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STEFAN SAGMEISTERASKS: ASKS: HOW HAPPY ARE YOU?
PLUSSPRING INTO HOT HUES FOR YOUR HOME FOOD, DRINKS AND OTHER “LIKES”
WHAT TO WEAR AND HOW MUCH TO GIVE AT A WEDDING
EVANKA OSMAK’S RISE TO THE BROADCASTING BIG LEAGUES
p. 28
2 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 3
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4 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 5 Vaughan Mills 905-660-9993 – Markville Mall 905-477-1273 Vaughan Mills 905-660-9993 – Markville Mall 905-477-1273 | www.loro.ca
CONTENTS
Sky Cranes and Electric Brains
Improve Canada50
52
ON THE COVER28 The Happy Show: Graphic artist
Stefan Sagmeister draws a roadmap to life’s ultimate purpose
FEATURES24 Courting Success: How Sportsnet
Connected anchor Evanka Osmak hit a career home run
54 Undying Love: With The Walking Dead’s success, we explore audiences’ obsession with zombies
60 A Not-So Sobering Prospect: Will Ontarians soon see alcohol pop up in their local grocery and convenience stores?
BUSINESS32 Passionately Curious: Journalist Amanda
Lang on The Power of Why 44 Entrepreneurial Confessions: Ontario’s
top entrepreneurs share their Ernst & Young award-winning advice
48 The 50 Business + Life Lessons 2012 Taught Me: A Robin Sharma shortlist on life-changing goals
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 20 Drawing Hope: Artist and photographer
Shawn Van Daele creates storybook outlooks for children in need
64 Elisapie in the Sky: How a Montreal pop singer is making sound waves
65 In the Library: From Taschen’s Her Majesty to reporter Susannah Cahalan’s Brain on Fire, there’s a book for everyone
25Jill of all Trades
36Home Décor
Feb/Mar 2013 Volume 11 Issue 1
50Pantone State of Mind
Evanka Osmak
Stefan Sagmeister
O k24
i t28
36Home Décor
Cadillac ATS
WINE AND DINE56 Food, Drink and Other “Likes”: Taste your
way to a great night
HOME DECOR & FASHION 36 Home is Where the Art Is: Interior design
gets an edge with these glam, golden picks50 Pantone State of Mind: Freshen your space
and wardrobe with approved hues from the authority on colour
PHILANTHROPY62 The Privilege of Choice: Guest editor
Rumeet Billan sheds light on basic human rights
63 Anthony’s Hero: Be the one to save a life
BEAUTY 18 Makeup Your Mind: Say pretty please to
these bang-on spring looks
WEDDING 58 Wediquette: The dos and don’ts of wedding
guest etiquette
REAL ESTATE 34 Moving On Up: Get your key to the reshaped
suburban landscape
TECHNOLOGY66 Better Life Apps: Get through the year with
fi nancial, spiritual and nutritional apptitude
AUTOMOTIVE52 Cadillac ATS: Is this compact Cadillac
superior to the BMW 3-Series?
IN EVERY ISSUE8 Publisher’s Note10 Editor’s Note14 People & Places 49 Readers’ Survey:
Take home these great prizes18 Makeup
Your Mind
6 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 7
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8 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Tosay that time fl ies when you’re having fun is a huge
understatement. Th is year we celebrate the 10th anniversary
of City Life Magazine. Launched in 2003, our initial issues of
City Life were very diff erent from the copy you currently hold
in your hands. In fact, some of you might recall that it was
merely a digest — and barely 16 pages. Its purpose was to fi ll the void that Dolce Vita Magazine had left behind when we moved our distribution from
Vaughan to Toronto neighbourhoods and to newsstands across Canada. Little
did we know that it would grow into the well-received and much-anticipated
bimonthly it is today.
As Vaughan grew, so did City Life, blossoming into the go-to publication
covering the city’s and your life’s most relevant stories. Over the years, and still
today, our mandate is to highlight topics that are pertinent to the community,
even when they occasionally stretch from across the globe. Stories of success,
courage, sorrow, hilarity, sentiment, but always quality stories meant to inspire,
empower and exude passion for life. We love bringing you these tales, and from
your support and emails we know you love them, too. And for this I would like
to thank you.
It is an incredibly happy moment when we hold a new copy of City Life in
our hands. All the challenges, long hours and hard work suddenly vanish. As
the ink dries, a smile and a feeling of pride swells the heart, spreading from the
printer foreman to our editorial team, to our designers and sales department, to
the newsstands manager and our advertisers, to you, our readers.
If we had to measure how happy your support makes us feel, we would turn
to our cover man, Stefan Sagmeister (see story on page 28). According to this
eclectic graphic designer, we should be able to measure this emotion on a scale
of one to 10. Taking in everything that has happened over the last decade, we
are happy to report a top score and 10 blissful years.
We hope you enjoy this issue of City Life Magazine and the many more
to come.
PS: Send us photos of your old issues of City Life Magazine by emailing me
at michelle@dolce.ca. Th e oldest issue located will be entered to win a prize.
Michelle Zerillo-SosaPublisher/Editor-In-Chief
@dolcetweets
APPY 10TH BIRTHDAYCITY LIFE MAGAZINEH
Follow us @citylifetoronto
PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michelle Zerillo-Sosa • michelle@dolce.ca
MANAGING EDITOR Simona Panetta • simona@dolce.ca
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Angela Palmieri-Zerillo • angela@dolce.ca
A R T D E P A R T M E N T
CO-FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR Fernando Zerillo • fernando@dolce.ca
SENIOR DESIGNER Christina Ban
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Marianna Osko, April Ware
WEB PROJECT MANAGER Steve Bruno
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jesse Milns, Christoph Strube
VIDEOGRAPHER & VIDEO EDITOR William Lem
REPORTER Amanda Storey
E D I T O R I A L
BEAUTY & TRAVEL EDITOR Angela Palmieri-Zerillo
FASHION & HOME DECOR EDITOR Michelle Zerillo-Sosa
COPY EDITOR Simona Panetta
PROOFREADERS The Editing Company, Toronto; Simona Panetta
SENIOR WRITERS Michael Hill, Simona Panetta, Madeline Stephenson
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rumeet Billan, Robin Sharma
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Amanda Storey
P U B L I S H E R
A D V E R T I S I N G
T: (905) 264-6789 • Toll-Free: (1-888) 68-DOLCE info@citylifemagazine.ca
DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Susan Bhatia
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Dina Mastrantoni
FRONT COVERStefan Sagmeister
Photo By Jesse Milns
City Life Magazine • Volume 11 • Issue 1 • Feb/Mar 2013 City Life Magazine is published bimonthly by
Dolce Publishing Inc. 111 Zenway Blvd., Unit 30, Vaughan, Ont. L4H 3H9 T: (905) 264-6789 • (1-888) 68-DOLCE F: (905) 264-3787
info@citylifemagazine.ca • www.citylifemagazine.caSubscribe online at www.citylifemagazine.ca or by calling (905) 264-6789, TOLL-FREE (1-888) 68-DOLCE. City Life’s yearly subscription fee is $13.80. We accept Visa, MC & AMEX. Send cheque or money order to Dolce Publishing Inc. 111 Zenway Blvd. #30, Vaughan, Ont. L4H 3H9
Publication Mail Agreement No. 40026675
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Dolce Publishing Inc., 111 Zenway Blvd., Suite 30, Vaughan, Ont. L4H 3H9 All rights reserved. Any reproduction is strictly prohibited without written consent from the publishers.
DISTRIBUTION AND CIRCULATIONCity Life Magazine reaches 251,200+ readers per issue through household distribution, newsstand sales and event partnerships across Canada. Inquiries about where City Life Magazine is available for sale should be directed to Disticor Magazine Distribution Services: (905) 619-6565
ISSN 1206-1778 Next Issue: Apr/May 2013The opinions expressed in City Life Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the publisher or advertisers. Dolce Publishing Inc. does not assume liability for content. The material in this magazine is intended for information purposes only and is in no way intended to supersede professional advice. We are proud to be a Canadian company that has successfully published magazines for the past 17 years without any government funding or fi nancial assistance of programs to cover editorial costs. It has all been possible thanks to the wonderful support of our readers and advertisers.
©2013 Dolce Publishing Inc. • Printed in Canada
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 9
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10 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
Simona PanettaManaging Editor
EDITOR’S NOTE
Simona PanettaManaging Editor
Si P
ack in December, during the mid-season fi nale
of Th e Walking Dead, 10.5 million people tuned
in, and I was one of them. Why are we drawn
to media starring these wretched, shambling
beings? It seems so bizarre. But as you’ll fi nd out on
page 54, these rotting hosts of infection are actually quite
relatable. Th e repetitive nature and monotony of the
9-5 grind can often make us feel like zombies, shuffl ing
through routine tasks, staring mindlessly at computers,
idling in traffi c and lumbering from work to home before
we do it again tomorrow.
Not Stefan Sagmeister. Th e graphic designer,
who takes year-long sabbaticals to recharge his
happy-o-meter, shows us how to break free from the
chains and grasp happiness by the horns in our cover
story on page 28. Journalist Amanda Lang paints a
similar sentiment, probing Canada’s stagnant productivity
industry and reminding us how much more content we’d
be if we simply questioned the status quo (page 32).
Childlike curiosity, she says, can lead us off the beaten
path of innovation, big and small.
We all hope to reinvent ourselves at some point in
our lives — big changes, small changes, any changes. We
want to look and feel better, we hope to be better friends
and gain as many followers on Twitter as we can. But
what does deep-down happiness mean and how do you
go about fi nding it? Making magazines is what makes us
happy. We hope you fi nd it here, within the pages of our
10th anniversary kick-off issue.
B
TAKE THAT MOMENT TO SAY,
‘WHY AM I LIVING HERE, WHY AM
I IN THIS JOB, WHY AM I IN THIS RELATIONSHIP?’
‘‘
‘‘
— Amanda Lang
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Th e rights and freedoms we enjoy in
Canada are a great privilege, a lesson
Rumeet Billan learned during a journey
to Africa in 2007. What she saw
changed her perspective on life forever.
In “Th e Privilege of Choice” (page 62),
Billan tells her tale of revelation,
and her ongoing endeavour to
bring education and opportunity to
developing countries around the world.
RUMEET BILLANGUEST SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDITOR
GUEST EDITORINTRODUCING OUR FEB/MARCH
Phot
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DOLCE MEDIA GROUP
111 Zenway Blvd. Suite 30Vaughan, Ont. L4H 3H9
Fax: (905) 264-3787
As our company continues to expand, we are always looking for qualified candidates with publishing experience in the area of Sales, Web Design and Editorial. If you are interested in joining the Dolce Media Group team, we invite you to submit your resumé.
info@dolcemag.com
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 11
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Lucy sculpted, crunched and lunged her way to a fi t body at Vaughan’s legendary Paul’s Boot Camp
Itwas June 2, 2010, when Lucy Addario made the
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“I was tired of all the inhibitions that came with
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Since joining Paul’s Boot Camp in 2010, Lucy Addario has lost 94 pounds
12 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
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14 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
PEOPLE & PLACES1. CANADA’S BRIDAL SHOWBrides-to-be gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on January 4, 5 and 6 at Canada’s Bridal Show. From the latest in wedding wear to fresh décor themes and gush-worthy venues, exhibitors unveiled those perfect touches that make wedding days special. Celebrating all things bridal, the innovative show introduced a Bride Rewards Program, allowing ladies-in-love to receive points on purchases made at the exhibits. One lucky guest won a $5,000 wedding cake designed by special guest Cake BossBuddy Valastro. Mark your calendars for the next Canada’s Bridal Show this upcoming September. www.canadasbridalshow.com
4. LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTRE AT VAUGHAN MILLSImagine your favourite childhood pastime come to life. Opening March 1, Merlin Entertainments, the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operation, invites Lego lovers to Vaughan Mills’ Legoland Discovery Centre, the company’s fi rst-ever project in Canada. Complete with a 4D cinema, brick pools, Lego rides and more, the approximate 34,000 sq.ft. indoor playground will build the perfect day of fun for families. www.legolanddiscoverycentre.ca
WEB For more events, please visit www.citylifemagazine.ca/people_placesFor sponsorship inquiries, please email events@dolce.ca
1b. Cakes and dresses and jewels, oh my! Canada’s Bridal Show brims with all things bridal
2. Ari Nessel founded The Pollination Project in hopes of sparking change through individual action
1a. A stunning selection of wedding gowns at Canada’s Bridal Show
3. FORGET NOTMary Morganelli often turns to art to express her emotions. Her recent painting, Forget Not, is a conceptualization of a mind-blowing disease — visual and spatial confusion, a struggle with memory and time, the remnants of one’s identity, a fragility of mind — that is both debilitating and permanent. The man represents her father who, along with a tidal wave of individuals diagnosed annually, has grappled with Alzheimer’s disease over the last fi ve years. “My father was always the type to always be smiling; he loved life no matter how bad it was. Now he doesn’t know anyone anymore. It’s awful,” says Morganelli. The King City resident hopes to shed light on the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s on the individual and his or her family, as well as raise support for the Alzheimer Society of York Region, which helped to arrange care for her father at Maple Health Centre. Dubbed the “Silver Tsunami,” Alzheimer’s is an impending crisis that is a cause of concern for leading global experts. The Alzheimer Society predicts that 1.1 million Canadians will live with dementia by 2038 — that’s one person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or related dementia every two minutes. “My father’s condition has made us more aware of how devastating it is for other families that struggle with Alzheimer’s.” www.mariellart.com
2. THE POLLINATION PROJECTWhat would you do with $1,000? Supporting individuals eager to put their social conscience in motion, The Pollination Project doles out a grand to today’s change-makers — individuals with ideas that will touch the lives of others — each day of the year. Whether your idea will benefi t your neighbour, the environment, animals, social justice or community health and wellness, the non-profi t organization aspires to nourish your intended good deed with fi nancial support. Calling on individuals in our community to manifest goodness in the world through individual action, founder Ari Nessel, a Dallas-based entrepreneur, explains that almost everyone has the capability of spreading hope and change, no matter the size. “The Pollination Project believes not that we need more Mahatma Gandhi’s or Martin Luther King Jr.’s in the world, what we need is individuals — large amounts of people — who are making small changes in and around their community.” To kick-start change in your community, apply for a grant at ThePollinationProject.org.
