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CONTENTS

Apr/May 2013 Volume 11 Issue 2

ON THE COVER 32 The Modern Bard: Canadian spoken word artist Shane Koyczan ignites conversation with his contagious viral video

32

FEATURES 61 Rolling the Dice: In a cash-strapped Ontario, a Toronto casino score sounds sweet — but at what cost? City Life Magazine explores two sides of the coin

25

SPORT 54 Channelling Gold: How three-time world champion Patrick Chan hopes to capture the singles figure skating title for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia

The Modern BBardd

50

Improve Canada

Jill of all Trades

42

Have a Seat Sky Cranes and Electric Brains

40

TIFF’s Subscription SSeries i

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 18 One of a Kind: Express yourself with a showcase of great finds and a gallery of fine artists 40 A Lesson and a Show at TIFF’s 2013 Subscription Series: Notable films, insightful lectures and insider perspectives — get a head start on film and food this season at the TIFF Bell Lightbox 66 Life Through the Lens: Photographer Kaare Iverson on life and lessons learned HEALTH 38 How to Stop a Bully: Dr. David A. Wolfe on how education can reduce bullying PARENTING 49 Think Outside the Lines: Her discovery will stretch your mind. Guest parenting editor Rhea Lalla explores the other side of children’s colouring books

61

Rolling the Dice

HOME DECOR 42 Have a Seat: The latest interior décor to freshen up your home FASHION 29 Fine Print: From flower frocks to Joe Fresh’s forte, squeeze every last drop out of spring PHILANTHROPY 58 Young at Heart: The spirit of philanthropy spreads its wings, with more than five million Ontarians volunteering their time annually REAL ESTATE 26 Making History: Your dream home awaits you at one of these worldly properties AUTOMOTIVE 52 Chevrolet Silverado: Keep trucking! The Canadian International AutoShow unveils a 2014 pickup that puts the spotlight on overhauled performance and safety features IN EVERY ISSUE 8 Publisher’s Note 10 Editor’s Note 12 People & Places 65 Readers’ Survey

29

18

Fine Print

One of a Kind

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City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

7

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

PUBLISHER PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michelle MichelleZerillo-Sosa Zerillo-Sosa •• michelle@dolce.ca michelle@dolce.ca

“When people hurt you over and over, think of them like sandpaper. They may scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless”

MANAGING MANAGING EDITOR EDITOR Simona SimonaPanetta Panetta • simona@dolce.ca simona@dolce.ca DIRECTOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS OPERATIONS Angela Angela Palmieri-Zerillo Palmieri-Zerillo A ARRTT DD EE P AA RRTTMME EN NT T CO-FOUNDER/CREATIVE CO-FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DIRECTOR Fernando FernandoZerillo Zerillo • fernando@dolce.ca fernando@dolce.ca

– Anonymous

I

used to think that the feeling of comfort that came over me every time I heard Morgan Freeman’s narration of March of the Penguins could never be replaced. That was until I heard Shane Koyczan’s voice on his video “To This Day” (see story on page 32).

Dare I say that the voice and message of this spoken word poet are as soothing as a lullaby? This is the effect many experience when watching his video. A video that highlights the pain and long-term emotional damage that bullying has on kids and later on as adults. The video took on a life of its own when it went viral — the last we checked it had close to 8 million views on YouTube.

My own memory of a bully resurfaced when I first saw Shane’s video. My brother and I had moved to a new city with our parents. Attending school as the new kids in class meant protecting my younger brother.

At the time he was only a shy six-year-old with newly prescribed eyeglasses, which made the transition even more difficult.

I think bullies have an incredible way of sensing people’s fear or lack of confidence, like a hunter tracking its prey. The bully from my class sensed this, and began taunting us about our glasses. Each day, when the school bell marked the end of classes, my brother and I would run home to escape the bully. We tried to ignore him the first few days, but I became tired from the running and hiding. I simply had had enough. We walked through the courtyard, like everyone else, instead of running through it. This infuriated our bully even more. His anger intensified, his words became louder. And the crowd that joined him in the namecalling got bigger. I could feel my cheeks get hot from all the embarrassing and hurtful things that were coming out of his mouth.

A mouth I wanted so badly to quiet.

All I remember was turning around and, with all my might, swinging my right arm, and then my left, my glasses falling to the ground. Kids were cheering, yelling, and I was being punched in the stomach. I could

8 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

GRAPHIC GRAPHIC DESIGNERS DESIGNERS Marianna MariannaOsko, Osko, Luay Luay Siag, Siag,April AprilWare Ware

feel pain shooting up my legs and hear my brother calling my name. I didn’t care about my physical pain — I felt sad that my brother was worried about me and scared.

The punching didn’t stop until a group of older kids separated us. That’s when I finally saw my bully’s eyes. To this day, I will never forget his look of raw anger and hatred. My adrenaline quickly disappeared when I got home and had to explain to my mom why I looked like someone who had just finished a street fight. Her face was full of disappointment. She sat me down and made me understand that violence was not the answer, and that I should have walked away and reached out to an adult instead of acting like a bully.

The success of this video highlights the incredible power words have on us. Every time we express ourselves through our words, we have a direct effect on people.

What we choose to say is up to us. Our lips can speak words of wisdom, praise and love. Our words can spread hurt and hatred.

Why do we choose the latter? My grandmother had a saying: “A word is worth silver, silence is worth gold.” I guess today’s version of this is “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. ” The beauty of life is that while you can’t control a person’s choice of words, you can choose your own reaction to the words you experienced. Someone like Shane grew up to be a poet — a modern-day hero — who can inspire millions of people with the power of his speech.

As you continue to navigate through this issue and through life, I hope you become an ambassador of good words.

Thank you for making City Life Magazine a part of your life for the past 10 years!

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Publisher/Editor-In-Chief

@dolcetweets

WEB WEBPROJECT PROJECT MANAGER MANAGER Steve SteveBruno Bruno E DE DI TI TOORRI IAA LL D EE PPAARRT TMME NE TN T BEAUTY BEAUTY& &TRAVEL TRAVEL EDITOR EDITOR Angela AngelaPalmieri-Zerillo Palmieri-Zerillo FASHION FASHION& &HOME HOMEDECOR DECOR EDITOR EDITORMichelle Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Zerillo-Sosa COPY COPYEDITOR EDITOR Simona SimonaPanetta Panetta PROOFREADERS PROOFREADERSThe TheEditing Editing Company, Company, Toronto; Toronto; Simona Simona Panetta Panetta SENIOR SENIOR WRITERS WRITERS Michael MichaelHill,Hill,Simona Simona Panetta, Panetta, Madeline MadelineStephenson Stephenson CONTRIBUTING CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS WRITERS Rhea RheaLalla, Lalla,EvaEva Voinigescu Voinigescu INTERN INTERN Daniele Daniele Franceschi Franceschi CONTRIBUTING CONTRIBUTINGPHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS Kaare Kaare Iverson, Iverson, Jesse Jesse Milns, Milns,Saverio SaverioArmogida/PhotoClick Armogida/PhotoClick Photography Photography V VI DI DEEOO DD E PP AARRTTMME EN NT T VIDEOGRAPHER VIDEOGRAPHER & EDITOR EDITORWilliam William LemLem REPORTER REPORTER Madeline Madeline Stephenson Stephenson PPUU BB L I SS HHEERR

AADDVV EE R TT II SSI INNGG T: (905) T: (905)264-6789 264-6789•• Toll-Free: Toll-Free: (1-888) (1-888)68-DOLCE 68-DOLCE info@citylifemagazine.ca info@citylifemagazine.ca DIRECTOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING MARKETING Angela AngelaPalmieri-Zerillo Palmieri-Zerillo ••angela@dolce.ca angela@dolce.ca DIRECTOR DIRECTOROFOFNEW NEW BUSINESS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT Susan SusanBhatia Bhatia • susan@dolce.ca susan@dolce.ca ACCOUNT ACCOUNTMANAGERS MANAGERS Mario Mario Balaceanu, Balaceanu,Roshan Roshan Victor Victor OFFICE OFFICEADMINISTRATOR ADMINISTRATOR Dina DinaMastrantoni Mastrantoni FRONT FRONT COVER COVERShane Shane Koyczan, Koyczan, Photo PhotoByByKaare Kaare Iverson Iverson

CityCity LifeLife Magazine Magazine••Volume Volume 1111 ••Issue Issue2 2• April/May • April/May 20132013 CityCityLifeLifeMagazine Magazine is published publishedbimonthly bimonthly by by Dolce Dolce Publishing PublishingInc. Inc.111 111Zenway Zenway Blvd., Blvd.,Unit Unit30,30,Vaughan, Vaughan, Ont.Ont. L4H L4H 3H93H9 T: (905) T: (905)264-6789 264-6789••(1-888) (1-888) 68-DOLCE 68-DOLCEF: F:(905) (905) 264-3787 264-3787 info@citylifemagazine.ca info@citylifemagazine.ca • www.citylifemagazine.ca www.citylifemagazine.ca Subscribe Subscribeonline onlineatat www.citylifemagazine.ca www.citylifemagazine.ca or orby by calling calling Life’sLife’s (905) (905) 264-6789, 264-6789,TOLL-FREE TOLL-FREE (1-888) (1-888) 68-DOLCE. 68-DOLCE.CityCity yearly yearlysubscription subscription fee fee isis $13.80. $13.80. WeWeaccept acceptVisa,Visa, MC MC & AMEX. & AMEX. Send Sendcheque chequeoror money money order ordertotoDolce DolcePublishing Publishing Inc. Inc. 111 Zenway 111 Zenway Blvd.

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DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION AND AND CIRCULATION CIRCULATION City City Life Life Magazine Magazinereaches reaches251,200+ 251,200+ readers readersperperissue issue through through household household distribution, distribution,newsstand newsstand sales sales and and event event partnerships partnershipsacross across Canada.

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Dolce Dolce Publishing Publishing Inc. Inc. does does not assume not assume liability liabilityforforcontent. content. The The material materialin inthisthis magazine magazine is intended is intended for information for information purposes purposesonly onlyand andisis in no way wayintended intendedto supersede to supersede professional professional advice. advice.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

INTRODUCING OUR APR/MAY

‘‘

GUEST EDITOR

Get a better mirror Look a little closer Stare a little longer

‘‘

RHEA LALLA GUEST PARENTING EDITOR

— Shane Koyczan, “To This Day”

Simona Panetta Managing Editor

W

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ith a new season upon us, it’s a good time to clean our cluttered closets just as it is our actions.

The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree is an expression that comes to mind every time I think about the act of bullying.

We may not realize it, but the way we engage and treat each other sets the stage of what’s to come. Parents and teachers often tsk-tsk when they hear about how mean kids can be to each other on the playground. But have we ever stopped to consider whose fault that really is? As adults, we have a responsibility not just to tell but show our children how to be considerate and empathetic. Our cover man Shane Koyczan shows us how to plant seeds of personal growth.

While you’re tossing out winter clothes, don’t forget to add colouring books to the curb. This issue’s guest editor, parenting coach Rhea Lalla, shares an invaluable lesson on page 49. Reminding us to encourage our children to think outside the lines, her forward-thinking attitude fosters borderless creativity and inspiring imagination.

Your children will thank you some day.

Spring is about rejuvenation, a time for new beginnings, and who can’t help but smile a little wider with the extra dose of sunshine.

There are tools that foster creativity in children, and some that surprisingly don’t.

Four years ago, professional parenting coach Rhea Lalla threw out all the colouring books in her house after coming to the conclusion that they don’t encourage the boldness and self-discovery she wanted for her children.

