City Life Magazine Mar/Apr 2023

Howie Mandel

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YOU NAME IT – WE COVERED IT! EXCLUSIVE CANADIAN INTERVIEW ON p.56

THE 2023 ALFA ROMEO STELVIO – PREVAILING PASSION

SUV TURNED STATEMENT PIECE!

The legacy of carrying the title of your greatest inspiration comes with an elevated sense of accomplishment. With a series of 48 hairpins turns at 9,000 feet above sea level, this iconic northern Italy pass thrills and disciplines the brave motorist who accept its challenge. In turn, it lends its name to only the most daring of vehicles: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a continuation of the legendary nameplate — every bit as regal, rebellious and relentlessly powered. The Stelvio continues to entice with every bold stroke, chiseled curve and signature Italian elegance. Performance-driven and tech-infused solutions remain at the forefront of the Stelvio design and aesthetic. The 2023 Stelvio satisfies one singular urge — the need to go fast. With decades worth of racing history, expect our prized SUV to go even faster.

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For over 30 years, Rosehaven Homes has built over 9,000 homes and condos, all across southern Ontario and the GTA.

Our homes are built to the highest standard - the Rosehaven standard. We build with the aim of distinguishing ourselves from other builders, with a difference in our communities, in our homes, and in the overall home ownership experience.

OUR YOUR Passion Home

The Rebecca is the newest addition to Rosehaven’s award-winning portfolio of high-rise condos, coming soon to Hamilton. Cultured, connected, and crafted by leading architects and designers. The Rebecca is a worldclass community built for this growing city.

DELICIOUS FOOD, PICTURESQUE SCENERY

For over 18 years, Villaggio Ristorante’s award-winning Mediterranean-Italian dishes have exceeded guests’ expectations. Featuring only the freshest ingredients coupled with a contemporary fine-dining atmosphere, Villaggio has quickly become one of the top restaurants Vaughan’s competitive dining scene. Come for the food, stay for the memories. Villaggio Ristorante.

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Home is where the heart is.

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We offer before- and after-school appointments as well as on weekends. We value your time and do everything we can to schedule a time that works for you. Our office has two convenient office locations near major highways in Vaughan and Toronto.

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It is recommended to have an orthodontic consultation as early as age 7 to monitor your child’s jaw growth & dental development.

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Much more than a brand of olive oil, Famiglia Zerillo symbolizes generational aspiration, passion, connection and humility toward the craft of making olive oil.

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DESIGN

Make your interior design bloom this spring

WRITTEN BY ESTELLE ZENTIL

PEACE 'N' LOVE

Hand-painted with real gold accents and a gloss glaze, Jonathan Adler’s Vice Gilded Peace Canister sits beautifully on a bedside table or on the kitchen counter.

www.blackroosterdecor.com

@blackrooster

CITRON SOFA

Featuring Brussels Citron upholstery, flared arms and inviting buttontufted back cushions, the Sebastian Apartment Sofa by Jonathan Adler is the perfect way to brighten up a space.

www.blackroosterdecor.com

@blackrooster

GEOMETRIC GOLD

Both practical and pretty, Elte’s Thor Sideboard features handcarved charcoal wood cabinetry with luxurious geometric antique-gold sliding doors.

www.elte.com @elte

CERAMIC SIMPLICITY

New York-based ceramicist

Re Jin Lee’s work reflects her contemplative approach to ceramics, characterized by organic forms and asymmetrical balance, like this Smoked No. 7 sculpture.

www.elte.com

@elte

ED QUINN:FROM BERKELEY TO THE BIG SCREEN

Ed Quinn is an American actor, model and musician known for his roles in Eureka and The Oval

The American actor, model and musician talks about growing up beside a regional park, working in Europe and not getting broken by show business

WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER | INTERVIEW BY ESTELLE ZENTIL

Ed Quinn describes his childhood as a dream. He talks of growing up in California’s Berkeley Hills, besides the 2,079-acre Tilden Regional Park. He shares stories of being able to look over the San Francisco Bay as he made his way to school, enjoying the “eclectic vibrancy” of Berkeley as a city. He describes working as a lifeguard, spending the summers learning to surf at Stinson Beach.

His first experience in front of the camera came when he started modelling during his last semester studying history at the University of California, Berkeley. “I thought I was going to work in commercial real estate, then I got booked into shows in Paris, Milan and Barcelona.” When he arrived, he realized he didn’t fit what the fashion world wanted, but he had a talent for commercials, shooting a total of 37 in the two years he was in Europe.

“Doing commercials was what put me through my acting classes,” Quinn says. “I started booking small roles and then bigger roles.” Time spent modelling in front of the camera, paired with those acting classes, has seen Quinn land roles in more than 50 television shows, including Eureka, 2 Broke Girls , Netflix’s One Day at a Time and, more recently, The Oval. It’s also seen him travel to farflung destinations, and star in a range of movies.

“Every actor has a different process,” Quinn says. “For me, especially when I’m doing television and the volume of television, it’s thinking the character’s thoughts. If I know who the character is and what their relationship is with the person in the scene, all I have to do is listen.”

He likens the process to a piece of music, enjoying the freedom that comes with shaping a scene. “I like there to be a crescendo, arc or event,” he shares. “I like to start in one place and end up in another.”

Quinn also makes it clear that it’s not just up to the actor to shape a role, but there are other parts at play. “When you make a TV show, there’s a giant team. One of the keys to a show getting easier is that the writers know you well. You’re this character and vehicle they get to write to and, like the actor, they’re also discovering it.”

Having tasted success, Quinn is someone who is aware of the pros and cons that come with being part of Hollywood and takes steps to feel as grounded as possible. He references Robert Duvall, who talked about the power of having off-screen hobbies to keep actors grounded, and puts that into practice. Whether it’s surfing or snowboarding, Quinn complements his life in front of the camera with a healthy lifestyle off-screen and “having stuff you do that you can be really passionate about and geek out on.”

One of his loves besides acting is music. It’s one he discovered in Berkeley, where renowned guitarist Joe Satriani was the local guitar teacher. Quinn practised a lot, played a lot, and went on to start a band that gathered momentum. Today, that passion has resulted in a music studio he’s built and tracks he releases under Ed Quinn and The Swamp Metal Allstars.

It’s clear he uses music as an outlet, but also as a means to explore deeper subject matters. He describes one of his more recent releases, “Freak Show Cold,” as a warning for people hoping to come to Hollywood.

“I’ve been very lucky that I’ve always been able to have a good relationship with the business and Hollywood,” Quinn continues. “I worked incredibly hard and I’ve had more heartbreaks than I could ever count, but I can also compartmentalize it really well with a lifestyle of surfing, snowboarding, music, fishing, and all things I love to do. My soul doesn’t get broken by the business and “Freak Show Cold” is almost like a ghost of Christmas future. A warning that show business is magic. It’s amazing. I can’t believe I get to be a part of it, but I’ve seen it take a lot of victims.”

His upcoming new action-thriller movie, Shadow Force, recently started production in Colombia While a release date for the movie is yet to be set, Quinn shares how it was “amazing getting the role,” and that “Colombia was a ton of fun. We got to do a month in Bogotá and then a month in Cartagena in a five-star beach resort, taking boats to set every day. It was a magical experience.”

@edwardquinn

Doing commercials was what put me through my acting classes

PARENTELA INTERNATIONAL CONTINUES A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

We sat down with Parentela International’s new president and general manager, Julian Parentela, to discuss his new role and the exciting future of the company

The future is looking bright for Parentela International, with newly appointed president and general manager, Julian Parentela, at the helm.

Parentela International is a Vaughanbased hospitality company that includes 27 Developments Inc., Hotel Vie and Long Valley Hospitality, which includes Château Le Jardin as well as many other well-known hospitality ventures.

A family business run for the last three decades by Carlo Parentela, Parentela International now has a new president and general manager, his son Julian. The Parentela family story starts with Giuseppe Parentela (Julian’s grandfather) coming from very humble beginnings in San Vito, Calabria. Giuseppe worked as a shoemaker, eventually earning enough money to buy the land that is currently owned by Parentela International. “He built the first banquet hall, Château Le Jardin. My dad grew it to what it is now, and now for me, it is a legacy to continue, to build on. To be able to be the one behind the name, continuing the legacy

of excellence, that’s everything for me, and I plan on continuing that legacy of excellence and continuing to be the premier name in the hospitality industry in Toronto,” says Julian Parentela.

Julian’s background in civil

building right now, and then took over Château Le Jardin and all of the other businesses we own.”

“I’m now better poised to understand construction, and based on what I’ve learned, I think I’m more capable of ensuring successful completion of the project, of honouring the investors, making the most economical decisions, and building the best possible product. I spent five years working with the biggest developers, learning how to build a project successfully, and I’m very grateful. I’m grateful for my background. I’m grateful for what is about to come.”

engineering and experience as a project co-ordinator at successful construction companies EllisDon and Tridel give him a unique perspective that makes him vital in the development of Hotel Vie. “I took what I learned from my previous work experience and transferred it over to Hotel Vie, which is what we are

Julian takes much of his inspiration from his father’s unique business perspective but is looking to put his unique spin on things, particularly with Hotel Vie, an exciting new five-star hotel with exceptional amenities located in Vaughan. Hotel Vie will be an extension of Château Le Jardin, the premier event facility in Toronto, with the highest volume and best quality service. “I want Hotel Vie to be an extension of the excellence that my grandfather

TO BE ABLE TO BE THE ONE BEHIND THE NAME, CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE, THAT’S EVERYTHING FOR ME...

“ ”

first envisioned, that my father carried through and that I will carry on. I find myself having a responsibility. I am responsible for their vision, to carry out their vision, and Hotel Vie is their vision.” Hotel Vie will be the centre of luxury, hospitality and entertainment in Vaughan. “Vie means life in French, so we want Hotel Vie to be that full-circle lifestyle hotel.”

Hotel Vie will be different from any other hotel we have seen in Toronto or the GTA. “This five-star full-service hotel is a hotel the likes of which has not been seen in the city before. We are positioning ourselves beside the highest-end hotels.” It will be a 12-storey, 254-room, 54-office hotel with outstanding amenities, including a five-star Italian restaurant, rooftop pool, wine club, gym, spa and office spaces that truly make it stand out.

The Vaughan community has been incredibly responsive and supportive of this unique project. Much of this can be accredited to the trust they have in the company, which has been incredibly consistent and successful. “The best part of it is all the support from the community. The community wants to see this thing built and ultimately, they can’t wait for it to open, and neither can I.”

The hotel has been in the works for 23 years since its conception in 2000 by Carlo Parentela and has undergone many iterations. It is now coming to fruition as a top-of-the-line development. From incredible interior designers to fantastic architects who have been working on the project for approximately 10 years, this hotel is set to be a triumph.

With the continued success of Château Le Jardin, Parentela is looking forward to bringing this unique experience to the hotel space. Having hosted 50,000 events and five million guests who have been astounded by the level of service, this expectation is a responsibility of his. Hotel Vie, as with any Parentela project, will be five-star in

all aspects. “It’s not about comparing ourselves to anybody else. We don’t look at the competition and say we have to be better, we look at ourselves and say we have to be better. We say how do we change the narrative and how do we do things differently?” This mission of innovation is what keeps the Parentela International businesses at the forefront of every industry they enter.

The future of Parentela International goes far beyond the current work being done. “We want to build banquet halls and hotels everywhere,” says Parentela. They are looking to

continue their legacy of excellence and show the people of Toronto and the GTA what they are capable of. They are looking to expand into more of the world’s greatest cities, such as Miami, New York City, Los Angeles and across Europe.

The vision of the company is clear, to provide a continuing legacy of excellence in hospitality.

