Biana Zorich and Marc Thuet's blog: Ex-cons to gospel choirs

2:45 pm

September is here and the stage is set for an exciting fall season. The kids are back in school and we’re busy catering parties for TIFF. At the restaurant on King, it’s back to business after taking time this summer to launch our second location of Petite Thuet at King and Yonge, creating a new cookbook and enjoying our annual end-of-summer tradition of pickling and preserving. This year’s standout batches include: peaches, apricots, beans, and new cucumber jam (very tasty!).

This month also marks the debut of our new TV show, Conviction Kitchen, airing on Sunday nights on City TV at 10PM.

Filmed last spring, the show follows us (literally…for months we couldn’t turn around without bumping into a camera) as we hire, fire and train a staff of recently released ex-convicts in search of a second chance. We were really inspired by the thought of helping people turn a new chapter in their lives. So, like in everything we do, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. At times, tempers flared. In the kitchen, flames flared. And sometimes, we lost our cool. But judging by the overwhelmingly positive reaction of our family and friends who gathered together the other night to watch the first episode, I can now say it was all worth it, and mean it.

We took a gamble and put the reputation of our business on the line. We weren’t so worried about our personal reputations. Sure, there’s no shortage of swearing but at the end of the day I knew we were in this for the right reasons and I was hopeful that this would come across in the series. But business is business and this business is our lives. The prospect of turning over our kitchen and dining room to a cast of ex-cons who had never dined in a restaurant such as ours, let alone work in one, was a daunting challenge to say the least. However, the dedication of everyone involved pushed us through the obstacles. Now as viewers and guests of the restaurant will see, we truly are one big, extended family.

It was a slightly surreal experience watching the show in the same space where we spent so many months being filmed. There were times both of us were surprised by what we saw or about something we said in the heat of the moment. But because it’s a documentary, there were no retakes (or hair and make-up people for that matter!). It’s true what they say, “what you see is what you get." The show is an honest look at the often times hectic but always exciting life in the restaurant industry. Here’s a clip.

We are excited to share our thoughts and experiences with you through this blog. We’ll be sure to update it regularly and promise to share some of our most-requested recipes of the season in this space as well as more on our adventures and culinary pursuits. We’ve got a delicious fall menu in the works for Conviction featuring traditional faves like Cassoulet de Toulouse, the chef’s famous choucroute, short ribs and much more. Also back by popular demand is Gospel Sundays, our unique brunch experience featuring the soul-stirring sounds of a gospel choir. Join us and book your reservation by calling 416-603-2777.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more to come.

World-renowned executive chef, Marc Thuet, and his wife and business partner, Biana Zorich, will be blogging weekly for PostCity.com about their new show and restaurant.

Olympian Josée Chouinard on getting your kids on the ice

12:06 pm

When filling those after-school hours, sports programs are a great option, but even experts have trouble deciding on the best fit for their kids.

“I’m right in there … thinking about that for my own kids, ” says Chouinard from her car on the road home from Quebec where she attended a competition with young members of Toronto’s exclusive Granite Club.

Chouinard has four-year-old twins and says deciding what sports to put them into takes serious thought. At the same time, she believes there are some that are primarily important.

“It’s like, if you’re Canadian,” she says, “you kind of have to know how to skate and you kind of have to know how to swim for safety reasons.” Her own kids have been on the ice and in the water already, but she’s keeping it casual. “It really is recreational at this point,” she says. “It’s just fun for them to know some different sports. I was thinking of putting them into soccer this summer, but I think that can wait until next year.”

Chouinard says she’s still trying to get a sense of who her kids will ultimately be. “Like, do they like individual sports? Are they more team sport oriented? They did gymnastics, too, even before skating.”

In fact, Chouinard put her children into a tot-mom gymnastics program before their second birthday and certainly before she laced them into their first skates.

“It teaches them to listen to a teacher, to take instruction from someone other than their mum. And it also teaches them agility and coordination in a fun, play environment,” she explains. “In some ways, it’s very similar to if they go to play in a park, climb and slide and all that.… Plus, it’s a warm environment.”

