City Life Magazine – Feb/March 2015

54

CTV TORONTO’S MICHELLE DUBÉ: DRIVEN FROM THE START

58

STRESSED BY THE BELL: WHY TEENAGE ANGST IS ON THE RISE

46

LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS DECRY HIGHWAY 7 CONSTRUCTION

42

CHASING LIFE WITH THE ZANY & ZEALOUS ITALIA RICCI

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VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1 | FEB/MARCH 2015

CONTENTS 14 BEAUTY

ON THE COVER

28

DAVID USHER: RECAPTURING THE CREATIVE SPARK

Photographed by Jesse Milns, David Usher, frontman of alternative rock band Moist, takes a moment with City Life Magazine at Quebec café La Croissanterie Figaro

Say hello to our fresh spring picks and goodbye to winter blues 16 COOLTURE VIP parties, glimmering buildings and wedding couture, oh my! We bring you the latest on everyone’s minds 42 BIG MACS AND CHAMPAGNE From her upbringing in Richmond Hill to the spotlight in L.A., Canadian actress Italia Ricci shares how she’s Chasing Life 52 OUR TESTED SUV LINEUP We take a spin in the sharpest SUVs of 2015 54 BORN TO BROADCAST Hanging out with the irreproachable Michelle Dubé of CTV Toronto More stories inside …

18

COOLTURE

FEATURE STORIES

38 THE INDEPENDENTS’ DAY

We explore the reasons why Canadian buyers are bringing their business to local shops and leaving department stores in the dust 46 THE PRICE OF PROGRESS As construction on Highway 7 continues, local business owners are forced to limp along as more customers avoid the area 58 STRESSED BY THE BELL The halls of high school are ringing with an increase of students suffering from anxiety disorders. What’s happening to our kids?

34

WINTER STATIONS

8

City Life Magazine

Feb/March 2015

57

COOK LIKE A CHEF

16

COOLTURE

www.citylifemagazine.ca

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michelle Zerillo-Sosa • michelle@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL Simona Panetta • simona@dolce.ca

“Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm” — Earl Nightingale

MANAGING EDITOR Michael Hill • michael@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca ART D E PARTM E NT CO-FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR Fernando Zerillo • fernando@dolce.ca WEB PROJECT MANAGER Steve Bruno SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Christina Ban, Luay Saig WEB DESIGNER Yena Yoo E D ITO R IAL D E PARTM E NT FASHION & HOME DECOR EDITOR Michelle Zerillo-Sosa

I

s creativity still in you?

A few days before press, while my staff was busy wrapping up this issue, a book called Let the Elephants Run by author, musician and public speaker David Usher landed on my desk. The book was a revelation to how anyone can unlock their creativity and change everything, and I was in love!

Needless to say, I could relate to some of the things the author was saying and suggesting to stimulate your creativity by thinking back on some things you used to do as a child that you probably don’t anymore. I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of being four or five years old and performing for family and friends the latest dance moves I had earlier seen from singer-actress Raffaella Carrà on TV. I had no fear or shyness in front of a group of people. Exactly when that changed, I am not sure. But it is interesting that David Usher suggests that as we grow up our dreams can disappear as more important responsibilities such as kids, work and bills take over.

These are all things that are real but don’t necessarily have to zap the life out from dreaming, creating, staying curious and being open to new experiences. Too often, we have an idea and share it with those closest to us but it quickly gets shot down.

So we give up and figure it might be for the best. But what if that friend is wrong and that idea was a brilliant one after all? Like Mike Tyson once said: “Everbody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

What you do after you metaphorically get punched in the mouth or, rather, after your idea gets squashed, could be the difference between working to pay the bills or paying your bills as a result of working on what you love doing.

Being creative is a quality we all have. It doesn’t mean that you have to make or create something. It could mean being creative with the way you do things in your everyday life and your relationships. Most of us get stuck in a box or labelled, and the danger lies in when we start believing that that label is all we are.

I believe that you should always be open to new things, that you should challenge yourself to be a better version of yourself every day. That’s the lesson in creativity I gathered from Let the Elephants Run. And that is what challenged me to encourage my staff to chase David Usher down in Montreal to make this interview happen!

Oh, and one more thing: had we listened to the naysayers 13 years ago about launching a new publication for everything Vaughan and Beyond … you probably wouldn’t be reading this magazine right now.

I hope you enjoy this latest issue of City Life Magazine. Let the journey begin and creativity abound!

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

@dolcetweets

10

City Life Magazine

Feb/March 2015

BEAUTY & TRAVEL EDITOR Angela Palmieri-Zerillo COPY EDITOR Simona Panetta PROOFREADERS Nina Hoeschele, Simona Panetta WRITERS Michael Hill, Amanda Storey CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Justin Mastine-Frost, Rita Stirpe, Mike Ward CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Daniel A. Cooper, Michael Hill, Jesse Milns, Valeria Mitsubata, Sal Pasqua, Lionsgate/ABC Spark VI D E O D E PARTM E NT VIDEOGRAPHER Daniel A. Cooper PUBLISHER

ADVERTISING T: 905-264-6789 info@citylifemagazine.ca DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Susan Bhatia ACCOUNT MANAGER Mario Balaceanu OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Alessandra Micieli FRONT COVER David Usher / Photo By Jesse Milns City Life Magazine • Volume 13 • Issue 1 • FEB/MARCH 2015 City Life Magazine is published bimonthly by Dolce Media Group, 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont. L4H 3H9 T: 905-264-6789 • F: 905-264-3787 info@citylifemagazine.ca • www.citylifemagazine.ca Subscribe online at www.citylifemagazine.ca or by calling 905-264-6789. City Life’s yearly subscription fee is $13.80.

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ISSN 1206-1778 Next Issue: April/May 2015 The opinions expressed in City Life Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or advertisers. Dolce Media Group does not assume liability for content.

The material in this magazine is intended for information purposes only and is in no way intended to supersede professional advice. We are proud to be a Canadian company that has successfully published magazines for the past 19 years without any government funding or financial assistance of programs to cover editorial costs. It has all been possible thanks to the wonderful support of our readers and advertisers.. ©2015 Dolce Media Group • www.dolcemedia.ca • Printed in Canada

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IT’S OK TO DREAM. IF ANYONE UNDERSTANDS, WE DO.

We’re proud members of a family business who are very thankful to our parents for taking the chance to IXOƓOO WKHLU GUHDPV Founded 36 years ago by three brothers, the Policaro Automotive Family has grown into a community-based business in two of the region’s most dynamic markets and we proudly accept the opportunity to build on WKHLU VXFFHVV Employing four-hundred staff and hiring more in preparation for the arrival of BMW Brampton this fall, ZHōUH DV H[FLWHG DV HYHU IRU D YHU\ EULJKW IXWXUH From our family to yours, keep dreaming.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Michael Hill, Managing Editor

W

hen David Usher started working on his book, Let the Elephants Run, he wanted to make something that was creative both in form and function. It’s a book about unlocking your creativity, and action is part of that process.

“Creativity is an action-based activity,” he says. “You have to do stuff to make it happen.” So Photo By Jesse Milns

that’s what I did.

I jotted down notes and did the “Actions” that he scattered through the text. I struck Amy Cuddy’s “power pose” from Action 11 and marked myself on Action 15’s “creative intention scale.” But it was Action 2 that really struck a chord.

Action 2 asks you to analyze your creative thinking through a survey. You must do some light personal reflection, such as rank the level of creativity you have today versus when you were young. One is a fill-in-the-blank: “When I was young I loved to make [blank].” I wrote, “Drawings.”

Next: “I never stopped because [blank].”

I stared at that line.

The problem was that I had stopped. When I was really young, I loved to draw — a lot. But I abandoned art after Grade 9. I played hockey competitively and artistic

pursuits weren’t something athletes did. I caved under the peer pressure.

After filling out the survey, I really began to think about the creative things I used to do and how they’re no longer part of my life. I talked to my wife about it, how I got to where I am, how different things could have been if I’d stuck to art and if I should start using my free time to try and write some paragraphs for that novel I’ve never started and will probably never finish. It was almost like a therapy session.

I mention this to Usher, asking if, while writing Let the Elephants Run, he intended for this level of personal reflection.

“Finding your creativity, I think it does change people.

Because people want to find things in their life that they love to do,” he says. “I don’t think it’s therapy, but it is a way of looking at your life and a way of viewing the world.”

Maybe you can find a new way of viewing yourself and the world in his story (page 28). And maybe even through this issue of City Life.

Until next time,

Michael Hill Managing Editor

Let us know what you think of this issue by sharing your thoughts on Twitter at @citylifetoronto

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hen Robert Amado first opened his innovative Kleinburg salon in 2009, he instantly brought a dose of expert style to the hairstyleseeking residents of Vaughan. The awardwinning colourist and creative director of Amado Salon has since then continued to transform his clients by taking their beauty and personality to the next level.

With his finger on the pulse of the latest techniques and innovative treatments to achieve spectacular, healthy and ontrend hair, the visionary entrepreneur’s latest move — one that amplifies his commitment to client satisfaction — brings a zap of renewed excitement to the hairstyling scene in Vaughan. “Sharing in our mutual love of hair and commitment to breaking standards in the industry, we welcome seasoned hairstylist Rose Leva to our team,” exclaims Amado. The move marks a collaborative milestone for both the salon and Leva, a trusted hair artist whose accomplishments are only matched by the attentive care she gives to each and every client.

Rose Leva, hairstylist at Amado Salon

Robert Amado, creative director of Amado Salon

“I’M ACCUSTOMED TO ROBERT’S ROOTS AND WHAT HE STANDS FOR, AND, ESSENTIALLY, WE BELIEVE IN THE SAME THING”

skies ahead, Leva is thrilled to join forces with the Amado Salon team, but she’s particularly overjoyed to be back home in the community she loves after relocating to the Peel Region for a few years. “I’m not going anywhere. This is my home and I’m staying,” says Leva. “I’m so excited to be a part of the Amado Salon team. I’m accustomed to Robert’s roots and what he stands for, and, essentially, we believe in the same thing.”

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A PILOT’S

EMERGENCY Written By Mike Ward

A

t 12:46 p.m. yesterday, with my body gushing full of adrenaline like I’ve never experienced in my life, I squeezed the pushto-talk trigger on the control stick of my high-performance, aerobatic two-seater aircraft and emphatically announced the three words that most pilots fortunately never say in their entire flying career. These three words typically provoke thoughts of an imminent and fiery death, and from a pilot’s standpoint, put into effect such power when said that they can even divert Air Force One from its current course … “Mayday, mayday, mayday.”

This is a moment that every pilot thinks about, often, but curiously doesn’t necessarily dread. People in most professions, vocations and sports get to exercise the full extent of their training, to experience reward and payoff in return for all their hard work.

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Other professions, such as soldiers, policemen, firemen, pilots and the like predominantly train for “what-if ?”

But all the training in the world can never truly simulate the adrenalin of such life-and-death catastrophes when they happen.

Today I would be tested.

My eight-year-old daughter Sydney, smiling ear to ear, and I were on the threshold of runway 27 at Burlington Airpark. I was going through my checklist, doing the usual pre-takeoff checks. All was A-OK for takeoff. I rolled onto the runway, announced my intentions over the airport frequency and quickly climbed to 2,500 feet.

We were on our way to what’s metaphorically known as “the $100 hamburger” amongst weekend pilots.

The “$100” is mostly dedicated to the fuel cost towards getting to where you will buy the $6 hamburger.

