In The News

With six successful mascot companies the GTA, Toronto is a North American leader in the mascot-making business. The Torontoist explores the inner-workings of this unique and surprisingly lucrative industry.

"While mascot companies exist across the world, Toronto is arguably North America's mascot-making capital, with at least six companies in the GTA. "They don't congregate elsewhere in the way that they do in Toronto," says Mike Chudleigh, president of 1-800-Mascots (yes, that really is the company's name)."

"How could there possibly be enough demand to sustain such an industry? Phil Woollam, a graduate of OCAD's sculpture program and an employee of 1-800-Mascots, explains it simply: "Everything has a mascot."

"Glancing around the shop, it seems that Woollam's not wrong. Everywhere you look among the controlled chaos--bolts of fabric and faux fur, scraps of foam, piles of other unlikely and unrecognizable materials--you see characters sporting familiar brand names."

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original source the Torontoist

The success of a an innovative learning platform developed in a Toronto classroom has prompted The Toronto District School Board to expand the project to two more GTA classrooms. The "Connected Classroom" learning platform was introduced into a pair of Grade 5 classrooms at Etobicoke's Sir Adam Beck Junior School in January. As reported by the Globe and Mail, "the program includes an assortment of tech tools, such as interactive whiteboards, notebook computers and handheld polling devices, which the students call clickers". 

"We want to get some pockets of excellence and experience [with the platform] so that we can show people an impact on our bottom line, which is student achievement," said the TDSB's director of education, Chris Spence."

"The platform is part of Dr. Spence's ambitious Vision of Hope for the TDSB, a proposal that aims to integrate technology in the classroom. He is aiming to bring wireless Internet access to every school and a computer into every classroom by 2015. Students at Sir Adam Beck said they liked the learning platform and its colourful selection of gadgets, which were donated by Dell."

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original source Globe & Mail

Movie goers around the world are getting a glimpse of Toronto in the winter time. Director Atom Egoyan puts the city front and center in his newest feature "Chloe".  In a clip on the New York Times website Egoyan discusses why he chose to set the film in his home city.

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original source the New York Times

Toronto fashion designer Nada Shepherd is garnering attention in the fashion world for her decision to forgo traditional runways shows in favour of a 3D movie. As reported by the Toronto Star,  Shepherd has opted to display her new collection in an interactive 3D film. The 7-minute short, the world's first 3-D fashion film. recently screened at Toronto's Scotiabank Theatre.

"Last week, the 33-year-old designer showcased her fall 2010 collection at Toronto's Scotiabank Theatre. Called "Future Fashion/ Fashion Future," the seven-minute short was created to replace her usual runway show."

"It was premiered in advance of Toronto fashion week, which starts Sunday."

"In an interactive gaming format featuring models as robotic warriors, the video allowed viewers to choose an outfit from a carousel of clothing, a background for the fight sequences, a weapon (lead pipe, brass knuckles) and a beauty look."

"Shepherd imagined a world in which robots, or fembots, engaged in hand-to-hand battle, "for our entertainment pleasure." They'd spar gladiator-style wearing, of course, Nada designs."

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original source Toronto Star

Salon.com looks at how Toronto's "Extreme University" is working to develop the city's entrepreneurial talent. "Extreme University", a project of Toronto's Extreme Venture Partners is summer technology start-up school/competition that provides participants with industry networking, technology mentoring and help developing their own unique product.

"As in so many other cities that aren't located in or near Silicon Valley, the startup scene in Toronto is a fairly small and close-knit community. It  benefits from events such as "Demo Camp" and "Bar Camp," where young entrepreneurs can come and bounce their ideas off others who have been down that road before, and get some critical feedback."

"Inspired by those kinds of events, and building on their own efforts to create a community within their own portfolio companies, the venture capitalists at Extreme Venture Partners decided to fund a kind of school/competition last year called Extreme University. It went so well that EVP recently announced it's running another one this summer."

"Based loosely on the format developed by Paul Graham at his Y Combinator incubator, ExtremeU asked for entrepreneurs to "audition," "American Idol"-style, for one of three slots in the program. Successful applicants got $5,000 each from Extreme Venture Partners, as well as office space and free Internet access at the EVP offices in Toronto, and 12 weeks to build and launch their app, product or service. The program was run by Farhan Thawar, the VP of engineering for Xtreme Labs (one of EVP's portfolio companies) who says he's hoping to make it even larger by opening it up to more startups."

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original source Salon.com

Toronto entrepreneur Brian Lau is out to change the male beauty industry. Lau was inspired to start Bread & Butter--a fragrance-free line of skin care sold online--by his dissatisfaction with the way male grooming products are made and advertised. As reported by the National Post, Bread & Butter, which went live in December, is on target for the first quarter and "looking toward a very good summer".