4. At Vaughan Mills Legoland Discovery Centre, kids build happiness, brick by brick
3. Artist Mary Morganelli hopes to inspire Alzheimer’s awareness through her art
Tweet us your event at @CityLifeToronto
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 15
16 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
PEOPLE & PLACES5. IDS13From January 24-27, designers from across the globe gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the renowned Interior Design Show. A hub of experimentation, creativity and design synergy, IDS brings the Canadian and international design community together for a gathering of global proportions. Inspirational exhibits featured emerging and established designers, and highlighted international interior, architectural and product design trends. Canadian-made design stars, including Vancouver’s Douglas Coupland and founder of Dwell Studio Christiane Lemieux, were on hand, while Toronto’s Andrew Richard Designs unveiled a stunning new collection. www.interiordesignshow.com
9. A RENAISSANCE BEGINS At a signing ceremony on Dec. 19, 2012, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and Villa Charities Inc. announced a joint development project that will function as a hub for Toronto’s burgeoning performing and fi ne arts community. Serving the educational, cultural and recreational needs of the Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue West neighbourhood, the $50 million redevelopment project will house a variety of services, including a reinvisioned Columbus Centre, Carrier Art Gallery, Day Care and a new Dante Alighieri Academy that will boast space for 1,300 pupils, extended fi tness and music facilities, dance studios and a shared theatre. The fi rst phase of the project is anticipated for completion in 2016. www.tcdsb.org
6. BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT VAUGHAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES Vaughan Public Libraries is kicking off this year’s Black History Month with a series of art exhibits featuring the works of Black
History artists Celia Wilson and Samar Smith. The educational experience will continue with a visit from author Sandra Whiting, who shares legends and folktales from West Africa and the Caribbean in celebration and promotion of ethnic diversity. www.vaughanpl.info
7. L’ALTRA ITALIA Culture-infused fi lms straight from the boot is what L’Altra Italia — the non-profi t organization highlighting Italian arts — has been bringing to Toronto since 2002. Partnered with TIFF, L’Altra Italia screens the fi nest Italian projects at one of the country’s most renowned locations. For a kick of culture, movie-lover members can catch the screening of Il Giorno In Più at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on February 8 or at the Colossus Vaughan Cinemas March 21. La Moglie Del Sarto screens at the Lightbox on March 1 and at Colossus on February 28. www.laltraitalia.org
8. ANGEL HAIR FOR KIDSFive-year-old Giada Zingone made the decision to change a child’s life. Following in her older sister Noemi’s footsteps, Giada cut her hair and donated it to Angel Hair for Kids, a division of A Child’s Voice Foundation. Angel Hair for Kids is dedicated to providing wigs and hair loss solutions to children suffering from medical conditions or treatments that cause hair loss. www.acvf.ca
WEB For more events, please visit www.citylifemagazine.ca/people_placesFor sponsorship inquiries, please email events@dolce.ca
9. Pal Di Iulio, Karen Manarin, Nina Perfetto, Ann Andrachuk, Bruce Rodrigues, Maria Rizzo and various members of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Columbus Centre Board, Villa Charities Inc., along with local politicians
5. This mod design by Bo Concept brings a minimalist touch to the Interior Design Show www.interitthethet Inteteterteert ioriori De DeeDeeesigsigsigsigsigsign Sn Sn Sn Sn Snn Snnn howhowhowhowhowhohohowhowho
6a. Vaughan Public Libraries hosts annual Black History Month activities that educate and inspire
8a. Giada Zingone, 5, donated her long locks to Angel Hair for Kids last winter
8b. Angel Hair for Kids aims to provide ill and underprivileged children with hair loss solutions
7b. L'Altra Italia brings the fi nest Italian directors and fi lms to Toronto and Vaughan
7a. L'Altra Italia will screen the Italian fi lm Il Giorno In Più this spring
6b. Artist Celia Wilson shares her work as part of this year's Black History Month celebrations
Tweet us your event at @CityLifeToronto
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 17
Thinking of a makeover? Why not start with your smile!
Luke had many broken and decayed
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He was unhappy and embarrassed.
Dr. Sclodnick restored Luke’s
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Th is improved the size, shape
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For a complimentary smile assessment, call us at 905.832.8303
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Good dentistry is more than excellent clinical skills
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20 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
Itbegan with a child’s doodle.
Shawn Van Daele’s parents
were rummaging through
their belongings at home
when they unearthed an old
hand-drawn picture created by their son.
Th ey passed it on to Van Daele to take
a peek at his childhood talents, but the
time-worn image sparked much more
than reminiscing for the 35-year-old
photographer. On that day in April
of 2012, the Drawing Hope Project
was born.
Van Daele, an artist both behind the
camera and in front of the computer
screen, decided to recreate his seven-
year-old self ’s masterpiece using his
skills in photography and Photoshop.
The end result was a fantastical,
nostalgic mimic of the scribbled
original, and it inspired him to off er
that same magic to children struggling
with life-threatening illnesses.
“Th e idea behind it is to help kids
realize that anything is possible,” says
Van Daele of the Drawing Hope
Project, which has made a colourful
splash in the lives of families across
North America. “Th ey get to see their
imaginations come to life.”
Sick children from across the
continent are conjuring up their own
doodles for Van Daele. Once the
art is in his hands, the magic begins
Ryley, “The Queen of Hearts”
Shawn Van Daele was inspired to use his talents to spark some hope in the world
Artist, photographer and philanthropist Shawn Van Daele proves that hope comes in many coloursWritten By Amanda Storey
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 21
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with a photoshoot with Van Daele
himself, followed by long hours at the
computer. Th e end result: a recreation
of their drawing that not only captures
the whimsy and wildness of a child’s
imagination, but shares their story of
struggle and hope with the world.
“It started out as a storybook,”
Van Daele says of his initial plan. “I was
going to take all the drawings and put
them together, all the kids becoming
a specifi c character in the book. It’s
turned into something a lot bigger than
that, though. It’s something that the
families are fi nding hope in.”
Seven-year-old Ryley Mitchell
was one of the fi rst to get involved
in Drawing Hope. Th e recipient of
a heart transplant at seven months
old, Ryley and her family have been
tugged through the ups and downs of
childhood illness.
“Her life is so — I don’t know,
reality-based, I guess you could say,”
says her mother, Johanna Mitchell. “She
has tests and blood work all the time, so
for her to be able to draw a picture and
then have somebody make that picture
magical, it’s sort of a little break from
that reality.”
Ryley makes her debut as “Th e Queen
of Hearts” this February with the release
of Th e Drawing Hope Project: Th e Hunt for the Hope Stone. Sailing, fl ying
and casting spells alongside her are the
likes of Kayla, “Th e Forest Keeper,” who
was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at
the age of nine; Chance, “Th e Captain,”
who struggles with pre-B-cell acute
lymphoblastic leukemia; and Dominic,
“Th e Time Traveler,” who was born
prematurely with Down syndrome.
“You know, it’s easy to be beat down
and depressed in situations like that.
But it’s also just as easy to try to fi nd
hope in the whole process of coping
and dealing with stuff ,” says Van Daele,
who is optimistic that one day Drawing
Hope will touch the lives of children not
only in North America, but worldwide.
“Th at’s kind of the route I took, and
I took that as an inspiration, as well.”
www.drawinghope.ca
‘‘‘‘
THE IDEA BEHIND IT IS
TO HELP KIDS REALIZE THAT ANYTHING IS
POSSIBLE
— Shawn Van DaeleChance, “The Captain”
Kayla, “The Forest Keeper”
Alexandria, “Queen of Candyland”
Marco, “The Explorer”Jack, “The Hero of Hope Street”Owen, “The Emperor of Penguins”
David, “Keeper of the Stars”
22 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
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24 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
Courting SUCCESS
Evanka Osmak was standing
at the centre of the Sky
Dome in the spring of
2006 when she saw an
opportunity. Th e budding
Oakville-raised news reporter, who
was working for an NBC station in
Yuma, Arizona, had fl own to Toronto
to interview Blue Jays’ catcher Bengie
Molina. “I thought, ‘OK this is my
chance. I’ve got to say something, I’ve
got to act,’” says Osmak, who aspired to
return home and cover Canadian sports
once her contract was up. Surrounded
by veteran journalists, she stepped up to
the plate and marched over to Sportsnet
anchor Jamie Campbell. “I’m Evanka
Osmak, I’m from Oakville but I’m
working down in Arizona. Is there any
chance I could send you my tape and you
could critique it?” she said. Impressed by
her confi dence and charisma, he handed
over all of his contact information and
agreed to review her demo.
He never heard from her. Six
months later, Campbell was hosting
a holiday dinner at his family home
when the phone rang. It was Sportsnet
news director Mike English. He was
combing the country for a female sports
anchor and wanted to see if Campbell,
who’s regularly approached by aspiring
broadcasters, had any qualifi ed leads.
Campbell immediately recalled his
conversation with Osmak, but her
name escaped him and he had no
Everyone talks about “the moment.” Seizing it, grabbing it, going for it. But how many actually do it? Sportsnet Connected anchor Evanka Osmak is a case study for carpe diem Written By Madeline Stephenson / Photography By Jesse Milns
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 25
contact information. Th e only thing he
could remember was that she was raised
in Oakville and working in Arizona.
“I said, ‘Look, here’s what I’m going to
do. I’m going to spend no more than 10
minutes on the Internet and I will see if
I can fi nd her.’”
Realizing his chances were slim,
he monotonously typed the words
“Arizona Television Stations” into
Google. His search rang up 40 or 50
news stations, but when he saw the
word Yuma, something struck him. He
clicked the on-air talent link
and “up comes this picture of
Evanka from Oakville, Ontario.
I remember sitting there going,
‘I cannot believe how lucky I
was to fi nd her so quickly and
so randomly.’”
English emailed Osmak to
see if she was still interested
in returning to Toronto. “I
thought, ‘Is this a joke?’” She
sent her demo tape and was
swiftly fl own to Toronto to
read highlights during an on-
air interview. “It was so big-
time compared to what I was
doing in Arizona, it was intimidating,”
she says. “Th ey liked me and I liked
them and a couple of months later I
was here working. If it weren’t for Jamie
Campbell, I wouldn’t be here,” says the
host of Sportsnet Connected. At the studio in downtown Toronto,
Osmak looks right at home. Cinched
in a sleeveless red and black dress,
the buttery-blond broadcaster can’t
be missed. “Osmak! You’re here early
for your six-forty-fi ve meeting,” a co-
worker yells. He’s right, she admits. It’s
2 p.m. and, considering she works the
night shift, Osmak would normally
be napping right now. Instead, she
settles into a leather chair in a deserted
lounge that’s usually abuzz with hockey
banter. Eight-or-so TVs stare blankly
at her. “It’s so upsetting that they
can’t work something out,” she says,
prior to the CBA ratifi cation. “I love
watching hockey, I love reading hockey
highlights, but I don’t like talking about
negotiations. It’s such a bore, so I hope
they get something done.”
Osmak has never been the type to
hold back. Th e civil engineering graduate
had been working in the fi eld for two
years when she began questioning her
career choice. “I was 24-years-old and I
was lost,” she says. Inspired by a friend
who was chasing his dream of coaching
basketball in the States, Osmak began
paying attention to her own passions.
“I loved how he was so driven and I
thought, ‘I’ve got to fi nd something
that drives me because engineering
isn’t what I want to wake up for in the
morning.’” Intrigued by the world of
broadcasting, Osmak enrolled in a four-
month radio and television program at
Seneca College. ”I knew coming to the
end that sports was what I wanted to do
just because I’d grown up involved and
surrounded by it and I thought, ‘Th at’s
the avenue I want to take.’”
“It didn’t work out that way at
all.” Osmak hit a brick wall when she
started applying for jobs after college.
After being told numerous times that
she needed more experience, she put
her dream job on hold and took a
news gig at a radio station in Orillia.
“I was making absolutely nothing and I
was living in a hotel room, driving
home every weekend.” She remembers
her dad’s displeasure of telling friends
his daughter left her great engineering
job to live in a hotel and work as an
announcer. “He’s defi nitely come
around now. He’s one of my biggest
fans,” she says with a smile.
