Courtesy of www.twisia.com/mtp/pictures/Tall%20Busker.jpg

Come out and celebrate the 10^th birthday of Buskerfest from August 27^th – August 30^th. Not only is this a one of a kind event with over 100 of the best street performers in the world – aerialists, stilt walkers, comedians, contortionists, magicians, mimes, sword swallowers, human statues, silent comedy and slapstick, puppets, high wire acts, acrobats, clowns, and more – but Buskerfest raises awareness for Epilepsy. Instead of charging admission for this fabulous it is requested that you make a donation to Epilepsy Toronto in any amount that is comfortable for you. Last year Buskerfest raised $165,000 for Epilepsy Toronto.

Buskerfest is one of the highlights of the summer season in Toronto and last year over 1 million people attended. It is the largest festival of its kind in North America and the largest Epilepsy awareness raising event in the world. Buskerfest is a terrific family-friendly event with special treats for the small fry like face painting and balloon sculptures. For the second year in a row Buskerfest been named as one of the Top 100 Festivals in Ontario by Festival and Events Ontario. In addition it has been chosen as an event to support by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and awarded a Celebrate Ontario Grant.

Where can you find Buskerfest? Buskerfest is a street festival that takes place in the St. Lawrence Market area including Market Lane, Market Square, Berczy Park, Front Street East, and Jarvis/Church. Take the subway to Union Station and take a short walk east along Front Street and you’ll be in the heart of the action.

Courtesy of thevitaminm.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/beer

Celebrate one of the world’s most beloved libations at the Toronto Festival of Beer from Thursday, August 6^th– Sunday, August 9^th – rain or shine!

Toronto Beer Festival location: Bandshell Park, Exhibition Place located at 200 Princes’ Boulevard.

Festival Hours: Thursday, August 6^th from 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Friday, August 7^th from 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Saturday, August 8^th from 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Sunday, August 9^th from 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM

It’s all about the beer! The Festival of Beer will give you the opportunity to sample over 250 brands, from lagers and stouts, to wheat beers and pale ales. If you are interested in Ontario beer this festival is for you with over 95% of Ontario brands represented. In addition you can expect great food, live music, and over 100 vendors on site.

Toronto’s Festival of Beer is a great party for adults only. No one under the age of 19 will be admitted. No pets are allowed either, although I can’t imagine why anyone would want to bring their pet. Tickets can be purchased online.

Please don’t drink and drive! Use the TTC instead. There are many options.

• From the Dufferin Subway Station take the #29 bus south to Exhibition Place.
• From the Bathurst Subway Station take the #511 streetcar south to Exhibition Place.
• From Union Station take the #509 streetcar west to Exhibition Place.
• Exhibition Place also has a GO Station located right on our grounds. The station name is EXHIBITION.

image from torontorealestatedirect.com

Maclean’s recently had a survey conducted of the best run cities in Canada and Toronto managed to come in 10^th. Here are the top 10 cities on the list.

1. Burnaby
2. Saskatoon
3. Surrey
4. Vancouver
5. Longueuil
6. Sherbrooke
7. London
8. Saint John
9. Quebec City
10. Toronto

It was the Halifax-based Atlantic Institute for Market Studies that conducted the survey. What made this survey different from most others like it was that it didn’t attempt to measure the quality of life, or by a series of preset criteria determine which city is the best place to live. Instead it focused on how local governments contributed to making their cities great by using a set of indicators in 7 categories.

• Governance and Finance
• Taxation
• Safety and Protection
• Transportation
• Environmental Health
• Economic Development
• Recreation and Culture

Based on the fact that the cities were rated based on their individual governments I cannot believe that Toronto ranked 10^th as a best run city. Personally I can’t believe that Toronto ranked at all. Do the folks who conducted the survey have any idea what goes on here? At the moment we are in the midst of a garbage strike that has turned Toronto into a giant dumpster. Our mayor, leader of the city’s government, has single handedly killed Toronto tourism. At the best of times we are mired in scandals of government corruption. If Toronto was being rated in any other way but its city government’s contribution I would put Toronto in first place, but according to the existing criteria for the study, Toronto should be in last place or off the scale entirely.

Maclean’s Magazine recently ran this cover and it pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? I wish that Toronto would get the amount of international press for being a world class city as it’s getting for the garbage strike. As the CNN commercial says, it is “the most trusted name in news”. When Mayor Miller went on CNN recently and created a public relations disaster, it set off a tempest in a teapot. The reality is the Americans had no idea that we were in the midst of a garbage strike, until Mayor Miller went on CNN and told the world. It was accompanied by photos showing overflowing trash bins and fenced-off temporary dump sites populated by thousands of garbage bags. If that didn’t give tourists a reason to stay away… Thank you Mayor Miller. In the World Travel Watch section of the San Francisco Chronicle, Canada heads the watch list that includes other world powers like Honduras, Mexico, North Africa and Thailand. Many travel agents across the U.S. have issued travel advisories, warning tourists about travel to Toronto.

