Bayview Post June 2026

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SPARE NO EXPENSE THE ULTIMATE FATHER’S DAY RIB-OFF

While you were hanging out at Yorkdale...

Some of the city’s boldest chefs and shops were busy reinventing retail Thrifting Bloorcourt

Hot New Nabes

Toronto’s walkable, Instagrammable and remarkable micro-’hoods end retreat 1 • West Backyard patios

• Art deco cinema • Vintage streetwear

Brockton Village eats

Surfin’ Bermondsey? industrial 2 • Midtown Urban surf shop

• Glass art wonderland • Secret cookie spot

best of DuWest 3 • The Indie mag shop • Hidden wine bar • Late-night bites

T.O.’S ULTIMATE CITY GUIDE JUNE 2026 • VOLUME 37 • ISSUE 11

Bloorcourt coffee break

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Contents

Welcome to the June 2026 issue of the Post. Sit back and enjoy!

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25 Dadcore decoded: Four fits for Father’s Day Jeanne Beker is ready to style Dad head to toe in these sports-inspired outfits

29 Cirque du Soleil couple fell head over heels 30 The city’s hot new nabes Toronto’s most walkable, Instagrammable micro-'hoods to visit next

41 The ultimate Father’s Day rib-off Chefs Anthony Rose and Nuit Regular give us the official guide to the city's best ribs from around the world

| JUNE 2026

Trapeze artist Morgane Tisserand and aerial artist Jérome Sordillon on finding a match in midair

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POST INTERVIEW

STREETS OF TORONTO

FAST FACTS NAME:

Andrea Martin BORN:

Portland, Maine Played Girl Next Door in Ivan Reitman’s debut feature ‘Foxy Lady’ TORONTO TIES:

Moved to T.O. in 1970 GODSPELL:

In the 1972 production of ‘Godspell’ alongside Gilda Radner, Martin Short and Eugene Levy L-R: Andrea Martin started her career in Toronto; Martin with SCTV crew including the late Catherine O’Hara (centre)

Beloved star Andrea Martin gets her flowers Timeless Toronto comic actor in town to accept Icon Award There is a long list of honorary Torontonians, but sitting near the top would likely be comedy legend Andrea Martin, who has lived and worked in the city for decades since the early days of SCTV and Second City. Martin was back in town recently to receive the Icon Award at the Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Canada event in Toronto. We checked in with Martin to talk about her career, her time at SCTV and Second City and her love of the city.

Toronto claims you as one of its own. Is there a place in the city that instantly takes you back to your early days here?

put me up against Meryl Streep or George Clooney or Zelenskyy or Putin, I don’t think I’m well-known. I think I’m known in some circles of comedy, so that’s lovely.

You’ve played so many memorable women over the years.

Is there one character that has stayed with you most?

That’s a tough one. I’m just trying to think about when people come up to me and what they usually reference. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a big one. [Living] in New York City, people reference theatre that they’ve seen, particularly a musical I did called Pippin.

I was 65 when I did that and I was on a trapeze. I think people were very celebratory around that because it seemed like a big challenge, which it was, but also the happiest time in my life.

“OUR BEAUTIFUL GREEN CITY BECAME A CITY OF METAL, AND IT MAKES ME SAD.”

Sadly, they might be gone. I remember what Yorkville was like in the ’70s. People playing guitars on the street corners. It was kind of off the beaten track. I don’t remember that it was an enclave of wealth. I just remember it was Which medium brings you most to life? kind of bohemian. I remember Honest Ed’s Those seven or eight years of SCTV were so foand getting a set of steak knives for $3. But cused on sketch comedy, which gave me the more than anything, when I think of Toronto, most freedom and the most opportunities to I think of being on my bicycle. I’d go along the be varied in the comedy characters that I did. bike path from High Park all the way to Cherry Beach and stop along the way and be in those beautiful But in theatre, I’ve been allowed to be funny in many, many parks along Lake Ontario. Our beautiful green city became a shows. I would say film the least, and then television and theatre are tied. city of metal, and it makes me sad.

You were being honoured with the Icon Award. How does that sit with looking back on your career?

For so many people, SCTV is the touchpoint. When you think back on it now, what feelings does it bring up for you?

You know, I’m going to look “icon” up. I don’t even know what it means. OK, let’s see here … “An icon is a typically small pictorial symbol, image representation used to signify an object, action or concept.” That’s not what we want, is it? No, that can’t be right. It continues: “What makes a person an icon could include being well-known, respected for their work, having a large following and being able to transcend traditional boundaries.”

Being well-known? Look, I don’t think I’m well-known. If you

I think less about the work, frankly, because it lives on YouTube and other mediums. I feel that’s alive without me having to work hard to remind people of what I did or even remind myself. What really stands out to me is the enduring friendships and the losses that we had with SCTV in the last few years.

That’s been really tough. I hold on to those memories more than specific characters and sketches that I did.

—Sadaf Ahsan

CITY HACKS

Looking for a weird and wonderful night out? Here are some of the best new date nights in town.

Craft Rave

Craft Rave blends low-fi nightlife with knitting, crochet, drawing and other hobbies while DJs spin in the background.

Hosted by the Toronto Crochet + Knit Collective.

Treasure Bingo

Other People’s Treasure Bingo turns bingo night into a mix of thrift swap, storytelling and social mixer, where players bring strange or sentimental items from home to become the evening’s prizes.

Hosted at the Rhino on Queen West, the event has featured everything from mannequin torsos to ex-husbands’ desk chairs. dd.convenience

This Bloor West convenience store transforms into a unique micro-venue known for its intimate, DIY-style live music shows and indie events for emerging artists.

| JUNE 2026

FIRST FILM ROLE:

Crafting and raves? Yes, please. 5

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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It happened so quickly. First, a RON JOHNSON is trendy bodega with craft the editorial director spirits, a cool new coffeehouse, of Post City Magazines. an Instagrammable sandwich and then, yes, a ukulele store. Suddenly, a sleepy little strip of shops near my house was cool.

It’s one of those areas that in-the-know Torontonians love to hear about. A destination. Something different. And, in a city like Toronto that is always changing. They aren’t always easy to find.

And that brings us to this month’s cover story: This city’s burgeoning micro-neighbourhoods.

Here, with the warm weather arriving and the spirit of urban adventure at hand, we map out the best new neighbourhood finds worthy of a summer afternoon.

The FIFA World Cup is landing, and so many areas of the city will be overrun with tourists. So this is not only a discovery guide to these new areas, it’s also a bit of a survival guide to steer clear of the football-crazy hordes. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

In addition to this big soccer tournament, June is probably the most lively and enjoyable time to be in Toronto. If you don’t get out and enjoy the city this month, you’re missing something magical.

Toronto comes alive like nowhere else — patios overflow, music drifts through the streets, outdoor movies light up the parks, and all feels right with the world.

From NXNE to Luminato, Pride to the downtown jazz festival, every weekend offers a reason to explore. And with the FIFA World Cup in full swing, the city hums with energy, whether you’re dodging the crowds or joining in the fun.

For more insider tips and stories from Toronto’s ever-changing streets from vintage boutiques to the hottest new restaurants, visit us online at StreetsofToronto.com and follow us on social media.

The city is waiting — and these micro-neighbourhoods are calling your name.

T.O.’S ULTIMATE CITY GUIDES

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| JUNE 2026

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+ PUBLISHER Lorne London EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Ron Johnson ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER-IT Jarrod Daley MANAGING EDITOR Julia Mastroianni GENERAL MANAGER Laurie McGillivray FOOD EDITOR Jennifer Schembri CONTROLLER Tina Trevellin ART DIRECTOR Dorothy Chudzinski OFFICE/CLASSIFIEDS Lance Garvey MANAGING ART DIRECTOR Lindsay Low MANAGER SENIOR GRAPHIC Erin Neilly VP OF SALES Lisa London DESIGNER DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Lynne London GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kristine Hughes MEDIA ADVISORS Jo-Anne Craine CONTENT CREATOR Kaitlin Narciso Clara Strebel PROOFREADER Sarah Ives SENIOR SALES LEAD Carly Roebuck EDITOR EMERITUS Paula Torneck ACCOUNT CO-ORDINATOR George Redak NORTH TORONTO POST VOL. 32 • ISSUE 11 VILLAGE POST VOL. 35 • ISSUE 11 BAYVIEW POST VOL. 37 • ISSUE 11 NORTH YORK POST VOL. 27 • ISSUE 10

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The Fine Print: The contents of Post City Magazines Inc. are copyright 2026, all rights reserved, and may not be reproduced in part or in whole without the written permission of the Publisher. The contents of all ads are subject to the discretion of the Publisher.

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OPINION

TRENDING T.O.

NEWS

What is making news and who is making us snooze. This month’s biggest stories.

No, You’re Heated

Some spicy billboards depicting Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams arrived in Toronto. And, oh yes, people are taking note, and photos and.… What were we talking about?

SECTION

Caitlin Who?

Bye Scalpers

Ontario is cracking down on ticket sellers looking to profit by reselling tickets at inflated prices to make a quick buck to the detriment of music fans. Good.

Kiefer Blue Dotted

Toronto-born actor and musician Kiefer Sutherland had to cancel his 24-stop U.S. tour due to low ticket sales, a trending phenomenon for many concerts and shows dubbed blue dot fever.

Speeding Up

As soon as Doug Ford put the kibosh on speed cameras, speeding increased by 200 per cent, we’re guessing safety hasn’t improved either.

World Cup Cost

When news broke that the per game cost of the World Cup was pegged at $82 million, some jaws dropped. But, hey, you can’t put a price on becoming a world class city.

Canadians might be shocked to learn how much of our natural resources are owned by foreign entities

Who really owns Canada’s resources?

DAVID SUZUKI with files from Stefanie Carmichael

Beyond economics, nature provides essential ecosystem services, including climate regulation, carbon storage, flood mitigation, air filtering and biodiversity.

Canada is among the world’s most resource-rich countries. Forty per cent of its land is covered in forests. It holds 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves. It’s the fourth-largest crude oil exporter. It produces more than 60 minerals and metals and ranks in the top five for 14 of them.

Our natural resources sector is important to communities throughout the coun-

try and to the national economy.

What is surprising is the lack of scrutiny around foreign ownership of this country’s natural resources. Who owns and controls Canada’s natural wealth has implications far beyond a balance sheet. It affects who benefits and who bears the risk in an increasingly volatile world.

The share of foreign-controlled assets outside the financial sector sits at 22.9 per cent. In the oil and gas industry, that rises to 33 per cent.

It’s hard to notice ownership structures when companies have deceptive names such as “LNG Canada,” which has no Canadian ownership but is a massive joint venture between five multinational corpo-

rations, some foreign state owned.

Companies not headquartered here direct more profit out of the country with little concern or accountability.

Most Canadians want limits on foreign ownership. A recent survey found almost 60 per cent believed outside possession of Canada’s critical minerals was a greater threat than “missing out on development and jobs because of a lack of investment.”

Where are the critics?

If industry supporters see supposed foreign funding of environmental organizations as a threat to sovereignty, why doesn’t foreign ownership of Canada’s natural resources ring alarm bells?

Not so fast Mr. 43 Per Cent During the last election, 43 per cent of Ontarians voted for Doug Ford and the Ontario PC party, which apparently gives them a majority and allows them to run roughshod over local democracy and overrule Toronto City Council at every turn. That’s bad for us, bad for democracy and bad for our city.

The latest — as if the hilariously mismanaged debacle of a private spa on our waterfront isn’t bad enough — is the proposed massive extension to the Billy Bishop Airport at the Toronto Islands.

It’s an issue that has long been disputed. We’ve had elections decided over it — congrats David Miller. Now, Ford is ignoring our entire city and declaring it a done deal. Not so fast Mr. 43 Per Cent.

Before you ruin another part of our waterfront, why not let the people have a say for once. Despite what you and your party might think, last time I checked we still live in a democracy.

