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BELLA FIGURA: LEARNING TO LIVE LIFE THE ITALIAN WAY
50
HOW THE RELEASE OF SOLD PRICES IS CHANGING REAL ESTATE
58
HOW TRAVIS GERRITS CHALLENGES MENTAL HEALTH
66
THE VAUGHAN FOOD BANK: HELPING ONE MEAL AT A TIME
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VOLUME 16 ISSUE 5 | OCT/NOV 2018
CONTENTS
26
COVER STORY
32
58
REDISCOVERING VAUGHAN: City Life goes behind the scenes of this great city talking to those that live here to discover what makes Vaughan special
26 MICHELLE VELLA: With her recent
rise to fame, Vella explains her unique WIDE BIG EYES portrait style and what is still to come
54 #CITYGUIDE: Giving you an inside look into what’s happening in the city this fall season
58 TRAVIS GERRITS: How this Olympic freestyle skier has dealt with his diagnosis and hopes to support others with mental health issues
54 22 #CITYSTYLIST:
Going one-on-one with some of Vaughan’s premier hairstylists
42 EDITOR’S PICKS:
Bringing you all the musthave fashion and lifestyle products you won’t want to miss out on
42
44 BELLA FIGURA: Kamin Mohammadi’s novel reflects on the way she lived life and how she came to adopt the Italian approach
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50 HOUSESIGMA AND
MONGOHOUSE: What will the recent release of home sales data and the apps that display them do for the housing market in Canada?
66 THE VAUGHAN FOOD
BANK: A fixture of the Vaughan community since 1995, the Vaughan Food Bank is helping even more since its move last year
More stories inside …
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Fernando Zerillo
Co-Founder/Creative Director
THE REFLECTION OF OUR CITY
IfCAN YOU HAVE
I were to ask you what your city feels like or — better Michelle Zerillo-Sosa, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief yet — smells like, what would you say? They say that every city has its smell. What is the smell that defines your neighbourhood and your city? According to an article in Yahoo!, a group of researchers from Cambridge University and Yahoo created a city smell map for London and Barcelona. A lot of money is spent on the design of communities, but I wonder what would happen if we paid attention to the smells in our cities, for smells can play a positive role in urban life. I tried to recall all the smells that were part of my youth while growing up in Maple (Vaughan), Ont.ofWhen we Gampp, first moved back ell, in the case Yolanda thishere, could be in 1984, our current mayor was Lorna Jackson. She was a distinguished a real possibility. If you’re not yet familiar with lady, whose office washer in awork, one-level unlike the multi-glassed shebuilding, is a multi-millionaire YouTube structure of today. She knew most people in her community by their baker (3.3 million subscribers, that is) … all first names. And because of this, people felt close to her, even more thanks to her incredible imagination. so when the tornadoes of 2009 came crushing down on 600 homes, This is a woman who dreams up cakes for a living — not and people came together as a community, proving that not even traditional tiered shapes and flavours, but cakes that look like 240-kilometre-per-hour winds could divide them. hot dogs, huge candy apples, flavours likewas, the When describing to friends andwatermelons, family where in exactly Maple ultimate red velvet and chocolate cake … You get the idea. residents mostly used Canada’s Wonderland as a reference point. When Sweet mother God, this lady has the malls powerand to drive-thrus tempt even I was 16, going to of movie theatres, shopping the strongest-willed person with her cakes! Her belief is that or riding on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) were things anything is possible, and with thetolove and support family reserved for the city of Toronto, not be found north ofofSteeles and friends, the highest successjust are north attainable. Read Avenue. That’s right: all TTClevels busesofstopped of Steeles. her story on page 38. And if they did proceed past it, you were asked to pay an additional Speaking wewould all pray that need be fare, then wait forofa belief, bus that arrive onour the faith hour or so, never seeming the way Paul De Lio’s is. Many of us go through life liketested an eternity. without having towas question tragedies strikeand ourWeston lives or Th e local ever supermarket IGA inwhy Maple and Perris, Produce on of Highway 7.the Back then,Athese grocers were like the lives others in world. few years back, we more published farmers’ markets, compared tonition the Fortinos and Longos of today an article about the defi of God. I remember askingwith the theirwriter multiple aisles ofquestion popular brands, which sometimes still aren’t to pose this to various religious leaders: “Where enough satisfy the well-heeled travelled consumers. was to God in moments such asand 9/11?” Given the recent state of
YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO?
W
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Believe Most nights, you would not go out past eight, as this would In adriving world that fast becoming mean northisthrough farmlandsoulless with no street lights — not a Be challenged to for finda your owndriving soul home. Sunday mass was comforting thought teenager Then make selfless. celebrated in a it school gymnasium, and the odd treat was ice cream at When the television portrays only tragedy one of the two bakeries in town. Movies came in the form of rentals Be your challenged to turn off fines being added when you returned from local video store,itwith Spend your rentalyour a daytime late.working on your own humility. IfTh you’re surrounded by people who arethings envious e plus side to not having all the great that have been Be challenged to cull the herd around you brought on by progress was the sense of community. You knew your Fill your life with those who bring joyousness. neighbours, and not just until they upgraded to a bigger home, but During the times you feel utterly hopeless because they became an extension of your family. You were part of Be challenged to claw your way out one another’s special timelines. You were invited to their kid’s baptism Understand that genuine happiness is timeless. and later theirsoul. wedding. Thisinwas just what people did out of respect, Find your Believe yourself. Trust in your God. regardless if you liked your neighbour or not. (You will forgive the Love your family. Share your plenty. Lean when you nostalgic tone, but how well do you know your neighbor now?) need. Live out loud. But going backGrow to smells best defined my city: back in 1984, Love heartily. yourthat humanity. it Infect was the smell of with food,your like the one from Maple Bakery’s fresh the world faith. oven-baked paninis, the smell of nature from the surrounding green — from The Wife by Iris Imeneo fields and then there were the not-so-pleasant smells — farm animals and waste. Yes, most residents were happy when the farm sold and naturalon, disasters extreme weather conditions, moved makingand room for a new subdivision, plazasone andcould schools. ask the same question now. In De Lio’s case, where was God And when the Keele Valley Landfill closed in 2002, residents could when deadly not have beenbacteria happier.infected his body, nearly taking his life and resulting the amputation both of his legs? Today, in those city smells ofare replaced with emission, metro that article oneof of growing the questioned religious leaderscity andInindustry. Andyears thatago, is part into the 17th-largest replied that God was in the firemen going up the stairs to rescue in Canada. theAs people in the towers. It’s a response that this date me we embarked on sharing a portrait oftoour city, wegives all agreed comfort. Likewise, now, God is in the rescue workers bringing that when it came time to choose a cover photo, the challenge would relief toitself Puerto Florida. Andthe God was in theand present as toRico, how Mexico were we and going to capture immigration doctors who fought De Lio. Hecalls was Vaughan with the family ethno-cultural naturetoofsave the Paul population who its home. Infriends other words, we could notLio’s put one singular the cover and who prayed for De life and later,photo for hison recovery. that could all of Vaughan’s multicultural backgrounds. This Today, justrepresent a few months after his ordeal, De Lio is filled with ispositivity why we and chose not to choose any singular gratitude. He is ready to helpperson, others fibut nd decided ways to to make eachmotivation. one of you the starI of issue. live with Dare say,this then, God also resides in De Theheart. reflection Lio’s See is hisa true storyrepresentation on page 32. of each reader: their ethnicity, their and without leaving anymy onethoughts person out. Ofgender course, it’sreligious possiblebelief you do not agree with As pick up this current City that Life, one the refl ection on you the whereabouts of God.edition We allofknow should notyou see is a refl ection of each citizen of Vaughan, who, along with speak casually of politics or religion, for these are sensitivethe other (estimated), makes the fabric this anymore, healthy and topics323,223 (although the weather isn’tup exactly a safeoftopic thriving community. either). But perhaps you will be interested in our story about We hope you enjoy this story on our city, rich in history, and trial the Bahá’Í Faith, a relatively new religion with 5 to 7 million and errors, but with the ability to learn from past mistakes and add adherents practising globally. If you believe in the betterment of to the current energy and soul. the world, in unity, love and service, you might find your place As we continue to grow and improve, we cannot forget how we got here. Bahá’Í’s believe in equality of all sexes, races and creeds, here; nor can we forget the sacrifices that were made by others before andAnd in the harmony science religion. Story onwepage us. much like theofrefl ection and in this cover edition, hope74. you, In this day and age, we could all use more unity, love and too, grow and improve to reflect that of a better citizen, onefaith, who is regardless of what form itand takes. May enjoy thisouredition of compassionate, responsible works hardyou to maintain community Citykeep Lifeour Magazine. life, is yours to experience and do and city safe It, andlike prosperous. with what you will.
Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Zerillo-Sosa Michelle Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Fernando Zerillo Co-Founder/Creative Director
@citylifemag / @amorebagstoronto / @fernandozerillo @dolcetweets @amorebagstoronto
www.mycitylife.ca
WE HAVE YOUR NEXT MARKETING TOOL
PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michelle Zerillo-Sosa • michelle@dolce.ca PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca MichelleAngela Zerillo-Sosa • michelle@dolce.ca A ROPERATIONS T D E P A R TAngela M E NPalmieri-Zerillo T DIRECTOR OF • angela@dolce.ca CO-FOUNDER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR A R T• fernando@dolce.ca D E PARTM E NT Fernando Zerillo CO-FOUNDER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Christina Ban Fernando Zerillo • fernando@dolce.ca JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Axl Valdez SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Christina Ban WEB DESIGNER Yena Yoo GRAPHIC DESIGNER Megan Cronje WEB DEVELOPER Jordan Carter SENIOR UI/UX DESIGNER Yena Yoo JUNIOR UI/UX DESIGNER Nathan Chan WEB DEVELOPER Jordan Carter E D ITO R IAL D E PARTM E NT JUNIOR UI/UX DESIGNER Nathan Chan FASHION & HOME DÉCOR EDITOR Michelle Zerillo-Sosa E D I TEDITOR O R I AAngela L D EPalmieri-Zerillo PARTM E NT FOOD & TRAVEL FASHION & HOME DÉCOR EDITOR WRITER Brandon Harripersaud Michelle Zerillo-Sosa
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FOOD & TRAVEL EDITOR Angela Palmieri-Zerillo CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rick Muller, Donna Paris, Bianca WRITER VictoriaRicci Scott COPY EDITORS AND PROOFREADERS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Catharine Chen, Hoeschele RickSusan Muller,Grimbly, Cece M.Nina Scott, Myles Shane CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS COPY EDITORS AND PROOFREADERS Chris Nicholls, A. Pinto Jennifer Carlos D. Foster, Nina Hoeschele PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER Sarah Kanbar CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Carlos A.Bianca Pinto Ricci SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER V I D E OSOCIAL D E P AMEDIA R T M MANAGERS ENT Adriana Parente, Jessica Spera VIDEOGRAPHER Carlos A. Pinto VI D E O D E PARTM E NT PVIDEOGRAPHER U B L I S H E R Carlos A. Pinto
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ADVERTISING T: 905-264-6789 ADVERTISING info@mycitylife.ca DIRECTOR OFT:MARKETING 905-264-6789 Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca info@mycitylife.ca DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Susan Bhatia DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Mario Balaceanu DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Susan Bhatia ACCOUNT MANAGER Christina Bono SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Mario Balaceanu OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Maria Rigazzi ACCOUNT MANAGER Christina Bono FRONT COVER Nav Bhatia / Photo by Robin Gartner OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Maria DiRico City Life Magazine • Volume 16 • Issue 1 • Feb/Mar 2018 City Life Magazine is published bimonthly by • Volume • IssueOnt. 5 •L4H Oct/Nov Dolce MediaCity Group,Life 111Magazine Zenway Blvd., Suite 30,16Vaughan, 3H9 2018 City Life Magazine is published bimonthly by T: 905-264-6789 • F: 905-264-3787 Dolce Media Group, 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont., L4H 3H9 info@mycitylife.ca • www.dolcemedia.ca T: at905-264-6789 • F: 905-264-3787 Subscribe online www.mycitylife.ca or by calling info@mycitylife.ca www.dolcemedia.ca 905-264-6789. City Life Magazine’s yearly •subscription fee is $24.00. Subscribe online at www.mycitylife.ca or byMedia callingGroup, We accept Visa, MC & AMEX. Send cheque or money order to Dolce 905-264-6789. City Life Magazine ’s yearly subscription fee is $24. 111 Zenway Blvd. #30, Vaughan, Ont. L4H 3H9. We acceptPublication Visa, MC &Mail AMEX. Send cheque or money order to Dolce Media Group, Agreement No. 40026675 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont., L4H 3H9 All rights reserved. Any reproduction is strictlyNo.prohibited Publication 40026675 without written consentMail fromAgreement the publishers. All rights reserved. Any reproduction is strictly prohibited without written consent from the publishers. DISTRIBUTION AND CIRCULATION City Life Magazine reaches 294,810 readers per issue through household distribution and event CIRCULATION Life is also available toAND over 100 million digital consumers of partnerships across Canada. City DISTRIBUTION Magzter and Issuu.reaches 294,810 readers per issue through household distribution and event partnerships City LifeInc.Magazine across about Canada. CityCity Life Life is also availableis toavailable over 100 digitalbeconsumers Magzter Magazine for million sale should directed to ofDolce MediaInc. and Issuu. Inquiries where Group: info@dolce.ca or 905-264-6789. City Life Magazine is available for sale should be directed to Dolce Media Group: Inquiries about where info@dolce.ca or 905-264-6789. ISSN 1206-1778 Next Issue: April/May 2018 1206-1778 Nextin City Issue:LifeDecember/January Magazine are those2018–2019 of the authors and do not necessarily reflect TheISSN opinions expressed theTheviews of theexpressed publisher orin advertisers. Dolce Media Group ofdoes assumeandliability content. reflect the views City Life Magazine are those thenot authors do notfornecessarily opinions Theof material in this ormagazine is intended information purposes only and liability is in no for waycontent. intendedThe material in this the publisher advertisers. Dolce for Media Group does not assume tomagazine supersedeisprofessional advice. We are proud to be a Canadian company that has successfully intended for information purposes only and is in no way intended to supersede professional advice. published past 20 years without funding or financial assistance We are magazines proud to befor atheCanadian company thatanyhasgovernment successfully published magazines for the past 20 years ofwithout programsanyto government cover editorialfunding costs. Itorhasfinancial all beenassistance possible thanks to the wonderful of our of programs to coversupport editorial costs. It has all been readers andthanks advertisers. possible to the wonderful support of our readers and advertisers. ©2018 ©2018Dolce DolceMedia MediaGroup Group• •www.dolcemedia.ca www.dolcemedia.ca• •Printed PrintedininCanada Canada
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A DV E R TO R I A L
For me as a buyer, in order to offer a very diverse but at the same time wellcurated assortment, brands have to be sourced globally — Cristina Marinucci
Expanding into the online world, White Cherry has made it simpler to purchase its exclusive brands and styles
W
arm, welcoming and expertly curated are a few words that perfectly sum up White Cherry Boutique. Renowned for its original pieces and luxurious style, this boutique has caught the hearts of many individuals in the Greater Toronto Area and become a fixture in the Village of Kleinburg, Ont. Cristina and John Frank Marinucci, a husband and wife team who married earlier last year, are at the head of this operation and opened the boutique together nearly two and a half years ago. Cristina handles the buying and storefront operations, while John Frank handles the business strategy and development. Though some may find it hard to imagine working with their spouse every day, for these two it’s a dream come true. “I think the reason why it works so well is because we really come from completely different worlds, so he never really gets
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With limited quantities, ensuring exclusivity, the online store allows customers to purchase their favourite pieces before they sell out, whether they live 10 minutes away or on another continent
involved with my creative flow, and I never have to get too involved with the numbers,” says Cristina with a laugh. “We have our own separate worlds with the business and then we sit down for dinner, and we’re so excited to update each other on what we accomplished in the day, so it’s almost like having two separate jobs even though we own the same business.”