Couldn’t we have left well enough alone? No, we decided to really see if we could kill tourism entirely when the federal government went ahead and imposed a visa requirement on Czech and Mexican visitors to Canada. What are our politicians thinking? In 2008 Canada welcomed 266,000 Mexican visitors. One of the reasons that so many Mexicans visited Canada is that the Americans imposed a visa requirement on them. So what do we do? Instead of enjoying the increase in tourism, which at the moment we badly need, we go ahead and discourage the Mexicans from coming to Canada. Why did we do this? Apparently there has been an increase in unfounded applications for refugee status. Maybe we should impose an intelligence requirement for all government officials.

Opa! It’s almost time for one of Toronto’s favourite summertime food festivals – the Taste of the Danforth. Now in its 16^th delicious year, a large part of the Danforth will be closed to traffic from August 7 – August 9 so that we can all be out and about eating, drinking, dancing, and shopping.

Taste of the Danforth days, dates, and hours:

• Friday, August 7^th from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
• Saturday, August 8^th from Noon – 11:00 PM
• Sunday, August 9^th from Noon – 8:00 PM

Greektown is the largest Hellenic business community in North America and the third largest in the world after Greece and Melbourne, Australia. The Taste of the Danforth is the largest Greek festival in the world outside of Greece. Over 1 million people – locals, national, and international guests - flock to the Taste of the Danforth. Why? The food of course – mouth watering authentic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. Over 50 restaurants in the area will be participating. In addition to dining in or on one of the many fantastic patios, there will be food samples sold on the street so that you can walk from restaurant to restaurant sampling their wares. It’s a great opportunity to revisit your old stand-bys or discover a new favourite. In addition to fabulous food there will be live music, lots of great deals from local retailers, and even children’s activities.

With the Danforth closed to cars, please leave yours at home and use the TTC. Take the Bloor-Danforth Subway Line and exit at Chester, Pape, or Donlands.

Tim Hortons has launched in New York City. My question is why? New York City is certainly not lacking coffee shops; therefore Tim’s is certainly not filling a void. They may be a Canadian institution, for reasons that I have yet to figure out, but that rarely translates to our friends to the south.

Here are some Tim Hortons facts:

• There are almost 3,500 locations in North America
• There are approximately 500 locations currently operating in the U.S.
• They sell about two billion cups of coffee annually

All of the 13 Tim Hortons locations were originally Dunkin’ Donuts stores that have been converted. Nine of the ten locations in Manhattan are now open and they are in great locations in the heart of the city including Penn Plaza, Broadway, and Madison Square Garden. Two locations will open in Brooklyn. Here is the complete list of Tim Hortons locations in New York City. The company plans to open three other locations in Manhattan next month in existing Cold Stone Creamery outlets as part of a co-branding test of up to 100 U.S. stores.

The unanswered question is how will Tim’s market to New Yorkers and how effective will that marketing be? The one thing that can be guaranteed is that Canadian tourists will undoubtedly flock to Tim Hortons when they see one, but what about New Yorkers? They are a sophisticated bunch with an abundance of coffee shops to choose from. What is so special about Tim Hortons that will make them switch from their regular place? There is no doubt that Tim Horton had a strong connection to the U.S. while he played hockey for the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. However, he passed away in 1974, so I don’t know if that is going to be much of an enticement to try his coffee. Tim Hortons opened its first U.S. store in Tonawanda, New York in 1984 and the company’s coffee bean roasting plant is based in Rochester, New York, but Tonawanda and Rochester are well beyond the scope of interest of Manhattanites.

It will be interesting to see how they do. Do you think that Tim Hortons will be a New York City success story? If you were in New York would you go into Tim Hortons for a coffee?

Just For Laughs is on from July 15 – 19 and it couldn’t come at a better time. We could all use a good laugh right now. Most Torontonians haven’t had much to laugh about these days with tough economic times and a civic workers strike that is now into its third week. Now in its third year, Toronto has embraced this Montreal tradition with open arms. Over 60,000 people have attended Just for Laughs. After all, there is no such thing as too much laughter.

Eleven venues will play host to the best comedians in the world performing in 42 shows over 5 days. Headlined by the incomparable John Cleese of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame, and Sarah Silverman, star of movies and television, Bo Burnham, John Luguizamo, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, and Danny Bhoy are just a few of the outstanding featured entertainers. This promises to be an outstanding festival. Ticketed events range in price from $20 - $120. Buy your tickets online.

