Steeles Avenue goes from worst to first

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9:01 pm

After taking home the title of worst road in Ontario last year, Steeles Avenue is poised to be named the best road in the province this month.

For the first time, CAA has asked residents to vote for the top 20 roads, alongside its annual worst roads poll.

Myles Currie, director of transportation services, said that the City of Toronto has been working hard over the spring and summer to improve roads.

“Approximately $15 million has been spent to resurface large portions of Steeles, so we’re happy that motorists are enjoying a smoother road,” he said.

Local councillor David Shiner said that before the work was done he would hear from constituents about the condition of Steeles Avenue on a regular basis.

“It was a really bumpy road with a lot of work that needed attention for an awful long time,” he said.

Shiner and Currie both saw Steeles Avenue as a priority. Federal stimulus funds have enabled the city to resurface a majority of the road.

An issue that is currently being ironed out is who pays what for work on Steeles Avenue, as it’s the dividing line between Toronto and York Region.

Kick it up!

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7:58 pm

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FIRST PLACE: TOP OF THE BOTTOMS

RON WHITE DYNASTY BOOTS $535 PAIGE LOS FELIZ LEGGINGS $265

“Fall is just around the corner, and it’s time to decide how you want to strut it. The leggingbootie
combo is timeless. It’s become a rock star classic — a look every woman loves!”

Where to get it: Booties: Ron White, 55 Bloor St. W. / Leggings: Honey, 2901 Bayview Ave.

RED BARONESS

TANGO LIPSTICK HEELS $645
JOE’S JEGGING $109

“Sexy, funky and feminine. Absolutely
beautiful shoes, irresistible.”

Tank top: Booties: Ron White, 55 Bloor St. W. / Leggings: Stylexchange, 1 Promenade Cir.

I LIKE TO MAUVE IT

CHIE MIHARA CLOTILDE HEELS $475 INWEAR JEGGINGS $99

“I really like these leggings, a great colour and the side zip gives a nice line.”

Tank top: Booties: Davids, 2901 Bayview Ave. / Leggings: Three 16, 538 Eglinton Ave. W.

LEATHER & LEGS

SAM EDELMAN BOOTIES $250 ALICE & OLIVIA LEGGINGS $365

“For those that can’t get enough of that rock and roll edge. Really hot leggings!”

Where to get it: Booties: Shoe Bag, 426 Eglinton Ave. W. / Leggings: Canopy Blue, 2582 Yonge St.

VIOLET STEMS

ROBERTO CAPUCCI BOOTIES $229 CUSTOM-MADE LEGGINGS $59

“Looks like leftovers from The NewMusic!”

Where to get it: Booties: Vitelli Shoes, 11 Disera Dr. / Leggings: Peach Berserk, 507 Queen St. W.

DAINTY DENIM

BCBG CARINO BOOTS $195 RICH & SKINNY JEGGINGS $235

“Beautiful soft leather on the boots and a nice colour.”

Where to get it: Booties: Heel Boy, 773 Queen St. W. / Leggings: Honey, 2901 Bayview Ave.

Jeanne Beker is the host and segment producer of Canada’s leading fashion series FashionTelevision. Catch her Sunday nights at 5:30 p.m. ET on CTV or visit www.FashionTelevision.com

Where have all the butterflies gone?

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12:00 pm

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JANE URQUHART HAS a memory etched onto her brain: a tree at the end of a lane, every inch covered with monarch butterflies to such an extent that it appeared to be on fire. The butterflies haven’t returned to her family’s rural farm in years, but it was an easy image to recall and one that was the jumping off point for her new novel, Sanctuary Line. The seventh novel for the award- winning novelist arrived at bookstores on Aug.31.

"It was magical, to say the least, because it was transforming a tree beyond all recognition, and we were always surprised by it,” says Urquhart, a Toronto native who moved off the family farm to the city as a child. “But for the last 15 years or so, the tree has remained empty of butterflies, and I am very disturbed about this.”