By commercial pilots’ standards I am considered what’s called a “lowtime pilot,” meaning my total flight hours are low, around 500 hours. For a private pilot (which I am), this is not considered too low. I hold most licence ratings and am considered to be highly proficient in the aircraft that I own and fly most weekends, a Van’s RV-7. I’m 41 years of age. By day I direct and produce television shows and commercials, but flying brings more joy than any other pastime. It is my passion.

I levelled off at 2,500 feet and changed frequency to talk to “Toronto Centre.” This is the frequency used by aircraft when entering into Pearson International airspace, one of the busiest airspaces in North America.

I had just made contact with them, telling them the standard information: who I am, where I am and my intentions.

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pilots shut up and air traffic control and I owned the airwaves. No one would talk or interrupt until I got exactly what I needed. All pilots know this.

As predicted, air traffic control was amazingly calm. “Golf Sierra Mike Charlie, what is your emergency?”

I described the situation and told them where I was. They asked me my intentions. I told them I was intending to return to Burlington, ETA five minutes. They asked if I wanted emergency vehicles waiting for me on landing. I knew as my airspeed dropped the canopy would calm down so I knew landing would be OK, so I declined emergency vehicles. They asked if I needed any further assistance.

I did have one request. As my forward visibility was still hindered I asked if there was any traffic between myself and the airport, and if so, could ATC vector them out of my flight path. I was on Pearson’s primary radar so they knew my location, heading (direction of flight) and altitude. They did as I requested. Three aircraft were vectored clear from my flight path.

As I approached the airport, my airspeed continued to decrease and the canopy calmed down. Now I turned my attention to my beautiful little blond passenger. Her crying had stopped but the look on her face was still of fear. I didn’t realize until maybe three to four minutes after the canopy popped that I had managed to keep my hand on her thigh throughout most of this ordeal, and she in turn had her trembling little hand on mine. Her hand had finally relaxed its grip a little, so I took that as some measure of where she was. I told her that although it was very noisy from all the wind she was never in any danger and that we’d be down in a few minutes and we could talk about what happened.

I also dropped the words “ice cream” in there somewhere, which seemed to paint a momentary but welcoming grin on her face.

We landed and I called ATC (as I was instructed to do while still in flight) to let them know all was well and to give a little more detail as to what happened. Sydney and I then drove to Baskin-Robbins and debriefed over chocolate chip and tiger tail cones.

Why did this happen? Because of me.

I failed to double-check a canopy latch (one of three) prior to takeoff.

The first and last time I will ever make that error. In hindsight, there was no risk at all of the canopy coming free.

The aircraft design factors in this pilot error.

I’m embarrassed to my core that this occurred. It is my only blemish on a perfect safety record totalling almost 500 flight hours. But I’ve learned a lot, and not all due to that specific human failure.

There is unfortunately a culture in general aviation to not often talk about such close calls and emergencies with frankness. I’m doing so here because there have been a few aircraft accidents lately that have received public attention, and dead pilots don’t talk. With fewer egos I believe our knowledge and experience can become so much more than the sum of our parts as individual aviators sharing a busy sky.

My training was tested, and although it was my error that created the situation, it was my training that kept the situation from escalating. I was calm and I followed all procedures to the letter. Despite all my training over the years I was never assured of quite how I would react under such conditions.

Thank you to my instructors, air traffic control and the wonderful engineers who designed and built my aircraft.

A day I will never forget for more reasons than I ever could have imagined.

And BTW, Sydney is keen to fly with Daddy again very soon.

Since this event occurred, Sydney and I have flown many more times.

She is always very relaxed in the plane.

The only change in her behaviour I’ve seen is that she’s more inquisitive about the instrumentation.

Photo By Richard Sibbald

violent and deafening bang occurred.

The canopy had released, flapping violently, creating a roaring wind tunnel within the cockpit. The aircraft’s nose had also been forced down dramatically.

Adrenaline surging, my thought process was the following (but certainly not as concise as I am writing now): A. If this canopy actually comes off, it will decapitate us.

B. If it comes off and doesn’t decapitate us (or knock me unconscious), I need to get my airspeed down, fast (picture trying to breathe with your head stuck out a car sunroof at 300 km/h).

C. I have an eight-year-old passenger who is crying and repeatedly screaming, “Daddy, what’s happening?”

As callous as it sounds, “C” was the least of my concerns. Every pilot reading this is now hearing in their head what their instructor repeatedly drilled into all of us hundreds and hundreds of times: “Fly the plane.”

Now, with 24 hours having passed, I’m able to recollect my reactions much clearer. I was able to do three things simultaneously: I pulled back on the stick to raise the nose, pulled back on the throttle to lower the airspeed, and looked outside for a farmer’s field to land in the event of the canopy coming off (landing in a farmer’s field in a light aircraft is a very safe procedure).

What all those instructors mean when they say those magical three words is, “Forget about your passengers, forget about calling mayday, first, give all of your attention to the aircraft.”

“Fly the plane,” then do all the others.

So far, it appeared the training was kicking in.

My forward visibility was zero from the canopy’s glare shield obstruction, but I was able to maintain altitude by instruments alone. Although the canopy (a fighter-style high-strength polymer bubble hinged at the front) was flapping violently, our headsets remained on. This was a good thing as talking to air traffic control was critical, let alone talking to Sydney.

My assessment was that the canopy was not likely to come off. Airspeed was coming down to around 150 km/h.

It was time to call mayday. “Toronto Centre, Sierra Mike Charlie, mayday, mayday, mayday.” Immediately, all other

GUEST EDITOR MIKE WARD Beginning his culinary career at 17, Mike Ward went on to prepare meals for dignitaries and actors, and has cooked in acclaimed restaurants across Australia and Canada. In early 2000, Ward began producing and directing award-winning cooking and lifestyle television seen in over 47 countries. Ward’s insatiable appetite continues to drive him to explore and create. www.mikewardproductions.com

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cover story

RECAPTURING THE

CREATIVE SPARK

Singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and keynote speaker David Usher has come out with a new book on unlocking your creativity, one that will change the way you view your own abilities and the creative process.

And City Life has the first interview Written By Michael Hill / Photography By Jesse Milns

D

avid Usher wants you to write in his book. Go ahead: jot notes, doodle pictures, scribble thoughts. He doesn’t mind.

“When I started thinking about making a book about creativity, about the creative process, I wanted the book itself to be, in many ways, an artifact that was creative in form as well as function,” says Usher of his first book, Let the Elephants Run, over the phone from his home in Montreal. “I believe that creativity is an actionbased activity. You have to do stuff to make it happen.”

And Usher should know. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been professionally making music for over 20 years, as both the frontman of alternative rock band Moist and in his own solo career. Over those two decades he’s sold more than 1.4 million albums and nabbed a number of awards, including five Junos. He’s also the founder of his own company, CloudID Creativity Labs, which develops innovative projects, such as web platforms, and does creative consulting for clients that include Cirque du Soleil and the Toronto International Film Festival. And from time to time he’s also giving keynote speeches on the creative process. You may look at a guy like David Usher and think he was lucky. He was born with this gift for creativity, endowed with some divine gift for making art and tech and other things that only the blessed creative-types of the world can. Creativity is something he has and most of the rest of don’t. Right?

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David Usher, singer-songwriter, founder of CloudID Creativity Labs and keynote speaker.

His first book, Let the Elephants Run, releases this March

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if an idea falls in the forest and no one sees or hears it, did it ever really exist?

Wrong.

“People often at conferences come up to me and they really do say, ‘I wish I could be creative.’ You are creative,” says Usher, 48. “But maybe you’re just not exercising that side of your personality.”

Which is exactly what Let the Elephants Run aims to do: help readers to break free from the patterns and conventions of everyday life, and to exercise their creative muscles, harness that reinvigorated creative energy and make it productive.

Usher believes we all have that “creative gene,” that creativity is a skill that can be tapped into and honed just like any 30

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other. “Stop looking at creativity as the lottery that someone else won at birth,” Usher writes. “Start looking at creative thinking as a skill set that you can master if you invest the time to learn how.”

Through the text, Usher outlines the journey of his own creative process to show how he gets from conception to the finish line. He suggests “Actions” to get our creative juices flowing. He talks about the process of filing and filtering ideas, and then experimenting with those ideas to find those “creative collisons.” As it’s a book about creativity, the design is highly creative as well. There are many images and graphics to illustrate points, and certain pages, coloured using eye-catching palettes, are dedicated to single pieces of advice, telling us, “In this new fast-moving, ever-changing environment, creativity is not a luxury or a risk. It really is a necessity,” and, “If an idea falls in the forest and no one sees or hears it, did it ever really exist?” and, “If you think you are not creative, ask yourself how much time you have actually devoted to the pursuit of creativity.” here’s a real artistic quality to it, but it’s also very direct and easily digestible, which is part of Usher’s plan.

“There’s a reason why you need to have a physical copy, because I’ve tried to make it into something you need to look through and touch and write in and feel,” he says.

“I wanted the language to be straightforward, because I think that there is a tendency to make creativity seem mystical.”

While he acknowledges that there is a “magic to moments within the creative process,” Usher dispels the mysticism by directing our gaze to the work involved — the persistent, time-consuming, grinding work. Take his song, “St. Lawrence River.” It took him a year to write and he estimates it went through 30 different choruses. As he writes, “creativity is 95 percent work and discipline, and just 5 percent inspiration.”

The idea for writing Let the Elephants Run began fermenting in 2012 after he wrote a blog for the Huffington Post titled “The Perfect Time to Get Creative is Now” (which is also featured in this book). In it he outlines how creatives don’t live idealized lives where they always have the perfect space with ample, uninterrupted time to work. Usher is married to interdisciplinary theatre artist Sabrina Reeves and the couple has two daughters, Coco and Océane. As any parent knows, kids need attention. A lot of it. Compound that with our modern “distraction economy” where everything — TV, Facebook, our phones — vies for our attention and it becomes crucial to “define a methodology” and find ways of fitting the creative process into our lives. Even if that means waking at 5 a.m. before the kids start running and screaming around the house. fter writing the Huffington Post piece, and doing speaking engagements, he started to realize that he wanted to dig deeper into the material and figure out how he engages with the creative process. He began to write in the spare time between recording the new Moist album, playing shows and giving keynotes, which suits his style. “I probably can’t write for more than 20 minutes at a time,” he explains. “I’ve got a little ADD in that way, where I work on many different projects and I’ll flip between them.” But once he finds a direction and

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gets his claws sunk in, “then I’m just continually collecting.

I’m seeing all sorts of reflections of that idea in all sorts of different places, collecting those ideas and then writing them down.”

Usher is constantly taking notes of things he sees, hears and experiences. “Artist or entrepreneur, in my mind we are all hustlers and thieves. We are an amalgamation of the ideas that surround us,” he writes. “We absorb and steal, rob and plunder — whatever it takes to get our creativity moving.”

Which is true: so much of the art and tech that we love is based on ideas of others. Star Wars, for example, is heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress.

Usher’s CloudID Creativity Labs develops web platforms and does consulting work for Cirque du Soleil and the Toronto International Film Festival

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ven Usher’s “Black Black Heart” arose from his attraction to the drum and bass line of Eminem’s “Stan” and an opera sample from Lakmé, the “Flower Duet,” by his friend Jeff Pearce. He wasn’t a fan of Eminem’s “misogynistic and homophobic lyrics” and Lakmé wasn’t part of his “musical vocabulary.” But being open to those experiences, he was able to write one of his most popular songs.

“Those are often where great ideas come from, where great sparks come from — things outside of our genre, outside of what we normally do,” Usher says. “If you hate rock music, and you go to a rock show, you might hate the concert but you might love the lights.”