Chouinard says keeping little ones warm is key if you want them to enjoy their early days in sports. Being cold isn’t fun and can negatively influence children, causing them to dislike various sports without giving those activities a real chance. Chouinard herself remembers her early days in an outdoor swimming pool and on the ice, and how feeling cold kept her from loving the experiences completely.

Though she became a beloved Canadian champion, Chouinard got into skating relatively late. Beginning when she was seven, she didn’t transition from recreational to competitive until she was nearly ten years old. It was her recreational instructor who noticed her talent and approached her parents to suggest that they get her a more advanced teacher, though at the time there were no guarantees.

“I was doing ballet, and I was doing swimming, and I was playing volleyball at the same time. I was very athletic,” she says. “So it’s hard to say what would have happened. I was very athletic at a young age, and I can see that in my kids, too. It’s hard to know if your kids are just athletic or if there’s something more.”

All that said, Chouinard says there are definite benefits to getting your kids on the ice early.

“I think figure skating is the best way to learn the basics of skating,” she says. “Wherever you take it — to speed skating, to hockey or to more figure skating — it is a great way to start.”

She suggests that little boys learn to skate on blades with toe picks. “It’s a little bit easier to go from figure skates to hockey skates than it is to go from hockey to figure skates,” she explains. Skating is also a good start on the road to skiing. For one thing, “it’s a lot easier to go to a rink than it is to go to a ski hill.” And the balance and stability they learn will help them on the mountain.

If it happens that your kids do have exceptional talent, desire and determination, you should feel free to test competitive waters, but Chouinard warns parents to be careful: “A coach can be replaced,” she says, “but not a parent.” Be supportive, but remember your role. “Stay a parent,” she says.

East Coast sensation ready for national acclaim

11:48 am

Amelia Curran is destined to become the next great breakout artist from the East Coast. Her latest CD, and first label effort, Hunter Hunter, is her finest to date and should be enough to propel her career to the national level.

Born and raised in St. John’s, Nfld., Curran picked up the guitar and started writing songs when she was 1, and took to busking on Water Street at 18.

“Music is tricky. It wasn’t like a lightning bolt struck or anything,” says Curran, of her decision to pursue music. “I was busking on the street in St. John’s when I was young, and it was just a natural flow — open mics, then hosting open mics, then I moved to Nova Scotia in 1999.”

While in Nova Scotia, Curran recorded four albums she released independently, the latest of which, War Brides, was re-released on Six Shooter Records last year. She has been nominated for a number of East Coast Music Awards and has garnered quite a following in the local scene. But her talent is far beyond that of a regional artist.

Curran gravitated to the legendary lyrics of crooner Leonard Cohen during her formative years. “That man can really paint a picture. I admire that in all his writing,” says Curran. “He’s inspiring, his writing is just second to none.”

Though not easily comparable, Curran’s emotional lyrics and ability to evoke strong images demands attention. Throw in the throaty growl and barroom philosophy of Tom Waits and the folk stylings of artists such as Kathleen Edwards, and one begins to get a clear idea of Curran’s talent.

“I don’t mind saying I’m a pretty sensitive and emotional person,” says Curran, of her moving lyrics. “I could write a sad song about spilt milk if I had to.”

But Curran adds a generous serving of booze and blues and darkness to balance the musical equation. “It is very pointed and a little bit dark,” says Curran of the new album. “You have to search for the light. It is there, the positivity is there, but I’m not going to make it easy. You have to trudge through it for a while.”

She says she tends to write in themes rather than day-to-day subject matter. With Hunter, Hunter, Curran writes of self, memory, forgiveness and desire.

“There is a reason matters of the heart have been the subject for artists for centuries,” says Curran. “It is uncontrollable and owns us. Even to give up on love is to break one’s own heart, which in itself is a precious part of love.”