In “Think Outside the Lines,” Lalla assesses an activity that may be robbing our children of the chance to express themselves to the fullest.

Taste the tradition

Simona Panetta Managing Editor

10 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

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Tweet us your event at @CityLifeToronto

For more events, please visit

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1. REV IT UP! Held at King Street West’s Forget About It Supper Club, A Night In Red’s Ducati-themed charity event for the Hospital for Sick Children, organized by Rev It Up Foundation, brought out the best in guests, sponsors and volunteers who raised $25,000. DJ Mario “Figs� set the soundtrack for a high-spirited evening of generosity.

Driven to make a difference, Rev It Up Foundation also proudly announced a long-term $500,000 commitment to SickKids, which will be used to purchase leading-edge equipment for the hospital’s cardiology oor. Rev It Up For SickKids’ annual ride will be held in July. www.revitupforsickkids.com

2a. Event organizer Susan Ippolito and Toronto ďŹ reďŹ ghter Jason, a.k.a.

Mr. November

2b. Toronto ďŹ reďŹ ghters Mr. July, Doug, and Mr. November, Jason, with Lisa Paradiso

1a. Organizing Committee from left to right: Alessandra Lombardi, Salvatore Oliveti, Loredana Oliveti, Joseph Manzoli, Joe Linardi

4b. Host Peter Vondracek of CIBC Wood Gundy (right) with wife Emily Vondracek

3a The Pointer Sisters sing and dance to conquer cancer

3b Team Disco Babes

4. ROADMAP TO RELAXATION On January 29, 2013, 50 of Toronto’s ďŹ nancially savvy women came together to form relationships and discuss their future economic goals. The event, called Roadmap to Relaxation, gives forward-looking females an opportunity to engage and discuss ďŹ nancial planning in a relaxing spa environment. The intimate invite-only affair hosted by CIBC Wood Gundy investment adviser Peter C. Vondracek, featured delicious hors d’oeuvres from the Food Dudes and saccharine cocktails. Spa therapy, mini massages, trufe tasting and naturopath consultations made conversations about career counselling that much more enjoyable. www.cibcwg.com/peter-vondracek

5. L’ORO JEWELLERY WELCOMES SWISS WATCHMAKER LINDE WERDELIN Over 100 guests ogled, analyzed and orated over champagne and sushi as L’Oro Jewellery rolled out the red carpet at Bay Street hot spot BlowďŹ sh for the Canadian debut of highly touted timepiece designer Linde Werdelin. The renowned watch company’s co-founder Jorn Werdelin was on hand to unveil the brand’s coveted collections, explaining their intricate craftsmanship and demonstrating the rare clip-on component that transforms each piece into a practical tool for outdoor adventurers. “We immediately wanted to be the ďŹ rst to bring LW to Canada,â€? says Haigo Derian, vice-president of L’Oro, the exclusive Canadian partner of the Swiss brand. “Having Jorn here today allows both the collector community and our clients to really understand the world of Linde Werdelin ďŹ rst-hand.â€? www.loro.ca, www.lindewerdelin.com

12 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

1b. Night In Red's Ducati Panigale S

2. GIRLS' NIGHT OUT! The 3rd Annual Girls' Night Out Gala turned up the heat on 300 guests at Vaughan’s Venetian Banquet Hall in support of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation’s Fire Fighters' Cancer Research Fund. The ďŹ rst 200 guests were handed a steamy 2013 Fire Fighters Calendar before erupting into a frenzy fuelled by a thrilling gala rafe and entertaining oor show featuring classically trained viloinist Grenville Pinto and the Toronto Fire Fighters. Since its inception, the event has raised over $10,000. thepmcf.ca

3. DANCE TO CONQUER CANCER Hollywood ďŹ tness guru Richard Simmons, The Pointer Sisters and the Magan Boys entertained the young stars of tomorrow at the second annual Dance to Conquer Cancer — Disco Days and Boogie Nights. Held at the Paramount Event and Conference Centre in Vaughan, the event raised over $450,000 to beneďŹ t cancer research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Students over the age of 12 broke out into 70 teams and danced the day away as Paul Alofs, president and CEO of the PMH Foundation, thanked generous sponsors, donors and event co-chairs Mary Shechtman and Hinda Silber for their efforts. thepmcf.ca

4a. Pooja Handa, Anjum Choudhry Nayyar, Karen Johnson and Patriz Quas

WEB www.citylifemagazine.ca/people_places

5. Linde Werdelin co-founder Jorn Werdelin and L'Oro Jewellery vice-president Haigo Derian

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PEOPLE & PLACES

6a. Mermaid greeters make a splash at The Marc Santi Foundation’s ninth gala

For more events, please visit

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WEB www.citylifemagazine.ca/people_places

6. MARC SANTI The Marc Santi Foundation held its ninth successful gala at Markham’s majestic Le Parc Banquet Hall. Quintessential mermaid greeters, A2D2 Aerial Dance Cirque and The Errol Fisher Band entertained guests as they moved and grooved to varying moods of music and dance. The Gala is held every year in Marc's memory to raise funds to beneďŹ t the charities supported by the Foundation — Sunnybrook Foundation, Mackenzie Health/Richmond Hill, St. Michael's College School Scholarship and others. Marc Santi loved to help others and volunteered to many worthy causes. With the support of many kind and generous people, Marc's legacy continues. In 2014, the Foundation will celebrate its tenth gala. www.themarcsantifoundation.org

6b. Mario Di Pietro, Niside Aloi and Rino Balzano

6c. Sara and Bruno Savini with David Santi

7. AUTOSTRADA Owner and head chef Luigi Beccati of A1 Autostrada Restaurant in Vaughan served up a delicious menu of food and beverages during the 3rd Annual Girls' Night Out Gala in support of the Fire Fighters’ Cancer Research Fund. In addition to treating guests to an extravagant evening of entertainment, Beccati distributed free copies of City Life Magazine and graciously agreed to host dinner for two auction winners and their Toronto ďŹ reďŹ ghter dates. Since its inception in 1998, the Fund has raised over $1 million. www.a1autostrada.com

8. THAT’S ITALY FASHION DISTRICT That’s Italy Fashion District is a new and innovative Italian-themed retail store that opened April 2, 2013, in Vaughan. That’s Italy is committed to providing stylish, quality and contemporary fashion while creating an authentic Italian shopping experience. Designed by Italy’s renowned Brugnotto Shop Interiors, That’s Italy features authentic Italian brands and a variety of sleek dÊcor. www.facebook.com/thatsitalyfashion

8. That’s Italy Fashion District fashion director and founder, Lino Grasso; That’s Italy Fashion District maestro sarto (tailor), Italo Buttafoco; That’s Italy Fashion District personal shopper, Sylvio Ruffolo

Kneeling: Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, Chrissy, Joanne Romano (board member), Mary Tucci (ofďŹ ce manager), Suzy. Front Row: Anthony Romano (board president), Jorge, Han, Paul, Lorenzo, Caroline. Back Row: Claudio Mazza (board member), Benny, Joe Caruso (board member), John Galea (vice-president, board), Gino, Lucy, Christina, Lisa, Jessica, Sandro

9. VAUGHAN IN ACTION With over 300 guests in attendance, Vaughan In Action Community Program hosted its annual fundraising event at Riviera Parque Banquet Centre in Vaughan. The highlight of the evening was the participants’ performance of their song “Say.�

The event raised over $25,000 in support of the Vaughan In Action Day Program, which provides support services to individuals 18 years and older living with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua presented Vaughan In Action with a $5,000 cheque in support of the cause. www.vaughaninaction.com

9.

16 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

7. A1 Autostrada owner and head chef Luigi Beccati with Girls’ Night Out host Susan Ippolito

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THINKING ABOUT A MAKEOVER? Why not start with your smile

Photography by Laura May. Haaiir/m r akeup by Salon Raphaels in Woodbridge

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aKIND

IT MAY SOUND CLICHE, BUT THESE CHARACTER-FILLED COMMODITIES COULDN’T BE CALLED ANYTHING ELSE CERAMICS 2

4 3 1

1. Dotti Potts takes pottery to a whole new level with its uniquely crafted candy dish. www.dottipotts.com 2. Pam McFadyen from Lurearts Pottery displays her special, fashionable, lightweight Damask Ceramic Clock. www.lurearts.com 3. Melanie Mena from Picton, Ontario, puts a strange twist on the myths and legends of dragonflies with her very special Dragonfly Pitcher. www.menadragonfly.com 4. Therese Bombardier displays her exquisite hand-built, antique Flora Lace Mug. www.facebook.com/ThereseBombardierDesigns

ACCESSORIES 2

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1. Woolly Fabulous’s unique Felt and Zipper Bunny Brooch is bringing out the extraordinary in ordinary fashion accessories. www.woollyfabulous.com 2. The signature hands-free bracelet clutch bag from Arza Design is revolutionizing the standard for handbag design. www.arzadesign.com 3. Scott Wilk from Wilk Watchworks showcases his special and elegant Lydian Skeletonized Wristwatch. www.wilkdesigns.com 4. Located in Vancouver, B.C., Hair Lovelies displays one of its exclusive silver and gold Designer Decorative Hair Accessories. www.hairlovelies.com

18 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

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1. Matter Hand Cream thoroughly moisturizes and restores rough and dry skin. www.mattercompany.com 2. Matter’s hardcore All Heal Salve ointment soothes, smoothes and revitalizes irritated skin. www.mattercompany.com 3. Michelle Treen’s shaving and body soap is specially formulated with moisturizing ingredients in order to create a unique “slip” for your razor. www.aidebodycare.com 4. Stacey Davis utilizes spring water and natural extracts to create her lovely body wash fragrances. www.lovefresh.com

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1 1. The Jenna Rose Textile Studio is making the food industry more organic with its pure cotton napkins. www.jennarose.ca 2. Christy’s Gourmet Dancers Cookie Bouquet combines the beauty of flowers with the delicious crunch of sugar cookies hand-dipped in chocolate. www.christysgourmetgifts.com 3. Coated with layers of Belgian chocolate and topped with decadent designs, the Bruce County Nut & Fudge Company is creating candy apples that will have your taste buds stirring. www.nutandfudge.com 4. Bruce County Nut & Fudge Company does not only make delicious candy apples, it also produces pure, rich, sweet maple fudge all year round. www.nutandfudge.com

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1. These handmade creatures are soft to touch and replete with love. Give your little ones a customized gift they’ll covet forever. www.strawberrylane.ca 2. Woodenful Toys’ stackable animal collection doesn’t want to live in a world without organic gizmos.

Wood you? www.etsy.com 3. Using vintage cotton, yarn and pure wool, Mirit Cohen Essel from Bubynoa creates unique, adorable creatures such as the Big “Furry” Lion. www.bubynoa.com 4. Made from organic cotton, the Bandana Bib from Electrik Kidz makes eating baby food an effortless activity for young children and their parents. www.electrikkidz.com

20 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

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Jewellery as original as the one who wears it!

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NICK CHASE Born in New Brunswick, Nick Chase spent time in the animation ďŹ eld before ďŹ nding his calling as a glass artist. Chase is inuenced by natural and urban landscapes but also refers back to his roots as inspiration for his artistic designs. Chase’s work is showcased in reputable galleries across Canada. www.nchasedesigns.ca

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City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

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ADVERTORIAL ϒ Broker of Record Massimo Aiello and veteran real estate professional Alfredo Aiello, founding partners of full-service real estate brokerage HomeLife Premium One Realty Corp. in Vaughan

real estate, new homes, in-fill sites, land acquisition and development, and boasting a resale division networked by 45 award-winning realtors, the duo has launched their full-service real estate brokerage to the top. “We had a vision to expand and that meant following our life callings,” says Massimo, proudly adding that in both 2009 and 2011, HomeLife Canada awarded their firm with Most Productive Office in Canada awards.