To further illustrate the importance of openness, Usher scatters famous quotes from a variety of individuals from a range of industries and arts. “I find that there’s a massive similarity between creativity in the arts and creativity in the startup culture,” he explains. On one page, a quote from Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast; on another, one from Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations; and on another still, a lyric

by Macklemore. “Ideas are everywhere and they may not naturally fit together but there’s something in these ideas,” he says. “They don’t come from naturally occurring places but they sort of fit together.”

One of his favourite quotes is by Silicon Valley entrepreneur and academic Steve Blank: “Business plans rarely survive first contact with customers. As the boxer Mike Tyson once said about his opponents’ prefight strategies: ‘Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’”

It’s another lesson fledgling creatives need to remember: “Failure and getting knocked around and getting rejection is a big part of creativity. You’ve got to have a really thick skin.”

Usher describes a time when he took a major metaphorical fist to the face when he was the co-founder of a social media aggregation startup right after Twitter launched. They were working on aggregated streams on the iPhone, on the Adobe Air app and as an iframe on the web, but “ran out of runway” and the project never made it off the ground. It was intense and heartbreaking, but in that pain there’s a lesson.

“I think it helps to be aware that every time you smash into a wall, there’s a period of pain. And experience teaches you that that generally goes away pretty quick, and if you’re open to it, you can really learn from those experiences.” And if you’re not “crashing into walls” and failing, “it probably means you’re not reaching high enough.”

At one point, you’re going to have to reveal your idea to others, but it’s important to reveal them to the right people.

Ideas are fragile in the early stages and can easily be stamped out by doubt. Usher says it’s important to have “reflectors,” people who can offer insight and help you see things in a new light. Usher’s friend Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation and Ctrl Alt Delete, has been one of his biggest reflectors. Joel “will take your ideas and bounce them back at you and you will see angles to them that you never saw before.”

www.citylifemagazine.ca

You are constantly trying to keep a momentum going and at the same time not give up and get to what you hope is the end

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hile we often might look for reflections in those closest to us, that’s not necessarily the best place to find them. “I think you want to find people that are smarter than you are,” says Usher. “I don’t want someone to tell me something I already know. I want them to tell me something I hadn’t thought of at all, so I can steal that,” he adds with a laugh.

Motivation is also important to the creative process. As he writes, “If you stop, you exponentially increase the chances that you will never get to the finish line.” Creativity, he says,

is like a wave. Each wave pushes you forward, leading to the next idea, and then the next and then the next. When working on a project, Usher tries to do something on it every day, even if it’s just an email or a phone call — anything to keep the wave going. “You are constantly trying to keep a momentum going and at the same time not give up and get to what you hope is the end,” he says.

When it’s all said and done, Usher wants readers to realize that there really is no secret to being creative. By revealing the “nuts and bolts” of the process, he hopes personal doubters will understand that the creative process is just a series of small steps over a long period of time, building toward a goal.

“We really all can do it. It’s just getting down to doing it,” he says. “You do one thing today, one thing tomorrow, and you just keep doing it, and suddenly, a year later, you’ll find yourself in a new place.”

Maybe that new place will be a painting of a child playing in a winter landscape, or a novel about a teenage heroine trying to track down the thieves who stole her deceased grandfather’s war medals, or a social media app that encourages users to help others identify the unknown items featured in posted photos.

Does that give you any ideas? Well, feel free to write them in Usher’s book. He won’t mind.

David Usher’s Let the Elephants Run will be released on March 7. www.davidusher.com @davidusher

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A NEW WINTER

DESIGNING

This winter, a group of artists and designers are using their tools and materials to make the most out of Canada’s most hated season

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o one really wants to go to the beach in the dead of winter, especially in Toronto, a capital city of cold. But this year, one of T-Dot’s resolutions is to fall back in love with the freezing season, and a collaboration of designers and artists are helping to make this happen — and it’s all starting at the beach.

Toronto’s inaugural Winter Stations Design Competition is taking over Kew-Balmy and Scarborough Beaches from February 16 to March 22, livening up the stark, snowy landscape with four unique installations that were hand34

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picked from nearly 200 submissions from across the globe.

“We had submissions from Iran, Hong Kong, South Korea, Belgium, Holland, England, Chile, Argentina — a few from everywhere. It’s a literal United Nations of entries,” says Roland Rom Colthoff, the director of Toronto architecture studio RAW Design, one of the three artistically charged firms that thought up the concept for this event. The trio also includes Ferris + Associates, a firm specializing in landscape architecture, urban design and site development, and Curio, a public art

1. Sling Swing by WMB Studio in London and Liverpool, U.K., a playful take on the iconic deck chair 2. HotBox by Michaela MacLeod and Nicholas Croft in Toronto allows visitors to experience warmth through visual, auditory, tactile and associative means 3. Wing Back by Tim Olson in New Hampshire, USA, is designed to gather people together 4. Snowcone, an additional submission from Ryerson University fourth-year students Diana Koncan and Lily Jeon in collaboration with the school’s Department of Architectural Science 5. Driftwood Throne by DM_Studio in London, U.K., provides esthetic shelter from winter’s harsh winds.

and design management company.

In the end, the creations that made the cut were Sling Swing by WMB Studio in London and Liverpool, U.K., Driftwood Throne by DM_Studio, also in London, Wing Back by Tim Olson in New Hampshire, USA, and finally, one from one of our own: HotBox by www.citylifemagazine.ca

Renderings By 1. Ed Butler, Dan Wiltshire and Frances McGeown 2. Michaela MacLeod and Nicholas Croft 3. Timothy Olson 4. Lily Jeon and Diana Koncan 5. Daniel Madeiros

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Michaela MacLeod and Nicholas Croft in Toronto. For the rest of winter, these four installations will be on display for curious Torontonians to check out for free. A fifth installation, Snowcone, will also be there for ogling at, created by fourth-year Ryerson University students Diana Koncan and Lily Jeon in collaboration with the school’s Department of Architectural Science.

Using the theme of warmth as a guide, artists and designers were required to utilize the beaches’ utilitarian-style lifeguard stations in their creations. The point of the event is to use the syncing of bright design and icy landscape to enlighten winter-haters to the beauty of the season, and to that of the beaches, one of Toronto’s most underappreciated winterscapes.

“We thought this would be a great way to bring colour down to the waterfront,” says Colthoff, who enlisted a jury of five local experts to select the finalists. On the list is Peter Hargraves of Sputnik Architecture, a regular juror for Winnipeg’s annual Warming Huts Art and Architecture Competition who Colthoff met when RAW Design’s submission Nuzzles won at the event in 2014. Joining Hargraves are the Toronto Star’s architecture critic and urban affairs reporter Christopher Hume, Design Exchange president Shauna Levy, City of Toronto Ward 32 Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, and curator and co-founder of No. 9: Contemporary Art & the Environment, Catherine Dean.

So fill your tumblers with hot chocolate, don your long johns and trek out to what is probably the last place you’d usually want to go in the dead of winter: the beach. It may be Canada’s longest and most difficult season, but Winter Stations, which Colthoff says he hopes will become an annual event, proves that it doesn’t have to be the most treacherous time of year.

“We’re hoping to use this as the springboard for a lot of wintertime events at the beach,” says Colthoff, who happens to be a winter lover himself.

“In the wintertime the city can be a rather barren environment, but there are things we can do culturally and events-wise to make it celebratory.” www.winterstations.com www.citylifemagazine.ca

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GREAT TO HEAR Voted the top hearing clinic in the city, Great to Hear houses an unparalleled commitment to service excellence.

Its superior products, caring and warmth are also offered in the clinic’s fully equipped mobile clinic, which is the trusted choice of nine retirement homes across Vaughan.

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OPINION PIECE

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THE INDEPENDENTS’ DAY

Welcome to a new era of shopping in Canada: the decline of the department store, and the rise of the “makers” Written By Amanda Storey / Photography by Daniel A. Cooper

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anada, you’re so hip. For the past few years, our home and native land has experienced a major shift in consumerism: shoppers are abandoning the big-box stores, with their migraineinducing fluorescent lights and impossible mazes of product-stuffed aisles, and instead are beelining for the real professionals — the independent shop owners, the artisans, the craftsmen and women — when they want to checkmark their shopping lists. When Christina the Consumer is on the hunt for a decent pair of shoes to wear to next weekend’s wedding, some meat for tonight’s dinner and some fine-grind coffee, she’s not going to head to Aisles Three, Twelve and Twenty in her local Walmart. Not anymore. According 38

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to this recent shift, Christina would rather pay a visit to her local shoemaker, butcher and micro coffee shop owner — artisans who, until now, were nearly forgotten by consumers.

It’s a trend that bubbled up in Canada’s downtowns and has spent the past few years slowly trickling up to suburbia.

What originated as urban style-makers flocking to local indie shops for the sake of maintaining individuality, and for the sake of straying from the “one size fits all” mentality of department stores, has exploded into a revolution that’s redefining the country’s definition of shopping.

This movement is multi-dimensional, meaning there’s more than one reason why we’re betraying the mega-marts we’ve come to hold so dear. Firstly,

consumers aren’t just consuming anymore; they’re conversing. They’re asking questions. They’re laughing, shaking hands and swapping stories with shop owners. Transactions aren’t just an exchange of product and cash anymore, but an exchange of real advice and good ol’ neighbourly chitchat. This next generation of shoppers craves what’s been missing in their department store shopping experience for the past few decades: genuine human interaction. They also miss the expertise. No offense to the kid working at the Costco deli, but he’s not going to be half as knowledgeable, or as passionate, as the owner of that little butcher shop down the street that’s been there forever.

These reasons, plus the plain desire www.citylifemagazine.ca

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1. Mike Totera expertly slices specialty prosciutto from Tuscany 2. Totera Fine Foods’ slow-roasted porchetta is made on-site for parties and is also sold by the pound in store 3. Sam Totera, along with his brother, Mike, has been in the butcher business for over 40 years 4. Benjamin Scarcelli heads the quaint and quite impressive Audio Basics Boutique in Kleinburg 5. Imported and unique audio technologies and accessories are Audio Basics’ specialty — this interconnect cable from Crystal Cable is injected with gold and is an example of the fascinating products carried in the small but successful shop 6. Ceramic parrot tiki mugs are among the collection of quirky, cool treasures carried at BYOB Cocktail Emporium on Queen Street West in Toronto 7. Surrounded by sewing materials, fine fabrics and mannequins 8. Headed by Kristen Voisey, this cosy nook is Toronto’s first and only shop for everything cocktail-related 9. Svetlana Arpas, a RussianCanadian designer based in Kleinburg, creates each gown by hand in her charming boutique

Reitmans, Best Buy, Chapters Indigo for good-quality stuff, have made today’s and Le Château are also rumoured to buyer ready and willing to sacrifice the “I THINK THAT CANADIANS, be terminal, all having made substantial slashed prices and convenience that

BY NATURE, VALUE THE cutbacks in the past few years. come with the big-box shop. Welcome SOCIAL ASPECT OF Of course, the Little Indie Shop to the rise of the makers; the decline that Could isn’t the only one that’s of the department store. David and SHOPPING … NOW got the big-box store in a chokehold.

Goliath: Part Two. PRODUCTS AREN’T JUST “A few years ago, independent shops It’s had some help from the fact that GOODS, THEY’RE ACTUAL were disappearing. Big-box retailers PIECES OF OUR IDENTITY. most department stores are competing came in and just wiped out these the same sphere, trying to appeal to WE WANT TO KNOW WHERE in smaller businesses that had survived the same people, and eventually beating OUR PURCHASES CAME each other out of the market. There’s and thrived for years. They couldn’t FROM. WE WANT also online retail, a newcomer to the compete,” says Sean O’Shea, Global THOSE STORIES shopping scene that’s been snuffing News’s investigative and consumerism out brick-and-mortar stores for years, reporter. “But now those specialized — Tima Bansal because why would Shawn the Shopper stores are growing in importance again.

