered name.”
SammyGs.com, $45

L) TOTE-ALLY CHIC
“For the price, it’s outstanding. This is genuine leather, and I love the monogram on the classy hardware.”
Things Remembered, Dufferin Mall, $115, engraving is extra

A cookbook to battle cancer’s side effects

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Andrew Mannsbach

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12:52 pm

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Tamara Green is all about promoting healthy living. She launched a food delivery service called the Living Kitchen with her partner Sarah Grossman in 2010 and has now released a cookbook on Jan. 22 by the same name. The book aims to help individuals battling cancer stock up on antioxidants and essential vitamins, using dishes that target common cancer side effects.

“As we worked more with people with cancer, we found that one side effect is loss of taste,” explains Green. “Having a cancer patient be able to taste the banana in a smoothie is the best feedback for us. It’s so easy to take for granted the simple joy of enjoying your food.”

During her time at TanenbaumCHAT, to say that Green was a busy teen, would have been an understatement.

“I was the musical director for Guys and Dolls, I was on the baseball team, and I even won most improved player,” she says.

After CHAT, Green went to McGill University to study sociology and environmental studies.

“My degree really led me to where I am now,” she says. “During my time at McGill, we launched an urban gardening community. It really blew me away that you could grow your own food in the city all year round.”

From that moment on, Green was committed to local, sustainable nutrition and using food as a means to heal and protect our bodies from disease.

After graduating from university, Green decided to explore the benefits of superfoods and attended Toronto’s Institute of Holistic Nutrition (IHN). The year-long intensive program taught Green to view food not just as nutrition, but as medicine.

“It was truly eye-opening to realize that what you eat impacts your health more than you realize.”

“It was truly eye-opening to realize that what you eat impacts your health more than you realize,” she says. “I had always suffered digestion issues, and through the knowledge I gained was able to heal my gut.”

In a serendipitous moment on her first day of attendance at IHN, Green sat next to Sarah Grossman, who would become her business partner.

“We created the business toward the end of our year there.”

Initially, the Living Kitchen was focused around cooking workshops but slowly evolved into a food delivery service for people wanting high-quality, healthy meals using locally sourced ingredients.

“Eventually it all became about cooking for people,” says Green. “After all, food is alive and food is life. That’s really where we got our name,” says Green.

As the growing company started taking on new clients in droves, they began working for more and more cancer patients.

“We would see huge changes from when we started to work with them,” says Green.

If you or a loved one is afflicted with this complex disease, Green breaks down a few easy first steps to get your nutritional health moving in the right direction.

“One is to eliminate all refined sugar and carbs. Next is to eat the rainbow — the brighter the food, the higher it is in minerals and antioxidants. And three is to add healing bone and veggie broths to your diet, which can be a great way to get sustenance when nausea rears its ugly head,” says Green.

The book is aimed to welcome readers to its pages, saving the scientific mumbo-jumbo for textbooks, although a lot of scientific research went into it.

The Living Kitchen is available for purchase on Amazon, and at Indigo and independent bookstores.

Sting sails The Last Ship to Toronto

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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12:32 pm

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Iconic musician Sting brings his musical The Last Ship to the Princess of Wales Theatre this month, Feb. 9 to March 24, and local audiences have the opportunity to watch the singer perform, not in the lead role but the role of the foreman Jackie White. The English singer best known for his work with the group the Police was on hand for a media preview and answered a few questions last September.

“I’m playing the foreman, because I’m too old to play the lead, the young romantic lead, unfortunately. He gets to kiss the girl and everything, but you know,” Sting says.

“Being given the chance to play the foreman again in Toronto, I felt confident. I also felt honoured and really excited about doing it.”

The musical explores Sting’s relationship to the town of Wallsend where he grew up, an area famous for its shipyard.

“Some of the largest vessels ever constructed on planet Earth were built right at the end of my street,” he says. “Some of my earliest memories are of looking down south toward the river and not being able to see the sun, except for this massive bow of a giant ship.”

The first incarnation of the musical fared poorly on Broadway, but the show regrouped and with a new book (libretto) launched in England to resounding success.

