This
week’s image: this year’s first
ride with the Cabbagetown Cycling Club.
Photo – Cabbagetown Cycling Club
CABBAGETOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD REVIEW
OPEN HOUSES
There’s
a rarely offered townhouse and a classic Victorian on the Open House list this
week. Click here.
LOCAL NEWS
Who
pays what – tax analysis
As
reported by the Cabbagetown Residents Association, recent research shows that
Ward 27, just west of us, is home to more than $24 billion of taxable
residential real estate – the highest in the city – and residents pay $151
million in residential taxes annually.
Trinity Spadina pays $122 million and our Ward 28 pays $76 million. Together, the three downtown wards
contribute over $600 million more in commercial taxes for a total of almost $1
billion in combined commercial and residential tax. These are city taxes only and do not include education
tax. Click here to read the report
and see the maps from Metro News.
Cabbagetown
Cycling Club
Wil
Mills has announced that last Sunday’s opening ride was a great success with 30
riders rolling out from Jet Fuel (519 Parliament). Today’s ride was cancelled because weather forecasts predict
possible freezing rain. Sunday’s
ride meets and rolls out from Jet Fuel at 7:30 am – if you aren’t yet
registered with the Club, please ensure that you have your waiver. Next week’s rides are scheduled for
Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 am and Sunday at 7:30 am. Find out more and join the Club online
here.
Pam
McConnell has announced her Community Environment Day. You can drop off unwanted electronic
devices, hazardous waste, unused medications, oils, solvents and pesticides. You can also donate various household
items like art supplies, clipboards, costume jewellery, dress-up clothing and
cameras for school use. Goodwill
Industries will be available to receive your sporting equipment, books, small
household items and clothing. If
your green bin or kitchen container is damaged, you can exchange it for a new
one. All of this happens in Lower
Sherbourne Park (Frederick Street and the Esplanade). Thursday April 30, 4 to 8 pm.
If
you want to wait until the Fall, Ward 27’s event happens in Allan Gardens on
September 12 and Ward 30 happens in Riverdale Park East on September 30.
Park
upgrades
Councillor
McConnell has also announced that work will be done to improve the wading pools
in Wellesley Park and Winchester Park over the summer. In addition, the small upgrades planned
for the end of Carlton at Riverdale Park will be done. In Corktown, a Parks Master Plan is
being reviewed with public consultations and work on the Bright Street parkette
and the 51 Power off-leash area will happen this year. In the Pan Am Games
area, a revitalization of Berczy Park will start after the Games are
finished.
Easter
flower show
This
is the final weekend for the Easter Show at Allan Gardens (Sherbourne and Carlton). Don’t miss the Jade plant – it’s still
blooming.
Earth
Day walk and clean-up
Our
MPP, Glen Murray, will lead
community walk through three local parks – Winchester, Allan Gardens and
Riverdale. At each stop, the group
will hear from experts on urban agriculture and eco-friendly business. Bags and gloves will be supplied and
the group will pick up debris and litter at each park along the way. Sunday April 26, 11 am, start at
Winchester Park (149 Bleeker).
Fuel
The School
Save
the date – Thursday April 30, 8 pm, Jet Fuel (519 Parliament). This is a fundraiser on behalf of the
Cabbagetown Co-op Nursery School (2 Lancaster). There’ll be live and silent auctions with amazing stuff
that’s being donated by local businesses. Tickets are $25. Refreshments.
Jane’s
Walk
Save
these dates – Friday May 1, Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. Among the Walk’s
highlights in our neighbourhood are tours of Regent Park, a poor people’s
history of downtown Toronto, the Irish experience, a feminist’s walk through
Toronto, schoolyard gardens, Distillery District photo walk, the lower Don
River, three centuries of Corktown, St James Town diversity within a block and
queer and fabulous. These are justa few of the choices available. You can browse through the list
here.
FORSYTHIA FESTIVAL
Festival
poster
Congrats
go out to Maggie, Molly and Talulah for their bold, lively poster design for
this year’s festival. It won the special design contest organized in the late
winter.