Persistent Osmak, who was born in
Ridgewood, New Jersey, relentlessly sent
her demo tape to stations across North
America. In February 2005 she got a
call from an NBC affi liate in
Arizona. Th e news director for
KYMA got straight down to
business: “I got your tape. It
looks good. If you’re willing to
work for no money, come on
down.” Her dual citizenship was
a perk that paid off . “I said, ‘Th is
is something I have to do.’” She
went home, packed up the car
and drove three days straight to
Yuma with her dad.
Whether it was covering
high school football games,
investigating illegal immigration
or skydiving with the U.S.
Army, her two-year contract gave her the
experience she needed. “I was making
peanuts in Arizona, getting up at two in
the morning and then going out with the
camera to the middle of the desert and
being like, ‘What are we doing? Where
am I?’ But I look back on it and that’s
what’s made this even better,” she says,
scanning her eyes across the studio.
Since that game-changing chat at the
Dome, the gutsy tennis enthusiast has
become a powerful force in Canadian
‘‘‘‘I WAS MAKING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
AND I WAS LIVING IN A HOTEL ROOM
— Evanka Osmak
FAST FACTS
1 In high school Osmak was a ball girl for a Canadian tennis tournament called Sunlife Nationals.
2Osmak played ultimate Frisbee with her brothers for seven years. “Everyone thinks it’s granola-eating
hippies out there on the fi eld just tossing a disc around — no, no, no! It got pretty aggressive and I‘ve had some injuries. It’s a pretty intense sport.”
3One of Osmak’s fi rst reporting assignments was covering a Prince concert at the ACC while studying
broadcasting at Seneca College. “We just stood outside his bus and we were like, ‘He’s in there somewhere!’”
4While she has a defi nite sweet tooth, Osmak’s favourite food is quinoa. “I just found out that Fresh
is coming to Eglinton. More green goji salads, yes! I’m a bit of a loser like that.”
26 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
Building on your own success, what advice do you offer aspiring sportscasters?I think for me it’s that experience I
had in Yuma of doing everything. And
volunteering, also, volunteering at Rogers
TV. Th at’s what I always tell people
who ask “How do I get into the biz?”
or “What route should I take?” I think
volunteering is so important because
you have to know what everyone’s job is.
Everyone’s job is so important to putting
the show on the air at the end of the day.
Without the guys cutting the highlights,
my producer putting the show together,
without the camera guy, without the
director, I wouldn’t be able to do my job.
Th ere are so many people behind the
scenes that you might not see at home,
so having the experience of putting
yourself in their position or doing their
job for a day, for an hour, for whatever it
is, is invaluable.
Which event from the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games of 2010 will you never forget? It will always be the gold medal hockey
game. Th ere wasn’t going to be enough
time to go to a bar, we fi gured they’d
all be packed, so about 25 to 30 of us
crammed into the studio and we just
watched the gold medal game together.
And that was really fun, I enjoyed that.
Who’s your favourite athlete to interview?I think I’ll always remember my very fi rst
interview while working at Sportsnet.
It was on opening day at the Dome for
the Blue Jays home opener and I talked
to Aaron Hill. He was just such a nice,
sports broadcasting. “Some people are too
afraid to say anything at all and maybe
in that case, they’re not necessarily cut
out to be on camera,” says Campbell.
Reporting on events such as Rogers Cup
and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic
Games, her distinctive voice resonates
with viewers.
“Th is is something I never imagined
I’d be doing 10 years ago,” says Osmak,
32. But what if she never had the courage
to approach Campbell? What if she
decided, after a gruelling four years
studying engineering that she should just
stick to the original plan? Campbell still
shakes his head at the chance of it all. “I
just think, ‘I wonder if they would have
found her anyway?’”
Two hours have passed and Osmak
has just enough time to squeeze in a
wine tasting for her upcoming February
wedding at Th e Royal Conservatory. In
another twist of fate, she met her fi ancé in
Vancouver while covering the Olympics.
Based on her serendipitous past, one must
wonder what Osmak’s life will look like
10 years from now. “I hope to be right
here,” she says.
www.sportsnet.ca
EVANKA OSMAK HIGHLIGHTS
Evanka Osmak sits behind the desk of Sportsnet Connected. The 32-year-old anchor joined the Sportsnet team in 2007, after working as a reporter at an NBC affi liate in Yuma, Arizona
friendly guy and he always remembered
my name after that. He made it really
easy and he was personable, I think that’s
what I’ll remember.
Is there a Toronto sports bar you frequent?I’m still trying to fi nd a good one in
my new neck of the woods. I guess I
would say Real Sports but it’s a little
overwhelming for me. I think my ideal
sports day would be inviting people
over and having food at home and then
turning on a couple of televisions and
going to diff erent games. And then
having my PVR and being able to
rewind and record everything.
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 27
Renowned graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister visits Toronto to debut his riveting installation, “The Happy Show” Ph
oto
by J
esse
Miln
s
What makes you happy? Tweet us at @CityLifeToronto
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 29
Copies of Stefan Sagmeister’s
Th ings I Have Learned in My Life So Far are carefully
culled from a cardboard
box and arranged like the
Great Pyramid of Giza in the gift shop
at Toronto’s Design Exchange. Handled
like bone China, this inanimate book
with content so far from idle has the
razor-edged expression of irony. Its
author, a wonder of the design world, is
upstairs readying his highly anticipated
exhibition for tomorrow’s big reveal.
True to stereotypes, the New Yorker is
running half-an-hour behind schedule.
It’s 12 p.m. and beside the shop, two
men have just begun adhering life-
size letters to a freshly painted taxicab
yellow wall in an artery of the original
Toronto Stock Exchange building. By
the time Sagmeister is ready, the fi rst six
characters of his forthcoming exhibit’s
title, “Th e Happy Show,” are revealed. A
cheeky caricature of a copulating couple
covers the face of an elevator, off ering
a taste of what awaits as its doors
provocatively slide open to let us in. On
the second fl oor, the man of the hour is
heard though not seen, wrapping up his
third consecutive interview. Visitors are
cautiously welcomed by Sagmeister’s
handwritten advisory: “Th is exhibition
will not make you happier.”
Th e show is a sensorial glimpse of
the designer’s decade-long exploration
of that very emotion. Th is multimedia
endeavour metamorphosed from
maxims in his personal diary to a poetic
book to a public portrayal of fi nding life’s
ultimate purpose that will unravel in a
feature-length documentary scheduled
to debut in the fall of 2013. Sagmeister
makes his mission clear through the
words of French mathematician and
philosopher Blaise Pascal lacquered on
one of the walls: “All men seek happiness.
Th is is without exception. Whatever
diff erent means they employ, they all
tend to this end. Th e cause of some
going to war, and of others avoiding it,
is the same desire in both, attended with
diff erent views.”
Th ose polychromatic views are
ubiquitous in this above-ground,
underground-like space. A happiness
scale designed out of 10 vertical gumball
machines poses a stimulating question:
How Happy Are You? Research
on marital satisfaction, statistics on
country-to-country happiness, evidence
that money doesn’t mean much, video
installations and typographic quotes
from his coveted monograph, such as
“Trying to look good limits my life”
and “Keeping a diary supports personal
development,” are especially striking.
When Sagmeister emerges from a
pop-up wall in the centre of the room,
he instantly quells any preconceived
notions one might have of a crowed-
about graphic designer with a self-titled
studio in the Manhattan neighbourhood
of Chelsea and a self-cultivated esthetic
that’s gone global. “Hi, hi, hi,” he says in
his rich Austrian accent and auspicious
smile. Dressed in a wooly, charcoal
blazer, dark jeans and butterscotch
Oxford shoes, the towering 50-year-old,
known for his Rolling Stones album
New York City’s glorifi ed graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister showcases his acclaimed exhibition in Toronto Written By Madeline Stephenson
HAPPY SHOWTH
E
30 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
covers, edgy HBO ad campaigns and
well-watched TED Talks, looks more
like the rock star he once aspired to be
than the A-list innovator he’s become.
“Look,” he says with excitement,
fl ashing a teensy, yellow-faced catalogue
from behind his back. His oversized
hands fl ounder as they fan through
the pocket-sized paperback, titled
Th e Happy Film, which will double as
pitch material for the movie. Just like the
revenue from his speaking engagements,
all of its profi ts will be funnelled into
fi nishing the fi lm. “Th is is my fi rst time
seeing it,” adds Sagmeister, who moved
from Vienna to New York City on a
Fulbright Scholarship in ’87.
A press coordinator asks if he’d like
another coff ee. His swelling smile says
yes, but he hesitates as if we live in a
world where lips could be read. “I always
want another coff ee,” he surrenders
with a grin. We move to a leather
bench where privacy pervades. It’s there
that he explains his typical caff eine
routine actually consists of seven to
eight espressos a day, adding fuel to
his organic alertness, his delightful
repetition of words (ya, ya, ya, ya, ya), his
need to cross and re-cross his legs every
other minute, and his overall cheerful
disposition despite having spent the last
few days handwriting comments all over
the exhibition. “I’m very happy with the
progress, I think we’re going to be ready
for the opening, ya.”
Challenging the profi t-prophets of
overcrowded ad agencies that mass-
produce commerciality over creativity,
Sagmeister has successfully branded
himself an outcast. “Most design offi ces
work to promote or to sell something,
which is totally fi ne, and I admire the
people that can do this in a fashion that
is delightful, but I had always, since a
long time, had the suspicion that it
could also be used for other things —
that if it can communicate ‘please buy
this,’ it could also communicate many
other things. So this is another attempt
to see if that’s possible.”
His philosophy of keeping his
studio small and principled has gone
beyond attracting a like-minded client
bracket. In 2010 it inspired 23-year-old
multidisciplinary design prodigy Jessica
Walsh (who turned down a lucrative job
at Apple) to seek a position that would
enrich her imagination. “Stefan’s work
always struck a chord with me. I love
that much of his work evokes emotion;
whether it’s awe, shock, delight, disgust
or humour,” says Walsh, who reached out
via email. “He’s not only an extremely
talented creative, but also very smart in
business and a genuinely nice person.
Th ese are all things I strive for.”
Sagmeister, who has a reputation
for hiring as infrequently as Microsoft
modifi es its logo, responded immediately
and invited her to visit his eponymous
studio on 23rd Street to chat. “Our
meeting was very brief. After 10
minutes of fl ipping through my book
he asked me if I would be interested
in working with him,” she remembers.
Last spring, he went a step further
and elected to make Walsh a partner.
News of the new alliance was exposed
in a risqué mailer that featured both of
them in the buff with the explanation,
“Nineteen years after the founding of
Sagmeister Inc., we are renaming the
company to Sagmeister & Walsh.”
Just like the mailer, the selling point of
"The Happy Show" is in the transparency
of its message. It lacks the overly crafted,
abstract distractions that can make
highbrow art utterly incomprehensible.
It’s meant to be understood, discussed and
interpreted while giving you some saucy,
visual condiments along the way. “I have
no claim to know what makes Canadians
happy,” says Sagmeister. “I can only talk
about what makes me happy. But I have
also realized as I get older that I’m much
less special than I thought when I was
younger, and that whatever is true to me,
a whole bunch of other people can relate
to, too.”
In the fi lm, Sagmeister is seen as a
social guinea pig for various happiness
experiments that span from meditation
to cognitive therapy and even
pharmaceuticals. What has he learned
so far? “Well, a good number of things.
One would be that exercise works better
than meditation, which was a big surprise
to me because I had meditated before
and found it helpful,” says Sagmeister.
Th roughout the process he’s read more
than three dozen psychology books
and consulted several leading experts.
“Th e whole show made a big diff erence
in my life. I am engaged now which I
wasn’t before, so defi nitely my life was
clearly aff ected.”
Sagmeister has also become famous
for his 365-day sabbaticals, which he
takes every seven years to recharge his
creative batteries. As he explains in a
TED Talk called Th e Power of Time Off that has nearly 900,000 hits, taking
fi ve retirement years and interspersing
them throughout your career can prove
to be highly stimulating. After his fi rst
sabbatical in 2001, Sagmeister says his
job became a calling again, his fi rm was
fi nancially rewarded and everything that
followed was a product of time off .
He’s not alone. Both Google and
3M Co. have been lauded for their
corporate innovation programs that
off er employees a fair percentage of
personal time to pursue work-related
passions. Th ese breaks supposedly bred
the inventions of Gmail, Scotch tape
and Post-it notes. “Th e work that comes
out of that year fl ows back into the
company and into society at large,” says
Sagmeister. After informing his clients
that he’d be conducting another full-
year of experiments in 2008, he jetted
to Bali where he awoke to roosters at
5 a.m., meditated, created furniture and
continued fi lming his documentary.
As for the next one, “I put things on
a list but I don’t know yet where it’s
going to be or how we’re going to go
about it.”
HE DIPS BACK INTO HIS MIND’S INK, REDRAWING THE SCENE AT MICK JAGGER’S FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SUITE
Just as his working years are peppered
with pauses, his words are punctuated
by spaces of thought. In fact, the only
story he seems to tell with the fl uid
recollection that leaves no room for
hesitation is what Sagmeister deems
one of his ultimate moments of
happiness. It occurred in 1997, after he
had just received the green light from
Th e Rolling Stones to design their
Bridges to Babylon album cover. “Keith
Richards’s limo driver had picked me
up at the studio and I think on that trip
the sun was just going down and I was
basically going to Newark Airport to
fl y to L.A. to meet them. Th at was the
happy moment,” he says. “Th e meeting
itself was more hilarious than happy.”
