In The News

Surge in visitors to TO drives increasing number of hotel rooms in 2011

CTV News Wednesday, February 01, 2012

2011 was a record year for tourism in Toronto, according to new figures released by Tourism Toronto officials. As reported by CTV, not only did Toronto surpass the nine-million visitor mark for the first time, 2011 also saw an increase in overnight visitors from the United States, something that hasn't happened in the city since 2006.

"Tourism Toronto president David Whitaker says 2011 also saw growth in the number of visitors from overseas markets such as China, India and Brazil."

"Among the Canadian provinces, Ontario, Quebec and Alberta accounted for the most visitors to Toronto."

"Due in part to increased demand, 1,118 new hotel rooms opened in Toronto in 2011, placing Toronto third in growth in North American cities behind New York City and Nashville."

read full story here
original source CTV News

Travel mag ranks Bayview station among world's 15 most beautiful subway stops

BootsnAll Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Online travel magazine BootsnAll lists Toronto's Bayview Station as among the "15 most beautiful subway stations in the world."

Opened in 2002 and designed by Stevens Group Architects, Bayview Station is singled out for its high-ceiling entrance pavilions, long-angled roofs and for showcasing wall projections by Toronto artist Panya Clark Espinal.

"Throughout the station, you can see From Here Right Now, a trompe l’oeil installation by Toronto artist Panya Clark Espinal. Her website explains that in From Here Right Now, 'twenty-four hand-drawn images have been 'projected' onto the architecture of the station so that when seen from the original location of projection, the images are crystalized and realistic, but when seen from other locations they appear to be abstractions. These images act as beacons, drawing the viewers along various paths of movement. Depicting everyday objects and simple geometric shapes, the images are rendered in an uncommonly large scale and in unusual orientations, allowing one to interact playfully with them as one moves through the space."

read full story here
original source BootsnAll

Toronto's new Trump hotel recognized for glitz, glam and... restraint

Forbes Wednesday, February 01, 2012

The Toronto Trump Hotel opens its doors this week, further strengthening Toronto's reputation as hotspot for international luxury travel. Located at Bay and Adelaide, the new tower—which stands 65 storeys tall and is topped by an articulated spire—is now Canada’s second tallest structure.

"A three-dimensional cherry blossom branch is mounted behind the reception desk on LED-lit black glass. Rendering courtesy Norm Li AG&I Inc."

"While Trump's signature grandiose style may mark the exterior of the tower, its interior is purposefully restrained (though you'll still find plenty of glitz and glam in the sophisticated hotel's public spaces). Local Toronto design firm II by IV incorporated a 'champagne and caviar' color scheme throughout the hotel and its 18,000 square foot 31st-floor skyline spa (opening soon). Your first glimpse of the design style will be in the street-level lobby, where white semi-precious onyx wall panels imported from Milan add drama, as do the laser-cut gray granite inlays on the floor and the dramatic, smoky beveled mirror hovering overhead. Light boxes displaying diamond necklaces and other jewels accent the space, and a can't-miss-it three-dimensional crystal cherry blossom branch mounted on LED-lit black glass behind the reception desk."

read full story here

original source Forbes

Are we having a Seattle moment?

New York Times Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The New York Times writes on why Toronto just might be the "pre-eminent city for pop music in the whole wide world." Feist, Drake, The Weeknd and Austra, are among the Toronto artists whose 2011 albums were met with national and international acclaim.

"Now, to fully conprehend the parameters of this debate, you need to understand two things: 1) Toronto is intrinsically uncomfortable at being called the best at anything in the world, let alone calling itself the best at anything (full disclosure: I am from Toronto); and 2) Not all that long ago, Toronto couldn't even credibly claim to be the best music city in Canada, as that title pretty clearly belonged to Montreal (with Halifax making a strong case for second place)."

"Jon Pareles, chief pop critic for The New York Times, named Feist's Metals as his favorite album of 2011; his colleague Jon Caramanica chose Drake's Take Care. Nitsuh Abebe, music critic for New York magazine, picked Feel It Break, the debut by Toronto synth-pop group Austra. Meanwhile, the editors of Spin went with David Comes to Life, the electrifying concept album by local punks [and here's that name we can't print again!], and marked the occasion by tarting up Damian Abraham, the band's formidable frontman, for its cover."