10425 Islington Ave., Unit 3, Kleinburg, Ont. 905-552-7700 www.whitecherryboutique.com www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO
WHITE CHERRY IS NOW ONLINE
Though they do handle different parts of the business, when it comes to making big decisions that push the brand forward and help them grow, they come together to figure out what to do, says John Frank. One of those decisions was determining when to expand their boutique into the online world. With the success White Cherry achieved in the first few years and the response it received across its social media platforms, Cristina and John Frank decided to move forward with it and in May they launched their online store, which ships worldwide. Along with global distribution, the brands on offer also come from all across the world. “For me as a buyer, in order to offer a very diverse but at the same time well-curated assortment, brands have to be sourced globally,” says Cristina. White Cherry’s online retail store will also offer new and exciting web exclusives, like the Mommy & Me collection. This online collection stocks co-ordinating clothing options for women and their children. White Cherry Boutique will continue to have exclusive opportunities both online and in-store, so keep your eyes open for what’s to come. Make sure to visit the store’s website and subscribe to its monthly e-blasts to receive information about new promotions and the hot new styles and brands that it will continue to bring in.
“There are no shortcuts. Lighting is pure design.”
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Oct/Nov 2018
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A dv e r to r i A l
When you pair Steeles Paint’s expert staff with an unprecedented assortment of products, you can be sure that no task is too difficult, and someone will always be there to help you get the job done
STEELES PAINT & DÉCOR CENTRE: For 30 years, the dedicated and knowledgeable staff at Steeles Paint has been there helping you achieve remarkable results, no matter the size or scale of your project
N
o one knows the exact number, but it has been estimated that there are approximately 10 million colours that may be sensed by our eyes and brain. That would be one very large Crayola box. Fortunately, there is Steeles Paint & Décor Centre at 4190 Steeles Ave. W. in Woodbridge, Ont., and its highly trained team of in-store decorators and paint experts to make sense of it all. Steeles Paint is an original decorating supercentre and at 20,000 square feet, the largest independent paint store in North America. Its vast selection, custom-approach and in-store experts draw professional decorators and homeowners from across southern Ontario to discover the endless possibilities of the spectrum of colours. Unlike general product big-box retailers, at Steeles Paint & Décor Centre it is the staff who makes the difference and has made this a destination store. This is a staff of professionals proud of their careers, expertise, depth of knowledge and the dedication they commit to customer service. “Our staff is experienced, seasoned professionals [who have been] in the industry for many years, who have made paint and décor their careers,” says owner Claudio Grisolia. “Our in-store decorators stay up with current trends in the design industry, and we can deal with many special and unique situations that require the knowledge that only someone with tenure can provide.” Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, it’s clear why Steeles
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Paint has become the go-to for all matters related to paint and design. Its goal has always been to give its customers the best value for their dollar, while helping them choose the right products, from entry-level for the budget-conscious to top-ofthe-line coatings that will last for years. But most important is the level of expertise and hands-on service that Grisolia’s staff gives every customer. “Our team takes time with every customer to ask the right questions so they choose the best product for their situation,” says Grisolia proudly. “Talking to our team of representatives will avoid any problems and gives our customers confidence, as we carry the largest quantity of a huge array of products.” Mixing and matching paints is a science, due to the incredible varieties of textures, styles and colours to be considered. It often can feel like a daunting task to the uneducated, which is why Steeles Paint is so valued by so many. “We strive to give our customers unparalleled product selection, knowledge, step-by-step instructions and experiencedriven information,” says Grisolia. “Our professionals are well versed in all product lines, their applications, the results they produce and the time and pride taken in the explanation of these methods and processes to ensure our customers feel comfortable.” While none of us can be expected to understand or appreciate the 10 million colours that may be out there, it’s nice to know Steeles Paint & Décor Centre probably does.
4190 Steeles Ave. W., Woodbridge, Ont. 905-850-4040 www.steelespaint.com www.mycitylife.ca
photos by Carlos a. pinto
The Exclusive Go-to Source for Paints and Décor in the GTA
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Torchetti values giving back to the community, where he has been involved with organizations such as Villa Charities Inc. and the Kensington Health Centre
A DV E R TO R I A L
associate with lawyers. “But we’re lawyers, so we can’t help that sometimes.” Aird & Berlis has a large corporate and commercial group that advises clients on day-to-day issues and transactional matters, including in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, tax, banking, real estate, litigation, insolvency, estates and planning, and even privacy issues and cyber security. The firm is also well-known for its capital markets, and municipal and land-use planning groups. Its vast areas of experience reflect the depth of talent and expertise that clients have relied upon for decades, as well as its ability to tailor its services for specific needs. A lot of the firm’s work is in the private and family-owned business sector, especially in Vaughan, Ont., where Torchetti has given his time to supporting the Italian community through many charitable works, and where he sees many baby boomers now
The AIRD & BERLIS Private Business Services Group provides practical legal solutions for private, owner-managed and family businesses
I
f the practice of law were easy, perhaps we’d all be lawyers. But that practice is wisely left to a group of professional and dedicated individuals who can understand its complexities. There is perhaps no other profession requiring the breadth of knowledge, business acumen, attention to detail and insatiable passion and curiosity that are needed in the study of law. Few firms embrace this passion and curiosity more than Aird & Berlis in downtown Toronto, a full-service firm with 160 lawyers which lives its mantra to “treat every client like our most important one.” And that is especially true for the services it provides to privately-owned businesses. “We are a one-stop shop for businesses,” says partner Nick Torchetti, who has been at Aird & Berlis since 1983. “We are very people-friendly and accommodating. Business owners appreciate our ‘can-do’ attitude. We take our work seriously — our teams are designed to serve our clients in the most efficient and timely manner possible.” “At the same time, we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says Torchetti, with a flash of personality people do not often
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building their own businesses. These businesses face specific legal challenges. Aird & Berlis provides multi-disciplinary advice to businesses through its popular Private Business Services Group, which Torchetti co-chairs. This initiative provides teams that handle everything from incorporation and tax services to estates, wills and succession planning, so Aird & Berlis is there for every stage and every legal need. A recent webinar covering the legal fundamentals for private, owner-managed and family businesses had more than 1,400 registrants across Ontario, a testament to the thirst for legal knowledge and guidance that private businesses have. The webinar also attracted accountants, insurance brokers and wealth-management professionals who want to serve their own private business clients better. “In the Corporate/Commercial Group, all of my clients are private businesses, such as family-owned or owner-managed businesses, for which I provide general day-to-day advice,” says Torchetti. “Many of these businesses have a wide range of needs, such as employment agreements, or a tax or financing issue. I provide the general strategic advice, and because of our firm’s size, can bring in one of our in-house subject-matter experts, as required.” Given the often bewildering and complex nature of law, especially when it comes to private businesses, it’s a comfort that Aird & Berlis is there with a suite of solid legal advice and services, so that owners can focus instead on running and growing their business.
Brookfield Place, 181 Bay St., Suite 1800, Toronto. | 416.863.1500 www.airdberlis.com @AirdBerlis Aird & Berlis LLP www.mycitylife.ca
photo by Carlos a. pinto
LEGAL SOLUTIONS FOR PRIVATE BUSINESSES
We are very people-friendly and accommodating. Business owners appreciate our ‘can-do’ a itude
VOTED BEST PRIVATE SCHOOL IN KING
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FALL OPEN HOUSE DATES OCTOBER 18 & 22 • NOVEMBER 21 & 23 Please register at www.villanovacollege.org or call 905-833-1909 • Grades 4-12 Co-Ed • STEM & AP Programs • www.mycitylife.ca University Preparatory
• Catholic Tradition of Academic Excellence
• Tuition Assistance • Entrance Scholarships Available Oct/Nov 2018 CITY LIFE MAGAZINE 19
A DV E R TO R I A L
a Lifelong MONTESSORI SCHOOL Developing Love of Learning, and OF KLEINBURG: Independence Curiosity
B
esides the health, safety and well-being of their children, most parents consider education a top priority. Parents and caregivers want their child to enjoy learning and start their educational career by being engaged and actually enjoying what they are learning. It is through this positive outlook that a child will develop long-term curiosity and eagerness to learn. No one understands this or encourages the love of learning quite like the Montessori School of Kleinburg, located at Nashville Road and Highway 27 in Kleinburg, Ont., which teaches students from toddler-aged to Grade 6. “The Montessori method of education is to assist children to become caring, self-motivated and fulfilled individuals,” says principal Vincenza Marzano. “Our goal is that the child will find purpose in their learning, which makes them proud of
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“When you get older and on your own and have to sort things out for yourself, Montessori’s focus on being independent really prepped me and made me want to push boundaries to surpass my grade level. It gave me great confidence and maturity,” recalls Menchella. “They give you the reins, and you have to figure it out, making you very well-prepared. Montessori is what gave me the foundation to be where I am now and the person I am now.” “Rather than be ‘told’ to do specific tasks and then becoming resentful and disconnected from learning, Montessori students are given materials to discover and solve the issue at hand independently, which motivates them to actually enjoy it,” says Marzano. “Students learn about stewardship, responsibility and that hard work pays off. Children are given the opportunity to be successful on their own and be proud of that in developing crucial life skills that transpire beyond their youth.” From the first day a student begins their education at the Montessori School of Kleinburg, a love of learning, independence and curiosity are encouraged. These are key attributes that a Montessori School of Kleinburg student will possess during their time with the school and beyond.
10515 Highway 27, Kleinburg, Ont. | 905-893-0560 www.msk2002.com www.mycitylife.ca
photos by Carlos a. pinto
With the help of the Montessori School of Kleinburg, Menchella plans on attending law school after completing university
themselves and develop a lifelong love of learning,” she says. “We feel by awakening and harnessing a child’s curiosities, it allows them to dig deeper, and they use that to direct their own success.” The Montessori method recognizes a child’s natural stages of development. In their classrooms, students work independently on many different materials, with teachers’ guidance and encouragement. Students plan their own agendas for the day and have freedom to move around and figure out what works best for them. The Montessori approach to learning has been used for more than 100 years in more than 8,000 schools on six continents. Montessori graduates are responsible, resourceful and respectful toward themselves, their peers and the world around them, just like former student Alexia Menchella, 18, who entered the Montessori School of Kleinburg at age three and graduated from the school in Grade 6. “It’s a different way of learning — more hands-on — and that made me very confident going into middle school,” says Menchella, now a student at Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. “You can do the work you want to do without a set agenda, which gives you independence. Montessori gives you the tools to succeed.” Montessori methodology promotes multi-aged classrooms, and Menchella found that being in a classroom with older students (for Grades 4–6) was very beneficial in challenging and pushing her to learn ahead.
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11160 Yonge St. 905.508.5811
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photo CoUrtEsy oF GC & Co. salon anD MED spa
beauty
CATHY KORBIS
#CityStylist
photo by shUttErstoCK.CoM
GC & Co. Salon and Med Spa www.giannacathy.com
Giving you an inside look at some of Vaughan’s best hairstylists and getting the scoop on the trends for this fall season INTERVIEWED BY VICTORIA SCOTT
TOO FACED: la Crème lipsticks, peach perfect Mattifying setting powder, Melted lipsticks
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Q. TELL US THE BEST PART ABOUT BEING A STYLIST. Being given the opportunity to make women feel and look great. Client feedback is always a pleasure to receive; it reminds me every day how much I love what I do. Q. WHAT IS THE ONE MISTAKE ABOUT COLOUR OR CUT THAT CLIENTS MAKE? Clients tend to bring in a picture that is not achievable for their hair type ... I like to show them and teach them what techniques will actually work on them to help them achieve something very similar. They end up seeing what actually suits them based on their hair type, facial structure, etcetera. Q. DEFINE BEAUTY. Beauty is confidence, self-love and selfrespect. Here at GC & Co. we strive to set that example among each other in the workplace. We support our clients on every level every day by encouraging them and setting an example of how women need to stand up and support each other always. www.mycitylife.ca
photo CoUrtEsy oF piCaso stUDios
FABIO RECCHIA Versai Salon and Spa www.versaisalonandspa.com
Q. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A HAIRSTYLIST? I always knew that the hair industry was very creative. I loved the world of fashion as a young boy and loved watching fashion TV on Channel 7.
CATHEY SALERNO Picaso Studios www.picasostudios.com
Q. WHAT ARE THE COLOUR TRENDS FOR THE FALL? We are still going to be seeing a lot of balayage techniques this fall. The colour tones that are trending are cool blonds and brunettes. Within the red category, pure pigment is the latest trend. Q. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR CITY? I love that Vaughan is so multicultural. As a stylist I get to experience all the beautiful traditions my clients have. By doing their hair and makeup for their lifetime events it allows me to experience hair and makeup trends from all over the world. I’ve been a business owner in this community for over 20 years; I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
www.mycitylife.ca
Q. WHAT IS THE ONE MISTAKE ABOUT COLOUR OR CUT THAT CLIENTS MAKE? They believe just because someone else has something, it means it can be done for them as well. They don’t take into account the fact that their hair can be different density [or] porosity and [factors like] curls, etcetera. Q. WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN YOUR SALON? I had a regular client who came in with no appointment and asked me if I could squeeze her in. As she was waiting I noticed that she was in a lot of discomfort, her being nine months pregnant. I was a little worried and asked her what was wrong, and she told me that she was undergoing contractions and her water had broken a couple hours before but that she desperately needed her hair washed for the next couple of days. My other clients understood the urgency, and I got to her right away. I finished her hair and made her look beautiful for the birth of her baby boy, which happened an hour later. Loving my name, she gave her son the name of Fabio, and every year on his birthday I give her a free blow-dry to remember that great and awkward day.