Julian Parentela is taking over the family business as the new president and general manager of Parentela International

Defined by structured silhouettes and carefully tailored looks inspired by Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy, Alexia María Esquer launched her brand, Alexia María, in 2014, with a mission to share classic, sophisticated and elegant evening wear

WRITTEN BY ESTELLE ZENTIL

TIMELESS ELEGANCE MEETS CLASSIC ROMANCE

Born and raised in Mexico, Alexia María’s love for fashion stems from when she was a little girl. “My earliest fashion memory is playing dress-up in my mother’s closet. She is very fashion-forward, so it was always a fun time looking through her wardrobe and trying on one of her fancy hats or pair of kitten heels.” It was through playing dress-up and growing up in her grandmother’s atelier that she really learned the ins and outs of the design process. “I learned first-hand the art and craftsmanship behind designing and creating a garment along with all the inner workings of an atelier.” We learn more about Alexia María’s inspiration behind her brand, her deep admiration for fashion icons of the 1950s, and her favourite part about being a designer.

Q: What do you love about the golden age of film and fashion?

A: I love the elegance and glamour of that era. I have always been enamoured of style icons like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. From the movies they starred in to their personal style, they always managed to look effortlessly chic.

Q: Did growing up in Mexico influence your collections in any way? If so, how?

A: When I design, I think about the women in both Mexico and the U.S. They have distinct taste and style, so my collections reflect an array of designs that cater both to American and the Latina women I grew up with.

Q: How do you describe Alexia María in three words?

A: Elegant, feminine and timeless.

Q: How do you continue to stay inspired, and what are your favourite sources of inspiration when it comes to fashion and creating your brand?

A: My inspiration is deeply rooted in the style icons and films of the 1950s. Women wore dresses with structured details and feminine silhouettes. Overskirts were very popular back then and I love incorporating that idea into my designs.

Q: Now that you’re California-based,

Alexia María Esquer launched her namesake brand and made-to-order collection in 2014. In 2019, Alexia María launched exclusively with Saks Fifth Avenue

A: The most valuable lesson I have learned is to trust my instincts, whether it be in design or business, to always trust myself.

Q: How is working in fashion different today than from when you started in 2014?

A: Technology has completely changed the way we work in fashion. Today’s digital space makes it easier than ever to connect with industry professionals and customers from all over the world.

Q: Your designs transcend trends and have a timeless look and feel. That being said, what is your take on trends?

A: Trends are fleeting and I design with the intention of creating timeless pieces that can be kept in your wardrobe for the years to come.

Q: What is your favourite part about being a designer?

A: My favourite part about being a designer is hearing how women feel wearing my designs. Women shop with us for some of their most special occasions in life and it brings me so much joy to hear how they feel wearing Alexia María.

Q: How do you want women to feel when wearing your collection?

what’s the best thing about living in California?

A: The best thing about living in California is the amazing weather and being able to enjoy the beach all year.

Q: Who have been the most interesting people who have worn your collection (including celebrities)?

A: Gwen Stefani wore our Silk Faille Convertible Skirt during the recording of her live music video at the 58th Grammy Awards. This is one of the most interesting and favourite moments because it was a live wardrobe change where she steps out of the skirt, truly showing the uniqueness and versatility of the piece!

Q: Throughout your fashion career, what has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned?

A: I want women to feel beautiful and confident. I want my designs to be a reflection of their inner beauty and personality.

Q: What advice would you give to young designers just starting out and hoping to make it in the industry?

A: One of my biggest pieces of advice for young designers is to always stay true to yourself. To trust your talent, believe in yourself, and never lose sight of your dreams. In a creative industry such as fashion, there will always be different opinions, so it is essential to never lose faith in yourself and stay true to what makes you unique.

Q: What is your definition of success?

A: My definition of success is loving what you do and being passionate about it.

I want women to feel beautiful and confident. I want my designs to be a reflection of their inner beauty and personality

RAPID FIRE

Q: What does your morning routine look like?

A: I like to spend my mornings with my daughter and husband. We usually have breakfast together and take a morning walk before I head off to the atelier for the day.

Q: What’s your best style advice you’d tell your friends?

A: The best thing you can wear is your confidence.

Q: What’s your favourite fashion accessory?

A: A pair of statement shoes. I love wearing embellished pumps.

Q: Who are your ultimate fashion icons?

A: Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly.

Q: How would you describe your personal style?

A: Feminine with a modern twist.

Q: What are your fashion staples?

A: A crisp white shirt, a pair of black cigarette pants, a versatile evening gown, and a pair of satin pumps.

Q: What is your ultimate beauty secret?

A: Staying hydrated! Water will work wonders for your skin.

Q: What are three products you cannot live without?

A: Moisturizing Soft Cream by La Mer. Olivia Palermo lipstick in the shade Rosebud. Eau Duelle perfume by Diptyque.

Q: What is your favourite meal?

A: Sushi

Q: What is an indulgent beauty habit you take part in?

A: Facials for an extra glow.

Q: What is the last thing you do before you go to bed?

A: Write my to-do list for the next day.

Each Alexia María piece is made from duchesse satin, silk faille and organza, which are sourced from around the world

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

Home staging isn’t just a nice option. Whether you’re an investor, a real estate agent or a homeowner, staging has become a necessity to sell properties for top dollar. First impressions are everything. The good news? LUXE Home Staging has developed a proven formula to increase the value in both a buyer’s and a seller’s market

When Sarika Bali was heading back to work after her maternity leave five years ago, she asked herself, “What brings me joy?” In a moment of pure serendipity, a friend asked Bali if she wanted to help with staging a home. “I had the misconception that a lot of people have about staging, which is that you’re just decorating a room to make it look nice,” says Bali. But she realized it could be much more, and she started looking at ways to apply her background in psychology, sales and marketing to influence people and their buying decisions through design. Combined with her love for interior decorating and design, she started to become even more interested in home staging. For Bali, it was an opportunity to pursue her passion. “I found something that was the perfect fusion of all the things I loved and was good at naturally,” she adds.

In Bali’s case, design may well be bred in the bone. Her grandfather was an engineer in India who ran a construction company that built custom homes and developments across Ahmedabad. Her father is an entrepreneur and inventor who has developed a solar- and windpowered greenhouse. Inspired by her family, as well as her travels, art, neoclassical design and luxury hotels around the world, she launched her business, LUXE Home Staging, with real estate agents as her main clientele. “These are top agents mainly focused on closing deals, servicing many clients at a time, and they work hard at building a luxury brand. Some premium agents don’t have the bandwidth (time and energy) but also can’t compromise their service they team with us to prepare the property (and sellers) for market,” says Bali. “So they hire us to represent them we are an extension of their brand, so we make sure that our customer service reflects positively on their client experience.” Bali continues to add that “the other 40% of our clients are property owners who reach out to us directly, looking for guidance on how to capitalize and plan for sale.” To that Bali adds, “A staging consultation with us includes cost-effective

PHOTOS BY EMAD MOHAMMADI

Sarika Bali doesn’t just decorate spaces, she creates environments that communicate with buyers

recommendations that will increase the value of your home, a detailed roomby-room packing list, staging plan, and moving resources to get you started.”

To start, Bali likes to build a relationship with the seller. “It’s not just about staging,” she says. “It’s about transition management, as selling your home can be emotional, so that must be handled with care, too.”

Bali likes to take a strategic approach to designing a room and begins by researching the buyer profile for the area. “The way that we dress a home in Brampton is different than the way we dress a penthouse in downtown Toronto,” she explains. You might be able to get away with IKEA for a small condo in Liberty Village, for example, but you need high-end pieces for a multimillion-dollar custom home. Staging is all about communicating and aligning the home with a lifestyle. And that is why LUXE uses a lot of lifestyle props, like spa products or an exercise bike, for instance, to make it easier for buyers to envision themselves, their families, their lifestyles in the home.

One advantage of hiring a company like LUXE that stands out from other stagers is that they’re able to offer flexibility because they own their own inventory, so the pricing is very competitive. Based in Vaughan, LUXE mostly handles homes in Vaughan, Kleinburg, Nobleton and Bolton. And Bali is proud of the work they do. Take a home in Ajax, for example, a house being sold at a time when the market was changing and there was a lot of uncertainty on how that was going to impact the selling price. LUXE did a consultation with the homeowners and gave them a detailed report on how they could really increase the selling price, including cosmetic repairs like painting and kitchen upgrades that cost about $18,000 and staging for about $5,000. “We were able to get them $160,000 above asking price an amazing return on that investment,” she says. “But you don’t need a big budget,” she adds. “It can start at $250 for custom strategy to prepare your home with or without staging.” says Bali. It’s valuable information to make an informed decision on how to best use

your budget to make your home stand out, attract buyers and sell for top dollar.

She offers homeowners a few tips on how to get the best price: first, consult with a certified stager to make the best decision on how to present the home in the best light; second, never underestimate the power of a fresh coat. “Paint is always money in a can,” she says. And finally, don’t forget about curb appeal. You have less than 10 seconds to make a first impression. “If buyers don’t see a house being maintained from the outside, they’re already jumping to conclusions on how well it’s being maintained on the inside,” she adds.

Bali is passionate about LUXE, and it shows. She has big plans, including growing the customer base, fostering growth opportunities with more designers, and getting into more custom homes. But most of all, she wants LUXE to be a stellar staging

company by creating a unique and satisfying customer experience. And that is how she defines success. “ To me, success isn’t based on how many stages we’ve completed, success is determined by what our clients gained from working with us more importantly, how we made our clients feel after working with us,” she says. “We could be jumping through hoops and climbing mountains, but at the end of the day, if the client is dissatisfied — we will go the extra mile to make sure that they’re happy.”

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A FRESH COAT. PAINT IS ALWAYS MONEY IN A CAN

Sarika Bali likes to take a strategic approach because, basically, every space is different

RENOVATE YOUR HOME FOR THE NEW YEAR

Revamp and refresh by renovating with the top home trends for 2023

WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRA AULICINO

With every new year comes a fresh list of forecasted interior design trends that inspire change. Whether you are looking to transform your entire home, refresh a bathroom or add a few small details, the new year is the perfect time to do it. A renovation can be an expensive and long process, but it is also the best way to tailor your home to your personal style so that you can enjoy your home your way. Stay up-todate with 2023’s trends so that you can renovate your home in style. is year we are seeing a shift towards a strong personal style. “Whether you’re a rst-time homeowner, or just looking to refresh some rooms, your space is a re ection of you,” says Sharon Donaldson, Home + Reno Show Director, Blue Ant Media. Fortunately, injecting your personality into your home can be as large or small a task as you would like. Tackle one room,or your entire home. “We’re seeing so many exciting home-décor and renovation trends for 2023, with new colours, shapes and concepts to make your home truly your own,” says Desta Ostapyk, Designer and Ambassador for Home + Reno Show 2023.

Reinvent your space by taking inspiration from 2023’s newest home renovation trends.

▶ ARCHES & CURVES

Gone are the days of boring straight lines. Adding arches and curves to your home adds a contemporary and fresh feel that is always interesting to look at. Whether you choose to add this trend into your home in the form of windows and doorways or furniture and mirrors, rounded edges are the perfect features to add detail to any space.

◀ WELLNESS & COMFORT

You spend the majority of your time in your home, and it should feel like your own personal safe space. A feeling of calm in the home is the basis for strong mental health and well-being. To make your home feel like an emotional escape, create a new space where you can do your favourite hobby, such as working out, reading or painting, or refresh an existing space that needs some extra attention.

▶ MOODY & DRAMATIC SPACES

We have seen both the dark academia and gothic trends come back for 2023 across all spectrums from fashion to interiors. “Moody living rooms and bedrooms” are even trending on Pinterest. Bring the drama to your home with dark, rich tones, textured fabrics and furniture.

◀ CLOSET ORGANIZATION

Nothing feels better than an organized closet, and a new year is the perfect time to get rid of all the things you haven't been using. This year's closed shelving is the perfect way to keep your closet chaos hidden. If you have little to no closet space, don’t fret, as there are many options, such as underthe-bed storage or storage within other furniture.

