Toronto Life.com // War on fun: New zoning bylaw prohibits restaurants and bars located south of Bloor from having back patios
New Zoning by-law in Toronto affect WQW.
"...Think the one-year ban on bars and restaurants on Ossington was strict? This week, a new zoning bylaw quietly went into effect; it forbids any restaurant or bar located south of Bloor from Victoria Park and west to the Humber from opening a backyard patio...."
"...Here’s the official city hall ruling from the staff report on August 5:
Outdoor patios will no longer be permitted in the rear yard, and may be located in a side yard subject to a maximum of 50% of the depth of the building from the front lot line in PA3 and PA4 on/south of Bloor St W and the Danforth in the Former City of Toronto.
With respect to outdoor patios, the recommendations of the Queen Street West Study are being carried forward to all properties located on or south of Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue in CR (commercial/residential) zones within Policy Areas 3 and 4 in the former City of Toronto. Outdoor patios will no longer be permitted in the rear yard, and may only be located in a side yard subject to a maximum length equal to 50% of the depth of the building measured from the front lot line.
"...The predominant reason behind the bylaw is noise. Many of the buildings in the affected area were built rather close to each other during the Second World War, which means that rear patios would bring more problems than front patios because a restaurant’s rear yard could face someone’s house. Corner establishments can have their patios on the side..."
blogTO // Sydney's open again in West Queen West
Sydney's may have been burned recently, but the modern menswear retailer has not let a little smoke and soot taint the image of its emerging brand.
Entering the former Heel
Boy digs, the message could not be stronger. Sydney's is bigger and
fuller than ever, housing Kin, an in-store label that focuses on
simplicity and minimalism to reflect "new restraint," a trend that
exceeds the colour camel (despite what most Phoebe Philo fetishists
might say).
Where many have come to
know Sydney's for their high price points, there are definitely options
to suit your budget. Them Atelier, a denim manufacturer from LA is now
being carried in 4 washes and 3 styles at a 98 dollar price point across
the board - not too shabs for quality-fit and quality-make denim. Those
venturing for a denim statement with a bit more substance can take a
look at top selling brand Naked and Famous, a line that boasts a soft to the
touch flannel option ($200).
What I valued most about my Sydney's experience was the well curated atmosphere. Although colour is mostly absent, each piece can be paired with any other on the racks that run the walls, making it a veritable "one stop shop."
In-house label Kin
offers a 5 pocket charcoal trouser that can be worn casually as a jean
or formally as a tailored pant - made from salvaged Japanese material
and with red hem-stitch detailing, it is the kind of versatile pant that
I can see shelling out $250 for.
Conservative options
range from a Kin collared jacket with hidden closure ($795), to more
updated staples like their charcoal gray suiting. Not looking to sample
the unfamiliar? Sydney's also carries popular brand Jil Sander for those
complacent shoppers who might not be willing to expand their wardrobes
with something fairly new and less international. Those still sweating
the pockets of Toronto humidity will look great and feel cool in a
lightweight check short sleeve option for $460. A little pricey, but for
an international brand that makes quality menswear, you would be
investing in a piece that will see heavy rotation.
If you are put off by
the lack of colour or even if you aren't sure you are the monochromatic
sort, there are options for most men in Toronto. Not for the bro in you,
maybe, but certainly anyone looking to "class up" an occasion will find
refuge in one of Sydney's well crafted button-ups, or slimmer cut
suiting.
Window decals indicated
that their liquidation post-fire sale continues with pieces discounted
up to 80%. The selection is limited, so get there soon before it is too
late.
National Post // Sincerely sublime at three Queen West galleries
As CAMH's construction cranes loom over West Queen West, old also meets new--to pleasing effect--in three area exhibitions.
1. Morley Shayuk at Paul Petro Special Projects Space
962 Queen St. W. To Aug. 31.
William Blake sought "the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower," but Morley Shayuk has been looking for transcendence at the mall and Tim Hortons. Scarborough Town Centre and the Dufferin Mall are just a couple of places where Shayuk videotaped design elements -- think food court porticos and fake-rock wall treatments -- that reminded him of the spirituality-symbolizing shapes and colours often used in 20th-century abstract art. The resulting short film isn't as good as its premise, but it's luckily just one part of this show. The exhibition's true highlight (and tone-setter) is a massive, rectangular beige-stucco monolith that dominates the small gallery space. Etched with more of those (once high-minded) abstract shapes, this monolith would be at home next to a Boston Cream or Brancusi's Kiss. It's both grand and silly, sincere and sarcastic--impressively so. A small abstract painting with a similarly neutral palette completes the show. Together, these works reminded me of the power of context -- that what's penetrating in one time and space can be pedestrian in another. This is a common contemporary-art theme, but it's freshened by Shayuk's quirks, like his crush on Group of Seven misfit Lionel Lemoine Fitzgerald. Overall, a good closing exhibition for 962 Queen West, which has been home to left-field art shows since 1996.