Ai Weiwei’s work will be coming to the Gardiner Museum in February

Ai Weiwei

The works of one of the world’s most influential artists, Ai Weiwei, will be featured at the Gardiner Museum this month. It’s appropriate that the artist has an exhibition at the ceramics museum, as he is well-known for breaking convention and quite a few pieces of pottery in works such as Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995).

“Ceramics are fascinating. I love the tradition, how people for generations have tried to make something happen with this basic language of communication, besides its practical uses,” says Ai Weiwei.

The exhibit, Ai Weiwei: Unbroken, will feature many of the artist’s most celebrated works such as Sunflower Seeds (2010), Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo (2015) as well as new works.

The exhibition runs from Feb. 28 to June 9.

The Father

One of Toronto’s most beloved actors, Nicholas Campbell, returns to a local stage this month in the lead role of the Tony Award-nominated drama The Father by Florian Zeller.

“It’s a fantastic play. I guess everybody says that, but this one in particular is,” says Campbell, on a break from rehearsals at the Coal Mine Theatre. “It’s really terrific how he crafts it. It’s very entertaining, and funny.”

The play is an honest and humorous look at the realities of living with Alzheimer’s through the eyes of a man in mental decline. It hits home for Campbell.

“I’m 66 this year and I’m starting to get concerned,” says Campbell. “This play is comforting in a way, and also disturbing.”

The Father runs from Feb. 10 to March 3 at the Coal Mine Theatre.

*The dates have changed from a previously published version after reports came forward that Nicholas Campbell had taken ill (he is expected to make a full recovery). Street Legal actor Eric Peterson will stand in for Campbell with eight more shows added.

Monet

For a nice change of pace from the slushy season in the city, we might consider casting our eyes across the pond to Paris. And the Art Gallery of Ontario has just the exhibit.

The AGO’s Impressionism in the Age of Industry: Monet, Pissarro and more opens on Feb. 16 and features more than 120 artworks, including numerous loans from across Europe and North America. The new exhibit concentrates on the vibrant, changing world of Paris in the 1870s and how Impressionist artists of the age used to painting delightful landscapes adapted to the surge of industrialism and increased pace of life.

“This exhibition invites us to journey through this period of immense change, experiencing its thrills and challenges alongside the artists. As our cities and technologies rapidly change, it’s a journey that continues to resonate today,” says Caroline Shields, the AGO’s assistant curator, European art. The exhibit runs until May 5.

Juno-winning Dan Mangan’s big move

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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4:08 pm

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Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan is no longer the fiery young troubadour who stormed the country’s musical Bastilles in the early 2000s. Following a period of what he has called an “existential music crisis,” Mangan has released the stunning album More or Less, managing to take the best of the sad Dan good old days and mash it up with a modern soundscape.

“You have to go there to come back,” says Mangan, of said existential crisis, while he eagerly anticipates his first big Canadian tour in four years.

“If I had never made Club Meds [Dan Mangan + Blacksmith], I feel like I wouldn’t have sort of worked through that. I was really compelled to make that music.”

Things have certainly changed, and that is reflected on the album in many ways. He’s a dad. He’s done his “difficult” record, Club Meds, a labour of love that was somewhat lost on his legion of fans. And he hasn’t really toured much in four years, opting instead to embrace the domestic life with his two new children.

“I used to just tour all year, and I can’t really do that anymore,” explains the Vancouver native.

“And I’ve had to come to the realization that I’m no longer part of the new generation. All of a sudden it’s like 10 p.m., and someone makes a noise outside your house, and it’s, like, ‘God what are they doing? They’re going to wake up the kids.’ And then you realize, ‘Oh God, things have changed.’ ”

But change can be a positive and life-affirming experience.

On this album, Mangan does a number of things he’s never done before, not the least of which is write and perform a beautiful ballad in “Fool For Waiting.”

Perhaps most important to the absolute success of the album is what he describes as “turning the keys over” to producer Dean Brown, the driving force behind the album’s very clean and focused sound.

And why not? Brown has worked with some of Mangan’s favourite artists including Radiohead.

“I think that he was interested in working with me, and I was intrigued by that,” says Mangan.