Donors
The
Festival thrives because of the financial donations made by business and
individuals. Another group are
just as important - the people who make donations in kind. They help organizers
to hold events and raffles. You
can see the list of raffle prizes and the full donor list here.
Two
gold level sponsors are making gifts worth more than $500.
St
James Town Steak and Chops (516 Parliament) will organize the barbeque – a
major Festival feature.
Lemon
Bucket Orkestra will perform.
Silver
level donors contribute between $200 and $499
Carlton
Cleaners (252 ½ Carlton)
Cycle
Solutions (444 Parliament)
Epicure
(473 Parliament)
expedia.ca
Pehr
Design (326 Davenport)
Sinate
Creations (480 Parliament)
Starbucks
(492 Parliament)
The
bronze donors contribute gifts worth $50 to $199.
Cabbagetown
Preservation Association, cpa.com
Claudia
Salzmann & Associates (78 Amelia)
Hair
Spa by Lam (440 Parliament)
Imperial
Vending Services (Markham ON)
Jordano
Skincare (252 Gerrard E)
Labour
of Love (242Carlton)
Mi
Casa (238 Carlton)
No
Frills (449 Parliament)
Outlet
Tags Canopies (390 Progress Ave)
Pizza
Pizza (560 Parliament)
Spruce
Home Décor (455 Parliament)
Star
Nails (442 Parliament)
Steam
Whistle Brewing (255 Bremmer)
Sundara
Yoga (492 Parliament)
Urban
Stroll, etsy.com
GARDENING NEWS
Winchester
Square
Victoria
Hadden reminds gardeners that gardening will start this weekend in the boxes at
Winchester Square Park (Ontario St just north of Carlton). Preparations and
seeding will be done on Saturday April 25 from 10 am. Sunday April 26 is the rain day. Check out the garden’s Facebook page – the gardeners obviously
have a good time.
Free
dirt
Pam
McConnell will arrange for a load of compost to be dropped off at Riverdale
Park on Sunday May 3. Please note
that this is a new location – in previous years, the dirt was dropped on
Hillcrest near Wellesley Park.
Farming
with The Local GEST
If
you have a serious urge to get down and dirty, the Local GEST (424 Parliament) can satisfy your
longings. The staff are renting
and working a farm plot just north of the city to grow produce for the pub’s
kitchen. Volunteers are welcomed
for work on most Sundays from 7:30 am to 3 pm. Please call (647) 760-5696 or email thelocalgest@gmail.com.
Riverdale
Park
Check
out the Spring blooms in Riverdale Park at the Farm. New stuff is sprouting daily.
ONSTAGE
Beatrice
and Benedict – onstage this weekend
Based
on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
This production features a stellar group of emerging Toronto-based
talent. Prsented by Metro Youth
Opera. Friday April 24 (7:30 pm), Saturday April 25 (7:30 pm) and Sunday April
26 (2:30 pm). Click here for
tickets and info.
Looking
for Elvis & the Man in Black – May 5 to May 9
Two
works. Looking For Elvis,
choreographed by Laurence Lemieux, explores the life of a young Elvis
Presley. The Man in Black,
choreographed by James Kudelka, is a celebration of American working-class grit
and the man whose voice embodied it. May 5, 6, 8 and 9 at 8 pm, $20. The Rockabillie Rumble Fundraiser, May 7 at 7 pm, $100. The Citadel (304 Parliament). Tickets
and more info available online.
God
and the Indian – May 2 to May 17
Written
by Drew Hayden Taylor. While
panhandling outside a local coffee shop, Johnny, a Cree woman, is shocked to
recognize a face from her childhood spent in a residential school. She’s desparate to hear him acknowledge
the terrible abuse inflicted on her and other children at the school. Native Earth Performing Arts with
Firehall Arts Centre. Saturday May
2 to Sunday May 17. Aki Studio
Theatre, Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas E).
I
am Marguerite – onstage to April 25
Shirley
Barrie’s play draws on events from Canadian history to tell the story of a
woman exiled in 1542 to an island offshore of Newfoundland for pursuing love
over duty. Alumnae Theatre (70
Berkeley). More info, tickets and
a short video, click here.