2. Gilbert Garcin at Stephen Bulger Gallery
1026 Queen St. W. To Sept. 25.
Fans of Hitchcock's films and Mad Men's title sequence should visit French artist Gilbert Garcin's first Canadian solo show. The graphic-design quality of Garcin's black-and-white self-portraits evokes these cultural touchstones, and it's rare to see contemporary works with such a witty, direct 1960s feel. Then again, Garcin is no ordinary contemporary artist; now in his eighties, the former manufacturing company executive started his art career at the age of 65. Appropriately, the wisdom of age pervades his montages -- rather than being concerned with obscure, arty trends, Garcin addresses the big themes of power, narcissism, fear, love, creativity, history, loneliness and (of course) death with clear, unabashed succinctness. (The worst thing that can be said is a few works seem IKEAposter simple rather than Elliott-Erwitt elegant.) Most touching are the prints that include Garcin's wife -- the only other individual, it seems, who's trusted enough to enter the magic circle of his creations. Posed together on a clay globe, looking out into an existential sunset, this unyouthful, unglamorous couple suggests the oft-overlooked richness of years both past and yet to come.
3. Winnie Truong at Katharine Mulherin
1082 Queen St. W. To Sept. 5.
It's always a bit apprehensiveness-inducing to see strong work from someone barely out of their teens; after all, A+ report cards don't always translate into a stable, self-sustaining adult art practice. Nonetheless, the prospects for recent OCAD grad Winnie Truong do seem promising. Born in 1988, Truong creates remarkable large-scale drawings where portrait-sitters' hair -- that shiny, typically inanimate add-on -- becomes an active character, growing into nooses, cysts, balloons, teeth (!) and more. It's nightmarish, Freudian-flavoured fun, with Truong's terrifically drafted pencil-crayon lines becoming much like the strands of hair they depict -- winding around, fixing and trapping their subjects. While some of Truong's drawings (like the one with hair growing out of a model-beautiful boy's mouth) are moderately gag-inducing, the overall effect is surprisingly seductive, a mash-up of gorgeousness and revulsion. I'll never watch a Clairol commercial quite the same way again.
Music for a Friday
We rock in WQW
LIVE at the Queen West Musicfest August 21,
2010.
So She's Leaving ~ The Trews
Volunteers needed to deliver meals in West Toronto
"Meals on Wheels" needs some WQW volunteers!
Call for Drivers and Cyclists:
Volunteers needed to deliver meals in West Toronto
Toronto, August 25, 2010 - Meals on Wheels, one of the oldest
programs
of St. Chris House, serving seniors and people with disabilities since
1965 in
south-west Toronto, is in much need of drivers and occasional cyclists
to help
delivering approximately 140 meals per day.
Running from Monday to Saturday, from 11am to 1pm, the program is calling on volunteers with cars or bikes to devote 2 hours of their time once a week, or every other week, or even once a month.
Drivers are teamed up with volunteers (runners) from the community, while cyclists use a trailer (provided by St. Chris) that hooks up to the bike to deliver hot meals to nearby residences (in St Chris’ catchment area).
Volunteers are essential components of this program. St. Christopher House depends on their generosity to provide this essential service to countless seniors who cannot prepare their lunch meals by themselves.
Contact Information:
Ingrid Coifman or Fernando Lusvarghi – Volunteer Department, St. Christopher House - 416.532.4828 x 105 or 171, volunteers@stchrishouse.org
Toronto Star.com // Off on a good foot
West Queen West put its "GoodFoot" forward!
"...Jon Gauthier knows the TTC like the back of his hand. If he needs
directions around Toronto he taps the coordinates into his iPhone.
For the past six months, the friendly, tech-savvy Sudbury native
has been trekking all over the city, delivering packages for his
not-for-profit startup, GoodFoot Delivery — an environmentally friendly
courier company that employs people with developmental disabilities..."
"...It’s a novel idea and one that has the potential to make a big
impact in the city’s downtown core.
A few minutes spent in GoodFoot’s Queen West headquarters is all it
takes to realize that Gauthier, who has battled learning disabilities
his whole life, is delivering a lot more than office correspondence..."
"...“You go into places you’d never actually go,” he says of his forays
into the city’s MuchMusic and Virgin buildings. “It’s cool that I get
to be in major corporations.”
It all started last year, when Gauthier was going through a rough
spot..."
"...“I’m still struggling with development issues and I couldn’t get a full-time job anywhere. No one was hiring me,” he says earnestly.While he receives some income from the Ontario Disability Support Program, it wasn’t enough to live on. “It was a bit of a tough time for me,” he adds.."
"...Concerned, his sister, Kirsten, wanted to help Gauthier get back on
his feet. She had some extra space in the back of her graphic design
office and wanted the chance to be part of something that would give
back as well.
In January of this year, GoodFoot was born..."
"...The couriers do all their deliveries by hand, taking the TTC and, as the name suggests, travelling on foot. Prices are competitive, just like any other service in the city. Direct, 60 to 90 minutes, costs $10. Costs vary depending on where you’re going"..."