Aligning themselves with prominent builders/developers, the Aiello name is synonymous with selling and marketing communities, and a customer-first approach. “Our service is based on loyalty, professionalism and respect,” says Alfredo, happily noting that the company has successfully stretched its latitude across key markets. Springing off from one of their biggest projects — the Upper Thornhill Estates community — Alfredo and Massimo look forward to their highly anticipated sites in here are times when significant moments have the ability to transform the Vaughan, Brampton, Newmarket, King course and purpose of our lives. For Alfredo Aiello, that defining moment City, Milton, Aurora, Whitby and came on a crisp spring day in the 1970s after successfully selling a family’s Ajax, which cater to first-time buyers house in Etobicoke and relocating them to a new home in Mississauga. and purchasers of exclusive, executive The selling and buying process wasn’t just a transaction for the aspiring homes. “We are always researching Aiello — it was the starting point of a career embedded in a feeling of pride and sense communities and how to enhance them, of accomplishment that comes from finding families the perfect home. Alfredo’s initial specifically those in the GTA,” explains experiences in real estate eventually set forth the foundation of a promising career, one Massimo. From selling to the market, to overseeing sales pavilions, reviewing that would expand and continue over four memorable decades.

Immersed in the industry since March of 1975, Alfredo got his feet wet in renderings from builders, forecasting residential resale and commercial real estate before working at a leading development trends, incentive strategies and offering firm in Vaughan. “In 1984, I became comparative market analysis and involved in the new homes division at support to clients, the two are OUR EXPERTISE LIES IN Greenpark Homes, keeping my land deeply dedicated to every detail of and commercial touch as I explored a THE NEW HOMES SECTOR, their developments. part of real estate that intrigued me,” DEALING WITH BUILDERS/ Expanding their vision vertically says Alfredo, who continued to pursue DEVELOPERS, EXAMINING AND across GTA skylines, Alfredo and his passions in and around the GTA. SOURCING LAND — ESSENTIALLY Massimo continue to build their legacy, multiple projects at the Soon enough, his son Massimo same time. “Our expertise lies in Aiello began to display interest in his COVERING A PROCESS THAT the new homes sector, dealing with profession, obtaining his Broker’s TAKES US FROM A TO Z builders / developers, examining Designation at the tender and rebellious — Alfredo Aiello and sourcing land — essentially age of 19. With Alfredo’s expertise in new homes and Massimo’s proficiency in customer and company liaisons, the father- covering a process that takes us from A to Z,” says Alfredo. “And all projects son twosome decided it was time to set out on their own.

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Á FULL HOUSE It may not be the Canadiana snowbird experience you envisioned, but this San Fran suite spot proffers unlikely perks you won’t find bathing under a Floridian sun. If south-of-the-border real estate is on your shopping list, the Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square, should certainly be circled on your short list. Just a block away from San Francisco Bay and a 10-minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge, this heritage site in the heart of a cultural hub offers a unique opportunity for fractional ownership. Starting at $169,000, these luxurious residences perched in a formerly famous chocolate factory can be shared by second-home seekers with taste. www.fairmontheritageplace.com

Making HISTORY From classic English country to San Franciscan heritage, these worldly properties are breaking ground Ï KING OF THE CASTLE The pedigree and tradition of classic English country architecture set in the stately township of King is an exclusive community to covet.

Kingsview Manors, the latest collaboration of Genview Homes and Crystal Glen Homes, communicates quality through fine interior finishes such as gourmet Irpinia kitchens and bathrooms and exterior porticos and coach lights. Surrounded by a sizzling dining scene, the beautiful Humber River and its surrounding conservation areas, pleasant walkways, public transit and a picturesque pond, this imminent collection of 65 residences offers the best of old-world and modern-world charm. www.kingsviewmanors.com

26 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

Á THE SKY IS THE LIMIT A city in transformation is about to reach new heights with two shimmering, glasswrapped towers in the heart of Richmond Hill. SkyCity’s two-phase development will blossom with natural, organic elements such as lush courtyards, pathways and a three-storey sustainable podium featuring a green rooftop, lush terrace, outdoor fireplace, gazebos and barbecue pods for elegant entertaining. In addition to gorgeous nine-foot ceiling, open-concept suites overlooking Yonge Street and the city centre, residents will also appreciate the Skylounge party rooms, formal dining hall, fitness centre, media room and swimming pool. www.skycitycondos.com www.citylifemagazine.ca

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FINE PRINT Squeeze the most out of spring with these fashionable finds

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Produced By Michelle Zerillo-Sosa

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1. Zara’s printed scarves will add a splash of colour to any conventional outfit. www.zara.com 2. Boring mugs not your cup of tea? Anthropologie serves up a hot assortment of sippers and saucers. www.anthropologie.com 3. Slip into Stephan Caras and never look back. This Greek-Australian designer can turn any woman into a modern-day goddess. www.stephancaras.com 4. Leave the clutch behind and go big with a cut-work bag that means business. www.zara.com 5. Get your Great Gatsby glam on with Zara’s vintage-inspired Maxi Pearl necklace. www.zara.com 6. Forget the cloth, let your accessories do the colour blocking for you with this geometric necklace. www.anthropologie.com 7. Fashion house Joe Fresh’s forte is affordable style. For just $8 why wouldn’t you want this? www.joefresh.com 8. Any worldly bookworm would cross the ocean for The New York Times 36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe. Luckily, it’s sold at your local Anthropologie. www.anthropologie.com 9. This staple ace skirt will take you from work to play all in one day. www.joefresh.com 10. The sandal of the summer: chunky, strappy and printed. Zara’s Stretch Combination Print Sandals are just the trick. www.zara.com 11. Stay grounded in Zara’s Vamp Glitter Sandal. www.zara.com 12. What better way to welcome spring than a flowery frock with peek-a-boo sleeves? www.zara.com

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City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

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7 30 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

Á AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Lancôme’s Vernis in Love collection packs a punch of long-lasting colour. The neutral, trendy tone of Gris Angora complements any outfit, while Corail and Rouge nail down a pretty, high-shine touch.

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1. The orange extract and gentle micro beads in Clarins’ One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser give bright results 2. With sunny days ahead, Jergens 3 Days to Glow Moisturizer enhances your skin with natural-looking colour in no time 3. Darphin’s Youthful Radiance Camellia mask boosts radiance, plumps lines and firms your complexion with a deliciously rich texture 4. Combining cellulite-blasting ingredients for visible, lasting results, Biotherm’s Celluli Eraser slimming gel replaces unsightly dimples with a firm, toned physique 5. Hung over with a pain in your neck? BareMinerals Naturally Luminous Extra Firming Neck Cream lifts lax skin as it moisturizes against environmental stressors 6. Like a blooming bouquet of creamy-pink flowers, L’Occitane’s Magnolia & Mûre Body Lotion quenches dry skin with a tender, sexy scent 7. Who says you can’t work while you sleep. Active ingredients in The Youth As We Know It Anti-Aging Night Cream by Bliss iron out wrinkly nightmares for a bright, youthful complexion

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31

What’s your favourite verse from Koyczan’s “To This Day” poem? Tweet us at @CityLifeToronto

THE MODERN

BARD

Shane Koyczan strikes a chord with an emotionally charged sonnet that has everyone talking :ULWWHQ %\ 6LPRQD 3DQHWWD

32 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

S

hane Koyczan walks onto a stage, his finger nudging the bridge of his eyeglasses up to the radix of his nose.

Nervously he rubs his hands together, folding one palm over the other, forming a solitary handshake before an audience awash in a hazy blue light.

He looks out to a gathering of attendees, who despite their successes find resonance in the empowering prose he was invited to disclose at the TED Conference in Long Beach, Calif. “There’s so many of you,” he begins, a thick beard, perhaps his most distinguishable feature, framing his cherubic face. With one hand in his pocket, the other flailing around, the spoken word poet travels back to his childhood, a time when he was asked to abandon his dreams, a place where he was discouraged from being different, a stage on which school bullies tried to get the best of him.

Swinging from humour to sadness, undulating with anger and optimism, Koyczan’s chocolate voice is a pendulum of emotion as he segues into the lyrics of his most stirring poem to date. Peering into his personal bout of being bullied and the psychology of children contending with an issue that can impart profound impacts, he explores one of the universal drawbacks of our early years with an indubitably trenchant effect.

He was the kid called pork chop at school, the kid who stood out for being too different, a definition defined by the cool crew that ruled the battleground of the playground. He wasn’t invited. He didn’t belong. “I grew up being told www.citylifemagazine.ca

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Canadian spoken word poet Shane Koyczan gets lippy on bullying

www.citylifemagazine.ca

see this turn into a video.’ He agreed and next thing you know he turned it into a video without my support but turned to me and said, ‘Can you help us launch it?’

And I did in a heartbeat.”

Produced by the storytelling studio Giant Ant and featuring the work of 12 animators and an enchanting composition by indie music band Shane Koyczan and the Short Story Long, “To This Day” has everyone talking. “This video is making a difference because it’s allowing kids to engage,” says Wilson,who shares the video with friends and followers on his social media accounts. “All you need is to get people to the table, to talk, and as soon as that begins, the rest all kind of comes nicely together.”

violence more prevalent than face-toface interactions. “I would hate to grow up in today’s society,” says Koyczan, whose childhood predated the social media era. “It’s difficult because there is no haven anymore. The Internet really allows the bullies to enter the home and all you can do is switch off.”

Born in Yellowknife, Koyczan describes the stem of his torment as a series of events that quickly compounded, the mounting taunts at school becoming unbearable for him. “Being raised by my grandparents, a lot of kids began questioning, ‘Why are your grandparents taking care of you?’ And then that became, ‘Your parents don’t want you.’

After that, it was kind of easy for them to

‘‘

A LOT OF KIDS BEGAN QUESTIONING, ‘WHY ARE YOUR GRANDPARENTS TAKING CARE OF YOU?’ AND THEN THAT BECAME, ‘YOUR PARENTS DON’T WANT YOU’

‘‘

‘the world doesn’t need people like you,’” recalls Koyczan, 37. Today, he’s about to board a flight to Vancouver a week before performing in Ottawa. The airport isn’t his most favourite place, but the stamps on his passport indicate a rising Canadian artist whose work is now held in international esteem. The February 19 animated release of “To This Day” has struck a chord amongst a broad spectrum of viewers, receiving close to eight million YouTube hits as of early April.

W. Brett Wilson vividly recalls the first time he saw Koyczan. The former Dragons’ Den star and philanthropist watched the poet perform “We Are More,” capturing the attention of three billion viewers as he sat in awe at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in 2010. “I saw this kid come on stage wearing a relatively healthy beard and he proceeded to do his rant in support of Canada. I fell in love — call it a bromance — but I fell in love with this artist.” A year later, Wilson was leading Operation Western Front, a charity gala in Vancouver. After a few tries, he finally got a hold of Koyczan and asked him to contribute to the cause. “His first reaction was, ‘I don’t do war.’ Nineteen minutes later he said I understand and let me see if I can fit in. The conversation was, I don’t believe in war either, but I do believe in the people we send to the front line and supporting our troops is different than supporting a war effort. He came around in my way of thinking and ultimately did perform and stole the show again.”