"Mayer then concedes that unlike, say, Seattle, Toronto doesn't have a defining sound—though this musical diversity bolsters his argument more than it undermines it. He also points out that, a few years back, Toronto's music scene had a similar moment in the spotlight, stoked by certain American publications—though, if anything, the current scene is bigger and more internationally successful than ever before, mostly thanks to her and him."

read full story here
original source New York Times

Time-lapse video captures Toronto's nonstop construction

Yahoo News Wednesday, January 25, 2012

ConstrucToronto, a time-lapse video making the rounds on the Internet, documents Toronto's seemingly unstoppable high-rise construction. As reported by Yahoo News (who also featured the video), there is now almost more high-rise construction in Toronto than all of the US combined

"If you live in the city of Toronto almost everywhere you look you will see new construction. There is so much the National Post referred to it in a headline as the 'city of mass construction.' But rarely do people get to view it in fast forward. When one photographer started to see a building going up, the camera started rolling."

"'I thought I'd try to document it as best I could,' said the filmmaker, who goes by the handle FMR on vimeo. 'My second attempt at a 'time-lapse' and 'tilt-shift' piece.'"

"There are 132 buildings under construction in Toronto, followed by 88 in Mexico City and 86 in New York City. In all of the US, there are only 139 highrises being built. And Toronto isn't the only Canadian city with a boom. Calgary, Vancouver and Mississauga are building eight, seven and six high-rises respectively."

check out video here

original source Yahoo News

Queen West's Type Books scores viral hit with playful video of books gone wild

NY Daily News Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Toronto bookstore Type Books is getting international attention after the shop's stop-motion film The Joy of Books went viral on YouTube. The short film—in which books seemingly come to life at night—had nearly 1.9-million hits within one week of being posted.

"Sean Ohlenkamp, creator of the vibrant and lovely stop-motion short film The Joy of Books, is one such literary soldier. His battle cry comes in his closing frame: 'There's nothing quite like a real book.'"

"The fantastical short film is set in Toronto bookshop Type. Books come alive after a shopkeeper leaves for the night, much like the toys in Pixar films spring to life as soon as humans leave the room. The books dance, spin on their spines, frolic and even shift spots on their shelves in a circular pattern to mimic fans doing the wave at a baseball stadium."

"The film is magic (aided by great Harry Potter-esque music via Grayson Matthews) and it's easy to imagine the books are so alive with characters and places and heartbreaks and great loves and wonderful adventures that they can't help but wriggle and quake in their bindings."

read full story here
check out video here
original source NY Daily News

Unlike in those living south of the border, Canadians really are living the American dream

Globe & Mail Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Globe & Mail writes on the state of economic mobility in Canada. Unlike our neighbour to the south, Canada is among the world leaders in economic mobility, on par with Denmark, Norway and other Scandinavian countries. The article points to new research by University of Ottawa professor Miles Corak, which suggests that while the United States remains significantly richer overall, "Canadians are up to three times more economically mobile than Americans."

"A recent front-page story in The New York Times highlighted new research that 'turns conventional wisdom on its head'—namely, that Americans enjoy less economic mobility than their peers in, gasp, Canada."

"Yes, the US is richer, but it's also significantly more unequal, and a lot less mobile. Inequality is inherited, much like hair and eye colour."

"The conclusion is based partly on the work of University of Ottawa professor Miles Corak, a social policy economist and former director of family and labour research at Statistics Canada."

"Prof. Corak has quantified the opportunity divide between the two countries and his conclusions are startling. Canadians are up to three times more economically mobile than Americans, and it's almost entirely due to the conditions faced by those living at the very top and bottom of society, according to a new study he co-authored: Economic Mobility, Family Background, and the Well-Being of Children in the United States and Canada."

"'What distinguishes the two countries is what's happening at the tails,' Prof. Corak explained in an interview. 'Rich kids grow up to be rich adults and poor kids stay poor. In Canada, that's not so much the case.'"

"The American dream that anyone can rise from humble beginnings to vast wealth has become a myth. And as the gap between rich and poor widens, the middle class is shrinking."

"For now, at least, the dream of upward mobility in Canada is still alive. Canadians can thank a legacy of sound public policy and a more progressive tax system."

"Even the poorest of Canadian children have access to good schools, quality health care and decent homes (Attawapiskat notwithstanding)."

read full story here
original source Globe & Mail

'New wave' of Canadian fashion brands looking to build a worldwide presence

Financial Times Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Financial Times writes on the the international scope of Canadian fashion, as handful of Canada's most talented designer expand their brands south of the border and across the ocean. Joe Fresh, Artizia, Canada Goose and M0851 are among the top Canadian brands currently creating a vibrant international presence.

"Canada has many assets—commodities, natural resources, space, poutines—but most people would not count fashion among them. Indeed, despite the fact that it is in better economic shape than most developed western nations, Canada is rarely mentioned when brand discussions turn to potential growth markets."