Trudeau
comes back to Soulpepper
Two
of Michael Hollingshed’s plays about Pierre Trudeau and Canadian politics
return in late April to Soulpepper. Trudeau and Levesque - onstage from April
25. Trudeau and the FLQ - from May 12.
Soulpepper’s Spring season continues with Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce
from May 1, Vern Thiessen’s adaptation of Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage
from May 2 and Anton Piatigorsky’s The Dybbuk Or Between Two Worlds in
mid-May. For details, schedules
and tickets, click here.
Dinner
& a show
Mill
Street (21 Tank House Lane) has a dinner and theatre special offer at The Brew
Pub and The Beer Hall. If you’re
seeing a play at Soulpepper, show your ticket to enjoy a 15% discount on your
dinner or dessert.
Spotlight
South Africa – onstage to April 25
The festival highlights the vitality of
South African performance.
Chandelier (April 22 to 25) is in the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs
(26 Berkeley). For detailed notes
and tickets sales, click here.
SHOPPING NEWS
The
Leslieville Flea
The
Flea’s winter season at the Distillery winds up on Sunday April 26, 10 am to 3
pm. The market features vintage,
salvaged and up-cycled goods, collectibles, antiques and handcrafted artisanal
work. In June, it moves to its summer location at Ashbridges Estate. The Fermenting Cellar, 28 Distillery
Lane.
Beautiful
inside and out
Kendall
& Co (514 Parliament) has added four new patterns to its popular outdoor
rug series just in time to freshen up your cottage and city home. Favoured for their synthetic soft fabrics
and durable versatility with mold and mildew-proof properties. Available from 2’ by 3’ to 8’ by 10”,
starting at $79. Visit the new
shop (open 10 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday and 11 am to 5 pm Saturday). Check out the new styles online
here.
RESTAURANT NEWS
Paintbox
Bistro
The
program at The Paintbox (555 Dundas E) is getting busier. Fashion Art Toronto is hosting its Global Village After
Party on Friday April 24. FAT Art
& Fashion week is a platform for inventive and contemporary expression by
fashion designers, visual artists and performers. Doors open at 10 pm.
Hummingbird
is Paintbox’s monthly Open Mic event.
The first one happened on Tuesday and the house was packed. Save the date for the next one, May 19.
Peartree`s
April three-course prix fix dinner
Appetizer
choices include an organic green salad, a Caesar salad or homemade soup. For your main course, there’s a prime
rib steak with a red wine sauce at $26.99 or blackened tuna with mango salsa
for $24.99 or Cajun creole chicken breast with sweet pepper, red onions and a
creole sauce at $22.99. All entrees include veggies and rice or potatoes. To
finish off, there`s chocolate truffle cake, carrot cake, lemon coconut layer
cake or strawberry rhubarb pie.
507 Parliament.
F’Amelia
contest
Joanne
Kates, the food critic, produces an annual list of Toronto’s 100 top
restaurants. Last year, F’Amelia
(12 Amelia) was #37. This year,
F’Amelia has a contest – pick the spot where it’ll be on her list and win a $75
gift certificate. You can review
last year’s list here. Contact F’Amelia here - info@famelia.com.
And
if you’re planning a wedding, be sure to contact F’Amelia for groups from 10 to
100.