“So we went and made this record, and I’m so proud partly because songs are back at the forefront, and in a way it is more accessible but, at the same time, even weirder than Club Meds in some ways.”

“It’s a step back and step forward, same time.”

And when he writes, it is often through the lens of his own children and what kind of world they will be inheriting. That’s a powerful thing.

“When I was younger, it was all, ‘F**k the bullshit,’ and now it’s more like, ‘God, what are we going to do?’” he says.

“I’m just desperate for kindness in the world now. That’s all I want to project or see or attract if I can manifest things in my life. I just want to be a part of more honest, vulnerable kindness.”

Dan Mangan plays at the Danforth Music Hall on Jan. 31.

Toronto street nurse Cathy Crowe on the homelessness crisis

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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3:08 pm

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People sometimes think this is just a downtown Toronto issue, but it really isn’t is it?
There needs to be a shelter in north Toronto. The most calls I get from average citizens are about the Yonge and Eglinton area around that northern part because there is a gap in shelters around there.

What can local residents do to help that along?
Be familiar with the issue, get to know who your city councillor is and just push, push, push. Tell that city councillor you want them to respond to the issue. And, of course, going into a federal election, they should know what the party stances are of the federal candidates around housing. It’s so doable in the city, and we are just letting things slide.

What would you say to Toronto mayor John Tory?
I would say that there is a strong, strong consensus among citizens and those who work in the field, that he should declare a state of emergency. It’s not that it just happened. There has been a homeless shelter crisis for some time. This year, it is unprecedented. So I would ask him to please listen to the experts. They are all saying the same thing.

“We were all saying we never thought it could get worse than last year.”

Last year was so bad. It seems impossible that it is worse.
We were all saying we never thought it could get worse than last year. One of the factors is that we are losing a lot of affordable housing stock, so where you are seeing condos go up, especially in the downtown core, they are very frequently replacing rooming houses or cheap affordable housing that was there before but that is being demolished. And the economy is still tough for people. If they’ve used up their EI after they have lost their job, those folks are still falling into homelessness, and the numbers are steadily increasing.

Mayor Tory has pointed to an increase in refugees using the system. How much a part of this shortage is a result of that situation?
It’s not that. The refugee system is real for sure, but they are not in the shelter system. They are not in the homeless shelter system. He was actually asked by quite a number of people, including the clergy, to stop using that language and to stop saying it’s a mental health issue. It’s not that mental health is not an issue, but the way he is framing it is very stigmatizing, and it also suggests it’s people’s fault.

So why won’t he just call it a crisis or an emergency?
I think he’s being told by his staff and by senior people and by lawyers that it will not be advantageous to do so. From my observation, he seems to be extremely stubborn and not willing to take into account people who have been working in this field for a long time, what their experiences and recommendations are. And I bear that out by the evidence of last year fighting for the opening of the [Moss Park] Armoury. We fought for the opening of the Armoury, and he refused even when the federal government offered it and then finally ultimately public pressure was so strong that he accepted the Armoury.

Shelters are crowded, but why are so many taking to the woods to sleep or to makeshift encampments?
The real shelters definitely are full, 99 per cent capacity for single men and for single women. The overflow is what we showed in [secretly recorded] video footage [released last month]. I don’t think most people want to spend more than one night there. You don’t know who is next to you. It’s extremely crowded. There is no privacy, no place to keep your belongings. The people sleeping beside you could have pneumonia, colds, flu. There could be bed bugs. Some people, if they’ve been homeless a long, long time, can’t tolerate that, or if just the first time homeless, can’t tolerate that and go into deeper hiding to stay outside.

Eight homeless people have died this winter. Is it exposure?
It’s more complicated. It’s from sleeping outside, but very violent deaths. One was the public, prominent death of Crystal Papineau who died from trauma related to trying to get into a clothing bin. She was a woman who went to Sistering [shelter]. We don’t know the exact cause of death, but I’m assuming it’s a combination of cold weather and trauma. The second was a woman sleeping on a grate on University Avenue who was run over by a garbage truck.

What does this say about the city to others living outside?
That we are certainly not a first-class city. It’s horrible. People I know who have moved away [and come back] write to me saying it is so much worse than when they lived here. Generally those across the country have looked to Toronto as the beacon, as the best practices place.… There is nothing best practice about what we are doing.