Q. WHAT ARE THE COLOUR TRENDS FOR THE FALL? This upcoming fall season is all about warm, earthy tones — whether it’s toning down your balayage to golden beige or warming up your hair to a chestnut brown. Fall is also a perfect time to experiment with a new look by going sultry wine red. Q. WHAT GIVES YOU THE DRIVE TO DO WHAT YOU DO? I think what gives me the drive to be in this industry has to be my clients. Seeing the look on their faces when I have achieved the colour, cut or style they want makes my day every time they sit in my chair. Making someone feel confident and beautiful just by creating a new look for them makes me want to get up every morning, go to work and achieve more for them. Q. DEFINE BEAUTY. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for me I feel like beauty is confidence, grace and elegance. But mainly I feel it’s confidence. It’s all in the way you carry yourself.
photo CoUrtEsy oF la CoUtUrE hair loUnGE
photo CoUrtEsy oF VErsai salon anD spa
Q. WHAT GIVES YOU THE DRIVE TO DO WHAT YOU DO? I’ve been doing hair for over 30 years because I love what I do. At this point in my career, educating and sharing my gift with others is also very rewarding. As a Master Stylist and Goldwell Educator I have the opportunity to share my craft with others and in turn have them share their insights with me. It keeps me driven and motivated. The hair industry is like no other, always changing with new trends, techniques and product technology, [and] there is always something new to learn.
SOPHIE ANANIA La Couture Hair Lounge 905-532-0235 Oct/Nov 2018
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ersonal financial situations are like DNA — everyone’s is different. Your situation, aspirations, financial goals and priorities are unique and constantly changing as your life evolves. These factors may become increasingly complex and challenging to understand and manage as you progress toward achieving your goals. This is where professional advice, trust, honesty and financial acumen are needed most. Few understand this better than Jason Polsinelli of the Polsinelli Financial Advisory Group. Now leading a premier financial planning, advisory and wealth management team at Scotia Wealth Management, Jason shares his own personal life story which led him to a career in wealth management. “I wanted to be a
JASON POLSINELLI:
“Be the best at what you are and deliver the best at what you can do” Managing Wealth and Helping People with Financial Decisions and Advice
Polsinelli has worked his way up in this business, learning the value in helping and advising clients each step of the way
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lawyer at first and was always reviewing contracts for my parents’ business,” says Polsinelli, who studied at York University and earned a master’s degree in business from Dalhousie. Whereas his entire family were award-winning international hairstylists with a creative flair, Polsinelli was the kid in the suit, likening himself to Michael J. Fox’s character Alex in the TV series Family Ties. “The one thing that separated my family’s business from the rest was their commitment to customer service,” recalls Polsinelli. “I grew up knowing you must serve your customer to the highest possible standard. Whatever it is you do, my parents always said, just be the best at what you are and deliver the best at what you can do.” Upon graduation, Jason got work as a bank teller, followed by several different roles, where he learned everything he could about the various aspects of financial services and advice. It was during this time that he discovered a natural affinity for financial planning and investment management, eventually being recognized as the top planner in Canada at his previous firm.
www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTOS BY CARLOS A. PINTO
I really care about my clients and their wellbeing and put my heart and soul into it
JASON POLSINELLI PHOTOGRAPHED WITH A 2017 ACURA NSX V6 TWIN TURBO HYBRID SUPPLIED BY MAPLE ACURA AT THE ARLINGTON ESTATE
“Understanding all aspects of finance and advice allows me to provide the best service to clients that I can,” says Polsinelli. “I was a very good banker, but what I noticed early on in my career was that people were starving for advice and exceptional service. Moving into wealth management equipped me with the right tools to help customers better understand their estate goals, retirement, taxes, investments and a host of various other complex matters, enabling me to tailor financial advice and planning to clients’ unique circumstances and goals.” As an adviser, Jason has had immediate success and has grown an impressive book of business in just three years. And that success continues to this day: not only was he recognized by Wealth Professional Canada in 2015 as a top performer in the industry, but his client base continues to grow at a steady pace, thanks to word-ofmouth referrals based on his reputation, a noteworthy achievement in the very competitive field of financial planning, investments and advice. “Most of our business is due to referrals, based on the positive experiences of others,” explains Polsinelli. “People come to us for two main reasons: we look after their money so they may focus on enjoying life with the confidence that their wealth is being taken care of; and we are experts at advising clients on how to organize their lives to achieve their goals. Individuals, families, corporations, trusts, treasuries — our clients all have wealth, but each has
www.mycitylife.ca
Polsinelli has always believed that all personal success comes from doing what is best for others
issues and circumstances that require their own unique solution. Every day is something different.” Trust, confidence and honesty play a large role in the sensitive business of managing wealth, where customized solutions tailored to each client are of the utmost importance. This is a key area of focus for Polsinelli. These are the attributes that were instilled in Polsinelli
I’d like to think I’ve made the world a better place, especially in [improving] people’s lives by his family and continue to guide his work ethic to this day. “Trust is the glue that holds everything, including your relationships, together,” says Polsinelli. “I really care about my clients and their well-being and put my heart and soul into it. Each client is a new puzzle. Our team has the willingness,
knowledge and experience to analyze each piece and assemble it in a way that makes the most sense for their long-term betterment.” Another testament to Polsinelli’s character is his commitment to many local community causes in Vaughan, Ont. These have included: speaking to students at university as part of the Inspire North program, where he inspires in them the values of hard work, discipline and commitment to others; tree-planting; Italian heritage support; volunteering to help the growth of the Vaughan Film Festival; and his dedicated work in Youth Bocce, where he teaches the game to children and adults with special needs. “There is nothing more satisfying to me than community involvement. In some small way, I’d like to think I’ve made the world a better place, especially in [improving] people’s lives,” says Polsinelli. We all have our specialty areas — the things we do very well, based upon our education, training and experience. But when we are outside of our comfort zone, it is always wise to turn to experts in their fields who are also people of character, integrity and commitment whom we can trust. Similar to medical professionals guiding your health or professors teaching your children, the wealth management expertise of professionals like Jason Polsinelli can assist with providing guidance in our lives and the lives of loved ones.
Oct/Nov 2018
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art
Vella’s pop-up gallery in Yorkville Village displays everything she’s become known for, including many of her WIDE BIG EYES pieces
MICHELLE VELLA: With a new gallery in Yorkville Village and a booth at the upcoming Interior Design Show, Michelle Vella illustrates that it’s never too late to try something new WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER INTERVIEWED BY VICTORIA SCOTT
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www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO
“THE EYES HAVE IT”
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ontemporary artist Michelle Vella is a trendsetter and true original, bursting onto the arts scene just three and a half years ago by inventing an entirely new portrait style, WIDE BIG EYES, and reinventing herself in the process — at age 50. At 50, you’re pretty much locked and loaded onto life’s path and into your preferences. Vella, however, chose this time to completely change her life’s direction. After graduating with a bachelor degree, fine arts, in 1986, Vella decided she did not want to be a “starving artist.” She worked in an art gallery, later was involved in marketing in high-tech, learned Photoshop and design, was a portrait photographer and then started her own graphic design company in Vancouver in 2005. Moving back to Toronto in the spring of 2010, Vella continued pursuing her graphic design business, until the fall of 2014 when she started sketching and putting her art on Instagram. In May 2015 she discovered her WIDE BIG EYES signature style and her meteoric rise began. “I knew I had talent, but didn’t know how to express it. I started painting full facial portraits of people in the fashion industry, and that’s when I thought I could have a career as an artist and fashion illustrator,” recalls Vella. “My WIDE BIG EYES style started then because I was looking for a signature
www.mycitylife.ca
style and it developed quite naturally. I started to look at portraits and saw the eyes coming out of the face and I focused on that look,” she says. “That look” was an immediate hit with those in her orbit. When celebrated fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg discovered Vella via her Instagram posts, she just adored the WIDE BIG
There are no wrong answers when looking at a piece of art — it’s whatever you see in it EYES portrait Vella had posted of her and simply had to have it. W Magazine connected the two, and Vella personally delivered the portrait; the piece is now part of von Furstenberg’s art collection at the DVF Fashion House in New York City. Just months after its beginning, Vella’s reinvention and new career took off. Vella has now been featured on CNN Style, the Marilyn Denis Show and in countless magazines, including Elle Canada, Harper’s BAZAAR Thailand and W Magazine because of the captivating, almost hypnotic effect WIDE BIG EYES portraits have on the viewer and the eclectic personalities from pop culture Vella has chosen to feature. From the Beatles to Bowie and
Beyoncé, to the Rolling Stones, Gord Downie, Diana Ross, Twiggy and Audrey Hepburn, each of these familiar icons is given a completely new look by Vella’s signature style. Perhaps Vella’s most stunning work is that of Jackie O, with her trademark sunglasses, but made haunting by the choice of painting her in the pink jacket and pillbox hat she chose to wear on that tragic day in Dallas. “For my audience, it’s which icon they identify with,” says Vella. “It can be about the eyes, but also about the person, and they remind them of a time in their life, something that resonates to them about the legend they are looking at. There are no wrong answers when looking at a piece of art — it’s whatever you see in it.” Vella has since expanded her imagery onto hand-painted Bidinis luxury Italian bags and clothing, which fans enjoyed at her gallery’s pop-up in Yorkville Village this past September. She will also be launching her new WIDE BIG EYES Home Collection at the Interior Design Show from Jan. 17–20, 2019, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (booth 2135), which will include a capsule luxury furniture collection and home accessories, plus original art and limited-edition prints. Now a thriving artist, Michelle Vella is proof you’re never too old to explore new possibilities and opportunities, to push boundaries and visit new vistas, and that age is definitely just a number. www.michellevella.com @michellevellart
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A DV E R TO R I A L
BE PREPARED AND SAFE
FOR LIFECHANGING PLASTIC SURGERY
Working as a plastic surgeon for over 18 years, Dr. Guay is qualified to help inform those interested in learning more about plastic surgery
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www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTOS BY CARLOS A. PINTO
Dr. Nicolas Guay shares his advice after years in the industry to ensure those interested in plastic surgery are properly educated
We
recently met with Dr. Nicolas Guay at the beautiful Kleinburg Clinic for Plastic Surgery in Kleinburg, Ont., and his patient-centred approach to plastic and esthetic surgery resonated with our editor and staff. It was clear that Dr. Guay understands the power of education in his own life and in the life of patients seeking plastic surgery. After studies at the University of Ottawa, Université de Montréal and the renowned UCLA, Dr. Guay practised in Ottawa from 2000–13 and then moved to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to become corporate chief of surgery of three hospitals in the northern belt of Toronto. To bridge a gap in information on breast reconstruction in Canada, Dr. Guay created and founded a groundbreaking website, breastreconstructioncanada.ca, where cancer survivors are presented all options in care, are able to select an option and find a surgeon in their region who offers that option. With recent tragedies in the news related to plastic surgery performed by non-surgeons in non-surgical facilities, Dr. Guay understands there may be lack of education related to esthetic/ cosmetic surgery. We must also ask ourselves why a patient would take the risk of having plastic surgery in another country, when there are more than 100 board-certified plastic surgeons in the GTA (for example). Patients explain that they understand there are a lot of good surgeons in their region, but that some do not communicate in the way they want. Patients also clarify that communication is where trust is born, and that is how they select their surgeon. To avoid misleading information, Dr. Guay believes that if patients prepare for their plastic surgery consultation, they can remain safe and close to home. Dr. Guay shares with our readers the three steps to complete before an esthetic/cosmetic procedure in order to improve overall satisfaction and to help move this life-changing decision from emotional to rational: 1) Do your homework: Patients can easily find the best peer-reviewed information available through links on www.mycitylife.ca
Dr. Guay has been able to help hundreds of people, and even founded breastreconstructioncanada.ca to help cancer survivors
PATIENTS ALSO CLARIFY THAT COMMUNICATION IS WHERE TRUST IS BORN, AND THAT IS HOW THEY SELECT THEIR SURGEON the websites of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons or the Canadian Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Also, look for some excellent websites from members of these associations. Social media can be helpful, but be careful: 80 per cent of current social media posts in the United States are from non-plastic surgeons. 2) Select your option: Through his experience in the development of breastreconstructioncanada.ca, Dr. Guay learned that when people were given the right information, 95 per cent of them were able to select their option before seeing a surgeon. He believes this also applies to the esthetic/cosmetic procedures. Patients therefore should find a plastic surgeon who is a member of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons and who offers the patient’s options in that region and then start the conversation. 3) Select your surgeon: Once you meet your plastic surgeon, clear communication on your option or an alternative should only make you feel more confident about your decision. If you feel more confident about your
decision after the visit, then this is your surgeon. This preparation will assure that patients get a safe procedure by a boardcertified plastic surgeon close to home. Also, the improved communication with your physician will help you better tackle the unavoidable emotional ups and downs after an elective cosmetic procedure. And hopefully it will make you say, “I am so glad I did it,” which is the ultimate goal for both patient and surgeon after any esthetic/cosmetic plastic surgery. In order to support the readers of City Life, Dr. Guay will answer your questions on this topic or other healthrelated matters on social media. Send your questions to Dr. Guay; he can be reached through direct message at @citylifemag or call Dr. Guay for a free consultation at the Kleinburg Clinic for Plastic Surgery. Kleinburg Clinic for Plastic Surgery 8 Kellam St., Kleinburg, Ont., L0J 1C0 breastreconstructioncanada.ca Dr. N. Guay, B.Sc., MD, FRCS(C) 437-776-8887 Oct/Nov 2018
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A DV E R TO R I A L
with billing issues, MTE is a one-stop shop for its clients, says Kapralos. The staff’s years of experience in this industry paired with its dedication to service set MTE apart from its competition. For its corporate accounts, MTE offers quantity-based discounts and will provide accessories, including skins, lighter adaptors and tempered-glass screen protectors, for free. As well, MTE offers port credits — that is, compensation should you receive penalties after leaving an existing carrier — and provides clients
THE BELL-MTE MOBILENET ADVANTAGE KEEPING VAUGHAN’S CORPORATE CONSUMERS CONNECTED Experience, knowledge and service truly capture what Mario Kapralos and his team have created for their clients at MTE MobileNet Inc.
