There was a great deal of concern as to what would happen to the Hummingbird Centre after the new opera centre opened and took with it the COC and the National Ballet. I’m delighted to tell you that our Hummingbird Centre will not be left to languish. It now has a new name and a new title sponsor. I know that there are still those among us who continue to refer to the Hummingbird Centre as the O’Keefe Centre. Well, now it is officially the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. Sony bought a 20-year title sponsorship for 10 million dollars.

In June 2008 the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts will undergo a massive interior renovation. Sony promises that the centre will be outfitted with the most technically advanced Sony audio and video products. When the transformation is complete the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts will emerge as a state-of-the-art multimedia theatre and concert venue. This is great news for the centre, great news for the entertainment community, great news for the city, and great news for the public. Bravo Sony for investing in Toronto.

The Fairmont Royal York Hotel is not only a magnificent first class, luxury hotel and the flagship of the Fairmont chain, it is going to be the first major hotel group in the world to formally commit to using locally sourced and organically grown products as part of its everyday food operations. Executive chef David Garcelon is even thinking of putting beehives on top of the hotel. You may not know this but there is already a rooftop garden where eggplant, gooseberries, and edible flowers are grown for use in the kitchen.

The Fairmont Royal York served 1 million meals last year to many guests with discerning palates. Although organic local produce may cost more, the guests at the hotel would prefer to pay a little more for fresh, local produce. This fall will see the unveiling of a new menu with more organic items. The Fairmont chain will be implementing the environmental food program in all of its 51 properties around the world including the uber-elegant Savoy in London, England. The Fairmont chain is not just a pretty face. It is making a commitment to healthy eating and supporting local growers. Bravo! Follow the link below to the Fairmont Royal York’s website.

http://www.fairmont.com/royalyork/?cm_mmc=icppc-_-Branded-RYH+-+Royal+York+-+Canada-_-google-_-fairmont+royal+york+hotel

Why can’t David Miller get behind a suggestion that makes sense for a change? Councillor Michael Walker, Ward 22, St. Paul’s sought approval for a private member’s bill that would permit the sale of some Ontario wines and beer in convenience stores. David Miller said that the bill died in the legislature and that Councillor Walker’s motion is out of order.

Other provinces, including our next door neighbours in Quebec, allow the sale of beer and wine in convenience stores, supermarkets, big box stores like Costco, and even in gas stations. Premier McGuinty has gotten into the act and said that the city doesn’t have the authority to allow the sale of beer and wine in convenience stores. Some city councillors, including Michael Walker, say that the idea deserves a full hearing.

It must be a huge revenue generator! So why aren’t we doing it here? We keep hearing about how the city is bankrupt. Mayor Miller comes up with a new taxation idea every day. I would like someone to explain why we refuse to seriously consider a money maker. It not only makes sense, but it is a huge convenience. I’m all for it. Are you for or against the sale of beer and wine in convenience stores?

The Toronto Community Housing Corporation is under fire. There have been allegations that tenants paid bribes in order to jump the queue for larger apartments. A tenant in a Jane & St. Clair apartment building, Abderra Boukhalfa, seems to have been the catalyst for this investigation.

Mr. Boukhalfa has been on a wait list for a 2 bedroom subsidized apartment since 1996. In that time he has seen other tenants move into 2 bedroom units ahead of him, although they were wait listed behind him. He alleges that other tenants in the building have told him that they paid between $3,000 and $6,000 dollars to upgrade their apartments without having to wait their turn in line. Mr. Boukhalfa lives in a 1 bedroom apartment with his wife and 2 sons. Tired of the injustice, he wrote letters to the housing officials, the police, the mayor’s office, and Ms Nunziata of Ward 11, York South-Weston.

There are currently 164,000 tenants in 350 buildings run by the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Approximately 75,000 people are currently on wait lists. Ninety-three per cent of Toronto Community Housing tenants pay a subsidized rent that is equal to 30% of their gross household income. These are people who can ill afford to be paying bribes in order to live a decent quality of life. I am looking forward to the outcome of the investigation and sincerely hope that justice will be served.  

Are you smarter than a 5^th grader? Take the quiz and find out.

http://www.canada.com/globaltv/globalshows/canadian5thgrader/quiz.html

A Canadian version of the hit TV show is already in the works. Global Television will be airing the show this fall. A five city casting tour will take place in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Halifax for the panelists. Five episodes are scheduled to be taped right here in Toronto in October. With a grand prize of $1,000,000 the competition will no doubt be fierce.

 If you have not seen the show currently airing on American television, the premise is simple. Adult contestants are asked questions that are taken from school materials that are approximately at the 5^th grade level. The adults are joined by actual 5^th graders and they can turn to the 5^th graders for help in answering the questions. The contestant receives 10 subject cards. Each correct answer moves them higher up the ladder in terms of dollar value. Once all 10 of the questions have been answered correctly the contestant is given the opportunity to answer the 11^th question. The correct answer brings with it the million dollar prize.