Urquhart’s narrarator is an entomologist who has returned to her family’s historic rural homestead to study butterflies. The story weaves together a star- crossed romance, monarch butterflies, Mexican migrant workers, the death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan and the history of a settler family, with startling ease.

The novel is partly an homage to Ontario’s family farms that Urquhart says are fading from existence here in Canada.

“It is partly about the disappearance of the family farm, another environmental indicator by the way, and my reaction to that,” Urquhart explains. “I think we’re coming to the end of a huge era, and I don’t think it is specific to Canada, but the end of the peasantry of the earth … I mean, we’re talking about the end of a tradition, the entire agricultural class upon whom we’re all dependent, by the way. And I feel this great loss.”

Urquhart herself comes from a family that would have been part of the settlement of Ontario. (Her family name is Quinn, and her roots extend back to Ireland where she still keeps a small cottage.)

As a result, she has become fascinated by settler history that saw poor families from overseas descend on the area to hack out a bit of bush and plant crops of one form or another.

“There is a kind of person whose way of life is dependent upon working the land, and I think those people are being pushed off the land,” she says. “They are disappearing in much the same way the monarch is disappearing.”

Catch Jane Urquhart at the International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront from Oct.20-30.

Mission possible: Five great wines for taste and value

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11:58 am

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IF THERE WERE a universal mission statement for the craft of wine writing, the first sentence would be: The primary responsibility is to advocate for the consumer. The next would be: Search out wines that are the best value in their price range.The goal is to find wines that punch above their weight, that is, they deliver great quality for the price. This does not necessarily mean that recommended wines should be less than $10. I get to taste a lot of wines at all price levels,and just as there are some clunkers at $9.95, there is also a lot of indifferent wine at three times the price.

For this month’s column, I have selected five wines that meet the criteria of great value for the price.

Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois White 2008 (Vintages #665166, $17.45) is a California wine in spite of its French name. The pun is based on the three grapes that make up the blend (the winery name is based on the ultimate realization of the two psychiatrists who created it — that the wine business is a hazardous one.There is a time-honoured joke: “Question: ‘How do you make a small fortune in the wine business?’ Answer: You start with a large one.’”) This is a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc with Italian Muscato, a sort of homage to Caymus Conundrum but less costly. The wine is pale straw in colour with a fragrant bouquet of orange blossom and peach. It’s medium-bodied, off-dry with a spicy melon and orange flavour, clean as a whistle.An ideal wine for quaffing, lightly chilled, on the patio or for serving with Thai or Chinese dishes.

Domaine des Charmilles Sancerre 2008 (Vintages #182915, $21.95). Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc has a different taste profile than New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is light straw in colour with a nose of elderberries and freshly cut grass. Those flavours, along with tart gooseberries, are replicated on the palate making this bone-dry wine lively and fresh. An ideal wine for seafood.

Monte Antico Toscana 2006 (Vintages #69377, $15) is a Chianti (Sangiovese) with 10 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 per cent Merlot blended in.The colour is dense purple with a nose of black cherries and currants. The fruit is very expressive and well structured; the tannins are soft and supple;and the finish savoury. A wine for tomato-based pastas or beef dishes.

Bodegas Patrocinio Senorios de Unuela Reserva 2001 (Vintages #172536, $16.95). This is an old- style Rioja red with some bottle age. Deep ruby in colour, it has abouquet of strawberries andsandalwood.The American oak sits lightly on the spicy fruit refreshed by the acidity.Serve it with lamb.

Anvers Brabo Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2008 (Vintages #686657,$16.95).This full-bodied blend from South Australia has been made for early drinking. Its dense purple colour is evidence of great fruit extraction. On the nose you get aromas of black fruits with an herbal note. The palate offers sweet spicy blackberry and blackcurrant flavours with nicely integrated oak.Match it with steak or barbecued ribs.

