Church & Wellesley - Yorkville - Annex : In The News

The Martin Prosperity Institute, located at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, is getting international attention for research that links a person's level of happiness to their level of education. As reported by the New York Times, the school's report found a correlation between higher education and increased levels of general well-being.

"Ignorance isn't bliss. Rather, education is. At least, that's what trends in education and  well-being levels across American cities seem to show...Richard Florida, director of the Martin Prosperity Institute , and his colleague Charlotta Mellander have taken a closer look at the metropolitan well-being numbers. They found moderate correlations between happiness and other factors, like  wages, unemployment and  output per capita. But the variable they looked at that showed the strongest relationship with happiness was "human capital," measured as the share of the population with a bachelor's degree or higher."

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original source New York Times

Toronto's Carlton Cinemas may be getting a second life after being closed in December by owner Cineplex Odeon. As reported by the Torontoist  Magic Lantern Theatres has assumed ownership of the space and is aiming to have it reopened to Toronto movie-goers as early as June of this year.

"Gulshan Singh, spokesman for Magic Lantern Theatres, told Torontoist during a phone call this afternoon that "June is the target date" for reopening the multiplex, which will still be called "Carlton Cinemas."

"The entire interior of the space will need to refurbished, Singh said, but Magic Lantern has been spared the effort of dismantling the old Carlton's facade�Cineplex Odeon did that themselves, along with much more, shortly after the theatre's closure."

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original source Torontoist

Toronto's Women's College Hospital and United Way Toronto have been recognized for their contributions in promoting diversity in the city. As reported by the Toronto Star, both organizations are receiving  "the diversity in governance" award--presented by Maytree Foundation and the Toronto City Summit Alliance--for their efforts "in creating inclusive boards, reflecting the people they serve".

" Thirty per cent of board members at Women's College Hospital and 39 per cent at United Way Toronto belong to ethnic and racial minorities. These numbers put both institutions well ahead of other organizations in the Greater Toronto Area."

"Diversity is a matter of fairness, of course. But studies show that diversity in leadership also contributes to better corporate performance and more creative thinking."

"We live in one of the most ethnically and racially diverse regions in the world, but you wouldn't know it by looking at our boardrooms, executive offices or the halls of government. And that failure to diversify at the top holds everyone back."

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original source the Toronto Star

University of Toronto's researchers seemed to have discovered a link between the loss of kidney function and increased loss of bone mineral density. As reported by Business Week, the researchers have been conducting their tests over a five-year period the results of which where published in in the February issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

"Our findings highlight the importance of estimating kidney function when evaluating patients for fracture risk," Dr. Sophie A. Jamal, of the University of Toronto, and colleagues reported in the February issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. "

"The Canadian researchers followed 191 men and 444 women, aged 50 and older, for five years. They assessed participants' kidney function and bone mineral density at the start and end of the study. "

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original source Business Week

A feature in the National Post last week examined the success of Toronto-based Gripped Publishing, a recent arrival on the Canadian print magazine scene. Started by Sam Cohen and David Chaundy-Smart  (neither of whom had any experience in the print business) the company began with one magazine Gripped (focused on rock climbing) but quickly expanded its publishing roster to include Triathlon Magazine Canada and Canadian Running and plans to launch a fourth magazine, Cycling, in March.

"The climbing magazine, which tests products and reviews rock faces across Canada, has a circulation of about 12,000, making it a niche player in the overall national magazine market. Its best-selling title, Canadian Running, has gained about 31,000 subscribers since its launch two years ago, putting it at the lower end of the mainstream market.

...

Toronto-based Gripped employs 10, including Mr. Chaundy-Smart and Mr. Cohen. The two are avid rock-climbers while the rest of the staff is a collection of either record-holding marathon runners or triathletes.

Industry experts say there may be another reason for Gripped's success: It has come up with a publishing model that is working at a time when others are failing -- identifying and satisfying narrow but profitable markets.

"I think what we're going to see over the next little while is what they [Gripped] seem to be doing, which is looking for niche markets to develop magazines for," says Prof. Chris Waddell, director of the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University in Ottawa."

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original source National Post

According to the National Post, the number of coffee shops in Toronto has been growing significantly over the past decade. Interestingly the proliferation of coffee shops isn't limited to larges chains. Independent coffee shops are emerging and succeeding in neighbourhoods all across the city.

"Toronto has become a city that runs on coffee. Our downtown is thoroughly caffeine-fuelled, as made obvious by the per-square-metre concentration of Starbucks, Timothy's, Second Cups, Tim Hortons and other chains, along with a handful of independent cafes. Then there are the city's loose orbit of coffeetowns, neighbourhoods where coffee shops easily outnumber vegetable stands --or even bars.

Toronto's caffeinated hubs have emerged in the past decade, each shop unequal parts pit stop and ad hoc social centre, catering to the needs of emerging neighbourhoods where a good barista and reliable wi-fi access in the middle of the day has trumped cheap groceries, for adults who need to be fuelled and connected."

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