"Yet this spring an 18,000-square-foot gauntlet is being thrown down on Fifth Avenue in New York courtesy of Joe Mimran, the Casablanca-born/Toronto-raised entrepreneur behind Joe Fresh, a low-priced men's and women's line of colourful separates and outerwear. It is just the beginning of what will turn into a tide of nearly a half dozen fashion brands from the north arriving or expanding south of the border before turning their sights across the ocean."

"Yes, the Canadians are coming. And no, it's not all lumberjack shirts and ice hockey jerseys. Their arrival marks a sense of maturity for retailers on both sides of the border. A decade ago, Canadian brands entering the US had a 20 per cent success rate, according to Wendy Evans, president of Toronto-based Evans & Company Retail Consultants. 'But today’s companies are far more confident and smarter at competing against American retailers,' she adds. With the American retail landscape stuck in a downturn—and Canadian companies armed with cash—the time is now right to put this knowledge to use."

"'Despite the current economic difficulties, American consumers remain hungry for something new,' says Mimran. 'With fewer new players entering the market it's actually easier to pierce consumer consciousness.' Especially when your currency is at record highs and US commercial real estate remains relatively inexpensive. Of course, with brands such as Club Monaco (which Mimran founded in 1985 and sold to Ralph Lauren in 1999) and Roots operating in the US for nearly two decades, Canadian fashion is hardly new to Americans. What is new, however, is the range of the current Canadian offering, its positioning and price."

read full story here
original source Financial Times

Toronto's aging bank towers go green

Toronto Star Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Toronto Star looks at the "greening" of Toronto's financial core. In addition to a surge in the construction of new sustainable office towers, many iconic Toronto buildings—from First Canadian Place to the TD Tower—are in the midst of massive "green" refurbishments.

"A number of Toronto’s landmark bank towers are now swaddled in scaffolding as they undergo a combined $300 to $400 million in refurbishments that include everything from updating their aged food courts to, in the case of First Canadian Place, replacing its almost 40-year-old marble façade."

"'The trophy towers are getting to that 30- and 40-year-old mark so they are hitting the gym again, so to speak, and getting into shape because they realize they aren't the only game in town anymore,' says John Peets, vice president of leasing for Oxford Properties."

"Oxford, the real estate arm of the OMERS pension fund, announced in October that it's teaming up with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to do what would have been unthinkable a decade ago. They're building a 30-storey office tower between Bay and York Sts. that will become the new domestic banking headquarters for the Royal Bank of Canada."

"Most of the renos are aimed at helping the financial towers, the first of which was built in the 1960s, achieve so-called LEED certification—an internationally recognized acknowledgement that the building is energy efficient and environmentally sound."

read full story here
original source Toronto Star

New report looks at Toronto's strengths in life-science sector

Toronto Region Research Alliance Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA)—a public-private partnership supported by the governments of Ontario and Canada—has released the second publication in its Regional Innovation Cluster series. This newest publication, which profiles Toronto's particular advantages in the life-sciences sector, provides invaluable information to Toronto researchers, policy-makers and entrepreneurs.

"Canada's pharmaceutical and medical device markets rank in the top ten globally, and are largely concentrated in the Toronto Region. Building on a tradition of medical innovations, the Life Sciences cluster in the Toronto Region is an integrated ecosystem of multinational and startup businesses, supporting services, reputable researchers and renowned research centres. This critical mass of industry, intellectual capital and significant R&D infrastructure forms a large Life Sciences footprint."

"The global share of Life Science publications from the Toronto Region has grown 25% over the past decade, with notable strength in the fields of oncology, neurology and medical imaging."

read full report here

original source TTRA

Rotman students hit Europe for an unexpected assignment

Globe & Mail Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Globe and Mail writes on the innovative ways Canadian business schools are incorporating international experience into their academic training. Toronto's Rotman school of Management, in particular, is lauded for its series of international trips that connect MBA students with senior executives from around the world.

"These trips offer a 'personal, professional and academic experience,' says Laura Wood, Rotman director of international programs and services."

"'When [students] come back from these experiences and go to an interview, they can speak knowledgeably and first-hand about an experience in Brazil or Hong Kong,' she says. 'It is taken seriously by the employer and that has driven a lot of [student] interest in the past couple of years.'"

"Five years ago, Rotman offered only semester-long exchanges with other universities, signing up about 20 students a year. Now the school sends out about 110 to 125 students annually—about half on study tours first introduced in 2007, and the rest on semester-long exchanges or specialty programs of shorter duration."

read full story here
original source Globe & Mail

YEAR IN REVIEW: Scoring high in everything from banking to sustainability

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Whatever it felt like on the ground for Torontonians, our city's star continued to shine brightly internationally in 2011. Surveying the international media, Toronto received rave reviews.

