Christine for the win?

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8:46 am

If you win, there will be women leading all three major provincial parties into the next election. How important is that to you?
It would certainly be very different for Ontario. And certainly it would be the first woman leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and I look forward to stepping into that role.

Is the party at risk of being taken over by a more socially conservative membership akin to the United States?
No, I don’t think so. I think most of our members have the same views as I do, and we want to be like the Davis conservatives and balance the two perspectives of fiscal responsibility and social responsibility.

The Ontario Liberals are leaning further left with increases to the minimum wage and a universal basic income project. What do you think?
The basic wage is a pilot project that [former senator] Mr. [Hugh] Segal brought forward, and I’m quite interested in it, but it’s too early to say. In terms of the minimum wage, everyone wants to see the minimum wage being increased, but the problem is that it increased quite dramatically, and business owners are finding it very difficult to cope with. The result is that some have had to lay people off or reduce their work hours, and that is not a desirable result at all.

In 2015, Patrick Brown called you “Liberal light,” what is a progressive conservative to you?
I see myself as a true progressive conservative in the sense that we need to be fiscally responsible and not spend money that we don’t have, which is why we got into the financial mess we are in with $310 billion worth of debt, but it also means helping people who really need our help. It’s always been important to me to be an advocate for vulnerable people. And that to me is what a progressive conservative is.

Kathleen Wynne would like to see the Ontario Greenbelt expanded and strengthened. Where do you stand?
I think that we need to get more housing stock available, so that young people in particular are able to buy homes, and I’m not sure expanding the Greenbelt is going to help that. In my view, if everybody is meant to enjoy the Greenbelt, then people need to be compensated for the diminution of value to their land. I have acted, in my law practice, for farmers whose land has been caught in the Greenbelt, who have seen the value of their land go down to about the value of their mortgage. In my view, that’s expropriation without compensation.

With Doug Ford in the race, the campaign could turn negative. How can this be prevented?
Well I think it is really important to be positive in this campaign. It’s about people’s different ideas for leadership, and it is no time for personal shots to be taken against anyone. So for my part, I intend to treat all the other candidates with respect while pointing out the differences in our opinions.

Caroline Mulroney has never even won an election and seems to be running on her name and good intentions. What do you think she brings to the contest?
I think Caroline is an intelligent person and has great potential in the party, but right now we need someone with experience that can step right into the role.

Who is your political hero?
I really admire Bill Davis. I so admire his style and his ability to be respectful to everyone while still getting the work done that he needed to do. He has given me advice and guidance on several issues over the years.

Tell me something people might not know about you?
Hmm. I think everyone knows I have triplets, so that’s not a surprise. I guess maybe that I like to run, and I’ve done a couple of half marathons and that’s something I do in my spare time.

What talent would you most like to have?
To be very musical.

You don’t play an instrument?
Not really. I played the French horn very badly in high school.

What music do you listen to when you run?
A lot of classical music. Actually, I’m a big classical music fan. I was on the board of the Toronto Symphony years ago.

Who would win a race between you and Kathleen Wynne?
I would.

Toronto’s swanky private golf clubs continue sweetheart deal on taxes while other courses attract developers

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Andrew Mannsbach

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8:42 am

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Is everyone in the city paying a fair share? That was the question last month, as the City of Toronto was once again deliberating over the Toronto budget.

Are homeowners paying enough or too much? Are small businesses paying too much? Should arts facilities get a special tax class?

There is a movement to keep the city affordable and diverse and not let it become a playground for the rich and fabulous.

So what of old-timey institutions such as private golf clubs? Shouldn’t such places pay their fair share?

Local residents might be surprised to learn that some of the wealthiest enclaves in the city get special tax breaks dating back decades — agreements that are unbreakable, according to City of Toronto officials.

Take Rosedale Golf Club for instance. This very private golf course in central Toronto dates back more than a century. It has ranked as one of the best golf courses in the country.