M
ario Kapralos was 24 years old and working as a letter carrier when his career took a turn. With his afternoons free, he started selling audio equipment for a friend’s business before moving on to a new piece of technology, the Alpine incar mobile phone. From there it evolved into strictly selling mobile phones, and he has never looked back. In 1986, he had a two-line ad in a national Canadian newspaper and he was armed with a Motorola mobile phone in his mailbag. Now, 32 years later, Kapralos is still selling mobile phones, only he does it as a dealer for Bell Mobility with his
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company, MTE MobileNet Inc. Known primarily as a corporate mobility dealer, the company’s specialty for the past 12 years, it can still help out with consumers’ phone and technological needs. “As a Bell dealer you have to carry all their products, so we’ll do retail mobile phones, we’ll also do home phone, Internet, satellite and Fibe TV,” says Kapralos. “But our main focus here is corporate mobility; it is what we specialize in.” With over 600 corporate accounts across Canada, the team at MTE takes care of everything for its clients. Whether that’s with servicing phones or dealing
with spare phones should they ever need to service one of their devices. Having worked in this industry for years, MTE has acquired many diverse clients across the country and even in Vaughan, Ont., itself. “To be in the business 32 years, it’s few and far between, so we do have that experience and we do have the connections,” says Kapralos. In fact, some of MTE’s clients include the City of Vaughan, which it has worked with for over 10 years, as well as various constructionbased companies and Toronto-based City Taxi. As a successful business owner within the community of Vaughan, Kapralos recognizes the value in giving back to others and taking part in community involvement. As such, MTE has organized various golf tournaments to support liver disease, through which the company has been able to raise over $100,000. As well, each year MTE donates over $10,000 worth of equipment to event fundraisers. “It’s always good to give back to the community,” says Kapralos.
4080 Highway 7, Unit 3, Vaughan, Ont. e-mail: info@mtemobilenet.com 905-856-4200 www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO
Kapralos (right) and his VP, Joe Aleandro, have been working together for 20 years
To be in the business 32 years, it’s few and far between, so we do have that experience and we do have the connections
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Oct/Nov 2018
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MCMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION ARCHIVES
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UNCOVERING THE MANY FACES OF
VAUGHAN A CITY OF FIRSTS, VAUGHAN’S RATE OF GROWTH OUTPACES BOTH THAT OF THE PROVINCE AND THE COUNTRY WRITTEN BY CECE M. SCOTT
1. Vaughan Metropolitan Centre - TTC subway station. 2. Locke barn raising, Edgeley, Ont., 1900. 3. Canada’s Wonderland. 4. Vaughan Metropolitan Centre VMC-YMCA, a centre of community, city library and recreation, opening fall 2019. 5. Hon. Maurizio Bevilacqua, P.C., mayor. 6. Vaughan City Hall. 7. North Maple Regional Park, phase one opened Sept. 22, 2018, comprising more than 900 acres of mixed-use public park space. 8. A.Y. Jackson unveiling his painting, First Snow, Algoma, at the official public opening of the gallery, July 8, 1966.
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www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTO BY THE ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM AND INFORMATION
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY OF VAUGHAN
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ho could resist the accolades relative to the speed in promise of a happy, which we have been able to grow and more meaningful life ultimately thrive.” — one that offers Shifman credits the growth to an integrated mix of a highly educated, multi-lingual both urban and rural living? The City workforce, a very strong transportation of Vaughan, Ont., with its world-class network, close proximity to both shopping, efficient transportation, the 400 series highways, which is state-of-the-art hospital and dedicated important for shipping, as well as the citizens who are committed to giving CN Railway. “We have a government back, touts the community as one that delivers big city living without the big city hassles. Kathy Davenport, a 20-year resident VAUGHAN IS ONE OF THE MOST of Woodbridge, Ont., and a teacher at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic INTERESTING, Elementary School, says that what she UP-AND-COMING appreciates most about Vaughan is the MUNICIPALITIES diversity of culture in the schools. “I Kathy Davenport and her husband, IN CANADA believe that everyone can learn from Jim, have lived in each other,” Davenport says. “And, not Woodbridge for two only is my neighbourhood friendly, decades — Brian Shifman, president and CEO, [but] my school community Vaughan Chamber of Commerce [also] has a great parent community milling, Vaughan’s flourishing who volunteers that is open for business. As well, resources now encompass an their time and we have what we like to think urbanized economy that boasts energy to raise of as a very strong chamber of multiple high-rise buildings; a significant funds commerce,” he says. diversity of restaurants that reflect Rich in history, Vaughan the multicultural palette of the city; for the school.” was originally settled by the Canada’s first and largest theme Encompassing the Haudenosaunee and Huronpark, the 134-hectare Canada’s communities of Maple, CN Railway Wendat First Nations communities, Wonderland; the Colossus Vaughan Kleinburg, Concord, who fished and hunted along the Cinemas, a multi-plex theatre with Woodbridge and (part of ) Thornhill, Humber River’s Carrying Place Trail. IMAX 3D, the first of its kind in Vaughan is one of the fastest growing Ontario when it opened in February Archeological treasures from this suburban cities in the Greater Toronto time, including traditional 1999; and Canada’s 10th-largest Area (GTA). With a population tools and longhouses, shopping mall, the Vaughan explosion of 80.2 per cent between have been discovered on Mills Shopping Centre. 1996 and 2006 (Statistics Canada), the Vaughan sites of Vaughan is also the first Vaughan, incorporated in 1991, is now Seed-Barker and Boyd suburban city to get its the GTA’s fifth-largest city, as well as (Woodbridge), as well as own Toronto Transit the 17th-largest city in Canada. the Jarrett-Lahmer site, Commission (TTC) “Vaughan is one of the most in Maple. subway line. interesting, up-andThe origin of In fact, the city’s growth coming municipalities the city’s name dates factor over the past eight to in Canada,” says Seed-Barker and Boyd back to 1792, when 10 years has been seismic. Brian Shifman, Lieutenant-Governor John Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua states president and CEO, Graves Simcoe bequeathed that, since he took office in 2010, Vaughan Chamber of the name to the region as Vaughan’s employment rate and Commerce. “Certainly, a means of recognizing and economic growth have outpaced we are one of the fastest honouring Benjamin Vaughan, the overall performance of the growing, based on various Lieutenant-Governor country, which in turn are motivators metrics, including the size John Graves Simcoe an instrumental negotiator in creating the Treaty of Paris for people to move or relocate to and growth of our business (1783). The pact ultimately ended the Vaughan. “The city of Vaughan is community, as well as our population. American Revolutionary War. well-regarded and has found a place The city has been named one of the From an economy that was among the emerging cities not just most lucrative places to do business, originally rooted in agriculture and in North America, but [also] in the and we have received a number of
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DEMOGRAPHICS AND ETHNICITY OF CITIZENS OF VAUGHAN The population of Vaughan grew
6.2 %
from 2011–16. The median age as of 2016 was
40.2 YEARS,
Visible minorities make up
35.4 %
of the population. Vaughan has small but growing Chinese, Hispanic, Jamaican, Indian and Vietnamese populations. According to the 2016 Census, English is the mother tongue of
45.2 %
PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO
of the residents of Vaughan, and Italian accounts for 12.3 %, followed by Russian (6.8 %) and Spanish (2.4 %).
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ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE OF 3.5 PER CENT OUTPACES BOTH THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO, AS WELL AS THAT OF THE COUNTRY
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which is lower than the Ontario median age of 41.3. Vaughan is known to have some of the highest concentrations of southern Europeans (notably Italians), eastern Europeans (chiefly Russians) and Jewish people in Ontario, while those who are of British and/or Irish origin form a smaller proportion than in many other southern Ontario cities.
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“ VAUGHAN’S
— Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, City of Vaughan
world,” says Bevilacqua. “People are attracted to Vaughan because of the great advantages we have in the city. We have all the attributes of a great city — a dynamic and safe community. People are also impressed by the incredible growth that the city has experienced over the past eight years, since I have been mayor, including the creation of more than 55,000 jobs,” he says. “And Vaughan’s economic growth rate of 3.5 per cent outpaces both the province of Ontario, as well as that of the country. All of these factors contribute to why people are drawn to, what I consider, is a city on the rise.” With the explosive growth of York Region, of which Vaughan is a part, a look at the volume and rate of crimes, year over year, as well as the measures being implemented by York Regional Police (YRP) to combat those crimes, are important to understanding the impact that the population growth has had on the community. “Property crime, which accounts Canada’s Wonderland for 58 per cent of all criminal work in No. 4 District, located in the city of Vaughan, is the main driver of our workload,” says superintendent Stu Betts, York Regional Police. “The top five offences within property crimes stated in order are: theft under $5,000; shoplifting; fraud; theft from motor vehicles under $5,000; and mischief to property.”
The second-biggest workload driver is crimes against people, which typically includes violent offences. Crimes against people comprise only 16.5 per cent of the criminal workload in Vaughan, representing a big drop from the property crime workload. “The top five crimes against people are: assaults (35 per cent of the crime calls); uttering threats (19 per cent); assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm (11 per cent); and harassing communications and sexual assaults, which represent five per cent of the workload in Vaughan and one per cent of our workload in the region,” Betts says. The third top driver, within the criminal aspect, is criminal traffic violations, which represent 12 per cent of YRP’s criminal workload in the city of Vaughan. In this category, failure to remain at criminal collisions tops the list at 59 per cent, while impaired driving, alcohol and drug violations collectively account for 29 per cent of the criminal traffic violations dealt with by YRP in the City of Vaughan. “The traffic component is a concern for us because it is alcohol and drug related,” Betts says. “Alcohol plays a role in so many of the investigations that we are involved in, with a lot of the assaults being fuelled by alcohol.” The legalization of marijuana on October 17 also has YRP concerned, not just for the impaired by drug aspect, but also for the impact it could have on property crimes. “We may see break and enters increase as people break into residential properties where cannabis is being grown,” Betts says. And that is a realistic concern, considering the stats: residential break-and-enter occurrences have increased almost 20 per cent over a five-year period and continue to be a concern throughout the region. Criminal offences in Vaughan are up 1.6 per cent between January 1 and September 18, 2018, and 6.75 per cent over a five-year period, which is consistent with the rest of York Region. However, shoplifting is down 24 per cent over the same time last year and down more than 17 per cent over the past five years. www.mycitylife.ca
being identified in Alessandra M. Pompeo, Maclean’s magazine’s who has lived in Vaughan 2018 report Canada’s for most of her 36 years, Most Dangerous Cities is one of those residents as one of the safest referenced by the mayor. A communities in Canada, communications adviser of regardless of population. website content management “Without reservation, I for the City of Vaughan, am absolutely confident in Vaughan Metropolitan Pompeo, her husband of nine Centre saying that York Region years, David, and her two is one of the safest communities in children, Elizabeth, 6, and Gabriel, 4, Ontario, if not the safest in Canada, live close to her childhood home in based on the size of our community,” Maple. “Safe” and “fun” are the two Betts says, who is a 21-year resident of words that come to mind for Pompeo York Region. when she describes what Vaughan was like when she was growing up. “I remember my community being safe, because it was safe to be outside, walk to the store or go for bike rides with friends, all without supervision or a cell phone, I might add,” Pompeo says with a laugh. “I remember my childhood being fun, because we always had opportunities to play and explore, whether it was our own backyard, the parks and playgrounds around the city or Canada’s Wonderland, which is right down the street,” she says. “We always had a great time. Currently, one of my favourite things to do in Vaughan — Superintendent Stu Betts, York Regional Police is to enjoy an afternoon in a café, in
“ WITHOUT
RESERVATION, I AM ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT IN SAYING THAT YORK REGION IS ONE OF THE SAFEST COMMUNITIES IN ONTARIO
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PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO
So what are the measures that YRP are taking to effect crime prevention in the region? “We have business intelligence tools that help us to identify, based on empirical evidence, what the drivers of our crime are,” Betts says. “We target those crimes and the underlying behaviours, and that helps us ensure we are in the right place, at the right time, with the right information, doing the right things. In fact, we did some significant work on organized crime rings that were in the Vaughan area committing shoplifting sprees. So when we look at incidents of shoplifting being down 24 per cent over the same time last year, we know that we have made a significant impact in the area of shoplifting. We measure crime, but we also measure our success in addressing those crimes.” The YRP works closely with its citizens and has many partnerships with businesses, retail establishments and agencies, such as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGO), to help fight crime at street level, believing that together we can make a difference on our streets, in our neighbourhoods, in our workplaces and our schools. This all contributes to the municipality of York Region
Alessandra M. Pompeo (far right), photographed with her family, who all live in Vaughan
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Group has been active in the a historical village such as Kleinburg The opening of the Vaughan community since or go out to dinner with family and new TTC subway the early 1970s,” says Peter friends. I love to take walks around our extension line, the Cortellucci, vice-president subdivision or along nature trails with Vaughan Metropolitan of Cortel Group. “It is a my family.” Centre Station, is great city with immense Pompeo lived in Schomberg, Ont., another boon to for two years, but really missed the potential, and it is ranked the city, providing things that were most important to one of the safest communities commuters easy and Peter Cortellucci, viceher, including family and friends. So, fast access to Toronto’s president of Cortel Group in Canada, with one of the she and David decided to move back lowest tax rates in the GTA. downtown core. The new to Vaughan. “As a mother of a growing station is part of a greater vision, one More importantly, it is a diverse and family, Vaughan has everything we accepting community, with citizens that encompasses the new Vaughan need, from great shopping and green who love their city. We are proud to Metropolitan Centre (VMC), spaces, to entertainment, services and call Vaughan our home.” the largest and most significant health care. Growing up here, we were Along with developing and building development project in Vaughan’s surrounded by farmland. In the early more than 2,000 units in Vaughan, in history. The VMC includes more than years, we had to do our shopping in 2015, the Cortel Group also built the 1.5 million square feet of commercial Richmond Hill, Ont., as there was first residential high-rise in Vaughan’s nothing available to us where we lived, new downtown. “We will be setting such as a large grocery store,” she the bar even higher in the Vaughan recalls. “Fast forward 36 years, and Metropolitan Centre with a new Vaughan has become the centre of all tower, which can be previewed at conveniences.” www.cgtower.ca,” says Cortellucci. With more than 11,000 businesses, The choice by major corporations, Vaughan has a strong and dynamic such as the Vaughan Mills Shopping economy. Areas of growth for Centre and Canada’s Wonderland, employment range from logistics to locate in Vaughan carries with it a to construction, building supplies, strategy that promotes these properties as ultimate destination centres. This in automotive and medical supplies, turn has been instrumental in raising a category in which Vaughan has a the city’s profile on a multitude of strong presence. And since Bevilacqua — Peter Cortellucci, levels, including an enhanced spike has been in office, close to $10 billion vice-president of Cortel Group in tourism. in building permits have The Vaughan Mills Shopping been issued, driving both Centre, opened in November 2004, office space, 750,000 square feet a strong economy then encompassing 1.1 million square of new retail space, 12,000 and increased feet of gross leasable area (GLA). In residences, a library, daycare opportunities for October 2014, an additional 150,000 centres and a YMCA. “We have diverse housing square feet was added, for a total of a tri-party agreement with the options. “Our YMCA,” Bevilacqua says. “It is a 1.27 million square feet of GLA. strategy is to co-operative partnership between “The centre, which is on one floor, intensify, which in turn the private sector, the YMCA has a race-track configuration,” says allows for more people Hon. Maurizio Bevilacqua, and the city. When a city gets a Stephen Gascoine, general manager to access the housing P.C., Mayor officially opening the Vaughan YMCA, it is a real of the centre. “Unlike most malls, we market,” Bevilacqua Metropolitan Centre statement; it is an are not anchored by large-format says. “Land is in high VMC-TTC subway station iconic institution retailers. Instead, we have 19 demand. And prices that literally serves smaller large-format retailers are very high because of the great thousands and throughout the entire perimeter advantages that the city has, as well as thousands of people. of the centre (there are 250 the strong economic and employment I know people will retailers altogether), along with numbers. One of the reasons that be drawn to that.” two sit-down restaurants (Pickle I championed secondary suites in New home builds Barrel and Szechuan Szechuan). our city was to help provide housing LEGOLAND by developers such as We employ approximately options that respond to the incredible Discovery Centre 4,500 people, full and part time, Treasure Hill, Canvas needs of the people who want to live throughout our spectrum of retailer Developments, Artista Homes and in Vaughan,” he says. “It is important offerings. I feel confident saying that the Cortel Group have been key to to find ways to diversify the housing 80–90 per cent of these employees live the rich development and explosion stock. Everyone understands the need, near the Vaughan Mills Centre.” of Vaughan’s population. “The Cortel and it is important to address it.”