A fast friendship ensued, the two collaborating on subsequent events. “I think he’s one of Canada’s true gifts,” says the Canadian entrepreneur.

A supporter of the anti-bullying program Dare to Care, Wilson readily admits to being aggressively picked on as a child by a trio of girls, who tripped him in the hallway and tore his homework into pieces. “I can still remember it very clearly … it was emotionally upsetting at the time.” Naturally, Wilson was moved to tears when he first heard Koyczan describe his childhood, which in some ways mirrored his own. “The first time I heard him do [‘To This Day’] — I’ve listened to it several times before it even came to video — I said, ‘Shane, I’d like to

— Shane Koyczan According to PREVNet.ca, a study

by Craig and Harel in 2004 found that 15 per cent of girls and 18 per cent of boys have been bullied at least twice over the same period of time. Coupled with the finding that 18 per cent of boys and 12 per cent of girls have bullied others at least twice in previous months, the figures suggest that in a classroom of 35 students, between four and six children are bullying and/or being bullied. “A lot of people have been bullied, and a lot of times name-calling has been one of those things that doesn’t resonate in the realm of physical abuse, but its effects are longer-lasting,” says Koyczan. An act carried out with the intention of hurting someone physically or psychologically, bullying includes verbal and physical abuse, and cyberbullying, a vehicle of

gang up and invent new things that they could say.” It was a fact of his life that the children at school sunk their teeth into like fresh meat, tearing at him until there was nothing left. His grandmother, Loretta Mozart, never left his side. “She knew how hard it was and it was really like she was trying to get me through the next day. I’d come home and there would be new stories of torment and despair.

She’d say, ‘All right, let’s hear them.’ That was enough to make it bearable, to make me get up and trudge to school.”

Dr. David A. Wolfe, director of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Centre for Prevention Science in London, Ont., describes bullying as a repetitive act, its persistence distinguishing it from other forms of aggression. Although bullying can change City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

33

Since his breakout performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Shane Koyczan’s spoken word poems are making an international impact

from elementary school to high school, he explains, the stakes become higher when children seek to overpower each other.

Losing that power play can increase one’s susceptibility to the act. “Let’s say one boy doesn’t have any power over another boy. They’re both on the same baseball team, the same age, the same height.

They don’t tend to bully each other — they bully someone who is different from them and seems weaker. The weakness is in the eyes of the bully,” says Wolfe, who is also a program director of The Fourth R, a school-based program that encourages healthy relationships in young people.

For the past 10 years, Koyczan has immersed himself in spoken word poetry, a centuries-old art form that reached popularity in the 1960s. As a kid he sought refuge in an artistic realm — insulating the crevices of his mind with material that befriended his creativity and imagination. It was a reprieve from the torture, a secret hiding place from the bully and his cast of idle

34 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

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Since its February 19 release as an animated film, Shane Koyczan’s “To This Day” has received close to eight million hits and counting

bystanders. “There wasn’t a physical place I went to, it was more like a medium.

Comics, literature and film — none — of it was there to judge me. That was my great escape,” says Koyczan, who later enrolled in the creative writing program at the now defunct Okanagan University College. He began with short stories and chapters for novels before discovering poetry was the quickest route to emotionally express his feelings. In 2000, at the National Poetry Slam in Rhode Island, he became the first Canadian to win the Individual Championship title. In 2009, Koyczan and the Short Story Long received Best New Artist at the British Columbia Interior Music Awards. He has since written three books: Visiting Hours, Stickboy and Our Deathbeds Will Be Thirsty.

At the age of 14, a wave of relief swept through Koyczan. His grandparents had decided to move from Yellowknife to Penticton, British Columbia, in search of a warmer climate. A prepubescent

Koyczan jumped at the opportunity to lead a new life, one where no one would know of his past — one that would allow him to enjoy being a kid. But on the first day of school, his hope of a fresh start began to unravel. For weeks he suffered in fear and sadness, until the day everything changed. He became someone he loathed: a bully. “I’d been in enough physical fights at that point that I knew what I was doing. I knew how to hurt someone,” says Koyczan, who describes that period as one of the lowest moments of his life. “It was devastating to see the look on my grandmother’s face.”

Wolfe explains that while it’s not common, it’s not that uncommon for victims to become bullies. “Some kids that are victimized realize that if they simply change their approach a bit, they can be the ones delivering the pain. They change how they look or they change whom they associate with. They steal something that someone wants so that they’re now accepted as a friend. They’ve shifted their politics,” says the psychologist and professor, who specializes in issues that affect children and youth. “I think it was a defence mechanism,” says Koyczan.

“When students smell blood in the water you have to prepare for the swarm. It’s that mentality.” He has since received an email of atonement from one of his greatest tormentors at school — the power of apology helping him heal some of his battlefield scars. He’s paid the gesture forward, and while some accepted his apology, he understands why others haven’t. He pauses, clearly affected by the repercussions of becoming a bully, to describe the person he is today.

“I don’t know. I guess I don’t really think about it. For me a lot of it is just penance.

Cont’d on page 36 www.citylifemagazine.ca

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City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

35

Twice the size, twice the selection.

I’m trying to make my life better, and a lot of it is this is me forgiving myself.”

Measuring bullying and victimization, a recent WHO survey suggests that the prevalence of bullying in Canada has remained relatively stable over the years, but a dismal ranking on the world stage draws a different picture. When compared to other nations, Canada is lagging behind in the prevention of bullying. Koyczan’s recent contribution to the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education speaks to the need and responsibility of parents and schools to take a more hands-on approach when it comes to equipping children with the tools they need to navigate the world. Koyczan points to qualities such as compassion, acceptance and tolerance to win the bully battle in the Center’s Educate the Heart initiative. “If we want our children to grow into socially and emotionally capable young people, we must ask for a balanced education that puts importance on educating both the mind and the heart.”

Reminded of his long-reaching efforts, with millions finding comfort in his contributions, he reflects on his journey thus far.

“It was amazing to be in a room full of people who maintained who they were despite what they’ve been through,” says Koyczan, whose conversation was voted a tall second in the most popular contributions at TED Talks in 2013. While he’s floored by all the fanfare, Koyczan explains that his viral hit was born with the sole intention to help people, to underpin the downfalls of the dejected and downcast with the message that every cloud has a silver lining. Plucked from the scrolling comment section of the “To This Day” video, a short sentence marks the remarkable impact and extraordinary feats of a man once told he didn’t belong: “The world needs more people like this.” www.shanekoyczan.com

CANADIAN BULLYING STATISTICS • On a scale of 35 countries, Canada ranks 9th in bullying amongst 13-year-olds • In Canada, 1 in 3 adolescent students have reported being recently bullied • Nearly half (47%) of Canadian parents report their child has been a victim of bullying • Bullies tend to be someone the target knows: classmate (40 %), friend (20%), acquaintance (11%), stranger: 21% • Suicidal thoughts in youth increase with any participation in bullying • Online, girls are more likely to be bullied than boys — Canadian Institutes of Health Research Visit our newly renovated 3,000 sq. ft. menswear store featuring the finest clothing from around the world.

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• 25% of children between 12 and 15 have witnessed cyberbullying • 51% of teenagers have had negative experiences with some form of social networking • 40% of Canadian workers experience bullying on a weekly basis — Ipsos Reid 2011 Survey

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City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

37

HOW

topic for kids because they feel weak.

They feel victimized and it’s very hard to feel strong when you feel that way.

That’s why peers are important because they need to say “I’ll tell somebody.” If a parent is informed about it, they know what to do. The parents shouldn’t fire off a gun and go over to the house of the bully and threaten them. That’s what we’re educating parents about.

TO STOP A BULLY Dr. David A. Wolfe on why education is key Q: How does bullying impact one’s self-esteem?

A: It’s not so much self-esteem but self-control. It’s how you see yourself relating to others. There are kids that think there’s no harm done — I didn’t hit anybody; all I did was tell them that if they don’t do this, I am going to come back and do something to them. It’s those types of threats, or through social networks, that are effective ways to get people to do what you want. These are not appropriate ways.

Q: Can adults bullied in school move past the childhood pain to lead healthy lives?

A: Not all do. Some might say that it’s had a lifelong affect on them. Others will say that they remember it but it didn’t have an affect on them in the sense that it’s pretty common and I just have to grow out of it. Let’s say bullying happened in Grade 3 for three months — it affected you and made you feel uncomfortable for quite some time, especially in different situations. Eventually, it didn’t reoccur and you feel pretty confident you’re on a good track again. A lot of people will say that they were victims of bullying but it didn’t affect them because it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way or have a lifelong consequence. Others will say it happened in Grade 3 and then when I went to middle school, the same kid started it again, and it continued into high school.

Unless they get help and talk to someone about it, it’s not easy to overcome that feeling of being victimized.

Q: Can you explain how children who watch what’s unfolding are also involved in the act of bullying?

A: Bullying is an act that usually has an audience because power differential

38 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

isn’t very usual unless other people respect it. In order for me to feel like the top dog, I need those other kids to see what I can do. It’s the same thing adults would do if they wanted to bully somebody. We’ve known for some time that bullying incidents occur with at least one other person besides the victim present. It makes people witness your power over that person. We know that the best prevention is for bystanders to know that they’re not innocent and that it’s not entertaining to watch someone be bullied or beaten. It’s wrong and we now advise kids what to do if they come across those situations without risking their own safety. They cannot necessarily stand up and stop it, but they can stop it by calling for help or reporting it later so it doesn’t continue.

Q: As a program director of the school-based program The Fourth R, do you believe its curriculum can help reduce the act of bullying?

A: Absolutely. In order to get rid of bullying we need to educate not only our kids but adults as well. As far as I can see, education is the No. 1 prevention. We can’t go around and try to snub out every bully. There’s no medication or surgery that’s going to get rid of it, so basically you have to reduce it gradually by teaching kids how to respect one another.

Q: Is it common for kids not to tell their parents about what is happening to them at school?

A: Yes. When it’s something that a child feels they may get in trouble for or the parents may embarrass them about, they worry that the bully will hear about it and only tease them more. It’s a very sensitive

Q: What should parents do if their child is being bullied?

A: If the bullying is occurring at school, then absolutely they need to talk to the principal, that’s the first step. You gather the information from your child: tell me what’s happened, who’s involved, how long this has been going on, and then tell them that you’re going to help. Then it’s about going to the principal and getting to the bottom of it. The child is going to feel afraid because it’s exactly how a bully is set up. If you tell anybody, the bully will come on even stronger. The child has to trust that the parent will protect them and that the school will protect them. In the past, schools weren’t really good at that.

The principal or vice-principal might say “kids will be kids” and that’s wrong.

Now they cannot do that anymore. The ministry says you don’t treat it that way. You must take it seriously, talk to the person who is being accused of being a bully and if necessary, there are consequences such as suspension. There’s not always a clear bully and victim but there is a situation there that needs to be dealt with. It has to be handled by adults because the kids cannot work it out themselves.

DR. DAVID A. WOLFE Dr. David A. Wolfe is a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Toronto, head of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Centre for Prevention Science in London, Ont., and program director of The Fourth R, a school-based program aimed at promoting healthy relationships while reducing violence and abuse amongst youth. www.camh.ca, www.youthrelationships.org

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Precious Eat Drink Man Woman

A LESSON AND A SHOW AT

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BOOKS ON FILM Eleanor Wachtel, of CBC’s Writers & Company, hosts discussions with writers and ďŹ lmmakers on the challenges of adapting literature into ďŹ lm.