Membership, if it is offered at all, runs upwards of $90,000. But since the creation of metropolitan Toronto in the 1950s, the club has enjoyed the benefits of a fixed assessment agreement, meaning that property taxes are paid on a historic pre-determined amount. The difference between that amount and the amount payable under the current assessment value is deferred, as is interest on the deferred amount.

Maybe it’s time the playing field was levelled so that the community exacts some sort of benefit, and allow kids or adults from priority neighbourhoods to use the course once a week.

Other clubs that cater to a very exclusive clientele, such as Oakdale Golf & Country Club and the Toronto Hunt Club, get the same deal.

“As it turns out now, the guy who washes the floor in the locker room at these clubs is subsidizing the members of the club,” said Howard Moscoe, a former Toronto city councillor who tried and failed to beat the agreements numerous times over his long career in politics.

His battles over the private golf club dealings are chronicled in his new book released late last year.

“Most people don’t even know of these agreements,” he said.

There were 12 private clubs that got these sweetheart deals, and only nine remain. Moscoe estimates that monies owed to the city could be as much as $41 million. But there is more to it than simple tax breaks.

When the agreements were struck with different metropolitan Toronto areas, such as Etobicoke, Scarborough and North York, the fear was that without them the large tracts of land would become housing developments.

“They are still active contracts that we are bound by today,” said John Longarini, manager, operational support for the city.

“The guy who washes the floor in the locker room at these clubs is subsidizing the members.”

“And they were designed, from what I gather, to preserve green space in the development era when large tracts of land were being used up for housing.”

Should a club ever be inclined to cease being a club and the membership cash out and head straight to the Grand Cayman Islands, the club would first need to pay back its deferred taxes and accumulated interest.

The concern is that without the protectionist agreements the free market forces would prove too strong and the golf clubs would sell off the land to a developer.

There is precedent, and it is happening with greater frequency as of late. In Markham, members of the York Downs Golf Club up and sold their massive 417-acre plot of land, which will soon become a massive residential development destroying the majority of the cherished green space that provided many environmental benefits.

The Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto in Thornhill sold a slice of its land to a developer to allow for the continued existence of the club.

And the same thing is happening in Oakville where Clublink is trying to plunk a development with thousands of units overtop the historic Glen Abbey golf course. The town is fighting hard against the Glen Abbey development, attempting to use a heritage designation, but it could be lost.

In the blink of an eye, massive green spaces will be paved over.

The seven municipally owned golf courses in Toronto have been losing money for years, and the city is reviewing their operations.

It is unlikely the city would carve up the Don Valley Golf Course and parcel it up for development, but stranger things have happened.

The trouble is golfing isn’t as popular as it once was. Combine that with a strong real estate market and a shortage of large plots of developable land, and that’s a recipe for disaster.

That’s what worries Toronto member of provincial parliament Mike Colle, author of the Ontario Greenbelt legislation, who has heard talk of the private golf club tax issue come around every few years, usually around budget time.

“The bottom line is that this isn’t going to mean any kind of end to poverty or housing shortages or fix the Toronto budget,” he said.

“We are just getting flooded by people and condos. The last thing we should be doing is jeopardizing green spaces. And as much as these golf courses are sometimes seen as privileged places, if they weren’t golf courses, they would be condos right now.”

The only way to get the private golf clubs in Toronto to pay taxes at current rates, according to Longarini, would be to amend the provincial legislation, and it doesn’t seem likely.

Given the current demand for housing and the tenuous nature of golf in general, the best move might be to strengthen protections and to exact some additional community benefits. Why not let the public to play on the courses once per week?

“I don’t want to look at [amendments] that in a way jeopardize [green space],” said Colle. “We have to be very careful especially in the centre of the city with Rosedale and these courses in very sensitive spaces.”

Rosedale Golf Club did not respond to a request for comment.

Local comedian Dave Hemstad on his journey from golf to Just For Laughs

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Andrew Mannsbach

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1:20 pm

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Before Dave Hemstad was performing at the Just For Laughs comedy festival and on CBC’s The Debaters, he was en route to become a professional golfer.

