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In Honour of Saul Korman: The Shining “Duke of the Danforth”
Dubbed the “Duke of the Danforth,” Saul Korman was more than just a businessman; he was a pillar in the Danforth community, and a beacon of light for all of Toronto. He passed away on Sunday, January 31st at the age of 86, and that light he cast over Toronto? It dimmed, noticeably so. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Saul, his honorary title of “Duke of the Danforth” given to him by former Toronto Mayor, Mel Lastman, is no exaggeration. In the ‘50s, Saul opened Korry’s Clothiers to Gentlemen, one of the first businesses to grace the Danforth apart from service businesses and various used car…
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Happy 186th Birthday, Toronto!
March 6, 2020 marks Toronto’s 186th birthday when the town of York became the city we now know and love! Starting out with a humble population of 9,000, Toronto has now grown to become the fourth largest city in North America which includes other regions like Etobicoke, North York, York, East York, and Scarborough. As one of North America’s most multicultural hubs, with representations of many different cultures and neighbourhoods, Toronto is a unique place to live, work, and play. From the construction of the CN Tower in 1976 to the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal renovation of the Royal Ontario Museum in 2007, Toronto has seen a lot of development over…
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Danforth Homeowners: Capitalize on Your Property with a Laneway Home
In August 2018, Toronto City Council approved the construction of laneway homes throughout the 310 kilometers of identified laneway space. Since then, fewer than 100 properties have been built or are currently in the permit process. The City has approved all laneways in the old city of Toronto and East York (defined by the Danforth and Beaches neighbourhoods) as available for construction. This means 47,133 current lots could have laneway homes built on their property. These properties encompass much of the lower city, with roughly 21 kilometers spanning the distance from Old Mill to Main Street Station. While close to two-thirds of the designated laneways are west of Yonge Street,…
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Why You Should Go See Eric Nam at the Danforth Music Hall
Rihanna. Justin Bieber. Lorde. And now, Eric Nam joins the roster of world-class musicians to perform at the historic Danforth Music Hall. The next Canadian stop on Nam’s Before We Begin World Tour is right here in our own backyard on February 24th—great news for fans of K-pop! Whether you’re a fan already, or just want to learn more about K-pop, here are five things you should know about Eric Nam.
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Have Your High and Eat it Too
Last month, Canadians were able to legally purchase edibles at their local cannabis dispensary. We’ve all heard, or experienced, pot brownie horror stories – I witnessed a friend gasping for breath because he thought he was the couch and couches don’t breathe – but edibles are a viable alternative to smoking or vaping cannabis. Edibles are products infused with cannabis extracts or concentrates that contain active tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) ingredients. These products include beverages, gummy candies, dissolvable strips, baked goods, and even butter. What happens if I take edibles? While cannabis was legalised in October 2018, edibles were not until the following year and were not available for…
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Fighting with Strangers
When I first moved to Toronto, I didn’t know anyone. I had left behind a town I’d lived in for seven years in an effort to change my career path. In addition to leaving my job behind, though, I also left my friends…and our twice-monthly Dungeons & Dragons sessions. Our little band of nerds changed over the years, with people coming and going as their lives dictated, but our love of fantasy, bad jokes and epic stories had us all eager for the next session. None of us had grown up playing tabletop games. Like so many of our generation of players, we owed our new-found passtime (and dice-collecting addictions)…
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Interviews with People Living On the Danforth
Traditionally, the Danforth is considered to be a primarily Greek community, with its countless Greek restaurants, Greek street signs, and annual “Taste of the Danforth” food festival serving as indicators of the neighbourhood’s rich cultural ties. But what are the causes and effects of the Danforth’s evolutionary transformation away from its formerly exclusive Greek identity? Although this is a long, unfinished process, the Danforth is very different than it was just a few years ago due to the newer demographic of residents and visitors influencing the area. The following interviews with Danforth locals demonstrate the differences and similarities between newer and long-term residents to help personify one of Toronto’s most…
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A tech-savvy spot for kids on the Danforth: come to Little Robot Friends to code and play
The Danforth neighborhood is not only about ethnic restaurants and independent bookstores, but is also about science and education. Little Robot Friends is a passionate project of a tech-savvy duo, Ann Poochareon and Mark Argo, who have been nurturing it like a child: with huge love and not so huge expectations. It all started in 2013 on Kickstarter. Ann and Mark presented three robots: Spikey, Ghosty, and Curvy, which can sense the amount of light in a room, hear with a small integrated microphone, detect your touch, and communicate with other little robot friends using infrared light (like your TV remote). Hobbyists and electronic enthusiasts loved them. Ann and Mark raised…
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Mom’s Basement: For Nerds and Nostalgia
The rush of warm air greets customers’ rosy cheeks as they step into the bar from the winter’s chill on Danforth Avenue. The glow from the fluorescent lights and TVs playing classic ‘80s movies surround the patrons as “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus echoes through the room on the sound system. The bartender says a friendly “hello” and welcomes them to Mom’s Basement; from then on, they’re home. Derek Van Dyken and Jon Bratt worked in the service industry for years and always talked about how one day they would own their own business. All it took was “a bad day” in early 2019 for them to realize that they were…
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Next Stop: The Danforth
Whether stranded at a bus stop waiting out a delay in one of our winter storms, or stuck on the subway due to yet another signal issue, at some point we have all found ourselves cursing the TTC. But while we all like to make a good jab at Toronto’s public transit system, the fact is that it keeps people connected. In a city bursting with so many one-of-a-kind neighbourhoods, the TTC makes these places accessible to people inside and outside the community. The Danforth is a great example of one of these districts. Connected by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, the Danforth can be easily accessed through Pape, Chester, and…