Monday, April 8 – 7 p.m.

Lisa CortĂŠs on Precious Lisa CortĂŠs, executive producer of the ďŹ lm Precious, has spent her career illuminating the stories of those marginalized by society. Ten of those years were spent working with director Lee Daniels on adapting Sapphire’s novel Push to the big screen.

The Oscar-winning ďŹ lm tells the story of Claireece Precious Jones, an overweight, illiterate and abused 16-yearold living in Harlem with her mother in the late 1980s. Living a life that seems devoid of any happiness, Precious ďŹ nds escape in a fantasy world she creates in her imagination. Eventually, with the help of committed teachers and a social worker, she ďŹ nds promise in the real world as well.

40 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

T

his year, the TIFF Bell Lightbox is celebrating the second and third seasons of its Subscription Series — Food on Film and Science on Film are celebrating their second seasons and Books on Film is celebrating its third season — by continuing to pair screenings of notable ďŹ lms with insightful lectures by experts in their ďŹ elds. This year’s selections feature powerful literary adaptations, a thought-provoking look at how food shapes our lives and fascinating insider perspectives on the world of science and technology. Here is a selection of the events you can attend in April and May. Tickets for individual events are available at ti.net/subscriptionseries.

CortĂŠs has said that one of the biggest challenges of the ďŹ lm was being true to the novel and ensuring that the world created in the ďŹ lm was just as dynamic as that created by Sapphire in her novel.

Despite its dark themes, Precious is a story of hope and CortÊs’s road to bringing this story to the screen is sure to be an inspiring one.

Monday, May 6 – 7 p.m.

Christopher Hampton on Atonement An award-winning playwright, screenwriter and director, Christopher Hampton is the creative mind behind the adapted screenplays for 2005’s The Quiet American, 2011’s A Dangerous Method and 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons, for which he won an Oscar. For his work on Atonement, Hampton was again nominated for an Academy Award.

Join him as he explains the process of adapting Ian McEwan’s Man Booker Prize short-listed tale of one woman’s childhood mistake and the lifelong repercussions it has for her entire family. “The more a novel is loved, the more

likely you are to step on somebody’s feet,� Hampton has said of adapting well-loved novels. For Atonement, he found himself adapting the screenplay twice, the second round of which came about after the project’s original director was replaced with Joe Wright (of 2005’s Pride and Prejudice).

Wright had a distinct vision. “He said, ‘I like the script, but do you mind starting over from scratch?’� recounts Hampton.

The rest is ďŹ lm history.

FOOD ON FILM Annabelle Waugh, food director of Canadian Living, hosts culinary experts in this series highlighting how food feeds our souls as well as our stomachs.

Wednesday, April 3 – 6:30 p.m.

David Chang on Eat Drink Man Woman Director Ang Lee just won an Oscar for his work on Life of Pi, but it’s his artistry in bringing the story of a top Taiwanese chef and his three daughters to the www.citylifemagazine.ca

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Which films are you most excited for at TIFF 2013? Tweet us at @CityLifeToronto

table that makes Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) an easy choice for TIFF’s Food on Film series. Main character Chef Chu channels his passions into cooking at his day job as head chef of the Taipei Grand Hotel and at home making extravagant Sundaynight dinners for his three live-in adult daughters. These Sunday dinners serve as a venue for communication between the three women and Chu, an otherwise quiet and reserved man who just wants his daughters to find happiness and leave the home. But the girls fear leaving their widowed father alone in his old age. As the movie and the meals progress, we watch the characters’ desires unfold amidst the visual bounty of Chu’s cooking.

Journey through the sites of fine Chinese cuisine in Eat Drink Man Woman with famed Momofuku founder and head chef David Chang, whose international reputation has made the Momofuku brand one of the most praised over the past year. After the show, take a stroll down the street to Toronto’s Momofuku outpost and quench the appetite you are sure to develop watching the film.

Wednesday, April 24 – 6:30 p.m.

Aldo Sohm on Sideways Sideways is itself a literary adaptation, but it’s not this fact that won it a spot on TIFF’s Food on Film lineup. The comedic drama follows Paul Giamatti’s Miles, a recently divorced unpublished author and English teacher, and his moderately successful, soon-to-bemarried actor friend Jack on a weeklong tour of central California’s wine country.

Miles is a wine aficionado looking to escape from the realities of his daily life whereas Jack is out for one last fling before his wedding. Hijinks and unexpected romance ensue against a backdrop of vineyards, cold cellars and lessons on wine.

And a lesson is just what you’ll get with Aldo Sohm, Le Bernardin New York’s chef sommelier and manager of a collection of over 15,000 bottles of wine. The winner of the World Sommelier Association’s 2008 award for “Best Sommelier in the World,” Sohm will shed some light on the world of wine appreciation using Sideways www.citylifemagazine.ca

as a window into this competitive and refreshing hobby. With any luck, Sohm will also share his passion for food and wine pairings, giving audience members a lesson they can take home to their own dinner tables.

Wednesday, May 15 – 6:30 p.m.

Anita Stewart on Food, Inc. “The battle against tobacco is a perfect model of how an industry’s irresponsible behaviour can be changed,” claims Food, Inc. It is of course referring to our power as consumers to change the unhealthy way agricultural conglomerates produce and deliver our food. This is the message taken up by the 2008 documentary, a message that continues to draw increasing attention in our fat- and sugar-saturated culture, both south and north of the border. Is cheap, fast food really worth the human and environmental costs? Judge for yourself as Food, Inc. gives you a behind-thescenes look at industrial meat, grain and vegetable production, as well as food labelling practices.

Food activist Anita Stewart, the first Canadian to receive a master of arts in gastronomy, will guide the audience through the facts presented in Food, Inc. and enlighten viewers to how similar issues are affecting Canadian agricultural policies. If you’ve ever been concerned about how your food makes it from the farm to the supermarket shelves and into your family’s meals, this screening is a must-see.

SCIENCE ON FILM Host Jay Ingram of the Discovery Channel takes a look at how popular culture and science interact with film to create a world that’s not as fictional as you may believe.

Wednesday, April 10 – 7 p.m.

Dr. Allison McGeer on Contagion Steven Soderbergh may be stepping away from directing, but over his almost 30-year-long stint in the business he has managed to create some memorable suspense thrillers. None of them are quite as chilling as 2011’s Contagion.

A heavily researched medical thriller following the rapid spread of a virus to pandemic levels, Contagion took its

cues from conversations Soderbergh had with World Health Organization officials and from recent scares such as the 2003 SARS epidemic. Contagion’s star-studded cast (featuring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Lawrence Fishburne, among others) also helps to paint a realistic picture of how such an outbreak might play out in the real world.

Following the screening, Dr. Allison McGeer, a respected Canadian epidemiologist, will be explaining how such infections spread. McGeer has served on many infection-prevention planning committees at the regional, national and international levels, is a professor at the University of Toronto and the director of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she had first-hand experience dealing with Toronto’s SARS outbreak.

Wednesday, May 8 – 7 p.m.

Astronaut Julie Payette on Apollo 13 Everyone knows the story of the failed 1970 Apollo 13 mission to the moon, in large part thanks to the 1995 award-winning blockbuster film of the same name. Director Ron Howard’s dramatized version of the real-life events makes the science behind space travel accessible and suspenseful and the film’s impressive ensemble cast, consisting of Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Ed Harris, brings the human side of the story to life.

The film’s realism is also attributable to NASA’s involvement in its making (Hanks and his fellow astronauts got to attend U.S. Space Camp and filmed scenes in one of NASA’s reduced gravity airplanes).

TIFF’s special guest for the screening is Julie Payette, who became an astronaut in 1992 and was the Canadian Space Agency’s chief astronaut from 2000 to 2007. Payette flew on the space shuttle Discovery in 1999 and on the space shuttle Endeavour in 2009, both times servicing the International Space Station as the first Canadian aboard.

A trained electrical engineer, Payette has played a key role in operating the ISS’s robotic arms and will share her personal experiences of space in relation to Apollo 13 with the audience. www.tiff.net City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

41

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The Goal: To build new friendships and help families get to a better place.

The Vision: Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.�

That sums up the way I feel about my work here.

The Reward: I love meeting new people. It’s such a great team and environment.

Cristina Piccirillo has been a fantastic mentor.

48 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

CRISTINA PICCIRILLO Mortgage Broker/Owner at Dominion Lending Centres The Goal: To grow, to gain more agents, to give back and to unlock new opportunities.

The Calling: For me, the most important thing is to genuinely give clients the service that they need. Everyone has a different story. I want to give clients long-term solutions, not simply what’s good for right now.

The Team: I look for people who care deeply about their clients’ best interests and have a genuine desire to help others. We have a strong team.

The Journey: I joined DLC in 2007 after being in the ďŹ nancial services industry for 10 years. I was fortunate to be mentored by one of the top brokers in Canada, so when an agent becomes a member of my team they know I’m here to support them.

VICKIE LUPOI

TANYA LUCENTE

OfďŹ ce Administrator

Executive Assistant

Visit Cristina Piccirillo at Dominion Lending Centres’ new location: 281 Woodbridge Ave., Unit 28, Woodbridge, Ont. 905.605.LEND / cpiccirillo@dominionlending.ca www.citylifemagazine.ca

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Cristina Piccirillo of Dominion Lending Centres introduces her expert band of mortgage brokers

How do you encourage your child’s creativity? Tweet us at @CityLifeToronto

THINK OUTSIDE THE LINES A supporter of creativity and imagination in children, parenting coach Rhea Lalla challenges the conventional colouring book :ULWWHQ %\ 5KHD /DOOD

www.citylifemagazine.ca

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our years ago I threw out all the colouring books in the house. As well, I respectfully asked my friends and family to refrain from buying them for my kids. This wasn’t a simple decision. There was always gleeful delight in a new box of crayons and a fresh collection of black and white pictures waiting for a splash of colour.

But with my three-year-old’s creativity and imagination on the line, I decided to take a strong stand against them. My decision arose when I witnessed the neighbour’s six-year-old draw a cloud-filled sky scattered with stretched-out M’s. It brought me back to my younger days when I too would draw the same letter to signify flying birds. I found it interesting that each one looked nothing like a bird.

It became apparent how these shortcuts in creativity could take their toll on my kid’s imagination. Instead of blaming the school’s failure to encourage innovation, I began asking how I, as a parent, might be contributing to my child’s lack of creativity.

Was I choosing activities that allowed my child’s imagination to be fully expressed, expansive and free?

Colouring books rob kids of the freedom to use their unique imagination, to make mistakes and structure their ideas visually. When children create something new, they must make spatial considerations, build an understanding of form, angles and perspective in a way that can never be captured by filling in a line. Letting them draw from scratch calls on

COLOURING BOOKS ROB KIDS OF THE FREEDOM TO USE THEIR UNIQUE IMAGINATION, TO MAKE MISTAKES AND STRUCTURE THEIR IDEAS VISUALLY — Rhea Lalla the direct products of their imagination; this breeds boldness and self-discovery.

Kids learn by trial and error, repeating experiments in form and colour, texture and perspective. Almost none of which will be discovered in a colouring book. Having your kid select a colour and fill in some lines versus capturing their neverbefore-seen ideas is not a hard decision. Which one creates greater creative satisfaction and self-esteem? Those who defend colouring books claim that children learn control, concentration and refine their motor skills, but none of those benefits are sacrificed when children draw and colour within the lines they’ve created themselves. Drawing encourages autonomy; colouring encourages following someone else’s rules.