“ IT IS A DIVERSE
AND ACCEPTING COMMUNITY, WITH CITIZENS WHO cover story LOVE THEIR CITY. WE ARE PROUD TO CALL VAUGHAN OUR HOME
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MCMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION ARCHIVES
The centre, which draws over 14 The original million customers yearly, has an McMichael Home, circa 1956 unusually large trade reach of 65 kilometres. A visit to Vaughan Mills is an experience that draws shoppers and tourists from well outside the city’s parameters. LEGOLAND Discovery Centre opened its first location in Canada, in the centre. And in late 2019, Vaughan Mills will be home to the world’s first off-resort Cirque du Soleil Creactive family entertainment centre. This 24,000-square-foot circus playground will offer visitors the opportunity to participate in a variety of Cirque du Soleil-inspired activities, including bungee jumping, trampolines, aerial parkour, mask design, juggling, circus track activities and more. “We are not just your standard shopping centre,” Gascoine says. “If you look back to when “We are one of the safest Vaughan Mills was originally built, communities in the country, largely the area was mostly agricultural. We because of the great ability of the had to compile several different parcels citizens to express and manifest a of land over several years in order to mutual respect and admiration for build. When the centre was one another,” says Bevilacqua. “We complete, we sold off are very well-known for our cultural parcels of land around diversity — it is a strength. People the centre, which here come together, regardless of spurred development background, and work together in the area,” he says. toward achieving the well“Vaughan Mills was defined goals of our city.” actually a catalyst These goals include being an for the development avant-garde dynamic city where of a large amount people live happy, meaningful The Cirque du Soleil Creactive of the area around lives. In fact, according to the family entertainment centre will open at Vaughan Mills the centre. We are World Council on City Data, late next year a fundamental and www.dataforcities.org, life significant part of Vaughan and have expectancy in Vaughan is one of the often been recognized by the mayor as highest in the world. an important part of the city.” Some of the factors With the dynamic growth and that will continue to expansion that has happened within ensure the happiness Vaughan over the past 10 years, a look of Vaughan’s citizens at the people who have contributed include the soonto the burgeoning outsized growth to-be-open North of the city is an interesting study in Maple Regional Park. the mosaic of diversity, acceptance At 900 acres, the park Humber River and tolerance. Known to have some is one of the largest of the highest concentrations of in any city, and it is southern Europeans (notably Italians) larger than New York City’s Central and eastern Europeans (chiefly Park (840 acres). “An incredible Russians), there is also a strong Jewish transformation in the spirit of the city population. The diverse spectrum of has happened over the last eight years,” cultures contributes to the wealth of Bevilacqua says. “The city’s image has dining and entertainment experiences vastly improved.” in the city. Vaughan also enjoys a variety
cover story
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of private and public golf courses, including the prestigious Eagles Nest Golf Club, Copper Creek Golf Course and the Thornhill Golf & Country Club. Nature lovers can enjoy a Zen experience at the 325-hectare Kortright Centre for Conservation, as well as the Boyd Conservation Area, located at the headwaters of the Don and Humber rivers. Boyd Conservation provides opportunities for serene walks, hikes and picnics. And if the expanding progress of the city is too much for Vaughan residents, they can step back in time and experience life as it was in the 1860s, at Black Creek Pioneer Village. The working village has a blacksmith shop, a weaver’s shop, a harness and saddlery shop and a mill. While Vaughan has grown in leaps and bounds across a broad spectrum of core measures, its past is steeped in landmarks and famous citizens. Group of Seven painter A.J. Casson and his wife would house-sit for Robert and Signe McMichael, the founders of Kleinburg’s renowned McMichael Canadian Art Collection, when they were away. Fellow Group of Seven painter A.Y. Jackson resided with the McMichaels from 1968–74. “A.Y. Jackson was close friends with Robert and Signe, and resided with them at the gallery for a few years,” says Sam Cheung, media Oct/Nov 2018
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“ EVEN AFTER I FIRST PHOTO BY NEIL NEWTON, MCMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION ARCHIVES
Group of Seven artists A.J. Casson, F.H. Varley and A.Y. Jackson visiting Kleinburg, circa 1960s
and communications co-ordinator of the McMichael. “By then, the McMichaels had begun turning their home into the art gallery. Some of our visitors recall Jackson speaking to various guests at the gallery. Fredrick Varley, another Group of Seven member, also came to the gallery, where he would visit with fellow Group of Seven artists.” Intriguingly, the McMichael cemetery is the final resting place for six members of the Group of Seven, their spouses, and Robert and Signe McMichael. Part of Vaughan’s captivating history is its inspirational and often worldfamous people, some native to the area and others with a history in the CITY LIFE MAGAZINE
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— Russell Peters
(skeleton discipline), author and television personality Pierre Burton and Citytv Breakfast Television co-host, Dina Pugliese, also lived in Vaughan. Happily, there is still lots of room for the up-and-comers of Denis Shapovalov Vaughan. Tennis darling Denis Shapovalov, Canada’s top-ranked tennis player and a Masters semifinalist at the 2018 Madrid Open, lived in Vaughan. His mom, Tessa, who, along with Martin Laurendeau, is Denis’s coach, owns and runs tennis programs under TessaTennis, in Concord. NBA Minnesota Timberwolves’ small forward/ shooting guard Andrew Wiggins is from Vaughan. city, who have flourished on the world World-famous comedian Russell stage. Renowned cosmetics innovator Peters, known for his politically and entrepreneur Elizabeth Arden, incorrect humour and his racial who famously said, “Every woman has stereotype blasting, lived in Vaughan the right to be beautiful,” was with his family for a few years born in Woodbridge, in and still owns a house there. “I 1878. Lord Beaverbrook love Vaughan, or as I prefer (Max Aitken), a local to call it, ‘Woodbridge.’ Maple native, became I’m comfortable there. I owner of the masshave family who live there. circulation London Daily My brother, Clayton, and Express, as well as the I bought a townhouse in London Evening Standard. Vaughan, in 2001,” he says. Elizabeth Arden Lord Beaverbrook is “It was our first house, and we credited with helping to bought it together. I still own define the role of journalism in society. it for sentimental reasons; this was Former Ontario premier Mike Harris the house I lived in when my career (premier from 1995–2002), 2006 blew up in 2005. It’s where everything Olympic gold medalist Duff Gibson started happening for me,” Peters PHOTO BY THE ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM AND INFORMATION, MCMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION ARCHIVES
Robert McMichael signing the gift agreement, with Premier John Robarts and Signe McMichael, November 18, 1965
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MOVED TO THE STATES, I BOUGHT ANOTHER HOUSE IN WOODBRIDGE — THAT’S HOW MUCH I LIKE IT THERE
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says. “And even though I live in Las well as the fact that Vaughan has been Vegas and L.A., I still get my hair cut able to maintain a spirit of quaintness by Frank at Ultimo Hair Design on in places such as Kleinburg. We have Woodbridge Avenue. He gives me forests with trails right across the the best haircuts, and I’ve been going street from my school, which makes to him for years now. I’ll literally get me feel like I am up North. What we off a plane and go straight to Frank’s have is a rural setting within an urban before I go anywhere else when I come environment,” Davenport says. back home. Even after I first moved to Next year’s opening of the the States, I bought another house in Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital was Woodbridge — that’s how much I like identified by both Pompeo and it there.” Davenport as a key and critical Among the many pluses that addition to the pluses of living Kathy Davenport says she enjoys in Vaughan. about living in Vaughan include the The dedication to furthering community centres, in particular the positive experiences within the Vellore Village Community Centre Vaughan community by an eclectic and the Al Palladini Community Centre, where she loves to swim; the fact that everything is central; the strong sense of community and friendly neighbours; and the safety factor. “I feel quite safe at night when I am walking alone, either in the park or on the street,” Davenport says. “I also like the fact that the Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre is close by. And I find the new subway a big plus for when I want to go downtown to live theatre shows. The new subway — Alessandra M. Pompeo line in Vaughan makes it and wide range of people quite convenient to access and organizations is both downtown Toronto.” notable and encouraging. Davenport also The Cortel Group’s many loves the many diverse philanthropic initiatives festivals that Vaughan include supporting local hosts, including the charities, sports teams, Binder Twine Festival, cultural events and citywhich is held in September, Mackenzie Vaughan building and participating in Woodbridge’s Fall Fair, Hospital initiatives such as the new Rib Fest and Pizza Fest. YMCA and the Vaughan Smart Cities The free summer Music in the Park Advisory Task Force. Most recently, concerts, held in various parks in the family has supported the Mario Vaughan, are also a major plus to & Nick Cortellucci Hospice Palliative Davenport. Care Centre of Excellence (opening Even with the explosive growth in 2019). “As a family, we are mindful in Vaughan, which has seen a huge of the important work that Hospice number of suburbs sprouting up, along Vaughan provides to our community. with a significant increase in traffic, Its care, love and understanding of Davenport says she is happy with the people’s needs during sensitive and considerable changes that Vaughan challenging times are a testament has experienced. “I appreciate the to its nurturing human spirit,” considerable resources available to me and the proximity of those resources, as Cortellucci says.
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AS A RESIDENT, I AM VERY PROUD OF VAUGHAN, WHERE IT HAS COME FROM, AND WHERE IT HAS YET TO GO
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The new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, which the mayor says is part and parcel of the city’s coming of age, is a study in firsts. It is the first hospital in Vaughan and the first hospital in Canada to feature integrated “smart” technology systems and medical devices that have the capability to talk to each other directly, in order to maximize the exchange of information. Located at the corner of Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive, the hospital is slated to open sometime in 2020. With 342 beds, 1,800 full-time staff and 1.2 million square feet of space, Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be a world-class health-care facility that the citizens of Vaughan will be proud to call their own. And to exemplify the undeniable and dedicated commitment to furthering the well-being of Vaughan, this past June the DeGasperis and Kohn families jointly gifted the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital with a $20-million endowment. This bequest will be used to help build and equip the hospital’s state-of-the-art Learning Centre, so that health-care professionals can have access to the enhanced clinical education and training that will be instrumental in providing first-rate health experiences for Vaughan residents and neighbouring communities. Too, as Mayor Bevilacqua’s Agenda for Change rolls out, he will be announcing, shortly, his plan to bring a university to the city of Vaughan. “I never thought the city would have everything it does today — a mall, a subway and even a hospital,” Pompeo says. “As a resident, I am very proud of Vaughan, where it has come from, and where it has yet to go. I have been to a lot of places in the world and I can confidently say that there is no other place where I feel more at home. There is a sense of comfort here. And the big advantage is, I am able to raise my family in a city that I love so much.”
Sources: Statistics Canada. “Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity Highlight Tables.” November 2017. www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/imm/Table.cfm?Lang=E&T=34&Geo=3519028 Retail Council of Canada. “Canadian Shopping Centre Study 2017.” Available at www.retailcouncil.org/2017-canadian-shopping-centre-study. Vaughan residents can learn more about YRP crime prevention programs at www.yrp.ca/en/crime-prevention.asp
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Keeping you up to date with the lifestyle, fashion and automotive finds that you will be sure to fall in love with
Editor’s Picks
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1. RIME ARODAKY: Sunglasses that sparkle like a new bride from the Rime Arodaky Wedding Dress & Honeymoon Collection www.rime-arodaky.com 2. H&M: A cute pig cushion, ideal for babies www2.hm.com/en_ca 3. CROSSWATER LONDON: This Crosswater London faucet is an elegant addition to any bathroom in need of a little pizzazz www.crosswaterlondon.com 4. H&M: Close your eyes, and with this sea-scented candle imagine yourself gazing at the sea www2.hm.com/en_ca 5. H&M: For everyday attire or an evening out, this original piece is sure to spice up any woman’s wardrobe www2.hm.com/en_ca 6. H&M: This brown blazer is both versatile and flattering when worn with matching pants for a fetching suit ensemble www2.hm.com/en_ca 7. ZILLI HOME: Add a touch of class to your living room with Zilli Home Interiors Adalena dining table with a marble top and gold stainless steel base www.zillihome.com 8. LEGO TECHNIC: The first real-life Bugatti Chiron is created completely by Lego Technic www.lego.com 9. CASAMIGOS TEQUILA: Relax and enjoy a smoky casa margarita by Casamigos Tequila, founded by George Clooney www.casamigostequila.com 10. OHHIO: Chunky and knitted, this pet bed is a natural aphrodisiac for your furry friend www.etsy.com 11. H&M: This porcelain dish is handy for rings and other small jewelry www2.hm.com/en_ca 12. H&M: A stylish Diesel shirt with a twist — fitting for any teenaged boy’s fall wardrobe www2.hm.com/en_ca 13. SEEDLIP: Envision yourself in the countryside as you sip this distilled, non-alcoholic spirit with notes of peas, hay, spearmint, rosemary and thyme www.seedlipdrinks.com 14. H&M: This faux leather boot is not only elegant, but also comfortable with its rounded toes and satin lining www2.hm.com/en_ca 15. RIME ARODAKY: A romantic wedding dress for the classic bride who wants to feel and look refined, graceful and — above all — beautiful on her wedding day www.rime-arodaky.com 16. TEA FORTE: The Ultimate Gift Set provides the quintessential tea experience for two, complete with an assortment of 20 blends and 40 signature silken pyramid infusers www.teaforte.com
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Literature
a t i V e c l o La D Living life the Italian Way
Kamin Mohammadi’s novel, Bella Figura: How To Live, Love, And Eat The Italian Way, documents her journey away from the stresses of life by adopting a new approach. This story illustrates a year in her life on her journey toward self-acceptance
O
ne of the world’s most famous museums was fifteen minutes from my apartment. The Uffizi was between my bridge and the Ponte Vecchio on the other side of the Arno. At the end of the Ponte Vecchio a long loggia of open arches crawled along the river, its stone legs duplicated in the water. Above the arches was another story, punctured with small windows, an unbroken line that ran from the Uffizi all the way across the river and into the Oltrarno to the massive complex of the Palazzo Pitti. The Vasari Corridor had been constructed to allow the Medici to walk from their palaces on one side of the river to the other. Giuseppe told me that there had originally been butchers along the Ponte Vecchio but the smell of flesh had disturbed the Medici on their promenades along the Vasari Corridor, and so the edict that the Ponte Vecchio should house only jewelers had been issued—this is how it has remained to this day. The Uffizi palace, unlike the buildings flanking it, jutted out toward the river, displaying three splendid arches set with statues and held upright by classical Doric columns—Vasari’s ode to Etruscan classicism. I could see people pouring through the loggia like an army of busy ants. I was convinced that Florence was not really a city at all, but a village. The population was less than half a million, and while there were some tourists around now, I knew that
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the hordes would arrive in the warmer months, when each Florentine would be outnumbered seven to one by foreigners. Florence might be a village, but a glorious Renaissance village that just happened to produce some of the world’s greatest art and architecture, and invent banking and money in the form of the florin, Europe’s first coin. It invented fashion too—an inevitable product of the Florentine love of both art and commerce. Cloth produced from Tuscan sheep had been so brilliantly washed and dyed in the soft waters of the Arno that Renaissance Florence had become the largest cloth-manufacturing center in Italy. Style and fashion still flow in Florentine veins: Fashion Week was born here in the 1950s, before Milan stole her crown in the 1970s. So a village then, but one that just happened to have people buried in its churches whose names are instantly recognizable: Michelangelo, Galileo, Lorenzo di Medici, Machiavelli, even Lisa Gherardini—the Mona Lisa herself. Soon after arriving, I had applied for a “Friend of the Uffizi” card, which for an annual fee would give me unlimited entrance to all the state museums without having to book or stand in line. It took me a few days of poking around the Uffizi’s large crowded courtyard and colonnaded outer halls to locate the Friends office. The lady in the office gave me an appointment for three weeks later. I asked why I couldn’t simply make my application then. She looked at me as if I had asked her to resurrect Michelangelo so I could meet him.