Rockin’ rolls

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11:52 am

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SUPERB FRESHNESS AND quality of fish are what set Nigiri-Ya apart from other sushi places around town — that and the actual location that endearing owners and husband-and-wife team Yasu and Kimi Ouchi chose for their venture.

The frills are few in this matchbox room that seats 15, which opened three months ago off the beaten track on a mostly residential street in Leaside. Nigiri-Ya focuses on turning out premium takeout, but they’ve gone ahead and made the teeny dine-in space feel welcoming anyway.

Yasu — whose rap sheet includes stints at Nobu and Crown Casino Hotel in Australia and who can brag of turning out bundles of fish and rice to the likes of Keanu Reeves, Matt Damon and Nicole Kidman — focuses on enhancing the natural flavours of ingredients by light searing and/or by adding complementary sauces.

The menu, like the room, keeps things simple — appetizers, house specialties, classic rolls, Nigiri-Ya rolls, sushi and sashimi.

Seaweed salad ($3.99), one of just three appetizers (the other two being edamame and miso soup), brings subtly sweet,inherently chewy strips of wakame stirred with raw sesame seeds and just-detectable ground red pepper flakes — a refreshing opener. Famous aburi sushi ($14.50) assembles one piece each of eel,scallop and butterfish plus two of salmon. Yasu favours preparing sushi in the aburi style, which is like making crème brûlée by using a blowtorch. Each ever-so-lightly seared morsel,playing pedestal on small bundles of rice (a.k.a. nigiri), outdoes the next, with sesame seed–dusted,creamy butterfish in a league of its own.

Classic rolls entice — yellowtail, tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber or marinated squash, six pieces each, from $4.50 to $6.99 — but Nigiri-Ya rolls win out.

House special roll ($12.75) sees five walloping pucks of nori wrapped around tuna, salmon, whitefish, scallions and a smear of house sauce (a combination of ginger, garlic and sesame oil). More raw sesame seeds dusted overtop add texture. So many flavours in each mouthful have the potential to overwhelm, but the quality of fish and expert rolling keep things in check. Even the off-white pickled ginger and squirt of whipped wasabi reflect Yasu’s dedication to quality.

The only letdown of our lunch comes in the form of crunchy tempura shrimp,another Nigiri-Ya roll ($9.50). Too much mayonnaisey sauce and the precooking of battered and deep-fried crustaceans are the culprits here, which even skilled assembling, teensy fresh cucumber matchsticks and drizzles of tsume glaze (sake, mirin, sugar, fish stock and soy) can’t placate.

Phone ahead for takeout orders. Free parking.

CHEQUE PLEASE
NIGIRI-YA
897 Millwood Rd.,416-423-4419
Dinner for two,excluding tax,tip and alcohol
$50
(Three and a half stars out of five)

Superman never made any money, but Crash Test Dummies frontman is hopeful

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11:43 am

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BRAD ROBERTS MAY be the main man behind the Crash Test Dummies, but he’s no blockhead. When the Grammy-nominated group started to fade away in 2004, after selling millions of albums over the past decade, and money slowed to a trickle, he pulled the plug. He thought, for good.

But thanks to a children’s toy called an Optigan and a new songwriting partner, Roberts and his booming baritone are back with a new album and a new Canadian tour that checks into Toronto this fall.

“What brought me down six years ago, when I stopped making records,was that it was simply not profitable in any way,” says Roberts, from his home in New York City.

“The only way to really make any money is to tour for years, endlessly, and I didn’t really want to do that. So, I swore off songwriting.”

It was only recently that Roberts had a serendipitous turn of events when he met Stewart Lerman, a New York–based music producer doing a lot of soundtrack work in recent years. That collaboration, combined with Roberts’s new found love of vintage instruments, and the Optigan in particular, resulted in a surge of creative energy.

“As we wrote songs, we’d come together, do overdubs, but we had no intention of releasing it. It was more a fun thing we did, and we didn’t even do it very often,” says Roberts.