It’s not just colouring books, it’s the dot-to-dot, paint-bynumber formats, too — anything that spoon-feeds a child City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

49

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what to think or do. Only in childhood are kids encouraged to draw, colour and create. Once they’re older, they’re told to focus on more “important” skills or they’ll never be able to support themselves in a “real” job.

We’ve marginalized creativity while emphasizing rational left-brain capabilities. We’ve determined that the artists, designers and storytellers cannot enjoy the same success as those who pursue the life sciences: math, physics or biology. Why else would so many parents want their kids to be doctors?

But a seismic shift is taking place.

In this new era, good grades and left-brain thinking alone will not open the best doors. To land a great job or create entrepreneurial success, children will need to master creativity and innovation. Increased automation of skills, outsourcing to foreign countries and sheer abundance of information online are ensuring that new skills are required to succeed. The role of knowledge workers, such as lawyers and accountants, has changed significantly. With the Internet readily available, many of their services can be downloaded easily and for free.

These skills are already being outsourced to other countries that offer cheaper labour. Medical schools are undergoing a massive change. Columbia med students are required to take courses in “narrative medicine.” They’ve realized that storytelling classes foster their ability to take on different perspectives and create deeper change when they weave a diagnosis into a story. Young doctors must now take art, painting and acting classes to hone their powers of observation, empathy and ability to notice subtle details of a patient’s condition. Big business is looking for visionaries: leaders who see a different future. Kids that can think outside the box, make unobvious connections and apply their skills in disparate areas will be the visionaries of tomorrow, solving global issues. The poet and the artist will be just as likely to sit at the boardroom table making decisions that shape the world.

The new intelligence is not IQ but CQ (Creativity Quotient), and we rob our kids of it every time we ask them to confine their minds to the rigid lines of a colouring book. Now, more than ever, our kids need to be taught to value their ingenuity.

Instead of using past experience to solve a problem, they must start seeing things from different points of view to produce original, unconventional responses. As grown-ups, our thinking is already in danger of becoming obsolete. Can we see beauty and brilliance in a crooked five-wheeled truck driving along a lopsided rainbow across a purple sky with flying fish? Are you ready to make room for creativity in addition to logic? Will you let your kids make up their own lines to colour inside? To quote a version of what Pablo Picasso once wrote, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once the child grows up.”

RHEA LALLA GUEST PARENTING EDITOR Rhea Lalla is a professional trainer, speaker and coach for parents who want to develop and hone their child’s genius. She offers private coaching, online courses and leads live seminars on building highly developed emotional, intellectual and creative skill sets in kids so that they achieve success in all areas of life. As a mother who values fun and ease, her strategies are simple, effective and achieve results. www.buildgreatminds.com

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CHEVROLET

SILVERADO Chevy’s latest pickup melds modern tech with blue-collar capability Written By Michael Hill

W

hen Chevrolet rolled out the 2014 Silverado at the Canadian International AutoShow, it was to some strong words: “From hood to hitch, Silverado is the most refined, best engineered pickup ever.”

Boldness certainly hasn’t been in short supply at the General Motors camp. But when your bestselling pickup consistently plays second fiddle to Ford’s F-Series, and Chrysler’s Ram lineup is nipping at your heels with substantial sales growth and Motor Trend’s 2013 Truck of the Year, you gotta make some noise. “Stronger, smarter, more capable” — that’s the new Silverado. And from early looks, GM might be on to something.

What we find in the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado is not so much a revolutionary leap but a back-to-basics refinement. It’s a truck meant to appeal to the heritage of pickup ownership; those traditional bluecollar sensibilities rooted in dirt under the fingers and an honest day’s work.

The styling, for one, is conservative and strong without the flash — very in tune with classic truck culture. The Silverado’s signature stacked headlights bookend a wider, more prominent grille. A sizable front bumper retains its firm, chiselled jaw, while a dual-power dome hood and flexing fenders add to its visual brawn. It’s an actions-speaklouder-than-words design that increases aerodynamics for better performance.

This certainly isn’t a wannabe’s city truck — it’s a man’s man’s tool, one ready to get the job done.

Chevy is offering three engine options for the new Silverado.The EcoTec3 family

52 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

will include a standard 4.3-Litre V-6, a 5.3-L V-8 and a 6.2-L V-8, all managed by a 6-speed automatic transmission.

These all-aluminum engines come with a variety of fuel-efficient technologies, including direct injection, cylinder deactivation, variable valve timing and a heap of promises. Chevy claims top power and fuel economy, but, unfortunately, GM is holding back official performance numbers. We’ll have to wait until they hit dealerships to know for sure.

Overhauled performance and safety features abound, including a fully boxed frame with hydroformed high-strength steel that increases strength and lessens weight, as well as 4x4 capability, Rancho monotube shocks, GM’s patented Duralife brake rotors, trailer sway control, hill descent control and automatic locking rear differential. And, a first in the fullsize truck segment: forward collision alert and lane departure warning. Corner bumper steps, LED rail lighting in the box, an EZ Lift and Lower tailgate and standard rear doors (not the suicide doors common on past Silverados) are welcomed details that could make a big difference on the job site.

Behind the wheel you’ll find a wellplaced four-wheel drive control and

Four power outlets and Chevy’s MyLink system makes the 2014 Silverado a mobile office

GENERAL SPECS Engine options: 4.3-L V-6, 5.3-L V-8, 6.2-L V-8 Transmission: 6-speed automatic Notable features: EZ Lift and Lower tailgate, corner bumper steps, forward collision alert, lane departure warning

trailer brake control on the left of the dash. Chevy’s MyLink system, which can link 10 devices, is available through an eight-inch infotainment screen. Four different power outlets, including USB ports, also make the new Silverado a viable mobile office. Heated cloth seats are also a segment first.

While it’s too early to pass judgment, the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado is bringing enough to the table to garner serious attention from tradesmen, labourers and outdoor adventurers. Look for it this summer. www.chevrolet.gm.ca www.citylifemagazine.ca

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WWW.NORTHERNKARATE.COM53 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

Raising a celebratory bouquet, Patrick Chan accepts praise for winning gold at the 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario

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hree-time world champion Patrick Chan keeps his head high and his focus steady. After all, this latest win (his third consecutive World Championship title) brings him one step closer to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and he’s got his eye on the gold.

Chan leads a hectic life, flying back and forth between competitions, and to his hometown in Toronto and Detroit, where he recently moved to train at the Detroit Skating Club, along with other competitors, for the World Championships in London. I catch up with him on the phone as he waits for a flight out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, and he tells me how he came to the sport he believes is a great way to express yourself.

A native of Ottawa, Chan moved to Toronto at a young age and took up the sport of figure skating on the recommendation of a hockey coach who told him he should learn how to skate well before he started to play hockey. “I just got better and better really quickly and then just went ahead and stayed in figure skating.”

Luckily for him, he also had a lot of support from friends and family growing up, making for a positive environment that was integral to keeping him motivated

54 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

on the rink. “[They were] always really supportive of me, and so [were] my fellow students and especially my friends. They never alienated me because of what sport I did, they just really admired the fact that I was a really good athlete,” says Chan, who attended North York’s École secondaire ÉtienneBrûlé. “I don’t know if I would have kept on skating if I was ever bullied. It would have really discouraged me and then I wouldn’t have had the confidence just to skate,” he adds. www.citylifemagazine.ca

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Patrick Chan gives a golden performance at the 2011 Eric Bompard Trophy in Paris, France

As for what keeps him driven going into the Sochi Winter Olympics, it’s the excitement of having the opportunity to bring the Olympic champion title in men’s singles figure skating home to Canada for the first time. “A first time for Canada is great because I think it just puts us on the map even more — it puts Canadian figure skating on the map,” he says. “Some of the best skaters are developed in Canada … I would be just doing my part of giving back to figure skating in Canada.”

Paying it forward while challenging himself to be better are two traits Chan may have picked up from his figure skating role model, Kurt Browning. “Every year he’s a different skater.

He really is forward-thinking and always wants to change the way he skates … but not only is he a great skater, he’s also a really, really good person off the ice, and he’s always been a really nice guy to me ever since I met him.” With three consecutive World Championships under his belt, parallels between Chan and Browning can certainly be drawn, but next year, Chan has the opportunity to do something Browning never did — bring home the Olympic gold.

Looking back at his last Olympic appearance in Vancouver, where the expectations for competing in your home country were high, Chan thinks that the pressure will be slightly alleviated in Sochi. He also knows that the past three years will help him to be a better competitor.

“I’m now a three-time world champion going into the Olympics,” he says, and admits that his third World Championship in London “was a good experience because it felt a lot like Vancouver. I think [it was] even more of a pressurefilled situation because I was a two-time World Champion trying to go ahead and win my third and I really wanted to do it, and I wanted to do it in front of my home country above all.”

He values the experience even more so because, he says, it is “very similar [to the] pressure I’m going to be facing in Sochi.”

It’s this experience with pressure that makes Chan confident in his ability to bring home the gold. “I’m very confident that this is my opportunity. I don’t think there’s any other better opportunity than now … so that’s definitely my goal.”

As for his advice to aspiring figure skaters? “Go in with an open mind and try it out, and above all … do it for yourself and because you want to have fun.” www.patrickchan.ca www.citylifemagazine.ca

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City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

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he city’s lush, sprawling backyards have become a hotbed for seasoned landscapers, but one greenthumbed entrepreneur has risen above the rest. “The fact that we’re able to transform nothing into something that people can enjoy for years is an incredible feeling,” says Giuseppe Agrippa, president of Vaughan Landscaping. Agrippa, who founded his company 11 years ago at the age of 20, has cultivated his craft into an

all-encompassing, award-winning firm focused on quality, customization and client care.

“Word of mouth has played a big part in our success,” says Agrippa, who caters to homeowners across the GTA and recently transformed a Forest Hill backyard into a breathtaking retreat.

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City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

57

Share your volunteer experience at @CityLifeToronto

Sisters Emma and Julia Mogus of Oakville are driven to ensure every child in need has a good book to read

YOUNG AT HEART Gen-Y philanthropists are revolutionizing the traditional models of giving back.

In light of National Volunteer Week, City Life explores how :ULWWHQ %\ 0DGHOLQH 6WHSKHQVRQ

W

hen I pulled up to the house, I was kind of nervous,” says Paul Mandarino. After the recent maelstrom of media reports focused on vulnerable kids being bullied, the 25-year-old Vaughan resident saw an opportunity to join the revolution of resolution. Knocking on a stranger’s door was his first move.

After expressing interest in empowering kids, a York Region police officer informed him about Youth Assisting Youth (YAY). The not-for-profit program matches children aged 6 to 15 with volunteers aged 16 to 29 who can set an example and prevent potential consequences that can stem from social, community or familial issues. “You can reach out to those kids and you can help them through a tough time.”

Before he could become a philanthropic force in his community, Mandarino had to go through an intensive application process that included an initial orientation, multiple training sessions and a one-on-one meeting with his menteeto-be. “If he didn’t like me it would crush my heart,” he says, looking back on that nerve-racking introduction.

58 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

After arriving at 10-year-old Jonathan’s house with his YAY case coordinator, they moved to the dinner table to discuss the details of the program with his mother. “When I started talking to her and having a conversation, things got really comfortable,” he remembers. Mandarino and Jonathan immediately hit it off as well. “We found out that we have a lot of things in common and it was easy from there.” The aspiring police officer meets his mentee twice a week for a total of three hours. They play catch, tennis, Lego, video games, read together and watch Argo games — and the rewards are reciprocal. “I’m still getting something out of it now,” Mandarino says. “The experience has shown me that a future is based on kids and if we show them the right way, the future would be a lot less of a mess later on.”