More and more consumers want something different, and to trek all the way out to the shop when he can simply “click, deal with someone who actually specializes in that product, click, buy” his way to success from the comfort of his own home? and they’re willing to pay more for that reason.”

“Technology has been hugely disruptive in the big-box Now that more and more Canadians are falling hard for local artisans and their offerings, the retail giants that consume market,” says Tima Bansal, executive director of Network so many square kilometres of our municipalities are in hot for Business Sustainability and professor of general water. After the 2012 mass downsizing of Rona, 2014 saw management at Western University’s Ivey Business School.

Sears eliminate over 200 of its locations, and in the wee weeks Bansal also claims that while the innovation of online of 2015, Mexx closed its doors and Target evacuated Canuck shopping has played a huge role in the sinking of the retail territory (after less than two years selling on our soil). Jacob, chain, it shouldn’t pose a danger to the independent boutiques www.citylifemagazine.ca

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Bring a friend and enjoy a FREE cut or colour on your next visit Like us on Facebook

— not if they find their niche. And for these local shops, their niche could simply mean their neighbourhood. By attracting consumers who live nearby, independent producers may never even have to cross paths with e-commerce, since foot traffic is their main source of profit.

Consumers are also increasingly excited about the fact that by buying local, they’re automatically reducing their environmental footprint. Rather than finding the perfect pair of headphones on the web, which could involve thousands of kilometres of ecounfriendly transport, they’re walking or biking to their local audio specialty shop. For most independent retailers, production and consumption happen in the same place. Shopping local promotes that, and in turn makes it easier for these retailers to operate within the natural resource limit. Green Panthers, rejoice.

“The advantage of having small, independent producers is that it builds diversity, and in that diversity, people have choice,” says Bansal. “So it builds a more resilient economy, and a more resilient society.”

Bansal explains that there are three key elements to sustainability: environmental, economic and social.

Environmentally, indie shops are much kinder to the Earth. Economically, they’re keeping things local, helping to create a self-sustaining society for sellers and buyers. And socially, well, they’re giving Canadians one more reason to be all nice and neighbourly with each other.

“I think that Canadians, by nature, value the social aspect of shopping,” she says. “They want to have a story behind the product. Now products aren’t just goods, they’re actual pieces of our identity. We want to know where our purchases came from. We want those stories.”

According to O’Shea, we’re also open-minded. Having worked on retail stories in both the States and Canada, he can say that our neighbours to the south tend to focus more on quantity, while we northerners focus on quality.

“More and more people are saying, ‘You know what? I’m prepared to have less, but what I do buy I want to be www.citylifemagazine.ca

better quality,’” says O’Shea. “So maybe I’ll have eight pairs of shoes instead of fifteen, but I want those eight pairs to be of good value and to be different from what I find everywhere else.”

With this shift in consumerism, Canadians are also experiencing the breath of fresh air that is the “less is more” spending mentality. When we peruse the boutique of a local producer, we take our time, savouring their more limited offerings. The more we invest in the higher-quality products found at independent shops, the less likely we will be to binge-shop at the mega retailers. It’s a big step in the direction of a more minimalistic way of life, something that many North Americans crave. Our closets will be slimmer but richer, our homes will be less cluttered and to the point, and we’ll be living with and in products that are beautiful and trustworthy.

Not to say that we Canucks are suddenly perfect purchasers. We, too, still carry a few too many shopping bags at a time, and of course the bigbox store is still a destination for most of us. But in light of this new change in the tide, Canadians are at least beginning to realize that while we can trust Walmart for some of the things on our lists, we may not want to always throw our money at its cheap, foreignmade products — especially not when it’s something we want to last.

“We’re always reading about recalls on products and quality issues with respect to products made in China, and that’s resonating with people more and more,” says O’Shea. “While not every buyer is the same, and we all come from different places financially, if they can buy something that’s locally produced, that’s homegrown, that will last them longer and serve their needs better, that’s something they’ll consider buying.”

Our country is already recognized as a world leader in ethical consumerism.

Let’s keep that ignited by elevating our makers to, as Bansal says, create a more sustainable, and thus resilient country.

And when the rest of the world decides this old-fashioned way of shopping is a trend they want to try on too, we’ll be there to say we were spending uniquely before it was cool. www.citylifemagazine.ca

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BIG MACS

AND CHAMPAGNE WITH @ITALIARICCI

Interview By Amanda Storey, with files from Michael Hill

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Photos Courtesy of Lionsgate / ABC Spark

wenty-fifteen is already the Year of Italia Ricci.

The Canadian actor is basking in the success of her new ABC show Chasing Life, in which she plays April, a 20-something quick-witted journalist who’s just been diagnosed with leukemia. To the glee of viewers around the world, the series was renewed for a second season this past fall.

Ricci’s also planning a wedding with her longtime love and new fiancé, Toronto-born actor Robbie Amell. As she braces herself for the jam-packed months ahead, the Richmond Hill native sits down with City Life to spill her quirkiest stories, her adoration for Big Macs and champagne, and what she’s learned by playing a young character who’s living with leukemia (hint: cancer’s not as powerful as you might think).

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Chasing Life was renewed About seven years for a second season last ago my family went fall. That must have been to glow-in-thepretty exciting! dark mini-putting Oh my gosh, I was in in Richmond Hill Vancouver shooting a for Family Day. That movie, and I was in my was actually the day hotel room getting ready Robbie and I officially to leave for the airport started dating, because when I got the call. I he was there, and he just started running laps kept asking me to be around the hotel room his girlfriend and I and jumping on the bed was like, “No, no, no, like a crazy person. [In no, no.” And then he Pretty Woman] when Julia asks me, “How many Roberts figures out that holes-in-one do I need Chasing Life will return to Canadian TV screens as its second season premieres she’s going to get three this summer at mini-putting for thousand dollars for the you to say yes?” So I week and you see her run gave him a number, around and jump on the bed, that’s you confident you were going to get the part? and it was the last one where he had to exactly what I was doing, except with Oh, my god, no! [Laughing] I was hit the ball over a bridge and around a clothes on. at my bowling league — don’t judge building. And he got it. It was ridiculous. me — and my manager called with All the lights went off and my family You’ve said before that the show is about the breakdown of the role and said, started clapping, and I was like, so much more than cancer, and that April “This is the one you’re gonna book.” “This has to be a movie or something. doesn’t let her diagnosis rule her life. Why I was like, “Oh, stop it.” Like, yeah, This is ridiculous.” do you think that message is so powerful? sure, this sounds like the holy grail of Because it applies to so many things, pilot season auditions, there’s no way How did you two meet? not only terminal illnesses. It could be it’s gonna go to me. But I went to the We had to kiss in a movie. Well, about being bullied at school, or your audition, and I was sick because you technically we met at Eagles Nest parents getting a divorce, or just being have to get all these shots to get your Golf Club in Vaughan, years ago. in a situation where you feel so helpless green card, and I’m not good with I was working concierge there and he and there’s nothing you can do to make needles. I had actually fainted earlier on was shooting Cheaper by the Dozen 2. life better. It’s about just holding on and in the day, and Robbie was like, “You The cast had a golf day or something, believing that it’s going to get better, sure you want to audition?” and I was and he came up and asked me where because it always does. like, “Take me there, take me there!” they were teeing off from. I think he So I auditioned. I don’t even remember was 16 at the time, and I was 17. And What have you taken away from the show it because I was trying so hard not to then years later we met again when we personally? How has it affected you so far? pass out. When I left I just started were both shooting American Pie: Beta Before the show I never really knew bawling. I called my manager and was House. It didn’t occur to us that we’d much about cancer. For me, cancer like, “I should have rescheduled, I just already met until we had been talking was this dark, scary presence, and it ruined that opportunity, please let me for a couple of days on set! made me uncomfortable. But now I see see them again.” But they ended up that it doesn’t have to have that much loving it. They saw something in me What’s it like coming home to Canada power over me, and it doesn’t deserve that struck a chord as April, so they from L.A.? that stigma that I’m giving it. I’ve sort got me back for a callback and then a It’s weird when I come home and go of been able to knock it down. Before, screen test. An hour after I walked out to the mall and people recognize me, I would think that if somebody had of the screen test I was at McDonald’s and they definitely recognize Robbie cancer, that was their entire life. And and I got the call, and I was like, from Life With Derek, which was huge that’s not the case. If I’d just spent a “SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” I ran around in Canada. And I’ll see some of my little bit of time learning about it, I McDonald’s screaming and crying. high school friends still working at the would like to think I would have started My girlfriend actually has a video mall, and it’s such a reality check. If I helping out sooner. Cancer doesn’t own of it. So I grabbed my Big Macs ever think my head’s getting too big, you. You get to decide how much or and went to my manager’s and I just go back home and my family will how little you’re going to let that take had champagne. humble me. I’ll be live-tweeting and my over your world. dad’s like, “Who cares about what you You grew up in Richmond Hill. What’s your have to say? You’re not that cool!” I’m When you first auditioned for the show, were favourite memory in the neighbourhood? like, “Thanks, Dad.” www.citylifemagazine.ca

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VAUGHAN SCORES

TFC II

Get ready, Vaughan: professional soccer has landed in the city

Written By Michael Hill

T

oronto FC has found a home for its new soccer affiliate — and that home is Vaughan.

At a packed press conference at Vaughan City Hall in late January, it was announced that Toronto FC’s recently established USL Pro affiliate team, Toronto FC II, will be playing its home games at a new, 2,000-seat stadium at the Ontario Soccer Centre right here in Vaughan.

This franchise will act as a farm team/player development club for the tier-one Major League Soccer team Toronto FC and will be taking the pitch for 12 home games at the new stadium once its construction wraps up this summer.

“Given our proximity to the Kia Training Ground and the passion and support for the game in this community, this is the perfect location for TFC II, and we’re excited for having such a strong municipal partner in the city of Vaughan,” says TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko.

In 2013, MLS established a partnership with the tier-three USL

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Pro league that would merge the MLS Reserve League with USL Pro teams.

The partnership gave MLS teams the option of either operating an independent reserve team or creating their own affiliate club. TFC originally was affiliated with the Wilmington Hammerheads in North Carolina. But after the LA Galaxy created LA Galaxy II as an expansion franchise in 2014, numerous other MLS teams followed suit. The USL Pro league nearly doubled in size for the 2015 season, as four independent teams were formed and seven MLS clubs purchased franchises, including TFC. Greg Vanney, head coach of TFC, explains that TFC II will act as a development team for the TFC, creating a pathway for young players to make the jump to the first team in MLS, as well as allowing TFC players who might not be getting much playing time at the MLS level or those returning from injury to have an opportunity to see action on the pitch. Vanney feels having the team just up the road is a massive opportunity. “I think we can’t

understate how important this is,” Vanney said in a media scrum after the press conference, adding how this system gives young players “the best opportunity to be successful” when they take the next step in their careers.

When Maurizio Bevilacqua became mayor of Vaughan back in 2010, bringing a professional sports team to the city was part of his vision. So to honour the occasion, he announced that city council had already proclaimed January 21 “TFC II Day,” and further cemented his support when he bought the first season tickets. “When organizations like Toronto FC believe in us, we believe in them. That’s how it works here in the city of Vaughan,” said Bevilacqua.