Getting to know the man behind Toronto’s jazz fest

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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4:20 pm

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Josh Grossman started out as any musically inclined youngster, taking every opportunity to play his instrument of choice, the trumpet.

“Music kept me very busy,” he says. With the encouragement of his music teachers, Ken Hazlett and Jerry Dmytryshyn, he would go on to become the artistic director for Toronto Downtown Jazz, a charitable organization responsible for the TD Toronto Jazz Festival.

The festival, which relocated to Yorkville in recent years, is going into its 32nd year. Performers have included Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Aretha Franklin, the Roots, Earth Wind and Fire and more.

Grossman’s second love was acting. He attended acting and scene study classes at Young People’s Theatre.

“In Grade 12 I had to decide between music and acting. I chose music, but acting was something I really enjoyed,” says Grossman.

“Lawrence [Park Collegiate Institute] had wonderful music teachers. They were extremely supportive of my interests,” he says. “I could see myself being a music teacher because of them, actually.”

But Grossman decided he wanted to live the enigmatic lifestyle of a jazz musician.

“I enjoyed the music and the mythical existence of a jazz musician that I had conjured in my head: cool music played at night, with cool people, in cool bars and nightclubs,” he says, joking. “Turns out that’s not quite the reality for actual jazz musicians.”

When it came time to choose a university, Grossman landed at the University of Toronto for jazz performance.

“I’ve found that, in both my work life and life as a student, I’ve had many opportunities because people wanted to take a chance on me,” says Grossman. “My audition probably wasn’t the best, but the people judging the auditions saw that what I lacked in experience I made up for with talent and potential.”

University, while challenging, brought many personal gains. Grossman played with the Hart House Jazz Ensemble for four years, then led the ensemble for another four years. He also played with the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra and served on its board of directors. And in his third year at U of T, he started the Toronto Jazz Orchestra. After graduation, Grossman hit the ground running to get more experience.

“I was playing a bunch and doing a lot of private teaching, but I found that the drive and discipline required for being a professional musician really wasn’t there for me,” he says.

So, being the pragmatic trumpeter that he is, he decided to utilize his other, more practical skills to support the arts.

For the next four years, Grossman taught music while also learning about marketing and budgeting.

After a few more years, the opportunity came to join Toronto Downtown Jazz part-time, and the rest is history. Eight years of part-time work gave him all the experience he needed to transition to full-time last year. With the organization, Grossman helps to execute the annual TD Toronto Jazz Festival.

“I’ve been working toward what I think is the best representation of jazz every year for everyone, and I’ve learned so much about what is actually involved in running an actual festival,” he says.

Grossman and his team work together to create this amazing jazz fest every year.

“It’s a really exciting time to be working in jazz,” he says. “There’s so much cross-pollination among types of jazz. There’s almost no end to possibilities about what kind of act can be on our stage.”

Inside Toronto’s big new steak houses

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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4:12 pm

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In a culinary landscape of sharing plates and “dining concepts,” where does a slab of seared meat sitting on a plate figure? Two new Toronto restaurants have boldly revived the noble steak house. Both designed their dining areas around an open grill; both are named after remarkably different fire gods: One is the literal Japanese God of the hearth, and the other, a mere mortal who rose to prominence after founding the most famous steakhouse in Canada. Kōjin is a modern grill, with cosmopolitan digs downtown, while Harry’s is a traditional steakhouse in a classic neighbourhood setting. Together, they show us why steak still reigns supreme.

THE INSTANT CLASSIC

Two powerful Toronto steak house dynasties come together in Harry’s, a dimly lit restaurant on a quiet stretch of Bloor Street in Etobicoke. Its namesake is Harry Barberian, the founder of Barberian’s on Elm Street, whose celebrated chops have been enjoyed by luminaries of all stripes through that restaurant’s nearly 60-year history. The building housing Harry’s is the former home of Black Angus, an Etobicoke institution with a similarly storied past that dates back to 1964.