Mandarino is one of more than five million Ontarians who volunteer their time annually, contributing over 800 million hours each year, which Statistics Canada values at over $10 billion. In their report called “Volunteering in Canada, 2010,” Statistics Canada found that due to differing “interests and obligations,” www.citylifemagazine.ca

younger Canadians were typically more Similar to YAY, Big Brothers Big likely to volunteer than older age groups.

Sisters of York offers various forms of Civic engagement has indeed become mentorship geared towards giving children embedded in Ontario’s secondary school and teens the extra care needed to fulfil culture through mandatory volunteer their potential. The relationships built hours, but interestingly more than half of through the program have changed lives those students ended up exceeding their in powerful ways. One Big Brother ney Turack a and Syd th an 40-hour requirement. volunteer developed such a strong bond am S Sisters While giving back is more systemically with his mentee that he ended up asking encouraged than ever before, there are a him to be the best man on his wedding day. “We have few factors to consider before jumping into a cause feet first. If stuff like that happen all the time. It changes the life path that you aren’t particularly passionate about exploring the peripheries these kids might be on, it helps them gain confidence,” says of life, it’s probably best to simply look ahead and pursue the Flanagan, adding that some kids wait up to two years to find path of least resistance. For Mandarino, an opportunity to share a match. the lessons he’s learned and inhibit someone from falling off Jordan*, a 16-year-old Vaughan native who sought the the tracks was invaluable. “I’d recommend it to people who are support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of York after his father willing to share their time. I don’t want people to get the idea moved away, finds it difficult to encapsulate the experience, you can do this whenever you want and leave the kid behind,” but he believes his mentor Gord has played a positive role. he says.

“He’s pretty smart, he knows what he’s talking about. If I need Rhonda Flanagan, manager of fund development for anything, I can just ask him.” Over the phone, the congenial Big Brothers Big Sisters of York, echoes that sentiment, teen, who just woke up from a nap, is a soft-spoken mix of admitting that while there may be a need for volunteers, self-assured humbleness. “It’s like having a friend, but younger, the organization only wants individuals who are dedicated as a mentor. And it’s good for younger children who don’t have, to empowering their younger peers. “We’re looking for like, father figures in their lives to look up to. It really does give people who can make that long-term commitment,” she back to the community,” he says. says. “To commit to a child, then get a few months into Whether it’s joining a mentorship program, initiating a it and decide it’s not something you want to do would be community fundraiser, or donating lemonade stand proceeds to absolutely devastating.” a satisfying cause, the Millennial Generation is making every

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59

Have a volunteer opportunity? Tweet us at @CityLifeToronto

ounce count and doing so in innovative ways. For Oakville sisters Julia Mogus, 15, and Emma, 14, social media has become a powerful tool in publicizing their entrepreneurial vision of philanthropy, which sprung from a childhood love of literature.

After reading a study led by Nevada University that showed children who have 20 books in the home have better chances of academically advancing, the Mogus sisters wanted to ensure every child had the choice to read. “Growing up without cable TV, my sister and I developed a love of reading, so we always thought, ‘Well, there’s people out there who aren’t as fortunate,’” says Emma.

The J.K. Rowling enthusiasts did some research and found out that the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities in Northern Ontario were in need. “They’re four to five years behind us in literacy skills and families are paying tremendous amounts for necessities,” says Emma. So in the summer of 2012 Books with No Bounds was born and a sorting station was set up in their basement.

Through the generous support of schools, sponsors, family, friends and politicians, to date they’ve put 17,500 books in the hands of First Nation youth in NAN — that’s 49 communities, 28 of which can only be accessed by plane. “It’s something you can’t put a word to. Seeing the love on people’s faces when you help make their lives better, that inspires us to take action,” says Julia. The sisters have been awarded several accolades, including a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, but the ones that mean the most are the hundreds of thank-you letters they’ve received from the children of NAN. “I think the best philanthropic endeavours always come from experience or a personal desire that suits you, whatever that may be,” says Robin Turack, whose daughters have ventured far beyond the realms of conventional volunteerism with a personal initiative dedicated to their dad.

When Turack’s husband Fred was diagnosed with brain cancer, their daughters Sydney, 14, and Samantha, 12, began the Blue Brain Bracelet Project to support him and other families in need. “It was so automatic of how do we deal with our grief and our sadness. Serendipitously, angels take hold of something and decide how to carry it,” says Turack.

They started with just 20 bracelets and now, six years later, their late father’s legacy is wrapped around the wrists of more than 7,000 people who have helped contribute more than $70,000 to the Turack Family Fund for Pediatric Oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital, benefiting SickKids. “Our parents always raised us to know that charity is a way to give, it provides a good feeling and we thought that would be the perfect way to give back,” says Sydney who, along with Samantha, also initiated the first kids’ team for Princess Margaret’s annual Dance to Conquer Cancer fundraiser.

Samantha sums up the spirit of philanthropy in a way that only a child could: “The feeling is like a kid on Christmas. When you wake up and run downstairs to open your presents, there is this kind of warm feeling. It’s similar to that except instead of getting we’re giving.” * A pseudonym has been used to protect the identity of the interviewee.

National Volunteer Week is Apr. 27 to May 3. To get involved, visit volunteer.ca/content/national-volunteer-week.

60 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

FEELING THE ITCH TO GIVE BACK? Here’s a handful of local causes that are calling for some helping hands and offering invaluable experiences in exchange RESTORE — HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Many of us take the roofs over our heads for granted — but for thousands of Canadians, shelter is a luxury they don’t have. By volunteering with ReStore, a division of Habitat for Humanity, you can help build homes for those who don’t have one — and help rebuild their lives in the process.

Visit: www.habitatyork.ca Email: vaughanrestore@habitatyork.ca Call: (905) 265-1079

MARKHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Your local orchestra is offering tons of ways to get your volunteer hours and earn some valuable skills while you’re at it. Assisting with advertisement distribution, helping out during events and working with administration will not only build your resumé but also bring a touch of music to your life.

Visit: www.msocanada.com Email: markhamsymphony@yahoo.com Call: (905) 887-9909

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION FOR RIDING FOR THE DISABLED Get in touch with your giving spirit by volunteering your time and passion to the Community Association for Riding for the Disabled. Barn volunteers will help to keep the stables and riding environment in top condition for this incredible cause.

Visit: www.card.ca Email: judy@card.ca Call: (416) 667-8600 x. 74

TORONTO WILDLIFE CENTRE Rediscover your wild side by spending your free time volunteering at the Toronto Wildlife Centre, where sick, injured and orphaned wild animals need to be monitored, fed and cared for.

Visit: www.torontowildlifecentre.com Email: volunteers@torontowildlifecentre.com Call: (416) 631-0662 x. 3211

LEISUREWORLD CAREGIVING CENTRE Spend a mere few hours with the elderly, and you’ll be thankful that you did. By volunteering your time and care for seniors, you’ll not only earn the feel-good kick that comes with giving back, but you’ll also develop friendships and discover wisdom you never expected.

Visit: www.leisureworld.ca Email: epetucco@yahoo.ca Call: (905) 265-9793

REENA Reena, a program dedicated to assisting adults with mental or physical disabilities, is the perfect place to exercise and learn vital life skills such as communication, leadership and an appreciation for diversity.

Visit: www.reena.org Email: mchadwick@reena.org Call: (905) 889-2690 x. 2112

MCMICHAEL ART GALLERY McMichael Art Gallery has a variety of volunteer opportunities for art-lovers looking to fill their time with a splash of colour. You don’t have to paint like Picasso to make an impact.

Visit: mcmichaelvolunteers.com Call: Geoff Simpson, chair of the McMichael Volunteer Committee, at (905) 893-1121

FEATURED IN THIS ARTICLE: www.yay.org www.bbbsy.ca www.facebook.com/bookswithnobounds www.pencerbraintrust.com www.citylifemagazine.ca

Photo By SF photo / Shutterstock.com

Should Toronto build a casino? Tweets us your thoughts at @CityLifeToronto

R LLING THE DICE

C

asinos: the flashing-light fantasy of cascading quarters, the thrill of chance dancing around a wheel, the ecstasy of hauling in newly won chips; the hunched backs of slot machine junkies, the dejection of “22, player busts,” the empty wallets of the downon-their-luck. Two sides of the same coin, but it’s the former that gambling pushers wish to sell. Especially when Toronto is being courted for Ontario’s next casino.

Indeed, gambling is a sizable cash cow for governments. The seedy underbelly is ideally avoided, hence the euphemism “gaming.” But Ontario is cash-strapped, drowning in a nearly $12-billion deficit of red ink. Gambling has become a lifejacket and addiction, a means of income — of escape — too substantial for the province to wean off of it. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and Las Vegas powerhouses alike are attempting to woo Toronto. The prize: the potential gambling dollars Canada’s biggest metropolis could generate. www.citylifemagazine.ca

In the past few months, Toronto has entertained propositions for an “urban integrated casino” at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) from Caesars Entertainment; a similar pitch for the MTCC by The Las Vegas Sands Corp.; and, more recently, a threemillion-square-foot “integrated resort” at Exhibition Place by MGM Resorts International. The MGM pitch, for example, dangled an investment of $3 billion to $4 billion, a 1,200-room hotel, 10 restaurants, 750,000 to one million square feet of retail, 12,000 underground parking spaces, a permanent home for Cirque du Soleil and permanent employment for upwards of 10,000 and more than 5,000 construction jobs during the proposed three-year construction period. These job prospects have been a pillar for casino advocates, which include Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Jobs, of course, mean revenue.

The money on the string twitches.

Gary Loveman, CEO of Caesars arrs

HOW WILL THE CHIPS FALL WITH A CASINO IN TORONTO? Written By Michael Hill

Entertainment, spun the economic benefits of a Toronto-based casino to the Economic Club of Canada last November. “The exciting element of this is the addition of new tourism and the new dynamic for Toronto,” he said. The immense income from said tourists will benefit not just casino and municipal government, but local businesses — restaurants, retail, entertainment, etc. — as well.

In a recent citywide analysis, Ernst & Young estimated Toronto could see increased annual economic activity of $640 million if an “Integrated Entertainment Complex” was erected in the Port Po Lands, Exhibition Place or downtown. dow w The score seems too ssweet to ignore.

The almighty dollar, forked over by an influx of outsiders, is the linchpin of casino proponents’ arguments.

It’s It all so tempting, packaged inn innocuously, o framed by rosecoloured glasses, g topped with a bow oof cash. But many smell sm m a bad deal.

City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

61

Mike Layton, for one, has remained fiercely outspoken on the issue. The Toronto city councillor not only feels these revenue numbers are exaggerated, but that a casino would suck money out of the local economy — money that would have been otherwise spent at local businesses; handicap the local arts scene, as artists will now have to compete with the casino’s “subsidized entertainment”; paralyze the city’s transportation networks; attract organized crime; and greatly increase the prevalence of problem gambling within the city, which, as the Toronto medical officer of health noted in a technical report last November, could double from 11,000 to 22,000 people. Any benefit would be crushed by tribulations. “I haven’t met many supporters of the casino that aren’t casino proponents, people that stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars, billions of dollars, off the residents of Toronto,” he says. “Let’s not beat around the bush: that’s what a casino does, it takes money from people and puts it in the pockets of corporations.”