For more information follow the link below.

http://www.canada.com/globaltv/index.html

Is there an open war between the cyclists and the drivers of Toronto? Cyclists say that drivers are becoming increasingly aggressive and hostile towards them and that they fear for their lives when riding. They actually believe that the drivers are out to get them. And they feel that Toronto does not have enough bicycle lanes. As fuel costs rise and the need to decrease the amount of cars in the city core becomes more and more important, it would seem that doing everything that we can to encourage people to cycle instead of drive makes perfect sense.

However, as a driver I find that very few cyclists adhere to the rules of the road. Many ride without helmets, reflective clothing, and lights in the evening. They frequently ride in the wrong direction on one-way streets, don’t stop at stop signs or red lights, and weave in and out of traffic, making them virtually impossible to see. I am in constant fear that I will hit and injure a cyclist because of their reckless driving.How do we peacefully co-exist on our city streets and make our streets safer for cyclists and drivers?

Toronto will be putting on the Ritz, literally and figuratively. Once completed in 2009, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto will be the first Ritz combined hotel and condominium residence in Canada. The 53 story structure will be located on Wellington Street between Simcoe Street and John Street. The cost is estimated at 300 million dollars.

The name Ritz-Carleton itself is synonymous with the term 5-star and this will be no exception. With 267 hotel rooms and 135 condos in a 700,000 square foot facility, the Ritz-Carleton Toronto will certainly cater to the rich and famous. In addition it will be the home to Toronto largest spa at 23,000 square feet. The presentation centre for the condos will be open this September. Before you go scurrying off to choose your unit, the suites will range from $700,000 for one of the smaller pied-a-terrres to $11,000,000 for the palatial penthouse on the 52^nd floor that is an astounding 10,920 square feet in size. Wouldn’t you just love to know what the monthly maintenance fees would be on a place like that?                      

How many times have you been to an event or watched one on television and noticed that many of the best seats in the house are empty? It may have been a sporting event, a great show, festival, theatre, or concert. Often times corporations purchase seats in a large block and offer them to clients and employees, but still don’t necessarily fill them all. Or perhaps you purchased tickets to an event long ago and then something came up at the last minute and you couldn’t find anyone who could attend in your place. So, your seats sit empty.

Kids Up Front Toronto would like to make sure that there are never any empty seats in the house again by distributing the unused tickets to needy children in Toronto. They are partnered with local charitable organizations that serve children to ensure that the available tickets are distributed fairly. And they work in partnership with sporting organizations, theatre groups, concert promoters, entertainment groups, and special event organizers to obtain tickets.

The Kids Up Front Toronto Foundation is one year old and in one short year over 22,000 local kids have had the opportunity of a lifetime attending a great event that they would otherwise never have the chance to see. If you have tickets to donate – even at the last minute – please call 416-530-2352 or e-mail kidsupfront-to@corusent.com You may also bring them in person, by mail, or messenger to the Nelvana Building (Corus Entertainment) located at 32 Atlantic Avenue, Toronto, ON M6K 1X8. from 8:30 AM. - 5:30 PM. Donations are also graciously accepted and income tax receipts will be issued. For more information follow the link below.

http://www.kidsupfront.com/index.html

Computers have become absolutely indispensable in our lives. We work, keep in touch with friends and family, bank, shop … and the list is endless. For many people not knowing how to use a computer can seriously hamper their ability to find a job. For seniors and others with disabilities very often a computer is their connection to the world and saves them from feelings of loneliness and isolation.

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre is offering free seminars in English and in Cantonese on how to use computers. Some of the areas to be touched upon will be how to look up a word in an online dictionary, how to look up a city map and print it out, how to do online banking, and how to book airline tickets online. The English seminars will take place on Saturday, August 25^th from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM. The Cantonese seminars will take place on Friday, August 24^th from 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM and on Saturday, August 25^th from 9:15 AM – 11:15 AM.

Make your reservation without delay. Call 416-493-3333. The St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre is located at 3333 Finch Avenue East, at the southwest corner of Finch Avenue and Warden Avenue.

According to The Gatehouse, a non-profit organization in Toronto that helps victims of child abuse during the investigative process, 1 in 4 children will be the victims of abuse. To make this statistic all the more tragic, the children usually know their abuser. Unfortunately most people don’t realize how prevalent this is in our communities and we don’t know how identify the signs of child abuse.

 
The province has announced a 1.1 million dollar training program that will develop workshops for elementary school teachers to provide them with the education to recognize the signs of child abuse and how to help the abused children. This is a good start, but not the answer. As a society we are each responsible for the safety of our children and must do everything possible to stop predators. We must all be educated in how to identify the signs of abuse and what we can do about it.

 
The Gatehouse receives approximately 22 new calls every month from adults wanting to deal with childhood abuse and they do offer a number of programs for child and adult survivors. To learn more about the great work that The Gatehouse is doing, follow the link below.

http://www.thegatehouse.org/