Sure, you can scurry about enacting legislation to limit freedom of information and evade investigation, but you can’t hide from the people. We need a referendum on whether or not we want an additional three-kilometre runway on our waterfront, on our lake, on our land. Yes, our land. Not yours.

And what perfect timing.

There is an election coming up this fall with our mayor Olivia Chow, your buddy, facing off against someone cut from the same populist cloth as you — Brad Bradford. He’s already trailing in the polls, so no doubt he will jump at the opportunity to get behind any scheme and debate it ad nauseum.

If he wins, then democracy rules and it happens. But we need a say and we need it right now.

So get over yourself and get with democracy.

—Ron Johnson

| JUNE 2026

Toronto’s new WNBA team, the Tempo, is off to a fast start with a few impressive wins and enthusiastic home crowds that are the talk of the league.

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Beloved Starbucks soon to be razed for condo

| JUNE 2026

Tallest condo ever on Eglinton Way okayed

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A disputed condo project on told those participating that the Eglinton Avenue West has been case would no longer be a full cut from 31 storeys to 24 as the hearing but instead a settlement City of Toronto and the devel- hearing after the city and developer move toward a settlement at oper reached a deal. Under the proposed agreement, the tower the Ontario Land Tribunal.

But some local residents say height would be reduced to 24 the tower is still far too tall for storeys.

Toronto City Council voted the neighbourhood.

The project at 444–466 Eglin- 24 to 2 in March to support the ton Ave. W., near Avenue Road, settlement discussions, with local home to a popular Starbucks and councillors Mike Colle and Josh other local retail shops, has been Matlow voting against the move.

In a written submission to the the focus of a lengthy fight over how much development should tribunal, local participant Peter be allowed along Eglinton Way. Danson argued the revised proIn a 2025 ruling, Ontario posal still does not fit the characLand Tribunal vice-chair S. Tou- ter of the area and sets the wrong saw rejected the developer’s orig- precedent for future develinal 31-storey proposal, saying it opment along Eglinton. Danson said the key question is whether did not fit the area’s character.

“The problem with the pro- a 24-storey building can reflect lower-scale character posed 31 storeys was that such a the height exceeded the policy envi- planned for Eglinton Way and ronment to such a degree that it provide an appropriate transition failed to fit with the existing and from the Yonge-Eglinton core.

He argued that a building beplanned context,” the ruling tween 10 and 12 storeys would states.

The decision emphasized that be more appropriate. He also Eglinton Way is meant to re- noted the developer’s original apmain a lower-rise “main street” plication was for 19 storeys and area, distinct from the much pointed to nearby buildings at denser Yonge-Eglinton core Bathurst Street and Eglinton farther east. The tribunal also Avenue West that are shorter said the original proposal failed than the revised proposal.

The tribunal was scheduled to to properly transition in height and would undermine the area’s review the settlement through a written process beginning May 19. existing “sense of place.”

But on April 14, the tribunal —Ron Johnson

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MIDTOWN NEWS

Rendering of proposed condo with Yonge and St. Clair towers in the background

A proposed condo development rooms and 68 three-bedroom in Summerhill near St. Clair units. At street level, the develAvenue has gone through a dra- opment would also include rematic growth spurt since it was tail space fronting Yonge. first submitted to the City of The project reflects a growing Toronto. shift in Toronto development: The site is located at the fewer parking spaces and a southeast corner of Yonge much bigger emphasis on tranStreet and Woodlawn Avenue sit and cycling. For now, tenants and contains a low-rise rental can expect 17 parking spaces building with 40 rental apart- (eight for residents and nine for ments, as well as a detached visitors), along with 732 bicycle house on Woodlawn that con- parking spaces. This is helped tains three commercial units. by the site’s proximity to SumIn late 2021, the developer pitched a much more modest mid-rise project for the com- “This development plex: a 13-storey mixed-use building with 110 residential does not fit units, including 40 replacement harmoniously.” rental units and ground-floor retail space. But the plan didn’t stay small for long. City doc- merhill subway station (it's only uments show that a revised sub- about a four-minute walk mission in May 2023 away).

Still, the project has drawn a reimagined the project as a 49storey mixed-use building. lot of pushback.

The Summerhill Residents’ Another revision in October 2024 pushed the concept even Association said it supports higher, to 52 storeys, before the “reasonable intensification” and latest version was revised down previously endorsed the 2021 mid-rise proposal, but it slightly to 47 storeys.

The current proposal calls for strongly opposes the current 47730 dwelling units in total, in- storey plan, arguing that the cluding 40 replacement rental height and density are too much units for the existing apart- for a site immediately beside a ments that would be demol- lower-scale neighbourhood.

“This development does not ished, as well as 92 studios, 418 one-bedrooms, 112 two-bed- fit harmoniously into the exist-

ing and planned context. It is not in conformity with the Official Plan policies on transition in scale to lower scale Neighbourhoods and the public realm.

It fails to apply angular planes, stepping height limits, setbacks and stepbacks of building mass, and separation distances to balance growth with the impacts of intensification in a way that is both repeatable and predictable in its impacts,” the association states in a March 2026 letter to the Toronto and East York Community Council.

The association also pointed to the change in parking provisions, noting that the earlier 110-unit version contemplated far more spots than the current 730-unit proposal. “[T]he parking ratio of 1 space per 1.9 units is materially different from the 1 space per 42.9 units here.”

For city staff, however, the proposal fits within the planning direction for growth near rapid transit. Although the building would be tall, the city argues that the height is acceptable within the Yonge and St. Clair planning area, especially given nearby approvals for other tall buildings such as 1251– 1311 Yonge St. approved for 43- and 47-storeys.

—Nisean Lorde

| JUNE 2026

Summerhill stunned as condo plan balloons from 13 to 47 storeys

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BAYVIEW NEWS

Site of new Bayview park

JUST LISTED 26 LYTTON BLVD

JUST SOLD 814 DUPLEX AVE

JUST SOLD 24 RONAN AVE

JUST LISTED 154 VALLEY RD

JUST SOLD 385 DELAWARE AVE

| JUNE 2026

JUST LISTED 1815 YONGE ST #1106

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Contact me today for your free, no obligation market analysis at 416.494.7653 or jamie@jamiedempster.ca!

Jamie Dempster / Broker

Bayview residents get a park in a mall

To br

A new public park is set to transform a corner of North York’s Bayview Village neighbourhood as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Bayview Village Shopping Centre.

The City of Toronto is announcing plans for a 3,725square-metre green space at 2901 Bayview Ave., on the northeast edge of the shopping centre lands near Bayview Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East. The park, slightly smaller than a junior soccer field, is expected to open in 2028.

“A brand new park is about to unfold,” said local city councillor Shelly Carroll, in a statement. “But we need to know your vision for this park.”

City officials say the project will be shaped heavily by community input through a threephase public engagement process beginning this spring.

Residents will be invited to help define the park’s vision, priorities and design features through workshops, surveys and pop-up events.

“This project has been classified as an ‘Involve’ initiative,” the city’s project materials state, referring to the International Association for Public Participation’s engagement spectrum.

“We engage with the public

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throughout the design process.”

The first phase of consultations, titled “Towards a Vision,” includes an online thought exchange held from April 15 to 29. Future phases will focus on exploring design options and refining a preferred concept before construction begins.

According to the city’s timeline, a design team will be hired in spring 2026, with construction slated to start in fall 2027.

The future park site sits just north of Sheppard Avenue East and roughly 300 metres from Bayview subway station, an area seeing significant residential intensification in recent years.

The new park forms part of a much larger transformation underway at Bayview Village Shopping Centre, the owners of which plan to redevelop into a 22-acre mixed-use community, combining luxury retail, housing, public parks and pedestrian-oriented streets.

The long-term master plan envisions more than 1 million square feet of residential space, 1,500 new housing units and approximately 50,000 square feet of public parks and green space surrounding the existing mall.

—Ron Johnson

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NORTH YORK NEWS

L-R: City councillor Lily Cheng, and the Yonge subway line is being extended north

Toronto’s Yonge North Subway downtown Line 1 stations are Extension is already moving spaced at approximately 500 to ahead, but a new city council mo- 700 metres, reflecting a “planning tion is reviving one stop that was approach that prioritizes accesleft off the current plan: Cummer sibility and walkable station station. catchments in dense urban enviThe motion, It’s Time to Re- ronments.” instate Cummer Station for the The area around Yonge Street North York Centre, is being between Finch and Steeles is exspearheaded by councillor Lily pected to grow significantly in Cheng and seconded by council- coming years, with the North lor Jamaal Myers. It asks Toronto York Centre Secondary Plan esCity Council to ask the federal timating the addition of about and provincial governments to 100,000 new residents in the area, consider funding the previously making this stretch of Yonge one descoped Cummer station, a pro- of the fastest-growing corridors in posed stop that would sit along the GTA. the future subway extension between Finch Avenue and Steeles “I don’t think Avenue.

According to the city, the anything is ever Yonge North Subway Extension beyond the point will extend Line 1 service roughly eight kilometres from Finch sta- of no return.” tion to Richmond Hill. The proj“Once construction proceeds ect includes five stations (Steeles, Clark, Royal Orchard, Bridge and beyond a certain point, the opporHigh Tech), but a station at tunity to incorporate a future Cummer Avenue is noticeably Cummer Station will become increasingly cost-prohibitive and absent.

“This omission results in a no- technically complex,” the motion tably long station spacing of ap- adds. “The current design, includproximately two kilometres ing track profile considerations between Finch and Steeles, which that are not flat through this segis atypical for a high-density ment, risks making future station urban context and inconsistent insertion at this location practiwith established Toronto Transit cally infeasible without major disCommission network patterns,” ruption, including potential the motion states, noting that multi-year shutdowns.”

Cheng made a similar point when advocating for the station in the past, saying the issue was funding and timing.

“It’s really about money, right?” she said at the time. “So I don’t think anything is ever beyond the point of no return until it’s all built because the boring machines are going to go down at Yonge and Cummer because it’s being extended from Yonge and Finch all the way up north. So they’re going to be there, but the further out we are in terms of the procurement and design process, the more expensive it would be to kind of try to stick it back in.”

City modelling indicates that the current five-station extension is projected to serve about 94,000 daily riders, whereas a station at Cummer alone is forecast to accommodate over 23,000 daily boardings by 2051.

And this isn’t the first time Cummer station has come up. In 2023, city council adopted an amended item asking the Ford government to reconsider an earlier decision to leave Cummer out of the Yonge North Subway Extension and include it in Metrolinx’s stage-gate design process, a methodology that divides projects into stages.

The new item was scheduled to be considered at a council meeting in late May. —Nisean Lorde

| JUNE 2026

Toronto councillors pushing to bring back missing subway station

11

12

OPENINGS

Arthur’s Snackette does open-faced sourdough bagels

L.A. café, Montreal’s fave snack bar & more

| JUNE 2026

Chrome Hearts might finally be making its Canadian debut with the upcoming opening of a new boutique in Yorkville. Not much is known about the new store — rumours have been swirling about the luxury lifestyle and accessories brand entering Toronto since 2024. But if the rumours are true, 97 Scollard St. will soon have a new tenant.

12

launching at three locations this summer — including Bayview Village (2901 Bayview Ave.).

Crudo, one of Toronto’s top sandwich joints, has gone north and launched in the 905! Known for its panuozzo, a loaded panini served on pizza bread, now residents in Woodbridge can try out these sandwiches at 40 Innovation Dr. And there are apparArthur’s Snackette is a new ently plans in the works to gourmet bagel spot in the city! expand to North York soon too.