WOMEN

IN LEADERSHIP 2023

Wednesday March 8, 2023

Montecassino Event Space, Woodbridge

SHOCKWAVE THERAPY

Join CIBPA for our 8th Annual International Women’s Day Celebration: Women In Leadership presented by LiUNA. Hosted by Nicole Servinis and Andrea Trentadue, the evening’s focus will celebrate women's successes, including Woman of the Year Victoria Mancinelli, inspiring our youth to achieve their dreams and creating awareness a night of networking, entertainment, and inspiring speakers Proceeds of the evening will go towards charity partner Dress For Success Toronto.

For more information and tickets visit www.cibpaiwd2023.ca

Q: What is Shockwave therapy and how does it work?

A: Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that works by sending strong, short energy pulses to the tendons and ligaments of the affected area. These pulses stimulate the metabolism, enhance blood circulation and boost collagen production – all essential components of the body’s healing process.

Q: What conditions does Shockwave therapy treat?

A: Shockwave therapy is commonly used to treat many difficult orthopedic conditions, including:

• Plantar fasciitis

• Heel spurs / Achilles tendinitis

• Jumper’s knee

• Golfer’s elbow / Tennis elbow

• Bursitis

• Shin splints

• Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder

• Chronic pain

• Soft-tissue injuries and some bone conditions.

Q: How long is each treatment session?

A: Treatment sessions take approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the disorder to be treated. Treatment sessions are necessary at weekly intervals and studies have shown that results usually occur after 2-3 sessions.

Q: What are the benefits of Shockwave therapy?

A: Eliminates pain and increases mobility

Limited side effects and nonsurgical

Affordable cost $75/session

Shockwave therapy is a safe and effective treatment option for a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions. It is non-invasive, has a quick recovery time, and provides long-term pain relief. If you are suffering from chronic pain and have not found relief with other treatments, speak to your health-care professional about the possibility of Shockwave therapy.

York Major Medical Centre

191 McNaughton Rd. East, Suite 303, Vaughan, Ont. 416-987-8092 | www.accessrehab.ca | @accessrehab.ca

PHOTO BY VALERIA MITSUBATA

Q&A with Jim

Jim Anagnostopoulos, clinic director, president and CEO of Access Rehab

◀ MUD ROOMS & LAUNDRY ROOMS

We often forget about the esthetics of the most functional rooms in our homes. Even though mud rooms and laundry rooms may not be your favourite spaces to spend your time, they should still reflect you and your unique personality. Elevate your space with unique storage, beautiful lighting and curated colours.

▶ NATURAL LIGHT

During the winter months we experience shorter days with minimal sunlight; that means we need to optimize the natural light we do get. When doing renovations, add large windows, light colours and reflective surfaces to keep your home feeling bright.

◀ CHARACTER & DIMENSION

Adding character and dimension to spaces in the home isn’t new. This is a trend that has stuck around for a reason. Adding slat walls and textured furniture, doors and wall features provides a luxurious look and feel to your home.

www.torontohomeshows.com @homeshowsto

6

3. PUT ON THE PUFFER

@zara

Zara’s lightweight navy puffer jacket is bound to keep your little man warm moving from winter to spring. www.zara.com/ca |

@perriercanada

4. FEELING BUBBLY Originating in France, Perrier’s effervescent spirit is known worldwide, offering a great alternative to carbonated soft drinks with no sugar and zero calories. www.perrier.com/ca |

5. FACE ARCHITECT Charlotte Tilbury’s Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter acts as a powder highlighter to give skin an instant, skinperfecting filter to highlight, sculpt and lift. www.sephora.com/ca |

@sephoracanada

@zara

6. MORE MULES Moving into spring, mules are the perfect shoe for transitional weather. These Zara mules take a maximalist approach to a minimalist shoe, with metal embellishments. www.zara.com/ca |

From spring wardrobe staples to patioseason must-haves, these picks will have you swooning over spring

3 5

1.

JUST A ZIP AWAY This BÉIS beige sport pack is more than a fanny pack

it’s ideal for a hike, a run, lifting weights, skating or even a quick jaunt to the farmers market. ca.beistravel.com |

@beis

@anthropologie 2 34 CITY LIFE MAGAZINE Mar/Apr 2023 www.mycitylife.ca

anthropologie

7. BUTTERFLY ESCAPE Anthropologie’s Athalia Dessert Plate is adorned with beautiful butterflies and greenery, making it ideal for the blooming season. www.anthropologie.com |

@ 8. SPRING CLEANING iRobot’s Roomba Combo j7+ is the world’s first truly hands-free vacuuming and mopping experience that saves you time while keeping your floors fresh and clean. www.irobot.ca |

a spring-summer wardrobe essential featuring all-over floral eyelet embroidery. www.anthropologie.com |

@irobot 9. EYELIT ENVY Embrace a feminine flair with Anthropologie’s Eyelet Shirt Dress

@anthropologie 10. SWEET AND SPICY Martelli Foods’ Red Pepper Jelly pairs well on any type of creamy cheese and adds a zesty kick to a sandwich or pizza. martellifoods.com |

@martellifoods 11. SMOOTH AND SEAMLESS Designed to be strong, the Apple Watch Series 8 features a big, brilliant AlwaysOn display, with added crack-, dustand water resistance. www.apple.com/ca |

@apple 12. PALM PLEASE Home Depot’s Palm Green Outdoor Area Rug is accented with one of the most on-trend patterns available this season, making it a great way to beautify your patio set. www.homedepot.ca |

14. DESIGN HACK

@ciaobellapizzaovens

@homedepot 13. PRIMO PIZZA! Ciao Bella’s Primo Pizza Oven provides everything you need to start cooking delicious, wood-fired food during patio season. Que bella! www.ciaobellapizzaovens.com |

@amazonca

Heighten your awareness of self as you aim to be more authentic and embrace all of you. The goal of Relationship S.O.S. — Ready — Set — Grow! is to learn more about who you are and accept yourself fully — the good and the not-so-good

A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY

A guide to greater clarity in your life and relationships

Mary Marano, the owner of Life & Family Counselling, is a community leader in the City of Vaughan, a psychotherapist and a relationship expert with over 25 years of experience in her field. She works to offer clients strategies that are guaranteed to transform their lives. Mary is dedicated to opening a space for individuals to experience therapy in a non-threatening way. She helps you through an individualized process to help you step back into your life and live authentically.

For people who do not know Mary,

she is a strong advocate for changing the stigma around mental health and uses her social media influence to promote personal empowerment and how we see relationships. Mary has seen hundreds of clients over the years, and has heard what you have been asking for, creating Relationship S.O.S. — Ready — Set — Grow!

Relationship S.O.S. — Ready — Set — Grow! is more than a self-reflective journal. This includes a hardcopy workbook that can be accompanied by 12 instructional videos, and which can be used for writing notes, setting goals

and developing new habits, all inspired by the idea of people wanting to take Mary home. Through this workbook, you will take yourself on a journey to learn, understand and heal the way you relate to yourself and others. Mary’s goal is not to do the work for you, but to be the channel that you get to do the work through. You will be amazed at how you can learn to set boundaries, meet your own needs, find your voice and identify your triggers, all at your own pace, and in the comfort of your own home.

The real power of the online workshop and workbook is that it is so versatile. Relationship S.O.S. — Ready — Set — Grow!is geared to help to help individuals, couples, families, and practitioners with themselves, their partners and their clients. “People come into therapy wanting to change but are not sure how to do it. Wanting to do the work but not knowing where to start is a constant struggle that I find when speaking with my clients as well as individuals in the community.” Relationship S.O.S. — Ready — Set — Grow! will allow you to externalize the things that you may worry about or the things that have kept you frozen. Once you work to unlock those things, you will be able to change old patterns and understand your behaviours and why you do the things you do in your relationships.

Create open discussions and explore things you may not know about yourself with Relationship S.O.S. — Ready — Set — Grow! As you go through this workbook, open your mind to new experiences and challenges. Stay up-todate with @lifeandfamilycounselling and @changedbymary to learn all about how you can guide yourself through the awareness of a cycle that needs to be broken, and you will learn that changing your thinking could change your life.

Purchase your copy today at www.lifeandfamilycounselling.com or call Life and Family Counselling to preorder your copy at 416-473-2875.

PHOTO BY LISMERY LOYOLA

DEVELOPING OSSINGTON: TORONTO’S COOLEST STREET

How real estate investment and development firm Hullmark is helping to shape the neighbourhood that is known as the place to be in Toronto

WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRA AULICINO

Ossington has undergone a major transformation from 2018 to now, and there is much more to look forward to, thanks to the work of Hullmark.

Hullmark is a vertically integrated urban mixed-use developer and asset management firm headquartered in Toronto. We spoke to Jeff Hull, president of Hullmark, about their key role in the development of Ossington.

Hullmark was founded in 1950 by Jeff’s grandfather, a Polish immigrant, Murphy Hull, who came to Canada looking for the Canadian dream. When Hull moved to Canada, he started in the industry as a plasterer, but, through hard work, Hull was able to move into homebuilding and real estate development, eventually founding Hullmark. The company has built its success by investing in

suburban communities and mixeduse neighbourhoods. Today, Hullmark is still a family-run company that is shaping neighbourhoods all over Toronto.

In 2008, Jeff Hull became the

president of Hullmark, taking over from his grandfather. He has helped transition the company from a suburban and residential focus to urban development and asset management. This ability to change strategy and

Comparison of 6 to 46 Ossington Ave. from 2018 to 2022. After a renovation by Hullmark, these buildings still retain their unique charm and character

JEFF HULL PRESIDENT OF HULLMARK

pivot with the times is what keeps Hullmark at the top of the industry.

“When my grandparents were young, they were Polish immigrants who lived in the downtown west of Toronto, and, in their day and age, being successful meant moving out to the inner suburbs, getting more space and a detached home. That was the ideal at the time, and so I think we are continuing to follow the ideal way of living and working, but today it’s different, it’s kind of come back full circle where people want to live in a walkable urban neighbourhood with great amenities, and so I think they were following the dream at the time, and we are continuing to follow that. It is the dream that has changed.”

With a passion for real estate, Jeff wanted to carry on the tradition and success that his grandparents had in starting the business.

“Two wonderful things about real estate that are maybe more unique than in other businesses: the tactile nature of real estate — all the time and effort you spend working on real estate. You can touch and feel the work at the end of the day, and I think there is something rewarding about that. The other thing I would say is real estate is very much a business built on personal relationships, and I find that very rewarding as well. You invest in good people and, over time, that ends up being very good for business, and I think that is an easy thing for me to get excited about.”

Although Hullmark has worked on developing many neighbourhoods, Ossington is a particularly special and unique place. Ossington Avenue was named one of the world’s coolest streets in the world by Time Out and is being compared to the likes of SoHo and le Marais. These areas are known for being hip, cool, trendy and effortless. These are neighbourhoods that represent the beating heart of a city, their vibe, culture and feel, making them the perfect spot for both locals and travellers.

Ossington offers all the aspects of a hip and modern street, but with the charm, history and character that makes it so unique. As much of Toronto is modernizing by knocking down older buildings, Hullmark is choosing

to maintain their integrity. “Especially today, people crave authenticity, and, working with older buildings, there’s a connection to the past, a craft that can’t be recreated, that has a sense of authenticity that people really value. I think old buildings — particularly once we've had a chance to renovate them and bring them up to modern building standards — have this enduring appeal, and I would say it’s because of the authenticity of them.”