“But it turned into a monster, and we became quite prolific, and the music turned out so well, and we both said, we gotta try and release this somehow.”

The album Oooh La La! (www.crashtestdummies.com) was released last spring, 11 tracks with a genre range heretofore unheard of in the Dummies canon. Thanks in large part, says Roberts, to the Optigan.

A toy from the ’60s, the Optigan used optical film technology to generate audio. Roberts compares it to a very low-fi, analog sampler. Kids would select any number of genre discs, sold separately of course, such as Big Band, Guitar Boogie or Polynesian Village and play along.

“It was all meant for people who didn’t know how to play music,” Roberts explains. “It was not considered in any way a professional recording instrument. You’d have been laughed out of the studio at that time. But now, in retrospect, it has this very eery, evocative quality.”

And thanks to the variety of discs Roberts was able to secure (thank you, eBay), he was soon exploring new musical styles.

“For example, we are not in the big band genre, but they had a big band disc, so we wrote a big band tune by virtue of having this disc.” Roberts laughs. “It became a fountain of creativity.”

The new album, according to Roberts, is generating more positive feedback than the band has received in years.

“I’m very happy and flattered,” says Roberts. “We are really putting our balls out there doing this completely different thing.… And there is plenty more left. These songs are just the tip of the iceberg.”

The band, touring as a three- piece, has already played a number of dates in key American cities and will be making their way through Canada this fall.

“The crowds have been unbelievable,” says Roberts. “We haven’t toured in so long that people who wanted to see us were dying to see us. I haven’t had this much fun touring in my life.”

Roberts and the Dummies burst onto the Canadian music scene in 1991 with the now-classic “Superman Song” off their debut album The Ghosts That Haunt Me. Their follow-up, 1993’s God Shuffled his Feet, containing the hit song “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm,” broke the band in the United States, and the album sold 10 million copies.

So long, outdoor play?

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11:37 am

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WHEN I WAS growing up in my hometown in the early 1950s,back doors would flap open between 5:30 and 6 p.m.,and parents would call their kids to come home for dinner.We’d be out playing in the park,empty lot,or nearby ditch or creek.Back then,there wasn’t a TV station nearby, and those who had TVs had to capture signals from Cleveland or Detroit. There were no computers,cellphones or digital anything. Our fun was outdoors.

Now, according to author Richard Louv, only six per cent of nine- to 13-year-old children in the U.S. play outside weekly. This is reflected by a dramatic decline in swimming, biking and fishing. Mr. Louv, cofounder of the Children and Nature Network, noted that, in San Diego, “90 percent of inner- city kids don’t know how to swim” and “34 percent have never been to a beach.”

I live near the ocean, and when my children were in primary school, I would watch the tide charts for exceptionally low tides so I could take my daughters’ classes to the beach. It always surprised me to see how many of the kids had never been to a “wild” beach. Most had never rolled over a rock to find crabs, blennies, and anemones. Often, the immediate reaction was “Yuck,” but I never found a child who wasn’t entranced within a few minutes to find these natural wonders.

Now that I’m an old man, my sentiments may simply reflect nostalgia for the “good old days.” Children today find it hard to fathom the world of my childhood. “What did you do?” they ask in amazement. They can’t imagine a world without all the electronic accoutrements of their instant plugged-in world.

The eminent Harvard biologist E. O. Wilson coined the term “biophilia,”referring to our need to affiliate with other species (bio = life; philia= love). He believes this is built into our genes, a reflection of our evolutionary roots.In cities, we increasingly work against our biophilic needs by instilling a biophobia.

We teach our children by the way we react to nature’s intrusion into our homes: Take that out. Don’t touch. It might bite. This is a problem because the way we treat the world around us is a direct reflection of our values and beliefs. Compare the way we treat another species when we believe it is our biological kin rather than just a resource, commodity, or opportunity. The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it, and we will only protect what we know and love.

But our cities have developed with more regard for the needs of cars and commerce than people.