Tucked in a laneway off St. Clair West, customers have been lin- Mom's Recipes is one of the ing up for these sourdough, city’s latest breakfast spots, and it open-faced bagels on weekends focuses on Ukrainian comfort (the eatery at 684 St. Clair Ave. food. Located in midtown, in W. is currently only open on Sat- between Rosedale, Yorkville and the Annex, it already got its first urdays and Sundays). celebrity visitor: Margaret AtKafe 002, a café concept from wood! You can visit the new eatL.A., is opening in Toronto this ery at 136 Avenue Rd. and try summer. The new location is dishes like syrniki and varenyky opening at 1024 Queen St. W., (Ukrainian dumplings). and it has its own unique identity — its sister café in the U.S. is Som Tum Jinda, a MichelinKafe 001. The location here will recommended Thai spot in the be collaborating with Frano city, has expanded to Little Italy.

Pizza and Panini in Mount Al- Now open at 356 College St., it’s serving up 11 varieties of som bert, Ont. tum along with classics like pad Hank is the latest men’s retailer see ew and pad krao pao. to join Canada’s fashion landscape. Founded by Canadian clothing company Caulfield ApLike this? Find more oPeninGs At parel Group, the multi-brand streetsoFtoronto.Com menswear retail concept will be

13

BREAK-INS BY NEIGHBOURHOOD

CRIME

Last month the highest percentage of break-ins occurred between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (45%). The day of the week with the most incidents was Tuesday (10%), and the majority of incidents occurred on weekdays (76%).

NORTH TORONTO

MAY 1

YONGE ST. AND ROWANWOOD AVE.

5 A.M.

MAY 2

EGLINTON AVE. E. AND BROWNLOW AVE.

8 A.M.

MAY 5

YONGE ST. AND HELENDALE AVE.

12 A.M.

MAY 5

BAYVIEW HEIGHTS DR. AND RED OAKS CRES.

11 A.M.

MAY 5

MILLWOOD RD. AND LEMAY RD.

2 P.M.

MAY 5

SUMMERHILL AVE. AND OTTAWA ST.

3 P.M.

MAY 6

FELBRIGG AVE. AND AVENUE RD.

9 P.M.

MAY 8

YONGE ST. AND ASQUITH AVE.

4 P.M.

MAY 10

ST. CLAIR AVE. W. AND ALVIN AVE.

12 A.M.

MAY 11

ROEHAMPTON AVE. AND REDPATH AVE.

1 P.M.

MAY 12

EGLINTON AVE. E. AND HOYLE AVE.

1 P.M.

MAY 12

DAWLISH AVE. AND DUNDURN RD.

1 P.M.

MAY 14

LAIRD DR. AND FAIRLAND RD.

2 A.M.

MAY 16

ST. GERMAIN AVE. AND GREER RD.

3 A.M.

MAY 1

ROSELAWN AVE. AND CHAPLIN CRES.

12 A.M.

MAY 3

BIRCH AVE. AND GANGE AVE.

6 A.M.

MAY 5

AVENUE RD. AND ROXBOROUGH ST. W.

3 A.M.

MAY 5

ST. CLAIR AVE. W. AND PARKWOOD AVE.

2 A.M.

MAY 8

CUMBERLAND ST. AND YONGE ST.

3 A.M.

MAY 8

MOLSON ST. AND ROXBOROUGH ST. W.

10 P.M.

MAY 13

HAZELTON AVE. AND WEBSTER AVE.

2 A.M.

MAY 14

ST. CLAIR AVE. W. AND RUSSELL HILL RD.

9 P.M.

MAY 15

LAWRENCE AVE. W. AND SHERMOUNT AVE.

9 A.M.

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NORTH YORK & BAYVIEW MAY 1

FLAMING ROSEWAY AND CALVIN AVE.

3 P.M.

MAY 2

CHURCHILL AVE. AND BASSWOOD RD.

12 A.M.

MAY 2

ALMONT RD. AND CHARLESWOOD DR.

3 A.M.

MAY 9

SPRING GARDEN AVE. AND WILLIAM POOLE WAY

11 P.M.

MAY 12

YONGE ST. AND UPPER MADISON AVE.

8 A.M.

MAY 13

BAYVIEW AVE. AND BAYVIEW RIDGE

5 P.M.

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STEELES AVE. W. AND TANGREEN CRT.

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BAYVIEW AVE. AND LAURELEAF RD.

5 P.M.

MAY 13

CLARK AVE. W. AND DAVID LEWIS DR.

10 P.M.

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SUMMERDALE DR. AND VALLEYVIEW RD.

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| JUNE 2026

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REAL ESTATE

Toronto’s cool market is heating up the open house scene Over the past 60 days, Toronto saw a shift: home sales actually ticked up year-over-year, while the supply of listings began to decline. But there’s still plenty of pent-up demand, meaning the city is still pretty solidly a buyer’s market — and sellers and agents are getting creative to try to make the sale.

One such strategy? The open house. Though they’re commonplace in Toronto, not every seller wants to open their home to virtually the entire public to make a sale.

“A lot of homeowners simply don’t want their nosy neighbours in their home,” says Odeen Eccleston Wiltshire, broker of record at Wiltshire Eccleston Realty.

She’s spoken to sellers who turn down open houses because they know they have neighbours who have been dying to see the inside of their home and “get in their personal business.”

But in a market like this one, some sellers might be thinking twice before shutting their doors.

“At this point, people are like,

L–R: Real estate broker Odeen Eccleston Wiltshire; open houses can help to encourage offers

whatever it takes,” she says.

Eccleston says open houses lately have definitely been slower, a sentiment Michael Kalles, president of Harvey Kalles Real Estate, echoes. He suspects this is largely due to weather, however.

“It’s been an interesting spring. It’s been colder than usual, so people keep inside a little bit more,” he says.

The spring market is usually the busiest time in Toronto,

though that hasn’t necessarily been the case this year. Kalles suspects that the city will “borrow” some of the spring market in the summer months, instead — noting that sales at his brokerage were already up 97 per cent year-over-year in dollar value. And if that surge happens, Kalles says open houses will be more valuable than ever.

He says many clients will visit a neighbourhood they’re interested in over a weekend, and

then walk it or drive it to get a feel for the area — and visit any available open houses.

“Let's say there's eight homes available in a neighbourhood and three are doing open houses.

A buyer may go into a home, one of the three that are open to the public, and fall in love with that property. And if you're one of the five that's not open to the public, you might lose that live buyer right then and there.”

Eccleston notes that, though

open houses are typically more for an agent to meet prospective clients, at her brokerage, they lead to an actual sale 10 to 20 per cent of the time in her experience.

“And in this market, that 10 per cent more of a chance is still 10 per cent more,” she says.

She says open houses also encourage a sale in two other key ways: creating buzz and competition.

“In a great location with a great price point, you’re going to see an open house filled with people, filled with excitement, and that creates buzz around the property,” she says. “And if someone has fallen in love with a house from a regular showing and they know that an open house is coming up on the weekend, they may say, ‘Let me hurry up and put an offer on this property. I don't want anybody else falling in love with it at the open house.’”

—Julia Mastroianni Like this? Find more reAL estAte At

streetsoFtoronto.Com

Brooklyn brownstones with a T.O. twist are all the rage

BIG-CITY STYLE

CONCRETE JUNGLE DREAMS

This townhome may be in Thornhill, but it looks like it could be right at home in the Big Apple. There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms at 51-8 Brighton Pl., as well as your own private BBQ-ready patio. $948,000, Forest Hill Real Estate

Covered in ivy and nestled in Yorkville, 23 Lowther Ave. has plenty of Manhattan magic. Featuring three bedrooms and four bathrooms, the landscaped backyard provides a cosy and private oasis in the city. $6,499,000, Sabrina Kaufman Real Estate Team

FROM FIFTH AVENUE TO THE SIX

| JUNE 2026

These townhomes hitting the market in the GTA have plenty of N.Y.C. charm

A townhouse right on the city’s coolest street, 261 Ossington Ave., is the perfect combination of N.Y.C. living and historic Toronto style. The six bedroom, four-bathroom home even has charming little stained glass details. $1,750,000, Re/Max Hallmark Realty 15

16

CLASS OF 2026

WE MAJOR IN IDEAS, INNOVATION AND IMPACT.

At Havergal, students graduate with more than knowledge. With progressive teaching methods and diverse points of view, our students create their own roadmap to something bigger.

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CLASS OF 2026

Celebrratingg the Bayview Glen Cllass of 2026

With compassion at their core, curiossity fueling their growth, and the courage to sh hape what lies ahead, we proudly celebrate the Bayview w Glen Class of 2026 as they step into a world full of possibility.

Their commitment to academic excelle ence, creative exploration, and personal respo onsibility has prepared them to thrive in university and beyon nd. As thoughtful global citizens with an entrep preneurial spirit and a strong sense of purpose, they are e ready to make a lasting impact wherever the eir journeys lead.

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CLASS OF 2026

Congratulations Toronto Prep 2026 Grads Engaging Minds...

SAMANTHA ACKEN

KYLE ALEXANDER

EMMA BROCK

WILLIAM ALLIBON

BRYN ATKINSON

KYRA BARBERA

JOSEPH BENDER

TJ BROOKS

JACKSON BRUVELAITIS ALEXANDER BUDD

SIENNA CADER

JULIAN CHIEFALO NICHOLAS CHORNEYKO

ALEXANDRA CLOYD

ELY COHEN

JORDAN DAVIDSON

JACK EDGE

MIRA EMERSON

LIAM ENGLISH

ORLANDO FERNANDES

GRACE FILGIANO

ARIANNA FISCHER-KINNEAR

BRAYDEN FOISY

TALI FRANKLIN

GIORGIA FURLONG

CLAIRE GILES

WYATT GLENN

EMILY GOLDSCHMIED OWEN GOLDSILVER

SARAH GRAUMAN

SHELBY GREENWOOD ALEXANDRA GRIFFITHS

PAUL GUERRIERE

SOPHIA GUPTA

LACHLAN HAMILTON

CAMPBELL HUGHES

ALEXA HOGG

DEVON HURLEY

JAMES BINNEY

DANI BIRSHTEIN

MILA CLARK

VIONA FARHANGDOUST SAMANTHA FAW-SCHWARZ

RENÉE GARDINER

CLAIRE HYATT

JAI GHAI

GILAD GROSMAN

ELON IZENBERG

19

CLASS OF 2026

EMILY JOJKIC

ARI KAFTALOVICH

ASHER KAHN

BRIANNA KITAY

KILEY LILLARD

JAMES LOGIE

SIMON NESRALLAH

SKAR NIKOLIC

SEBASTIEN RABY

NICO REINDERS

SAMANTHA ROACH

CODY SHANKS

HERO SHAPACK

KENNEDY SOANES

AYAAN SOOD

KEREN KARABELNICOFF ALLISON KAUFMAN

HARPER KAVANAGH

DECLAN KEARNEY

DYLAN MASS

GRACE MAZZOCCO

JULIET McENTYRE PHILIPPE MORISSETTE

FABIAN PARMAR

MADELEINE PATTERSON

ISABELLA PEAT

MYLA PICKEN

BENJAMIN ROTHOLZ

CORY RUSSO

REDA SALEEM

NOAH SCHULTZ

RON SHAMIR

DAY SHARPE

JAYDEN SHERMAN

RONNI SHRAM

TAL SHRAM

CALEB SINGER

OLIVER SJOGREN

MATTHEW SPEAR

ROLAND STRONG

KEIR THOMPSON

LEVI VERNON

NICHOLAS VIDINOVSKI

OLIVER VITALIS

ALLAN MARTIN

SALVATORE NOVEMBRE SLOANE PARKINSON

BRAD VLAOVIC

ETHAN WISE

COOPER ZEMLA

MARGOT KEATING

20

ar FOR SALE

FOR SALE

261 BROOKE AVE.

34 TARLTON RD.

264 CORTLEIGH BLVD.

T.

This worl Tige infus star

You Whe

$6,495,000. 50’ X 133’ LOT, 5+2 BEDS AND 8 BATHS, APPROX. 4,438 SQ. FT. + W/O BSMT.

$4,295,000. 40’ X 130’ LOT, 4+1 BEDS AND 6 BATHS, APPROX. 3,407 SQ. FT. + W/O BSMT.