Although Curran’s fifth album (The first and second are no longer available, so don’t look), this is her first release on a “bona fide” record label: Toronto’s Six Shooter Records. Martin Tielli, her label mate and former member of seminal rock band the Rheostatics, designed the artwork for the cover.

“It is intimidating at first to make,” says Curran of her first foray into making music with a record label behind her. “I’ve never had to report to anyone, but everyone has been so great.”

T.O. area fastest growing region in North America

11:30 am

According to author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the world is flat. By this, he means the planet has effectively become seamless as a result of globalization and the interconnections brought about by email, cheap transcontinental flights, and the easy flow of goods and services across borders.

Economic geographer Richard Florida believes otherwise. In his best-selling book Who’s Your City?, Florida argues that the world is a “spiky place,” characterized by a concentration of economic activity, innovation, and resulting prosperity in a relatively small number of urban hot spots around the planet.

“In terms of both sheer economic horse-power and cutting-edge innovation, today’s global economy is powered by a surprisingly small number of places,” Florida writes. “The tallest spikes — the cities and regions that drive the world economy — are growing ever higher, while the valleys — places that boast little, if any, economic activity — mostly languish.”

This is especially true in Canada. Despite being a vast nation of mountains, forests, and ice, where wilderness and wildlife feature prominently in what Florida calls our “nature-loving, outdoorsy culture,” Canada is an urban society. Close to 80 per cent of Canadians live in cities, and more than half of our country’s economic wealth is generated in five metropolitan areas (Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary and Montreal) while rural and resource-based communities in the nation’s heartland remain economically vulnerable.

Florida believes the concentration of people, and especially newcomers, in these urban areas has generated many desirable benefits, such as scientific advancements; explosions of creativity in art, writing, and music; and thousands of jobs in the emerging green-tech sector.

Although Canadian cities have emerged as centres of human capital, their growth has had a devastating impact on natural capital — ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and rivers that sustain the health and well-being of the very people who live there.

Take the Golden Horseshoe, a large area that encompasses the Niagara Peninsula, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo and the region’s anchor, the Greater Toronto Area.

Nearly a quarter of Canada’s population lives here, in the fastest growing region in North America. Florida heaps praise upon this densely populated corridor, citing its successful high-tech companies, access to venture capital, world-class universities, ethnic diversity and lively arts and culture.

It is a vibrant place. But this mega-region has come together largely in an unplanned mess of urban sprawl. A once diverse mosaic of woodlands, wetlands and towns, productive farmland has been replaced with a seemingly endless expanse of built-up areas, crisscrossed with hydro lines, highways, and trophy homes.

A David Suzuki Foundation report released last year concluded that an alarming 16 per cent of farmland in the Greater Toronto Area was lost to urban encroachment between 1996 and 2001. This represents the loss of thousands of hectares of some of the most fertile soils in all of Canada, something we should all be concerned about if we want to maintain local food security and minimize the environmental costs such as long distance transportation of food.

I spent part of my childhood in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe. And I have fond memories of the place before it became one of the world’s urban mega-regions. I believe that while urban growth and development can foster wealth generation, innovation, science and the achievements that Florida praises, only “smart growth” can enhance our quality of life while preserving the natural environment and our precious agricultural soils.

Post City Magazines’ environmental columnist, David Suzuki, is the host of the CBC’s The Nature of Things. David is also the author of more than 30 books on ecology.

Wendy Woods' blog: The upside of down

12:56 pm

Shopgirls Gallery Boutique, located at 1342 Queen Street West, is a gorgeous space filled with fabulous Canadian designs. Stacey Zhang, from Montreal, is one of the newest additions to the Shopgirls roster, and her pieces are flying off the shelves!

My favourite piece this season is a down-filled winter coat, which is a fabulous investment piece for cold Toronto winters. With its cinched waist, this coat is the most figure flattering down coat I have seen – and the dramatic hood adds flair to an otherwise simple garment. Exquisite!

Another piece I love for its versatility is a lacy billowing top. This top can be worn with a sexy skirt for an evening on the town or with jeans and a sweater for brunch with the girls. Whatever you pair it with, it always looks stunning and a little bit flirty!

