In The News

Eleven of the companies on Maclean's magazine's "Green 30" list are located in the GTA.
 
The list, complied by Aon Hewitt as part of its Best Employers survey, is based on how employees perceive their employer's environmental efforts.

The GTA entries are: Accor/Novotel Canada, Brookfield LePage Johnson Controls, Celestica, Cisco Corp., Delta Hotels and Resorts, IHG, LoyaltyOne, Marriott Hotels of Canada Ltd., Stikeman Elliott LLP, TD Bank and Wakefield Canada.
 
More than 112,000 employees at more than 250 organizations participated in the survey.
 
Read the full story here
Original source: Maclean's

In town for Toronto Fashion Week, Gabriele Dirvanauskas, writing for the UK's Sun tabloid, took in the best of the city, including Dark Horse coffee.
 
"I'm not sure which was hotter, the coffee or the scruffy-bearded baristas. I noticed I wasn't the only espresso-sipping girl who had been on the same magazine page for 20 minutes."
 
Dirvanauskas dared to try some poutine.
 
"The comfort food of dreams. The quality varies but if you like to take few risks at meal times then head to trendy restaurant Bannock. I had poutine there as a side dish with my turkey burger and took several years off my life expectancy."
 
And she developed some sea legs.
 
"The best way to see Toronto is by boat. Our tour took us around the Toronto Islands that are home to around 800 people. The secluded community have their own schools and there are 500 people on a waiting list to buy a property offshore."
 
"It's a commitment, though. The rule is residents have to live on the island all year round. Not just when they fancy a quick dip in the summer."
 
"I bet there are a few cases of cabin fever when the water freezes over in the winter."
 
Read the full story here
Original source: The Sun

The New York Times reports on the downtown condo boom and Toronto's insatiable appetite for urban living.
 
"In the fourth quarter of 2011 alone, almost 900 condominium units were sold downtown, 25 percent of the approximately 3,600 condo sales citywide."
 
"A city survey released in March, Living in Downtown and the Centres, attributes the popularity of housing in Toronto's core to its proximity to work and transit options, cultural and entertainment sites, and the venues for the city's major league basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer franchises."
 
"'Many people like the convenience of not driving to work. They enjoy being in the center of everything and the downtown has lots of restaurants and shops,' said Oksana Jancevic, a sales representative at Royal LePage Real Estate Services who specializes in downtown properties. She settled here herself after relocating from Lithuania 10 years ago."
 
"The description makes sense considering that more than half of all downtown residents are single and between the ages 20 and 44, according to the new survey. More than 50 percent have at least a university degree and one third have annual household incomes of more than 100,000 Canadian dollars, or $98,000. When it comes to couples, 30 percent are childless."

Read the full story here
 
Original Source: The New York Times

The federal government's proposed "startup visa” program for foreign entrepreneurs has captured some headlines overseas.
 
Both the Malaysian Star and the English-language version of China's Xinhua news agency reported on the efforts to create a program that would make it easier for entrepreneurs to immigrate to Canada and to match them up with potential investors.
 
"If it goes ahead, the program would run for five years, but be capped at 2,750 applications a year. If the five-year trial turns out successful, Citizenship and Immigration Canada could introduce it formally through regulatory changes."

Read the full stories here and here
Original Sources: Malaysian Star and Xinhua

The Toronto duo behind the web comedy phenomenon Sh** Girls Say have signed a deal with Harlequin to turn the schtick into a book.
 
The treeware version of Kyle Humphrey and Graydon Sheppard's break-out hit will feature full-colour images that, according to Donna Hayes, publisher and CEO of Torstar-owned Harlequin, "capture the hilarious essence of everyday phrases used by women."
 
Across the pond, the UK's Independent said the deal was a no-brainer.
 
"Considering it has more than a million followers on Twitter, and the first episode of Sh** Girls Say on YouTube, which saw Sheppard dressed in drag eschewing somewhat ditzy observations, has been viewed more than 16m times, you can see why the publishers came calling."
 