$3,099,000. 35’ X 124’ LOT, 4 BEDS AND 4 BATHS, APPROX. 3,009 SQ. FT. + W/O BSMT.

I fir Brid Cart dren Are

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

10 WHITELAW CRT.

417 ST. GERMAIN AVE.

240 BROADWAY AVE. #22

Yes, story “Th and I jus alwa in it

How goth

$2,298,000. 83’ X 120’ PIE LOT, 5+1 BEDS AND 6 BATHS, APPROX. 4,458 SQ. FT. + W/O BSMT.

$1,795,000. CONDO TOWNHOUSE, 2 BEDS AND 3 BATHS, APPROX. 2,200 SQ. FT., PLUS 2 PARKING.

$1,395,000. CONDO TOWNHOUSE. 2+1 BEDS AND 3 BATHS, APPROX. 1,800 SQ. FT., PLUS 2 PARKING.

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

SOLD

135 BOMBAY AVE.

75 NORMAN BETHUNE AVE. #317

701 ORIOLE PKWY.

$1,295,000. 50’ X 177’ LOT, 4 BEDS AND 4 BATHS, APPROX. 2,140 SQ. FT. + BSMT.

$649,000. 2+1 BEDS AND 2 BATHS, APPROX. 1,304 SQ. FT. + 2 BALCONIES, PLUS 2 PARKING AND 1 LOCKER.

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21

ARTS

arts Q&a

©ggagency.ca

This month, Soulpepper Theatre will see the world premiere of the gritty new production Tiger Bride. We got the scoop on this punkinfused new show, running until June 14, from star Hailey Gillis.

You had a hand in creating Tiger Bride.

Where did the initial spark come from?

I first came across this short story, “Tiger’s Bride,” in a collection of short stories by Angela Carter called The Bloody Chamber in my children's lit class at University of Toronto.

Are they all fairy tale rewrites?

Where does this production sit in your artistic journey?

It's the first big realized written piece I’ve done here at Soulpepper, a place which has been a part of my journey in such a big way. I've been through amazing things and hard things and then great things again. It feels like the whole company has come out on the other side of big changes over the past 10 to 11 years since I started here, and so I feel this piece is really tied to this building and the journey of being here.

What inspired you to get into theatre originally?

Yes, The Bloody Chamber is actually the main story, which is based on “Bluebeard,” and then “The Tiger’s Bride” is based around “Beauty and the Beast,” and that’s the one I really loved.

I just kept carrying that book with me. I just always knew that it might have music involved in it. I could hear the music when I read it.

I was in a really musical family, and I was put into a kids’ choir. But I couldn't stay still. I could not focus. So my parents put me in a Saturday — but we came into the black box [Tank afternoon theatre class at Theatre Aquarius, and House Theatre] with a bunch of instruments. I just found my thing, and I kept doing it.

We wrote for three days, and it was wild. It just What keeps you rooted in theatre poured out of us.

How did you land on the rock cabaret, gothic fairy tale soundscape?

Is that kind of rapid creation rare in your experience?

We [Gillis along with collaborators Andrew Penner and Frank Cox-O’Connell] knew that we loved this story. We came to Soulpepper, and we didn't really know what we would do

Hailey Gillis stars in ‘Tiger Bride’ at Soulpepper

and working in Toronto and Canada?

Luck. I don’t know what I would be doing if I didn’t come to the Academy [at Soulpepper] Yes, it's really rare. I think we all had the same and start working with Mike Ross. He used to thing happen to us, where we heard what we trust me to do wild things onstage, and that kind wanted it to sound like, and then we all have of belief made a big difference.

—Ron Johnson our own esthetics, which are very similar.

Supersized sightseeing

CURRENTS

T.O. star brings a fairy tale with a twist to the stage

SECTION

daytrpr

Take a giant detour on your next Ontario road trip and see these monumental attractions that will surely stop traffic ©wamsley/Instagram

KAITLIN NARCISO is Streets of Toronto’s social media director and Great Escapes guide.

The apple of Ontario’s eye Along Highway 401 near Colborne sits one of Ontario’s most beloved fruit-themed monuments: a giant red apple standing more than 10 metres tall.

Built in the late ’80s, The Big Apple has since grown into a full roadside institution, complete with fresh pies, mini golf, a petting zoo and a steady stream of travellers. 262 Orchard Rd., Colborne

A towering Canada goose If you’ve ever driven Highway 17 toward Lake Superior, you’ve seen it. Towering over visitors at the entrance to Wawa, the giant Canada goose — with a wingspan of 20 feet — has been welcoming travellers since the ’60s, though it got a stainless steel makeover in 2017. Unsurprisingly, it’s become one of North America’s most photographed landmarks! 21 | JUNE 2026

A fish with a tall tale Kenora’s 40-foot-tall muskie looks like it launched straight out of Lake of the Woods. Husky the Muskie, located in McLeod Park, celebrates the region’s world-famous fishing culture: those who grew up fishing know the lure of trying to catch this notoriously elusive fish. It has also endured decades of weather, tourists and kids climbing all over it.

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EVENTS 2

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© Matthew Murphy

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© Johanna Brinckman/mmmusicagency.com

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Like this? Find more eVents At

streetsoFtoronto.Com

OF OUTSIDERS, INDIE ROCKERS & POST MALONE The biggest and best concerts, events and shows this month from the All Things Go and NXNE music festivals to Luminato and Medusa. By Ron Johnson

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POST MALONE

MEDUSA

TORONTO JAZZ FEST

ALL THINGS GO

THE OUTSIDERS

Catch one of the biggest moments of the summer as Post Malone brings his Big Ass Stadium Tour Part 2 to Rogers Stadium on June 16. Joined by special guests Jelly Roll and Carter Faith, the show blends hip hop, country and pop for an epic concert experience.

A reimagining of myth arrives with Medusa at Soulpepper from June 19 to July 12, at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Written by Erin Shields and directed by Mitchell Cushman, this legend transforms into a powerful exploration of female rage and identity.

Immerse yourself in 10 days of music during the Toronto Jazz Festival, from June 19–28, as jazz, soul, funk, global sounds and performances take over venues across the city. Highlights include Cassandra Wilson, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder and Emilie-Claire Barlow.

Get ready for a big weekend of indie pop and alternative music as the All Things Go Festival lands at RBC Amphitheatre on June 6 and 7. This year’s headliners and notable acts include Lorde, Kesha, Wet Leg, the Beaches and Holly Humberstone.

Experience the Tony Award– winning musical The Outsiders at the Princess of Wales Theatre from June 17 to July 26. Adapted from S. E. Hinton’s classic novel, this electrifying production brings the story of Ponyboy Curtis and the Greasers to life.

One of Toronto’s most enduring and important music festivals, NXNE returns to Toronto from June 10–14 with more than 300 artists performing across 30-plus venues throughout the city. Be the person who sees them before anyone else does.

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LIGHTHOUSE

AMERICAN DEVOTION

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

FORTÉ

LUMINATO

Celebrate Canadian rock history as Lighthouse returns to the Concert Hall on June 27 for an anniversary performance, marking 55 years of One Fine Morning. The One Fine Evening concert features a full live re-creation of the iconic album that started it all.

Get a slice of literary and Hollywood history with the world premiere of American Devotion at Crow’s Theatre, June 3 to 21. Set around a tense evening between Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, the play blends fact and fiction during the McCarthy-era America.

Catch post-punk legends Echo & The Bunnymen live at History on June 13, as they bring their More Songs To Learn & Sing tour to the city for a one-night performance of classic tracks, such as “Killing Moon,” along with fan favourites.

Forté – Toronto Gay Men’s Chorus performs In Our Nature on June 13 at the Winter Garden Theatre. This Pride Month concert features choral works and contemporary arrangements celebrating connection, warmth and self-discovery through music.

The Luminato Festival returns this June with an exciting lineup of theatre, dance, cabaret and immersive performances across Toronto venues from June 3 to 28. Highlights include Theatre of Dreams, Heartbreak Hotel and Penn & Teller.

NXNE

KEVIN MORBY

Singer-songwriter Kevin Morby brings his Little Wide Open world tour to History on June 5. Joined by special guest Liam Kazar, Morby, a dynamic and captivating musician, will perform songs from his new album alongside fan favourites in an intimate live setting.

| JUNE 2026

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FASHION

DADCORE DECODED: FOUR FITS FOR FATHER’S DAY Calling the dads who love to hang out on the water, in the stands, on the green or by the racetrack! Jeanne Beker is ready to style you head to toe in these sports-inspired outfits, sourced from Toronto's top menswear shops.

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YACHTCORE

GOLFCORE

A. TEAM CANADA JERSEY, Canada Soccer Store, $229.99, canadasoccerstore.com B. STRAIGHT LEG JEANS, Over the Rainbow, $324, 55 Bloor St. W. “These have that kind of lived-in look that a lot of guys crave. I love that they're a bit faded.”

C. BELT BAG, Get Outside, $179.99, 437 Queen St. W. “This looks nice and roomy, just so convenient to wear and great for sporting at a World Cup match!”

D. SNEAKER, Foot Locker, SALE $108.75, 1 Bass Pro Mills Dr. “A white sneaker is always cool, and these would pair perfectly with a jersey.”

E. RACING JACKET, Roots, $798, 1 Bass Pro Mills Dr. F. T-SHIRT, Lost & Found, $120, 12 Ossington Ave. “I love this colour. It's so upbeat for the season.”

G. SUNGLASSES, MEC, $59.95, 300 Queen St. W. “These are super sporty, with that strong, wraparound aviator kind of look.”

H. JOGGERS, Reigning Champ, $168, 3401 Dufferin St. “These are really clean cut and comfortable, with great side pockets.

These would be great for travel, too.”

I. SNEAKERS, Gravitypope, $110, 1010 Queen St. W.

J. SUNGLASSES, Muddy George, $140, 973 Bloor St. W. “I love a pair of sungglasses that are a little retro and vintage style, and these are so cool with the blue lenses.”

K. STRIPED SHIRT, Uncle Otis, $175, 329 Spadina Ave. “This definitely says south of France!”

L. CASHMERE SWEATER, Good Neighbour, $385, 1212 Yonge St. “This is a great splash of colour to tie over your shoulders.”

M. SHORTS, Muddy George, $120, 973 Bloor St. W. N. BOAT SHOE, Heel Boy, $165, 773 Queen St. W. “These are the perfect boat shoe for summer.”

O. POLO, Gravitypope, $175, 1010 Queen St. W. “This looks really classy and comfortable, very cool and simple.”

P. TROUSERS, Gerhard Supply, $275, 2949 Dundas St. W. “Stripes are always fun, and these really speak to summer and those golf vibes.”

Q. BASEBALL CAP, Province of Canada, $54, 104 Ossington Ave. “I love this one, and from a great Canadian brand!”

R. LOAFERS, Get Outside, SALE $99.99, 437 Queen St. W. “This is a classic shoe, and they're great for any Father's Day adventure.”

Jeanne Beker | One of Canada’s most trusted authorities on fashion, now watch her on TSC or tune in to her podcast Beyond Style Matters.

| JUNE 2026

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26

POST CITY x ARROWSMITH

“For Years, Reading Wa as a Daily y Struggle” A Tor o ont o o parent reflec e ts on her son’s jo ourney at Arrowsmith s School For most parents, the transition from learning phonics to reading full sentences is a standard childhood milestone. But for Allison, watching her son Sam struggle with the alphabet felt less like a rite of passage and more like hitting an invisible wall.