In a ShopGirls fashion show I recently styled real women and paired 10 of the 15 models with Stacy Zhang pieces– two of whom are pictured above. With each of the women ranging in age, shape, size, and character, the show was a true testament that Stacey Zhang’s designs appeal to women from all walks of life!

Always on the lookout for the next fabulous piece!

As a personal style coach with THE REFINERY, Wendy Woods translates the world of fashion into a personal style that makes her clients shine! A true expert in her field, Wendy has been featured on CosmoTV, SunTV, CTS, Sweetspot, BlogTO, Yummy Mummy, Modern Urban Mom Magazine — amongst others. She holds workshops at boutiques around the GTA, and for students at McMaster University, York University, and Seneca College. Through Wendy’s guidance, her clients discover their own REFINED. sense of style and a new found confidence in themselves.

Patrick McMurray's blog: Shell-shocked

3:08 pm

September is the month of rejuvenation in the food world. Yes, I know that the spring is more fun, awakening from the cold depths of winter’s icy grip, and all of that summer heat to look forward to. The spring treats of fiddleheads, asparagus, maple syrup, and soft shell crab, are lovely and all, but limiting, as the rest of the palate of food buggers off for summer growth and reproduction.

During autumn in the oyster world, which is the place where I reside, the oysters and variety of such fruits of the sea, are just starting to wake up. The waters are cooling down, the summer spawn has ceased, and the oysters are finished rutting in the bays and inlets of the Northern Hemisphere’s coastline. They start to fatten up — filter feeding like mad and storing the glycogen for the winter that’s coming up. What that means for you is that the oyster gets fat, plump, and sweet — perfect little morsels reflecting the tastes and nuances of the waters that have raised them for the past five years.

For me, September brings about Oyster Season.

"Don’t eat oysters in months without an R" — that age old "fish-tale" from the 1500s — ends in September, the first month of the oyster availability calendar. Oyster festivals around the globe focus on celebrating the bivalve’s tasty and bountiful harvest every weekend from Sept. 1 to mid-November, and I have a hard time staying put in Toronto as the invites come in.

Hillsborough, Ireland, Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Galway, Ireland for September alone, means that of the four weekends of September, I’m out visiting growers, speaking at conferences, and shucking at contests. The more I go out to the source of the seafood, however, only ensures that we get the best product available. So even thought I run about a bit in September, the result looks great for the seafood that we will be able to get throughout the year.

We are very fortunate in Toronto. With our population’s diversity, and our general love of food, we get a great variety of seafood in town. You wouldn’t think it, being such a land-locked city, but Toronto hosts one of the widest selections of oysters you can get in the world! Not only do we get oysters from all around North America, we can order from as far away as Ireland, France, New Zealand, and soon Australia. You can’t get that in the States, due to different import regulations, so belly up to the bar and be proud that you live in Toronto — for seafood! Go figure!

I am Patrick McMurray. World Champion Oyster Shucker, owner of Starfish Oyster bed & Grill, and The Ceili Cottage. I’m born and raised in East York, off the banks of the Taylor crick. The love of food and travel comes from my parents. The love of oysters, and ability to shuck them and hold a conversation, comes from years of practice. Luckily, I love my "work" to a point that it does not feel like a job, so I am one of the fortunate ones. I like all food — which makes it hard for me to be critical at times, but will encourage you to try it all — no matter what it is, or where it comes from. I hope you will read on and delve into this oystery restaurant world that i live in — you are most welcome.

I’m just back from Hillsborough, and off to Charlottetown, and will tell stories of those places very soon.

Here comes the Fall. Put on a sweater, the harvest is in. Find out what your local (and not so local) farmer has in store for you.

Patrick McMurray is the owner of Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill and The Ceili Cottage. He is also a World Champion Oyster Shucker. Catch his blog weekly at PostCity.com.

Franco Mirabelli's blog: Hot items for fall

1:56 pm

Hello Post City readers and welcome to my first blog for the magazine.