"It's the latest example of publishers trying to capitalize on popular Internet memes and websites. Books based on the likes of Stuff White People Like, Damn You, Autocorrect! and Texts From Last Night, have all made the transition from cyberspace to the bathroom with ease but time will tell if Harlequin have a hit on their hands."
 
Over at Jezabel.com, they were more skeptical.
 
"Um...sure! Sounds compelling," wrote Lindy West. "I'm sure it will 'appeal to the millions of devotees,' even though 100% of them have already read this book before WHEN IT WAS CALLED THE INTERNET. It's not that I mind blogs being turned into books in some sort of sour grapes way—hey, do whatever you want, publishers…. But attempting to transform Twitter, a medium whose entire value lies in its transience and immediacy, into something static, heavy and literally made of ground-up wood is the opposite of progress."

Read the original stories here and here
Original Sources: The Independent and Jezabel.com
 

The Startup Genome project collects data on startups to generate data on the world's top entrepreneurial ecosystems. A year in, Toronto ranks number four on the list, coming in behind Silicon Valley, New York City and London.
 
"In terms of the overall health of the global economy, these fertile startup ecosystems are essential, as they have the potential to become both regional and global engines of job creation. In the US, for example, companies less than five years old created 44 million jobs over the last three decades and accounted for all net new jobs created in the US over that period, according to the White House."
 
"In compiling its data, the team has begun to uncover valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the world's startup ecosystems, and as the study progresses, the founders say they hope it will continue to 'yield insights for entrepreneurs deciding where to start their company, investors deciding where to allocate their capital, large companies looking for acquisition targets, and policymakers who want to make their entrepreneurship ecosystems flourish.'"
 
The rest of top 10 includes Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Singapore, São Paulo, Bangalore and Moscow.
 
Read the full story here
 
Original Source: TechCrunch

Plans to create a national park in the Rouge Valley are picking up steam.
 
On April 10, Pickering council voted to endorse a statement of intent from Parks Canada that confirms the commitment of all parties involved.
 
"A staff report noted that the creation of the park will require the transfer of lands from various governments and public agencies within and adjacent to the Rouge Valley, including Pickering. Once transferred, those lands will no longer be subject to taxes or payments in lieu of taxes."
 
"Planning discussions to identify the boundaries of the park are expected to begin this year under the direction of Parks Canada. No budget numbers for the park have been announced as yet."
 
The creation of a national park was announced during the June 2011 throne speech.
 
Read the full story here
 
Original Source: DurhamRegion.com
 

The UK's Economist magazine reports on how Canada's MBA programs are trying to attract the world's top students—and keep them here as residents after they graduate.
 
"Several things have happened to persuade more overseas students to consider Canada. Firstly, the US, in response to a tough job market, has tightened up its visa policy, making it more difficult for foreigners to stay and work in the country once they graduate. The number of H1-Bs, as the relevant visas are called, is now capped at 65,000. In 2003 it was 195,000. This is a puny number given that in 2011 there were around 723,000 foreign students in the US, according to the Institute of International Education. Furthermore, students are only awarded an H1-B if they already have a job offer. To make matters harder, this must be directly related to their field of study. MBAs have been particularly affected by the clampdown because the raison d'être of many business students is to get a new job at the end of the course."
 
"While America works to keep well-qualified people out, Canada has moved in the opposite direction. As of 2008, all students who complete a two-year Master's degree automatically have the right to stay in the country and work for three years. They do not need to have a job lined up and are not restricted to working in a particular field."
 
"Charmaine Courtis, executive director of student services at York University's Schulich School of Business, says that around 80 per cent of foreign MBAs at the school choose to stay and work in Canada immediately after their MBAs. After that, she adds, most tend to return home, taking their newly honed skills with them. It is a similar story at Rotman, says[Jeff] Muzzarall. However, given that the average age of an MBA on its full-time programme is 28, by the time that they have studied for two years and lived in the country for a further three, many have settled down with a mortgage and new family, which can persuade them to stay for good."
 