He dips back into his mind’s ink,
redrawing the scene at Mick Jagger’s
Four Seasons Hotel suite. “It was so
movie-set like. I had seen very gigantic
suites, but it was just enormous.” Jagger
and Sagmeister began discussing their
favourite Stones album covers, both
agreeing, in reverse order, that Exile on Main St., Some Girls and Sticky Fingers were at the top of their lists. Cuing
the comedy, drummer Charlie Watts,
who was listening in, leaned over and
quietly asked Jagger what the cover
of Sticky Fingers looks like. “For many
Stones fans, that’s their favourite
album,” says Sagmesiter, of late pop
artist Andy Warhol’s iconic jean cover
featuring a working zipper. “Th e fact
that the drummer didn’t know what
most people consider to be the best
album they’ve ever done was just
hilarious to me,” he says, curling into
a laugh.
Walsh off ers another illustration.
“Th e happiest I’ve ever seen Stefan was
when he fi rst fell in love — and when
he was handwriting all over the walls
at the fi rst Happy Show installation,”
she says. After an aff able farewell,
Sagmeister reunites with his bona fi de
business partner to present the freshly
minted catalogue. Walsh teases that “it
might be just a hair too small,” and they
eventually segue into a storm of laughter.
Th e advisory Sagmeister scrawled at the
entrance is apparently a lie.
www.sagmeisterwalsh.com“The Happy Show” will be running at Toronto’s Design Exchange until March 3, 2012.
Stefan Sagmeister’s travelling exhibit, "The Happy Show," pictured at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 31
32 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
Complacency and mediocrity
are given a swift kick in
the pants in the thought-
provoking, empowering
life book Th e Power of Why.
In it, Amanda Lang sharply explains
how curiosity, inquisitiveness and the
ability to connect to ideas can unleash
our predisposed ability to think like
innovators, both at home and in
the workplace. Lang, co-host of the
Th e Lang & O’Leary Exchange and
senior business correspondent for CBC
News, discusses her debut book.
What are some of the qualities you need to be an innovator? I think you need to allow for your natural
curiosity, which I’ve come to believe
quite passionately is a universal trait
— it’s something we’re all born with
— and we know that because little kids
are naturally curious. Real innovation
is just about seeing possibility and
connecting ideas. Th at’s it. My favourite
defi nition of innovation is, “an old idea
meets a new idea, and then something
changes.”
Einstein once said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Why is curiosity necessary for innovation, especially in today’s world? Th e key thing about curiosity is that it
completely undermines the status quo.
So, curiosity says, it doesn’t matter that
we know that this works and we’ve done
it this way before, we’re going to ask
ourselves, “What could be diff erent?”And
that right away changes the way you’re
seeing things and leaves you open, and
it could be very incremental, it could be
a very small change, but it could also get
you to a much more creative part of your
brain where you do get some of those
real breakthrough insights. Curiosity is
the key because it never allows you to
get complacent and do what happens
yesterday just because it works, which is
a very status quo bias. It’s a very seductive
kind of a proposition that this is working
already, why would we mess with it, but
that is also the root to mediocrity and
unhappiness.
Why is it that the majority of us take the road more travelled in that we don’t act on our ideas? I think we’re not trained to think of them
or spot them when they come up, fi rst
of all, and then I think that even when
we see them or identify that we’ve had a
great idea, we don’t want to take the risk
and sometimes that’s totally reasonable.
If you’re a doctor, you don’t want to go
off all the time inventing new things just
because you’ve had a great idea. So maybe
it’s just a reasonable thing that you don’t
pursue every single innovative idea you
have. But I do think we would do a lot
more of it in our own lives, in our own
jobs, if we didn’t fear failure, if we were
willing to take risks — that’s the biggest
impediment to why we don’t innovate.
We are afraid to get the wrong answer,
we are afraid to take the wrong step.
And that’s also something we learned at
school and from our parents: that to fail
feels bad. And so I think that is one of
the things that holds us back the most.
Do you often question whether or not the standard classroom teaching method will prepare children for what the future will bring?I do, 100 per cent. And educators do as
PASSIONATELY CURIOUS
Amanda Lang found the key to unlock a happy life. How the “why” factor can push the rest of us to challenge our fears and overcome mediocrity
Amanda Lang’s new book bares her passion for Canada and how curiosity can breed innovation
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 33
well. We all know it’s not new. Th e current school system was
perfectly designed for the industrial era and it’s not perfect for
the post-industrial era. And if you just think about the way
kids consume information — something like social media has
transformed the way they think about their peers and what’s
happening in the world and how they’re going to get information.
If we don’t respond to that in school, if we say, “well now we’re
going to use a textbook and a pencil,” even though in your own
lives everything you use is diff erent, it’s electronic and it’s very
horizontal — we’re not going to get through to kids. So I think
we’re going to have to adjust and we’re going to have to adjust
fairly quickly, because otherwise we’re going to have this whole
generation that just isn’t really relating to learning. And we can’t
aff ord that, we really can’t. Kids need to love to learn and leave
school as lifelong learners.
me, it’s actually any mid-sized company that somewhere in
its corporate culture says, “good enough is good enough” that
needs to give themselves a kick in the pants, because that’s
where the danger lies. Th e danger is: “Well, it’s working, we’re
all doing fi ne, why do we have to worry, why do we have to get
our exports to China, why do we have to buy that expensive
piece of equipment that we don’t really need today but we might
need tomorrow?” It’s all the cutting-edge stuff that we stop
doing when we get any slight bit of success, and that’s actually
where, I think for Canada, the biggest danger lies.
How does missing out on opportunities to innovate affect our happiness?I think we want to improve things and so, if you think of
innovation really as connection or engagement and then
curiosity — you can think in your own life, if you don’t actually
think about what you’re doing, take that moment to say, “Why
am I living here, why am I in this job, why am I in this
relationship?” and then take the next step and say, “What are
the questions I need to be asking here?” Th ose two things are
very powerful change agents, and so when you talk about what
innovation is, it’s really problem-solving is one way to put it,
incremental change is another way to put it, but the key is, you
can’t get it if you’re not engaged, if you’re not connected, and then
if you’re not actually being a little curious. And so personally,
those two things actually lend themselves to happiness.
For the full interview with Amanda Lang, visit www.CityLifeMagazine.ca
‘‘‘‘WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING THAT
WE HAVEN’T THOUGHT OF YET?
— Amanda Lang
Why is it so important for businesses to question their own existence? It’s both important and very diffi cult for a business to say,
“We know that this is working — this thing that’s making us
money and we’re selling — but what should we be doing that
we haven’t thought of yet?” Th at is the innovator’s dilemma —
how do you keep doing what you’re doing on that market but
also think about the markets you haven’t thought of yet but that
some competitor’s going to come along and steal. Some really
good businesses do use that in the fabric of their DNA: they
really force the idea of change and renewal; they create a whole
culture around it, systems around it. Companies like Procter
& Gamble would be a good example. Th ey know that if they
don’t keep innovating, they’re out of business, and so they don’t
just accept that they have a bunch of good products and stick at
that — they keep trying to come out with new things.
What industry sectors in Canada would improve if they just asked more questions? You can point to our manufacturing industry as one that is
in desperate need of innovation that would result in higher
productivity. But, there’s some really good research done
that shows that at the small-company level — companies
that are young, fi ve years or fewer in business — we’re pretty
productive, that Canadians actually are entrepreneurial: we
start things up, we invest. But as our companies get bigger and
older, we get into some weird complacency that sets in. So for
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ArtSHADES OF GREYNothing contrasts better than a sensual red against a brooding grey. Striking and thought-provoking, designer Kristine Mullaney spills her mind onto her canvases to craft spaces with balance and boldness. www.kristinemullaney.com
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FANCY FLOORINGThese eye-catching, toe-loving Cuks rugs from Nani Marquina will ban boring from your home. A member of Care and Fair, the Spanish company fi ghts illegal child labour while making your home a hot spot.www.quasimodomodern.com
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LAND-ESCAPEJoel Loblaw, landscape architect, transforms properties into intimate other worlds designed exclusively for the homeowner. A graduate of Ryerson University’s Landscape Architecture program, Loblaw will twist and churn your exterior into a one-of-a-kind oasis. www.joelloblaw.com
BLING IT ONDon’t fantasize — glamourize with an elegant light source from HomeSav’s The Lamp Lighter collection. With fi xtures that shimmer, dazzle and inspire, your home will glow with an award-worthy style; just add champagne. www.homesav.com
BRIGHTS ON WHITESInterior designer Elizabeth Metcalfe knows that a small pop of colour can go a long way. Dab a touch of turquoise or lime to a crisp white room to give it a sense of happy harmony. www.emdesign.ca
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BRILLIANT BLOOMSConvallaria Floral Design will make your space bloom with its creations, which range from edgy to sweet to unexpected. Whether it’s a wedding or event, corporate design or home garden, these fl orists make it memorable. www.convallaria.com
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RUST-CHICLooking to give your home that desired rustic touch? You’ll fi nd it in these charming, old time-inspired pieces that will let you take a seat, roll in some drinks and get organized in a haven that’s organically yours. www.homesav.com
DON’T SPILL THE BEANSEnhance your comfort zone with a woven bean bag from Urban Barn. Handmade by the residents of a small village in India in which knitting is a passion, the Marina Pouf makes for the comfi est seat in the house. www.urbanbarn.com
ELEMENTS OF ELEGANCEContemporary, cosy, chic: This is interior designer Kristine Mullaney’s formula for perfection in this home. Achieve this balance in your own home by blending rich darks with subtle lights for an elegant, comfortable feel. www.kristinemullaney.com
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ADVERTORIAL
It’s tax time again and most
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I have great news for you!
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Cristina Piccirillo, mortgage broker with Dominion Lending Centres
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www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 43
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44 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
How a mother of eight gave birth to a multimillion-dollar business, why two co-workers kicked their cushy jobs to the curb and what happens when a speed skater switches arenas. Ontario’s top entrepreneurs and Ernst & Young award winners give us a wake-up call with their wonderstruck callings
You’ve found success in many arenas, fi rst as an Olympic speed skater and now as the CEO of a renowned humanitarian organization. What is your attitude towards achieving your goals, regardless of the realm? Koss: I believe that in order to achieve
your goals you must be willing to work
incredibly hard, stick to your vision and
be able to see solutions where others see
problems. Th ese are the three key areas
that helped me to succeed when I was an
athlete and have helped me now in my
current role at Right To Play.
What is one factor most entrepreneurs overlook but you view as essential?Koss: I believe that it is important to
fail — to occasionally not experience
success. Th ese are the opportunities
we have in life to learn and to grow as
people. I believe that everything you do
in life is for a reason and gives you the
experience and the knowledge to tackle
future problems. Everything that has
happened in the past makes you the
person you are today. I have learned more
from my failures than my successes.
What advice do you give aspiring entrepreneurs?Koss: Be willing to work incredibly hard
and be passionate about what you’re
doing. Starting an organization and
getting other people to believe in what
you’re doing and support you is a lot of
hard work, but if you really care about
what you’re doing and are willing to
persevere, you will be successful. You
don’t need a fully fi nished plan before
you start — it is impossible to know
everything you need to do anyway. Th e
most important thing is to start living
your entrepreneurial dream.
What book has given you the biggest bang for your entrepreneurial buck?Koss: Th e book that has had the
biggest impact on me is the biography
of Fridtjof Nansen. He was an
amazing Norwegian.
‘‘ I HAVE LEARNED MORE FROM MY FAILURES THAN MY SUCCESSES
JOHANN OLAV KOSSRight To Play International founder and CEO 2012 Ontario Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recipient for Social Entrepreneurship
Johann Olav Koss created a global humanitarian organization that puts the ball in the court of marginalized, disadvantaged children in more than 20 countries by making sport and play a right, not a privilege. Right To Play’s pragmatic founder was deemed “One of 100 Future Leaders of Tomorrow” by TIME magazine. www.righttoplay.com
— Johann Olav Koss
ENTREPRENEURIAL CONFESSIONSwinners give us a wak
‘‘
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 45
‘‘ GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, APPLE — THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN TWO PEOPLE. PARTNERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN GROWING A BUSINESS
SHAUN RICCI AND SOMEN MONDALField ID founders2012 Ontario Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recipients for Social Entrepreneurship
Independence-craving co-workers Somen Mondal and Shaun Ricci left their consulting company careers to plant their entrepreneurial seed in Field ID, a paperless approach to safety that combines software, hand-held devices and the Internet to automate safety compliance inspection. www.fi eldid.com
How important is it to choose the right partner? Ricci: I think that fi nding the right partner is integral. You
need somebody that you can completely trust to do things
when you can’t or you’re not around. So how did we know?
Well, I guess we didn’t!
Mondal: I think it’s important that partners have complementary
skills, so I might be good at certain things and Shaun might
be better at certain things and combined we do a lot better.
You’ll notice as well that we’re a software company, and a
lot of the larger software companies have always had two
people, like Google, Microsoft, Apple — there’s always been
two people. So we really, defi nitely feel that partners are very
important in growing a business.