That’s why many environmentalists are concerned with the way young people are growing up. Modern technology offers a virtual world without hazards or discomfort — and without all the joys that the real world has to offer. Unless we are willing to encourage children to reconnect with the natural world, we can’t expect them to help protect and care for it.

What's mine is yours when it comes to men

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11:31 am

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DATING IN YOUR 30s is so different from your 20s. Am I right? In your 30s, you’ve been with the bad boy, the nice guy, the artist, the investment banker. When the investment banker type didn’t work out, we went back to the artist type. If he was bad, then we tried good, then probably bad again.

If you’re like me (in your 30s), your friends probably know what type of man is better suited for you. (All my friends tell me what kind of guy I need.) But, the good news, though it might come as a surprise, is it’s even easier to meet men in your 30s.

Instead of meeting drunk, underemployed, immature men at the Madison, you don’t even have to leave your house!

You barely have to work at it at all. That’s because women are looking out for their friends and “passing on” their dates — sometimes before the date has even ended. We’re not possessive of our men. In fact, we’re generous!

Case in point: On a recent weeknight in front of the television watching an old episode of Entourage, I received a text from a friend at a bar on College Street.

She was on a blind date. She wrote: “He’s sweet, nice, don’t think he’s for me, but soooooooo for you.” I grinned.I’m not looking, but it’s nice to have friends thinking about you — especially while on their own dates. A couple hours and a few alcoholic beverages later, the same friend texted me. This time she wrote, “I’m now drunk. I’m thinking I can make out with him … not to say I won’t pass him on to you next. Don’t worry. Xo.”

I hate to be the one to share this little game that runs rampant in Toronto. But I will. Let’s call it Passing on Men, because that’s what it is, and it sure as hell beats Scrabble (even though I can kick your ass at Scrabble.)

I like this game because I don’t think men know we do it. Many women complain about how evil men are to them. But the women I know? Well, trust me, we’re the ones in control. Men may think they’re in charge of whom they date, but, really, like most things in the world, it’s us women who are in control, quietly working behind the scenes pulling the strings.

Last month, I was in Yorkville meeting Recently Separated Socialite for sangrias and a cheese plate.

“Who was that artist you were telling me about?” she asked. Right. I had told her I could fix her up with an artist I had met but wasn’t into because he was a little too self- obsessed and I was off artists at the time. But he was hot and fun. “I’ll get him to get in touch with you. No problem,” I said. “I’ll do it right now.” I texted Hot Artist Boy that I have a friend he has to meet and that they’d be perfect together. “Done,” I said, placing my BlackBerry on the table. Within seconds, he replied, “Really? Um, OK.What’s her number?”

“Good,” my friend responded, then added, “Hey, I was just on a blind date. He’s an investment banker, but he has three kids and I’m not ready for that,” she told me. “But he may be good for you because you have a child. Should I ask him to go out with you?”

So, there we were, talking about trading men in 2010 as casually as if we were exchanging recipes back in 1950.

Yes, I’ll admit, I’m not just a bystander in the Passing on Men game. I went on a date a while ago with a man who was GOP — “good on paper.”

He picked out a quaint restaurant in Leaside, picked me up in a convertible sports car. But, 10 minutes into our dinner conversation (about his allergies), I knew this guy was not for me. If he thought allergy talk was entertaining getting-to-know-you talk, could you imagine what the conversations would be like if I really got to know him.

The following day, I went shopping with my girlfriend at Anthropologie and was telling her about Boring Convertible Guy when she announced she had the perfect friend for him. Perfect because her friend was sort of boring, too! I went home and e- mailed my date, admitting that I didn’t think we had sparks, but my friend has a friend who would be interested in meeting him. Guess what? He was game!

So, guys, next time you’re out with a gal and trying to impress her, just remember that she could already be hard at work — fixing you up with her girlfriends.