Ossington is an area to which Jeff feels a strong personal connection, having spent a lot of time on Ossington as a young person. “I think Ossington is unique in the sense that it has a broad range of different uses on the street, between fashion retail, hospitality, bars, restaurants and service-based businesses for the local community. Ossington is very small in comparison to other major high streets in Toronto, so I think, by investing in Ossington, we could have a bigger impact by owning fewer buildings. The size of it made it possible for a private real estate investor like us to create change, and I think over the past 10 years we have shown the type of change we have been able to create. It just had these inherent characteristics; it’s small and we could affect change.”

When Hullmark undertakes a project, they look to create the most impact possible in a neighbourhood. This includes tenancy curation, investing in design and getting involved with the community. Using these three tools, they can transform a neighbourhood over their long-term investment. “Our vision is to make it the street that businesses feel like they must be on to appeal to the coolest demographic in the city. We want it to be the place in downtown west — the hub for creative people and cool businesses — and we have seen new retail businesses that have targeted Ossington as the first store location that they are going to open in Toronto.”

With so many great places to visit on Ossington, it may be hard to choose where to start. Some of Jeff’s favourite spots include:

• Ride Cycle Club: a spin studio from Vancouver that has a great

sense of community and design

• Lost & Found: one of the premier high-end menswear stores in Canada

• Mamakas Taverna: one of the best Greek restaurants in the city

• Bellwoods Brewery: one of the best craft breweries in the city, with an amazing ambiance and extensive patio

• Formula Fig: a new beauty spa concept, focused on millennial clients and high design

• Prime Seafood Palace: a Michelin-star fine dining restaurant by celebrity chef Matty Matheson, designed by architect Omar Gandhi

The mix of local independent retailers, restaurants, international flagship stores and everything in between is one of the things that makes Ossington so special. All these businesses perfectly complement each other, where you would be able to spend an entire day on the street. From getting a facial, to dining, to drinking, Ossington offers the perfect mix of businesses that make other high streets worldwide so successful.

Some of Ossington’s success is thanks to its perfect location. The downtown west is the beating heart of trendy Toronto. Ossington is perfectly placed right by Trinity Bellwoods (the largest public park in the downtown core) and is the connector between Queen West and Dundas West. “It is the coolest street in the coolest area, and it occupies this strategic place. You’ve got the flagship stores beside pho restaurants that have been around for 30 years, that kind of high-low, authentic urban experience I think people are drawn to. It feels both high end and also gritty, at the same time.”

Ossington is a street that needs to be experienced. It offers some of the best businesses in the city on one street, but what makes it so special is the feeling you get once you are there. The people, the sense of community, the design and the ambience are what make Ossington one of the top streets in the world.

www.hullmark.ca

@hullmarkto

RUNNING TOWARDS DANGER

The town of Caledon Fire and Emergency Services team is composed of a group of heroes. This incredible group of men and women risk their lives every day for us, a community of people whom they don’t personally know. This incredible act of heroism is something that should be highlighted and appreciated every day. We had the privilege of speaking to two local heroes from the Caledon Fire and Emergency Services team, Platoon Chief Don Rea, and Jason Struthers, volunteer, firefighter with Caledon Fire Station 305, to learn more about their brave work and why they truly are heroes.

WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRA AULICINO

Don Rea has been in the fire services for 29 years and was recently appointed to be the platoon chief for the Caledon Fire and Emergency Services.

Q&A with Platoon Chief Don Rea

Q: What is your favourite thing about being a firefighter?

A: Being a member of a crew that works together to help people who may be having the worst day of their lives.

Q: What is something you admire about your team?

A: I have been fortunate in my time in the fire service that I have worked on some great crews and for some great officers. It is this mentorship and bonding, a true

trial by fire, that develops amongst the members of the crew that forges strong lifelong relationships and friendships. My crew looks out for each other and genuinely cares about the well-being of their fellow crew members.

Q: Do you have a motto that pushes you through the hard days of your job?

A: If life was easy, you wouldn’t enjoy the good times. As Winston Churchill said, “If you are going through hell, keep going.”

Q: Who is someone you work with who is your hero?

A: Dispatchers. They are the calm voice on the other line who help during PHOTOS BY EMAD

The Town of Caledon Fire and Emergency Services team knows the dangers of their occupation and chooses to face them every day for the benefit of our community

Left: Jason Struthers, volunteer firefighter with Caledon Fire Station 305

Above: Platoon Chief Don Rea, Caledon Fire and Emergency Services

MOHAMMADI

emergencies. They are the lifeline for first responders. They are nameless, faceless voices who always answer and always help. They are a proud yet humble group of people who have chosen to serve their communities by being that voice on the other end of the phone to provide hope and relief.

Jason is a volunteer who has a family, a daughter, a full time job and has been volunteering as a firefighter for 15 years.

Q&A with volunteer firefighter, Jason Struthers

Q: Why did you decide to become a volunteer firefighter?

A: I have always been interested in serving my local community. I have been a member of the Caledon community for the vast majority of my life and have always been interested in being a part of its volunteer community, as I believe they are the backbone of all municipalities. I thought I could best serve in a more physical-oriented way, and have always endeavoured to protect others. I chose firefighting to that end, with the encouragement of firefighter friends and mentors.

Q: What is the importance of having volunteer firefighters?

A: I think volunteer firefighters are of critical importance to communities. I don’t think that most people realize that 80 per cent of all firefighters are volunteers in Canada. I personally feel that there are benefits to volunteers coming from different professional backgrounds. I work professionally with high voltage, and when responding to emergencies I have been able to apply my knowledge and experience to the high voltage emergencies, resulting in a favourable outcome. I have never been to a scene where the customer we are assisting has been able to tell the

difference between a full-time firefighter or volunteer. To the contrary, when informed that the firefighters assisting them are volunteers, most are amazed at the professionalism of our volunteers.

Q: Who is someone you work with that is your hero?

A: I think very few first responders are identified as heroes, yet society identifies us as such. The perception of firefighters is that as a group they are heroes, without looking at individual accomplishments or actions. Which brings me to the conclusion that I sit here not as a representative of my actions, but of the actions of the group known as firefighters, and of those who preceded me in the first-responder community.

www.town.caledon.on.ca

@townofcaledon

Caledon Fire and Emergency Services Station 302 is a modern fire station that also houses career and volunteer firefighters serving the Caledon community

If life was easy, you wouldn’t enjoy the good times. As Winston Churchill said, “If you are going through hell, keep going

Platoon Chief Don Rea

The feature has been graciously sponsored by Hero Certified Burgers. Team Hero gives thanks to the frontliners for their heroic efforts and for risking their lives to protect the lives of others.

Q: When it comes to anti-wrinkle injectables, what are the most commonly treated areas?

A: Laser Clinics uses high-quality cosmetic injectable products that are minimally invasive, affordable and produce desired results that rejuvenate and enhance your best features. Common areas that people treat are the forehead, the frown lines, also known as “the angry 11s,” and crow’s feet around the eyes.

Q: Is there a difference between Botox and Dysport?

A: There are differences between the two, such as longevity and onset of action. However the results are similar in effect. It’s kind of like Tylenol. Tylenol is the brand name of acetaminophen, but you can also get other brands of the same medication. Just as acetaminophen is the medication component, botulinum toxin type A is the medication that is sold under different brand names like Botox and Dysport.

Q: How long does it take to see the results of Botox/Dysport?

A: You start to notice a difference anywhere from three to five days after your treatment. The full effect of results can be seen two weeks after treatment.

Q: How long does the treatment take?

A: The treatment itself, from consultation

DEMOCRATIZING BEAUTY AND BREAKING DOWN COSMETIC INJECTABLES WITH LASER CLINICS CANADA

At Laser Clinics Canada, advanced beauty treatments are transparently priced, affordable, and tailored to each customer’s desired beauty goals. We learn more about the customized approach Laser Clinics Canada takes with its clients with cosmetic injector and nurse practitioner Shameeza Kassamali

to treatment, takes about half an hour. During our complimentary consultation, it’s very important to our team that we go over the patient’s medical history. Patient safety and education is paramount to me and Laser Clinics Canada. Our goal is to ensure that clients have a good understanding of the treatment and have the facts they need to make a decision that is best for them. Treatment time becomes even less when you’re coming back for repeat treatments as your injector is already familiar with you and knows your treatment goals.

Q: How long will the results typically last?

A: It depends on a few individual factors, but on average it lasts anywhere from three to five months.

Q: What’s the difference between antiwrinkle (neuromodulators such as Botox and Dysport) vs. fillers?

A: They are completely different. Botox is more of an anti-wrinkle anti-aging treatment, so it works with the muscles to relax them and prevent them from being able to contract. By preventing the contraction, you then prevent the wrinkles from forming. Filler, on the other hand, is more of a volume-add. As we age, we experience volume loss, our fat pads become thinner, and so we use fillers to add volume and rejuvenate the face.

Q: Why are you so passionate about helping others look and feel their best? What is the most satisfying part of the work that you do?

A: I think everyone has their own version of what beauty means to them, and as their injector, it’s my job and mission to help them look and feel their best. It’s a great feeling when clients who are apprehensive initially trust me for their treatment, and end up loving their results.

Q: What would you define as a successful experience for patients at LCC?

A: We often get lost in the versions of beauty that social media classifies as ideal, but it’s important to stay true to who you are, and my role is to create a treatment plan that is personal to you. The saying “Be your own kind of beautiful” says it best. We want everyone to feel beautiful in whatever capacity that is, and if we can help play any small part in that, then to us, that is a successful experience.

Hillcrest Mall, Richmond Hill, Ont. 289-412-1300

www.laserclinics.ca

@laserclinicscanada

Cosmetic injector and nurse practitioner Shameeza Kassamali has over 10 years of nursing experience and 5 years of injecting experience. She takes pride in educating her clients on cosmetic injectables and aligns their beauty goals with a tailored treatment plan

CORPORATE ESTATE PRESERVATION

Increase the size of your estate by moving surplus corporate dollars into a tax-exempt life insurance strategy

What is it?

A strategy of moving surplus corporate capital (savings) from a taxable investment into a tax-exempt, corporately owned policy to greatly reduce tax owed and enhance what you are able to leave to heirs or charity.

Who is it for?

Individuals who own a private corporation with surplus capital in taxable investments. The corporate estate preservation strategy allows you to use some of your business’s existing passive corporate assets to fund a tax- exempt life insurance contract. The death benefit enhances the value of your corporation, which you can then pass on to your family and/or charities in a tax-efficient manner.

This strategy is best suited for those who:

• Are individuals 45 years of age or older and in good health.

• Are a major shareholder of a private corporation with surplus capital (savings) not required to operate your business or for retirement needs.

• Want to preserve capital for your family and/or charity and enhance the value of your estate.

• Seek cost-effective strategies to distribute the corporation’s lockedin surplus to shareholders.

• Have a holding company that is looking to grow corporate surplus in a tax-advantaged environment.

How does it work?

The corporation purchases a tax-exempt life insurance contract, typically insuring the life of the primary shareholder. There is no annual taxation on the capital deposited into the policy, and on the death of the insured the death benefit is paid tax-free to the corporation. All or substantially all of the death-benefit proceeds passes tax-free to the intended beneficiaries as a capital dividend either directly, or indirectly through a trust or estate. Through the use of this strategy, corporate capital is tax-sheltered and then paid out of the corporation tax-free.

4110 Yonge Street Suite 600 Toronto

▲ Geoff Booth, CFP, CLU, CHS, CEA Estate Planning Specialist, CIBC Wood Gundy, CIBC Private Wealth

◀ Sugi Kumaresan, CFP, CIM, Senior Wealth Advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy

PHOTO BY FARZAM

ZENDOORS: THE NEXT GENERATION OF LUXURY

Innovation has to start somewhere, and Zendoors is the source in the garage-door industry. Zendoors has been the leading garage-door manufacturer for over 50 years. Their hard work, design and innovation has spoken for itself and is on display in homes all over the GTA. Now, Phillip Zampini, vice president, and Pietro Gagliardi, president of Zendoors, two friends and self-described “opposites,” are working together to revamp the garage-door industry.