What’s one of the most unconventional things you did to succeed?Mondal: We focused heavily on sales to the point where we
would fl y to Texas and literally do door-to-door sales, going
to companies, knocking on people’s doors — we weren’t
invited — and stay in gross places, sharing rooms. For us
it’s not conventional because I used to work at RBC Capital
Markets and Shaun had really good positions at software
companies, so to go from having those cushier jobs to not
— Somen Mondal
‘‘
* 11th annual TD Waterhouse Women Investor Poll, 2011MK Total Wealth Management is a part of TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice. MK Total Wealth Management consists of Jeff MacDonald, Investment Advisor and Peter Konidis, Investment Advisor. TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto - Dominion Bank. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. – Member Canadian Investor Protection Fund. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ®/The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto - Dominion Bank or a wholly owned subsidiary, in Canada and/or other countries.
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1212605MC
46 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
call this being innovatively disruptive.
We’ve disrupted what’s normally been
happening because we’ve changed up
[the market] and said, “we’ll guarantee
you a child-care space and we’ll let you
come when you want and we’ll try to
accommodate all of your needs.”
How do you achieve work-life balance as an entrepreneur and mother (of eight)?Sopik: I work and play all the time. With
eight children you can imagine I spend
lots of time with my children, but at the
same point, I always have my BlackBerry.
Sometimes people say, “well, why do
you want to be on your BlackBerry at
your children’s hockey games?” and I
say, “well, at least I get to go to all their
hockey games.” So for me I’d rather be
there looking at my BlackBerry every
so often and watching when they play.
I don’t send emails when they’re on the
ice, so when they’re off I don’t need to
watch the other children and I can send
them, that way it sort of allows me to
combine both.
What wise words do you have for aspiring movers and shakers?Sopik: Don’t overthink, because sometimes
you’ll be thinking so long that somebody
else is doing the business. It’s often best,
if you have a great thing, to put your feet
in the water and start to work and see
how it goes.
What aspect of your business model has been most fundamental to your success?Sopik: We’re very customer service
focused. We never want to say no to a
parent, we want to do whatever we can
to accommodate them and we send
that same message to our team. We try
to be as fl exible as we can and we off er
great career opportunities, so our hope
is that teachers that work for us know
how valuable they are to us because, as
you can imagine, if we don’t have great
teachers then we don’t have great child
care. Th ere are lots of opportunities for
them to be promoted or for them to
further their careers and what we know
is if you have happy employees, you have
happy customers.
How have you gone against the grain to get what you want?Sopik: I’ll give you a good example. Most
child-care centres in Canada will charge
a late fee for a parent, so if a parent comes
in late to pick up their child they’ll pay a
dollar per minute. We don’t charge late
fees because our feeling is that parents
aren’t intentionally late — they’re late
because they’re stuck in traffi c or stuck
at work. So what we do is, we schedule
our teachers to stay for half an hour
after the centre closes, so they don’t
feel like they’re late and the parent has
a bit of a grace period and doesn’t have
to panic and rush to get their child. We
VICTORIA SOPIK Kids & Company Ltd. president, CEO and mother of eight 2012 Ontario Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recipient for Social Entrepreneurship
Named Canada’s Fastest-Growing Company in 2008 by PROFIT magazine, Richmond Hill-based Kids & Company was founded by Victoria Sopik (pictured) and Jennifer Nashmi. With dozens of locations across Canada, Kids & Company caters its child-care services to corporate employees seeking reliable, fl exible and superior solutions for a thriving work-life balance. www.kidsandcompany.ca
having any sales experience and having
to learn all that, that’s one of the more
unconventional things we did; hitting
the road and selling, selling, selling,
selling.
Ricci: At the end of the day it doesn’t matter
how cool your technology is or what it
does; if no one buys it, you’re not going
to be in the business very long. I think
that especially younger entrepreneurs,
they read about Twitter and Facebook,
and most of the world isn’t built up of
companies that make things for free and
give it away and hope to have a hundred
million users. Most businesses are built
the old-fashioned way.
If you could encapsulate your experience in one piece of advice, what would it be?Ricci: Don’t give up. Every now and then
you can win the lottery but most real
businesses take fi ve to eight years to
build and I think a lot of entrepreneurs
that get started don’t think about that.
Th ey think very short-term.
Have any unexpected challenges popped up along the way?Mondal: In the early stages it was all
about getting investors — how do you
convince people to give you money early
on in the beginning? But now one of the
bigger problems we face is hiring people.
Hiring those A-players that really do
make a diff erence in the company has
been a surprise challenge. You’d think
it’d be easy, but it’s actually very hard. So
that’s something that we did not expect
when we were modelling our business
and trying to fi gure out how to grow.
What does success feel like, knowing this all spawned from an idea, a conversation, a click?Ricci: Tough question because I guess
I’m not sure I’d consider us extremely
successful yet. I mean we’re doing well
and I’m pleased with the progress but
we have some pretty ambitious goals.
So to be where we’re at feels great
but I wouldn’t necessarily defi ne it as
super successful.
Mondal: I would feel I’m never at the fi nish
line, I always want more, I always want
the next thing.
Ricci: If we do $1 million in sales all that
makes us want to do is $2 million — if
you do $2 million you want $4 million.
You never feel satisfi ed.
‘‘ IF YOU HAVE HAPPY EMPLOYEES, YOU HAVE HAPPY CUSTOMERS
‘‘
— Victoria Sopik
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 47
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48 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
1. Hard work is a force multiplier.
2. Don’t participate in recessions.
3. Exercising for 20 minutes fi rst
thing in the morning is
a game-changer.
4. If you’re not innovating daily,
you’re on the path to obsolescence.
5. If you want an A-level company,
you can’t aff ord to hire
B-Level players.
6. Procrastination is an escape
mechanism for people scared to
do their best work.
7. Give your customers 10 times the
value they expect and they’ll tell
everyone they know about you.
8. Don’t do it if you’re not
having fun.
9. If you’re not scared a lot you’re not
growing very much.
10. Invest the time to create great
social media content and your
base will go global + viral.
11. Th ere’s never been a better time to
be a social entrepreneur.
12. It’s never been easier to be of
service to a large amount of
people (and few things are
as rewarding).
13. When no one else believes in your
vision, you absolutely must stay
true to your vision. (Have the guts
to stay in the game far longer than
makes any sense).
14. Th e quickest way to build a superb
business is to quickly develop the
leadership potential of every
teammate.
15. A job is only a job if you choose to
see your work as a job. All work
is a noble sport. (Th e reality is all
work is a chance to express your
genius — and to inspire the world).
16. People are craving transparency +
authenticity and community. Give
it to them.
17. Creativity comes in seasons. Th ere’s
a time to harvest your ideas. And
there’s a time to let the fi eld sit
fallow. (I’ve been working on
integrating this lesson for years).
18. Sometimes the most productive
thing you can do is relax.
(When you relax, your brain
shifts into alpha state — the
time when million-dollar ideas
present themselves).
19. Change is hard at the beginning,
messy in the middle and gorgeous
at the end. (And without change,
there is no progress).
20. Someone’s going to win in your
space. Why not you?
21. Ten times the size of your dreams
because if you don’t, you’ll wish
you did.
22. Pursue excellence versus
chasing perfection.
23. Celebrate small wins and you’ll
unleash a huge amount of
momentum and positive energy.
24. Learn for an hour a day, no matter
what. Th at’s not a waste of work
time. It’s a brilliant use of your
work time because you’re paid to
know more than anyone who has
ever done your job.
25. Why go for good at what you do
when you can stand for iconic?
26. Transform your fi tness and you’ll
transform your business.
27. Delete victimspeak from your
language. No more “I can’t” and
“It’s not possible” and “It’s so
hard.” More “I will” and “Th is
is awesome” and “What’s the
opportunity here?”
28. If you inspire one person each day,
your day hasn’t been a waste. It’s
been a blessing.
29. Living in the past is disrespecting
your future.
30. Build an amazing career but
enjoy your lifestyle along the way.
What’s the point of becoming
a business legend but a failed
human being.
31. Look people in the eyes when
you talk to them. Smile at people
when you see them. Say “please” to
respect them. And “thank you” to
appreciate them.
50Author and founder of Sharma Leadership International Inc. knows a thing or 50 on how to improve one’s self. A Robin Sharma shortlist on life-changing goals and plans for a fresh start to 2013
2012Taught Me
THE
BUSINESS + LIFE LESSONS
THESE FABULOUSPRIZES
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32. Don’t be on time — be early.
33. Th e person who tries to do
everything achieves nothing.
Focus. Focus. Focus.
34. Spend the fi rst 90 minutes of your
work day on real work versus fake
work. (Another game-changing
tactic that served me so very well
in 2012).
35. Spend time in silence each day.
You’ll never do Jay-Z level work
if you’re overstimulated
by technology.
36. Goal-setting is mission-critical.
(Review your Big 5, quarterly
goals and daily goals constantly).
37. Your daily behaviour broadcasts
your truest beliefs.
38. To have the results only 5% of
businesspeople have, have the
guts to do what only 5% of
businesspeople are willing to do.
39. World-class begins when you
think you’ve done a great job but
know you can do a better job.
40. Remember that your greatest
gift is so much stronger than your
deepest fear.
41. Everyone’s in Human Resources.
And we are all paid to develop
the talents of the people we
work with.
42. Mediocrity is a mindset. Avoid the
mental viruses of negative people.
43. Be the most honest person you
know. It generally takes 30 years
to build a fantastic reputation.
And 30 seconds to lose it by
a single silly move.
44. Become a lion — not a sheep.
45. People are always willing to pay
for the best.
46.Th e more devoted you become
to serving others, the more your
career begins to build itself.
47. Problems come to test your
commitment to your goals, hopes
and dreams.
48. As you become more successful,
get more hungry.
49. Join Traffi c University. Use every
possible moment in the car to
upgrade your skills, polish your
gifts and elevate your mindset.
50. Use your life to make the world
a better place.
www.robinsharma.com
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 49
50 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
1. TAKES THE CAKE Planning a spring wedding? Treat your guests to a lip-smacking creation from I Do! Wedding Cakes. Cake designer Olivia Nguyen knows how to craft a delicacy that’s unique to you, making your fete a deliciously memorable one. www.idoweddingcakes.ca
2. WORDS OF WISDOM Start your day with a positive kick by cracking open this charming weekly calendar. Stay organized and inspired while planning your 2013 adventures. www.chapters.indigo.ca
3. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Bright and cosy, the Rosette Euro Sham from Anthropologie will infuse your home with energy and bring some warmth to your down time. www.anthropologie.com
4. BRING THE BLING Australia’s trendiest accessories boutique has pieced together this coral-toned beauty. Reminiscent of the beaches, cocktails and sunsets of summer, it’s a piece that’ll give you a tropical boost.www.elkaccessories.com.au
5. NATURAL BEAUTY This Earth & Ore Cocktail Ring will bring a glamorous shimmer to your jewelry box. Slip it on to add the whimsy of nature to any ensemble. www.anthropologie.com
6. TOUCH OF TULLE Call her your fairy godmother. Designer Ines DiSanto can transform any girl into a princess with her storybook-worthy creations. Don one of her romantic frocks and all eyes will be on you. www.inesdisanto.com
7. TABLE TALK Make your mealtimes memorable with this rosy dining set from Zilli Homes. Whispers of palace couture and tea time with royalty will have you and your guests smiling. www.zillihome.com
PANTONESTATE OF MIND
Spring is in the air, and Pantone’s Fashion Colour Report has you in the know for all the season’s hottest new shades. Hopscotch your way through a spectrum of lights and brights
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Written By Amanda Storey
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8. IT’S IN THE BAG On the go? This light and elegant leather satchel from Danier will keep up with you and get along easily with any fashion you might try on today. www.danier.com
9. TREE TIPSTry a touch of one of spring’s hottest colours by painting on an evergreen nail lacquer: a fl ash of this forest-inspired shade will give your style a natural feel. www.essence.eu
10. EASY, BREEZYLightweight knits are weaving their way through spring. Slip on this airy piece from H&M to lift your wardrobe to a bubbly, carefree style. www.hm.com
11. FOOD FOR THOUGHTAdd some pizzazz to your lunch or dinner by sinking your teeth into one of Gelato Pizza’s deluxe and interestingly named delights. Try the vegetarian Manhattan, meat-lover’s Bradd Pitt, or classic Lynn Z Low N. www.gelatopizza.com
12. ECO-ECCENTRIC Earthy and tribal, these monochromatic beads travel all the way from Australia to amp up your look. Sydney-based Elk Accessories loves to dress the world in eco-friendly, natural-toned pieces that are always in season. www.elkaccessories.com.au
13. SOFA, SO GOOD Treat your sitting room to the elegantly comfortable Melrose Sofa from Zilli Home. With its luxurious, classic design and laid-back comfort, it’s the perfect addition to any décor scheme. www.zillihome.com
14. HAPPY FEET You’ll get noticed in these eye-popping sneakers from H&M. Classically designed and blended with a shout of colour, it’s a fashion dare you won’t regret. www.hm.com
15. MONEY MATTERS The Money Receptacles folder from Knock Knock will help you get a grip on your fi nances. With its colourful, minimalist design, it’ll keep the cute and cut the clutter. www.chapters.indigo.ca
16. PRINTS CHARMINGIf the sunny wrapping isn’t enough to clean off your frown, the goat’s milk soap inside is sure to put a smile on your face. Coconut oil and shea butter blend to create a rich and organic lather. www.anthropologie.com
17. FOR THE LOVE OF LEMONS Craving something sweet? Dig your spoon into a scoop of lemon gelato from the President’s Choice Blue Menu. With zero per cent fat and 100 per cent fl avour, it’s the ultimate guilt-free dessert. www.presidentschoice.ca
18. LEATHER WEATHER Cool spring temperatures call for the coolest seasonal colours: this leather jacket from Danier will electrify your look while keeping you warm. www.danier.com
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www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 51
52 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
General Motors hasn’t been
coy about its intentions
for the Cadillac ATS. It’s
targeting the top of the
compact luxury segment
— and when you aim for the title, you go
after the champ: the BMW 3-Series.