And in many ways, it’s true. Casino games are strategically designed to give the casino the advantage, the “house edge,” as it’s known. Players may experience shortterm victories (you may win during one sitting), but long-term, the casino wins every time. For the vast majority, this may seem obvious. But as Nigel Turner, independent scientist in the Social and Epidemiological Research Department at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, explains, humans struggle to fully grasp probability. “People have myths about how these games work,” says the assistant professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. “They systematically misunderstand the nature of the game.

They do not understand random chance.”

He uses the example of flipping a coin.

If the coin lands heads five times in a row the natural inclination is to expect tails to come up. Past outcomes, however, have no bearing on the probability of the next flip. “But human nature is such that the way humans think assumes it’s unlikely to have six heads in a row, so therefore there’s less of a chance that heads will come up again.”

This, tragically, is often the rationale of the gambling addict. And it doesn’t end

62 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

with probability. Anticipating a win after a long cold streak, the weird vibes coming from the player beside them, secondguessing decisions (“I was thinking red, but went black and red came up. Should have stuck with my gut!”) and, of course, plain old bad luck — the many ways a gambler rationalizes their continued playing. “The fact that they’re gambling

Toronto corporation, they’re not even a Canadian corporation. They’re very American,” he says. Meaning a hunk of that Canadian cheddar will be headed south of the border. “Right now, I would say it’s a negative for the area, unless I saw some sort of marketing plan that would say this casino is going to bring [tourists] in like no other casino has before.”

in the first place is an incorrect choice, mathematically speaking,” Turner says.

“If you go in there to have fun, losing money, that’s fine. But that’s the reality of a casino: they’re designed to take your money away. And they do it well.”

According to Bill Thompson, professor emeritus at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and known expert on gambling and casinos, where the money is coming from and where it’s going should be a legitimate concern. In Las Vegas, a city with a metro population of two million, there are enough locals to support four casinos. It has more than 100. The city has no choice but to bring in gamblers — why, Vegas is built purely for tourism. With a metro population of over 5.5 million, Toronto, a city of culture and commerce, on the other hand, won’t even be served by a single casino. “You’re going to have a profit margin of probably 10 per cent of the gambled money. And you just said MGM — they are not a

Thomas Klassen, York University associate professor and author of Casino State: Legalized Gambling in Canada, believes state-run gambling is problematic in and of itself. When governments are looking to boost income, like they did in the ’90s when casinos were legalized in Ontario, gambling is often an attractive option. “Governments don’t like to increase taxes because that gets people all upset,” he says. “But the beauty of gambling, for governments, is that we’re free to not gamble.” We’re merely coaxed to put our dollars at stake. Watch any commercial, scan any ad; gambling is always targeted at the average Joe. It’s depicted as a means to manifest dreams, to escape financial hardships. All you have to do is play. Gambling, then, becomes a means of taxation on lower income. For Klassen, this would be fine if done by a private company. But by the government? “I think the government has an obligation to take care of people www.citylifemagazine.ca

who are unhealthy, has an obligation to educate people. I don’t know where the obligation comes from to encourage people to gamble.”

While criticisms of a Toronto casino are plentiful, OLG is quick to remind us of the economic benefit gambling has already brought to the province. Since it was established in 1975, OLG has

within the community economically and visually, providing both revenue and jobs, which will range from $40,000 to $70,000 per year and provide benefits as well, says Bitonti. “Our bottom line is that we’re a $7-billion revenuegenerating business between lottery and gaming. Our profit is $2 billion, and that profit goes to the Province of Ontario for

‘‘

foul over another, gambling. We are all autonomous beings, free to make our own decisions. Putting money on the table is a choice made by the gambler and no one else. Just like no one but the drinker presses the glass to his/her lips. But there is a difference between allowing gambling and encouraging it. It’s a fine line to walk — a slippery slope, as they say.

I HAVEN’T MET MANY SUPPORTERS OF THE CASINO THAT AREN’T CASINO PROPONENTS, PEOPLE THAT STAND TO MAKE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, OFF THE RESIDENTS OF TORONTO. LET’S NOT BEAT AROUND THE BUSH: THAT’S WHAT A CASINO DOES, IT TAKES MONEY FROM PEOPLE AND PUTS IT IN THE POCKETS OF CORPORATIONS

www.citylifemagazine.ca

health care and community infrastructure.

And that’s been in about ab bo consistently for the last five, ssix, seven years.”

Toronto Toront T t councillor Mark Grimes feels much of the fear is unwarranted.

Gambling is readily available and a casino is already here. “I’m just saying, let’s not bury heads in the sand,” he says.

“If people go up to Woodbine right now, they can bet on the horses and they can play slots. I don’t hear all these problems coming out of there.” While there are plenty of issues still to be worked out regarding location, transit, social concerns and such, Grimes feels we should not take the matter off the table out of trepidation. “If you’re an alcoholic, you’re going to be the guy that it’s your fault. If you’re a problem gambler, it’s the casino’s fault. Why aren’t we closing down the LCBO, then?”

Grimes’s point is grounded. We support one vice, drinking, while crying

‘‘

funnelled over $36 o. billion into Ontario.

This money, as recent nt OLG commercials have h made clear, helps fund d schools schools, h l hospitals and community centres. When it comes to a casino in Toronto, OLG is taking a soft approach. “We’re saying we really want Toronto to say they’re a willing host,” OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti makes clear. Bitonti explains that OLG isn’t interested in forcing a casino on any community. In Toronto, the venture will be a joint mission between the city, OLG and the private sector.

The “integrated entertainment-gaming facility,” as the euphemism goes, will be a far cry from the just-get-the-peoplein “old business models” of Atlantic City and Las Vegas, where pharaonic gambling forums dominate the skyline.

Toronto’s facility will be similar to the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex in Melbourne, Australia, fitting

Toronto city council has pushed the casino vote to April. If the vote is no, OLG has named several other GTA communities as possible locations for the casino, Vaughan being one of them.

Vaughan mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua explains how the city’s staff is currently assessing the issue, including social and economic concerns, and that any decision will be one with residents’ and businesses’ best interests in mind.

“An integrated entertainment-cultural complex with gaming facility project would only proceed if there is broadbased support of the project by the citizens of Vaughan and the social and economic implications of such a project are thoroughly researched,” he says over email.

But Vaughan will cross that bridge when it gets there. Until then, the matter falls on Toronto city council.

The only question: will they roll the dice?

City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

63

ADVERTORIAL

ReSTORE

YOUR FAITH IN RETAIL

V

ictorian chairs, vintage chandeliers, antique ottomans, stainless steel sinks, sliding doors and stylish textiles fill the aisles of Habitat for Humanity’s Vaughan ReStore. A haven for homeowners in the midst of renovating, a playground for value hunters and a source of revenue for one of York Region’s most transformative not-forprofit organizations is breaking ground with its resourceful retail concept.

“It’s an amazing success story all around and the ReStore is a big part of it,” says Habitat for Humanity York Region’s newly appointed executive director Tom Vegh. By selling pre-loved home improvement goods, furniture, flooring, home accessories, lighting and appliances at a fraction of the retail price, Habitat for Humanity’s York Region ReStore outlets have been serving the public, preserving the environment and saving savvy shoppers money.

“We can’t build homes without this,” says Bryon Disera, operations manager of York Region ReStores. With an annual revenue stream of approximately $1.2 million, the Vaughan and Newmarket locations offset Habitat’s administration expenses, so 100 per cent of local benefactions can go directly towards its successful homebuilding program.

“It ends the cycle of poverty and gets families and their children out of unsafe situations and into safe affordable home ownership,” he adds.

Established nearly a decade ago, the primarily volunteer-run retail model

64 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

is simple. Generous homeowners who want their gently used building material, furniture or appliances to go to a better cause can donate their salvageable goods to ReStore outlets, which will not only collect their reclaimed items but also issue a charitable tax receipt for the value sold. Local residents can then acquire these items at low prices and zero HST with the comfort of knowing their purchases will help pave the way for low-income families.

Conserving more than 500 tonnes of material that would otherwise end up in landfills, ReStore’s mission goes far beyond the brickwork. “You’re saving the environment and helping families in the community, it’s a win-win situation,” Disera says of the outlets, which are also supported by retailers such as Home Depot, Lowes, Rona and Prima Lighting, which generously donate new, discontinued, overstocked and returned items, ensuring inventory is refreshed with quality products on a daily basis.

Since its inception in 2001, Habitat for Humanity York Region has built 13 homes throughout the community and has recently secured land in Sutton to begin its 14th home in early May. By visiting the ReStores in Vaughan or Newmarket today, you can help build a better tomorrow. www.habitatyork.ca/restore Call (905) 868-8723 to inquire about donating your items and arrange a pick-up or visit Vaughan ReStore at 405 Rowntree Dairy Rd. or Newmarket ReStore at 776 Davis Dr. www.citylifemagazine.ca

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Opening doors for low-income families, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores are reinventing the retail model with a win-win formula

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Artist Spotlight

LIFE THROUGH

THE LENS Photographer Kaare Iverson reflects on life, bullies and working with spoken word poet Shane Koyczan

Q: What inspired you to be a photographer?

A: I remember as a child seeing an enlargement of the very famous photograph by Robert Doisneau, “Le Baiser de L’hôtel de Ville”. Even then I was struck by the blend of reality and art that photography could produce.

From that point on I was always searching for the magic in imagery that could tie together the experience with the esthetic.

I’m fortunate that now I can bring my own expression of this phenomenon as a working photographer.

Q: What did your parents teach you about life?

A: My family has always been very supportive of my at times erratic choices in life. They encouraged me from a young age to pursue what fulfilled me

es son captur Kaare Iver ’s an cz oy Shane K in character compelling ot sh sive this expres

66 City Life Magazine Apr/May 2013

and made me happy. I’m paraphrasing, but my father told me that “Each person is innately great at something” and I extrapolated from that finding. Pursuing that core ability is the purpose of a successful life.

Q: As a photographer, what message were you hoping to capture while photographing spoken word poet Shane Koyczan?

A: I was hoping to portray a number of things from my shoot with Shane.

Primarily I wanted to show that he and his message could be a source for change, but I also wanted to show the character that was behind such powerful and emotional work. I chose to shoot him in a neutral studio setting so as to remove the distractions of stage and performance that are normally associated with him and bring his character, rather than his stage presence, to attention.

Q: What was your first impression of him?

A: Damn! I will never be able to express myself as clearly as this man. Shane’s work is a source of inspiration and his goal really is to incite change.

The greatest actions stem from simple, transmittable ideas and I really feel that Shane’s work is littered with those ideas, those seeds of change.

Q: As a child, were you ever bullied? If so, please share that moment with us.

A: I think we can all attest to being bullied. I was once bullied into being a bully and coerced into hitting another student with a tree branch. I really didn’t want to do it, but I did and I’ve never forgotten the shame of acquiescing to that pressure and abandoning my values.

I’m still a little disgusted with myself now, 20 years later.

Q: Why is it important for people like Shane to spread awareness on bullying?

A: Our culture is such that although we can all see the problems that affect and limit our potential we’re afraid to take action. We’re always looking for someone else to lead the way. It’s the few and the courageous, like Shane, that ultimately give us the tools to make a difference.

Q: What are three words you would use to describe him?

A: Courageous. Honest. Loving.

KAARE IVERSON PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Kaare Iverson, along with his wife and camera, is currently exploring the United States and Canada before transitioning to a new base in San Francisco. He’s 28 and has been shooting professionally for five years. His work focuses on portraiture and adventure sports.

Check out Kaare at www.kaareiverson.com or follow his blog at blog.kaareiverson.com

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