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This Canadian winery is inviting wine lovers to ‘Open Up’ with a bottle of wine and card game to inspire meaningful conversation

By Marlene Mendonca

Sisters Angela and Melissa, co-proprietors of Two Sisters Vineyards in Niagara, founded their premium winery on the principle of bringing people together. As mothers and wives who work with their family (both literally and metaphorically – they work alongside their relatives, and their small, close-knit staff have become kin in their own right), Angela and … Continued

Boutique lofts that tell the tale of Leslieville

By Marlene Mendonca

Something magical happens when you head east from downtown Toronto. As you cross the bridge over the Don Valley Parkway, the city’s looming financial district shrinks into a framed photograph as the tall buildings of the city’s core slope down to meet lower, smaller buildings. Welcome to life on a human scale; to the open … Continued

What the pandemic taught us about education

By Marlene Mendonca

Over the past year, we have seen a dramatic shift in our education system in which students, parents and teachers have had to continuously adapt to the ever-changing lockdown restrictions. Remote learning, hybrid teaching, meeting IDs, tech access, and repeated Zoomisms (“can you all hear me?” and “you’re on mute!”) became commonplace as we moved … Continued

Prepare your home for winter in Toronto

By Marlene Mendonca

As a homeowner, there are two important, but simple, things you can do to prepare your home for the winter. A cold winter season will put any property to the test. You have to keep your home heated adequately and comfortably, no matter the conditions. You can prevent some emergency repairs and avoid the risks … Continued

A Toronto Pizzeria is changing the way people eat

By Marlene Mendonca

The team at Vivo Pizza + Pasta offers Toronto diners a fine Italian experience using the freshest ingredients and simple pricing. The franchise, which was started by a local entrepreneur in 2016, has grown to eight restaurants around Toronto & the GTA with many more planned, including four locations in Florida in the next couple … Continued

How to add value to your home in 2021

By Marlene Mendonca

If you’re looking to sell your home in Toronto and the GTA in the next year, you might want to consider doing renovations in at least a few key areas. It’s important to choose what you renovate wisely. While facelift upgrades like flooring or painting will spruce up your home, these surface changes will not … Continued

When to give inheritance money to your children

By Marlene Mendonca

Warren Buffet, who along with his investing prowess has a gift for a turn of phrase, once told an interviewer that he wanted to give his children enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing. That encapsulates the first challenge when giving money … Continued