That was especially the case in rankings of global cities. We were never far from the top. Name the rating system—happiness, innovation, reputation, economic power, economic security, museums, entrepreneurship, sustainability, as a travel destination, liveability or well-being, Toronto usually scored high. In some areas, Toronto came out of nowhere. As the Grasshopper Group wrote in February: "Although not historically known as a nexus of entrepreneurship, Toronto has come onto the scene as a fast-moving startup city."

But spreadsheets weren't the only thing telling us we're doing just fine. Visiting reporters also found Toronto to have charms and attractions that can't necessarily be measured by cold, hard numbers. Our diversity and snow-free streets attracted attention, as did our vintage shops and movie locations, our life-sciences sector, the reinvented Roncesvalles village, TIFF, our 3D and game industries, our music scene, Luminato, the Distillery District (multiple times—a real travel-writer fave), our "creative force" and, of course, the CN Tower's newest thrill, the Edgewalk.

But if we had to pick the top two things that people were talking about when they talked about Toronto on 2011, it would have to be our banks and our love of towers. Not only did we avoid a real estate and banking crisis, we decided to keep moving onward and upward—especially upward—making us the North American city with the most tower construction currently in progress.

Canada 6th happiest country in the world: Study

Forbes Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Canada is the 6th happiest country in the world, according to the annual survey by international public policy firm the Legatum Institute. As reported by Forbes, Canada's earned it position in the top 10 not only because it's "the most prosperous nation in the Americas" but also because of its inviting atmosphere and reputation for tolerance.

"After studying 40 years of data and outcomes, [the Legatum Institute] settled on eight areas—the ingredients of prosperity: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital. Then they looked for reliable data from the likes of the Gallup polling organization that would let them rank countries on their performance in these areas. Add up the scores and you get the Legatum Prosperity Index."

See full list of happiest (and saddest) nations here

original source Forbes.com

Toronto's long-time chief planner talks about the past and future of city building

Torontoist Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Torontoist writes on Gary Wright's final annual conversation as Toronto's chief planner. In a talk hosted by the Canadian Urban Institute, the Cities Centre at the University of Toronto and NRU Publishing, Wright shared his almost four decades worth of wisdom on the past, present and future of city-building in Toronto.

"Wright began working in planning in 1974, during a citizen-driven epoch of neighbourhood development. In response to the transition from surface transit to underground subway development along the Bloor-Danforth corridor, Bloor West business owners set up the city's first Business Improvement Area in 1970, and throughout the decade others would follow—an energetic, community-minded time for city planning in Toronto. The 1980s, marked by recession, would be different. Wright recalls one particular development, an office tower at the northeast corner of Queen and Yonge in the mid-1980s, as being particularly momentous. 'It's just a reminder: you look out here—and what are they talking about, like 119 cranes in downtown Toronto or something like that?—and we were absolutely delighted that there would be one crane.'"

"The 1990s and onward, with economic growth and the amalgamation of Toronto proper with its five adjoining boroughs, brought about dramatic changes to city planning. Suddenly, city planners were forced to cooperate with a number of different mindsets—'a much bigger city with much different interests.'"

"'Amalgamation helped us all learn,' Wright recalls. 'There's lessons learned from everywhere, doesn't matter whether it's in Scarborough or Etobicoke or North York. Now we find the commonality of those languages, the commonality of those structural changes that we work with all the time. So, we think differently.'"

"Looking forward, Wright sees citizen engagement and collaboration as essential for city building—the harnessing of social cohesion for momentum."

"'We live in a very interesting, complex, interactive society in which all different kinds of people and influences make us think about where we're going next,' he says, citing the necessity of fostering collaboration between developers, activists, businesses, politicians, media and philanthropists in order to foster positive, and effective, growth."

read full story here
original source Torontoist

The National Post reminds us our housing market is still on fire

National Post Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The National Post writes on the seemingly nonstop growth of Toronto's housing market. Despite predictions that the housing bubble might burst, Toronto house sales increased 11.1% from a year ago, maintaining Toronto's position as the largest housing market in Canada.

"The country's largest housing market continues to post double digit year over year price increases—likely meaning the national average will get a boost when the figure is released by the Canadian Real Estate Association on Dec. 15."

"The Toronto Real Estate Association says the average price of a detached home in the 416 district climbed past the $750,000 mark. Detached home prices rose 12% from a year ago to $776,017. It's a little cheaper in the suburbs with the average detached home in 905 selling for $540,299, a 10% jump from a year ago."

"'We have seen strong annual growth through the 2011 fall market. The increase in transactions has been broad-based, with strong growth across low-rise and high-rise home types throughout the Greater Toronto Area,' said Richard Silver, president of TREB."

read full story here
original source National Post