Big Ben’s Little Italy
Our columnist tours T.O.’s Italian quarter and talks bread and Berlusconi
Category: Culture
Leg lamps, schnitzel and nun-baked pies: our picks from this year’s Toronto Christmas Market
Bringing the charm and tradition of Europe to downtown Toronto, the Distillery District’s Toronto Christmas Market is back for a second year. Wooden stalls hawking both food and gifty items are dotted throughout the cobblestoned lanes, with a gigantic 45-foot Christmas tree — decorated with 18,000 dazzling lights — taking centre stage.
The Breakfast Hub: Rogers and Bell buy MSLE, Drake likes Toronto’s logo, Rob Ford’s daily itinerary
Shortly after claiming that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment was no longer for sale, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has announced that it plans to sell its 79.53 per cent stake after all. The buyers? Two of the country’s telecommunications giants: Rogers and Bell Canada Enterprises.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
Bon Iver treads into jam band territory at Toronto’s Massey Hall
Thanks to a tweet from Sebastien Grainger of Death From Above 1979, I spent a lot of time yesterday listening to the Art Ensemble of Chicago — a major American avant-garde improvisational jazz band. And, after listening to Bon Iver in concert at Massey Hall last night, I think frontman Justin Vernon should check them out, if he hasn’t already.
The Breakfast Hub: St. James Park is getting a free makeover, love locks on the Humber Bridge, Doug Ford gives away $1,000
Fixing St. James Park won’t cost the city $60,000 after all. The former site of the Occupy Toronto protests is getting a free makeover from landscaping firms and dozens of volunteers.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
This holiday season, don’t underestimate the power of an ugly sweater
At Queen East’s WAYLA Bar on Monday, five gals from Centennial College group emPoweR made sure ugly sweaters got their due. During a fundraiser that sent proceeds to Dress For Success Toronto (a charity to help women looking for work), tacky decorations, ill-fitting sleeves and itchy sweaters were buzzing about the bar.
The Breakfast Hub: robford.ca taken over by pranksters, switching to polymer bills won’t be cheap, Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown could be delayed
Robford.ca has been taken over by pranksters. The website was created in November by a rogue registrant after Rob Ford let the address lapse earlier this summer. Viewers of the website have been treated to a Rob Ford beauty contest or redirected to a Wikipedia page, among other things.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
Trending in Theatre this Week: Parfumerie, Memphis, Early Retirement, Off Broadway On Stage, Other People’s Stuff
Soulpepper remounts its 2009 smash hit about two clerks in a Budapest perfume shop who argue by day and unknowingly exchange anonymous love letters by night. If the plot sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen it remade as the James Stewart classic flick, The Shop Around the Corner, which, in turn, inspired the Meg Ryan–Tom Hanks pairing in You’ve Got Mail. (But don’t judge it based on that AOL-era clunker!)
The Breakfast Hub: gridlock at the Pan Am Games, NHL approves realignment, the paramedic hiring freeze
Count on the Pan Am Games to slow down your commute. Sources tell The Star that organizers are looking to dedicate one lane in each direction on the QEW, DVP, 401, 427 and Gardiner for athlete and official use only during the games.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
Theatre Review: The Wizard of Oz
Ross Petty is Toronto’s undisputed overlord of offbeat family entertainment. And once again, Petty lets his true, twisted colours show in his latest winter pantomime: The Wizard of Oz.
The Breakfast Hub: the UFC community program, Canada’s growing income gap, the impact of arts cuts
Councillor Doug Ford has suggested that schools explore a community service program backed by Ultimate Fighting Championship.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
Love Commodore 64s? You’re not alone
Children of the ‘80s: do you remember your school’s old computer lab? It was chock-full of good ol’ Commodore 64s, with maybe one or two old Apple IIIs thrown in for good measure. Turns out that some of us never let that old school technology go.