He was athlete of the year in his final year at Thornhill Secondary School, and although he was involved in school plays and even did a standup set for his final project in drama class, golf was still his goal. So he took a golf scholarship down to Missouri State University.

“In hindsight, that wasn’t what I wanted to do, but it looked like the best route for me,” he says.

It wasn’t until he was struck by lightning during a golf tournament that his mindset began to change.

“That wasn’t ‘the moment,’ but over the next few months, I questioned what I wanted to do with my life and realized that I wanted to do standup comedy more than anything,” he says.

So Hemstad returned home to Thornhill and started going to amateur comedy nights at Yuk Yuk’s and different open mic nights.

“I started at the bottom and started climbing uphill,” says Hemstad. And that climbing paid off eventually.

Hemstad’s credits include a comedy special on CTV called Comedy Now!, a starring role in the Showcase series Almost Heroes and performances at several comedy festivals across Canada.

He is also currently touring with The Debaters with stops across Ontario.

“When you do your first Just For Laughs, that’s kind of the mecca that you’re always working towards as a comedian because it’s the biggest comedy festival in the world,” says Hemstad who has also performed at the Halifax Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and more.

Although his comedy career has expanded from standup to television and beyond, he says there’s nothing better than playing a live comedy club.

“In a comedy club, I don’t know how the show is going to go. At a TV taping, I know exactly what I want to do and what I’m trying to do,” says Hemstad. “In TV, you might have six minutes to perform, which is a fun challenge. But it’s different when you have 45 minutes at a comedy club and you can do whatever you want.”

Behind the scenes, Hemstad has also worked as a comedy writer on shows such as Still Standing, The Debaters and for the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards that was hosted by Norm Macdonald (of Saturday Night Live fame).

“Steve Patterson [The Debaters’ host] and I wrote for that together, which was great because I got to work with Norm Macdonald who is obviously someone I respect very much as a comedic talent,” says Hemstad.

As part of his work with The Debaters, Hemstad is currently on tour with Patterson (one of his oldest friends and colleagues) and fellow comedian Kate Davis.

“The three of us are having a lot of fun being on the road together, and the crowds love the show. People love The Debaters, and it’s really fun to perform for crowds who are excited to see what you’re going to do,” says Hemstad.

When the tour is over, they’ll return to Toronto for a live taping of The Debaters for CBC at the Danforth Music Hall on March 7.

Hemstad also has two television shows in development currently — although he can’t reveal any details — and he has released a comedy album on iTunes.

“It’s called Comedy Dump Truck because I thought ‘greatest hits’ was a bit too obnoxious, but it’s my greatest hits album,” he says.

Arts: What’s on in March

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Andrew Mannsbach

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2:48 pm

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Voices3
Canadian Stage is bringing three unique works to the Berkeley Street Theatre stage as part of its Voices3 program, and it is shaping up to be quite the spectacle. March 14 to 18, the program’s second installment, is the world premiere of singer Fides Krucker’s In This Body, featuring her interpretation of the Canadian songbook — we are talking Joni, Alanis, Feist and more — with dance performances by legendary dancers Peggy Baker, Laurence Lemieux and Heidi Strauss. From March 21 to 24, powerhouse Inuit throat singer and new Torontonian Tanya Tagaq shares the stage with Greenlandic mask dancer Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory for another world premiere. The program launched last month with Italy’s Musica Nuda.

Land of Kush
On March 24, the Aga Khan Museum’s World Music Series curated by the Music Gallery will showcase Montreal’s Land of Kush ensemble performing the new work Sand Enigma. The groovy, avant garde group features composer and musician Sam Shalabi — who will play an opening solo set — alongside a 30-member orchestra that blends together music from across the globe. The Land of Kush has played a handful of shows, mostly in Montreal, so this is a rare opportunity to experience the project first-hand at a unique venue. Not to be missed.

