Monthly Archives: February 2022

02.10.22
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TORONTO IS BRIMMING OVER WITH STUDIOS, CREWS, FILM STARS, DESIGNERS, CAMERAS, MAKEUP & MORE.

How wonderful that all this is happening in our splendid city, with more to come. It’s a bit confusing, but the list below brings out what’s happening. Last night I went through Johanna Schneller’s lengthy list in The Globe and Mail. It’s quite a whopper.

On the Basin Media Hub $250-million, a complex with half-a-million studio spaces and offices; – Downsview Park Studios have a million square feet opening in 2024; – The U.S. company TPG Real Estate partners bought Cinespace, home to 23 production stages in Toronto and another 33 in Chicago; – These days even Toronto crews are being recognized at the Emmys and the Oscars.

Guillermo del Toro from Mexico lives in Los Angeles but works in Toronto where he’s known for his Academy Award Oscar for fantasy films “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape of Water”; – then the streaming services arrive with their entire television series; – the Ontario film and TV industry hosted 340 projects in 2019, took in $2.16-billion; – created 44,540 jobs;

– Netflix made deals early to rent eight ongoing stages at Pinewood and Cinespace – as many as nine productions at a time; – CBS managed getting a long term rental with a studio in Mississauga – another large city next door; – “Right now there is space available for spring and summer, but it’s slow”, according to Justin Cutler, the Ontario Film Commissioner. 50% of production remains domestic.

 

02.09.22
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SUNNYSIDE IS STILL MORE THAN AN AMUSEMENT PARK TO THIS VERY DAY. IT HAS A LONG HISTORY.

Sunnyside is a lakefront district in Toronto, Ontario. It includes a beach and park area along Lake Ontario’s Humber Bay, from west of Exhibition Place to the mouth of the Humber River. The area is within the traditional lands of several First Nations. It ran from 1922 to 1955, but was demolished in 1955 to facilitate the building of the Gardiner Expressway. The Expressway left behind several shoreline recreation uses from the era of the park, including the pool, beaches and sports clubs, all of which remain popular. . . . . . . First historic history – the landing for an 1813 attack resulting from the famous War of 1812. American troops attacked the ‘town of York’ then, now the city of Toronto. The site’s popularity grew as a summertime recreation area and from 1922 to 1955 the reclaimed land was home to popular Sunnyside Amusement Park (photo below), which ran all summers long. < The Boardwalk, 1931, below> 
02.07.22
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TORONTO STAR – CONNECTING WITH NATURE – ONLY IF COVID-19 CONDITIONS MAKE IT SAFE TO DO SO

From Karen Kwan, special to The Star . . . . . .

“WHEELS wants to inspire you and get ready to explore. This series of daytrips and longer drives highlight great experiences you can have in our province, and show you why Ontario is “Our’s to Discover.” These 5 options will open your eyes to the joys of camping while surrounded by snow & ice.

1 – First Up – Lanark County Treehouse – four-hour drive from Toronto along Highway #7. Available on Airbnb; sleeps eight and is heated by a wood-pellet stove. It’s pet friendly. Perched over the Mississipi River. 2 – Glen Oro Farm (photo below) – A one-and-a-half-hour drive north of Toronto, along Highway #400, and is located between Barrie and Orillia. Stay there in a Stargazer’s Dome or an equally spectacular Explorer’s Tent.

Glen Oro Farm

3 – Nature’s Harmony Eco Lodge – A four hour drive from Toronto following Highways 401 and 11 North, followed by Highway 17 east to Mattawa, a small community, where you’ll find the Lodge. Book its hand authentic hand-made Mongolian yurt – where you’ll find a wood stove, traditional paintings, a bed, and Moroccan-style sofa. 20 kilometres of trails to explore by a kick sled. #4 – Voyageur Quest – Try camping in winter by booking The Winter Experience takes place in Algonquin Park, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive north from Toronto. Learn basic winter camping skills, a snowshoe trek to Surprise Lake, learning a winter campsite. 5 – Arrowhead Provincial Park (photo below) – Two-and-a-half hour drive north of Toronto along Highway #400, and then Highway #11 to the Park. Combine your winter camping gear, be sure to pack cross-country skis, snowshoes and skates. Or to pack lighter, rent them at the Park. Its famous Ice Skating Trail, a 1.3-kilometre icy path in the forest. Be sure to pre-book your tickets as they’re often sold out. You can reserve a cabin.

Arrowhead Provincial Park and its Famous Ice Skating Trail
02.05.22
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A $60-MILLION EXPANSION, PLUS A 6-FLOOR TOWER FOR ‘THE ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO’ MAY SOON BE REAL

The A.G.O. is looking for proposals to house Contemporary Art in one of Canada’s largest art galleries, just below The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.  The A.G.O.’s street-level building in downtown Toronto will enclose a 55,000-square-foot expansion. On top of that the new tower will surround galleries of Contemporary Art on six levels. Manager of Public Relations, Andrea-Jo-Wilson said “The AGO needs more space to showcase works and to create opportunities for public engagement and learning. For the record, the AGO’s collection has grown by 20,210 works of art in the past 5 years.” Two other art-museum expansions are in the works right now – The Vancouver Art Gallery and The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia are in the process of designing expanded facilities.  <From Alex Bozikovic, Architect Critic, Globe and Mail. The photos are from Ellis Don.> 

02.02.22
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I’VE OFTEN WONDERED WHAT’S BEHIND THOSE COLOURFUL FACES IN REGENT PARK – FOUND OUT TODAY

Artist Dan Bergeron created the portrait series, dubbed ‘Faces of Regent Park’, installing them within another park across from Daniels’ Spectrum. The large laminate glass pieces feature mixed-media portraits of a dozen Regent Park residents in vibrant colours, highlighting the community’s diversity.

02.01.22
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TORONTO STAR – BE SURE COVID-19 CONDITIONS MAKE IT SAFE ALONG THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER

From Josephine Natyas – Special to The Toronto Star – “This series of day trips and longer drives highlight experiences you can have in this province, and show you why Ontario is ‘Ours to Discover’. <A Canadian First – The Brockville Railway Tunnel – photo above.>#1) Drive from Toronto on Highway 401 to Brockville; 2) Head for downtown King Street, home to Tait’s Fresh Start restaurant; 3) Drive east for a half-hour to historic Upper Canada Village; 4) Then the outskirts of Cornwall at Long Sault and its restored heritage buildings, The Lost Villages Museum is between the city of Cornwall, and the Village of Morrisburg 5) Cornwall is known for The Riverside Trail, St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project construction; 6). Bed down at Auberge Chesley’s Inn, b&b in the heart of Cornwall; 7) Or stay overnight at Montgomery House on the edge of Upper Canada Village; 8). Drive along Highway #2 to the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary, just past Ingleside; 9). Get back onto Highway 401 and head again for Brockville and lunch. 10). Before you know it Toronto traffic and skyline will appear on the horizon.>