I hope you enjoy my insights into the world of fashion and the day-to-day life of a Canadian clothing designer.

Many of you know me as a Toronto-born designer of women’s wear and as the owner of the Mirabelli boutiques in the city for over 20 years.

What you may not know is that we also sell the Franco Mirabelli collection to stores across Canada and the United States. As a result, my career takes me travelling. And that has introduced me to some of the most engaging people and entertaining social situations.

I was just in Vancouver launching our new Spring/Summer collection for 2010 with my agent to our wholesale customers. It seems funny to be talking about Spring 2010 when Fall 2009 isn’t quite underway. But this is what my life is all about.

I work in three seasons at one time. In the heart of summer 2009, I was planning and designing spring/summer 2010. We are currently shipping Fall/Winter 2009 orders to stores, we’ve started showing the new Spring/Summer 2010 to specialty stores, and I’m in the middle of reviewing fabrics for our Fall/Winter 2010/11.

Take a look at the what we have in store for you this fall at my Mirabelli stores. My passion is fabric and this fall there’s a great emphasis on richly textured knits and great nubbly tweeds and checks.

Next week, I’ll give you a sneak peek at spring.

Ciao for now.

With three corporate stores in Toronto, Franco Mirabelli continues to distinguish himself as one of Canada’s strongest fashion talents. Keep up with him by following his weekly blog at PostCity.com or by visiting mirabelli.com.

Liisa Winkler's blog: How to get in his pants

10:31 am

Since having my second child, I have been getting up early, throwing my hair in a braid and dressing in what my daughter refers to as my "daytime jammies." This consists of a button down shirt (for easy access) and track pants in a variety of drab colours. But this time, as I walk to the park in my smashing ensemble, I feel that I need my jeans back. This look has gone on long enough.

As I reflect, it has been almost a year since I wore some decently fitting, stylish jeans. Looking around me, I see a virtual fashion show of denim and immediately hone in on what is to become my latest obsession… "boyfriend jeans."

These are essentially the jeans that I wore in high school hanging dangerously low off my bony hips… Just a bit more strategically distressed and ten times more expensive and of course cool. I must find me some.
The Gap has a big sign advertising their "boyfriend jeans", so as soon as the baby is fed, I walk over and give them a try. The fit is OK, but I dont like the obvious "distressing." They seem to be trying too hard for that very relaxed "hope you dont mind if I borrow these old jeans while mine are in the wash" look.

Levis makes an almost perfect pair for $98. The sales lady says that they are "boyfriend jeans" and the label says "501- Straight leg, Buttonfly". Love the light color and the fading and distressing is perfect! But somehow I can’t get excited about the rather stiff and saggy crotch.. guess I am growing a little too fond of my "daytime jammies."

Heading back home empty handed I have three more thoughts…. 1- I could spend $200 and get that perfect pair of "designer boyfriends" 2- I could just swipe a pair of my husbands jeans and he probably would not even notice. 3- Is it ok to call them boyfriend jeans if I have a husband? Is that like cheating?

Turns out I had that perfect pair sitting in the bottom of my closet all along.. may even be leftovers from high school.. I now frequent the park in my cooler than cool jeans and feel happy that not much has changed since high school and what comes around does actually go around.

Liisa Winkler is one of Canada’s biggest supermodels and mother of two beautiful children. Her blog appears bi-monthly at Postcity.com.

Meet me at the Midway

12:00 am

POINTER SISTERS

RUTH, ANITA, ISSA

Q: What are you So Excited about these days?

We are excited about waking up each day, doing special projects and doing shows around the world.

Q: What was it like to work with Michael Jackson on “We Are the World”?

He was a unique master of talent. To see him perform was unbelievable. He opened the doors for so many, including the Pointer Sisters. He brought people together with music, and that we will never lose.

Q: How are the “new” Pointer Sisters different from days gone by?

Different lineup of performers, different ages, with the same love for what we do.