Who knows? You could be in the middle of your date and not even know it. In fact, right now, I’m about to e-mail a friend who’s only looking for fun about Crazy Business Guy whom I went on one date with (yes, one, he owns a pit bull and gets into bar fights). They’d be perfect together. So I’m passing him on while I sit back and relax in front of my television, waiting for another friend to go on her date and pass her guy on.

It will happen. After all, as the saying goes, one woman’s garbage is another woman’s treasure. Or, in this city, at least a date.

North York Revealed

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3:59 pm

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1,083 BORN IN THE USA: AMERICAN INVASION

We’re almost four times as likely to have been born in the USA when compared to the Toronto average.

ON THE PROWL: 37% YONGE AND ELIGIBLE

The percentage of area residents who are single.

WHO’S THE BOSS? 17.9 PER CENT

The percentage of Village residents whose primary occupation is management.

PYJAMA PROS: 2x

We are twice as likely to work from home than the rest of T.O.

EAST OF EDEN: 24%

The percentage of us who list Asia and the Middle East as our country of origin.

LICKETY SPLIT: Higher divorce rate

We are 14 per cent more likely to be divorced than the average Torontonian.

SUN, SAND, SURF: 2.3

We spend 130 per cent more than the Toronto average on vacation homes

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?

Our purchasing habits tell us a lot about who we are. We buy stuff we need (houses), stuff we want (cars) and stuff we love (Leafs tickets). But $21 million on hair grooming? We have no explanation for that.

$13 mil: VAIN!

The amount the area spends on hair grooming each year — nearly $1,000 per household.

$14 mil: VAINER!

The amount the Village spends on dental services, some 93 per cent more than the Toronto norm.

Cars: ZOOM ZOOM

Each household spends $4,244 on automobiles annually, 34 per cent more than the Toronto average.

3x CARDIO COMMUTE

We’re more than three times as likely to walk or bike to work.

Drugs: $3.2 MILLION

The amount we spend as a community on prescriptions per year, slightly more than the Toronto average.

$2.3 mil: THE PRICE OF PEACE

The amount we spend annually on kids’ camps, 156 per cent more than the T.O. avg. We spend $1.5 million on musical instruments.

Karma: SWEET CHARITY

We give an average of $885 to religious charities each year, 1.6 times the Toronto average. We give $847 to non-religious charities.

1946 THIS OLD HOUSE

Fifty per cent of our homes were built before 1946. Only 2.6 per cent were built from ’01 to ’06.

Bank Robbery: FINANCIAL FEES

We pay $4 million in bank service charges annually (some $278 per household), 115 per cent more than the T.O. norm.

Go Leafs go: $3.6 MILLION

The amount we spend on live sports events, 220 per cent more than the Toronto average

Life’s a gamble

As a community, we spend $10.6 million on games of chance (casinos, lotteries, bingos) each year, but only win $4.3 million.

DISCLAIMER: The data used in this article is derived from Manifold Data Mining Inc. data product “SuperDemographics 2010” based on Census 2006 licensed from Statistics Canada and analyzed by Ipsos- Reid. No confidential information about an individual, household, organization or business has been obtained from Statistics Canada. In order to obtain data that reflect typical readers of Post City Magazines, data was filtered to include only owned homes within Post City Magazine areas. For accuracy of comparison, data for Toronto as a whole was likewise filtered to include owned homes.

Forest Hill Revealed

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3:55 pm

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1,083 BORN IN THE USA: AMERICAN INVASION

We’re almost four times as likely to have been born in the USA when compared to the Toronto average.

ON THE PROWL: 37% PLAYING THE FIELD

The percentage of area residents who are single.

WHO’S THE BOSS? 17.9 PER CENT

The percentage of North Torontonians whose primary occupation is management.

PYJAMA PROS 2x

We are twice as likely to work from home than the rest of T.O.

EAST OF EDEN 67%

The percentage of us who list Asia and the Middle East as our country of origin.