The dining room at Harry’s

Harry’s, co-founded by Arron Barberian, opened its doors last August, but it feels eerily old-world. The smoke, wafting from an open grill top, subtly hearkens back to a time when people still smoked inside. High-backed banquettes create intimacy within a chandelier-lit dining room. The menu is stacked with uncomplicated classics like shrimp cocktail and wedge salad. And the 12-ounce slab of perfectly seared sirloin dares you to share it, while betting you can’t. Harry’s steak is well-seasoned with a crusty exterior, tender and buttery on the inside. The wedge, too, has no more accoutrements than are required: just ultra-crisp iceberg, bacon, tomato and chives and a perennially familiar blue cheese dressing. Harry’s reminds us of the days when meals were individual expressions of identity rather than a procession of shared experiences. Nobody asks, “Do you want the last bite?” Here, people just take it themselves.

Harry’s Steak House, 3277 Bloor St. W.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

The newest addition to the Momofuku empire is named after the Japanese god of the hearth and specializes in prime local cuts, but a classic chophouse it is not. Occupying the glass-encased third floor of the building, overlooking University Avenue, Kōjin’s interior is as sleek as the view, with oxblood leather banquettes, black tabletops and paper lantern light fixtures casting a diffuse light over the window-side dining section.

Inside Kojin

The menu is on trend and on brand, elevating Canadian and French classics with David Chang’s Asian touches and chef Paula Navarrete’s Colombian roots. The meal begins with a cup of a salty and aromatic concoction of chicken bone broth and Earl Grey tea –– to some diners, it comes off as avant-garde, to others as simply puzzling. But the menu is unmistakably Changian, with a section devoted to the cornbread flatbread, a cornmeal twist on Momofuku’s signature Chinese-style bing bread served at his other global outposts. It’s griddled flat like an arepa and served with an array of toppings. Locally sourced cuts of sirloin and filet mignon are cooked over an Argentine grill, topped with charred green chili and presented with a hot sauce made from coal-fired chilis. Like everything else, the steak is shareable, which helps diners save space for Tita’s Mash: a velvety pool of Gouda and potato served unadorned in a cast-iron pan. There’s more than meat and potatoes at Kōjin, but it’s the meat and potatoes that bring the place home.

Kōjin, 190 University Ave.

Dr. Jess on Sex: Custom relationships are the future

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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12:20 pm

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The times they are a changing and relationships are evolving along with them.

Not only are younger folks delaying marriage or rejecting it altogether, but they’re also embracing the reality that there is no one-size-fits-all formula for lasting partnerships.

Rewriting the rules of relationships altogether is the trend — regardless of age.

“I want love and companionship, but I have no plans to be a mother again,” says Val, who reentered the dating market in her 60s. “All the men I was dating wanted a mother — a cook, a cleaner and a nurse in some cases. They were clear about their expectations and even joked about the ‘good old days.’ When I met Paul three years ago, I was up front about not wanting to move in together and it has worked out well.”

Val and Paul both live in High Park, but they’ve maintained separate residences. The living-apart-but-together (LABT) arrangement has become more common as couples acknowledge that relationships need not be linear.

Twenty-nine-year-old Veena agrees and insists that she has no plans to cohabit anytime soon.

“I’ve been with my boyfriend for four years, and things are going great. Why move in and disrupt what we’ve created? Neither of us wants kids, so I don’t see why we need to be roommates.”

Although more intimate partners may be opting into LABT, others are choosing to move in together to reduce expenses and share parenting responsibilities.

Co-mothering arrangements allow mothers to pool time, financial and emotional resources — all of which tend to be scarce for single parents.

Benefits of this non-sexual relationship include reduced costs — not only do you share housing, utility and food expenses, but also incidental expenses including toys, sports equipment, kitchen tools and even clothing to some degree.

The children also benefit from the support of an additional caring adult (who likely has more patience because they are able to actually get some alone time) and the camaraderie of their in-house “siblings.”

And of course, the emotional advantages are shared by the kids and adults alike.

“It’s way easier with my best friend on board. It’s the first time I’ve felt someone really has my back. But it’s also empowering,” says Shelby who lives downtown. “Because we’re taking single motherhood back — it shouldn’t be stigmatized, and my kids shouldn’t suffer because their father is no longer here.”