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Today, Allison describes that Sam can not only read, he has completely changed his life: all sparked by his enrolment at the Arrowsmith School. " ,+"& +"&+ ' +, " ++" % " $'+ +$& " &"%&" still amazes me every day,” Allison says. “His ability, " " " " " "

As a mother m who once sat with my child d as he strugg gled to see a three-letter word, wa atching him & ' +"'! + " !' , " ++ " % +" %&$+ %$#" " miracle in real-time.” +" ,,! %& " ,! ' " % +, " ,! "&, %&%!$ " specia al education; rather than providing compensa&%!$ "!," ! % %$#" ' + %'"' ,,%' " ' !! " & " guide students through cognitive activvities. What can so ometimes feel, for parents like Allison, like a “miraccle” is in fact the result of an apprroach built on decad des of research. It has proved to fu undamentally chang ge how students like Sam engage with learning.

For more than 40 years, Arrowsmith School has been empowering students

at the root cause. It is widely recognized d

studentss develop the strength and resiliencce needed for a lifetime of indep pendence and learning.

When n Sam moves on from Arrowsmith h School, he will ha ave the capacity to navigate his fu uture educa&%!$" $ " % +" %& "'!$ +$'+ " % " !& +,",+ %$ " % " +,'+ &" !' &+" $ " ! &"#, &+ " %&$+ " Arrowsmiith, 245 St Clair Ave W., Toronto,

*Names and details have been changed to protect privacy.

Experience Memory Care at Amica Balmoral

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Tuesday, June 30 | 10:30am - 4:30pm RSVP to reserve your 30-minute time slot Amica Balmoral Presentation Centre 1360 Yonge Street To learn more call 416-927-0055 $ ! $ $ $ $

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27

FASHION

Designers reimagine the Leafs, Jays & Raptors details. The result is edgy, experimental designs that belong on the runway — including, as they did in May, at Fashion Art Toronto. Stanger presented a collection titled HER Runway with an all-athlete runway to celebrate professional female athletes, featuring upcycled pieces created from deadstock and discarded athletic wear.

Tapped by top athletes

Longtime athlete and sports fan Sukhdeep Kalsi launched her brand Skalsi in 2020, and while it wasn’t exclusively a sportswear upcycling brand, it was the pieces that repurposed jerseys that caught the eyes of the public — and the athletes themselves.

Kalsi ended up designing a custom vest for Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, using Barnes’ own jerseys. She also was tapped by Alysha Newman, an Olympic pole vaulter from Ontario, to create a twopiece upcycled Leafs look, and designed a custom jersey dress for Canadian WNBA player Aaliyah Edwards earlier this year. And this past spring, Kalsi

Turning basketballs into bags

L–R: Scottie Barnes with a Skalsi vest, an AB.0 Project design

brought a totally Torontothemed collection to her first fashion show with fashion club Rchive — each of the four upcycled looks represented a different Toronto sports team. In the shop right now (Skalsi is available online for purchase) is a reworked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. puffer jacket, alongside some

other upcycled sportswear pieces from non-local teams.

Runway-ready gear

Aby Stanger, the Ontario designer behind AB.0 Project, turns upcycling into a true art.

Her pieces combine sportswear with stylish elements like denim, ruffles, lace and shirting

Natalya Amres doesn’t just take jerseys and sportswear to make her designs — she’s been known to turn Raptors print bedsheets into anorak jackets and literal basketballs and footballs into bags. Amres has been making custom client pieces through the Altered Label for years, and her label has dressed the likes of Migos, TakeOff and former Raptor Chris Boucher. In 2025, she founded Circle Theory, where she crafts one-of-one reworks in small-batch drops — including a line of tote bags made out of Toronto jerseys.

— Julia Mastroianni

Honest Ed’s Alley will give corner its soul back Mirvish Village is already shaping up to be one of Toronto’s biggest new neighbourhood hubs, with restaurants, a massive food hall and restored heritage buildings all coming together at the former Honest Ed’s site. But one of the most interesting pieces of the project has only recently been announced.

The laneway that runs through the interior of Mirvish Village between Markham Street and Bathurst Street will soon be lined with tiny microretail shops, and it will be dubbed Honest Ed’s Alley! The smaller shop sizes are meant to give emerging businesses a lower-barrier way to reach customers, all without having to put down a major deposit or commit to a long-term lease.

Tokyo-inspired micro-retail is coming to Mirvish Village

Expect 25 move-in-ready incubator-style spots ranging from 150 to 300 square feet, with a design that takes its cues from Tokyo alleyways: think bright neon signage and lantern-style lighting. The bold

signs and bargain-hunting energy will also help to give the space a throwback Honest Ed’s feel.

Units are still being leased, but a few names are already showing up. Look out for food

and drink options like Unruly Smoothie, which will serve up plant-based and antioxidantrich drinks, as well as Batch Cookies for chunky chocolate chip treats.

On the retail and services side, check out small-format shops like the Alley Flea Market, Bazaar Gift Shop, Neutron Starr Gift Store and Good and Fast Cleaners.

Another name already drawing attention is Shyne On Jewelry. After spending more than 20 years on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa, the shop will bring its iconic gold, silver and diamond jewelry to the Alley.

Follow @mirvish.village on Instagram for more updates.

— Nisean Lorde

Vendor at the Toronto Flea

Forecast for T.O. markets is hot, hot, hot When warm weather hits the city, it’s only a matter of time before every weekend is filled up with pop-up markets for every taste!

Here are some of the highlights.

Handmade crafts at Trinity

An open air market is taking over Trinity Bellwoods from June 26 to 28. Toronto Summer Makers Market promises handmade crafts and goodies by local artisans, from home decor and jewelry to artwork and beauty products.

Fair fun at the Brick Works

From June 19 to 21, Evergreen Brick Works will travel back in time with the Toronto Vintage & Retro Fair. Offering thrift finds, antique decor and vinyl records from decades past, there will also be a DJ spinning retro tunes and food vendors serving up nostalgic treats from different eras.

A flea at a heritage estate

Shop around at a flea market with totally historic vibes, thanks to the return of the Toronto Flea on June 7. Located on the front lawn of Ashbridge Estate, expect plenty of storybook whimsy — like a bookstore out of a van and a tiny trailer filled with vintage clothes.

A vintage market in a café

It’s been almost a year since Hogtown Flea has graced the city with its extremely cool vintage market.

Finally, on June 13, it’s coming back, this time taking over Bevy, a café and event space. Run by the team at Hogtown Vintage, you can expect plenty of workwear, graphic Ts, denim and maybe even a tattoo artist on site.

— JM 27 | JUNE 2026

Here in Toronto, we love our sports teams so much that we don’t want to reserve the jerseys and sports gear for game day only. Why not rep the Jays on a night out or don your favourite Raptors gear as an accessory?

These Toronto designers are turning sportswear into high fashion.

28

ADVICE

My boyfriend is joining my gym — RIP my vibe

What’s going on in the Neighbourhood?

| JUNE 2026

Let us know at storyideas@postcity.com

28

Dear Sangita: My boyfriend wants to switch gyms to join me at mine, but I've been enjoying a flirtation with a guy at my gym for years now. I think this will ruin it. There's something fun to me about going to the gym and getting to be single — or at least appear single.

And having a no-strings-attached, regular flirtation with this guy does plenty for my ego. I'd really be sad to have to SANGITA PATEL is our advice stop flirting (and have this guy columnist and was previously a realize I'm taken) if my boy- host on ET Canada. friend joins. Is there any way to explain this to him without she literally can't move her sounding like a total asshole? forehead and when she laughs or smiles or frowns it looks like — Crushing it at the gym she's making the exact same exDear CIATG: I have a feeling pression. I can tell she keeps exyou’ve gotten to the point in your pecting me to compliment her, relationship where it’s gotten too but we're always honest with comfortable, so you are trying to each other. I feel the need to tell find something else that makes her: this isn't working, don't do you feel beautiful and gives you it again! — No to the needle that feeling you’ve been missing.

So I think this behaviour is an Dear NTTN: There’s a way to indication that the thing you’re approach this conversation missing with your boyfriend kindly: don’t make fun of it or right now, which is that flirting, say it’s all wrong; instead, phrase that excitement. This happens a it as, “Maybe you should go try lot. When people have work somebody else so that you can crushes or gym crushes and look more like you.” If she genthere’s flirting happening, they uinely does want Botox, there don’t actually expect anything, are better people out there to do just like you said. It’s more that it without giving her that exyou’re really comfortable in this treme “Botox face,” as you say. relationship and maybe your It’s a tough conversation because boyfriend isn’t treating you the this isn’t just about trying out a way you want to be treated — or haircut that didn’t work. This you’re missing a component of choice may have come from a your relationship that you’re now place of insecurity, and it’s imseeking elsewhere. I’m not portant to approach it gently. So against flirting, it happens all the even if you do think she would time and it’s often harmless. But look better without Botox, she this is a signal that you should doesn’t seem open to that kind talk to your boyfriend about how of feedback right now (if she you can bring that feeling back were, I think she would have into your relationship. If your openly asked you whether you boyfriend can do it, then you’ll think it looks good or not). The probably find you won’t even be best feedback you can give her seeking out that flirtation with for now is some grace — and maybe the number to a more reyour gym crush anymore. liable practitioner.

Dear Sangita: My sister got Botox. How do I tell her it looks Have a relationship or life really, really bad? She's got that question for Sangita? classic Botox face now where Send it to advice@postcity.com.

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LOVE STORIES

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Cirque du Soleil couple turns death-defying acts into life together When Cirque du Soleil rolls into town on June 18 with its brand new show LUZIA, it’ll be taking the audience to a make-believe Mexico filled with old movie sets, beaches, deserts and plenty of colour. Although the show isn’t a love story, there’s actually a real one unfolding onstage — between pole dance and trapeze artist Morgane Tisserand and aerial artist Jérome Sordillon.

They share the story of finding a match made in midair.

How they met

We met at École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal in 2010 when we were both studying circus there. Maybe it’s because we are both from France, but we quickly connected and became friends.

The relationship

One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were spending all our time together and officially dating. We spent the first two years together in Montreal while studying circus.

When we graduated, we both got contracts but on different circus shows. Between working in Germany, Las Vegas, Australia and more, we managed to see each other once every two to three months. This long-distance relationship lasted for

about five years. We finally got to work together on a Cirque du Soleil show in 2017 and were able to travel together, just as we had always dreamed.

The secret to success

It’s probably our communication.

We likely wouldn’t have survived five years of a long-distance relationship without it. Also, the fact that we were friends first gave us a very solid foundation for our The proposal For Jérome, marriage is for life, relationship. and he didn’t want to propose until we had shared the biggest Balancing careers life commitment of all: having a and a relationship child. Sohan arrived in our lives When you live on the road toon March 30, 2020. One month gether for work, it can be easy to later, Jérome invited me to the lose the balance between your cabeach for a family lunch. He reer and your relationship beproposed at the end of lunch cause everything blends together.

We try as much as possible to with Sohan right beside us. create quality moments for ourselves and our family. Between The wedding plans We are constantly on the road cities, whenever we have time off, for work, and we just haven’t we love travelling somewhere found the time to make a wed- else and disconnecting from the ding happen yet. We know for circus world. We also try to keep sure that it will be in Spain. We our days off dedicated to family both love Greece, so it wouldn’t time with our son. be surprising if that became our The future together honeymoon destination.

We’d love to do this as long as we can, but we know there is an exThe kids Sohan is six years old, and he has piration date to our lives as circus been on tour with us since he was performers. We would still love one, when we joined LUZIA. We to stay in the arts industry. love showing him the world and Maybe one day we’ll have our different cultures. He currently own creative company. We would speaks French, English and Spa- still love to travel, but we hope nish. A couple of weeks ago, he to settle down in our home in told us he would love to learn Spain, enjoy being close to the Russian because his best friend beach and continue creating unforgettable memories for our son. on tour is from Belarus.

| JUNE 2026

her ughs like e exs exher, with o tell t do

L–R: Jérome Sordillon, their son, Sohan, and Morgan Tisserand; Tisserand onstage

29

30

Meet Toronto’s micro-’hoods While you were hanging out at the mall, some of the city’s boldest chefs & shops were busy reinventing retail

Hip and fun hideaway This tiny but mighty area is everything that makes Toronto great, and trendy new openings make it clear the neighbourhood is the city’s next best thing.

you haven’t — like local, eye-catching food mag Serviette.