LICKETY SPLIT: Higher divorce rate

We are 14 per cent more likely to be divorced than the average Torontonian.

SUN, SAND, SURF: 2.3

We spend 130 per cent more than the Toronto average on vacation homes.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?

Our purchasing habits tell us a lot about who we are. We buy stuff we need (houses), stuff we want (cars)
and stuff we love (Leafs tickets). But $13 million on hair grooming? We have no explanation for that.

$13 mil: VAIN!

The amount the area spends on hair grooming each year — nearly $1,000 per household.

$14 mil: VAINER!

The amount the Village spends on dental services, some 93 per cent more than the Toronto norm.

Cars: ZOOM ZOOM

Each household spends $4,244 on automobiles annually, 34 per cent more than the Toronto average.

3x CARDIO COMMUTE

We’re more than three times more likely to walk or bike to work.

Drugs: $3.2 MILLION

The amount we spend as a community on prescriptions per year, slightly more than the Toronto average.

$2.3 mil: THE PRICE OF PEACE

The amount we spend annually on kids’ camps, 156 per cent more than the T.O. avg. We spend $1.5 million on musical instruments.

Karma: SWEET CHARITY

We give an average of $885 to religious charities each year, 1.6 times the Toronto average. We give $847 to non-religious charities.

1946 THIS OLD HOUSE

Fifty per cent of our homes were built before 1946. Only 2.6 per cent were built from ’01 to ’06.

Bank Robbery: FINANCIAL FEES

We pay $4 million in bank service charges annually (some $278 per household), 115 per cent more than the T.O. norm.

Go Leafs go $3.6 MILLION

The amount we spend on live sports events, 220 per cent

Life’s a gamble

As a community, we spend $6.5 million on games of chance (casinos, lotteries, bingos) each year, but
only win $2.7 million.

DISCLAIMER: The data used in this article is derived from Manifold Data Mining Inc. data product “SuperDemographics 2010” based on Census 2006 licensed from Statistics Canada and analyzed by Ipsos- Reid. No confidential information about an individual, household, organization or business has been obtained from Statistics Canada. In order to obtain data that reflect typical readers of Post City Magazines, data was filtered to include only owned homes within Post City Magazine areas. For accuracy of comparison, data for Toronto as a whole was likewise filtered to include owned homes.

Bayview Revealed

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3:44 pm

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637 BORN IN THE USA: AMERICAN INVASION

We’re 1.64 times as likely to have been born in the USA when compared to the Toronto average.

ON THE PROWL: 31% PLAYING THE FIELD

The percentage of area residents who are single.

WHO’S THE BOSS? 18.7 PER CENT

The percentage of North Torontonians whose primary occupation is management.

PYJAMA PROS 2x

We are twice as likely to work from home than the rest of T.O.

EAST OF EDEN 67%

The percentage of us who list Asia and the Middle East as our country of origin.

UNITED WE STAND: Lower divorce rate

We are 23 per cent less likely to be divorced than the average Torontonian.

SUN, SAND, SURF: 1.3

We spend 30 per cent more than the Toronto average on vacation homes.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?

Our purchasing habits tell us a lot about who we are. We buy stuff we need (houses), stuff we want (cars) and stuff we love (Leafs tickets). But $21 million on hair grooming? We have no explanation for that.

$12 mil: VAIN!

The amount Bayview spends on dental services, some 31 per cent more than the Toronto norm.

$14 mil: VAINER!

The amount the area spends on hair grooming each year — $821 per household.

Cars: ZOOM ZOOM

Each household spends $4,106 on automobiles annually, 29 per cent more than the Toronto average.

15% CARDIO COMMUTE

We’re 15 per cent more likely to walk or bike to work.

Drugs: $3.8 MILLION

The amount we spend as a community on prescriptions per year, slightly more than the Toronto average.

$3.5 mil: THE PRICE OF PEACE

The amount we spend annually on kids’ camps, 214 per cent more than the T.O. avg. We spend $1.6 million on musical instruments.