A tall order, indeed. In most cases,
such crowing would be passed off
as typical marketing hype. But GM
isn’t just beating its chest. It has
poured serious dollars into the ATS’s
development, building this brand-new
Caddie from the ground up — new
platform and all.
Th e fi nal product is not to be ignored. Visually, the ATS retains the sharp-edge
design of its big brother, the Cadillac
CTS. Th e ATS, however, benefi ts from
some dramatic evolutionary details. Th ose
square angles have been softened for a
sleeker esthetic, and the headlights are
more aggressive as they slice over the top
of the fenders. It’s familiar, but distinct
— a design that defi nitely works.
The interior, covered in wood,
aluminum and leather, is equivalent
to competitors. Th e dash has distinct
personality, and mounted in its centre
is the new CUE (Cadillac User
Experience) interface. It’s clean and
novel, using a touchscreen much like
a tablet, but could, however, become
cumbersome to operate while driving.
Beside rivals like the BMW 3-Series,
Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4,
one of the major drawbacks to the CTS
has always been its weight: it’s notoriously
heavy for this segment. Th anks to a
lightweight yet sturdy chassis, the ATS,
on the other hand, comes in as one of the
lightest in the class.
With lightness comes agility, and the
ATS is certainly nimble. A balanced
50/50 weight distribution and a multi-
link suspension system keep it fi rm and
poised in the corners. Th is Cadillac has
no problem going blow for blow with
the Bimmer when the roads get windy.
There are three engine options,
including a standard 2.5-Litre and
3.6-Litre direct-injected V-6. But the
real winner is the 2-L turbocharged,
direct-injected four-cylinder. With
272-horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque,
it’s quick and responsive, but also great
on fuel: 9.9 L/100 kilometres in the city
and 6.3 L/100 km on the highway. It’s
also the only engine with an optional
6-speed manual. It’s solid performance
without sacrifi cing effi ciency.
It’s clear the ATS is a driver’s car,
an enthusiast’s delight. And that’s
its biggest problem. Th e trunk is the
shallowest in its class, and passengers
taller than a toddler will not be fans of
the tight backseat. Enthusiasts may look
past this, but families, perhaps not.
Overall, is the ATS better than the
3-Series? If not yes, it’s quite close. Th is
is one of the best cars Cadillac has built
in years, and the accolades acknowledge
it. Th e AJAC recently named it the
luxury car of the year, and Esquire
magazine dubbed it as its car of the
year. Take note BMW and Mercedes:
Cadillac is back in the ring, and with
the ATS, it’s coming out swinging.
www.cadillac.ca
CADILLAC
Leather and wood line the interior of the Cadillac ATS, accenting its sharp dash
The ATS was built on an all-new platform for added performance and safety
SPECIFICATIONS, CADILLAC ATSEngine: 2-Litre Turbo (272-HP, 260 lb-ft)Transmission: 6-speed automatic, available 6-speed manual0-100 km/h: 5.9 secondsFuel Economy L/100km: City 9.9 / Highway 6.3 Base MSRP: $36,985
Cadillac’s new kid on the block takes aim at the top of the compact luxury segment
Tweet us your thoughts of the Cadillac ATS at @CityLifeToronto
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 53
54 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
UNDYING LOVEEXPLORING OUR FASCINATION, AND OBSESSION, WITH ZOMBIES
Zombies — the lumbering,
reanimated remains of the
infected. Rotting, mindless,
driven by voracious
greed and a penchant for
braaaiiinnnsss — they’re putrid beings,
and yet television audiences fancy them
over the most carrot-coloured New
Jerseyan, the most vapid, superfi cial
socialites and, yes, even Charlie Sheen.
Case in point: Th e Walking Dead.
With its decaying swarms and
weapon-strapped protagonists, Walkinghas been crowned the king of basic cable.
In December, this television adaptation
of the eponymous graphic novel drew
10.5 million viewers for its mid-season
fi nale, easily dominating its peers. Back
in October, during its third season’s
premiere, more than 10.9 million
viewers tuned in, making Walkingthe most watched television drama in
basic cable history. You heard right:
the most watched basic cable drama
ever — ever — is about zombies.
But television isn’t the lone medium
plagued by this zombie resurgence.
Zombie fi lms, for one, regularly drag in
A-listers and profi ts alike. With Will
Smith as the lead, I Am Legend scored
big in 2007 when it made $585 million
worldwide. Th is summer, Brad Pitt
and his fl owing locks are set to battle
Zombies, it seems, are more alive
today than they’ve ever been (pun
intended). But how did this happen?
Why are groaning corpses luring
audiences like, well, peckish zombies to
an all-you-can-eat human buff et?
“Th at’s sort of the million-dollar
question,” says Matt Mogk, founder
of the Zombie Research Society and
author of Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies. For Mogk,
there are three key factors to zombies’
sustained popularity, with believability
taking centre stage. “We don’t believe
in fairies or magic anymore in our
postmodern society,” he says. “Zombies
fi t into that.” While a reanimated corpse
certainly stretches plausibility, zombies
are inherently biological, free from the
elaborate mysticism surrounding other
fi ctional creatures. Th eir origin is based
in science, often the result of a viral
outbreak, and unlike vampires, ghosts
or werewolves, zombies have no special
powers. Th ey can’t fl y, walk through
walls or live forever — they’re just
rotting corpses. “Th ere’s no ‘I have to
bite you three times’ and ‘don’t go out in
the daylight’ and all these rules. No, you
have a disease, a really bad one,” Mogk
says. Th e simplicity of zombiism — its
biological roots — fi ts easily into our
rational paradigms, allowing audiences
the hordes of undead in World War Z, and you can bet strong ticket sales
will follow. For some digital zombie
action, rifl e through your kid’s video
game library for titles like Dead Rising,
Left 4 Dead and Plants vs. Zombies. Try
cracking open a copy of Seth Grahame-
Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a New York Times bestselling novel, for a
gruesome twist on a classic, as well.
‘‘
‘‘
WE DON’T BELIEVE
IN FAIRIES OR MAGIC ANYMORE
IN OUR POSTMODERN
SOCIETY. ZOMBIES FIT INTO THAT
— Matt Mogk
Tweet us your favourite zombie fi lm @CityLifeToronto
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 55
to feel that, yes, a zombie outbreak
could happen. So much so that Mogk
labels it “an unrealized threat,” meaning
while it hasn’t happened yet, it could.
Chilling.
Secondly, for Mogk, zombies go
hand in hand with the end of the
world. Armageddon is, after all, one of
humanity’s oldest loves. Doomsayers
from every epoch of civilization have
trumpeted oblivion’s imminent arrival,
and those pessimistic prophecies are
still beaten into our skulls today. Ice
caps melting, global economic collapse,
lurking terrorists, nuclear catastrophes,
Apocalypse 2012 (although we dodged
a bullet on that one, phew!) — the
End of Days is forever dancing on our
front lawn. Th is gloomy outlook is the
“zombie sweet spot.” Zombies are very
much in sync with our fears of societal
collapse, at the heart of panic and mass
hysteria. “You never see one zombie,”
Mogk explains. “One zombie equals
10 zombies equals a million zombies,
which a) fi ts in with that notion of an
infectious disease, but b) really fi ts in
with our contemporary concern about
large, global problems.”
Steven C. Schlozman, assistant
professor of psychiatry at Harvard
Medical School and author of Th e Zombie Autopsies, builds on this notion
of supposed forthcoming catastrophe,
but adds a philosophical twist.
Zombie texts, he explains, allow us to
contemplate grim existential dilemmas.
“If there were truly a horrifi c pandemic,”
he proposes, “where you had to make
diffi cult decisions about quarantining
people whom you knew would die, how
would you make those decisions? Would
everybody be considered equal? Would
certain members who can contribute
quote-unquote more be considered
more equal?”
Schlozman feels that in all likelihood
us Westerners will never have to
contend with such grandiose moral
dilemmas, and that our pessimistic
concerns towards the future are often
infl ated — by the media, a growing
distrust towards government and so
on — but perceptions of uncertainty can
still lead to feelings of being less than
human. Combined with an increasingly
depersonalized culture of automated
customer service hotlines, conversing
via text, email and social networks, and
the eternal queues at shopping malls
or government service centres, it’s not
hard to see why people start to feel like
zombies. “It’s sort of the zombifi cation
of all of us,” says Schlozman. “And
people resonate with that.”
Which adds to Mogk’s last point:
zombies have a grassroots appeal.
Zombies are undiscriminating and
indiscriminate. Th e horde isn’t exclusive
or selective, neither elitist nor rejecting.
Left: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies by Matt Mogk. Right: The Zombie Autopsies, by Steven C. Schlozman, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
25,000 last October. Echoing Mogk’s
grassroots ideology, Munster describes
the communal nature of zombie walks,
where boundaries are torn asunder
and diff erent communities commingle
eff ortlessly. “In death we’re all the
same,” she adds.
Th e Walking Dead’s third season
returns February 10, and there’s no
question fans will be out in droves.
While you may scoff at the violent
nature of horror-survival drama, or
perhaps snicker at the peculiarity of
pretend zombies shambling along
streets, these revelries of death are not
so uncommon. For many, they’re part
of life. “Th ere are lots of other cultures
that have a celebration of death,”
says Munster. “I think that we need
that, because without death you can’t
appreciate life.”
“It’s the only club that wants the CEO
just as much as they want the guy in the
mailroom,” says Mogk. “Zombies want
everybody.” Unlike snobbish vampires
who treat immortality like a yacht club
for billionaires, zombies have no regard
for race, sex, age or social standing. If
they get their hands on you, you’re in.
And it’s always nice to be included.
Th is acceptance is exemplifi ed by, and
imbued in, the very essence of the now
extremely popular zombie walks. “If you
go to the zombie walk you’ll see kids that
are two years old and people that are in
their 70s,” says Th ea Munster, founder
of the Toronto Zombie Walk. Th e fi rst
offi cial zombie walk started in Toronto
in 2003, with Munster and six friends as
the only participants. Since then, these
gruesome gatherings have exploded
into a global phenomenon, drawing
thousands of shambling, groaning
participants all dressed like the undead.
Last year, in fact, over 7,000 zombie-
clad people gathered for the Toronto
Zombie Walk, explains Munster.
According to Guinness World Records, the largest gathering of zombies was at
the Zombie Pub Crawl in Minneapolis,
Minn., when over 8,000 people donned
fake blood and tattered clothes. Online,
however, there are reports of hordes
growing to over 10,000, with one
in Buenos Aires, reportedly reaching
With its eclectic blend of culture, fl avour and activity, your local
culinary scene is packed with edible adventures. From classic to
modern, from bubbly bar scenes to rustic atmospheres, here’s a
hand-picked hot list of mouth-watering mealtime destinations
for you to sink your teeth into.
food,TOOLS REQUIREDLarge and small mixing bowlWhisk, rubber spatulaBaking sheet and a loaf panParchment paperNonstick spray
INGREDIENTS280 grams all-purpose fl our 454 grams of white sugar90 grams of cocoa powder1 tsp of baking powder 1 tsp of baking sodaA pinch of salt2 eggs1 cup of coffee1 cup of canola oil1 cup of buttermilk1 tsp of vanilla extract
METHODPreheat oven to 148 C (300 F). In a large mixing bowl, whisk fl our, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt by hand until completely combined. Crack the eggs and have the coffee at room temperature. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs, coffee, oil, buttermilk and vanilla together. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together with a rubber spatula until completely combined. Pour onto a greased and parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool.paeseristorante.com
CHOCOLATE CAKE
Christopher Palik, executive chefL-Eat Group/Paese Ristorantes
Tweet us the recipes you’d like to see in City Life at @CityLifeToronto
,DRINK AND OTHER “LIKES”
A TOAST TO GOOD FARE AND FUN
L-Eat Group/Paese Ristorante’s executive chef Christopher Palik
shares his recipe for a deep, rich and delicious dessert
56 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
1. FAMOSO NEAPOLITAN PIZZERIA When co-owner Justin Lussier toured Italy in 2005, he fell head over heels for the fi re-roasted pizzas he tasted in Naples. It was this delicious experience that inspired him and his two partners to bring Italy’s famous Neapolitan pizzas to Canada. Taste the phenomenon yourself at the highly acclaimed Famoso! www.famoso.ca
2. MILL STREET BREWERYThirsty? Surround yourself with rustic charm, talkative friends and world-class beer at Mill Street Brewery in Toronto’s historic Distillery District. The deliciously unpolished style of Mill Street Brewery will add a kick of interest to your downtown dining experience. www.millstreetbrewery.com
3. VINSANTOWith a menu stocked with fresh, classic dishes complemented by a charming Florentine design, Vinsanto Restaurant is as much a work of art as it is a place to dine and chat with loved ones. For a meal to remember, dive into Vinsanto’s extensive wine list, savour the buzz of energy in the air and fall in love with its authentic fi rst-generation Italian recipes. www.vinsanto.ca
4. MARCELLO’S PIZZERIAHeartwarming comfort foods soaked in Italian authenticity are waiting for you at Marcello’s Pizzeria, where the classic atmosphere is just as famous as the dishes. Slip into a Roman getaway by munching on the much-loved pizza alla compagniola or the delectable fettuccine con bocconcini. www.marcellospizzeria.com
5. THE GLENLIVETWhile it may not be a locally brewed masterpiece, a bottle of Glenlivet whisky houses a taste that hits home. Crafted in northeast Scotland, where distilling is a passion, Glenlivet’s world-renowned taste and quality will leave you buzzing. www.theglenlivet.com
What are your local “Likes”? Tweet us @CityLifeToronto to let us know your favourite hot spots!