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“But no, is not possible now,” she said, as if the reasons were obvious. “You must come back on February first. Opening hours from ten until five, but the office is closed between twelve and four for lunch . . .” The appointed day arrived and the lady grudgingly handed over the card with my name on it. The Uffizi seemed to want to actively discourage people from having easy access, and I couldn’t really blame it. Outnumbered as they are by tourists, perhaps this was just one of the ways in which Florentines fought back against the mass invasion of their city. Elated by this victory, I popped into the great gallery, skipping happily past the line and presenting my card with a flourish, entering the venerable halls with the same thrill as when blagging my way into London nightclubs when I was seventeen. I wandered the famous corridors, walking into rooms arbitrarily, until I was stopped in my tracks by Botticelli’s enormous painting of the Birth of Venus, shining down golden from the wall. I sank down on the seat in front of it. I had no desire to go anywhere, just to take in every detail, letting the colors, her expression, the light emanating from the painting seep into every bit of me. The healing power of beauty. Wasn’t that what Old Roberto had said—stay and let the beauty heal you? February had arrived with an extracold blast and one day early in the month, I noticed with a shiver that the heating had stopped working. When I met Giuseppe on the street outside the forno that morning, he promised to send me Guido, the old plumber who had one of the workshops on the street—San Niccolò was lined by workshops and artists’ studios, oldfashioned even for Florence. I knew Guido by sight; I saw him every day in Rifrullo talking at the top of his voice to Pavarotti, or on the street shouting out instructions with much gesticulating to his young sidekick. A large round man with white hair and a worn-in face, Guido was a deeply embedded part of San Niccolò life, and now at seven o’clock in the evening he puffed up my stairs tailed by his handsome assistant. When they rang my doorbell, I was talking to Kicca in London on Skype, the free Wi-Fi having mysteriously failed to switch off as usual. Kicca has been my closest friend since we met in London more than fifteen years ago. Nearly every memory of the past two decades of my life included her—the parties, the boyfriends, the happiness, the tears, the wardrobe crises—she had been there through them all.
Kicca was from Rome, beautiful, black-haired and blackeyed, slim, with an athletic figure and a natural six-pack that never ceased to impress me. She had impeccable taste in everything: her dress sense was artistic, colorful, and elegant, she cooked beautifully and her homes were always gorgeously eclectic shrines to her travels. Kicca displayed the best example I knew of bella figura; way before I had come across the concept, she embodied it. She had lately discovered another passion: tango. And, irrespective of the fact that she was in her late thirties and had never had any dance training, Kicca had, of course, in her typical way, started dancing professionally on the London stage within months of starting to take lessons. It wasn’t long before her passion drew her to visit Argentina, and on her return she told me she had decided to move to Buenos Aires as soon as she could sell her aparment in London. When she announced her decision to leave, I cried for a month. I could not imagine life without her. And then I too was suddenly on the move. To Kicca’s home country, no less. Perhaps I rushed off to Florence so quickly because I couldn’t face seeing Kicca leave. In the end, I left London before she did—Kicca was still busy preparing her move when I arrived in Florence. Now, as Guido knocked on the door, I kept the video on; she could help me communicate with him. I invited him in, showed him to the kitchen, and pointed him to my laptop, where Kicca’s face filled the screen. His eyebrows shot up when she started to talk to him in Italian and he chuckled. “Ma dai!” he exclaimed. “Guarda Gabriele”—indicating the sidekick—“vieni a guardare . . .” Gabriele’s dark curly hair was worn a little long, there was an earring in his left ear and muscles rippling under the wintery layers of clothes. He too peered at Kicca and they all started talking at once in the Italian way. Finally, Guido held up an authoritative hand, and Gabriele fell silent while Kicca explained the problem. Off they went to the bathroom to examine the boiler, Guido reappearing after a few minutes. Looking at me, with a wrench in his hand, he explained something to Kicca while Gabriele walked through the kitchen and out of the apartment. Kicca translated for me: Gabriele had been dispatched to the studio to get a spare part that would fix it. In the meantime, Guido was in the mood to chat. I offered him a coffee and a chair. He declined the coffee but sat down gladly in front of Kicca on the computer, leaning into the screen.
I wandered the famous corridors, walking into rooms arbitrarily, until I was stopped in my tracks by Botticelli’s enormous painting of the Birth of Venus, shining down golden from the wall
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He pointed to Kicca’s dance partner, who was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen behind her, and asked if that was her husband and what he was doing. Kicca was laughing too by now, saying to Guido that no, this was not her husband, but Guido would not stop. “Allora, fidanzato?” I recognized the word for boyfriend, but as she was trying to explain he interrupted her, quizzing her on what he was preparing for dinner, and for a few moments they chatted about food, Guido lamenting Kicca’s misfortune at being stuck in “the land of tasteless vegetables.” Eventually, she told me that he had finally approved her dinner and wanted to know what I was eating tonight. “He says he is worried you don’t eat properly, darling,” she said, still laughing, as he interjected with dramatic gestures from his seat. “He says you only eat a slice of pizza for lunch—he’s discussed it with Pierguidi the baker . . .” At my protestations, Guido himself addressed me in Italian. “He wants to know what you are going to cook for dinner,” Kicca translated. “Tell him I can’t cook. I will probably just go to Luigo’s and have some bits and pieces. Or open a can of tuna . . .” At this Guido grew agitated. He approached my fridge, and, opening it, he pulled out all the salad leaves I had there. Filling the sink with water, he threw in handfuls of different leaves and left them to soak. Then he asked me if I had pasta and a can of tomatoes. I pointed him to the cupboard, asking Kicca: “What’s he doing?” “Well, it looks like he is going to cook for you . . .” “Are you serious?” Guido turned toward us and told me, through Kicca: “I am going to teach you how to make the most simple and delicious dish of pasta. A beautiful woman like you cannot waste away on cans of tuna! Mamma mia, che peccato!” I wanted to say that I was hardly in danger of wasting away, but instead I watched him get busy: he smashed cloves of garlic with one big hand clenched into a fist, telling me to open the can of tomatoes, talking all the while as Kicca furiously translated. I asked why he didn’t use the garlic crusher I had found at the back of a drawer—there was no need for Kicca to translate his reaction of horror. When Gabriele returned, I watched them both season and taste the tomato sauce as it simmered, discussing whether it needed more salt or
perhaps a pinch more black pepper. The apartment was filled with noise and laughter and fizzing smells, suddenly, atmospherically, Italian. Guido instructed me to toast some pieces of bread, and, pulling them out of the toaster, he cut a clove of garlic in half and rubbed the fat end over the toast, smearing it with a pungent layer of paste. He then cut up a tomato, crushed it onto the toast, leaving traces of pulp, poured on some oil, and sprinkled on some salt. “Eccolo,” he said, kneeling on the floor, holding out the plate toward me with a flourish with one hand while the other hand clutched his heart. We were all laughing so much that only Guido’s repeated protestations made me eventually reach for a piece of toast. “Yum,” said Kicca across the ether, her face distorting as she came closer to her camera. “Crostini! Typically Tuscan, darling, and oh God, I wish you could give me one.” I understood Kicca’s envy as soon as I took a bite. Toast had never tasted so good, so sweet, so garlicky, so delicious. I turned to the grinning Guido and offered him the dish. He delicately picked up a small piece with his rough hand. Gabriele too took a slice, and for the first time since they arrived, there was silence as we all crunched and “aahhed” our way through the crostini. At some point, Gabriele went to the bathroom and fixed the boiler while I filled what looked to me like an unnecessarily large pan full of water at Guido’s insistence. “Pasta,” Guido explained, leaning over me, “needs a lot of water and space to turn in. This is not too big, even for one portion.” He saw me reach for the oil to pour into the water and gasped dramatically, holding my arm. “No no no no!” he admonished. He told me that if the pan was large enough for the pasta to move freely in the water, there was no need for oil to stop it from sticking together, just a quick stir when the pasta was first thrown in. He added salt only when the water was boiling. By now Gabriele had joined us in the kitchen, and as Guido and I bent over the stove, I noticed him talking urgently to Kicca, having taken off his jacket, flexing his muscles, striking pose after pose. “He is asking me if I think he’s handsome.” Kicca couldn’t stop laughing now. “Darling, these two are the most dramatic plumbers I have ever met. They make me miss my country!” Guido snapped curtly at Gabriele and he stopped posing and got busy draining the lettuce leaves and drying them in
The apartment was filled with noise and laughter and fizzing smells, suddenly, atmospherically, Italian
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a tea towel, the ends of which he held together and swung around to absorb the water. Throwing the leaves into the bowl I gave him, he dressed the salad with oil, the juice of half a lemon, and plenty of salt. He indicated for me to taste—it was delicious, the salad leaves crisp and fresh, the dressing just sour enough. I thanked him and he blushed, placing the salad on the kitchen table. He joined Guido in draining the pasta, the two of them throwing the twists of fusilli into the pan of simmering tomato sauce, Guido stirring it all with a wooden spoon to make sure each piece of pasta was coated with tomato, while Gabriele tore leaves of basil into the mixture. I fetched a plate and set a place. The men handed me the steaming bowl of pasta, the smell filling my kitchen. They pointed for me to sit down, while I kept repeating “Grazie. Grazie mille!” unable to quite believe what had just happened. Guido and Gabriele bowed deeply, Guido taking my hand and kissing it. “Now eat immediately, it’s no good cold!
We will see ourselves out.” And with that, the Dramatic Idraulici left me with a homecooked meal on the table, my radiators fired back to life, and the best laugh Kicca and I had had together in ages. I decided to try the simple pasta sauce for myself a few nights later. And I managed it okay, by and large, at least after I had put out the fire that flared out of the oil I left on the stove for too long. Throwing in the tomatoes, the flames that exploded from the pan nearly took off my eyebrows. I turned off the heat and flapped at the pan with a tea towel. The fire soon died and, once I had opened all the windows to clear the smoke and wiped up the splattered oil, I managed the rest of the recipe with no further incident, not even overcooking the pasta, which Guido had insisted had to be al dente—with a bite. I may have had to pencil in part of my singed left eyebrow for a week, but I was proud nonetheless of my first home-cooked Italian dish.
Excerpted from Bella Figura: How to Live, Love, and Eat The Italian Way by Kamin Mohammadi. Copyright © 2018 Kamin Mohammadi. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
BIOGRAPHY: KAMIN MOHAMMADI
K
amin Mohammadi is an author, journalist, broadcaster and public speaker. Born in Iran, she and her family moved to the U.K. during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. As a journalist she has written for the British and international press, including The Times, the Financial Times, Harper’s BAZAAR, Marie Claire, Mail on Sunday, Condé Nast Traveller (U.K. and Italy), Psychologies, Donna Moderna (Italy), Grazia (Italy), Men’s Health, The Sunday Times (U.K.), The Sunday Times of India, The Mail on Sunday, Virginia Quarterly Review and the Guardian, as well as co-authoring The Lonely Planet Guide to Iran and numerous other travel guide books. Her journalism has been nominated for an Amnesty Human Rights in 48
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Journalism award in the U.K., and for a National Magazine Award by the American Society of Magazine Editors in the U.S. Kamin has authored two books. They are: Bella Figura: How To Live, Love, And Eat The Italian Way (Bloomsbury in U.K., April 2018; Knopf in U.S. May 2018; Appetite Random House in Canada May 2018 and another eight countries so far), and The Cypress Tree: A Love Letter To Iran (Bloomsbury, 2011) which was published in Italy as Mille Farfalle Nel Sole (Piemme Voci, Sept 2013). She contributed an essay to the Italian anthology: Pensiero Madre (Neo Edizione, June 2016). She has spoken on Iranian issues at universities, conferences and peace events, including at New York University in Manhattan, a briefing to NGOs, lobbyists and senators on Capitol Hill. She has appeared at various literary festivals around the world, including
the Jaipur Literature Festival 2012, the Bath Literary Festival and the Oxford Literature Festival several times, as well as Asia House London’s Festival of Asian Literature three times. An avid commentator, she has appeared on BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour, Midweek, Four Thought and The World Tonight, BBC World Service’s Outlook and The World Today Weekend, Channel Four Radio’s The Morning Report, Monocle Radio’s Monocle 24 and India’s NDTV. She has appeared in the BBC (television) documentary Iranian Enough? and helped to write and co-present the BBC World Service’s three-part radio documentary Children of The Revolution. She was a major contributor to the BBC Radio Four series Escape from Tehran. She is a regular presenter of BBC R4’s Four Thought.
www.kamin.co.uk www.mycitylife.ca
A dv e r to r i A l
Creating Confidence with Brows for the Brave What began as a typical giveaway has transformed into one of Vaughan’s most inspiring initiatives
W
photos by Carlos a. pinto
hile offering a microblading treatment giveaway two years ago, Ashley Perri, owner of Skinprovement, was messaged by a woman whose sister was living with cancer. The recognition that she and her team at Skinprovement could help those who have experienced tragedy in their life was all Perri needed to branch out with a new initiative — yet another way to help those within the community. The Brows for the Brave initiative was created to instill confidence in women and men who have suffered with cancer or other illnesses in their life and are living with the reminders each time they look in the mirror. “At Skinprovement, we believe there is a strong connection between looking your best, feeling confident and being empowered. If you have that extra bit of confidence, it may just help you on your journey to good health, especially after suffering from an illness,” says Perri, who was the recipient of the Young Entrepreneur Under 40 Award at the 2018 Business Achievement Awards. “I’m inspired by these brave individuals overcoming these obstacles, and I’m
Microblading, or feathering, is a semi-permanent makeup technique that enhances the look of an individual’s eyebrows, using pigments that match and blend with the original colour while creating natural-looking hair-like strokes
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“After being diagnosed with and surviving breast cancer, one of the hardest things was the reminder of it every day when looking in the mirror and having no eyebrows. Ashley gave me back my confidence, in such a simple act. Brows for the Brave gave me back my eyebrows. Words cannot thank her enough for helping me return to the woman I once was.” —Ana Maria A.