Letterkenny Live
When Jared Keeso decided to create a web series about a fictional small town he didn’t have to look far for inspiration. Coming from sleepy Listowell, Ont., Keeso was already well-versed in certain eccentricities of rural living. Letterkenny Problems was released on YouTube and it wasn’t long before the networks took notice and released it as Crave-TV’s first series. The show, about Wayne (Keeso) and his buddies Daryl (Nathan Dales) and Squirrely Dan (K. Trevor Wilson) along with Wayne’s fetching sister Katy (Michelle Mylett), has been a bona fide sensation ever since. Could a somewhat hoser-oriented TV comedy translate live on stage? That’s a hard yes. On March 10, Keeso and the boys (minus Michelle Mylett) bring Letterkenny to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for two shows.

Animal Farm
Soulpepper gives the theatrical treatment to acclaimed British author George Orwell’s political classic Animal Farm. When the barnyard creatures rise up and overthrow tyrannical Farmer Jones, a muddy little utopia emerges. But for how long? Are all animals equal or are some more equal than others? For this production, Soulpepper has assembled a fantastic cast, including Leah Cherniak and Rick Roberts, and with direction by the wildly creative Ravi Jain. Patrons should be in for a real fascistic treat.

Comicon
Toronto’s annual festival of pop culture returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre March 16 to 18. Comicon features a slew of special guests none more sizable than 7-foot Joonas Suotamo, the Finnish basketball player best known for playing Chewbacca in the current crop of Star Wars movies. Other nerd-centric guests include Seth Gilliam, from The Walking Dead, alongside the traditional and very colourful cosplay areas, family zones, retail shops and more.

Toronto Irish Film Festival
Although most St. Patrick’s Day celebrations usually involve a trip to the pub, it is also an opportunity to explore Irish cinema, thanks to this annual film festival, March 2 to 4. The opening night gala includes the Toronto premiere of A Date for Mad Mary.

An American in Paris
Awaken your inner Gene Kelly, the Tony Award–winning blockbuster musical An American in Paris finally gets a Toronto run beginning March 27 at Princess of Wales Theatre.

Dan Auerbach
For one night only, Dan Auerback, of Black Keys fame, brings his Easy Eye Sound Revue to the Danforth Music Hall on March 29. The show features the Black Keys singer as well as artists from his own Easy Eye Sound record label such as Robert Finley and Shannon Shaw.

Angelique Kidjo
Grammy Award–winning, Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo, known as the Africa’s premier diva, returns to Toronto for a concert at Koerner Hall March 3.

Suuns
Montreal’s electro-art rock heroes return to Toronto on March 15 for a show at the Great Hall celebrating their new album, Felt, www.thegreathall.ca.

Lorde
Grammy Award–winning New Zealand pop star Lorde returns to town for a March 29 show at the ACC as part of her world tour in support of her latest album, Melodrama, with Mitski and hip-hop duo Run the Jewels.

Steff Ivory Conover, star of new series The Succulent Six, on following her dreams

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12:34 pm

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Not many career stories begin with literally being tapped on the shoulder by your calling, but for Steff Ivory Conover, one of the stars of the new CBC reality series The Succulent Six and a plus-size model, that’s exactly how it happened.

While sitting on a TTC bus, a scout for the Miss Plus Canada pageant tapped Conover on the shoulder and asked her if she’d ever considered plus-size modelling.

“I was like, ‘Me? No, I never thought about that in my life!’ ” Conover laughs.

At this point, Conover was on her way to a career as a professional artist and performer. She grew up in an incredibly creative household. Her mother was a dancer, her father a jazz bassist, and Conover used to write songs and put on plays with her sister and cousins.

She attended Leaside High School and loved the visual art studio the school had. She continued to pursue the arts after graduation, auditioning for Randolph College (formerly Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts) .

“In my heart of hearts, I really just wanted to be an artist. So I obviously jumped at the opportunity to be at Randolph.”

Conover says Randolph focused on how to make the arts a working profession, and that perspective changed everything for her.

“It was no longer a dream of being a performer. It was something I could sustain myself with financially but also emotionally and spiritually.”