Zendoors offers a wide range of products and services, including highvolume garage door manufacturing and luxury custom garage-door manufacturing on residential builder homes and luxury custom homes across the GTA and southern Ontario. From production and manufacturing of the doors to the installation, Zendoors offers a garage-door option for any style, budget or dream you may have.

This duo thrives on customization. If it is possible to make a functioning garage-door out of your vision, Zendoors can create it. Enter the Zendoors showroom with inspiration from an image, or something you have dreamed up in your head, to just simply taking inspiration from the style of your home, and Zendoors can help you to create your dream design. Then, their experienced team will find the perfect sizing, design and materials to suit your home. “We will try anything as long as it can actually be a functional garage door. We are the team to come to for anything custom,” says Gagliardi.

Another feature that has contributed to Zendoors long-standing success is the incredible choice of highquality materials they use. “Much of the material we use, especially with our high-volume product, is post-

With over 50 years of experience in the garage door industry, Zendoors is innovating and pushing the boundaries every step of the way

PHOTO BY LISMERY LOYOLA

Phillip Zampini, vice president of Zendoors and Pietro Gagliardi, president of Zendoors

consumer recycled material. It is mostly wood product that has been recycled, reformulated and upcycled into our product. We are proud to offer something on a mass scale that is more environmentally friendly than our competitors. On the custom side we use Canadian-sourced woods such as Douglas fir, mahogany and western red cedar which allows us to support the local economy,” says Zampini

Zendoors values creating a highquality product above all things, balancing engineering, efficiency, production and cost-effectiveness to get the perfect product for your home.

The team at Zendoors is passionate about their work and everyone has a mutual goal in mind to get the job done well. “We like to have fun with the creative process when we are creating a product. We are not closed-minded, we like to do something different and push the envelope, and everybody else on our team does as well. Everybody that works with us and everybody that comes to us knows that we are known for creating products that are at the next level. We are able to create designs that haven’t been seen before,

and that is what we really like to do,” says Zampini.

At Zendoors their team is able to produce products quickly and efficiently because everything is sourced locally. And their buying power is an advantage to builders and homeowners. Zendoors garage doors for custom homes are unlike anything that you will be able to get anywhere else, taking customization to the next level.

Mr. Gagliardi and Mr. Zampini are revamping a very old industry that has been set in its ways for many years. “We represent a new generation that will say, ‘Yes, we can achieve this,” says Gagliardi.

Traditionally, even with luxury garage

doors, there were only a few options. At Zendoors, the sky’s the limit and anything is possible, says Gagliardi

“We wanted to do something that wasn’t available anywhere else. We made it happen ourselves. We want to achieve something and the only way to do that is to lead the way to get there,” says Gagliardi.

This duo and their hard-working team are pushing the boundaries of the industry and leading the way for innovation in garage-door manufacturing.

Friends for many years, their dynamic can only be described as two opposites that balance each other perfectly. Taking this into their work life, they are able to lift each other where one may have fallen short, pushing each other, their team and the industry to be the best it can be.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZENDOORS

AT ZENDOORS THE SKY’S THE LIMIT AND ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Zendoors can bring your garage-door vision to life using high-quality, sustainable, Canadian-sourced materials

More Than a Moving Company

For most people, moving is an experience filled with stress, anxiety and uncertainty. Mindy Applebaum is on a mission to change that. After working a job where she felt unsatisfied in her role, she decided to go back to university to complete a business degree. Applebaum worked until the birth of birth of the second of her three children.

It was during this time that she started to think about what her next professional chapter would look like. “I was watching a lot of HGTV and home renovation shows, and wondered how those homeowners dealt with all the packing and moving,” Applebaum shares. “It’s like a spark went off that I could provide a service for busy and stressed clients who need some help preparing for their move.”

She nurtured that spark, turning her idea into a business that’s now helped thousands of people over seven years. “Think of all the circumstances you could find yourself in where you have to move. You could be getting married, downsizing, upsizing, or in less fortunate circumstances such as getting divorced or clearing a loved one’s estate.”

With a willingness to work around a client’s needs, Applebaum and her team spend their days on a range of projects

with a range of people. One project might be with real estate agents or stagers looking to get a property ready to go on the market. Another might be packing clients for their move or helping them find order in their existing home.

Applebaum also understands that, with each move being unique, a customizable approach is required. “From the first time we speak to a client, we begin cultivating a personalized relationship and a strategy related to their specifi c needs. No two moves are the same, and my approach is completely different from moving companies who do an estimate with standardized checklists and tick boxes to populate their estimate. There are so many circumstances to take into consideration.”

Luxury Move Management is run by women, with most of its employees also being women. Applebaum prides herself on hiring individuals who care deeply about the well-being of their clients and ensure that they are completely satisfied with the move.

“A common theme through my previous professional life was that I didn’t always have open communication with my boss,” Applebaum says. “So, I’ve made sure to have open feedback loops with my staff, where I welcome

their constructive feedback on how the company operates, and I give them feedback in return. This communication fosters loyalty.”

For those about to embark on a move of their own, Applebaum advises potential clients to pick up the phone. “Most of my clients haven’t moved in 40 years, which means the industry has evolved and changed so much they don’t know the first thing about it,” she notes, encouraging people to make an appointment with a move manager like her to discuss what they can expect, what the move will look like and all associated costs.

“Every day, my work aids in relieving stress in people’s lives,” Applebaum says. “They’re drowning in fear and anticipation of an upcoming move, and I have the pleasure of coming into their lives, waving a wand and taking care of everything. It lights me up inside. I get an electrical charge knowing every job I work on greatly improves the lives of clients.”

Mindy Applebaum, founder and CEO of Luxury Move Management, discusses what ignited the spark to start a luxury moving company and how she and her team have mastered the art of moving

STEVEN CARINCI: INVESTING WITH INTEGRITY

ith over 25 years of experience helping clients manage and grow their wealth, Steven Carinci is someone who goes beyond money to create meaningful relationships with clients. By watching market trends and financial news, and staying up-to-date with what’s happening around the world, Carinci is able to navigate the clients he works with to earn a decent rate of return while mitigating risk.

Following what Carinci calls “a negative and extremely volatile” year for investors, where interest rates soared, a recession was and still is a looming threat and virtually every sector was hit hard, he emphasizes the importance of having a diverse portfolio. “When you put all your eggs in one basket, a year like last year can have a really negative effect on your overall return. Clients need to take a defensive stance on their portfolios and advisors should be the ones steering the ship,” he says.

In order to weather the storm and plan for the long term, advisors like Carinci are indispensable. By drawing on his expertise and wealth of tools and contacts, he can help generate a solid return. “The do-it-yourself will not work,” Carinci says. “And in my experience banks don’t take the time to service the clients and have a very limited lineup of products. There certainly is bias towards the bank products that, in many cases, underperform.” For him, the key comes down to client engagement.

“It’s about really keeping the client engaged in the process from start to finish,” he says. “Letting them know what’s happening, meeting with them regularly and, at times like last year, becoming a lot more service-oriented.”

“If your advisor isn’t meeting with you or recommending how you should reposition and strategize your portfolio, you need to seek a second opinion,” Carinci says. “My priority will always be to help my clients grow and preserve their wealth, while helping them reach their goals with peace of mind.”

DAMIAN ROMEO: PUSHING THE LIMITS

The Canadian actor discusses superheroes, getting into character and deciding to join the Armed Forces

WRITTEN BY JOSH WALKER | INTERVIEW BY ESTELLE ZENTIL

Whether it’s an audition, chemistry read or he’s working on set, Damian Romeo’s process for creating a character remains the same: “I try to find out as much as I can about that character and start developing my own backstory, filling in the pieces that aren’t given to me,” he says. Romeo might listen to the music he feels the character will listen to or watch what they’d watch. Whatever it is, he feels it’s his responsibility to do the job justice.

He attributes his start in the creative field to his grandmother, who worked in the Toronto District School Board’s music program and encouraged him and his brothers to pursue a life in the arts. He spent his early years learning instruments and playing sports, but it was acting that stuck.

After a short stint working as a model while auditioning, where he was named a top model during Toronto Fashion Week, his career took off. Today, his most well-known role is in Netflix’s mother-daughter drama Ginny & Georgia, where he plays the character Matt Press.

“I always tell aspiring actors to work on their craft but also on themselves as human beings,” he says. “Find out what your limits are, try to break those

limits and ask yourself how you feel about them.”

A particular time Romeo tested his limits was when the pandemic hit. He received a call from the Army saying this was the time to step up as a reserve soldier and do his part to help Canada. “When I saw the number show up on my phone, I remember thinking whatever they need me to do, I’m there,” he says. “So I went away for a few months, deployed domestically to help elderly-care homes.”

Romeo shares how the experience was tough, particularly having to balance service with quarantining. “It was really scary when COVID first hit,” he notes. “People weren’t sure how devastating it was going to be, and the news became mind-numbing, watching the cases rise. It was perhaps more scary for my mother, seeing me go into one of those areas hit hardest in Canada.”

While he’s no longer serving, Romeo is still giving back, and spends his weekends dressing up as superheroes for local children’s hospitals and events. By getting into character as Batman or Superman, he’s giving families a fulfilling, memorable experience.

“There’s a lot of messaging behind my parties that I hope stays with kids forever and plants a seed that they can become whoever they want to be with

hard work, patience and dedication.”

When Romeo’s not working or getting into costume, he takes care of himself, both mentally and physically. In the spirit of his mantra that mantra that “you can’t reverse aging, but you can try to slow it down,” he embraces the positive correlation between saunas and health by taking lots of hot baths, and drinks “a ton of water daily.”

He also frequents the gym, saying it’s become “a cornerstone” to whom he is today. “When my body’s in its prime, my diet is clean and I’m exercising daily, I know my mental health is good,” he says. “When I’m feeling down or sad with life, I’ll slowly stop going to the gym and watching my diet.”

When asked what’s next, Romeo has his sights set on a blockbuster franchise. Having already auditioned for the likes of Marvel and Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, it seems he’s already heading in the right direction.

But no matter what the next milestone in Romeo’s career is, he reminds us that it’s always about the process. “Everything in my life is leading me to this one point,” he says. “Success is good, but it’s the journey that really built my character. I really admire those who see me for my journey, rather than the end result.”

Find out what your limits are, try to break those limits and ask yourself how you feel about them

Damian Romeo is a Canadian actor best known for his role in the Netflix drama Ginny & Georgia

THINK BROADLY AND START EARLY

Brain Power Unlocks Students’ Potential for University Applications Through Innovative 1:1 and Group Sessions

High school is a time for exploration, growth, and preparation for the future. For many students, the ultimate goal is to attend a university and pursue their passions. However, the university application process can be daunting, and students may not know where to start. Brain Power, a 30year international leader in enrichment programs for high-potential kids from Grade 1 through Grade 12 is here to help. With campuses in Vaughan, Hamilton, North Toronto, and Oakville, Brain Power offers a range of innovative programs that help students develop the creativity, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills needed to succeed in a changing and globally-minded world.

Now, Brain Power also offers a new series of 1:1 and group sessions for universitybound students. Led by PhDs and other experts, these sessions help students explore their interests, connect with likeminded peers, and develop the skills and experiences that make them stand out in the post-secondary application process. In addition to the core curriculum of math, language arts, and public speaking programs, these pre-university and university preparation services help students identify their strengths, interests, and goals, and develop a strategic plan for success in university applications and beyond.