“I recently had microblading done at Skinprovement and am very happy with the result. As a childhood cancer survivor, I have always been self-conscious about my eyebrows. After radiation treatments, my eyebrows never grew back, and I have always pencilled them in. This has always made me self-conscious. After having the microblading done, it has given me a well-needed boost in self-confidence. Brows for the Brave is a great program to boost one’s selfimage after an illness.” —Rebecca S.
ida tesa (left), the Brows for Brave ambassador, and Ashley Perri, founder of Brows for the Brave and owner of Skinprovement. Since beginning Brows for the Brave two years ago, Skinprovement has offered more than $35,000 worth of treatments to deserving recipients
grateful to have an opportunity to make a difference, one brow at a time.” Working with clients through the years who have grown close to Perri and her team, they have witnessed first-hand the people who benefit from these treatments, and what this can do to improve the morale of individuals who walk through their door. In the future, Skinprovement hopes to create a not-for-profit organization that will continue to offer these complimentary microblading services on an even larger scale, helping as many individuals as possible. To become part of this initiative, the first step is to get a doctor’s note stating it is safe for you to receive microblading services due to past/current illness and then book a Brows for the Brave appointment through Skinprovement Medi Spa & Laser Clinic.
Skinprovement 3590 Rutherford Rd., Unit 6, Vaughan, Ont. 647-668-5494 www.skinprovement.ca www.skinprovementorganics.com Oct/Nov 2018
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With the recent release of home sales data, the world of real estate has been turned on its head. What will this access mean for buyers, sellers and realtors?
real estate
THE NEW WORLD OF REAL ESTATE WritteN BY MYLES SHANE
On
December 1, 2017, the Federal Court of Appeal upheld a ruling from Competition Tribunal Canada that Canada’s largest real estate board must allow its realtor members to make home sales data accessible online, dismissing a Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) appeal. Shortly after the appeal court ruling, websites such as MongoHouse.com and HouseSigma.com began publishing and sharing online the selling price of particular houses, which TREB had argued violated consumers’ privacy. TREB CEO John DiMichele has said that “the board is concerned and believes strongly that personal financial information of homebuyers and sellers must continue to be protected and only safely disclosed with their knowledge and informed consent.” He reiterated that TREB disagreed with the appeal 50
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court’s decision and wanted the decision argued in the Supreme Court of Canada. On August 23, 2018, the Supreme Court brought a final end to the lengthy and exhausting conflict between Competition Tribunal Canada and TREB. Based on the latest decision published on the Supreme Court website, TREB’s appeal was dismissed, which has forced its member real estate agents to publish home sales data on their websites. MongoHouse.com and HouseSigma.com are websites that are slowly eliminating the role of real estate agents and putting buyers, sellers and investors in the driver’s seat. These websites provide the final sale price data of every house in Canada by using technology that allows artificial intelligence to correctly estimate Canadian home values in real time. With a single click, homebuyers can acquire a precise automated home
valuation for every listing within a second. The algorithms also correctly recognize the value of similar houses sold nearby, helping buyers to decide on their final offer price. According to MongoHouse.com co-founder Max Maison, who is delighted with the 2018 court ruling, “MongoHouse welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision to refuse to hear an appeal from TREB, which was aimed to keep home sales data strictly in the hands of realtors. The court ruling does not mean the battle for real estate data transparency in Canada is over. TREB will most certainly try to limit the amount and scope of data they share, but this is a huge leap in the right direction and overall great news for consumers.” MongoHouse has been serving consumers since late 2015. Maison also says that “MongoHouse has about 90,000 registered users from the Greater Toronto Area. We have doubled the [number of ] registered users since December 2017, when the first court ruling came out. Other analytics provided by Google show 35 per cent of our users are between 25 and 44 years old, while the 45–54 age group makes up about 20 per cent of our clientele. The site has almost a 75 per cent retention rate among visitors.” And, he says, “almost 60 per cent of our clientele are male. We’ve had almost 450 milllion page views since we started.” Further, Maison says that they “would like to see a governmentcontrolled database and government set guidelines to regulate real estate data.” Brian Facey, TREB’s legal counsel, indicated that the Supreme Court order requires that TREB make available the “Disputed Data” (which includes sold data) in the VOW Datafeed within 60 days. As such, TREB is going “live,” complying with the order to allow all members to be on a level playing field. Joseph Zeng, co-founder and CEO of HouseSigma.com, was overjoyed with the Supreme Court’s ruling. www.mycitylife.ca
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SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER
na JenMORTON
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ince starting her blog, Prada & Pearls, in June 2017, Jenna Morton has been connecting women worldwide with affordable and trendy fashion and beauty products. As a fulltime chartered accountant, Morton pursues her passion for beauty and fashion in her free time. Collaborating with Upper Canada Mall and working as its Social Media Influencer, this blogger has picked out her favourite products you need this fall season. For beauty, she fell in love with the new Norvina Palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills. With metallic shades and warm-toned shadows, these colours are right at home in fall. To brighten up the home, oil diffusers are a great choice. Not only do they leave your home smelling great, but they also add moisture and have really amazing health benefits. Covering fashion, Morton picked out some rust-coloured booties, a cosy sweater and a black fedora, the staples she always gravitates to when styling fall outfits. Be sure to check out Jenna’s blog and get over to Upper Canada Mall to pick up these hot finds.
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“HouseSigma thought the decision by the Supreme Court was long overdue for Toronto homebuyers and sellers. This ruling will definitely open up a new era of data transparency and solution for the Canadian real estate industry.” Zeng also thinks that “the battle for real estate transparency is 100 per cent over. TREB might still want to limit the amount and scope of data they share, but that will be up to how TREB is going to interpret the ruling, as well as how the competition bureau will enforce the ruling,” he says. “We saw an 800 per cent increase in our traffic right after the ruling, which means this is what the homebuyers have been waiting for.” Kyle, a divorced construction worker, was living with a friend in a rental apartment. In the ’90s, he used a real estate agent to buy a house and found he had to rely on all of their information and was skeptical that they weren’t always telling the truth. “You had to make sure they weren’t taking you for a ride. I heard about HouseSigma from a friend at work, and I loved it. I actually studied the site for two months and learned all about the housing market. HouseSigma lets you think outside the box,” he says. “You don’t have to drive around to dozens of locations. The app let me figure out which neighbourhood I wanted to buy a condo in, how much money other condos in the area were selling for, as well as condo taxes and condo fees. The app made the process much easier.” Says Kyle: “When I was ready to look at my chosen condo, [HouseSigma] hooked me up with its in-house agent Ben. Ben made an electronic offer on the condo I wanted, and we negotiated with the owner from there. It was a really quick process. Without HouseSigma’s input, I would have overpaid for the two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 800-square-foot condo I purchased in [the Mississauga, Ont., neighbourhood of ] Erin Mills.” How will agents be affected by this ruling? Real estate agent Ken Wilder, founder of The Real Estate Coach, where he teaches young agents to sell, explains: “I now have to deal with the ramifications of telling a client that I am no longer able to keep his sale price private and that it will likely be on
many websites for the world to see.” Marcus, a PhD who bought his Harbourfront property five years ago, believes he probably overpaid for the property because his agent wanted to make more money off of him. “This time, I didn’t want to make the same mistake. I don’t want to be upsold,” he says. With a wife and a young family, Marcus was looking for a bigger place to raise his kids. “I want my kids to attend a great school and to live in a safe area.” But Marcus didn’t pick the traditional route to find his dream home. Instead, he checked out MongoHouse.com, stumbling onto it while googling information on properties. “MongoHouse is fantastic. Once you’re on the site, a Google-type map comes up, and you can determine in which zone you want to buy a house. The site let us screen all the houses in the neighbourhood and what they have sold for,” he says. “Every day, I was provided with fresh updates on which houses were for sale, how much neighbouring houses were selling for and if there were open houses. I don’t believe an agent would have given us daily updates with all the current information. As well, MongoHouse.com is free.” Marcus and his wife decided on six potential houses. At that stage, they brought an agent into the fold, but they received a sizeable discount, as they had done a good part of the work themselves. “The sole purpose of our agent was to handle the details.” Their offers were based on the information the couple gathered from MongoHouse.com. “I probably saved between $150,000 and $200,000 using MongoHouse,” says Marcus. In the end, the family purchased a fivebedroom house in Toronto’s Lawrence Park neighourhood. With so many companies using artificial intelligence, it was only a matter of time before the technology became a major ingredient in the real estate world. Will companies like HouseSigma.com and MongoHouse.com turn the industry on its head in the long-run? Or perhaps buyers should follow Marcus’s human footprints and combine the best of both worlds. www.housesigma.com www.mongohouse.com www.trebhome.com www.mycitylife.ca
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Get the inside scoop on what the city has in store this fall
▼ Autumn’s beAuty on full displAy At the Kortright Centre Nowhere is autumn’s beauty better experienced than at the Kortright Centre for Conversation, which between Oct. 6 and 28 is featuring guided fall colour walks or self-guided tours. Bring some food to enjoy over a crackling fire and tour the Archetype Sustainable House with sustainable technologies throughout. www.kortright.org the Kortright Centre
▶ Big LoneLy Doug At the Art gAllery of ontArio Big Lonely Doug by Harley Rustad is the story of a 228-foot-high, 1,000-year-old Douglas fir tree standing, quite alone, in a clear-cut area in B.C.’s Gordon River Valley. On Friday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., join Rustad in conversation with Sarain Fox about the splendour and history of one of Canada’s last great trees. www.ago.ca ▼ A new fAmily winter trAdition opens At CAnAdA’s wonderlAnd The place for summer fun now extends the enjoyment with the new WinterFest opening in November 2019 at Canada’s Wonderland. The park will be magically transformed into a winter wonderland with spectacular holiday lights and décor, world-class live entertainment, seasonal treats and experiences. www.canadaswonderland.com
Alo restAurAnt ▲ booK now for your tAble At Alo, CAnAdA’s no. 1 restAurAnt Canada’s top-rated restaurant, Alo, at 163 Spadina Ave., is available for bookings in its dining room two months at a time. Bookings for November and December open at 10 a.m. on Oct. 2 through tocktix.com. It’s the ideal place for the meal of a lifetime. www.alorestaurant.com ▶ the greAt wAr flying museum pAys homAge to heroes Located at the Brampton–Caledon Airport, the Great War Flying Museum honours the pilots who served with gallantry and distinction during the Great War of 1914–18. The museum is open Saturday, Sunday and holidays from
the greAt wAr flying museum
11 a.m.–4 p.m., with crews on-site Tuesdays and Thursdays between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. performing maintenance and repairs. Admission is by donation. www.greatwarflyingmuseum.org
CAnAdA’s wonderlAnd peel Art gAllery museum ▲ peel Art gAllery museum And ArChives mArKs end of the greAt wAr Nov. 11 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War. In tribute, the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives is showcasing two notable local exhibits: Peel Stories from WW1, from Nov. 10 through Oct. 6, 2019, and Capturing the Moment, from Nov. 29 through March 17, 2019. www.pama.peelregion.ca
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CAmpAgnolo
▲ CAmpAgnolo explodes onto the sCene with itAliAn CooKing At its best Campagnolo Toronto at 832 Dundas St. W. has been voted by enRoute magazine as one of Canada’s best new restaurants. With a revolving menu of Italian fare in an eclectic setting, Campagnolo has two seatings nightly, from 5:30 p.m., and features a family-style seasonal tasting menu for six or more. www.campagnolotoronto.com ▼ evergreen briCK worKs’ diy biKe worKs Deep within the Don Valley is a haven for bikers: the Evergreen Brick Works’ Bike Works do-ityourself bike repair and mechanical workshop. It features all the tools and expert knowledge you need for repairs and beyond, so bikers can enjoy nature’s habitat within the city. www.evergreen.ca
sundAy performing Arts series ▲ evergreen briCK worKs’ sundAy performing Arts series The perfect Sunday escape is staged at the Evergreen Brick Works’ Sunday Artisan Market. On Oct. 28 there will be a Day of the Dead celebration recognizing Latin American culture with music and traditional dance, including Dia de Muertos celebrations songs. www.evergreen.ca
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Profile
MENTAL HEALTH: THE SLOPES AND SUMMITS
Canadian freestyle skier and Olympian Travis Gerrits shares his journey with mental health, as he supports the RBC Race for the Kids
PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO
INTERVIEWED BY VICTORIA SCOTT
The RBC Race for the Kids is the primary funder for the Family Navigation Project at Sunnybrook, which provides support and navigation through the mental health and addiction service system for youth aged 13–26 in the GTA
Q: Can you tell us about your journey with mental health? A: I remember experiencing symptoms of mental illness for the [majority] of my life; even at a young age of 12, 13 years old I remember not feeling quite right. I’d initially gone to see my family doctor when I was probably 14 or 15 to actually find the right resources and people to help me because I knew I was struggling … It wasn’t until 2014 after the Olympic Games where things got so rough, if you will, that I checked myself into the emergency room and I needed to see a qualified professional in the field of mental health.
PHOTO BY KEVIN VAN PAASEN
Q: How does your mental health translate in your skiing career?