CLUBS & PUBS – DAILY LISTINGS
THURSDAY APRIL 23 TO SUNDAY MAY 3
Contact
info
Alice’s
Place, 554 Parliament St, (647) 931-9088,
https://www.facebook.com/alicesplacetoronto
Cranberries,
601 Parliament St, (416) 925-6330
Dominion
on Queen, 500 Queen St E, (416) 368-6893, www.dominiononqueen.com
El
Catrin, 18 Tank House Lane, Distillery, (416) 203-2121, www.elcatrin.ca/home
The
Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St, (647) 347-6567, www.pubaret.com
House
on Parliament, 454 Parliament St, (416) 925-4074,
www.facebook.com/pages/House-on-Parliament
The
Irv, 195 Carlton Street, (647) 350-4787, http://www.theirvpub.ca/
The
Local GEST, 424 Parliament St, (416) 961-9425, http://www.thelocalgest.com/
Merryberry,
559 Parliament, www.merryberry.ca
Mill
Street Beer Hall, 21 Tank House Ln, Distillery, (416) 681-0338,
http://toronto.millstreetbrewpub.ca/
Murgatroid,
568 Parliament, (416) 323-9381, https://www.facebook.com/MurgatroidTO
Paintbox
Bistro, 555 Dundas St E, (647) 748-0555, www.paintboxbistro.ca
Stirling
Room, 16 Trinity, Distillery District, www.stirlingroom.com
Stout
Irish Pub, 221 Carlton St, (647) 344-7676, www.stoutirishpub.ca
Tappo
Wine Bar & Restaurant, 2 Trinity Street, Distillery, (647) 430-1111,
www.tappo.ca
Under
the Table, 568 Parliament St, (647) 351-1533,
https://www.facebook.com/underthetabletoronto
White
Elephant, 366 Queen E. (416) 364-9999, www.whiteelephant366.com
If there's a cover charge or tickets are sold, the prices
are listed. Otherwise, the event is free.
Please note:
Two of our regular Clubs are currently closed. The Flying Beaver is being renovated
after a fire in late February. The
Dominion on Queen has been closed since the summer of 2014 for renovations.
THURSDAY APRIL 23
The
Irv
7pm,
Geoff Willingham
The
Local GEST
8:30
pm, Open Mic with Porter
Mill
St Brew Pub
7
pm, Tap That Cask with live acoustic music with Greg Wyard
White
Elephant
8
pm, Open mic night
FRIDAY APRIL 24
Mill
Street Beer Hall
8
pm, Vinyl nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Paintbox
10
pm, FAT Global Village After Party.
Stirling
Room
Theatrical
Friday with resident DJ Rod Bravo, reserve on the guest list. $20
White
Elephant
7
to 10 pm, Sean Pinchin
SATURDAY APRIL 25
Mill
Street Beer Hall
8
pm, Vinyl Nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Stirling
Room
Resident
DJ Rod Bravo, reserve on the guest list
White
Elephant
9:30
pm to 2 am, Toastr Party
SUNDAY APRIL 26
Alice’s
Place
9
pm, Karaoke with Vee
Local
GEST
4:30
pm, Sunday afternoon jazz - the Brick House Trio with Paul Llew-Williams, Greg
Allworth & Devin Patten
Mill
Street Beer Hall
1
pm, Jazz brunch with Tyler Yarema
MONDAY APRIL 27
Murgatroid
6
pm, Games night
Stout
Irish Pub
7:30
pm, Headscratchers trivia
TUESDAY APRIL 28
Stout
Irish Pub
7:30
pm, Headscratchers trivia
WEDNESDAY APRIL 29
Alice’s
Place
9
pm, Karaoke
The
Local GEST
7:30
pm, Trivia night with Jill
Paintbox
Bistro
7:30
pm, Corktown Ukelele Jam
THURSDAY APRIL 30
The
Irv
7pm,
Geoff Willingham
The
Local GEST
8
pm, Open Mic with Porter
Mill
St Brew Pub
7
pm, Tap That Cask with Jeff Eager
Under
The Table
9
pm, Karaoke
White
Elephant
Open
mic
FRIDAY MAY 1
Mill
Street Beer Hall
8
pm, Vinyl Nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Stirling
Room
Theatrical
Friday with resident DJ Rod Bravo, reserve on the guest list. $20
Under
The Table
9
pm, Karaoke
SATURDAY MAY 2
Mill
Street Beer Hall
8
pm, Vinyl Nights with DJ Humble Mike of the Record Collective
Stirling
Room
Stirling
Saturday. Reserve on the guest
list. $20
SUNDAY MAY 3
FORSYTHIA FESTIVAL, WELLESLEY PARK, 10 am to 3 pm
Alice’s
Place
4
pm, Karaoke with Vee
Local
GEST
4:30
pm, Sunday afternoon jazz with Zim Zum
Mill
Street Beer Hall
1
pm, Jazz brunch with Tyler Yarema
