A RAID on the Toronto Humane Society last Thursday has resulted in animal cruelty charges against a handful of agency employees, including its president and chief veterinarian. The action was prompted in large part by a Globe and Mail investigation that … Continue reading →
EVEN BALLOON BOY’S father would have to admit this was a pretty impressive publicity stunt. By now most folks have likely heard about the Virginia couple who managed to slip through White House security Tuesday night and crash President Obama’s … Continue reading →
ON TUESDAY the U.S. Department of Transportation fined three airlines a total of $175,000 for stranding passengers overnight on a tarmac in Rochester, Minn. last August. This is the first time airlines have been fined for something like this. The … Continue reading →
TORONTO, the city that wants so badly to be considered world class, was dealt a bit of a blow in that quest the other day. The website www.virtualtourist.com put the city’s Royal Ontario Museum on its list of world’s ugliest … Continue reading →
YOU CAN FILE this one under world’s dumbest criminals. The other day a 22-year-old Romanian burglar got caught with his pants down, literally, after he attempted to climb through the window of a supermarket in a small Portugal town. The would-be … Continue reading →
SHE’S BA-ACK – and with a vengeance. Sarah Palin’s new memoir, ‘Going Rogue: An American Life‘, hits stores Tuesday. (Should have been called ‘Mavericky: How I Thought the Election Was All About Me and Helped Kill Whatever Chance John McCain … Continue reading →
NOVEMBER 11 IS Remembrance Day in Canada and a host of other nations. It marks the day in 1918 that World War 1 formally ended with the signing of the armistice. When I was in school, every Nov. 11 we would gather for … Continue reading →
TORONTO WAS awarded the 2015 Pan Am Games Friday, walloping its competitors Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia. This will be the first time Toronto hosts a serious international sports event, with the exception of the 1992 and 1993 World Series … Continue reading →
THE GUARDIAN — one of the more highly regarded news organizations in the world — has produced this pretty cool “advert” that imagines how the paper and website would have covered the story of the Three Little Pigs. The video … Continue reading → […]
Merry Christmas to all — if you celebrate it, or even if you don’t; and even if you don’t, you’re still going to love Simon’s cat in ‘Santa Claws’ (unless you don’t like cats, in which case, forget you). Happy … Continue reading → […]
NOVEMBER HAS BECOME synonymous with “Movember,” the annual event during which guys around the world grow moustaches to raise money and awareness for men’s health, prostate cancer specifically. It’s a brilliant publicity campaign that has gathered a huge amount of … Continue reading → […]
HOW’S THAT FOR heeding a warning? Saw this head-shaking piece of work on the way into a Toronto-area hospital yesterday. If the genius driver responsible for the damage could read the sign, apparently he didn’t get the message. ryan@roadtostarrdom.com […]
CANADIAN NOVELIST Russell Smith had a thought-provoking column in the Globe and Mail a few weeks back examining the growing tendency these days for young creative people, writers in particular, to work for free. The spur for the discussion was … Continue reading → […]
Perhaps. But check out The New Yorker’s fabulous cover tribute to Jobs: Says it all really, doesn’t it? ryan@roadtostarrdom.com […]
Recent Articles
Dream Home brings green design to the masses (March 13, 2012)
The Dream Home R-House featured at this year’s National Home Show is part of an effort by its developer to “bring contemporary green design to the mass market.”
Massey Tower will ‘breathe new life’ into neglected site (February 25, 2012)
For years, whenever developer Gary Switzer passed by the abandoned Bank of Commerce building at 197 Yonge St., he felt a deep sense of civic disappointment.
Indx: It’s a man’s world (February 25, 2012)
Indx Condos will be the first purely residential tower built in the Financial District, so its developers didn’t have to spend long determining the project's target market.
2011 was ‘astonishing,’ BILD chair says (February 25, 2012)
BILD chair Paul Golini needed just one word to capture his reaction to the GTA real estate market’s 2011 sales totals: “astonishing.
Jared Menkes is building strategically hip condos (January 28, 2012)
Jared Menkes has a simple yet effective way of dreaming up the kinds of condos he’s going to develop. “I want to build projects that I’d want to live in,” he says.
Architect instructed: 'Give me something different' (January 28, 2012)
Architect Richard Witt knew he’d designed a great condo when a community meeting for the project ended with him receiving a round of applause.
Living down by the river (January 28, 2012)
David Wex has been so impressed with what’s happening at Underpass Park that the developer recently threw a party there to show it off.
The value of good karma (January 28, 2012)
Karma condo's charity/marketing campaign generated a great deal of interest in the project and raised over $15,000 for three local charities.
Nice guys really do finish first (January 21, 2012)
A gutsy approach to business — tempered by humility and community mindedness — has served Charles Mady well.
Toronto embraces Shangri-La living (January 14, 2012)
If the rip-roaring success of condo sales at Shangri-La Toronto can serve as any indication, this city appears to have embraced the new arrival with open arms.
New townhomes on the ‘Block’(January 14, 2012)
The success of this redesigned townhouse project is a testament to the demand in the city for at-grade contemporary housing.
Lago takes full advantage of Lake Ontario views (January 7, 2012)
Lovely vistas are a big selling point for Lago Condos, Monarch’s latest project at its Waterview master-planned community in Humber Bay.
Merton townhouses have a custom home feel (January 7, 2012)
It’s a cold morning, but Sarit Chandaria, principal of Tibro Developments, offers a warm grin and firm handshake as he welcomes me to The Merton.
Counting out loud (December 2011)
Women started outnumbering men as law school grads a decade ago, but no one knows how they’re faring in the profession. It’s time for law firms to go public.
Financial Freedom: 50-somethings (December 2011)
It’s an all-too familiar scene: A guy in his mid-50s shoots out of bed at 3 a.m., sweating buckets, deep in the throes of a serious “Oh crap!” moment.
Financial Freedom: 40-somethings (October/November 2011)
So you’ve hit the big 4-0. Your glory days aren’t necessarily behind you, but things aren’t as carefree anymore.
Financial Freedom: 30-somethings (September 2011)
You’re in your 30s and you still know how to live the good life, but the realities of adulthood have set in.
Financial Freedom: 20-somethings (July/August 2011)
A bit of planning and saving in your fancy-free 20s could mean a plump nest egg and stopping work sooner.
The new retirement (May/June 2011)
Retirement isn't what it used to be. How do different generations envision their post-working years?
Keys to a healthy, long-lasting roof (December 2, 2011)
There’s nothing more important to the well-being of your house than a properly functioning roof.
Household insurance and weather damage (August 19, 2011)
Simply purchasing a policy doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be sheltered from the potential financial fallout after a storm hits.
Colleges worried about CSC funding cuts (September 16, 2011)
Ontario schools see great value in the relationships they've formed with the Construction Sector Council.
Project owners fear loss of sector council data (September 14, 2011)
The federal government's decision to phase out core funding to the Construction Sector Council has raised concerns among owners.
Justin Trudeau: The world is watching Canada (October 2010)
Our abundant natural resources, educated workforce and diverse population position Canada to be a global leader, Liberal MP Justin Trudeau says.