A taste of Japanese fashion When Blue Button Shop opened in Brockton Village, it made the hunt for stylish designs from across the globe effortless. They import brands that are often exclusive to the Japanese market — prepare to find your new fave designer here.

A DIY vintage crawl Start at the Wanderly, a newer addition to the city’s vintage scene that is a flurry of cotton and linen. Then head to Chosen, a curated second-hand boutique that is especially great for true vintage shoes. And don’t forget to stop in at Easy Tiger, an airy lifestyle boutique that stocks coveted CanaWELCOME TO dian designers, heirloom tomato BROCKTON candles and a neat little stack of zines VILLAGE and poetry.

Skate ’n’ sip Bright blue on the outside and lined with skateboards on the inside, Brockton Haunt got an upgrade from just a coffee shop to Toronto’s first women- and queer-owned skate shop a few years back. So now you can recharge with a coffee and cookie or sandwich while browsing for a new board.

Clockwise from top: Issues Magazine Shop, The Wanderly, Brockton Haunt

An independent magazine shop Visit Issues Magazine Shop and learn all at once that print maybe, definitely, isn’t dead. Independent magazines line all the shelves, including some you’ve heard of (Interview, the Paris Review, Wonderland) and many

A bistro with a comeback A sure sign of an area on the rise?

Comebacks and revivals. Last year, a familiar Brockton face made a return: Wallflower, the cosy bar and bistro that shut its doors at the start of the pandemic. Brought back by the same owner with the same candlelit, casual vibe, stop in here after a day of shopping for a comfort dish (and maybe a slice of Barbara’s famous cheesecake).

A by-the-ounce wine bar New this year to the neighbourhood is Pinot Grouchio’s.

With a handwritten menu of small-batch wines, it’s all priced by the ounce. So kick up your feet at this laid-back bar and opt for sample sips or a very full glass or the signature baby ‘tini if a cocktail is more your style.

This tucke Eglin the ci

West end indie

| JUNE 2026

Think of Bloorcourt as Ossington’s more laid-back sibling.

Along Bloor West, it mixes indie bookstores, vintage shops and a stretch that still feels genuinely local.

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ultimate one-two punch when your wardrobe needs something with actual personality.

Hunt for literary oddities Famous for its "Biblio-Mat" — the world’s first vending machine Trade espresso for R & B Now & Later pours premium Subtext espresso by day, then for randomized antiquarian books — The Monkey’s Paw spepivots at 6 p.m. into a moody wine bar pumping old school R cializes in the beautiful, the bizarre and the wonderfully obscure for anyone who loves the smell of old & B. Grab a seat on the killer back patio paper and unexpected history. and pair your drinks with Now & Later’s legendary Caribbean steamed buns — like WELCOME TO Escape the concrete the fiery, sweet honey ginger pork bao.

BLOORCOURT Anchored by two massive outdoor woodfired ovens, Dufferin Grove Park acts as the Catch a quirky flick ultimate neighbourhood backyard. The Originally opened in 1937, Paradise Theleafy haven hosts a legendary year-round atre is a beautifully restored art deco landmark hosting everything from indie film screenings and retro farmers market, a bustling campfire area and a DIY playground double-features to live talk shows, comedy acts and local com- built for people-watching with an iced coffee. munity events.

Sip in secret Whether you want a sun-drenched afternoon or a moody lateScore rare finds Bloorcourt is a treasure trove for style hunters. Hit Siberia Vin- night vibe, this block has you covered. Sip meticulously crafted tage for an impeccably curated blast of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s cocktails with a cheeky Australian twist at Electric Bill, or wander streetwear, then head over to Gigi’s House of Frills to browse over to Paradise Grapevine’s legendary backyard patio for natgorgeous, retro-inspired lingerie. Together, they make for the ural wines and exceptional local beers.

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Clockwise from top: Now & Later, Siberia Vintage, Electric Bill Bar

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COVER STORY

North west industrial Around Lawrence and Keele, this industrial stretch looks like an auto repair maze from the street. Inside the warehouses, it opens into fashion studios, Italian markets and craft breweries.

viette.

Sit down for an artisan dinner By night, Speducci Mercatto evolves from an upscale butcher shop into an incredible sit-down dinner destination. The industrial-chic dining space serves up awardwinning charcuterie boards, house-made pastas and their famous, perfectly grilled lamb spiedini.

age, it globe ive to ve de-

Play some bocce Every industrial micro-neighbourBrowse like an Italian nonna hood needs a breath of fresh air, and INGRAM-KEELE A neighbourhood staple right on this massive 12-hectare park delivers.

Keele, Cataldi Fresh Market is like Amesbury Park acts as the comstepping directly into Italy. Beyond munity’s ultimate outdoor hangout, the rows of specialized imported goods, the hot counter boasting tree-lined walking paths and iconic outdoor is legendary. Come for the massively satisfying veal or bocce courts to relax with your takeout sandwiches. chicken cutlet sandwiches and don't dare leave without picking up some fresh arancini or a jar of imported wild Hunt down the warehouse panini cherry jam.

Tucked away inside an unassuming industrial plaza, Cucina Mauro is a certified hidden gem serving serious, Source vintage treasures scratch-made Italian comfort food. Grab a stool at the Hidden among the area's industrial facades is a haven counter for a beastly porchetta panino loaded with crispy of pure elegance. Cristina’s Antiques specializes in a crackling and bitter rapini, and wash it down with an eshand-picked, beautifully curated collection of high-qual- presso and a freshly piped cannoli. ity vintage furniture and one-of-a-kind treasures, draw-

Clockwise from top: Cucina Mauro, Bellwoods Brewery, Speducci Mercatto

The next Geary Avenue This wonderfully offbeat little industrial pocket is tucked between the Don Valley and O’Connor with Eglinton Avenue to the north that’s becoming one of the city’s most unexpectedly rewarding afternoons out.

Café with artsy vibes Start your day with coffee and a treat at Circles & Squares Bakery Cafe, a stylish creative hub and café space that attracts the neighbourhood’s artists, designers and freelancers.

press and build their own decks. The smell of fresh-cut wood alone is worth the stop.

Surf the Great Lakes Nearby, you’ll find one of the city’s more unexpected retail experiences: Surf Ontario, a surf shop improbably located far from any ocean but fully committed to the lifestyle. The shop has become a cult favourite for surfers heading to the Great Lakes, carrying boards, wetsuits and enough coastal energy to briefly convince you Lake Ontario has tides.

Stunning gallery space WELCOME TO Industrial-sized suds Mosey over to the remarkable SanBermondsey has its own craft brewdra Ainsley Gallery, one of the most BERMONDSEY ery in a converted warehouse. Goldrespected contemporary glass art enfield Brewery opened up shop in galleries in the country, tucked into 2023 and has some quality suds an unassuming industrial building and a very cool taproom to unwind converted to house a 6,000-squarefoot gallery space with a 22-foot ceiling. The gallery is in following an afternoon of exploring the ’hood. home to a number of notable artists, none bigger than Peek cookie monster Dale Chihuly.

Then lean fully into Bermondsey’s weird-and-wonderful energy with a stop at the legendary Peek Freans Shred some concrete A few minutes away, Roarockit Skateboard Company Cookie Outlet. Where you can find discount Oreos, offers a completely different kind of artisanship. The Cadbury chocolate and much more. long-running Toronto company manufactures handcrafted skateboards and even teaches people how to

| JUNE 2026

ill Bar

Grab a secret pint Everyone knows the bustling Ossington location, but real beer nerds head north to Bellwoods Brewery’s massive production facility. The space is dominated by giant shiny tanks and a sprawling barrel-aging program, featuring a low-key taproom and bottle shop to enjoy a fresh pint of Jelly King.

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ing interior design enthusiasts looking to add genuine character, artisanship and history to their homes.

Clockwise from top: Circles & Squares Bakery, Surf Ontario, Goldenfield Brewery 31

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COVER STORY

East end beach vibes The Beaches and its pub-heavy Queen Street strip get all the attention, but why not let that fresh Beach air allow you to drift just a little north to the easy breezy Kingston Road strip of the Upper Beach.

Beach reads unlocked Tucked into this ‘hood for more than 50 years, the Great Escape Book Store is a beloved gem filled floor-to-ceiling with new and used books for every kind of reader.

This is a place to linger and dig deep into the stacks to find a hidden gem to read on the beach later. A true destination for book lovers.

Café culture Try strolling up through the drop-dead gorgeous oakfilled Glen Stewart Ravine, which ends at Balsam and Kingston, and cross the road for a coffee and pastry at one of two wonWELCOME TO derful coffee shops: Black Dog CofKINGSTON ROAD fee and Black Canary. Both offer delish coffee, and tasty snacks.

VILLAGE Ukes, paddles and SUPs, oh my One of the most unique little shops on Kingston is one dedicated to both ukuleles and paddleboards. Here, the tiny colourful storefront is part office space for Ukes Abroad, a non-profit, as well as a teaching space and store.

Clockwise from top: Spaghetti Western, Ukes Abroad, Great Escape Book Store

Spaghetti Western Ready for lunch? Check out Spaghetti Western for some gigantic and delish sandwiches on freshly baked sourdough or homemade pasta. The sammies are perfect for a picnic. Think housemade stracciatella, fig jam and spicy bomba sauce.

Craft spirits and Parisian vibes Prefer a drink and a snack? The very cool 99 Bottles bottle shop is open 364 days a week, and has a fantastic patio. Come for the Parisian vibe.

Leave with a bottle of craft spirits for home.

The perfect finish Chocollata Gourmet began as Toronto’s first dedicated brigadeiro shop, opened by Igor and Talitha in a small Upper Beaches storefront shortly after the birth of their son. The cozy boutique quickly became known for its handcrafted Brazilian sweets in inventive flavours that elevate the brigadeiro into something truly special.

With its warm atmosphere and artisanal approach, the shop feels like a hidden neighbourhood treasure for chocolate lovers in the east end.

5p

West end style heads to midtown

| JUNE 2026

Long thought of as the quiet cousin to big and brassy Rosedale, the Summerhill nabe is finally coming into its own, attracting some of the city’s top chefs and fashionistas to a quiet strip of Yonge that is not going to stay quiet for much longer.

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casing emerging and established Canadian artists that always has something on the go. Founded in 2005 by artist-director Jay Belmore, the gallery offers a creative break from the boutiques. This summer Muse hosts Summer Days (June 18 to July 8), a group exhibition featuring more than 25 artists.

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Shuck the status quo Summerhill is waking up thanks to a heavyweight crew Wellness unlocked from Union and Quetzal. The loud, high-energy room at Looking for the latest and most innovative treatments to Seahorse pairs a stellar raw bar with massive seafood ice nourish the skin and feed the soul, Fig Bar Summerhill offers a tech-forward approach in a boxes and rich bouillabaisse. Grab a minimalist, spa-like setting. Fig Bar seat at the stone bar and order the caters to the neighbourhood’s wellcharred runner beans — they comWELCOME TO ness-minded clientele with a menu of pletely steal the show.

SUMMERHILL options that include the latest in injectables and longevity treatments as Snag a Muskoka bar well as facials, light therapy and more.

Two sisters have brought Bar32, their beloved Port Carling cottage country pop-up, straight to Summerhill for the summer. Drop by A boutique boom the ultra-cute, photo-filled space for artisanal scoop fla- Over the past year and a half, seemingly everyone wants vours or their signature handmade, gourmet ice cream to open up shop in Summerhill. There’s T.Line, dedicated bars in weekly rotating flavours like dark chocolate and to crafting the perfect button down shirt; Luxton, a women’s outerwear brand that found a permanent home strawberry, hazlenut and salted vanilla. in the neighbourhood just this year; the Lobby by Heaps Estrin, featuring pop-ups and a rotating display of local Creativity loading Tucked along Yonge just north of Summerhill station, artisans; and, just recently, Wynona Studio, an ultra-eleMuse Gallery is an intimate contemporary space show- gant T.O.-based tailoring house.

