Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus
Total 646 Posts
During yesterday's Winter Classic, Detroit's Brendan Smith was referred to as being "from Mimico". A couple of Leafs, Dave Bolland and David Clarkson, are also "Mimico boys". In high school, I heard all about the legend of alumnus Brendan Shanahan "from Mimico". For the unaware, Mimico is a neighbourhood in
This is my first winter in my new home in southwest Toronto. I was told the effect of being so close to Lake Ontario was cooler summers and warmer winters. I'm assuming that's why we've been spared the worst of this Toronto ice storm. Don't get me wrong, it's icy
I have a good friend who would consider himself a proud member of Ford Nation. At least he used to. Today, that same friend tells me Rob Ford has to resign. At some point over the past few weeks, a straw broke the proverbial camel's back. Rob Ford was democratically
As a kid and teenager, the old Runnymede Theatre on Bloor Street was one of the two movie theatres I frequented. I wrote about my Runnymede Theatre memories seven years ago. When the theatre was closing, there was concern whether the new tenants would be able to preserve the history
The staff at TorontoMike.com are busy going through the newly released court documents that show the alleged Ford crack video was the target of a police investigation that led to dozens of arrests. There are lots of fascinating nuggets in this document, all painting the mayor as a guy
In February of 2004, Conan O'Brien brought Late Night to Toronto. I know because I was there. While in Toronto, he had Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall fame give him a tour.
[via Reddit]
This was the conference opening video from TEDxToronto 2013.
When I was a kid, the frustration when riding the subway was that I couldn't get the radio on my Sony Walkman. There was no signal. Today that frustration has morphed into the sad fact we can't get a cell signal on the subway in Toronto. Most of my life
[via Reddit]
Way back in 2007, I wrote about the inukshuks that appeared in the Humber River in Etienne Brule Park. I've seen them every summer since, but I've never caught the gentleman who builds them in the act, until now. Here's the Humber River Inukshuk Man doing his thing. This is
Honest Ed's discount store is up for sale. The Bloor and Bathurst property is likely worth a small fortune and with Walmarts and Targets popping up everywhere, this is the beginning of the end of Honest Ed's. When Ed Mirvish passed away in 2007, I shared my memories of the
Toronto city council votes Tuesday to approve $1.9-million to support the Pan Am Path. The Pan Am Path is an ambitious bike route that would connect over 80km of trails across Toronto. Starting at the Claireville Reservoir in the west end of the city, the Pan Am Path follows
I sometimes bike a path that goes through West Deane Park. I have no idea what it's called, but it starts near Eglinton and Martin Grove and loops back at Kipling and Burnhamthorpe. It very well may be named West Deane Park. It's a good lunchtime trail in that I
I just took a walk along the Humber River in Etienne Brulé Park. I've walked this park since I was a toddler and never in my life have I seen the river so high. I've seen the park overwhelmed by glaciers, but I've never seen this. The day after, this
Offiicials are going to crack down on alcohol consumption in Trinity Bellwoods Park. That got me thinking about Major Bunny Colvin and his paper bag monologue during the second episode of the third season of The Wire. Here it is if you're unfamiliar with The Greatest Show On Television, Ever™
We biked to Ribfest today at Etobicoke's Centennial Park. In addition to the tasty ribs and pulled pork sandwiches, my favourite part is the big signs promoting each vendor. If you weren't able to make it to Ribfest this year, here are the signs you missed. Sticky FingersTexas RangersSilver BulletHorn
Now that Rob Ford and Doug Ford are both mired in controversy, most of it the result of solid investigative reporting by trustworthy journalists working for award-winning publications, it's clear their attack plan is to blame the media. Rob Ford has twice dismissed the very serious crack smoking allegations against
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has fired his chief of staff, Mark Towhey. No reason has been given. He was relieved of his duties and escorted from the premises by security this afternoon. Meanwhile, it's been an entire week since three reporters from two different publications revealed what they witnessed in
This entry will contain no editorializing. I'm merely going to report facts. Gawker just wrote about a video of Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. John Cook, the author, has seen the video, supposedly taken within the past six months. Here is what the video shows: Rob Ford, the mayor of
The following guest blog entry was written by Mark. If you don’t have much time in Toronto, make your trip a truly Canadian experience and only visit that which you won’t find elsewhere. While Toronto has some of the best museums in North America like the Royal Ontario
Right after Mad Men on Sunday night, I clicked over to TVO to watch Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel. I had seen the documentary about the dramatic transformation of Toronto's oldest working hotel from post-war flophouse to its current incarnation as a hip, artist-driven boutique hotel before, but wanted
It's snowing in Toronto right now. It sometimes snows in April. This image reminds me of that cold harsh reality. That picture was taken April 7, 1977, before the first regular season game in Blue Jays history at old Exhibition Stadium. Speaking of April 7, 1977, this is the late
You've likely heard the news that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has hired his old football coach as Director of Operations and Logistics. Dave Price was Ford’s high school football coach back when he was a student at Scarlett Heights. Now, Dave Price is Director of Operations and Logistics, and
Kevin Donovan is an investigative reporter at the Toronto Star. He has won three Canadian Association of Journalists Awards, one Michener Award and three National Newspaper Awards and you might know him as the guy who broke the ORNGE story. Kevin Donovan co-wrote the Star story that Rob Ford was