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12/01/11
The Ford administration’s budget plan calls for up to 1,190 pink slips to be handed out as part of cost-cutting measures. Around 643 vacant jobs are also on the chopping block.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/30/11
As I like to say, there is theatre and then there is theatre! Out at The Theatre Centre, a cavernous space on Queen Street West, an utterly astounding example of the latter is taking place with Topdog/Underdog, playing until Dec. 4.
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11/30/11
It’s the 21st century, and jolly ole’ St. Nick is no Luddite. The Eaton Centre now allows kids to Skype with Santa and his elves.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/29/11
A smash hit at this summer’s Fringe Festival, this critically-acclaimed improv troupe amplifies the uber-dramatics of soap opera to uproarious comedic effect.
Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., 416-551-6540. Dec. 1.
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11/29/11
Critics are lining up to take a shot at Rob Ford’s 2012 budget, which calls for an increase in property taxes, pool closures, shutting down homeless shelters and extending allowable wait times for ambulances, among other things.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/28/11
There’s a darkness swirling inside the mind of Toronto native Taylor Kirk. If you happened to be at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday night, you witnessed it first hand via an eerie set from his musical outlet Timber Timbre.
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11/28/11
Now that talk about mega-malls and Ferris wheels have simmered down, the man in charge of Waterfront Toronto, John Campbell, says he is open to new ideas for fast-tracking development of the Eastern waterfront.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/25/11
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has decided not to sell its stake in MSLE.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/24/11
Time flies when you’ve sprouted facial hair for a good cause. With December around the corner, it’s almost time for all those well-meaning “mo bros” to dust off their razors and shave their Burt Reynolds wannabes down the sink (to the gratitude of supportive “mo sistas” and “mo bro” partners everywhere, we’re sure). But hold on. Before the bros get reacquainted with their upper lips, there’s an awesome tribute party to go to at The Great Hall tonight.
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11/24/11
The iconic Maple Leaf logo atop Maple Leaf Gardens has disappeared as the building undergoes its transformation into a supermarket. There are no plans to replace the logo.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/23/11
Residents of Etobicoke and parts of Scarborough may enjoy fall a bit more than people in other areas of the city this year. Despite rampant budget cuts, leaf collection in those areas has managed to escape the axe.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/22/11
This tribute concert has been dubbed “the next best thing to seeing The Beatles,” and since it’s basically your only option to ever witness the Fab Four up-close, the limited-run production is perfect for local Beatle-maniacs.
Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St W., 416-872-1212. Nov. 25-Nov. 27.
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11/22/11
Charities are going to have to start paying for trash pickup. Over the next four years, Toronto will phase in trash pickup charges for formerly exempt customers — like charities, churches and retirement homes — around the city.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/21/11
A judge has ruled that the city can dismantle the Occupy Toronto camp at St. James Park. “Anarchism has a long political history,” the judge wrote. “But, Canada has not chosen anarchism.”
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/18/11
Opening up for The Kooks at the Sound Academy on Wednesday, Nov. 23, are The Postelles. This New York city-based band put in a sizzling set at the North by Northeast music festival earlier this year and have been on a roll over the summer.
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11/18/11
Theatre and book reviews — I've done both, hundreds of times — can be rough for critics: one rarely gets to experience an inspired production of a play on the level of King Lear, a musical like Guys and Dolls or a book with the power and wit of, say, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
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11/18/11
Reprieve is on the horizon for Ontario university and college students as the Liberal’s 30 per cent tuition break campaign will be in place by January.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/17/11
The concept of an Africentric high school has won approval from the Toronto District School Board. Now the next challenge is finding a location.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/16/11
Do dreams really come true? No. At least not according to the funny folks at Second City. It seems that all of our so-called “dreams” are really just a bunch of lies (sorry!), and this disappointing truism is hilariously proved and performed in the latest Second City mainstage revue, Dreams Really Do Come True (And Other Lies).
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11/16/11
Occupy Toronto protesters aren't being evicted just yet. They're safe until Saturday, at least, when a Superior Court judge decides whether Charter rights will be violated if protesters are removed from the park.
[Toronto Sun]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/15/11
Everyone's favourite nanny flies into Toronto with a limited-engagement of the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious musical based on the beloved Disney film.
Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W., 416-872-1212. Nov. 12-Jan. 8.
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11/15/11
Bixi’s president has resigned since he cannot guarantee that taxpayers will not be on the hook for the company’s deficits.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/14/11
In our celebrity-obsessed culture, where so-called stars are often adored for their outrageous antics rather than, say, talent, it’s hard to recall a time when movie stars were glamorous; when dreams came true through hard work and a little luck rather than a goofy YouTube clip. But the new Grace Kelly exhibit at TIFF Bell Lightbox reminds us of a bygone era, when an actress was appreciated for her grit, talent and, well, grace.