12
34 5
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 57
58 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
THE PRESENT MOMENT
While the rule of thumb used to
be that you pay for your plate,
Toronto wedding planner
Karina Lemke believes people have
long been smashing that sacred proverb
(often without even realizing it). With
a nuptial landscape that’s greener than
ever, covering your palatable plate
of rosemary organic chicken, truffl e
risotto and the cavalcade of buttercream
desserts that follow can mean dishing out
$600–$1,000 per couple, if you consider
the countless rounds of Cabernet that
coincide. Instead, Lemke estimates
that the average couple gives closer to
$250–$400, regardless of how posh the
property is. While you should consider
boosting your busta to cushion the blow,
“most etiquette experts would back up
the philosophy that if you’re throwing
or hosting a party, you’re doing so with
the expectation of nothing in return.
You’re doing it because you’re a host.”
Th e rise of destination weddings has
also ushered a new wave of gifting,
which Lemke personally experienced
while exchanging vows with Yuk Yuk’s
WEDDIQUETTE
founder Mark Breslin in an intimate
Laguna Beach ceremony in 2010. “If
you’re getting married away you have to
assume that you’re not going to get very
much because their contribution is the
fact that they’re going — and they’ve
probably spent anywhere from $3,000
to $6,000 a couple to join you for the
week.” Th e Emily Post Institute Inc.’s
etiquette blog also dispels the
pay-your-plate myth, suggesting that
“the amount you spend is strictly a
matter of your budget, how close you
are to the bride and groom and what
you think is an appropriate gift.”
WHITE WEDDING
Th e white-dress dilemma has become
somewhat of a grey area in recent years.
For more traditional brides, fi nding out
you’re not the only blanched belle of the
ball can be catastrophic, while others are
as cool as the liquor luge ice sculpture.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal anymore. I
actually love to see bridesmaids all in
white, I love to see everybody in white
or crème, I think it looks lovely,” says
Lemke. Make a decision that leaves
you some room to dance in — and if
you fi nd out the bride’s following the
coloured gown trend, à la Jessica Biel
and Reese Witherspoon, then white
may end up being a wise hue after all. “I
think as a guest you have an obligation
to look lovely or to put an eff ort into
your appearance, but I don’t think it is
ever right to deliberately try to outshine
the bride. If you’re putting on something
that looks bridal or you think will draw
a lot of attention to you, it’s probably
not the best plan,” she adds. If you sense
an impending train wreck, then don’t
lose a friend over fashion. Oxblood and
emerald will bring out your eyes.
SAVE THE DATE
You swipe the seal of a glittery,
script-inscribed envelope, shake out the
contents, fl ip the wedding invitation
upside down, and fi nally grab a nickel
out of your purse to scratch any metallic
areas that might crack a “plus-one”
cryptogram. Guess what, it looks like
the hosts aren’t giving you the option
of bringing a date. “No one wants to
meet anyone new on their wedding
Written By Madeline Stephenson
Who to bring, what to wear, when to leave, how much to give and why it all matters. The evolution of wedding guest etiquette
Phot
o By
Dou
glas
Fou
lds
/ Pea
r Stu
dios
Share your memorable wedding moments at @CityLifeToronto
ADVERTORIAL
RISOTTO ALLA GORGONZOLA
Compliments of A1 Autostrada’s seasoned chef and risotto master Roberto Del Papa, this easy-to-prepare, traditional Italian
favourite is the perfect addition to any dinner table as a side dish or as a comforting, feel-good treat on its own
Sauté the minced onion in olive oil and half of the butter over
a low fl ame until golden brown. Add the rice and stir until
golden in colour. Add the white wine. Continue stirring and
add a quarter of the broth, slowly. Simmer 10 minutes. Add
salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with broth until fi nished.
Add mascarpone, Gorgonzola, remaining butter and
asparagus. Continue stirring until texture is creamy. Garnish
risotto with prosciutto and asparagus.
600 ml (2 ½ cups) Carnaroli Nano rice100 ml unsalted butter100 ml extra-virgin olive oil 100 ml mascarpone½ medium-sized onion, minced200 ml dry Prosecco 2 l vegetable broth 100 ml Gorgonzola475 ml green asparagus, peeled, lightly blanched and diced10 thin slices prosciutto (for garnish)
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6
Chef’s recommendation: Choose Galbani or Igor Gorgonzola.
Both offer a sweet and creamy fi nish to this dish.
PRE PARATI ON
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 59
day,” says Lemke. If
you’re not married or in
a committed relationship
then you’d be wise to
go solo, even if there is
a courtesy “plus-one”
stated. “I generally don’t
think it’s a good idea to
take someone just for the
sake of taking someone.
You’re there to support
the people that you care
about and that care about
you enough to invite you. I don’t think
it’s the time to introduce people to
anyone.” Also, if the invitation doesn’t
say “children welcome” or indicate the
number of attendees, then you’re safe
to assume it’s an adult-only aff air. “You
can call to make sure, but you should
probably arrange for a sitter.”
THE ENGAGEMENT
Guests of the digital era need to
be cognizant of tech-culture wedding
conduct. Where there are 200 suits and
gowns, there are 200 cellphones that
ring, roam, buzz, snap and
fl ash, carrying the potential
to socially spoil an aff air
with intimate intentions. “I
don’t think you should be
having dinner with anyone
and be texting, whether
you’re at home, at a
restaurant or at a wedding,”
says Lemke. “If you’re
there, you should be there.”
Th at means engaging in
face-to-face conversations,
introducing yourself to fellow guests
at your table and never making an exit
before the main speeches. “Part of your
obligation as a guest is to be present.”
SPIN THE BOTTLE
Late etiquette icon Emily Post
once said, “Th e good guest is almost
invisible, enjoying him- or herself,
communicating with fellow guests,
and, most of all, enjoying the generous
hospitality of hosts.” Being invisible is
a pleasant euphemism for not getting
inebriated and embarrassing the hosts.
Lemke recalls the horror that washed
over a recent wedding when two cousins
were caught in an awkward embrace on
the dance fl oor as a result of overdoing
the booze. “I don’t think it’s good to get
potted at any social event,” she reiterates.
In addition to drinking responsibly, you
should also never be the last person
left. “If the lights are on and you’re still
there, leave. Quickly.”
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
According to Lemke, all allergies,
whether to nuts, strawberries, gluten,
lactose or shellfi sh, should be brought
to the attention of the hosts at once,
as the implications of not doing so are
far greater. Keep in mind that there is
a big diff erence between allergies and
aversions. “You should be careful not to
be too picky; just remember the couple
has one to 200 people to accommodate
and if everybody wanted special
treatment, it would be impossible.” As
long as ample notice is given, the venue
will easily accommodate you.
www.karinalemke.com
Wedding planner Karina Lemke of Rich Bride Poor Bride fame gives us the dos and don’ts of being a modern-day wedding guest
Phot
o By
Jen
na M
uirh
ead
Phot
ogra
phy
60 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
COULD ALCOHOL BE A REGULAR SIGHT IN ONTARIO CORNER STORES?
MMilk, eggs, bread … beer?
Under an Ontario
Progressive Conservative
government, six-packs,
26ers and bottles of
red could be lining shelves next to the
essentials provincewide. Ontario PC
leader Tim Hudak has made it clear, if
elected, he has no plans to be involved
in the booze business. “Let’s let the
private sector into the alcohol business,
let’s have some more competition,” he
said to reporters back in December.
“It’s time to end the LCBO and Beer
Store monopolies.”
Easier access to alcohol is certainly
enticing for consumers who enjoy the
odd drink. But what would having
alcohol in grocery and convenience
stores mean for the province?
Furthermore, will it even happen?
For Dave Bryans, CEO of the Ontario
Convenience Stores Association
(OCSA), such reform would meet
consumer demand for convenience. “Th is
is an archaic alcohol control system,” he
says of the LCBO and Beer Store, both
established in 1927. “We live in a more
mature, quicker moving society that
expects convenience.” According to
Bryans, Ontario is dragging its feet and
needs to keep pace with other provinces,
like British Columbia, Alberta and
Quebec, which all have partially or
fully privatized systems. Th is past July, a
petition containing more than 112,000
signatures calling for alcohol to be sold
in convenience stores was presented by
the OCSA to the Ontario government,
bolstering Bryans’ position. “Th ese
are voters,” he says, “Liberals, NDPs
and Conservatives standing in line at
convenience stores saying we want you
to carry our voice to Queen’s Park and
help us.”
“We know that Ontarians are seeking
more convenience in where they
purchase their wine, beer and spirits,”
says Scott Blodgett, spokesperson
for the Ministry of Finance, which
oversees the LCBO. In response to
consumer demand, the LCBO plans
to implement two new store formats:
LCBO VQA Destination Boutiques,
which will off er a larger selection of
Ontario’s VQA wines in select LCBO
stores, and LCBO Express, which will
A NOT-SO
PROSPECT Written By Michael Hill
Should alcohol sales be privatized in Ontario? Tweet us at @CityLifeToronto
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 61
sell alcohol in larger grocery stores.
“Alcohol will not be available in the
aisles of grocery stores. Convenience
will be achieved in a socially responsible
way by having LCBO stores, operated
by LCBO staff , located in large grocery
stores,” Blodgett says, adding this also
ensures that government revenues
remain protected.
Revenue has been a key factor
stopping privatization in the past. In
1985, Liberal premier David Peterson
took a swing at privatizing alcohol sales,
but the movement didn’t make it through
legislature. Former Conservative premier
Mike Harris stepped up to the plate in
’95, vowing to sell off the LCBO, but
backed off due to the substantial dollars
the organization brought Ontario. Th e
LCBO remains a revenue-generating
powerhouse today: last year alone it
brought in $1.6 billion for Ontario.
Could the Ontario government walk
away from such guaranteed income?
According to Michael Smart,
professor of economics at the University
of Toronto, Ontario need not worry
about lost income. “Privatization would
not reduce government revenues,” he
says. “Ontario could still tax alcohol
any way it liked, at both the wholesale
and retail level.” Although opponents of
alcohol privatization point to the higher
prices in Alberta, where alcohol is fully
privatized, Smart explains those prices
are due to higher taxes. Privatization,
he adds, would increase transparency,
as the government would generate tax
revenue instead of “dividends” from
the LCBO.
It is those taxes driving higher prices,
says Jeff Newton, spokesman for the
Beer Store. “Th e big perception out
there is that privatization means corner
stores, and corner stores mean cheaper
prices,” he says. However, considering
the Ontario commodity tax alone, tax
on a 24-case of cans is $9.81, he adds.
In Quebec, on the other hand, taxes are
roughly half that; in the United States,
taxes are negligible by comparison.
“Without corresponding tax cuts to
levels that exist in corner-store markets,
like in Quebec or New York, you’re
going to get higher prices.”
Even if Ontarians accept higher
prices for privatization, is dreaming of
easier access simply that: dreaming? Th e
Beer Store employs more than 6,500
people, and over 7,000 Ontario Public
Service Employees Union (OPSEU)
members work for the LCBO. Th at’s
a lot of lost jobs. Jobs that likely won’t
be lost without an uproar. Peruse the
Public Sector Salary Disclosure list
(or “Sunshine List”) for the roughly
250 LCBO execs making over
$100,000 per year, as well. With that
much power — and income — at stake,
you can bet they’ll have their say before
any reform is enacted.
With both the Beer Store and
LCBO so deeply entrenched, it’s yet
to been seen if a politician is ready to
step on that many toes in the name
of convenience. Th e current Liberal
government seems content with the
system, so unless Hudak takes offi ce
and follows through, it looks like we’ll
be making two stops for the essentials:
grocery and liquor stores.
DRINK IT INBOTH THE LCBO AND BEER STORE were established in 1927 as a means of controlling alcohol distribution in a socially responsible way after Prohibition.
LAST YEAR the LCBO brought in $1.6 billion for Ontario.
ACCORDING TO THE LCBO ANNUAL REPORT, 2010-11, the Beer Store accounts for roughly 78 per cent of total beer sales in the province, while the LCBO accounts for 84 per cent of wine sales.