“Preparing for university applications is not just about checking boxes or memorizing facts,” says Vanessa Serra Iarocci, Brain Power’s CEO. “It’s about unlocking each student’s potential and helping them discover their unique talents and passions. Universities are looking for well-rounded students who can contribute to their communities and make a difference in the world. We help students explore their interests, connect with like-minded peers, and develop the skills and experiences that make them stand out in the application process.” Brain Power students are exposed to a

network of academic and extracurricular contests and pursuits, are mentored to pursue these opportunities and are encouraged to think early and often about global issues. According to Sam Gorman, Brain Power alumnus: “My experiences in Brain Power’s public-speaking program, including competing at Speakers Idol, was key to my successful admission to business school.” Another recent alumna and winner of the prestigious $20,000 René Descartes Scholarship, Jessica Peter, noted: “I am so thankful to all the amazing instructors at Brain Power who helped me discover my passion for mathematics and computer science. They taught me how to think outside the box and shaped me into the curious and critical thinker I am today.”

Universities in Canada and around the world offer a broad range of specialized programs, and Brain Power helps students identify the best fit for their interests and goals. Whether it’s engineering, business, social sciences, or the arts, Brain Power’s expert faculty mentor students and help them develop the skills and experiences needed to excel in their chosen fields. With the right preparation, students can gain an advantage in the competitive application process and pursue their dreams with confidence.

In today’s rapidly changing workforce, the ability to think critically, solve problems and communicate effectively is more important than ever. Brain Power’s innovative approach to education helps students develop the skills and experiences needed to succeed in university applications and beyond. By thinking broadly, starting early, and working with expert mentors, students can unlock their potential and achieve their goals.

Brain Power’s faculty are experts in their fields and provide a stimulating and engaging environment for students

I AM SO THANKFUL TO ALL THE AMAZING INSTRUCTORS AT BRAIN POWER WHO HELPED ME DISCOVER MY PASSION FOR MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE. THEY TAUGHT ME HOW TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND SHAPED ME INTO THE CURIOUS AND CRITICAL THINKER I AM TODAY

— Jessica Peter, Brain Power Alumna

WHY THE HOTTEST HEALTH TREND IS COOLER THAN YOU THINK

Get ready to revamp your wellness routine by incorporating primal therapies rooted in physical, neurological and spiritual optimization

WRITTEN BY ESTELLE ZENTIL

If there was something you could do that would benefit mind, body, and mood, wouldn’t it be a no-brainer to try it out?

With the help of Lisa Kricfalusi, cold exposure therapist and mental resilience and longevity coach, we look at the incredible benefits that primal therapies like cold and heat therapy can have in our everyday lives. Not only do these therapies allow you to better overcome discomfort on a daily basis, but they also create a space to challenge our perceived limits and discover ourselves on a deeper level.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about how you got into the field of cold therapy and heat therapy?

A: From a young age, I had the incredible privilege of being immersed in Finnish culture and its wellness traditions. I have been practising cold therapy since I was a little girl, growing up with Finnish roots and spending summers in Helsinki as a child. My grandmother taught me about sauna, simple living, connecting to nature and participating in physical activity – my passion for which culminated in my 10 years spent nationally competing as a synchronized swimmer and coach. Following my coaching and swimming career, I completed my kinesiology degree and made these practices of cold and hot therapy a lifestyle. Practicing daily for years, I was able to develop the mechanisms, protocols and experiences that elevate specific benefits of cold therapy before training others in how to practise it themselves. I then started Unbounded Well with three other founders, friends and the community.

Q: What are some of the benefits of cold and heat therapy?

A: Cold and heat therapy are often used together for treating a range of conditions. Cold therapy has the benefit of decreasing inflammation by reducing the swelling of tissue surrounding an injury, which prevents healing. It also helps reduce pain, muscle spasms and metabolic waste products from the cells. It stimulates cold-shock proteins to be released in the body, treating cell degeneration by way of repairing old and damaged nerve and brain cells. Cold therapy also supports metabolism regulation and the oxidation of white adipose tissue (mobilizing and burning fat). Cold therapy also supports converting energy stored as white adipose tissue into brown adipose tissue, supporting improved metabolism regulation and adding mitochondria (little powerhouses utilizing energy) into those cells. Heat therapy helps promote healing by increasing blood flow to injured areas, which brings essential nutrients and oxygen that stimulate the regeneration of new tissue through heat-shock protein production. In addition, it can help with muscle

tension and stiffness and increase flexibility in tendons and ligaments. Ultimately, cold and heat therapy used together are extremely beneficial for aiding in the healing process. However, extensive mental benefits also exist by way of dopamine and norepinephrine release, influencing mood, attention and vigilance in the body. The prescription for longevity and healthspan is practising 11 minutes per week of cold therapy and 57 minutes per week of heat therapy.

Q: Can you talk about the term “primal therapy” and what that means?

A: Primal therapies are low-cost wellness interventions bringing us closer to our ancestral way of practising and experiencing wellness. These practices are rooted in physical, neurological and spiritual optimization, extending healthspan overall. Primal therapies include such practices as viewing lowhorizon light to support circadian rhythm and clock-gene regulation, optic flow for visualization-system support, breathwork for managing stress, grounding techniques while in nature for stimulating alkalinity in our bodies, cold and hot therapies, including cold showers, plunge pools, cold water in

nature paired with saunas for contrasttherapy benefits. These practices are paired with human connection exercises involving functional-movement-based patterns designed to be experienced in nature for optimal wellness impact.

Q: What type of classes, workshops, retreats and community experience events do you offer/specialize in?

A: Unbounded Well is an experience lifestyle brand that offers education, classes, workshops, retreat weekends and custom-designed experiences and spaces, each rooted in the primal therapies touched on above. Our classes offer an opportunity to connect with yourself, your community and your surrounding natural environment while practising breathwork, cold therapy, hot therapy, gratitude, and experiencing living differently. Our experiences leave you with elevated energy levels, greater vitality and a deeper alignment with self, others and nature, while touching on benefits extending lifespan and healthspan.

Q: What are some of the transformations you’ve witnessed?

A: Most of Unbounded Well’s community tries one of our classes, sessions or experiences out of curiosity, peer influence or because their health practitioner has recommended primal therapies like breathwork or cold exposure. They continue practising because of the commitment they make

Our experiences leave you with elevated energy levels, greater vitality and a deeper alignment with self, others and nature, while touching on benefits extending lifespan and healthspan

Unbounded Well specializes in primal therapy experiences featuring deliberate cold-exposure therapy, heat-exposure therapy, breathwork, human connection and connecting with the great outdoors

Lisa Kricfalusi, founder & CEO, Unbounded Well

to themselves, the love found in the community and for what they have found inside themselves once they realize there is so much more than cold water, breathing and nature built into the experience. There is a palpable shift felt and experienced in one’s nervous system, altering the state of well-being just enough to inspire a continued practice. Our hundreds of testimonials of transformation range from “I have never felt this connected to my body or this impacted and shifted during one single intervention before” to “I never thought I was going to feel joy again and be able to relieve myself from painkillers and medication until finding this practice” to “I have found love for myself again through this practice” to “I have been able to stay sober thanks to these experiences.” All meaningful, all profound, and all very real and consistent.

Q: Why do you believe that cold/heat therapy is becoming more and more of a trend?

A: I think the trend has a lot to do with the shift of wellness being a focus in 2022/2023 and the level of research finally coming out with peer-reviewed studies being published about the benefits of cold and hot therapies impacting longevity and healthspan, including some sought-after benefits without the same level of time or energy associated with similar results. This is called “minimum effective dose.”

Q: Who could benefit greatly from these therapies?

A: In short, everyone can benefit greatly from these therapies as long as they are deemed safe to do so for each person practising, with no contraindications present. (Even so, placing your hands, feet and/or face in cold water is a great start).

Q: Who are these therapies not suited for?

A: Great question! Contraindications include high/low blood pressure, recent surgeries, chronic illness, pregnancy, history of fainting, any open sores or wounds, hypersensitivity to cold, such as Raynaud’s disease, cold urticaria, cryoglobulinemia, and paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria. Children under the age of 16 should be cleared by their family doctor and be supervised by parents or guardians. When in doubt, consult with your health-care practitioner.

Q: Are there any cool facts you can share about cold and heat therapy?

A: Cool facts – there are so many. Here are a few! One is our hands and feet, as well as the upper half of our face, are very efficient at heating and cooling the body, as the skin in these areas shunts the blood from arteries to veins rather quickly. Blood moves through these areas quite fast, creating the opportunity to cool the body via cooling the blood quickly as it circulates. The level of vasoconstriction in these parts of the body is more “painful” when experienced compared to the rest of the body.

Water intake is something to be very mindful of when practising cold and heat therapy, as your blood sugar levels are impacted and insulin can be released even if you have had no food intake, just simply due to the amount of sweat and the change in blood-level plasma influencing the blood-sugar-to-

plasma ratio. The protocol is 10 ounces of water before, during and after your sauna. Throwing electrolytes in there would help hydration, as well!

Having a coffee pre cold-therapy session (about 20 minutes prior) will help with the release of dopamine inside the blood and body. We like to stack benefits by having your coffee black and on a fasted stomach, then starting your day optimized with your cold therapy session.

Q: What are some of the biggest health tips you can share?

A: When practising cold therapy (11 minutes per week) and heat therapy (57 minutes per week), you are not only extending your lifespan by 20 years, you are also extending your healthspan within your lifespan. Practising can look like 3 to 5 days per week of these minutes broken up into many sessions or having all the sessions built into one experience and cycling contrast therapy.

Q: What is your definition of success?

A: Success looks like sharing this education, these tools and protocols, with as many people as possible so they can experience the benefits of better health, vitality and clarity. Ultimately, success is helping people to feel good in their body and live a full life with more energy, joy and peace. By utilizing simple techniques such as cold therapy and heat therapy, we can improve our health and overall well-being.

stayunbounded.com

@stayunbounded

With portions of each sale to White Birch an inclusive special needs adult day program.

JEWELRY FOR THE SOUL

LIFE IS FUNNY THAT WAY

LIFE IS FUNNY THAT WAY

Comedian, actor, author and judge on Canada’s Got Talent: Season 2, Howie Mandel is one of the busiest and most versatile people in entertainment

WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER | INTERVIEW BY ESTELLE ZENTIL

April 19, 1977, was a Tuesday, and then-21-year-old Howie Mandel went out with some friends for Chinese food in his hometown of Toronto. His fortune cookie that evening read “Tonight the path of your life will change.” After dinner, Mandel and his pals went to Yuk Yuk’s comedy club, where, during the openmike segment of the evening, his friends dared him to go up on stage. He did, and he killed. It was one of the three

most important career moments in Mandel’s memory.

“April 19, 1977, I was successful,” says Mandel in a recent interview with City Life from Niagara Falls, where he was shooting season two in his role as a judge on Canada’s Got Talent. “I finally found something that was causing me a lot of failure and a lot of angst, but I found that that same energy and behaviour was something I could do and have fun with. As others have said, if you find something you enjoy, you’ll

never have to work a single day, so what I do doesn’t feel like a job.”

In standup comedy, Mandel had found his calling after a youth spent looking for direction. Two themes emerge from Mandel’s early days growing up in Toronto’s Willowdale neighbourhood, near Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue: he worked a lot of jobs, an awful lot. And he got fired a lot, an awful lot.

He ran a ride at the Canadian National Exhibition he got fired.

From his first walk-on in a comedy club in 1977 to his stature today, Mandel has become one of the biggest names in show business

Mandel has never flipped cards to determine his career, which has been a calculated and successful trajectory on stage, television and now through digital platforms

He found another job at the Ex he got fired from that one, too. He worked in the basement of a Shoppers Drug Mart breaking down boxes from deliveries and he got fired for refusing to wear a tie. He was kicked out of three high schools, including one where he impersonated a school official and hired a construction company to build an addition to the school. He was a comedian in the normal humdrum of everyday life looking for a stage, but he never got discouraged because of the encouragement given to him by his parents.