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A: For me I can’t associate mental health always with the negative side of things. My personality makeup and the way my mind works have definitely helped me achieve some amazing things in sport, as well as hindered certain [other] aspects. www.mycitylife.ca
My perseverance and all-or-nothing attitude [is such that] if I want to do my quadruple twisting triple backflip and complete it on snow I’m going to do it … Finding a balancing act in life was working through my mental health issues alongside sport education and family. Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a professional freestyle skier? A: Yeah, from a very young age. So Mom put me in gymnastics when I was just two, my mom and dad put a dog leash on me and pushed me down the ski hill on my first pair of skis when I was six, I became a national-level trampolinist before the age of 10 and then I was like, why not just combine all of that stuff together, the acrobatic skills that I’d learned with the skiing skills that I’d built up over the years, and do flips on skis — why not? Q: What sort of reaction did you get when you initially announced your diagnosis, and how has it been since then? A: It was interesting because as an RBC Olympian now I had come out with the fact that I struggled with mental illness before RBC and I decided to partner, and initially I was worried [what they would] think of that, of being with an athlete who advocates for mental health. And it’s so refreshing to see RBC work for the Race for the Kids coming up and in support of not just mental health but especially youth mental health as well. I’ve seen the work that they’re doing and the success stories that come out of these projects and it’s second to none in their care. Q: How are RBC’s Race for the Kids and Sunnybrook’s Family Navigation Project able to raise awareness and create support for mental health? A: What’s amazing about RBC helping fund Sunnybrook’s Family Navigation Project is really their focus on the entire family, so it’s not just the care and resources for that one individual who needs help but it’s [also for] that support system that comes with them. Family are often your first line of identifying crisis or www.mycitylife.ca
shedding light on a situation where that individual may not have the clearest mind to identify what they’re going through. That support system at home comes from the support of races like the RBC Race for the Kids, and it’s great to be associated and partnered with an organization that you can get behind because you know they’re doing the right thing.
we don’t all have the answers right away. Q: What are a few things that you enjoy doing in your free time? A: My dad and I are doing a lot of fishing this summer, I’ve had my most recent knee surgery and I wanted to take the summer and really just focus on getting Gerrits made his Olympic debut competing in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics where he came seventh in his division
Know that you can still be successful and achieve any goals or dreams that you have by working through any struggles you’re having with the right support system
Q: What advice would you give to those dealing with their own mental health challenges? A: No matter what you’re struggling with, whether it’s mental health or physical health, it doesn’t always have to be seen as a negative; it most definitely helped me in certain aspects of my skiing career that led me to a silver medal at the World Championships and seventh place at the Olympic Games. And know that you can still be successful and achieve any goals or dreams that you have by working through any struggles you’re having with the right support system. Q: How do you feel you can become the best version of yourself? A: I think it’s a never-ending process; to continue to better yourself should be the end goal of everyone, it’s tough … I’m still in a learning process [myself ];
healthy … I also started working with my dog Tia, she’s a chocolate Old English bulldog, offering therapy services in oldage homes, hospitals — it’s all charity and volunteer work, but it gives me purpose as well. Q: What goals do you have moving forward? A: I’d like to just stay positive and keep working toward just health itself. Finding the right people to talk to [is crucial], and if I can encourage even just one person through speaking out about my own struggles to get the help they need, that would be worth it to me. support.rbcraceforthekids.ca sunnybrook.ca/content/?page=family-navigationproject www.travisgerrits.com @travisgerrits Oct/Nov 2018
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CITY NOTEBOOK A STAR IS BORN AT TIFF Links of London and Audi Canada co-hosted the post-screening event for A Star Is Born, following its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. This inspirational story has been given new life by director Bradley Cooper, with a reinvigoration of this classic tale since its previous versions, released respectively in 1937, 1954 and 1976. With notable attendees, including the stars of the film, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who walked the red carpet, other notable names who attended the event included Salma Hayek, Darren Criss and Fefe Dobson. The event, hosted at the Concert Hall in Toronto, was a roaring success. www.linksoflondon.com
PHOTOS BY GEORGE PIMENTEL
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www.astarisbornmovie.com
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1. Salma Hayek 2. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, photographed together celebrating the North American premiere of their film 3. Dolly Wells 4. Anthony LoGerfo (centre) and Corey McCormick (right) attending the post-screening event 5. Kardinal Offishall
PHOTO BY RICH FURY
QUINCY — TIFF PREMIERE Step into the life of Quincy Jones with Netflix’s new documentary, Quincy. Premiering Sept. 9, 2018, at the Princess of Wales Theatre, this film gave viewers an inside look at one of the most prominent individuals in music and pop culture for the past 70 years. Following the life of this acclaimed trumpeter, producer, conductor, composer and arranger, the film documents Jones’s transcendence of musical and racial boundaries that make up the United States. The premiere, held during the Toronto International Film Festival, was followed by a live performance of one of the original songs from the movie written by Quincy Jones and Mark Ronson, and performed by Mark Ronson, Chaka Khan and Yebba Smith. www.tiff.net/tiff/quincy
Left to right: Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan and Mark Ronson pose on the red carpet
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{ CLIENT TESTIMONIAL } For the last two decades, I’ve struggled with problematic facial hair that made me uncomfortable in my own skin. No matter what I did to minimize the hair growth, it was a losing battle. No amount of tweezing, waxing, laser or expensive makeup could remedy the situation. Then I met Angela at Neece Electrolysis, and my whole life changed. She was very welcoming, and I could tell that she genuinely understood my struggles and had a solution for me. She was honest when explaining that we were dealing with an issue that wouldn’t be resolved overnight.
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CITY NOTEBOOK
REETU GUPTA Having worked in the same company for 20 years, from reception to accounts to sales, Reetu Gupta has seen all facets of the business. Now with her wealth of experience, she has been named the new president and CEO of the Easton’s Group of Hotels and the Gupta Group. Reetu is following in the footsteps of her father, Dr. Steve K. Gupta, who will now occupy the role of founder and chairman of both companies. www.guptagroup.ca www.eastonsgroup.com
2 PHOTOS COURTESY OF YAMAHA MUSIC SCHOOL
PHOTO BY ROBIN GARTNER
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YAMAHA Yamaha Music School has opened its new location in downtown Markham, housed in the complex at Warden Avenue and Highway 407. Previously located in North York for 35 years, the school’s new location will act as a hub for the surrounding community. The ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of this state-of-the-art facility hosted dignitaries, including Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Deputy Consul-General to Japan Satoshi Ominato, and the president of Yamaha Canada Music, Kenichi Matsushiro, all of whom spoke at the event. Classes are open for all ages, with programs for everyone from young children to young adults to seniors. Come foster your love of music with Yamaha Music School. www.yamahamusicschool.ca 1. Left to right: Steven Butterworth (Yamaha Canada Music, VP of Musical Instruments Group), Satoshi Ominato (deputy consul general to Japan), Kenichi Matsushiro (Yamaha Canada Music, president), Frank Scarpitti (mayor of Markham), Gus Marcelino (Yamaha Canada Music, GM of operations), Stephen Couldridge (Yamaha Canada Music, national manager of music education) 2. A Yamaha nine-foot concert grand piano is the centrepiece of the new music school’s modern performance and recital space
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ORIGINAL & CUSTOM DESIGNED JEWELLERY
The contemporary Hotel Novotel Toronto Vaughan offers simple elegance and an award winning culinary team making the hotel a sought-after venue for baptisms, communions and other special celebrations. Make your next event memorable at Novotel Vaughan. Choose from Trio Restaurant or one of our private function rooms. We look forward to welcoming you!
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CITY NOTEBOOK 1
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NKPR IT HOUSE EVENT 4
PHOTOS BY ERNESTO DISTEFANO
Another year, another great IT House party. Kicking off on Sept. 6 until Sept. 8, in collaboration with Scott Brothers Entertainment, NKPR threw the party of the year, featuring hair and makeup touchups — courtesy of the sponsors Lise Watier, Swarovski and OGX Beauty — and drinks for the thirsty guests made from Hounds Vodka. With a major focus on the music and film industry, IT House featured talented musicians, actors and directors through performances and panels. With notable stars such as Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner, Mila Kunis and more making an appearance at its parties over the years, IT House is the place to be. www.ithouseproducersball.com
1. Viola Davis at IT House 2. Laura Vandervoort 3. Left to Right: Cast of TIFF film Skin, Bill Camp, Mike Colter, Danielle Macdonald, Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman 4. Property Brothers Jonathan Scott and Drew Scott (left) join Natasha Koifman, president of NKPR, at the IT House x Producers Ball 2018
This month marked Hillcrest Mall’s initiative with the Sandgate Women’s Shelter. After celebrating the recent renovations at Hillcrest and the completion of its North Wing with the opening of HomeSense and Marshalls, the mall dedicated its centre court to donations for Sandgate from Sept. 22 to Oct. 5. Setting up a vignette with furniture items purchased from HomeSense, the mall welcomed shoppers and vendors alike to drop off their donations. The mall’s initiative brought the community together, bringing things into perspective and giving a new meaning to the shopping mall experience: instead of buying for yourself, you can buy to donate to someone else. “We’ve had such success with the community; [it’s] such a giving and philanthropic community,” says Lisa Resnic, the marketing director of Hillcrest Mall. “It’s engrained in the culture in this town.” Hillcrest is dedicated to community involvement, and this initiative illustrates the way people can be brought together to help those who are struggling within our community. www.hillcrestmall.ca www.sandgate.ca
PHOTO BY DALE WILCOX PHOTOGRAPHY
HILLCREST MALL
Local developers TACC Developments, along with Arista Homes, DECO Homes, Fieldgate Homes and OPUS Homes, won big at this year’s BILD Awards, presented by the Building Industry and Land Developments Association (BILD), which recognizes quality and innovation in all facets of the creation of new homes in the Greater Toronto Area. This year the group of developers was awarded the prestigious Project of the Year, Low Rise Award for its Richlands Community. This award was based off of a wide variety of criteria, including community design, green initiatives, home designs and overall sales and marketing. Individuals from TACC Developments, Arista Homes, DECO Homes, Fieldgate Homes, OPUS Homes, Guidelines Advertising, and Williams and Stewart receiving their award
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www.bildawards.ca www.decohomes.ca
www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTO BY AMARA STUDIOS
LOCAL BUILDERS WIN BIG
CITY NOTEBOOK JACKSON FAMILY WINES AT PLANTA TORONTO Sept. 17 marked a full-bodied evening, ripe with delectable vegan dishes and vegan wines, thanks to Jackson Family Wines. Hosted at Toronto’s Planta restaurant, the event presented guests with samples of vegan products from wineries across California. Though it may sound shocking to some, often animal proteins are added to aid in the fermentation process of wine. Jackson Family Wines has created products that do not require that step. These vegan wines were paired with dishes prepared by the executive chef, David Lee. Jennifer Huether and John Szabo, two of Canada’s top master sommeliers, hosted the evening and educated guests on plant-based and sustainable wines. www.jacksonfamilywines.com
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PHOTO BY STEVE RUDDY
www.plantarestaurants.com
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1. Ariana Ayoub and Eva Avramis from the SickKids Foundation accept the donations raised from Andrew Mizzoni’s Charity Golf Classic 2. Attendees at this year’s event having a great time at the second hole
PHOTO BY BORIS RAJESKI
2018 ANDREW MIZZONI CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC
4 1. One of the dishes served at the event, created by executive chef David Lee 2. Jennifer Huether and John Szabo, two of Canada’s top master sommeliers, leading the evening 3. The Edmeades Vineyard, located in Mendocino County, California 4. The Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates and Gardens, located in Sonoma County, California
This summer, the Andrew Mizzoni Charity Golf Classic held its annual event, raising money for pediatric cancer research at SickKids Hospital. Hosted at the Nobleton Lakes Golf Club, this charity event saw approximately 200 people in attendance, including local politicians, doctors and nurses from the hospital, as well as current patients and those who were patients in the past. With this outpouring of support, this year’s event raised a grand total of $26,000 to aid in this worthy cause. www.sickkids.ca
Call us today for your FREE ESTIMATE.
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Community
THE VAUGHAN FOOD BANK: THE HEART AND SOUL OF A CARING COMMUNITY The Vaughan Food Bank has been helping those in the community for decades and thanks to its new location, it has no plans on stopping anytime soon
T
here is no question Vaughan, Ont., is booming: it’s one of the fastest-growing regions in Canada, if not North America. It has a new subway to a new and burgeoning Metropolitan Centre and downtown. It has new exhibits and venues showcasing culture and the arts. It has new, upscale retail supercentres and public institutions and one of the highest standards of living in the country, as evidenced by the magnificent homes and estates dotting the region. It also has a food bank. Seemingly incongruent to the wealth and prosperity on display daily in the region, the Vaughan Food Bank at 5732 Highway 7 in Woodbridge, Ont., brings a much-needed public service to thousands every year in this land of plenty. It has been doing so since 1995, having just moved to its new location last year in search of a larger space to accommodate its growing need. The Food Bank donates more than one million meals per year from this facility, many to individuals and families, and many to various agencies throughout York Region that in turn do community outreach. 66
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WRITTEN BY RICK MULLER INTERVIEWED BY VICTORIA SCOTT
“Our new warehouse is unbelievable,” says Peter Wixson, president of the Vaughan Community Information Centre and executive director of the Vaughan Food Bank, which is an arm of the Information Centre. “We’re able to drive right inside during bad weather to unload and sort, and our volunteers are better prepared to work in this extremely safe environment.”
We screen all the people who come in, and not all food banks do that The new and larger space also allows the Vaughan Food Bank to provide something to its clients you may not have considered: more confidentiality. “We screen all the people who come in, and not all food banks do that,” says Wixson, a volunteer for 30 years. “We ask for photo ID, proof of income, proof of residence and rental agreements, and from this information we can be sure if they actually need the food bank, so we can be assured we are truly helping the needy.”
Like so many other non-profit community service organizations, the foundation and strength of the Vaughan Food Bank are in its volunteers. In fact, it is operated entirely by volunteers — there are no paid staff. It is supported by contributions from various corporations and generous individuals, as it receives no monetary support from municipal, provincial or federal governments. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for operations, and Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for clients. For potential volunteers, this is the ideal place to dedicate some hours that provide a real sense of giving back to the less fortunate in their community. For students, community and corporate groups, or caring individuals, the Vaughan Food Bank is grateful for their valuable time. As they say, “Hunger takes no holiday.” Vaughan may indeed be booming, but the Vaughan Food Bank is testament that it is also a caring and compassionate community full of people with heart. And that is, quite possibly, its greatest wealth. www.vaughanfoodbank.ca www.mycitylife.ca
PHOTO BY CARLOS A. PINTO
Peter Wixson, executive director of the Vaughan Food Bank, joined by some of the dedicated volunteers who make everything possible
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