But when she got that tap on the shoulder, Conover was still unsure, and she put aside thoughts of the pageant for a while. After graduating from Randolph, she modelled for the bra-fitting shop her sister was working at for a Bloor Street BIA fashion show.

“The crowd reaction to seeing a bigger body strutting down the street feeling confident, at ease and proud changed my life as well. I was the only plus-size model there that day, and I realized I needed to do something.”

So Conover registered to compete in the Miss Plus Canada pageant and ended up winning in 2007. But as a plus-size model, Conover thought it was important to speak out about the need for more diversity and representation in the industry.

“I want to see people hired for their individuality. I think we need to stop homogenizing what models look like, and that goes for the plus-size model world as well. We need to extend our ranges and our runways, but we also need to extend that into casting for humans.”

That has been just part of the mission of The Succulent Six, the new CBC series that follows Conover and four other plus-size activists as they partner with a “succulent sixth” person each episode and take on a challenge to get out of their comfort zones and complete missions to champion self-love.

The group of 5 women formed after doing a photo shoot together for International No Diet Day that went viral.

“We look for a need in ourselves that needs to be settled or fixed or a fear that should be taken down, and we document that mission,” says Conover.

The show, which is currently streaming on CBC.ca and the CBC app, falls in line with a lot of what Conover believes.

“I think people are tired of seeing these prettied up, gussied up, homogenized images of what they should look like,” she says. “I think everyone is craving authenticity, and that’s really what this series is about.”

10 hot restos we can’t stop talking about

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10:21 am

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PICK 6IX
In Montreal, restaurateur and chef Antonio Park is quite the big name. So leave it up to him to collab with Drake, Toronto’s biggest name, for Pick 6ix, T.O.’s buzziest new resto. Although Drake isn’t a co-owner of the 33 Yonge St. space, he’s graced the splashy sports bar aplenty. (Did we mention there’s a private loo for celebs?) Park’s menu includes sushi, fancy hot dogs, Kobe steak.… The place to be seen.

IL COVO
Talented chef Ryan Campbell gets schooled at Buca Yorkville. Leaves. Opens Il Covo, an ode to Italian tapas (cicchetti) at 585 College St. Imagine: linguine tossed with clams, calamari, scallops and mussels. Or: fried bread with shrimp, scallop and smoked lemon mayo? Everyone swoons. The end.

VIT BÉO
There has been plenty of gab about the now-open Vit Béo, sitting pretty at 858 Bloor St. W. Coming from the people behind Civil Liberties (a.k.a. the “pineapple bar”), look for tasty Vietnamese fare like ban xeo, a rice crepe with pork belly and prawn and pok pok chicken wings with caramel fish sauce.

ASSEMBLY CHEF’S HALL
We’re smitten. Fried chicken! Sushi! Tacos! BBQ! Drinks! Margaritas! Under one roof!

LOGA’S CORNER
We adore their deep-fried aloo (a.k.a. potato) momos for a buck.

FAMIGLIA BALDASSARRE
This Ital fave tucked away on Geary Ave. is a secret no more.

SUNRISE HOUSE
This Koreatown nook is always busy. Get pajeon and hot stone bibimbap.

ARDO
If you’ve not been to this King East paean to Sicily and charmed by chef Roberto, for shame!

ITACATE
March break has us craving some heat. Chomp on St. Clair West’s authentic tacos for a quick escape.

YEAHYEAHS
For our last Post meal, give us a slice or two of that hot hot hot Rosedale pizza.

What actor Gabriella Albino ate the week before she hit the stage

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9:33 am

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This month we enlisted actor Gabriella Albino to detail what she ate the week leading up to the debut of Bunny at Tarragon Theatre. Albino can be seen as Lola in the play which runs until April 1.

friday, feb. 16, start of tech week
I was born with an impressively long list of food allergies — from nuts to seeds to eggs to shellfish. They’re real, they’re life-threatening, and most of the time they make me feel really uncool and embarrassed. I’ve heard, “So … you just live off air and water?!” many a time. While my diet is more limited than the average person, food is one of the dear, sweet, great loves of life. Dinner tonight is pizza at my beloved Queen Margherita Pizza. The Gio Oldschool is what my dreams are made of. Fior di latte, roasted cherry tomatoes, prosciutto di parma, arugula. So. Delish.