Season tickets currently sell for $96 and, while not officially announced, regular tickets are expected to retail for around $10. TFC II’s new stadium, which will grow to 5,000 seats in three years, is expected to be complete in time for the team’s first home game, which is scheduled for July 1, 2015. www.tfc2.ca www.citylifemagazine.ca

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PRICE OF PROGRE$$ THE

Viva’s new bus rapid transit plan promises to create a better, more progressive public transit system with efficient “rapidways” spanning York Region. But construction has left Highway 7 a mess and massive traffic delays have deterred customers from visiting the area.

Local businesses are limping along. Their future is uncertain Written By Michael Hill

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I

t’s 11 a.m. on a freezing January morning and things are quiet at Santino. The family-run restaurant and catering company has occupied this location in the retail plaza just east of Keele Street along Highway 7 for the past 20 years, and its staff is doing what it normally does at this time: gearing up for the lunch rush that will pick up closer to noon. Soon, a pair of construction workers wearing orange and yellow reflective work gear walk in and order from the hot counter running parallel to the restaurant’s back wall. More customers arrive — groups of businessmen in collared shirts, casually dressed staff from other businesses in the surrounding area, more labourer types — and the restaurant hums with the midday crowd. It’s a lively scene. But as Joe Mainolfi explains, it’s not as busy as it was just several months prior. And the reason is simple: construction.

“The foot traffic for the front of the restaurant has slowed down

considerably,” explains Mainolfi, who, along with his sister Carol and mother Stella, runs Santino. Mainolfi estimates that his business has taken a 30 per cent hit over the past six to eight months as the construction for the forthcoming vivaNext rapidway transit system intensified along Highway 7 between Bowes Road and Edgeley Boulevard.

“Once they cut off the CN Bridge there, that’s when we really noticed the drop in business.”

This has become the norm for many businesses along this stretch of Highway 7. It’s not uncommon to hear the area described as “slow” or “dead,” and those that rely on walk-in

www.citylifemagazine.ca

Photos By Michael Hill

customers — restaurants and various retailers — are feeling the squeeze of this drought. Many believe the root of the problem is right outside, that the substantial delays in travel time caused by the major construction project to completely overhaul Highway 7 are deterring would-be customers from making the journey to the area.

“Since they started expanding the road for Viva, we’ve lost quite a bit of traffic because people don’t want to come in,” says Alex Davidov, partner at Brizzo Lighting. Davidov opened his lighting fixtures retailer in the area in 2010 because the location provided great visibility from Highway 7. But with the recent delays caused by the construction, many customers are simply avoiding the area altogether — people simply don’t want to spend hours sitting in traffic.

The lengthy slog through this area of Highway 7 has become customary for drivers over the past year. Construction has reduced the roadway from six lanes to four, squeezing east and westbound traffic into a bottleneck.

In the mornings, a trip from Bowes Road to Weston Road could often take 20 to 30 minutes, sometimes more. In the evenings, with the swarm of traffic filling the streets at the end of the workday, there were periods when the crawl east from Weston Road to Bowes Road, past the orange and black construction pylons shifting traffic, could take north of 40 minutes, if not longer.

Davidov explains that comparing November 2012 to November in 2013 and 2014 shows a “big drop” in business.

December, he notes, is always a crucial time for retail. But that didn’t prove true this year. “Every December we increase our spending on advertising, and starting in 2013 the December was worse than, say, November or October.”

Which, he adds, is never a good thing This road construction first began in late 2013 as phase one of the Vaughan portion of the vivaNext rapidway, which is part of the bus rapid transit network being developed throughout York Region. This ambitious project is fuelled by a $1.8-billion investment from the provincial agency Metrolinx and involves widening various roadways on www.citylifemagazine.ca

“SINCE THEY STARTED EXPANDING THE ROAD FOR VIVA, WE’VE LOST QUITE A BIT OF TRAFFIC BECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO COME IN” — Alex Davidov, partner at Brizzo Lighting

better public transit and (hopefully) easing much of the gridlock that has plagued Highway 7. Before work began, Metrolinx also estimated that the entire project would be a serious driver of economic growth, creating an estimated 11,000 jobs across York Region.

Of course, it’s nothing new for construction to disrupt business — it happens any time the jackhammers and paving machines post up right outside your store. But few projects come with a time commitment of this magnitude.

The initial work on the rapidway in Markham and Newmarket began in April 2011, with the first stretch of the rapid transit service launching in August 2013 and the second stretch in August 2014. In Vaughan, the initial work of phase one along Highway 7 (between Bowes and Edgeley) began in 2012 with roadway construction commencing towards the end of 2013.

Its target completion date is scheduled for fall 2016, nearly three years later.

Early preparation on phase two of the Vaughan rapid transit network is already underway, and the project will extend construction along Highway 7 well into 2019. Although it does seem that the phase one construction causing the biggest delays is behind us — recent evening trips clocked in at about 20 minutes going east from Weston to Bowes — businesses along the affected area have yet to see customers return.

major corridors across York Region to incorporate 34 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes that will run along the centre of certain stretches of roads. These include Davis Drive and a portion of Yonge Street in Newmarket, Yonge Street north of Highway 7 to 19th Avenue (Gamble Road) in Richmond Hill, and the length of Highway 7 from as east as Unionville Station in Markham to as west as Helen Street in Vaughan.

When completed, the dedicated bus lanes will decrease transit time and give the streets a complete refresh that will include fully landscaped boulevards and added bike lanes and sidewalks to areas where there weren’t any before.

Future plans will extend the rapid transit network north along Yonge Street from 19 th Avenue (Gamble Road) to Mulock Drive in Newmarket, and east along Highway 7 to Cornell Centre Boulevard and west along Highway 7 to close to Highway 50.

This transportation network will be a key piece of Vaughan’s new downtown, connecting residents with the forthcoming Viva has placed numerous signs along Highway 7 to encourage Spadina subway passersby to shop in the area affected by construction. But business extension, providing owners feel they aren’t working Feb/March 2015

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Businesses like Maple Auto Body.

In the 45 years Vito Guerra has owned Maple Auto Body (which in turn has been open for over 50), he’s never seen business so bad. Over the past year, he estimates that his business has dipped by a third. One of the major problems is how the construction of the dedicated bus lanes — and the bus lanes themselves — prevents people from making left-hand turns. Before the construction began, drivers travelling west and east were free to turn left onto side streets and into plazas. Now the only place drivers can turn left is at major intersections, meaning they need to travel in a larger loop to get to destinations on the opposite side of the road.

Guerra believes if you continuously offer quality business and keep customers satisfied they will always come back. But he’s also concerned that businesses along this stretch of road could face the same fate as those along the U.S. 19 highway in Clearwater, 48

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Photo By Daniel A. Cooper

Clockwise from left to right: Owner of Maple Auto Body Vito Guerra and his son Steven. Alex Davidov, partner at Brizzo Lighting, a lighting fixture retailer. Joe Mainolfi who, along with his sister Carol and mother Stella, owns Santino, a restaurant and catering company that’s been open since 1994

Florida. Over the past few years, numerous businesses in strip malls along U.S. 19 have shut down as the roadway has changed into an elevated, limited-access freeway. The new freeway allows traffic to flow at high speeds, but also prevents drivers from making left turns where they could before. “A lot of businesses you see on the side just shut down,” says Guerra’s son Steven. “Some businesses were there for over 30 years.

You see the signs, ‘Over 30 years,’ but they’re closed.”

“I hope it doesn’t happen here,” adds Guerra.

Dale Albers, spokesman for Viva, explains that the benefits of the rapidway are already being seen in the corridors where construction has completed.

On Highway 7 between Town Centre Boulevard in Markham and Bayview Avenue in Richmond Hill, travel time for buses has decreased by 35 per cent and ridership has increased by 10 per cent, he explains. While the rapidway project is an exciting opportunity, one that benefits the region with substantial investment and improved infrastructure — something many cities are envious about — Albers acknowledges “the downside is that it does take a number of years to do the work.”

In an attempt to mitigate the impact, Viva implemented a business support program in 2009 in anticipation of the effects the massive, regionspanning construction would have on businesses, residents, transit riders and www.citylifemagazine.ca

the community at large. The evolving program includes several visible and non-visible features: a complimentary membership to boards of trade or the Chambers of Commerce for businesses affected by the construction; educational services for business owners to learn effective marketing strategies, such as social media and improved search engine optimization for websites, during times of change; two annual advertising campaigns that include newspaper, radio, social media and bus ads promoting business in the area; and community liaisons.

“So it’s a comprehensive program to try and encourage those that live in the neighbourhood to continue to

operations, but they’re still expected to pay the same tax. “They want their tax,” says Guerra. “If you don’t do business, how are you supposed to pay them?”

Sandra Yeung Racco, city councillor of Ward 4 where the rapidway construction is happening, says that while a tax break is not something the city has spoken about, “it’s not something I would say no to. It’s certainly something that we can consider.” Racco explains she hasn’t yet received complaints from business owners in the area and, in fact, my contacting her about it is the first she’s heard of the matter. “Now that you’ve brought it to my attention, I would take a look at it and see if there’s any way of helping them, because as I say, we

at the end of 2014 and is expected to wrap up in fall of 2016 to coincide with the completion of the subway line. But construction of the subway has faced delays and may miss the fall-2016 target. Albers notes it’s too premature to say how this will affect construction of the vivaNext project. Until construction finishes, or until they receive help from the city, businesses in that area of Highway 7 will need to soldier on alone, weathering the storm or finding new ways of generating business to keep their heads above water.

Guerra notes he gets a lot of business from word of mouth and thinks it will be enough to last. But “it’s hard to say.” Davidov explains that online

“SHORT-TERM PAIN FOR LONG-TERM GAINS, THAT’S THE WAY I LOOK AT IT …

I’M CONFIDENT THIS WILL BE DOWNTOWN VAUGHAN, EVENTUALLY” — Joe Mainolfi, co-owner of Santino

do business with those in the area,” says Albers.

One of the more visible aspects of Viva’s business support program is roadside signage that draws attention to the various plazas along Highway 7. Some signs let drivers know that things are “Open For Business,” while electronic messaging boards encourage passersby to “Stop, Shop & Dine Hwy 7” and to “Support Hwy 7 Businesses.”

But that support isn’t translating into income. “They got a few signs, ‘Support Highway 7 Business,’ but —” Davidov says with a shrug. While he did receive a letter from Viva offering free membership with the Chamber of Commerce, Davidov feels it doesn’t do much for his business.

Several owners suggested that it would be helpful to receive some kind of compensation, perhaps a tax break, and are preparing to approach the city. After all, the construction, something that is out of their control, has hindered their www.citylifemagazine.ca

value our businesses and we certainly would like to help in whatever way we can,” she says. No promises can be made, she adds, but “I think if there’s ways of doing it we certainly will explore that.”

Phase two of the rapidway construction in Vaughan will include road widening along Highway 7 from Edgeley Boulevard to Helen Street, and from Bowes Road up Centre Street to Yonge Street. Preliminary work is already underway. Contracts will be awarded this summer and early, belowground work — such as replacing and updating water mains, sewers and utilities, as well as geotechnical work — could begin in the fall and carry into 2016. The road construction along these stretches will likely begin in the summer of 2016. What, if any, impact that will have on business in those areas is yet to be seen.

Phase one of construction along Highway 7 was 30 per cent complete

sales have helped soften the blow, but they’re still trying to compensate for the hamstringing loss in-store. “Once it’s completed, that’s fine,” he says of the construction. But he will need to survive until the end of 2016. “So two years is a long time.”

Catering is a key piece of Mainolfi’s business and that additional source of income has buoyed the restaurant during this difficult period — even if making deliveries means taking the 407 from time to time to bypass traffic.

And despite the slowdown, Mainolfi is optimistic and is firm in the belief that things will improve once the work is complete and the area continues to develop. “Short-term pain for longterm gains, that’s the way I look at it,” he says. “I’m confident this will be downtown Vaughan, eventually.”