"What irritated me [in advertising] was how many of them are sold," the Toronto entrepreneur said. "Essentially, a lot of claims in the advertising or the packaging are misleading. They are all created to make the customer believe something that is not true." Ads such as those for Axe body spray, which feature people fawning over the wearer of the body spray as though it had aphrodisiac properties, are part of the problem. "Three to four years ago, men were being depicted as complete Neanderthals," he says. Or, by "the Axes of the world," as "ridiculously virile."

"After spending years in the beauty industry, including five at Unilever, which makes the Dove brand, Mr. Lau knew what he did not want to make -- products filled with perfume that dried out skin. He learned more about that after completing his MBA at Kellogg, and working for a holding company whose subsidiary did design and manufacturing for Aveda beauty products."

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original source the National Post

The Toronto Star recently ran a feature on the Hearth Manor, a family-run Mississauga mainstay that's been selling fireplaces for over 30 years. While the store has had to weather tough economic times, their loyal customer base is credited with their impressive longevity. 

"The key to the Martins' longtime success is repeat business -- many of their clients have been coming into their tidy shop in the Mississauga Home and Design Centre for decades."

"In some cases, it's families who move into new homes. Other times, it's their kids. We have generations of customers," said Jessica Jean."

"In tough economic times like these, people do their homework. So when they come to us, they expect informed decision," said the youngest of the Martin clan. "People are very cautious and careful with the money, and so are we, because we are part of that team reinvesting in their homes."

"The Martins believe because they are a small business, Hearth Manor has the capacity to adapt quickly to economic change, while not compromising customer service."

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original source the Toronto Star

Toronto-based Transmission Developers Inc. has announced a $4 billion plan to transfer renewable energy from Canada to the United States. As reported by the Toronto Star, the company hopes to construct "a high-voltage, direct-current transmission line" from the Quebec border through New York State and New England. The line, which would run approximately 570-kilometre would allows parts of the U.S. northeast to import wind and hydroelectric power from Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador.

"He has the backing of the largest asset-management firm in the world. He has a former Ontario premier in his corner. He's also persistent enough to see a good idea through to its commercial climax. Local entrepreneur John Douglas is also on a roll."

"Toronto-based Transmission Developers Inc. (TDI), a company co-founded by Douglas last year, has announced a bold plan to construct a high-voltage, direct-current transmission line from the Quebec border south through New York State and New England."

"Douglas is convinced that if the United States and Canada are serious about developing renewables they'll need a lot of transmission and storage to meet their goals. "That's what really appealed to Don and me, this clear and present need for new transmission and storage," he said. "They're the building blocks for renewables."

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original source the Toronto Star

A recent feature in the Wall Street Journal follows the trajectory of Toronto's Porter Airlines and the story behind its stunning success. The airline, opened in 2006 just outside the downtown on a Lake Ontario island is in the process of revealing a brand new 50,000-square-foot terminal and is expected to move over 1.2 million passengers by the end of 2010. According to the Journal, the success of Porter and its CEO Robert Deluce can be attributed in large part to the airlines appeal to a "lucrative flying niche: the high-margin business traveler".

"In 2005, Mr. Deluce bought the airport's ramshackle terminal and later kicked out an Air Canada regional partner named Jazz Air. Then, he set up Porter Airlines, which has become a hit with business fliers for its top-notch service and convenient location, a one-minute ferry ride from the downtown waterfront. Earlier this month, closely held Porter opened the first phase of a gleaming, 150,000-square-foot terminal that eventually will house two passenger lounges and 10 aircraft gates..."

"The new airline has attracted a following for its downtown location, competitive fares, leather seats with generous legroom and complimentary beer, wine and snacks. Female flight attendants wear retro pillbox hats and peplum jackets."

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original source the Wall Street Journal

University of Toronto professor Natalie Zemon Davis has won the Holberg International Memorial Prize, a prestigious international award for work in the humanities. Awarded by the Norwegian parliament and worth about $785,000 the prize brings international recognition to the University's "arts, social science and humanities faculties". This year mark the second year in a row the award has gone to an academic from the University of Toronto.

"Toronto historian Natalie Zemon Davis was named yesterday as the recipient of the Holberg International Memorial Prize � awarded by the Norwegian parliament and worth about $785,000."

"U of T president David Naylor said the international recognition is a "fantastic boost" to the school's arts, social science and humanities faculties, and validates a continued focus on areas of studies that have suffered a decline in public funding and support".

"How we understand each other on this troubled planet is way more important to our children's future than the latest digital gadget," he said in an e-mail. "We simply don't believe Canada � or our university � can thrive without academic strength and a sustained investment in the humanities and social sciences."

"Dr. Davis, who is also a professor emerita at Princeton University, is considered a pioneer of social history and has a long record of political activism in civil and women's rights."

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original source Globe & Mail

While a rising Canadian dollar may have once driven fear into the hearts of Canadian manufactures, Reuters is reporting that the sector is well-equipped to handle the currency's recent upward climb. The Canadian dollar is currently sitting at 99 cents American and rising but smart planning from the country's manufacturing sector means losses will likely remain minimal.