Not all events are ticketed. There are some fabulous FREE events as well, most notably by our own Russell Peters from beautiful downtown Brampton who will be hosting FREE Just For Laughs showcase events at Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday, July 18^th. Arrive early because space is limited and Russell is a huge draw.

Just For Laughs is taking on international stature. Opening this week in Chicago, negotiations are currently underway to set up mini-festivals in Calgary, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and Sydney, Australia.

Caribana, from July 14 – August 3 is Canada’s largest outdoor festival with 1.3 million attending last year. Not only a major attraction for Torontonians, Caribana is a huge tourist attraction, especially for our American neighbours to the south. Now in its 42^nd year, Caribana celebrates Toronto’s diverse population and multicultural society. It is an exciting cultural event featuring

Caribbean music - Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Hip Hop, Chutney, Steel Pan and Brass Bands, authentic Caribbean cuisine, and visual and performing arts.

Featured Events:

• Caribana Launch at Yonge/Dundas Square on Tuesday, July 14^th from Noon – 2:00 PM
• Caribana Tent Villages at Yonge/Dundas Square on Tuesday, July 14^th from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• Calypso Monarch Finals at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, CNE on Saturday, July 18^th from 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
• Junior Carnival at Yorkgate Mall on Saturday, July 18^th from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Caribana Gala at the Liberty Grand – Exhibition Place on Friday, July 24^th at 6:30 PM for Cocktails and 7:30 PM for Dinner
• Caribana King & Queen Show at Lamport Stadium on Thursday, July 30^th from 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
• Pan Alive at Lamport Stadium on Friday, July 31^st from 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
• Caribana Parade at Exhibition Place & Lake Shore Blvd on Saturday, August 1^st from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The Caribana Parade is always the highlight of the festival. There is nothing else that can compare. It begins at Exhibition Place and moves west along Lakeshore Boulevard. The Caribana Parade is a feast for the senses with unimaginable colour and pageantry – it’s Mardi Gras on Lakeshore Boulevard! Come out to Caribana and find out what 1.3 million already know.

Pink slip parties have nothing to do with lingerie and they are not “girls’ night in parties”. They are the singles parties of the new economy, but instead of searching for a mate, you search for a job. The craze started in the U.S. and made its way north. Several entrepreneurial types have maximized their opportunities and opened pink slip party companies to organize these events. They attract job hunters who are unemployed, those who anticipate unemployment, and recruiters with jobs to fill. Everyone who pays the entry fee is welcome including those who are employed so in order to differentiate guests are given colour-coded bracelets that declare their status – job hunting, general attendees, and recruiters.

Several pink slip parties have taken place in Toronto since March, but as yet I haven’t read about anyone who found a job at one of these parties. They do however seem like a really inexpensive way for recruiters to access local candidates. One thing is certain – it never hurts to network. The key is networking, not hanging out with your friends waiting for someone to approach you. You only have one chance to make a first impression. Here are some tips for getting the most out of a pink slip party.

• Dress for success
• Bring business cards with your name, phone number, and email address
• Arrive early – recruiters generally don’t stay too long
• Speak to as many new people as possible - recruiters and other attendees
• Know your elevator speech well
• Don’t monopolize anyone’s time – keep circulating
• Wait your turn to speak with someone – don’t interrupt
• Present a positive image

The Beaches International Jazz Festival from July 17 – 26, is now it its 21^st year. What began as a small, local event featuring an afternoon of jazz in the park has become one of Toronto’s favourite summertime festivals. Staying true to its roots, The Beaches International Jazz festival is FREE.

Featured Events:

• The Festival Kick-off July 17 – 19 at Woodbine Park located at Lake Shore and Coxwell.
• Streetfest July 23 – 25 from 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM on Queen Street East features 50 jazz bands along a 2 km stretch of Queen St. E. Over 1 million people are expected to attend.
• Main Stage July 25 – 26 11:30 AM – 6:30 PM at Kew Gardens features free concerts.
• Workshops & Lecture Series July 20 – 25 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Mennonite New Life Center located at 1774 Queen St. East (Queen and Lark Streets, just west of Woodbine).
• Marathon/Walk July 26 – 20k at 8:30 AM, 10k at 9:30 AM, and 5k at 10:00 AM starting at the foot of Kew Gardens, out and back on the Martin Goodman Trail to Ashbridges Bay and Tommy Thompson Park.

Come early to stake out a place at the Main Stage concerts or to find a place at Streetfest. Bring along a chair or blanket and make your self comfortable. The Beaches will be teeming with people so please leave your car at home and take the TTC

• Take 92 Woodbine South Bus from Woodbine Subway Station
• Take 22 Coxwell Bus from Coxwell Station.
• Take the 501 Queen St Streetcar east from Queen or Osgoode Subway Stations