And for many businesses in this area that’s the crux of the matter. Things will get better — eventually. But eventually can be a long time.

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Lina Policaro, general manager at the Policaro Automotive Family

10 MINUTES WITH:

LINA POLICARO

Q The Policaro Automotive Family has been a business institution in Brampton for 35 years. How have you managed to stay so successful over the past three decades?

A “Customer service, that’s what we pride ourselves on. We want to give the customer the best experience — concierge experience, we like to call it — where they come in and they feel comfortable.

We believe in having an owner at every dealership. They’re always at the store; you can always find them. I mean, you’ll find my dad [Paul Policaro, 50

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one of the three brothers who founded the Policaro Automotive Family] still on the sales floor selling cars. So we’re very involved. We don’t take a back seat.”

Q What do you enjoy most about working in the family business?

A “Every day is different. You can’t predict it. It’s definitely interesting.

I’m a social person so I get to talk with people every day, which I love. And I’ll be honest, I really like working with my dad. It’s nice to get up in the morning and have that quality time with him and learn from him. He’s a really good teacher.”

Interview By Michael Hill

Q Who is the most influential person in your life?

A “I would say it’s equally my father and my mother. They have a really, really good relationship. I find that hard to find, especially with how successful he’s been. Their marriage is the No. 1 thing and he really taught us all a good balance of work and then personal life.”

Q What are the best qualities in a leader in the automotive industry?

A “I think you have to adapt to change.

You can’t be afraid of change. The industry’s changed so much. With the Internet and how people are purchasing www.citylifemagazine.ca

Photos By Jesse Milns. Photos 2, 4 & 5 By Lina Policaro

Lina Policaro, general manager of the Policaro Automotive Family, on working in a family business, leadership and giving back

cars now, it’s completely different. I also think you have to be really positive. Cars are like houses: when a recession hits, houses are the first thing people stop buying and cars are the second. It’s definitely an industry that has a lot of ups and downs, but you have to be positive and you have to be willing to adapt and change.”

Q You also have a deep love of fashion. Where does that come from?

A “My mother and my grandmother. My mother worked for Estée Lauder Canada and she was really into esthetics. And then my grandmother was a seamstress. She was a seamstress in Italy and then she was a seamstress when she moved here, and she always taught my mom that even if you couldn’t afford the best clothes, to have one or two pieces and then just wear them all the time. Quality over quantity.

[Laughs] So I have to give that to her.”

Q Who are some of your favourite designers?

A “I love Eurotrash designers, like Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Gucci. I love fashion. I like to buy nice pieces of clothes and hold on to them for a long

period of time. And I have a sister who’s 15 years younger than me so she gets a lot of my hand-me-downs. They become vintage at that point. [Laughs].”

Q You’re also on the committee of Lunch With Margaret and George and your family supports a number of charities, including the William Osler Health System Foundation. Why is giving back important to you?

A “I think I’ve been very fortunate in my life and I think I’ve had a lot of opportunities that most don’t have. My mentality is if you’re able, you should. I’ve always been like that. I’ve always volunteered at stuff. I was out for dinner with Emmanuelle Gattuso and she was telling me about Camp Oochigeas [a camp that gives children with cancer the opportunity to experience fun outdoor activities], so I’m looking to do something like that for the summer.” www.policaro.ca 1

2

1. Policaro leans against the hood of a pristine Lexus RC F at Northwest Lexus, one of the Policaro Automotive Family’s eight dealerships 2. A pair of Policaro’s Giuseppe Zanotti for Kanye West shoes 3. Policaro believes staying positive and being able to adapt to change are crucial to being a leader in the business 4. An assortment of Policaro’s accessories, including 18-carat pink diamond pearl earrings from Italy that were handed down from her mother, and two pairs of Iradj Moini earrings 5. A lover of fashion, Policaro favours European designers, such as these pieces from Marco Bologna, Etro, Liberty Ross for Genetic and Moschino.

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AUTOMOTIVE: SUV REVIEW

OUR TESTED SUV LINEUP Written By Justin Mastine-Frost

We take a spin in four of the newest and sharpest SUVs to roll out for 2015

W

hen hybrid powertrains started hitting the market and gas prices continued to climb, there was speculation in the industry that the demise of the fullsized SUV was rapidly approaching.

A handful of these mammoth vehicles have disappeared from the marketplace, but the SUV segment doesn’t seem to be fading into the background all that quickly. For those still looking for that combination of ground clearance and miles of room for passengers and cargo, here is a quick look at some of the big, bad SUVs of 2015.

Land Rover LR4 V-6 Over the past few years I’ve had the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of a number of Land Rover’s vehicles, yet none have won me over as much as the LR4 continues to time after time. The LR4 still carries that chunky, utilitarian, Tonka-esque form, and though packed with a great number of creature comforts and premium finishes, it really looks and feels just as at home in the wilderness as it does in the urban jungle. As of last year, Land Rover ditched its old V-8 engine in favour of a supercharged 3-Litre V-6 capable of 340 horsepower. Not only

The new Navigator follows the stylish trend of the rest of Lincoln’s recent lineup and is easily the best looking version to date

is the new power plant smoother than its predecessor, but it also gives owners a bit of a break at the pump without sacrificing overall performance. www.landrover.ca Infiniti QX80 I used to poke a fair bit of fun at the old QX80 — there was something oddly humorous about its massive and slightly bulbous shape. Thankfully, with this redesign, that’s all changed.

The new QX80 is still a massive beast of a vehicle, but those seeking tons of space in a luxurious package will not

The Land Rover LR4’s V-6 engine provides the same performance as the old V-8 while giving owners a break at the pump The Infiniti QX80 delivers plenty of space in a luxurious package.

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be disappointed. In either its seven- or eight-seat configuration, the QX80’s plush leather interior, 15-speaker Bose premium audio system and extensive active safety systems are ready to keep all its occupants safe, comfortable and entertained. www.infiniti.ca Lincoln Navigator The Lincoln Navigator has battled the Cadillac Escalade for North American SUV supremacy for over a decade and a half, and with both models being redesigned for 2015 the fight is far from over. The balance of Lincoln’s lineup has looked very stylish in recent years and, keeping with that trend, the new Navigator is easily the best-looking version to date. Much like the Land Rover LR4, Lincoln has gone to a V-6, using Ford’s 3.5-L Ecoboost

“WHEN IT COMES TO VALUE PROPOSITIONS IN THE FULL-SIZED SUV SEGMENT, THE CHEVY TAHOE IS A TOUGH ONE TO BEAT”

With plenty of interior space and towing power, the Chevy Tahoe is great value at just over $50,000

engine in the Navigator, which puts out 380 hp and a whopping 460 lb-ft of torque. The new model is also one of the first SUVs of its size and calibre to be built with independent rear suspension, improving its overall ride and handling characteristics. www.lincolncanada.com Chevrolet Tahoe When it comes to value propositions in the full-sized SUV segment, the Chevy Tahoe is a tough one to beat. Starting at just a hair north of $50,000, the new Tahoe offers the same scale of interior and cargo space in a reasonably well-executed package for roughly half the cost of some of the big premium SUVs. If the endgame is to haul the kids to hockey practice and/or the boat to the lake for the weekend, the Tahoe will get the job done without fuss. www.gm.ca

Peace of Mind Investing Since investing in the MK Total Wealth Management Group’s discretionary platform, performance has been less volatile when compared to the TSX. Lynn was both happy and relieved that her and John’s lack of attention didn’t hurt their retirement savings, MK had it all under control.

Times of volatility can happen often, and when they do, it can be unsettling for many. From slowdowns in economies, to health outbreaks affecting major cities, to instabilities across the world, we’ve seen in recent years that the market has been crossed by standoffs, conflicts, and more.

Lynn and James Harwood are recent retirees who are about to return to Canada after their first winter as snowbirds. They have spent the last few months golfing, boating, spending time at the beach, and welcoming family and friends who have visited over the cold winter months.

They were glad to get back home with the cold winter months behind them.

Although, with the recent market volatility over the last few months, they were anxious to “get back to reality” and see the impact on their investment portfolio. Lynn was worried that their retirement savings would have suffered a significant decline, but the reality was quite the opposite.

Having the MK Total Wealth Management Group manage the risk on your behalf, can give you the flexibility to do what matters most to you, without some of the worries. Our team knows how to mitigate risk, we do it for a living. We take the time to clearly understand your financial needs and investment goals to implement a strategy that works for you.

It’s your life and your future.

Realize your full potential! Call us today.

MK Total Wealth Management Group TD Wealth Private Investment Advice, 4950 Yonge Street, Suite 1600, North York, ON M2N 6K1 T 416 279 1473 | mktotalwealth@td.com | www.mktotalwealth.com

MK Total Wealth Management is a part of TD Wealth Private Investment Advice. MK Total Wealth Management consists of Jeff MacDonald, Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor and Peter Konidis, Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor. TD Wealth Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto - Dominion Bank. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. – Member Canadian Investor ProtectionFund.® The TD logo and other trade - marks are the property of The Toronto - Dominion Bank.

14121916MC

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Michelle Dubé, co-anchor of CTV News Toronto

BROADCAST

How laser focus and an unrelenting drive brought Michelle Dubé to the upper echelon of the news world Written By Michael Hill @MichelleDubeCTV

T

he minute Michelle Dubé wakes up in the morning she turns on the news. As she gets ready, CP24 plays in the background; while eating breakfast, she flips through the newspaper. In the car heading to work, she tunes into Newstalk 1010, so that by the time she arrives at the CTV studio she’s already got a firm grasp on what’s happening in the city.

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“Once you get to work, you hit the ground running,” she says. And as the co-anchor of CTV News Toronto knows, the news doesn’t wait for anyone. You must live and breathe it.

For most of her life, Dubé has done just that: live and breathe news. That dedication has fuelled her rise to the co-anchor chair of CTV News at Noon and Six — a seat she’s held for the past two and a half years. While earning this

position is notable in and of itself, it’s the rate at which Dubé achieved it that is most impressive. In five years, she’s scaled the ranks like a speed climber, vaulting from a reporting gig at CHCH Hamilton fresh out of post-secondary to co-anchoring Canada’s No. 1 local newscast. Most reporters spend years in the field before they get a shot at the Big Desk — if that shot ever comes.

Dubé has done it in half a decade. “I still pinch myself,” she says. “I am 30 years old and I’m living my dream.”

She’s curled up on the snug, ivorywhite couch of her Davisville home dressed in blue jeans and an electric crimson blouse. A deceiving sun floods the living room of her modest two-storey, distracting from the frigid temperatures outside and igniting her shoulder-length, sandy blond hair in a striking warm glow. She’s tall and lean like a seasoned runner, and addresses www.citylifemagazine.ca

Photo By Jesse Milns

BORN TO

you in a confident and friendly weekends to cover a maternity lyy manner, as if she’s known you leave. For many, it would be a u for years. step backwards — leaving the While Dubé’s rapid ascent prime position of anchor to may seem unusual and sudden, go back into the field wasn’t a twist of fate perhaps, it’s far progress. But Dubé saw the more orchestrated than that. She bigger picture. explains she was lucky enough to At CTV, she began reporting know early in life that journalism on everything from the G20 was what she wanted to do, summit to elections, even with signs appearing as early interviewing Oprah Winfrey.