“My mother always said that if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” he recalls. “I got my confidence from my parents, who have always been incredibly supportive regardless of what was happening in my life they were always my biggest fans. Because, ultimately, there was a story to tell that came along with each failure. Everything I was ever in trouble for, got expelled for, got fired for seems to be what I can get paid for today.”

Life can be funny that way, and with his natural humour and observations about everyday people and everyday situations, Mandel flourished. He found his stage with that impromptu appearance at Yuk Yuk’s, and by September 1978 he had a week-long booking there as a featured act, billed as “a wild and crazy borderline psychotic.” His career took off like a rocket. In the world of Canadian standup, he was the guy

The sets he did as a young, bushyhaired comic in the smoke-filled comedy

STANDUP COMEDY,

clubs of the late 1970s were legendary. Maniacal, magical, majestic. A highenergy ride unlike anything ever seen before. Observational comedy before observational comedy was in vogue. Using his personal angst as a weapon. Unsheathing his vocabulary on his mesmerized subjects. Taking everyday things and occurrences and twisting them with his unique, yet simple, but always hilarious takes on life. Mandel in those days held the crowd in the outstretched and upward-facing palms of his hands his physical trademark. He was that comic who made his audiences think, “Why hasn’t somebody said that before?”

“As soon as I found standup comedy, it was the first time I was accepted and I just needed to do that,” says Mandel. “Regardless of everything else I may do, I just need that because standup comedy is my home base. That’s what is closest to me, the thing that keeps me in the here and now. That’s the primal scream at the end of the day for everything else I do.”

Everything else he does makes Mandel arguably the busiest man in show business, where he has been a dynamic force for more than 30 years. In addition to his work on Canada’s Got Talent alongside Lilly Singh, Kardinal Offishall and Trish Stratus, Mandel serves as a judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent: All-Stars, where he has served for 13 years. He can also be seen as the host of the hit Netflix series Bullsh*t The Game Show

Other recent projects include his documentary Howie Mandel: But,

Enough About Me, currently streaming on Peacock, his annual CW special, Howie Mandel & Friends: Don’t Sneeze on Me, now streaming on fuboTV, NBC’s America’s Got Talent: The Champions, and co-hosting National Geographic Wild’s Animals Doing Things with his son Alex. He also executive produced the Quibi series Kirby Jenner. In 2019 he released his first solo special in 20 years, Howie Mandel Presents: Howie Mandel at the Howie Mandel Comedy Club

Mandel’s additional projects as a host, actor and/or executive producer include Take It All and Howie Do It for NBC, Deal With It for TBS and Mobbed for Fox, as his versatile career has encompassed virtually all aspects of the entertainment spectrum, including television, film and stage, including the international animated children’s series Bobby’s World.

His other digital offering is his podcast Howie Mandel Does Stuff, which he co-hosts alongside his daughter Jackelyn Shultz, available on all platforms with new episodes available every Tuesday. His third child, daughter Riley, is a personal trainer and keeps him in constantly good shape for his many appearances. “My children are my fuel for everything I do in life,” he says.

Those appearances include his first love, standup. He still performs more than 200 shows a year in clubs across Canada and the United States, never losing that bug let loose on that fateful Tuesday night in April 1977. Buoyed by his success in Toronto that night, on a trip to Los Angeles Mandel performed a set at The Comedy Store,

AS SOON AS I FOUND

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS ACCEPTED AND I JUST NEEDED TO DO THAT”

which resulted in his being hired as a regular performer.

The exposure at this legendary club led to his booking to open for David Letterman at a show during the summer of 1979 and a TV special on CBC-TV later that same year.

Then, the second most important moment in his career happened when he was booked as one of just four comedians in the television special Young Comedians Special, presented by the legendary Smothers Brothers.

“Young Comedians Special changed the trajectory of my career,” says Mandel. “It was a TV special hosted by the Smothers Brothers featuring me, Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Lewis and Harry Anderson. Right after that aired, I started selling out 10,000-seat venues.”

In 1982, that exposure led him to begin a six-year run as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the critically acclaimed and EmmyAward-winning St. Elsewhere, which provided him with national attention in the United States.

The third seminal moment in his career, according to Mandel, was his decision to host the game show Deal or No Deal for NBC in 2005, which ran for seven seasons. Never thinking of himself as a game-show host, Mandel turned down the offer three times before his wife of 43 years, Terry, told him to take the gig.

Preparing for the first taping, he reverted to his natural instincts as a standup and prepared comedy material he would interject as he hosted. He needn’t have bothered. From the very first contestant on that very first taping, Mandel became absolutely enthralled with the drama of the decisions the contestants had to make financial decisions that could change their lives.

He remembered how Groucho Marx had hosted the quiz show You Bet Your Life in the late 1940s and 1950s. The Great Groucho, perhaps the fastest wit in history, understood the contestants were the true stars of the show and his comedic interplay with them, unprompted, was the true essence of the show. Mandel’s engagement with his contestants on Deal and his natural empathy with their decisions is what made the show an immediate hit. It was Mandel at his finest, an impromptu tour

de force. It also put his career into the upper stratosphere.

As he told Alex Trebek several years ago in Trebek’s excellent documentary Game Changers about the unique talents it takes to host a game show, “The day after the first airing, I was walking through the airport and people were literally running up to me and screaming ‘DEAL OR NO DEAL!’ and I thought to myself, my God, I’ve got a catchphrase!”

However, the full story of Howie Mandel cannot be told without addressing his darker side, his mental health issues. A well-known germophobe, throughout his life he has faced depression, anxiety and has been dealing with OCD and ADHD, all of which he openly discussed in his frank, funny, no-holds-barred 2009 memoir, Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me, which made the New York Times bestseller list on the first week of its release.

With endearing openness, he even included these personal struggles and obstacles in his standup routines again separating himself from the rest of the comedic pack in tearing off the mask and baring himself to his audiences.

“I have found that laughter, for me, is the best medicine, as it’s sort of a distraction,” says Mandel. “When you look at those two masks in the theatre of comedy and tragedy, they’re very close – tragedy is just an upside-down smile. Comedy comes out of darkness, it always does. If you’re laughing at a clown falling down or getting a pie in the face, you’re laughing at the misfortune of somebody you don’t know.”

Mandel serves as an ambassador for Bell Media’s Let’s Talk, an initiative to raise funds for mental health research and to eliminate the stigma around those issues. As someone who knows first-hand, Mandel has some advice, especially to the younger generation who may be struggling with the complexities of life.

“My biggest platform is to remove the stigma, as mental health is just as important as physical health,” says Mandel. “I always say I wish people took care of their mental health the way we take care of our dental health. You don’t have to have specific issues like I

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE TWO MASKS IN THE THEATRE OF COMEDY AND TRAGEDY, THEY’RE VERY CLOSE – TRAGEDY IS JUST AN UPSIDE-DOWN SMILE”

Mandel has one of the most recognizable and distinctive looks of any entertainment personality, far removed from the bushy-haired standup of the 1970s

do. How do you cope with somebody near and dear to you being diagnosed with something traumatic, or losing somebody, or breaking up a relationship or being under the pressure of work?”

“You must reach out, talk about it, talk to a friend, talk to a caregiver and look for help,” he continues. “And don’t give up until you find the answer to whatever your coping skill is whether that’s the need to be medicated, or have therapy, or the need to meditate, do breathing exercises, or sit down and talk to a close friend. Whatever that is, just keep reaching out. If you don’t reach out, it’s kind of like drowning if you don’t surface for a moment and yell help, nobody is going to throw you a life preserver. You need to keep yelling help.”

Known for the distinctive glasses always adorning his chrome dome, in the summer of 2021 Mandel launched his own eyewear collection with SEE, with a portion of sales from the collection going to Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen’s national nonprofit organization whose mission

is to care for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

In 2020, Mandel teamed up with ePlay Digital Inc. and launched the charity Breakout the Masks in a mobile-game campaign to give back to those involved in the fight against COVID-19.

Via Howie’s Games, the first challenge was Outbreak, where players’ points translated to donations of N95 face masks, portable ventilators, gloves and other personal protective equipment to doctors, nurses and other front-line workers during those critical early days of the pandemic.

Mandel’s genuine caring and compassion for people comes across even via a screen in his work as a judge on Canada’s Got Talent: Season 2. More cheerleader than judge or jury, he genuinely cares about the contestants and his enthusiasm in willing their success is infectious. He promises even more amazement in this second edition.

“If you enjoyed last season, I can say with great pride you ain’t seen nothing yet,” says Mandel. “This season

far outshines anything, ANYTHING, you saw last season. I think the contestants who end up showing up are inspired by what they have seen before and they try to do better and they are doing better. Some of the acts I didn’t understand what I was seeing, I didn’t know what category they belonged in. I promise you many viral moments this season.”

Where does Howie Mandel rank amongst the greatest comics in history? That’s a silly argument with a bar impossible to determine, such as the greatest hockey player, actor, rock band, pianist, painter, opera singer or footballer too many variables, generations and trends are in play to settle that with any consensus.

One thing is for certain though. For a young kid fired from virtually every job he ever had to rise to the heights he has, overcoming his personal struggles and demons and in the process turning those into the foundation of his material for the amusement of us all, Howie Mandel can be funny that way.

@howiemandel

PHOTO BY LISMERY LOYOLA

LOCAL CELEBRITY ADRIANO VOLPENTESTA IS WARD 2’S NEW “VAUGHANTASTIC” COUNCILLOR

Known for his signature phrase, ‘VaughanTASTIC,’ his hands-on approach and his informative Instagram page, Adriano Volpentesta is truly a proud member of the Vaughan community who wants to give back to the people

WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRA AULICINO

Since he was a child, Adriano Volpentesta dreamed of being a Vaughan council member and serving the Vaughan community that he knows and loves. Now, at the age of 35, he finally has a seat at City Hall as the Ward 2 councillor, showing that hard work and determination pay off.

After running unsuccessfully in both 2014 and 2018, Volpentesta ran again as an advocate for the people of Vaughan. His strong Instagram presence has helped him engage and become popular with the community’s youth. His grassroots approach to politics means that he listens to the concerns of the citizens and is always there for them. Call, text or email him, and he will be there to help you! Volpentesta is looking to create more opportunities for the youth of Vaughan, improve traffic, help with new development, create more dog parks and have the first street signs in Vaughan that let drivers know there are children with autism in the area.

We had the privilege of sitting down with Volpentesta and learning more about his love for the community and his new position as councillor.

Q: What makes you so passionate about your community?

A: I’ve always called this community the blessing of my life. Living here, the success we’ve all achieved, has made an incredible impact on me. The people of Vaughan, they’ve always been my motivation and inspiration since I was a child.

Q: In what ways are you different from past councillors?

A: I’m very grassroots and very hands-on. People call me on my cell phone, they text me, they see me in the community. They’re always free to come up to me, and I listen to them, give them my information and follow up to help them. Also, we’re going to continue to doorknock during the summer so I never lose touch with the everyday people, and that’s very important to me.

Q: What does it mean for you to be a councillor?

A: It is so surreal. This has been a lifelong goal, a dream, you know? I am so grateful and thankful and appreciative of the people of Vaughan. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am, and I’m here to show them and prove to them each and every single day the

trust, the confidence they placed in me for the first time.

Q: What is your favourite part about being a councillor?

A: This is an honour of a lifetime to be able to serve the people of Ward 2. I think of it from the big picture. There are about 60,000 residents in Ward 2, and only one has the fortune, the privilege, the honour-of-a-lifetime to serve them. So I will never forget that. When you put it that way, it’s very impactful. Over the next four years, I want to ensure that the residents of Ward 2 get the very best leadership — positive and strong, engaged, involved leadership. I’m here for them 24/7. They’re going to see a new leadership style that they haven’t seen before. We will work together for our common good on everyday issues, on their shared platforms, priorities and objectives over the next four years. We will make Ward 2 proud together, and I will be here for them.