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11/14/11
A threat from hacker collective Anonymous has not deterred Rob Ford from wanting to remove protesters from St James Park. In a YouTube video, Anonymous vowed that if Ford doesn’t leave the protesters alone, he will be “removed from the Internet.”
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/11/11
Eric Braeden is probably best known for his iconic role as Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless. That, and his moustache. But he’s also an accomplished athlete and an impassioned political activist. Oh, and he loves Canada, too. We caught up with the actor, who’s due to appear at this weekend’s National Women’s Show, to discuss his 51 years in show business, politics and why soap operas have all but disappeared from our televisions.
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11/11/11
Although many are mourning the demise of Toronto’s Broken Social Scene, the pieces that made up the hipster collective will surely find their way into innumerable projects in the near future. And the parts could potentially surpass the whole. Case in point: Eight and a Half.
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11/11/11
Environmentalists are all riled up over new cost-cutting measures, as a proposed motion to limit what residents can cram in their blue bins goes up for a vote before council.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/10/11
54-40 formed in 1981, and have released 13 full-length albums and compilations including a total of 15 charting singles. We’re also obligated to say that they’re known for their song “I Go Blind,” which Hootie & The Blowfish covered in 1996. We did not ask them any questions about “I Go Blind” or spiny inflating fish. We did ask them about their newest album, Lost in the City.
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11/10/11
As Soulpepper rings out its 2011 season, dysfunctional families have been the theme du jour, from Arthur Miller’s The Price to Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple. So it’s rather fitting Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts — host to the mother of all dysfunctional families in dramatic literature — is helping to bookend the spellbinding season. With its closing date marked for Nov. 18, those who haven’t had the chance to watch this gripping production definitely should.
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11/10/11
With Ontario facing over $1 billion in unpaid traffic fines and other offences, Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli believes this is a “serious issue” that will require “serious attention” and “serious solutions.” Guess we’ll find out shortly just how serious he is about this.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/09/11
The seventh annual Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival kicked off last night. With over 40 troupes from across the country, there’s a whole lot of funny to be had in not a whole lot of time (six nights, to be exact). We asked performer, writer and Sketch Fest regular Norm Sousa for his top five troupes that are worth checking out.
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11/09/11
According to a recent study, Toronto is Canada’s least liked city. “It’s not necessarily that people like their city more than Toronto,” Jim Milway, executive director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management told the National Post. “It’s that people just don’t like Toronto, period.
[National Post]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/08/11
Love Lies Bleeding is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a ballet inspired by and featuring the music of Sir Elton John (and Bernie Taupin). Think colourful costumes, tall hats, sunglasses, plenty of pizzazz and men in tight clothes. It’s also an examination on superstardom.
Sony Centre For the Performing Arts, 1 Front Street East, 1-855-872-7669. Nov. 8 – Nov. 12.
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11/08/11
The city and two of its largest unions, Local 79 and Local 416, are preparing for a labour shutdown of up to six months if they cannot reach new contract agreements.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/07/11
Looking for something to ease the transition from the weekend to the daily grind this Monday? Then this video game by Patrick T. Lo is probably not for you. Unless, that is, you’ve been longing for a video game that recreates the daily grind, TTC trips included.
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11/07/11
Car-free zones are starting to get some attention in Toronto as the city looks at creative ways of implementing them.
[Toronto Star]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/04/11
This month, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair celebrates a whopping 89 years of family friendly, farm-oriented fun. Here are the top five reasons why a visit to the Royal Fair is a worthwhile endeavour for rural folk and city slickers alike.
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11/04/11
Nov. 21 has been announced as the new date for the “physical retail release” of Metric's remix album, Fantasies Flashbacks (proceeds donated to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). According to an announcement on the band's website, the album was supposed to be released a couple weeks back, but has to be pushed back due to the fire at the Sony/PIAS Distribution warehouse in London following the recent riots. That's the bad news.
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11/04/11
Committee members at City Hall voted unanimously for an environmental assessment that could pave the way for permanent bike-only tracks along Richmond and Adelaide streets by 2013.
[Globe and Mail]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/03/11
And now for something completely different. Last week we brought you The Danger Bees, a band very much bounded inside the traditionalist songwriting and singular vision of David Macmichael. Here at the other end of the spectrum lies Pidgin, a local five-piece act that relies on intuitive composition and operates almost completely outside of the realm of language and established genre constraints.
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11/03/11
Front Street may soon be more pedestrian friendly. A proposal is being examined by the city to expand pedestrian pathways and reduce the number of car lanes in the area around Union Station.
[The Grid]
Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump
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11/02/11
She kick-started the career of a then little-known singer named Bob Dylan, marched with Martin Luther King and sang to Nelson Mandela. Along the way, she’s released 50 albums and won countless awards and tributes. Joan Baez is a living legend, and for the past 53 years has attempted to make the world a better place the only way she’s ever known: by singing. She plays at Roy Thomson Hall tonight.
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