"Of course, it hurts that Canadian goods cost more abroad, and, of course, higher wage levels increase the cost of doing business in the United States, Canada's biggest market by far. But manufacturers, for the most part, have done it all before, and those that survived the first bout of currency-induced pain say they are ready for the second."

"On its own, the increase in the Canadian dollar forces one to be more competitive and if you're not competitive, you die. It's as simple as that," said Rob Wildeboer, executive chairman of auto parts maker Martinrea International Inc (MRE.TO).

"Jeff Brownlee, vice president of public affairs at Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said that companies would be better able to compete if the currency were more stable, but the industry has learned to adapt."

"What we've come through in the last four or five years just proves how resilient Canadian manufacturing sector is and I think this is actually going to make the Canadian manufacturing sector stronger in the long run."

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original source Reuters

Headquartered in Toronto, St. Marys Cement Inc., has developed its very own system for reducing the carbon footprint from cement-producing plants. According to the Toronto Star, a proportion of the plant's emitted CO2 gas is diverted into a high-tech facility where a species of algae "uses photosynthesis to absorb the carbon dioxide and release oxygen in return".

"It's a small model of what a big full-scale facility could be," says Martin Vroegh, environment manager with St. Marys Cement Inc., headquartered in Toronto. The algae project, which went live last fall, is believed to be the first in the world to demonstrate the capture of CO2 from a cement plant."

"The idea, Vroegh explained, is to turn CO2 into a commodity rather than treat it as a liability. The CO2-consuming algae will be continually harvested, dried using waste heat from the plant, and then burned as a fuel inside the plant's cement kilns. Alternatively, the green goop can be processed into biofuels for the company's truck fleet."

"In essence, St. Marys wants to grow its own fuel in a way that's constantly recycling the CO2 emissions from its plant, allowing it to produce what could become "green" cement."

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original source the Toronto Star

A recent feature on Canada.com looked at the success of "The Society" "one of North America's fastest-growing networking clubs". Founded by Toronto entrepreneurs Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakley "The Society" plans recreational events for busy young professionals in several major cities across North America.

"Members are time-strapped, they want substance to their nights out, and they don't have time to come up with it themselves,'' says 31-year-old Dempster. Recognizing the needs of their members, The Society organizes events such as rooftop film screenings, themed culinary events hosted by renowned chefs, and tennis and polo lessons followed by a refined cocktail - or three."

"The concept has caught on in an impressive way among young, successful and time-crunched professionals."

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original source Canada.com

As reported by the New York Times, Toronto researchers are behind a new study that finds a correlation between 'green' consumerism products and selfish behaviour. The University of Toronto research suggests that people who purchase green products sometimes use their ethical shopping habits to justify transgressions such stealing and cheating in other aspects of their lives.

"The Guardian newspaper picked this up recently, and it also makes an appearance in the most recent issue of Conservation magazine: people who buy green products may be, on the whole, more likely to steal and cheat when given the chance."

"This claim comes by way of two researchers at the University of Toronto, who were probing a more widely known psychological phenomenon in which people who pat themselves on the back for a good deed often feel entitled to a bit of selfishness later on."

"Green products do not necessarily make for better people," the Toronto researchers told The Guardian. They also said that while much time and treasure has been spent trying to identify green consumers, relatively little research has gone into "how green consumption fits into people's global sense of responsibility and morality."

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original source the New York Times

A new proposal from Waterfront Toronto hopes to transform the dreary and desolate space underneath the Don Valley Parkway into an lively urban park. As reported by the National Post, the revitalization of the site (the area right below the on/off ramps at Richmond and Adelaide streets and Eastern Avenue) will be funded by a $5.3-million infrastructure boost from the federal government.

"Waterfront Toronto said yesterday that, thanks to $5.3-million from Ottawa, it will turn the one-hectare stretch of city and provincially owned land into a park, complete with ball hockey and basketball courts, community gardens, "ribbon" benches and climbing structures for children."

"This is about taking an incidental space and making it something more than incidental," said Greg Smallenberg of Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg, a Vancouver landscape architect firm that Waterfront Toronto has hired for "comprehensive landscaping" of a 32-hectare parcel of provincially owned land on the west side of the Don River's mouth, which it calls the West Don Lands."

"Waterfront Toronto, owned jointly by the city, provincial and federal governments, plans in the next five years to build mostly a residential community, with housing for 12,000 people. River City, a private condominium project by Urban Capital Corp. south of King Street between Bayview Avenue and a new extension of River Street, has already opened a sales office in the area for its 900 "loft-style" units in five buildings ranging to 16 storeys high."

"Underpass Park will knit the River City developments and three buildings of new Toronto Community Housing, to its north, with a new seven-hectare park to the southeast."

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original source the National Post