Adriano Volpentesta is pictured at Vaughan City Hall

Spring 2023 NEWSLETTER

LOCAL AND REGIONAL COUNCILLOR, CITY OF VAUGHAN MARIO FERRI

LOCALANDREGIONAL COUNCILLOR, CITYOF VAUGHAN MARIO FERRI

Thank you for the confidence you have shown in me and for giving me the opportunity to serve you again as your Local and Regional Councillor for the 20222026 term on Council. I am pleased to share a few of the highlights and achievements accomplished in the City of Vaughan and Region of York. I continue to be devoted to and focused on local priorities and promise to work hard to achieve conceivable outcomes on all matters of importance regionally and citywide. Help us make our City and Region be the greatest place to live. Share your ideas and comments with us anytime, we’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for the confidence you have shown in me and for giving me the opportunity to serve you again as your Local and Regional Councillor for the 20222026 term on Council. I am pleased to share a few of the highlights and achievements accomplished in the City of Vaughan andRegion of York. I continue to be devoted and focused to local priorities andpromiseto work hard to achieve conceivable outcomes on all matters of importanceRegionally and City wide. Help us make our City and Region be the greatest place to live, share your ideas and comments with us anytime, we’d from you!

mario.ferri@vaughan.ca

City of Vaughan & York Region Highlights

Highlights

NORTH MAPLE REGIONAL PARK

NORTHMAPLE REGIONALPARK

-The next stage of park development is in motion. This stage of construction will prepare 52 hectares (130 acres) of the park for future development of new recreational facilities and amenities.

-The next stage of park development is in motion. This stage of construction will prepare 52 hectares (130 acres) of the park for future development of new recreational facilities and amenities.

BILL 23

BILL23

COMMUNITY SAFETY REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY

COMMUNITY SAFETY REMAINS A TOPPRIORITY

To increase economic vitality, support community health, safety and well-being. Build sustainable communities and protect the environment. Deliver trusted and efficient services.

To increase economic vitality, supportcommunity health, safety and well-being. Build sustainable communities a nd protectthe environment. Deliver trusted and efficient services.

-Construction is underway and will take place in stages. It is expected to be completed by fall 2023.

The More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

the More HomesBuilt Faster Act, 2022

The existing parking lot, artificial turf fields and pavilion will remain open throughout the construction. For more info, visit service@vaughan.ca

Theexisting parkinglot,artificial turffields andpavilionwill remain open throughout the construction.

Formoreinfo,visit service@vaughn.ca

-Bill 23 was introduced by the Province as an action to advance their plan to address the housing crisis by building 1.5 million new homes in 10 years.

-Bill 23 was introduced by the Province as an action to advance their plan to address the housing crisis by building 1.5 million new homes in 10 years.

- While this may reduce duplications and streamline planning approvals, it potentially poses a threat to municipal finance, homeowners and natural heritage features.

- While this may reduce duplications andstreamline planning approvals, it potentially poses a threat to municipal finance, homeowners and naturalheritage features.

- The City's goal is to ensure the budget is rooted in fiscal sustainability and serves to secure greater efficiencies and maximize every dollar the City is entrusted to invest.

- The City's goal is to ensure the budget is rooted in fiscal sustainability and serves to secure greater efficiencies and maximize every dollar the City isentrusted to invest.

For more info, visit vaughan.ca/budget

For more info, visit vaughan.ca/budget

ROAD SAFETY AND TRAFFIC-CALMING MEASURES

ROAD SAFETY AND TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES

Traffic-calming measures can take many forms to slow vehicular speed and create safer roads. This can include the development or installation of curb and sidewalk extensions, roundabouts, narrowed roads, raised crosswalks at intersections, pavement markings, flexi-posts or streetscaping.

Traffic calming measures can takemanyforms to slow vehicular speedand createsafer roads. This canincludethe developmentor installation ofcurbandsidewalk extensions, roundabouts, narrowedroads,raised crosswalksat intersections, pavement markings, flexi-postsor streetscaping.

-Construction is underway and will take place in stages. It is expected to be completed by fall 2023. Contact

Call now to be on the waitlist for Winter 2024!

including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, are kept safe.

One of the ways the City is working toreduce instances of speeding is by introducing various traffic calming measures to supplement our existing programs and ensure all road users, including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, arekept safe.

For more info, visit vaughan.ca/trafficcalming

For more info, visitvaughan.ca/trafficcalming

One of the ways the City is working to reduce instances of speeding is by introducing various traffic-calming measures to supplement our existing programs and ensure all road users,

City of Vaughan & York Region Highlights

City of Vaughan & York Region Highlights

York Region Invests

$339 Million in Roads

York Region Invests $339 Million in Roads

YORK REGIONAL COUNCIL APPROVES 2023 TO 2027 STRATEGICPLAN

YORK REGIONAL COUNCIL APPROVES 2023 TO 2027 STRATEGIC PLAN

2023 BUDGET BALANCES CRITICAL PRIORITIES

2023 BUDGET BALANCES CRITICAL PRIORITIES

construction is plannedfor over 100 locations across the Region. These projects will include:

These projects will include:

To increase economic vitality, support community health, safetyand well-being. Build sustainable communitiesand protect the environment. Delivertrusted and efficient services.

1.Foster Economic Prosperity

To increase economic vitality, support community health, safety and well-being. Build sustainable communities and protect the environment. Deliver trusted and efficient services.

www.york.ca/planning

HOSPITAL PRECINCT DEVELOPMENT LEVY TERMINATED!

HOSPITAL PRECINCT DEVELOPMENT LEVY TERMINATED!

The strategy included a dedicated, accountable and temporary Vaughan Hospital Precinct Development Levy that helped lead to the construction and opening of the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. This temporary levy has been terminated!

In 2022, the levy was approximately $58 for the average home assessed at $950,000.

1.Foster Economic Prosperity

-Continuing plan for $1.2 billion capital contribution to the Yonge North Subway Extension -investing $3.9 billion over the next 10 years in roads and transit infrastructure

-Continuing plan for $1.2 billion capital contribution to the Yonge North Subway Extension

- Investing $3.9 billion over the next 10 years in roads and transit infrastructure

2.Support Community Well-Being

2.Support Community Well-Being

• • •

The strategy included a dedicated, accountable and temporary Vaughan Hospital Precinct Development Levy that helped lead to the construction and opening of the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. This temporary levy has been terminated!

- Adding 35 paramedic staff in2023 adding 41 staff to YRP in 2023

- Adding 35 paramedic staff in 2023

-Adding 41 staff to YRP in 2023

- addressing housing needs with362 new community housingunits already under construction

In 2022, the levy was approximately $58 for the average home assessed at $950,000.

The City’s contributions to the development of the hospital were fully paid off in 2022 and will no longer appear on property tax bills.

The City’s contributions to the development of the hospital were fully paid off in 2022 and will nolonger appear on property tax bills.

•

•

Road reconstruction and widening Intersection upgrades and improvements to enhancetraffic operations

Road reconstruction and widening Intersection upgrades and improvements to enhance traffic operations

Pavement repair, preservation and rehabilitation

Pavement repair, preservation and rehabilitation

Transit terminal, station and bus stoprepairs and improvements

•

Transit terminal, station and bus stop repairs and improvements

www.york.ca/transportation

www.york.ca/transportation

- Addressing housing needs with 362 new community-housing units already under construction

3.Drive Environmental Stewardship

3. Drive Environmental Stewardship

York Region achieves99% in provincialwaterquality standards.Delivering on Priority Waterand Wastewater Projects, continuingthe initiative!

York Region achieves 99% in provincial water quality standards. Delivering on priority water and wastewater projects, continuing the initiative!

-Investing$3.1 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 10 years

- Investing $3.1 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 10 years

-Maintaining the current waste diversion rate over 90%

- Maintaining the current waste diversion rate over 90%

Planting 70,000 trees and shrubs

- Planting 70,000 trees and shrubs

4.Effectively Deliver Trusted Services

4.Effectively Deliver Trusted Services

Maintaining 4,380 lane kilometres of urban and rural roads

- Maintaining 4,380 lanekilometres of urban and rural roads

The Region commits to 140 water and wastewater infrastructureprojects. It will invest $2.5 billion through the CapitalPlan and continue tooptimize water and wastewater networks through water conservation, inflow andinfiltration reduction and other programs.

The Region commits to 140 water and wastewater infrastructure projects. It will invest $2.5 billion through the Capital Plan and continue to optimize water and wastewater networks through water conservation, inflow and infiltration reduction and other programs.

Committedtoexpanding andmaintaining YorkRegion's roadsandtransitin2023

Committed to expanding and maintaining York Region's roads and transit in 2023 construction is planned for over 100 locations across the Region.

From alleyways to enveloping buildings with her enchanting gra ti work, Alice Pasquini’s message has always been to spread stories of kindness and love to onlookers throughout the streets of popular cities.

Originating in Italy, Pasquini’s work can be found in places like her hometown of Rome, displaying portraits of young children whose smiles captivate you with a sense of welcoming, and of a ectionate couples whose love radiates past the brick-andmortar walls. Her portfolio of murals, paintings and illustrations bring reallife topics into a playing eld larger than life, exploring the diverse emotions that society feels every day.

Focusing on the brighter side of life, Pasquini gets her inspiration from acts of kindness and love, which she then integrates into her works. e pieces typically include various identities that resonate with her, like femininity and independence, and convey messages of peace, with women at the forefront.

Pasquini’s work can be seen all over the world, from London to Oslo to, most recently, Toronto more speci cally, Ossington and College streets. Commissioned by the College Promenade Business Improvement Association (BIA), Pasquini worked

MURALS FOR HOPE GRAFFITI’S POWER TO EXUDE LOVE

hand in hand with the association as a recipient of a City of Toronto grant awarded for this project, along with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto.

e downtown mural “is an inspiring re ection of the spirit of our vibrant and diverse neighbourhood and its historic roots,” says Julie Fass, chair of the College Promenade BIA.

Pasquini is a storyteller and works to include harmony and community within all her pieces. She says, “My art is about people and the way they connect to each other.” Because Pasquini’s art can be found worldwide, the imagery that is created brings her portfolio to another level of genius, tying all nations of the world together with the same message of unity. Pasquini breaks down the Toronto mural, sharing some insight into the work. “ e theme of migration is central to my work, and, for this mural, I envision a mother carrying on her shoulders her little girl. e idea would be the transmission of cultural identity from one generation to the next.”

e mural speaks volumes, projecting its bold colours, enticing viewers to stop and digest the imagery. e commission is part of an initiative to beautify the west-end neighbourhood in Toronto,

along with e orts to increase wellbeing for community members. Chair of the College Promenade BIA Julia Fass spoke on the e orts. “ e College Promenade BIA has a mandate to promote economic development by enhancing the safety, beauti cation and feel of the neighbourhood.” She touched on what the mural means to her. “ is mural is an inspiring re ection of the spirit of our vibrant and diverse neighbourhood and its historic roots.”

Pasquini’s mural shares stories of truth and inspiration with all who pass by. Veronica Manson, director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, shared her admiration for Pasquini’s work. “ e Istituto is proud to be a partner in this initiative,” she said. She continued, with humble gratitude, “We are very pleased that the collaboration among our three di erent entities has resulted in the presence of an artist of the calibre of Alice Pasquini, the most renowned Italian female street artist, whose work is recognized internationally.”

e mural is completed and open to the public. Be sure to look for it next time you are in the west end of Toronto!

WRITTEN BY MASSIMO SOSA

Art has the power to express the unspoken. When it comes to the work of world-renowned artist Alice Pasquini, her admiration for storytelling has always been a vital part of her esthetic and projects

Alice Pasquini, storyteller and world-renownedgraffiti artist, graces the walls of various cities with her art, spreading messages of love & kindness