AIR SHOW ACE

PILOT MIKE WISKUS

Q: Are you more of a Maverick or a Goose?

Goose. He’s a bit more laid-back, and he comes across as a guy who can’t believe he’s really doing what he’s doing. But I won’t be taking my shirt off any time soon for those beach volleyball games.

Q: What does Toronto look like from up there?

Clean, very clean, even at 800 feet while tumbling end over end. Performing over the water in front of the CNE is the most beautiful setting. I just wish I could buzz the CN Tower.

ESCAPE ARTIST

KRISTEN ‘HOUDINI’ JOHNSON

Q: Has your water torture stunt ever gone wrong?

Yes, once I blacked out from hypoxic seizure; another time, I signalled to have the lid removed as I was unable to pick the top lock.

Q: How long can you hold your breath?

Just over five minutes when I’m relaxed.

Q: At social events, do people have unreasonably high expectations of your party tricks?

Once we were invited to a wake only to find out that the host was expecting a show.

SHAGGY DOG STORY

SUPERDOGS TRAINER

Q: If you were a SuperDog, which breed would you be?

A shaggy. They’re 100 per cent Canadian and one of a kind, and they encompass all the traits of every dog in the show.

Q: What’s the trick to getting your dog to fetch the TV remote?

Once he’s mastered retrieving a ball, wrap masking tape around an old remote and play fetch with it. Trade him for a tasty snack for dropping it into your lap. Switch to the real remote, and voila!

GUESS YOUR WEIGHT GUY

THE AMAZING ANTHONY INTING

Q: Has your job ever gotten you into trouble?

Has it ever! Especially with 140-pound women who swear they are 120. Unfortunately, I was never trained to dodge bamboo sticks, purses, umbrellas or slaps to the face.

Q: What’s the trickiest body type/age/gender to guess?

Guys with big, round bellies are the most difficult. It’s quite the challenge to deduce if those bellies are full of steak or gas.

So a guy walks into a bar…

12:00 am

MISTER MOCKERY

COLIN MOCHRIE

Q: Who would win in an arm wrestle: you or Jeff Foxworthy?

I am highly competitive, have strong forearms and am a big cheater. I would win.

Q: What’s the best recovery technique when a joke bombs?

I personally wouldn’t know. I’ll have to ask Brad Sherwood.

Q: What can we expect of your show at Just For Laughs?

We like to say it’s a live version of Whose Line — without the tall guy, the black guy or the rich guy. Everything starts with the audience, with audience members onstage, totally improvised — then hilarity ensues.

FIGHTIN’ WORDS

DANNY BHOY

Q: What should we know about Scotland?

That actually we invented ice hockey. Wow! Calm down. Don’t shoot the messenger.

Q: How are Canadians and Scots similar?

We both have to tell people that we’re not from where they think we’re from whenever we travel abroad.

Q: How did you get your start as a comedian?

Basically, I spent most of my childhood being thrown out of class for trying to be funny. A more precise answer would be that I got up onstage one night in Edinburgh, when I was drunk in 1999, and told some jokes.

PARLIAMENT PRANKSTER

SHAUN MAJUMDER

Q: If you were prime minister for a day, what would you change?

The length of the term in office.

Q: What’s the latest trend in stand-up?

There’s a solid trend of solid colours with subtle accessories, like funny-sounding parents and a fish-out-of-water story, that can sometimes cause one to feel compassion for the plight of the performer.

MISS MANNERS

DEBRA DIGIOVANNI

Q: With so many star comedians in town, what part of our city are you most proud to show off?

Toronto’s hot guys. Seriously, we are an alarmingly attractive city, and not only are the men cute, they’ll also smile at you!

Q: If you weren’t a comedian, what would you be?

In a mental institution. Or a high school art teacher.

Q: Name a star you want to marry.

Shia LeBeouf. That kid needs to be taught some manners, and I’m the one to do it.

BORN AND CRAZED

JEREMY HOTZ

Q: What do you tell people about your beloved Toronto?

That it’s the capital of Chinatown.