saturday, feb. 17, rehearsal day
I chug a mango/raspberry/banana/kale/coconut milk smoothie then pop into my local coffee shop, Rooster Coffee, for a coconut milk London Fog and hop on the streetcar. Linner (because there is no time for separate lunch and dinner today) is maple-garlic-marinated chicken and a big kale salad with cabbage and pomegranate, sunflower seeds and balsamic dressing.

sunday, feb. 18, rehearsal day
I made oatmeal-banana-chocolate cookies to bring to the theatre today. These are such crowd-pleasers and the only way I make and keep friends. Post-rehearsal I pop into Wvrst for a celebratory drink. The cranberry cider they have on tap here is my favourite.

monday, feb. 19, day off
The day off! I make a quick basil pesto pasta for lunch and then head out for my weekly grocery shop. I am a fiercely committed meal planner and cooker on my days off. It comes from my time in theatre school where we had 13-hour days and only one day off to play catch-up on life.

tuesday, feb. 20, final rehearsal
For lunch I eat my go-to vegan sweet potato and kale chili recipe over brown rice with some coconut Greek yogurt on top. For dinner, it’s time to pump the brakes on all this homemade business. It’s tech week. I just got out of an 10-hour rehearsal, and I’m tired and hangry. I ordered thick, greasy pizza from Panago. It’s delicious and sure to give me bad dreams.

wednesday, feb. 21, first performance
First performance of Bunny is under our belt! I end the night at another local favourite, Aft Kitchen and Bar. It’s intimate, relaxing and oh so cosy. I sip on a glass of Valpolicella while my boyfriend and I catch up on our days. Then we inevitably order a plate of frites ’cause it’s my favourite late-night snack.

This 13-year-old is an award-winning wildlife photographer

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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9:43 am

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Josiah Launstein first got his paws on a camera at the tender age of five.

Fast-forward a few years, and the teen is now a second-time finalist in the esteemed Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Those keen to see his work can head to the Royal Ontario Museum, where the young photographer’s image of a raindrop-dusted caterpillar — shot in Chiang Rai, Thailand — will be on display until March 18.

In other news, Launstein has also just been named international Young Outdoor Photographer of the Year for the second time, making history in the process.

For sharp-eyed youngsters looking to follow in Launstein’s footsteps, GTA Photography Classes offers summer camps teaching photography basics and other camps that’ll get kids right in nature.

BlueBlood’s lavish castle backdrop can’t save the steakhouse from mediocrity

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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9:49 am

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If Sir Henry Pellatt were alive today, I’m guessing he’d be thrilled about the fancy steakhouse in his castle. Okay, maybe not thrilled. Maybe the guy would still be bitter about losing his castle. But if he had to lose it, what better tenant for a wannabe aristocrat than (they said it, we didn’t) BlueBlood Steakhouse from Liberty Entertainment Group?

However we feel about the food or the tab (more on that later), going for dinner in a castle is super cool. The restaurant’s main room, the oak room, is a Gothic splendour of dark oak columns and panelling, ornate carving garnishing floor to coffered ceiling. It looks exactly as a steakhouse in a castle ought to. With a portrait of Prince over the fireplace!

Too bad we didn’t have dinner in the oak room.

We were seated in a small side parlour, a pleasantly nondescript room. When we checked out the oak room after dinner and wondered aloud why we hadn’t been seated there, a waiter said: “Ask to be seated here next time.”

Next time? Fat chance. Dinner for two: $465 (including tax, tip and three glasses of wine plus one cocktail — not exactly alcoholic debauchery) did not buy a dinner even vaguely fit for an aristocrat.

The sole wonderful pre-dessert item we ate was ricotta porcini ravioli — deep complex savour — topped with rich braised short rib. Our other app — wagyu beef carpaccio — was splendidly marbled buttery beef, but its topping — truffle crumb — reminded me of what comes out of a ramen spice packet on a lazy day. I ask the waiter how they make it. He says they don’t; they buy it; and you can get it at a supermarket.

