The Pimicikamak Cree First Nation in Cross Lake, Manitoba declared a state of emergency in March 2016 because of the suicide of six young people within three months, and the 150 students they had on suicide watch. This story is about some Toronto teachers who responded with action, and what came of it. Continue reading
We first encountered and wrote about this tiny strip of public space three years ago and we’ve been following its transformation ever since. It is a casual and informal spot conceived and initiated by Suzanne Long, a tenant whose apartment overlooks the laneway. It is now well on its way to becoming a true community garden. Continue reading
The instant ice and snow recede, the wheels and chalk come out and sidewalks in every neighbourhood bloom with the first pastel colours of spring. Continue reading
It seemed in the end as if the tree itself declined our efforts to save it. During the windstorm on June 13, 2018 the one remaining large top limb of the old Norway maple in front of our house fell. Continue reading
Windstorm-damaged tree gets a reprieve! We are still happily shaded with a view of tree branches from our bed. Continue reading
Sometimes, watching the wind whip the limbs around our century-old Norway maple, the thought did occur to me that someday this tree is going to kill me as I lay in bed. That didn’t happen, but the latest windstorm did take down half of the tree. Continue reading
In search of the iconic malt drink that shaped my childhood taste buds in Wisconsin, I was surprised where my quest led me in Toronto’s multicultural abundance. Continue reading
EDIT is a design and technology exposition with big aspirations to change the world. Installed recently for a week in a huge derelict soap factory the intention was to inspire, connect, demonstrate, and share solutions to global problems. Continue reading
Ontario grapes are in season now and once again, as every year, I make my grandma’s jelly with local grapes. It’s a simple recipe. Continue reading
Belmore is an award-winning Canadian artist and member of the Lac Seul First Nation who has a new installation at Pukaskwa National Park in northern Ontario. Here, she invites visitors to ‘listen to the land’. Continue reading
What to do when you’re enjoying a perfect beach day but hunger pangs threaten to end the idyll? There’s an app for that! Continue reading
A first-hand account by a 12-year-old of his initial foray into turkey hunting with a bow and arrow. Then he helps clean the bird, cooks it and enjoys the meal. Not squeamish, he’s a thoughtful pragmatist who doesn’t shy away from the truth about carnivore food sources. Continue reading
Record rainfalls and high water levels have transformed our shoreline. We went beach prospecting to see conditions for ourselves. Will Toronto still be a lake swimmers’ city? Continue reading
A historic Toronto high school is being revitalized with the help of a local community group. Here is the plan for a new recreational and green space for students and neighbours. You’re invited to help and celebrate! Continue reading
Ryerson University’s new Student Learning Centre is architecturally innovative in a sea of bland new construction. More importantly, it’s an effective instructional space, especially for students learning how to solve big-city problems. Continue reading
Once again in Toronto someone is out to prove that you don’t have to be athletic to enjoy going outside in winter. That’s right, no skiing, skating or sledding involved. Continue reading
Toronto offers a rich array of live classical music on every scale of performance. In addition to large concert halls, there are small venues where you can hear solo and ensemble performances by musicians at every level of professional accomplishment playing stimulating new, unconventional, or seldom heard compositions. Continue reading
Surprising as it may seem, right now is some of the best swimming of the year in Toronto. The lake is a large body of water – it cools slowly long into the fall, just as we know it takes forever to warm up in the summer. Swimming on sunny warm October days is bonus summer. Continue reading
Maps have always told us more than where we are or how to get where we’re going. A cartography exhibition at the Toronto Reference Library demonstrates the ravenous, fill-in-all-the-blanks nature of the European age of exploration. Continue reading
A continuation of our story following the commissioning and creation of the public sculpture TO THE RIVER, which will be installed near the Humber River in Toronto. Continue reading
Our thrilling trek though the derelict industrial site of the Hearn Generating Station, now the locus for the Luminato Festival. Continue reading
We know that Lake Ontario is slow to warm in the spring, but the heat and pea soup humidity around here drove us to the beach. The dip was exhilarating! Continue reading
A church site is always filled with religious symbols, and it is strange to see this non-Christian anomaly on their land. But that is a part of the point – it is not their land. Embedding a Native cultural symbol in the actual land is a very concrete recognition of this state of affairs. Continue reading
Mending was once a part of everyday life. At the Mending Lounge local artists will explore mending through experimentation, innovation and signature styles in this pop-up public event that takes a participatory approach as it aims to bring attention to a fading practice. Continue reading
Artists abound along St. Clair W and local café Stella’s Lunchbox is fast becoming a new art hub. Continue reading
Who and what does it take to protect the trees and turn a trash-strewn laneway into a tiny community garden and social space? Continue reading
Experience the great references of literature in your own backyard while you grow a sunflower house. Here’s how you can do both. Continue reading
Topiaries are usually not expressions of abstract art or movement. They are often the result of conventional design and constrained execution. Not this one. The partnership of a ‘tree artist’ and an encouraging homeowner has resulted in an extraordinary creation. Continue reading
Winter Stations are back, and we explore the installations both outside and in. Continue reading
Taking the world’s shortest ferry ride to Toronto’s island airport is a unique experience for travelers. The new tunnel that’s supposed to get you there more efficiently just makes the transit feel like every other generic airport drudge. For now, we still have the two options. Let’s keep the one that makes trips to and from Toronto memorable. Continue reading
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