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Clockwise from top: T.Line, Bar32, Seahorse

East Toron

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COVER STORY

Secret cultural corner This area of Toronto is easy to overlook. But, on your way to the Distillery District or Riverside, you might find that you can spend a day in this vibrant district.

Great o-ceileader. cks to A true

vibes e very open ntastic vibe. its for

An art gallery and cultural centre A plant store and gelato hybrid At 183 Gallery, you’ll discover exhibitions by local artists.

Enter through the front door to Plant Society, a green This artist collective is also dedicated to highlighting the oasis of beautiful plants, succulents and dried flower bou- Moss Park neighbourhood, hosting walking tours, live quets. Hidden downstairs is Moss Park Espresso: a little music events and still life classes. Check their Instagram coffee shop that draws crowds for its (@183gallery) to see what’s on beultra-fluffy gelato made in-house. Any fore you go! flavour can be turned into an affogato, WELCOME TO one of the café’s most popular menu A cinematic diner items — try it with the pistachio.

With a bright red painted brick exterior and cosy, retro booths inside, it’s The city’s coolest menswear no surprise that George Street Diner Haven may be tucked away in a less has featured in countless films, TV traversed part of the city, but the hulking black brick shop shows and even music videos (Hi, Shawn Mendes) has been attracting Toronto’s most stylish residents for filmed in the city. Start here in the morning and enjoy an decades. The selection here is unbeatable, with hard-to- Irish breakfast (choose the basic, ultimate or massive verfind Japanese brands, but it’s the staff that make shop- sion). ping feel like a luxury experience all on its own.

A bookstore filled with oddities and cats A perfectly pink vintage furniture shop Considered Toronto’s oldest bookstore, Acadia Art & Rare Just east of Moss Park is a quirky little stretch of multi- Books originally opened in 1931. Pore over crates of vincoloured storefronts, including a pink one. Step inside tage prints and postcards, say hello to the resident cats the Apartment and you’ll feel like you’re visiting some- lounging about and leave with a piece of history in tow. one’s actual home. This vintage furniture spot features

OLD TOWN

cated small their for its s that ecial. h, the re for Clockwise from top: Haven, George Street Diner, The Apartment

5 pockets undergoing a serious glow-up While these neighbourhoods might not be established destinations just yet, they’re certainly on their way — and renovations, revitalizations and new openings point to serious evolution.

Milliken Mills Milliken Mills skips the tourist traps for real cultural density. The main draw is the strip mall food scene — think unpretentious spots along Kennedy and Steeles packing a massive range of South Asian, Chinese and Southeast Asian eateries, including HK-style cafés and dim sum. Toss in Milliken Mills Park for weekend cricket and ongoing upgrades at the GO station, and the whole area is quietly turning into one of the most reliable food neighbourhoods outside the core.

Carlaw Avenue Carlaw Avenue is gearing up for a massive shift, mostly because the future Ontario Line subway is putting a station right at Gerrard. For the moment, the strip is keeping its artistic edge, remaining home to indie photo studios, small workshops and Crow’s Theatre.

East Harbour Toronto is taking a massive 38-acre gamble here,

turning an old industrial site into a mini downtown from scratch. Although it is mostly dirt right now, the real tourist draw will be the century-old Unilever factory, getting transformed into a bustling indooroutdoor public market packed with local food stalls.

Toss in major new music venues and bike trails connecting straight to Ookwemin Minising (formerly known as Villiers Island), and it becomes a massive cultural hot spot worth visiting.

The Port Lands The Port Lands is getting one of the biggest waterfront facelifts the city has ever seen. Workers are literally moving the earth to change where the Don River flows into the lake, a massive engineering trick to stop local flooding and build the foundation for Ookwemin Minising. It’s a massive construction zone for now, but the goal is a proper community with parks, trails and water views.

Mill Pond and Old Richmond Hill This historic pocket is shaping up to be one of the 905’s best emerging spots. A major revitalization project is giving the walking paths around Mill Pond a serious upgrade, which is a massive win since the park sits right next to the historic main street on Yonge.

| JUNE 2026

ahorse

oodles of homewares organized by colour, mid-century modern couches and countless treasures.

Clockwise from top: Rendering of Ookwemin Minising, Chang Rai in Milliken Mills, Crow’s Theatre 33

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39

EATS OF TORONTO

Bite-Sized Q&A She cooked like her nonna and changed T.O. forever For 25 years, Rosa Marinuzzi has led the charge for female chefs Twenty-five years ago, Rosa Marinuzzi left her cousin’s spot, Gio Rana’s, to do things her own way. The goal was simple: more heart, more family and honest Italian food. It worked. Decades later, she has served everyone from local legends to Madonna, while still obsessing over niche ingredients like cardoons that remind her of home. For Marinuzzi, there was never some grand master plan. She just cooks every day, takes care of people and quietly builds a Toronto classic.

were always special for us. But when Madonna came, I knew we did something right.

Cardoons, when we can get them. They remind me of home. They are not easy, but when you cook them simply — olive oil, garlic, maybe a little tomato, sometimes with egg — they are so good. Food tastes better when it’s fresh, local and simple: good ingredients, handled right, without overcomplicating things.

Take us back to 2001. When you first opened the doors, what was the dream?

We wanted a place that people would feel comfortable at, and we always wanted to work together as a family. That was the dream. And I love to cook and I love to feed people. For me, that is everything.

Looking back on 25 years of feeding Toronto, how does it feel to see the impact you’ve made on your diners?

FOOD

What’s one ingredient you wish more people appreciated?

SECTION

I feel incredibly greatful. We have the best customers, and all these years they have supported us. I want to say thank you so much to all of You’ve had some massive names sit Your cousin’s spot, Gio Rana’s, is pretty them. I didn’t think about 25 years. I just cook at your tables over the years. Who gave legendary. How did your time there every day and try my best to take care of people. you the ultimate “we made it” moment? shape your own kitchen philosophy?

If people are still coming back after all these Gio’s was very important for us. We learned a Bonnie Stern, the famous cookbook author, years, that means everything to me. lot there. But we wanted to do it our way — and local celebrities, like Kiefer Sutherland, —Megan Gallant more family, heart and simple food done right. the Tragically Hip and the Barenaked Ladies, Chef Rosa Marinuzzi celebrates 25 years

Why bar hop when you can just table dance?

All’s well that ends well Bringing Dubai-level opulence to the Well, this 7,000-square-foot Mediterranean-Asian fusion spot is pure theatre. By day, it’s all truffle lobster and A5 wagyu sandos; by night, Noyaa flips into a jungle disco with international DJs. It nails the 50/50 split, where Silk Road cocktails meet high-energy nightlife. 437 Wellington St. W.

Trading chaos for caviar Perched above Cibo in Yorkville, this 4,000-squarefoot lounge swaps frenzied King West energy for Michelin-adjacent polish. Backed by Don Alfonso 1890 expertise, Powder Room is a supper club for the caviar-and-wagyu crowd, with live soul music and elevated bites, like chicken nuggets topped with 30 grams of sturgeon roe. 129 Yorkville Ave.

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TASTE TEST

SPARE NO EXPENSE: THE ULTIMATE FATHER’S DAY RIB-OFF

ANTHONY ROSE WINNER

NUIT REGULAR WINNER

GREEN DAY: El Inka, 21 St. Clair Ave. E., Seco A La Norteña, $36. Between the corn beer and the cilantro sauce, this was the most interesting dish.

The Verdict: Anthony was floored by the execution: “This is a whole complex dish.”

Nuit was equally impressed by the presentation.

MEAT CUTE: Vos Restaurante, 847 College St., Asado de Tira, $45. The judges loved the simplicity of olive oil and sea salt. The Verdict: Anthony liked the rare cut: “You don’t see this other than at Argentinian places.” Nuit was a big fan of the chimichurri-style finish.

GRILLIN’ ME SOFTLY: Seoul Gamjatang, 475 Yonge St., LA Galbi, $36.99. This plate nearly took the whole competition. The Verdict: “This might be my favourite,” Nuit exclaimed during the tasting. Anthony agreed, noting the subtleness of the flavours.

SOY DIVISION: Lee Chen Asian Bistro, 813 Yonge St., Wuxi Spareribs, $27.99 The judges felt that the spices overpowered the flavour of the ribs. The Verdict: “The sauce tastes mainly of five-spice,” Nuit observed. Although they enjoyed the fun idea of the dish, it didn't quite land.

Chef Anthony Rose runs Fat Pasha; Nuit Regular leads the new Tha Phae Tavern.

BONE APPETIT: SmoQue N’ Bones, 869 Queen St. W., Pork Side Ribs, $26 The texture here was a standout, hitting that sweet spot between tender and juicy.

The Verdict: Anthony praised the technical skill, however, both judges felt a deeper marinade was needed.

JERK REACTIONS: The Real Jerk, 842 Gerrard St. E., Specialty Jerk Ribs, $34. The judges were impressed but wanted more of that signature Caribbean fire. The Verdict: “It has a little heat ... but it needs more of the flavour,” Nuit noted, while Anthony felt the jerk essence was missing.

| JUNE 2026

We’ve got no time for boring BBQ. Between the World Cup and the summer heat, we’re taking Dad’s favourite feast global. Chefs Anthony Rose and Nuit Regular sampled everything from Wuxi spareribs to Argentine asado. Consider this your guide to global grilling.

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FOOD NEWS

Top foodie shares his current hits list Digital creator Jordan Shore (@jordshore) is back with another hit list of Toronto openings worth knowing about. From hidden gems on King East to already-packed date night spots, these are the new restaurants and buzzy hangs everyone’s about to pretend they discovered first.

On the table: The tuna crudo,

octopus and aglio e olio are it.

4. Bar Allegro

1. The Rosebud

A true hidden gem on King Street East, the Rosebud is a chic neighbourhood spot, from chef Eric Valente and partner Tam Phan, serving dishes with Asian, French and Italian influences. The beloved scallop dish may be gone with the new spring menu, but there’s still plenty worth going back for.

498 King St. E. On the table: The ricotta lemon agnolotti and potato bread with honey butter are non-negotiables.

2. The Dirty Laundry

Major Toronto industry players Robin Goodfellow and Aldo Pescatore-Tardioli are behind this funky new West

5. Eggslut Jordan enjoying a decidedly not-cheap sammy from Eggslut

Queen West spot bringing a much-needed sense of affordability back to the city. Come for the cocktails (most are just $13–$16) and stay for the TexMex-inspired menu. 1186 Queen St. W. On the table: The club and the blistered shishitos are the move.

3. Liliana

One of the hardest reservations to score in Toronto, Liliana has quickly become a go-to date night spot thanks to chef Marvin Palomo’s Asian-influenced Italian cuisine. It’s the kind of place made for sharing plates and stretching the night out.

1198 Queen St. W.

King West is now home to Eggslut, the massively popular California breakfast sandwich chain that I admittedly have mixed feelings about. There’s no denying the sandwiches hit, but fair warning: this is not your cheap morning breakfast run. 545 King St. W. On the table: Try the Fairfax with bacon, plus a Cinnamon Toast cold brew on the side.

Queen West has a new pizza obsession There is a specific art to a good all-day neighbourhood spot, and Queen West just landed one.

Opened a few months ago, Sovily Pizza Bar & Café is a total passion project. The husband-and-wife team behind it designed the entire space themselves, swapping out typical cafe minimalism for massive, custom wall art you can actually stare at while drinking your morning coffee.

They are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., covering everything from early espresso runs to mid-afternoon cravings.

The kitchen balances thincrust pizzas, heavy-duty Italian pizza sandwiches and a breakfast menu that doesn't skimp on carbs.