Then there are the fixings. The $14 fries are big, fat and mealy. They come with meh house-made ketchup. I’d prefer Heinz. Asparagus with lemon beurre blanc also meh. Too little beurre blanc, not buttery enough.

Same mouth feel to Béarnaise sauce — not buttery enough.

Also less than exciting is the $64 Australian lamb rack. I find the maple addition to the pistachio crust off-puttingly sweet, and my feelings about Australian lamb can be summed up in one word: Loblaws.

But steak is really the point here. Our 18 oz. $90 PEI strip loin is perfectly cooked, warm ruby heart and strong char. But I don’t love it. The waiter warned us that they season their steaks less than other steakhouses, and he proffered three different boutique salts. But large crystal fancy shmancy salt doesn’t season a steak.

It’s a great show, from drinks to dessert. The $20 old fashioned (a.k.a. Once Upon a Time) comes covered in a bell jar, wreathed in smoke that escapes when they lift the jar. Shazam! The profiterole dessert arrives, a shiny dark chocolate dome. The waiter pours warm salted caramel sauce over it, and the chocolate melts into a river, exposing house-made hazelnut ice cream (one of the best things they do) topped with choux pastry.

All show, no go. Perhaps perfectly in the tradition of Sir Henry.

Local Love: Toronto non-designer friends create body positive clothing line Ninety-Eight

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Andrew Mannsbach

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1:48 pm

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Who ever said that fashion designers get to have all the creative fun?

Following in the non-designer footsteps of Rihanna (or is it vice versa?) is Toronto’s very own Ninety-Eight. Brought to the world by a trio of pals with a bounty of retail knowledge — Shopgirls’ Michelle Germain and Maggie Murphy with Andrea McPhail — this local label is for, you guessed it, that other percentage of women. The majority.

Celebrate your figure this Valentine’s Day (and beyond) with the brand’s innovative shop-by-body-shape approach to clothing. We spoke to Germain about how it all came about.

You’ve been hawking Canadian goods to Parkdalians (and beyond) with your Shopgirls boutique for some time now. Why did three “non-designers” decide to start their own label, Ninety-Eight?Collectively we have 35-plus years of retail experience under our belts and are able to come at this with a retailers perspective in mind. Ninety-Eight was initially created as a necessity to add to my assortment at the shop. Since I only carry Canadian designers, I wasn’t finding enough options when it came to office wear with a twist, clothing that was comfortable, easy to care for, manufactured locally —all at an affordable price point.

So why did you decide to call it Ninety-Eight? How long did it take you to choose the name of your label?
Only two per cent of women look like those we see on the cover of fashion magazines. And yet most clothing lines are marketed and designed with these two per cent in mind. Crazy! What about the other ninety-eight per cent of us? That’s what Ninety-Eight is all about, creating styles that suit the other ninety-eight per cent of women who are perfectly happy with our imperfections.

The label uses a unique shop-by-body-shape approach, in which each garment is given a shape that corresponds with a different body type. Did this emerge from many years of dressing all the bodies?
After hearing day after day negative comments from my customers about things they hated about their bodies, I just couldn’t bear it anymore. What about the “good stuff” — things that are great about our body shapes? We’ve all seen it or thought it. Ninety-Eight is designed with all of the body shapes in mind. It’s an inclusive brand that provides options for everyone. So many times I’ve loved a brand but knew that I couldn’t wear it because of who they were designing for. With Ninety-Eight, we will always have your body shape in mind when we design the clothes.

How important was it to you to have everything made in Canada?
It’s a pillar to the Ninety-Eight brand. We support local, local supports us. It’s something we are all very proud of.

Tell us a bit about the super wearable kimono dress. How do you envision your customer wearing it?
The Kimono dress is such a beautiful silhouette, particularly for those of us who have a small waist and want to show it off. I see this dress paired with a platform sandal and jean jacket for a casual look. It’s so versatile, is offered in some great fabrics but most importantly, it’s super comfy. If it’s not easy and comfortable to wear, then we as designers simply don’t make it.