Dubé being interviewed by Bob Hurst in front of broadcast as elementary school. She was “It was a calibre of reporting journalism students at Fanshawe College in November 2014 that kid that absolutely loved that I’d never thought I’d get to presenting in front of the class, experience,” she says. “Because and if you rummaged around it’s not that I’m interested in her parents’ Hamilton home, one type of reporting. I just you might come across some love it all. I love the variety VHS tapes of a pint-sized Dubé of it.” Soon she was filling in and her cousin sitting behind a on the anchor desk, and when box-turned-anchor-desk reading Christine Bentley announced pretend news. she was leaving her position She loves to write and when as co-anchor of CTV News in she attended Georges P. Vanier September 2012, eyes shifted to — Michelle Dubé high school she researched Dubé. She was tapped to take careers that married writing the chair beside Ken Shaw. with presenting. She found journalism Shaw couldn’t have been more In her free time, she worked at a local and immediately began laying the radio station, AM980, getting up at 3 delighted with the choice. Despite her groundwork for a future in the field. a.m. to do traffic and weather before age, Dubé had already showed immense She took any opportunity for public school. When a classmate told her potential, and her genuinely positive speaking and even joined the school about a friend who started a company energy resonated with all those she play, Après Notre Petit Verre. She also that created customized music for worked with. Her old-school dedication volunteered at the local television bowling alleys in the U.S., she saw to journalistic ethics and fairness were station, Cable 14; answering phones, another opportunity. “I would be in qualities Shaw appreciated. “She doesn’t wrapping cables — nothing glamorous. Texarkana, Arkansas: ‘Hey kids, we’re do anything in a haphazard manner,” But it was a taste of the news world — live at The Beat,’” she says of her DJing explains Shaw, who’s been part of the and she liked it. gig at the Bowling Music Network, CTV Toronto news team since 1979.

When she was accepted into a which was aired in 30 different states. “She wants to have it correct from the concurrent program between the “It was totally embarrassing, but it was get-go, and I think that’s a laudable University of Western Ontario and broadcasting experience, and I was paid. attitude.”

Fanshawe College, she took off out of Not much albeit, but still.”

After earning the co-anchor job, the gate, doing everything to distinguish Before a diploma was in her hand, Dubé never looked back. The CTV News herself from the pack. If her journalism her resumé was already packed with Toronto program has been nominated teachers asked for two stories, she’d several years of field experience, and for a Canadian Screen Award for best deliver three. She was the first person Dubé had several job offers even before local newscast, and Dubé and Shaw to arrive in the morning and the last graduation. She opted for a reporting have also been nominated for best to leave at night. “I really wanted to position with the CHCH News team in anchor team. She explains that she loves make a point to my profs that I wanted Hamilton in 2007 and was live on the how every day is an adventure. “I really this more than anyone,” she says. And air on her second day. When CHCH get excited about telling people, ‘Hey, they noticed. ran into turbulent times in 2008, and this happened today. This is new. You “We’d kick her out of here a lot of veteran anchors Connie Smith and need to know about this,’” says Dubé, nights. She’d be sitting at a computer Dan McLean left, Dubé, at 24, was who, in 2013, received a Canada’s Most right beside my office and I’d just given co-anchor duties alongside Nick Powerful Women Top 100 Award from sometimes have to say, ‘Michelle, go Dixon. But Dubé wanted more. the Women’s Executive Network. “And home. Really, you’ve done enough,’” She had her eye on Toronto and I love how spontaneous it can be.” chuckles Jim Van Horne, program wanted to take her career to the big That spontaneity goes hand in coordinator of broadcast journalism city. She made contacts at CTV and, hand with her curiosity. She finds at Fanshawe. “She just wouldn’t let an in April 2009, was offered a one-year cooking is a great way to unwind and opportunity to improve go.” contract reporting on evenings and enjoys experimenting with meals. She

Photo By John Sing, Fanshawe College

“I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE A POINT TO MY PROFS THAT I WANTED THIS MORE THAN ANYONE”

www.citylifemagazine.ca

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loves how the Davisville and Leaside neighbourhoods are ripe with specialty stores just a stone’s throw away and she’ll often walk around the corner to the local butcher, produce shop or fishmonger and shop “European style,” picking up food every couple of days as opposed to doing one big shop once a week. “I like to cook for what I feel,” she says. “So it’s nice that we live in a neighbourhood where we can just get home, walk around the corner and pick up some fresh stuff.”

But spontaneity comes in many forms, and Dubé’s life progresses at a relentless pace. It was only a year ago that she married her “best friend” and the couple is already moving to the next stage of life: Dubé is pregnant.

She explains she’s four months along and hasn’t even broken the news to her audience yet. Her husband wants to keep the sex of the baby a surprise, which she’s agreed to do, despite wanting to know herself. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. “A healthy baby.

That’s all I want.”

While Dubé also does plenty of charity work, such as with the YMCA, Cops for Cancer and the Toronto Challenge, she’s also passionate about getting youths interested in the news.

“I want to get kids excited about what’s happening in their community, excited about getting informed,” she says. This past November, Van Horne invited Dubé back to Fanshawe to do an interview session in front of journalism students with Bob Hurst, the former president of CTV News and current Fanshawe teacher. Hurst threw Dubé some curveballs, grilling her about the personal sacrifi ce journalists must endure — the late nights, working weekends, missing holidays — suggesting that’s a tough message to sell to students. But Dubé handled it like a pro. “She turned it around on him,” says Van Horne.

She drew attention to how much the business gives back, how those experiences allowed her to grow as both a journalist and a person. “I didn’t prep her for anything,” Van Horne says. “She came in and she hit on all the right notes.”

And why wouldn’t she? She’s been preparing for it all her life. www.citylifemagazine.ca

Photo By Mike Ward

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For more great recipes visit www.chefmikeward.com Feb/March 2015

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With anxiety disorders on the rise, a lone student looks out into an empty hallway at St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School, where a mind-bodyspirit approach to mental health brings a sense of comfort to the student body

THE

Photo By Valeria Mitsubata

STRESSED BY

BELL

Teenage anxiety is more prevalent than ever these days.

City Life Magazine finds out why

C

hloe* was just 12 when the chips in her young life began to fall. Alone in her mind, she felt burdened by excessive worry with each passing day, her inability to concentrate and growing irritability foiling her dayto-day life. Feelings of unease and restlessness followed her like a shadow that wouldn’t dissipate, and the effects of it would soon come to light. A bright and inquisitive child, Chloe suddenly began disengaging from the things that made her happy. By the time she reached Grade 8, Chloe outright refused to attend school, preferring to stay at home and away from her classmates. Her growing absenteeism, which disappeared and returned once she reached high school, had both school officials and her parents gravely concerned.

The story of Chloe is not a solitary one.

According to Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO), approximately one 58

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Feb/March 2015

“WE’VE BEEN DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ALL ALONG, FROM JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 12, BUT THERE IS NOW A HIGHER PREVALENCE OF ANXIETY IN OUR STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN HIGH SCHOOL” — Dr. Giuliana Malvestuto-Filice

in five — or 20 per cent — of Ontario students under the age of 19 experience mental, emotional or behavioural disorders. To put this in perspective, roughly five to seven students in a class of 25 to 30 pupils are struggling with issues that are interfering with their social lives and affecting their academic performance. “This is definitely a concern across our Canadian schools,”

says Dr. Giuliana Malvestuto-Filice, a psychologist with the York Catholic District School Board. For over 30 years, Dr. Malvestuto-Filice, more commonly known as “Dr. G.,” has seen her fair share of elementary and high school level students struggling with a range of issues — bullying, self-harm, depression and even suicide — that have flummoxed parents, educators and the medical community alike.

The psychologist shares that over the last 8 to 10 years of her work, she has observed an increase in students presenting with anxiety. “We’ve been dealing with mental health issues all along, from junior kindergarten to Grade 12, but there is now a higher prevalence of anxiety in our students, particularly those in high school.” Dr. G. adds that while an increase in mental health awareness has indeed led to more disclosures from students, this was not the case a decade ago, when discussing mental illness was taboo. “Back then, www.citylifemagazine.ca

*A pseudonym has been used to protect identity of individual

Written By Simona Panetta

we were seeing behaviours such as frequent absenteeism, late arrivals, declining grades and overwhelming emotions that were indicative of students experiencing some form of inner turmoil. Once we began to explore these behaviours more closely with the student, anxiety was often a major presenting factor.”

Anxiety disorders, which have a high comorbidity rate with depression, are the most common mental health problems in Canada affecting any age group, with about six per cent of children and youth suffering from various types of anxiety that are serious enough to require treatment, says CMHO. While the exact cause of anxiety remains unknown, it’s believed that a combination of biological, psychological and other factors are at play. Attending school, writing tests, world news, relationships and conflicts, or a significant loss such as changing schools or the death of a loved one can be triggers. Sometimes, though, an anxiety disorder can strike out of the blue.

While a recent improved picture of mental illness has helped loosen its stigma in society, many parents are still struggling to understand why and what is happening to their children.

We’ve all held down part-time jobs and juggled classes; we’ve all had crappy relationships and helicopter parents; we’ve all studied late into the night to keep our averages up. So why are kids suddenly cracking under the same pressure their predecessors faced?

Maybe a teenager might know. “No matter what anyone says, every teen is suffering from mental health issues, whether it’s minor or major, ’cause, like, we have so much stress on us, and, not to sound like every teenager saying, ‘oh we have so much pressure on us,’ it’s actually true,” says Alessia Fiore, a Grade 11 student at St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School in Vaughan.

“We have pressures of school and our outside life and if we work, and then if we have a boyfriend or girlfriend, just like, everything is being put on us and sometimes we don’t know where to go with it.” It’s a week before final exams at the high-ceilinged high school and Fiore, along with fellow classmate www.citylifemagazine.ca

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and genetics are all factors that contribute to an escalation of anxiety in teenagers, they were quick to paint an even bigger picture: today’s youths are living a life that is significantly different from previous generations. Take for instance the issue of bullying, which can exacerbate anxiety, or maintaining popularity scores and the obsession to stay thin — pressures and appearances we all could escape from once we shut

resilient children by way of early intervention and improving access to support services. The mental health and addictions strategy “Open Minds, Healthy Minds” marks a collaborative effort among the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and school boards across Ontario working together to transform our mental health system. Right now,

What Are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders are mental illnesses that can affect anyone at any age. The different types of anxiety disorders include the following: Generalized anxiety disorder is excessive worry around a number of everyday problems for more than six months. Many people experience physical symptoms too, including muscle tension and sleep problems.

Social anxiety disorder involves intense fear of being embarrassed or evaluated negatively by others.

This is more than shyness. It can have a big impact on work, school performance (walking to class, giving a speech) and relationships.

Panic disorder involves repeated and unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is a feeling of sudden and intense fear that lasts for a short period of time. Physical feelings include a racing heart, shortness of breath or nausea. Panic attacks can be a normal reaction to a stressful situation, or a part of other anxiety disorders.

With panic disorder, panic attacks seem to happen for no reason.

Phobia is an intense fear around a specific thing like an object, animal or situation. Most of us are scared of something, but these feelings don’t disrupt our lives. With phobias, people change the way they live in order to avoid the feared object or situation.

Agoraphobia is a fear of being in a situation where a person can’t escape or find help if they experience a panic attack or other feelings of anxiety. A person with agoraphobia may avoid public places. the front door of our homes. But that pencil and paper generation is now gone, they warned. “Social media is huge,” explains Michelle Prinzo, a psychological associate assigned to St. Jean de Brebeuf. “It’s where students are getting their self-esteem from, it’s where your number of retweets and likes show just how popular you are.”

She went on to expound that advances in technology and the constant, immediate flood of information being fed to children and young adults can at times be too much to cope with. “Kids don’t yet know how to sort through the information fast enough,” adds Prinzo, who suggests that parents hop onto social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to keep a distant but attentive eye on what’s happening in their kids’ social media lives.