Karma: SWEET CHARITY

We each give an average of $519 to religious charities every year, just less than the Toronto average. We give $818 to non-religious charities.

1946 THIS OLD HOUSE

Twenty-eight per cent of our homes were built between 1946 and 1960. Nearly 10 per cent were built between 2001 and 2006.

Bank Robbery: FINANCIAL FEES

We pay $3.5 million in bank service charges annually (some $201 per household), 55 per cent more than the T.O. norm.

Go Leafs go $2.7 MILLION

The amount we spend on live sports events, 93 per cent more than the T.O. average.

Life’s a gamble

As a community, we spend $7.4 million on games of chance (casinos, lotteries, bingos) each year, but
win only $3 million.

DISCLAIMER: The data used in this article is derived from Manifold Data Mining Inc. data product “SuperDemographics 2010” based on Census 2006 licensed from Statistics Canada and analyzed by Ipsos- Reid. No confidential information about an individual, household, organization or business has been obtained from Statistics Canada. In order to obtain data that reflect typical readers of Post City Magazines, data was filtered to include only owned homes within Post City Magazine areas. For accuracy of comparison, data for Toronto as a whole was likewise filtered to include owned homes.

Richmond Hill Revealed

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BORN IN THE USA: AMERICAN INVASION

We’re 37 per cent more likely to have been born in the USA when compared to the GTA average.

ON THE PROWL: 30% PLAYING THE FIELD

The percentage of area residents who are single.

WHO’S THE BOSS? 15 PER CENT

The percentage of Richmond Hillers whose primary occupation is management.

PYJAMA PROS: 24

We are 24 per cent as likely to work from home than the rest of the GTA

EAST OF EDEN: 54%

The percentage of us who list Asia and the Middle East as our country of origin.

UNITED WE STAND: Lower Divorce Rate

We are 7 per cent less likely to be divorced than the average GTA resident.

SUN, SAND, SURF: $11.5 Million

The amount we as an area spend on vacation homes

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?

Our purchasing habits tell us a lot about who we are. We buy stuff we need (houses), stuff we want (cars)
and stuff we love (Leafs tickets). But $15 million on hair grooming? We have no explanation for that.

$12 mil: VAIN!

The amount Richmond Hill spends on dental services, some $440 per household.

$15 mil: VAINER!

The amount the area spends on hair grooming each year — $565 per household.

Cars: ZOOM ZOOM

Each household spends $3,400 on automobiles annually, 7 per cent more than the GTA average.

3.0 RESOLUTE COMMUTE

The percentage of us who walk or bike to work.

Drugs: $4.5 MILLION

The amount we spend as a community on prescriptions per year, 19 per cent less than the GTA average.

$1.5 mil: THE PRICE OF PEACE

The amount we spend annually on kids’ camps. We also spend $1.7 million on musical instruments.

Karma: SWEET CHARITY

We each give an average of $456 to religious charities and $363 to non-religious charities every year, more than the GTA average.

71% BRICK BY BRICK

Seventy-one per cent of houses in Richmond Hill are single detached homes.

Bank Robbery: FINANCIAL FEES

We pay $3.5 million in bank service charges annually (some $131 per household), slightly higher than the GTA norm.

Go Leafs go: $1.9 MILLION

The amount we spend on live sports events.

Life’s a gamble

As a community, we spend $6.9 million on games of chance (casinos, lotteries, bingos) each year, but
win only $2.8 million.

DISCLAIMER: The data used in this article is derived from Manifold Data Mining Inc. data product “SuperDemographics 2010” based on Census 2006 licensed from Statistics Canada and analyzed by Ipsos- Reid. No confidential information about an individual, household, organization or business has been obtained from Statistics Canada. In order to obtain data that reflect typical readers of Post City Magazines, data was filtered to include only owned homes within Post City Magazine areas. For accuracy of comparison, data for Toronto as a whole was likewise filtered to include owned homes.