small businesses : Featured Stories

It's no secret that councillors are divided on the issue of nightlife. Efforts are in place to regulate the number of clubs and bars in Parkdale, but embracing nightlife and considering the formation of a working group may be a better option, say club owners. 

The 2013 Vital Signs report indicates a city in rapid transition, bringing with it a new realm of opportunities and challenges. We summarize some of the findings in the first of many features dedicated to breaking down the issues outlined in the Vital Signs report. 

Local food means something different in Regent Park, a neighbourhood that is striving to make locally grown food a standard for its residents in an effort to support farmers and community wellness.

For Toronto startup Clear Blue Technologies, the future is the past. The company has turned to smart off-grid technology to wirelessly control solar and wind power via cloud computing. 

The Akiwenzies have sold sustainably caught fish at farmers' markets in Toronto since 2006, but their future is uncertain. They worry an extension allowing communities to fish in their Reserve bays will disrupt fish levels and hurt their eco-friendly business. 

Local SPIN-farmers are using small plots of land to grow fresh produce in urban environments. The movement supports eating locally, all while creating jobs and taking advantage of underused backyards. 

Donny Ouyang has been a leader in entrepreneurship since he was only 15. Now 21, he just returned from representing Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance Summit and is now preparing to take Rayku, his on-demand learning company, to critical mass. 

We may not have our own Japantown, but the GTA has more than 700 Japanese restaurants in the region. Now, with eastern North America's first sake brewery, Toronto may become a leader in a new, hungrier breed of Japanese culture. 

In an attempt to meet the needs of 21st century industries, Toronto universities are looking to the startup world for inspiration. They've launched entrepreneurial programs, incubators and accelerators to ensure graduates learn to think creatively.

Twitter launched its Canadian office last week, and former CBC exec Kirstine Stewart is at the helm. With Marisa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg making headlines for their work at Silicon Valley tech companies, Yonge Street looks at Stewart and two other women who are leading Toronto's tech industry.

From beekeeping to mad science, a group of Ryerson students are using their entrepreneurial know-how to improve the lives of people in the GTA and around the world. Now, they've won an opportunity to compete internationally. 

Ryan Dyment, co-founder of the Tool Library and soon-to-be-unveiled Toronto Timebank, opens up about the Zeitgeist movement, leaving the rat race, and his vision for a resource-based economy. 

Camaraderie, one of Toronto's first coworking spaces, recently expanded and relocated to the west end. We talked to co-founder and owner Rachel Young about her plans for the new space and her interest in developing a new Dundas St. West BIA. 

At Komodo OpenLab, it's not just the innovations but the innovators that make the company unique. In partnership with Toronto colleges, software developer Eric Wan helped create a revolutionary product that is allowing people with disabilities--including himself--to control mobile devices through wheelchairs. 

From old to new, St. Clair West is a neighbourhood in transition. While the right-of-way streetcar plan continues to divide the area, businesses are growing and the streets are becoming more beautiful. The common thread? The community itself.