Stintz on Midtown: Condo crunch heads uptown

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9:13 am

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Ongoing construction at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue is now common. However, in light of two development applications filed just before the end of the year, it looks like there will be more activity at Yonge and Lawrence Avenue.

One of the applications is for a development at 41 Chatsworth Ave., the former site of a church. This is the second try by the developer to build condos on a neighbourhood street. The original application was denied by the Ontario Municipal Board. The summary of why the application was denied was succinct, and clearly outlined how applications need to be in keeping with the built form of the surrounding neighbourhood. The six-storey development was completely out of character with the surrounding properties, which are detached homes on wide lots.

The impertinence of the revised application is astounding in that the proposal completely ignores the spirit of the OMB ruling.

It is mind boggling why the developer figured that taking a floor off the top of the building would somehow be acceptable to the community and the City of Toronto. Either the developer did not read the OMB ruling or doesn’t particularly care. Although the application has been filed under a new developer, it turns out that it is the same developer with essentially the same plan. This is also the same developer that cut down trees next to a ravine without a permit on a Saturday morning.

If ever there was a fight worth having in north Toronto, it would be over this proposal.

The community is already gearing up for the fight. The residents organizing are far more knowledgeable about the process and have the resources to smack down this application, just like they did the last one.

In the meantime, the community should demand that Chatsworth remain a one-way westbound street from Yonge to Lawrence in order to prevent the developer from trying to turn it into a two-way street as they attempted to do in the last go-round.

The other application is for a 13-storey condo at 2908 Yonge Street, currently the site of a gas station. This plan is not as odious but is aggressive in height for the area.

North Toronto residents have witnessed much change over the past decade and are not NIMBYs. They are well versed in the development process and understand how to influence.

With an upcoming municipal election, residents are looking for leaders who understand how to build neighbourhoods.

Richmond Hill Town Council split on future of William Neal House

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10:06 am

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Over the past six years, the William Neal House has seen several different owners, at least two demolition applications and a flood remediation. Now a new application to demolish the home, known as the William Neal House, was submitted on Nov. 14, 2017 by the current owner, the Mansouri Group, which intends to build a Chrysler dealership on the subject lands.

The property, which was built in the American foursquare architectural style, was the last home of first Richmond Hill mayor William Neal, who lived there from 1972 until his death in 1979. He was elected mayor of Richmond Hill in 1957 — the year the village was incorporated as a town — and again in 1963. He opened the first Dodge dealerships in Canada in 1931 in Richmond Hill and the town’s first motor vehicle licensing office.

In 2014, following a demolition application, the Conservation and Review Board of Ontario (CRB) recommended that Richmond Hill designate the property as being of cultural heritage value based on its associative value. The CRB indicated that descriptions of the property in the heritage register be “revised to eliminate the references to ‘architectural’ value.”

Richmond Hill Town Council is split on this matter. Ward 2 councillor Tom Muench, in whose ward the William Neal House is situated, is pushing for demolition, believing that a Chrysler dealership would help bring jobs to the community while also honouring the legacy of William Neal.

“I understand the previous owners wanted a 12-storey building,” he said. “But this is a situation where they’re saying, ‘No, I’m just happy with a car dealership here.’ ”

However, Ward 5 councillor Karen Cilevitz, who sits on the Heritage Richmond Hill board, disagrees.

“There can be no question that the William Neal House deserves designation, deserves recognition and deserves to be saved,” she said. “[The CRB] looked at all the evidence that was given to them, and without hesitation, they specifically state in the report that this house has associative value and it deserves designation.”

Of some of his opponents, Muench remarked, “If they could, they would make every building in Richmond Hill heritage.”

Recently, Richmond Hill Town Council made a decision to defer the decision on whether to demolish the property or to designate it as heritage to March of 2019, so council can deliberate further with the developer on how best to proceed.