Over the next three years, the province of Ontario aims to improve mental health and create healthy,

only one in six kids get the help they need to overcome mental illness. In the midst of a lack of services and long wait times for treatment, many see the strategy as a step in the right direction.

If you’re wondering about Chloe, her story does have a happy ending.

The support she received from her parents and the school system gave her the tools with which to graduate high school and pursue a post-secondary education, where she continues to keep up with her therapy. “Parents need to spend quality time with their children to help build their self-esteem,” urges Dr. G. “Parents are ideally positioned in the home situation so they are able to hear what their children say, and they can familiarize themselves with what’s typical and not typical with their child’s behaviour.”

To learn more about “The ABCs of Mental Health,” visit www.hincksdellcrest.org/abc/welcome www.citylifemagazine.ca

Reprinted with permission, ©2015, Canadian Mental Health Association. www.cmha.ca

Christina Giovannoni, sit side by side in a boardroom tucked away from the school’s front office. They both laugh nervously about their upcoming assessments.

As presidents of the school’s Desire for Change club, which works to promote healthy attitudes and inclusivity for all, the girls have an advantage: a safe haven to turn to when life gets complicated. The club, led by guidance councillor Marie Di Giorgio, is one of the ways in which the school has taken a mind-body-spirit approach to tackling mental health issues. After all, they see it every day. “Kids aren’t just stressed around exam times, it can be anything, like coming to school, and especially on Civvies Day when you don’t have to wear a uniform,” says Giovannoni. The fresh-faced teenagers, who are excelling academically, are working toward careers in law. “We just want to make money, we don’t care what we do. The standard of living is so high,” says Fiore matter-of-factly.

On a Monday night in January, St. Jean de Brebeuf held its second Mental Health Awareness Night, an hour-long presentation with the goal to build parents’ knowledge of anxiety and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). The school stood aglow in the darkness as a trickle of parents walked toward the school’s Theatre Arts Room, where the dimly lit auditorium’s seats were quickly filling up. Across the faces of each parent was a tangible look of concern and an eagerness to understand how they can maximize their role as parents to better help out their teenagers. The panel of experts, which included YCDSB mental health lead Dr. G., encouraged parents to keep an open dialogue with school principals and teachers who can provide accommodations such as alternative test settings for students presenting with anxiety. Educators can also connect parents and students to community support agencies such as COMPASS and Kinark. To date, the night drew in the largest crowd of parents attending a mental health presentation at the school.

While the experts pointed out that parental expectations, the increasing self-pressure to do well academically

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PEOPLE & PLACES

For sponsorship inquiries, please email events@dolce.ca For more events, please visit www.citylifemagazine.ca/people_places

WARD 4 CIVIC HERO AWARD PRESENTED TO LISA CANTKIER — VAUGHAN

The unique spirit of the City of Vaughan was running high on Jan. 20, 2015, as media members, community members and city council members gathered at City Hall for the signing of the Vaughan Accord. The accord, a 12-point document that defines the principles of public service, is Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and the council’s written promise of another productive term. By signing the accord, the mayor and each council member affirmed their commitment to responsible, cooperative and effective governance. www.vaughan.ca Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and the Vaughan City Council

Photo Courtesy of the City of Vaughan

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and members of council with Ward 4 Civic Hero Award recipient Lisa Cantkier and family

Photo Courtesy of City of Vaughan

As a nutrition coach, educator and writer specializing in food allergies and intolerance, Vaughan resident Lisa Cantkier has spent most of her life helping adults and children with celiac disease live a normal, happy life. The mother of two, who also developed award-winning website GlutenFreeFind.com, was presented with the Ward 4 Civic Hero Award on Jan. 13, 2015. The award, which is presented annually to one resident from each of Vaughan’s five wards, recognizes the recipients’ outstanding achievements and independent contributions to the community. Cantkier also volunteers at local schools and coaches her son’s soccer team.

SIGNING OF THE VAUGHAN ACCORD — VAUGHAN

20TH ANNUAL NIAGARA ICEWINE FESTIVAL — NIAGARA REGION The Niagara Icewine Festival returned to Ontario’s famed wine country for three weekends this January, kicking off with the Xerox Icewine Gala at the Fallsview Casino Resort Grand Hall on Jan. 9, 2015. Over the following three weekends, the Niagara Region was transformed into a wintry wonderland, welcoming visitors from near and far to savour and celebrate. From elegant nighttime soirees to delectable wine and food pairings, to outdoor activities like exploring Ice Street Villages and marshmallow roasting along the famous wine route, the Niagara Icewine Festival once again brought its signature warmth and infusion of Canadian culture to Ontarians’ wintertime. www.niagarawinefestival.com

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Photos Courtesy of Niagara Icewine Festival

1. Wineries from across the Niagara Region showed off their sweet creations to visitors who flocked from across the province for this year’s festival 2. The perfect sweet ending to a wintertime meal, icewine is an essential part of Ontario’s heritage 3. The Festival took visitors everywhere from Niagara-on-theLake to Twenty Valley to Niagara Falls

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The Institute for 21st Century Questions (21CQ), a new think tank with a global audience that tackles some of the world’s major questions of this century, hosted its launch conference on Nov. 14 and 15, 2014, at the Faculty Club in Toronto. The event also celebrated the fifth anniversary of Global Brief magazine, a top-tier international affairs publication headed by the same movers and shakers behind 21CQ: Irvin Studin and Sam Sasan Shoamanesh.

Guests enjoyed two days of thought-triggering talks from local and international luminaries, including Craig Scott, Member of Parliament (Toronto — Danforth), Hubert Védrine, former foreign minister of France, Jon Finer, Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of State and more. www.i21cq.com www.globalbrief.ca

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PEOPLE & PLACES

1 1. The YRP recognized young citizens who have helped local emergency services thrive through their bravery, dedication and hard work 2. Six-year-old Arjunpal Khattra from Markham received an award of bravery for helping his father when he was trapped in a 25-foot-deep well

The York Regional Police (YRP) hosted a youth recognition event on Jan. 12, 2015, at its headquarters in Aurora, honouring various young people from across the region who have helped local emergency services thrive. Lovejeet Bhattie was recognized by Toronto Police as a successful alumnus of the force’s Youth in Policing Initiative. Newmarket’s Cody Kaslove received recognition upon recommendation from the YRP’s Community Safety Village, while Chris Thind, nominated by Toronto Paramedics, was recognized for his outstanding achievements as a member of 1st Downsview Medical Venturers. Also included in the ceremony was a special award of bravery, presented to six-year-old Arjunpal Khattra from Markham, who on Nov. 9, 2014, demonstrated bravery by getting help for his father who had fallen and was trapped in a 25-foot-deep well. www.publicheroes.org

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Photos Courtesy of the York Regional Police

YORK REGIONAL POLICE RECOGNIZE YOUTH IN EMERGENCY SERVICES — AURORA

ICCO 2ND ANNUAL PENTOLA D’ORO AWARDS GALA — TORONTO

1. Luca Baffigo Filangieri, CEO of Eataly; Francesca Leone, ICCO; two representatives from Longo’s; Madeline Zito of Great Gulf; Tony Grossi of Wittington Investments 2. ICCO and recipients of Marchio Ospitalità Award, restaurants Cibo Wine Bar, Toronto; La Fenice Ristorante, Toronto; ORO Restaurant, Toronto; Sorrento Ristorante, Maple; Claudio’s Ristorante, Hamilton

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Photos By Luca Viorel and Mattia Nicola

The Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario (ICCO) celebrated its 2nd annual Pentola d’Oro Awards Gala in November of 2014. Taking place at the Sony Centre in the heart of Toronto, the gathering recognized outstanding Italian-Canadians in the food and beverage industry as well as Italian culinary excellence in Ontario. The Italy-Canada Award was presented to Massimo Mottura, president of Campari Canada, while the Food and Beverage Industry Award was given to Mary Dalimonte, senior VP of merchandising and commercial programs at Sobeys, Inc. Multiple Ontarian restaurants also took home the 2014 Marchio Ospitalità Award, including Cibo Wine Bar, ORO Restaurant and La Fenice Ristorante in Toronto, Claudio’s Ristorante in Hamilton and Vaughan’s own Sorrento Ristorante in Maple. www.italchambers.ca

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“education is the leading of human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them.” — John Ruskin

MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF KLEINBURG (MSK) is an accredited Montessori and ministry-licensed school educating children from 15 months to 12 years of age.

Overlooking 13 acres of breathtaking greenery and the Humber River, MSK provides students with an academically rich, scenic and safe environment. MSK’s students are recognized for being respectful, responsible and resourceful citizens of the community. We look forward to welcoming your family into ours.

Open House Dates: Feb. 21, April 18 & May 23 (2015) Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Registration now open to new families We are proud to announce the opening of our Utengule V School in Tanzania, Africa this August Tue – Thurs: 10a.m. – 6p.m.

Fri: 10a.m. – 7p.m.

Sat: 10a.m. – 6p.m.

Sun – Mon: Closed 2354 Major Mackenzie Dr., Unit 14.

Maple, Ont.

905.417.1199

www.citylifemagazine.ca

Montessori School of Kleinburg Quality Educational Standards Overlooking the Humber River For further information, please contact Enza Pellegrini, Principal: 905.893.0560 • 10515 HIGHWAY 27, KLEINBURG, ONT. www.msk2002.com

Feb/March 2015

City Life Magazine

65

PEOPLE & PLACES TOPPITS FOODS LTD. OPENS FIRST RETAIL STORE — VAUGHAN

1. Toppits Foods Ltd. just opened its first retail location after over 100 years in business 2. The grand opening of Toppits’s retail shop welcomed guests to savoury delicacies from the company’s collection 3. John Mauro, chef Stephan Schulz, chef Doug Robertson, Brian Cheng, Toppits president Heather Gremont, chef Alanna Fleischer and Jerry Tan

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Photos By Sal Pasqua

After more than a century as a seafood supplier, Toppits Foods Ltd. opened its first retail store at 301 Chrislea Rd. in Vaughan on Dec. 6, 2014. The opening celebrations welcomed friends, clients and neighbours to the scenic new shop. The Canadian company, which was founded in 1899, is currently working on removing non-sustainable products from its offerings, and in January the shop introduced a collection of gluten-free items. www.toppits.com

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“COME UP TO MY ROOM” 2015 AT THE GLADSTONE HOTEL — TORONTO

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The Gladstone Hotel proved to be the hippest 125-yearold in Toronto as the annual “Come Up to My Room” exhibition returned to its historic chambers. Each year the Gladstone invites a series of local artists and designers to create site-specific installations within the hotel’s rooms and public spaces, and this year’s event was the largest yet, with installations taking over spaces throughout all floors of the hotel. The 10-day exhibition, which ran from Jan. 16 to 25, attracted everyone from members of Toronto’s arts and design scenes to notable media

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personnel to curious passersby, and left everyone inspired with thoughtful creations by the likes of Akin Collective, Heretical Objects Cooperative, JB + DG, Ryerson Artspace and more. www.comeuptomyroom.com

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1. Common Thread , an installation by Sander Freedman, Andrey Chernykh and Riyad Bacchus located on the third floor of the Gladstone 2. In a Space curated by Carla Poirier on the fourth floor 3. AlUlA by Jacky Lac, Priscilla Lee and Julian Paulo Rodrigues on the second floor 4. In a Space curated

by Carla Poirier

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City Life Magazine

Feb/March 2015

www.citylifemagazine.ca

Photos By Agata Piskunowicz

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COLOUR IS IN OUR NATURE

There are a lot of beautiful colours on the planet, and we’re proud to do our best to protect them. Choose from Canada’s largest selection of eco-friendly paints.

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