Single parents aren’t the only ones pooling emotional and financial resources to support themselves and their kids.

Divorced and separated parents are also defying convention and opting to live together despite no longer being romantically linked.

Beach resident Stanley has continued to live with his partner in their family home since their divorce. They have two teenage sons and can often be found sharing a laugh and a drink on their terrace with their new partners — they seem to get along as well as any other group of friends.

Living-together-but-separate (LTBS) is yet another trend that flies in the face of relationship — and breakup — expectations.

And finally — though not a trend per se — non-sexual, affectional relationships are also becoming more commonly acknowledged.

These relationships might include love, intimacy, cuddling and other forms of physical affection but preclude sexual encounters (i.e., no goal of arousal or orgasm).

It makes sense that some folks who identify as asexual may prefer affectional relationships (although asexual needs and desires are highly varied of course), but they’re not the only ones.

A polyamorous friend explains to me that she has multiple partners: a parenting partner, two sexual partners, a life partner and an affectional partner with whom she shares everything except sex. Different partners fulfill different needs, and it reduces the pressure for one person to be your everything.

As so-called trends become more visible and accessible to more people, it’s important to note that some of us have more privilege to challenge social conventions and/or be rewarded for doing so — but relationship norms will continue to evolve.

And as our options for custom designing our relationships to suit our individual needs expand, I see a bright future for love, intimacy, relationships and sex: a future in which variety is celebrated and certain types of love are no longer relegated to the fringes.

Defending Toronto’s subway from a hostile takeover

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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3:11 pm

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In mid-December, at its first business meeting, the newly elected Toronto City Council faced a major challenge to its authority. The council emerged from the challenge with strong and almost unanimous votes, and the leadership of Mayor John Tory was evident in pulling people together for the common good.

This is an excellent start for the new council, and one hopes it continues.

The challenge comes from the provincial government. Premier Doug Ford had another of his hare-brained ideas: he promises to take over the TTC subway system, while leaving its operation in the hands of the TTC. He offered no evidence that this will improve transit in any fashion or how removing the ownership of one key piece of an integrated network of transit services in Toronto will make things easier for anyone.

He hasn’t said he’ll pay anything for the subway system and its significant amount of associated land — certainly valued in the billions of dollars — nor has he said what he will do once he owns it. The speculation is that he will sell it off, as has happened in Australia and the United Kingdom, with disastrous results for riders, and as happened with Highway 407 under the Conservative government of Mike Harris.

Transportation minister Jeff Yurek has said the subway is an “Ontario resource,” a ludicrous and absurd idea.

The TTC was created by the city of Toronto almost 100 years ago and is run by a city agency. Some 90 per cent of TTC riders are Toronto residents. The rest live nearby. Yurek says the province wants to extend the subway into York Region, Durham, and Peel, but the province doesn’t need to own the TTC subway to do that.

The Ford government is plowing ahead and has appointed a consultant to tell them how the uploading can happen.

City council has taken a strong position in opposition. By a vote of 23 to two (the dissenters were Michael Ford, the premier’s nephew, and Stephen Holyday, son of the former mayor of Etobicoke). Council voted to reaffirm its support for retaining ownership in the city of Toronto.

With a unanimous vote, council requested the province “to demonstrate clearly and with evidence the goals they believe can only be achieved through a change in subway ownership.”

This is critical: it is not clear that the province has actually thought through why its ownership of the subway is a good idea.

Before substantive discussions take place, the city has insisted on a joint terms of reference being established to the satisfaction of the city manager. The city manager produced a strong report, noting that any process must involve public consultation. Council also required that an independent third-party evaluation be available to determine the value of the city’s subway assets.

It is encouraging to see council, with its myriad political viewpoints, take such a cohesive and strong position. Clearly, Torontonians are proud of the service that transit provides and are not willing to see it snatched from our control by a provincial government that, given its funding priorities, apparently has little interest in transit.

Toronto City Council looks as though it has positioned itself well to fend off the subway upload. But one can never discount the kinds of things Premier Ford might do.

We will watch closely over the next few months as this plays out.