One of Sovily’s unique breakfast pizzas

Instead of standard, uninspired morning fare, Sovily serves up massive plates such as its protein omelette — stuffed with beef sausage, pas-

trami and fried onions — served alongside roasted potatoes and fresh, airy panuozzo bread. Then there is the item currently blowing up local

feeds: the breakfast pizza. At Sovily they open the sourdough crust flat, layer it with a creamy spinach mix and blistered cherry tomatoes and bake it to order.

On the pizza front, the immediate standout is the truffle mushroom, a slice loaded with smoked mozzarella, mascarpone and truffle oil. If you are leaning toward lunch, skip the standard deli slices. They use that same warm, freshly baked pizza crust to build their sandwiches — like the Montreal turkey or the massive roast beef pocket jammed with pickles and garlic aïoli.

Find Sovily at 779 Queen St. W. —Jennifer Schembri

Toki spins vinyl late into the night

Yorkville gets a new Tokyo speakeasy Yorkville has a new late-night spot, and it's not another thumping club. Toki is a small speakeasy tucked behind an unmarked door inside W Toronto, spinning vinyl the way Tokyo jazz cafés did back in the 1950s.

Named after the Japanese word for time, the space is designed around a slower, more intentional pace for both music and service. Inside, velvet drapery softens the room and helps with the acoustics, and low lighting and a vinyl setup, backed by Canadian hi-fi brand Kanto Audio, keep things grounded in sound.

The cocktail program is structured around flavour sensibilities rather than traditional categories.

Standouts include the Spring Wind — which captures the brief moment when late citrus meets early spring strawberry — and the Green Samurai, inspired by the stillness of a moss garden.

There's also a dedicated machine ensuring each signature highball is perfectly chilled, highly carbonated and executed with technical precision.

To pair with the rare Japanese whiskies, Michelin-starred chef Akira Back has curated a shareable menu of small plates weaving together light, crisp elements and deeper, umami-rich flavours Toki, 90 Bloor St. E., is open Thursday through Sunday, 6 p.m. to late.

—JS 43 | JUNE 2026

Bar Pompette was once again named Canada’s second-best bar, and the team has recently opened Bar Allegro a few doors down on College Street — a stylish, New York–inspired aperitivo bar made for easygoing drinks and snacky plates with friends. Sip wine by the wine well at the front and settle in for a slow, casual night that still feels a little special. 597 College St. On the table: Order the deviled eggs and bone marrow, I’m still craving them weeks later.

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L-R: Chef Kaitlyn Lasagna, perfecting the sugo

Meet a chef named Lasagna Toronto chef Kaitlyn Lasagna has a name almost too perfect for the job. Raised in an Italian household where food anchored every occasion, she spent years in the city’s top kitchens, including Woodlot and Robinson Bread.

Most recently, she helped shape the menu at Tutto Panino, the buzzy collaboration with Charlotte Day Wilson, before stepping away to launch her own concept: Buon Riso.

The journey is set to begin June 14 as a pop-up at Pasta Forever, where Lasagna works.

Pre-orders open the Monday prior, with a potential Sunday residency throughout the summer.

Although many know Sicilian arancini, supplì are their smaller, oblong Roman cousins. Traditionally filled with sauce and mozzarella, they are nicknamed al telefono for the cheese pull that resembles a telephone cord.

For Lasagna, the format offers room to play. Alongside classic flavours, she is leaning into nostalgia with Toronto-inspired ideas, like an elevated Kraft Dinner version.

“I want to make something that feels comforting,” she says.

“Who doesn’t love fried foods?”

The name Buon Riso (“good rice”) honours the instinctive cooking Lasagna learned from

her mother and nonna.

“Growing up in an Italian household, food is the centre of everything,” she says. “It’s how I show love.”

Eventually, she hopes to open a storefront to supply bars across the city.

“I want it to be something that feeds people and brings people together,” she says. “That’s how you know it’s good.

For a chef named Lasagna, this project feels inevitable — rooted in tradition and exactly the kind of comfort Toronto needs.

Visit the Buon Riso pop-up at Pasta Forever, 1693 Dundas St. W. —Lauren DiBenedetto

Vancouver cult fave hits the Annex Back in 2018, chefs Doug Stephen and Lindsey Mann started serving a late-night Nashville hot chicken special at their Vancouver restaurant. It was supposed to be a secret — something to keep on the down low. Instead, the West Coast went absolutely feral for it, prompting a stand-alone shop that quickly became a Vancouver institution.

Now, the team has brought its fiery, cult-favourite phenomenon, DownLow Chicken Shack, to Toronto, tucking a brand new outpost into a cosy spot at 538 Manning Ave. The team isn’t compromising on the philosophy that made them famous, boldly promising "good-ass, wholesome chickens, not them cheap, sad little birds." To back that up, every piece of poultry is GMO-, hormone- and antibiotic-free, raised on an all-vegetarian diet and fully halalcertified. For the Toronto expansion, they’ve part-

nered with Ontario’s Giannone Poultry, alongside B.C.’s Rossdown Farms, to ensure premium quality.

The menu centres around birds that are brinesoaked, flawlessly dredged and fried to a shatteringly crisp crunch with customizable heat levels.

The star of the menu is The OG Sando, featuring a massive thigh dusted in Nashville spice, topped with crunchy slaw, pickles and DL sauce. Other standouts include the sticky-sweet Cool Honey Sando, the Paisano and the decadent Waffle on the Downlow. There are also budget-friendly picks like a $12.99 Chicken Melt, alongside massive 20-piece tender platters for a crowd.

Toronto’s fried chicken scene is crowded, but DownLow’s focus on quality birds and serious heat makes it a serious contender.

—Jennifer Schembri

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FOOD NEWS

Toronto’s top sushi chef just bought a farm

R-L: Masaki Saito and Alexandre Sadowczyk behind the scenes

In 2026 it has been the year of the rebrand for To- LSL’s blending of French technique with Japanese ronto’s dining scene, but none has sparked more con- precision.

“And after two years of working closely together, versation than Onze. This spring, the intimate 11-seat tasting experience opened at 2066 Avenue that synergy is even stronger than ever, with more Rd., taking over the North York space formerly ideas and creativity to share,” Hsueh says via email.

“This collaboration will feel even more natural and home to LSL. At $495 per head, the price tag is a step back seamless at ONZE.” The redefined space also marks a new leadership from the $680 found at its predecessor. A collabochapter for Onze, with Alexandre Saration between esteemed chefs Didier Leroy, dowczyk stepping into a leading role.

Masaki Saito and Christian Le Squer, Bringing 15 years of fine-dining exLSL had a brief but impactful run as a E-I-E-I-O perience across France, he’s joined by nine-seat destination serving an elOnze swaps costly Hiroki Aikawa, whose resumé inevated fusion of French tradition and imports for its own farm, cludes Michelin-starred kitchens in Japanese ingredients. Despite being reframing luxury around both France and Japan. open for less than two years, it solidicultivation instead Where the evolution of Onze is fied its legacy by earning a spot of shipping. perhaps most evident, Hsueh says, is among Toronto’s Michelin-recin the foie gras wagashi. This tradiommended eateries in 2025. tional Japanese confection is reimagined In another ambitious move, Onze has acquired an Ontario farm to source its own produce, using French foie gras, representing what Hsueh deepening its farm-to-table philosophy. The result calls “a deeper cultural exchange that’s refined and is an ultra-upscale, intimate experience with a direct intentional.”

“Like LSL, Onze aims to continue being one of connection between the kitchen and the land.

According to representative Albert Hsueh, Di- the most ambitious dining concepts, not just in Todier Leroy’s departure at the end of 2025 sparked ronto, but in the world,” Hsueh adds. “Bringing toboth a natural evolution and rebrand, since the res- gether master chefs and top talent from different taurant’s name referenced the team’s initials. Onze parts of the world to deliver a truly unique tasting remains backed by Le Squer and Saito, continuing experience rarely found elsewhere.” —Megan Gallant

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LOOKING BACK

Before you go... take a look back at when The Beaches was Toronto’s OG summer cottage getaway!

© Robin Simpson/Facebook

JUNE 2026 EDITION

© Robin Simpson/Facebook

© Robin Simpson/Facebook

© Robin Simpson/Facebook

Life’s a beach — and it has been since 1910

Top: Kew Beach postcard circa 1912 First row: Strolling Kew Beach in style, 1918; Scarboro Beach Park water chute, 1908; keeping the paddling tradition alive into the 1930s; the fierce women of Balmy Beach, 1909 Second row: the historic Balmy Beach Clubhouse; the stunning Kew Beach Clubhouse; the iconic Leuty Lifeguard Station; a perfect beach day in 1910

| JUNE 2026

Let’s be real, nobody did summer chic quite like early 1900s Toronto! Long before it was a bustling neighbourhood, the Beaches was the ultimate seasonal escape. If you took a stroll down Kew Beach in 1918, the fashion alone would turn heads.

Imagine trading your modern bikini for a heavy, woolen one-piece to go canoeing or hitting the sand in a full-length Edwardian dress complete with a matching parasol. Talk about dedication to the look! Life back then was all about community, sunshine and a little bit of lakeside drama. Neighbours gathered for social hours at the 50

stunning Kew and Balmy Beach clubhouses, which served as the absolute heart of the social scene. For the thrill-seekers, nothing beat screaming down the massive Scarboro Beach Park water chute ride. But the real stars were the fierce women of 1909 paddling war canoes at Balmy Beach, proving they could rule the water in style. With the heroic lifeguards keeping watch from the historic Leuty Station, the neighbourhood established a legacy of lakeside leisure that we are still chasing today. Some things — like a perfect beach day — never go out of style!

B-JUNE-2026-IBC.qxp_Layout 1 2026-05-21 9:40 AM Page 1

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LAWRENCE PARK CUSTOM Offered at $5,895,000

Updated 6,180 sq.ft. luxury home w/ high-end craftsmanship & finishes.

128 ROCHESTER AVENUE Offered at $5,995,000

Exquisite custom built residence by J.T.F builder & Arch. Richard Wengle.

UPDATED ROSEDALE RESIDENCE Offered at $8,695,000

Meticulously preserved Victorian set on a double lot w/ forested backyard.

PRESTIGIOUS RIVERVIEW DRIVE Offered at $11,900,000

Gated ravine-side estate overlooking river & Rosedale Golf. Saltwater pool.

Complimentary Home Evaluation If you would like to have a confidential discussion about the current market and learn how our unmatched exposure, technology and strategies will get the maximum value for your home, call us at 416-223-1818

Realtron Barry Cohen Homes Inc., Brokerage barrycohenhomes.com Each office independently owned and operated. Based on TRREB data for years combined. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with another brokerage.

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CALL FOR R A FREE HOME EV EVALUAT ATION

SOLD

LIST $4,100,000

MUNRO BLVD

SOLD

YORKMINSTER RD LIST $5,500,000

SO LD

LIST $2,700,000

MUNRO BLVD

SOLD

LIST $3,48 80,000

SOLD

GREENGATE RD LIST $3,130,000

SOLD

C TSWOLD CRES CO LIST $3,795,000

SO LD

LIST $3,100,000

DANVILLE DR

SOLD

LIST $2,175,000

SOLD

LIST $4,350,000

FENN AVE

SOLD

DEMPSEY CRES LIST $3,500,000

SO LD

LIST $5,395,000

OWEN BLVD

SOLD

ALDERSHOT CRES LIST $3,195,000

SOLD

LIST $3,995,000

WI LK E T R D

SOLD

BANNAT YNE DR LIST $2,195,000

SO LD

FOURSOME CRES LIST $2,050,000

SOLD

FAIRMEADOW AVE LIST $4,980,000

SOLD

LIST $3,995,000

VALLEY RD

SOLD

GREENGATE RD LIST $3,895,000

SO LD

L AUDERDALE DR LIST $4,750,000

SOLD

LIST $6,980,000

FENN AVE

A M E S CI R

COUNT Y LN