Q: Why are you so damned funny?

Because I can’t dance.

Q: What is the most hilarious reaction someone’s ever had to one of your jokes?

One guy laughed so hard his glass eye popped out and rolled across the stage. It was hilarious until I had to go get it.

Pride without the prejudice

12:00 am

CAROLE POPE

THE ANTI-DIVA / MUSICIAN

Q: The Pride Parade is to Toronto as…

Beaver is to Canada.

Q: Name three items I should bring to have a great time.

1. Girl 2. Beer 3. Water

Q: What’s your favourite part of Toronto Pride Week?

Walking along Church Street because it’s like being engulfed in a giant love fest.

Q: What’s Anti-Diva, your book-turning-movie, about?

Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.

Q: What can we expect from your show at Pride Week?

Sex, sarcasm and killa music.

NIK RED

TOP TORONTO DJ

Q: What food would you associate with Toronto when it’s not Pride Week?

Crème brûlée. Why? It’s kind of sophisticated and crusty on the outside, but once you enter the middle and have a taste, it can be quite sweet.

Q: What is the ultimate Pride song?

“(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real” by Sylvester.

Q: Who is your favourite gay performer?

RuPaul has been bringing it and consistently delivering for the past 20 years.

SOFONDA COX

DRAG QUEEN EXTRAORDINAIRE

Q: What’s it like to dress up in drag?

Should more of our readers try it out? It’s an exhilarating experience when you look this good! But seriously, drag is about creating the alter ego that you’ve always desired. Try it at least once; you might surprise yourself. But be warned: it’s highly addictive.

Q: Is T.O. a hard place for a drag queen?

Not for me. I’ve always been welcomed with open arms — not to mention open legs!

LEX VAUGHN

LOCAL COMEDIENNE

Q: What does Pride Week mean to you?

New meat to cruise, great cash grab for gay artists and more shocking ways that corporations can make themselves seem gay for a week.

Q: What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen at Pride Week?

A TD Bank “mist shower” and TD tattoo parlour, all in one stop.

Q: Describe Pride Week in three outstanding words.

Flaming, rambunctious, steamrolling.

JONATHON BURFORD

FLOAT DANCER

Q: What’s your go-to dance move on the float?

It’s called the House of Lords shuffle: a little bit vogue, a little bit robot and a lot disturbia.

Q: What’s the best accessory to have on the float?

Water gun full of vodka. Everyone wins.

Q: What’s the must-attend event this year?

The west end for downtown gays; the beer gardens and Prism for tourists.

New BIA for area

12:00 am

MORE THAN 20 local business owners attended a meeting on Feb. 25 to discuss the possibility of forming a business improvement area on Yonge Street in the historic Thornhill area.

“The area is in desperate need of revitalization,” said Coun. Alan Shefman. “It is not walkable, and there is a tremendous potential, and we all really want to tap that potential.”

BIAs have been highly successful in Toronto, Shefman said, where municipalities match funds raised by local businesses in order to improve the streetscape of the district with flowers, benches or other kinds of street furniture.

In this case, two municipalities would be involved in the organization, with Vaughan on the west side of Yonge Street and Markham to the east.

But Jeff Bryce and his father, Malcolm Bryce, who owns PSA Insurance, worry that the BIA will be powerless against the strength of the historical society established years ago in the area. For example, Bryce said, the society requested the planned subway station as part of the Yonge Street extension be built north of Centre Street, even though many see it as a natural centre for the community.

“Although I commend them for their ability to influence decision makers, heritage is not the only voice for residents in Thornhill and clearly not for business,” Bryce said. “As such, it is time that the voice of others be heard.”

But those at heritage say they will welcome the opportunity to work with a future BIA.

“I think it is a misconception that heritage is trying to prevent them from doing what they want,” said Coun. Valerie Burke, who sits on the heritage board. “All that heritage wants to do is keep the heritage — we don’t have a lot of heritage.”

The next step, said Shefman, is that business owners will have to vote on whether or not to establish the BIA.

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