ACCORDING TO THE BEER STORE, commodity tax on a 24-case of cans is $9.81. In Quebec, it’s $4.26; in New York State, it’s $0.32.
WHILE THE LCBO is state-run, the Beer Store is owned by Labatt Brewing Company Ltd., Molson Coors Brewing Company Ltd. and Sleeman Breweries Ltd., all owned by multinational conglomerates, none of which are Canadian.
THE BEER STORE currently has over 440 locations and employs more than 6,500 workers. The LCBO has over 630 locations and employs over 7,000 full- and part-time OPSEU workers.
62 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
In2007, my perception of
our world was altered
in a meaningful way.
I was 24, and I had just
applied to graduate
school before getting on a plane to spend
time in Africa where I had contributed
to building a primary school. It was
this trip, six years ago, which set the
stage for what would turn out to shape
not only my perspective, but also
my purpose: enabling opportunities
in education.
With an early start to the day, I was
ready to change the world, although
I did not yet appreciate that fi rst I
needed to understand it. Th ere I was.
So far from what I knew as my reality;
so far from those I loved. As we headed
towards the site, the roads were unpaved
and the air was dry. We drove past more
than one slum, looking down each time
out of fear of making eye contact and
perhaps off ending the wrong person.
Cameras weren’t used here to capture
what we saw, but emotions of disbelief
and sadness imprinted in my memory.
Th is wasn’t my reality, but it was the
reality of many.
Hours later we had arrived, and
there was the fi rst school that I had
helped to build for children I
had never met before. Although the bell
had rung and the school day was over,
they stayed to meet the visitor from
Canada. As I got out of the car, the
children grabbed my hands, touched
my hair and said jambo to greet me.
Th e excitement was overwhelming
and their impatience with me to
learn their names and pose for
pictures with them was amusing.
They wanted to be remembered
beyond that day.
Later that afternoon, I saw two
mothers leaving the site with their
children. Both had infants strapped to
them using long pieces of fabric while
carrying pails with what I assumed was
Juliana, a fashion writer in Brazil
Prashant, a computer consultant in India
RUMEET BILLAN IS ON A MISSION TO TRANSFORMTHE FIELD OF EDUCATION IN A MEANINGFUL WAY
THE PRIVILEGE
Billan with children
from rural Kenya
School children play and greet Rumeet Billan, a visitor from Canada
The construction of Billan’s school-building initiative in Kenya
An existing pre-school for children in rural Kenya without
supplies, games, tables or a chalkboard
choiceOF
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 63
RUMEET BILLANGUEST SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDITOR Rumeet Billan is a social entrepreneur, educator and PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. She is the president and CEO of Jobs in Education
and over the past seven years has contributed to school-building initiatives in Africa and South America. She teaches, writes and speaks on leadership, social entrepreneurship and youth wellness. At the age of 25 and again at 28, Billan received the honour of being named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women. She continues to integrate her business and doctoral studies with her passion for creating change through education. www.rumeetbillan.com
water from a well nearby. Th eir children
were running ahead, anxious to go
back home.
Th ese children didn’t choose to not
have access to electricity, clean running
water or basic primary education. Th ey
were just children. Th ey were born into
this circumstance, a circumstance that
any one of us could have been subjected
to without choice.
It was in that moment that I realized:
this could have been me.
During my short stay, I was given a
glimpse into the limitations and realities
that children in rural communities
faced. While I was choosing what
graduate school I would apply to,
these children were choosing whose
turn it was to walk half a day, barefoot,
for water. I questioned what I was
taught to believe were my basic human
rights and why they were practised as
privileges in diff erent parts of our world.
I questioned whether I recognized and
appreciated the access to opportunities
that I had.
Six years later, contributions were
made to three primary schools in Africa
and South America, and to an initiative
to support uniforms and textbooks for
orphans. After conducting research in
Ecuador, a teacher-training centre was
conceived of and built in rural Kenya to
guide early childhood educators in the
community. Each contribution has come
with its lessons and has inspired and
led to the next project. Each one has
shown me that we have the privilege
of choice to help those who are in
circumstances that they themselves
did not choose — and where there is
choice, there is possibility.
OnJan. 26, 2013, an
emergency fundraiser
is being held for
Anthony Socci, 28,
who is in desperate need of a kidney
transplant. Hosted by the Step by Step
Organ Transplant Association, which
was founded by George Marcello, a
two-time organ recipient, the fundraiser
will be held at Riviera Parque Banquet
ANTHONY’S
HERO
Centre in Vaughan. Th e event will be
a night of dinner and dancing, with
an open bar, door prizes and poker
tournament. Tickets are $100. From
February 5-22, 2013, Step by Step’s
offi cial torchbearer Khaled Khatib will
embark on a 500-kilometre search for
Anthony’s hero as he carries the Torch
of Life from Ottawa to Toronto.
www.torchoflife.com
Anthony Socci is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Find out how you can help.
64 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
Asa child, Elisapie
Isaac was known as
“that little singing
girl.” Her mother
recognized her
natural ability right away, encouraging
her to voice her talent to the community.
But growing up in the most northern
village in the Nunavik region of Quebec
was a rather unlikely springboard for
a singing career. Releasing an album,
performing nationwide — these were
but pie in the sky ideas to Elisapie.
Until the day that the little singing
girl realized that life is what you make
it. “When you’re from the North, you
don’t necessarily have those kind of
dreams,” says Elisapie, who has since
received a Juno Award for Aboriginal
Recording of the Year, industry buzz
for her solo albums Th ere Will Be Stars and Travelling Love and the Claude
Jutra Award for best new director for
her documentary If the Weather Permits. “We’re all dreamers when we’re young,
but you know, to actually do it as a career,
it was just not possible. We didn’t have a
lot of references or examples of people
Travelling Love is the sophomore album for pop artist and documentary fi lmmaker Elisapie Isaac
making it. It took a while, but it grew on
me, and I realized, gosh, I just hope to
give it a try.”
For Elisapie, making her mark in
an industry fraught with challenges
encompasses more than just recognition
or applause. It means going back to the
drawing board, fuelling up on inventive
approaches and undergoing a process
of renewal that will hopefully continue
to keep her growing fan base enthused.
Th e result is an ethereal experience,
with string instruments dotted by synth
elements and moving lyrics in multiple
languages. “I go to a place when I write
songs, a place where it’s so personal.
Th ere’s a lot of refl ecting on the life
we choose to live,” says the folk-pop
artist, whose distinctively sensual song
“Navvaatara” is featured in the soundtrack
of Jean-Marc Vallée’s moving drama fi lm
Café de Flore. A self-described city girl
living in Montreal with her daughter,
Elisapie has recently scored a song and
the role of Sedna in the 3D animated
children’s fi lm Th e Legend of Sarila,
featuring Christopher Plummer. Her
2013 tour for Travelling Love has begun
to pick up cross-province momentum.
Revealing raw, intense emotions on
love, understanding and the doubts we
encounter as humans, songs such as
the catchy “Life Is What You Make It”
and the dreamlike “It’s All Your Fault”
are resonating with her fans, leaving
Elisapie overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Th ey’re totally getting it. Th ere’s a
connection that’s there and it’s fun for
me to continue in that direction.”
www.elisapie.com
Canadian talent Elisapie explores love, life and womanhood with folk-pop melodies
ELISAPIE IN THE SKY
Written By Simona Panetta
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 65
THE STACKS AND ROWS ARE CALLING YOUR NAME — DIVE INTO THESE MUST-READS
LIBRARY
BRAIN ON FIRE: MY MONTH OF MADNESS BY SUSANNAH CAHALAN Susannah Cahalan is six months into her job as a reporter for the New York Post
when strange things begin to happen to her — paranoia, hallucinations, seizures, memory loss. In this moving memoir, Cahalan chronicles the rapid spread and the debilitating effects of her undiagnosed illness, and the doctor who saved her life.
THE MILF DIET BY JESSICA PORTERTap into the fountain of youth and get your pre-baby body back with
Jessica Porter, the whole foods guru who knows how to sculpt muscles and shred pounds using the power of eating well. The MILF Diet carves a delicious and easy path for moms to make their way back to health and confi dence.
STRAY LOVE BY KYO MACLEAR Colourful, intoxicating 1960s London is the backdrop for this eclectic
story centred on the life of Marcel, the abandoned child of a bohemian mother. Readers will be electrifi ed as Marcel weaves his way through the churning era in hopes of fi nding where he belongs. A wonderful second novel from Kyo Maclear.
HER MAJESTY After 60 years on the throne, the Queen has a story to tell. From palace-worthy couture to meeting The Beatles, from the Second World War to the 21st century, that story is being captured in 366 pages of stunning photography.
PERDITA BY HILARY SCHARPERIn Hilary Scharper’s ghostly Perdita, readers follow character Garth Hellyer as he nurses the aftermath of
his tragic love affair using the most unusual of remedies: conversing with the world’s oldest people. A tale woven with love, loss and mystery, Perdita blends youth with age, old with new, to create an alluring masterpiece that will captivate readers.
SWEET JESUS BY CHRISTINE POUNTNEY Three strikingly different siblings and one life-
changing journey are what readers will discover in this witty and deeply moving novel from Christine Pountney. In her very real refl ection of family bonds and human emotion, Pountney solidifi es her place as one of Canada’s freshest authors.
MIDNIGHT AT THE DRAGON CAFÉ BY JUDY FONG BATES It’s 1960s small-town
Ontario; a Chinese-Canadian family is being twisted and tested by vicious secrets and the clashing of cultures. A challenging story bursting with character, Midnight at the Dragon Café is the enticing debut novel from Judy Fong Bates.
ON LOOKING BY ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ Following up her wildly acclaimed novel Inside of a Dog, author Alexandra Horowitz emerges with
On Looking, an eye-opening commentary that will fl ip readers’ minds and keep them on their toes. Through eleven explorations, Horowitz demonstrates how to squeeze life out of the everyday through simple, open-minded observation.
SLEEPING FUNNY BY MIRANDA HILL A blush-worthy sex-ed class, a 19th century country village and a
post–Second World War victory garden; author Miranda Hill transports readers to these places and more in Sleeping Funny, her fresh and unexpected collection of short stories that will trigger an explosion of thought, emotion and laughter.
Written By Amanda Storey
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Which books are you excited to read? Tweet us at @CityLifeToronto
66 City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 www.citylifemagazine.ca
MINT.COM PERSONAL FINANCEMoney comes and money goes, so stay on top of your
expenses with the Mint.com Personal Finance app. Set budgets, track cash fl ow and manage investments with its clean, comprehensive interface. Safe and secure, this handy, hand-held fi nancial planner works with all major Canadian banks and is a great way to keep your money in check.
RUNKEEPEROne of the fi rst apps to utilize the iPhone’s GPS feature, RunKeeper is a tried and
tested, pocket-sized personal trainer for runners, hikers and bikers alike. It’s received a facelift for 2013 that strips away the fat,
leaving only essential features. Review stats, such as distance, time, pace and heart rate; track your progress; take pre- and post-workout images and share it all with your friends via social networks.
FOODSCANNERCalorie counting is tedious, so leave it in the capable digital hands of FoodScanner. It
tracks the food you eat, much like other daily food logs, but thanks to its nifty bar-code scanner this nutritional app makes monitoring eating habits a breeze. Just scan the bar code and FoodScanner separates and catalogues meals. An in-depth database also lets you search and store bar-code-less items, like meat and veggies.
MEDITATION HELPERFor Android users looking to steady the soul and calm the mind, Meditation Helper
offers everything you need — nothing more, nothing less. Set a meditation schedule, time daily sessions and customize bell sounds. It also tracks the number of consecutive days you meditate for further motivation. The perfect companion for technophiles strolling down the path to self-realization.
MENSA BRAIN TESTMensa members are pretty smart — like, “in the top two per cent of the population”
kind of smart. So when it comes to exercising the ol’ grey matter, they know a thing or two. The Mensa Brain Test app allows us everyday folks have a crack at the questions this prestigious institution uses to assess prospective members. Prep in the training mode before tackling tests of 20, 40 or 60 questions. Break a mental sweat and post your score on its global leaderboard.
GRATITUDE JOURNAL 365Studies show that the regular practice of gratitude leads to
a happier life. If you’re struggling to fi nd those silver linings, give Gratitude Journal 365 a go. This digital journal allows users to make daily notes for everything they’re grateful for. Nice weather? Good health? Seeing old friends? Add it to the list. Take photos to commemorate each day and share them via social networks. It also tracks and stores the total number of your gratitudes to remind you that life ain’t all that bad.
CLEARWe all lead busy lives with an average of 8.639 million things to do. And that’s just before
lunch. Simplify your day with the cleanest to-do list app out there: Clear. Taking a bare bones approach to organization, Clear allows you to personalize lists of all shapes and sizes. Make lists for shopping, everyday chores, books to read, exotic tea fl avours to sample, whatever. When they’re complete, just swipe to erase. It’s that easy.
2013
NEW YEAR, NEW APPS
A new year means a fresh start — a clean slate, as they say. It’s time to commit to change and fulfi l those pesky resolutions. To help with your self-improvement journey, these handy apps are ideal tools for targeting body, mind and, yes, even soul
www.citylifemagazine.ca City Life Magazine Feb/Mar 2013 67
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