Read the full story here
 
Original Source: The Economist

As you might expect, GTA projects dominated the 2012 Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Awards.

Six of the top 15 projects are located in the GTA and represent some of the region's most high-profile projects and firms. Design Excellence winners include the Bay Adelaide Centre's west tower (WZMH Architects), Lawren Harris House (Drew Mandel Architects), SPLIT House (superkül Inc.), TIFF Bell Lightbox (Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects), Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex (Kongats Architects) and Vaughan City Hall (Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects).
 
The Ryerson Recreation and Athletics Centre (Lett/Smith Architects) won the Landmark Award.
 
Read the complete list of winners here
 
Original Source: Canadian Architect

In an April 6 column, Globe and Mail writer Marcus Gee reports on a recent speech by David Naylor, the president of the University of Toronto, who wants to turn those GTA frowns upside down.
 
"'It's time to get over ourselves. Yes, there are things to fix. But please make time to celebrate the hugely positive features of the remarkable municipalities that together make up the Toronto metropolitan region.'"
 
"That region, he says, ranks high on many global surveys: number three in livability, number four as an innovation hub, number six on a scale of business competitiveness—yet Toronto ranks number 59 on a list of the world's most expensive cities."
 
"It has the third largest financial centre and fourth largest health-sciences community in North America. Its design sector is the third largest on the continent, with a work force of more than 28,000 designers. The Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development says Toronto has the fourth highest rate of entrepreneurship among regions in the industrialized world."
 
"What is more, he says in a 'pointy-headed aside,' these strengths are 'multiplicative.' They build on one another."
 
Read the full story here
Original Source: Globe and Mail

Digital Journal reports on how it's possible to go camping without leaving city limits. Writer Bryen Dunn recounts his own experience of pitching a tent in Toronto.
 
"There are actually two campgrounds located within the city of Toronto that provide both visitors and residents an opportunity to experience an urban-rural setting. The 4,700 hectare (47 square km/11,500 acres) Rouge Park is operated by the City of Toronto, and is located in the northeast part of Toronto, within the Rouge River, Petticoat Creek and Duffins Creek watersheds. It's been designated as a protected natural ecosystem since the mid 1990s, and parts of the area are also designated as National Historic Sites because of the ancient 1600 Seneca native archaeological findings."
 
"The Toronto Regional Conservation Authority operates Indian Line Campground, which is located at the opposite end of the city, in the northwestern reaches. This site definitely has more of an urban feel to it, far removed from nature, but still providing a fun experience. The nearby Claireville Dam gives a simulated lakeside camping experience, where campers are able to fish or float around in motor-less floatation devices such as canoes, kayaks, or rubber rafts. "
 
Read the full story here
Original Source: Digital Journal
 

Read full report here
Original Source: Toronto Board of Trade

While dominating the Juno Awards in her home country, Leslie Feist is also fascinating music fans overseas. An intimate profile in the UK's Independent news charts her path from the East Coast to Toronto.

"Leslie Feist was born in Nova Scotia. After her parents divorced, her mother raised her and her elder brother, Ben, in Saskatchewan, and later Calgary. When she was seven, her mother would drop her at the local community library at 10am, then pick her up again at 4pm. This act of single-parent necessity fostered both a lifelong love of books and a useful independence in the young Leslie."

"'I spent a lot of time alone even before that. I remember doing my mosaics or being in my little hiding place behind the couch snooping. I'd get bored sometimes, but I think that's good for a kid, it forces you to be creative.'"

"By 15, Feist was fronting Calgary punk band Placebo (no relation to Brian Molko's lot). Her uncle Dan Achen, a producer and musician himself, taught her about the music business and helped her make her first demo."

"'My grandma had a gold disc by his band [Junkhouse] hanging on her wall,' she says. 'It seemed so magical and unreal. When I was a little bit older I was able to climb aboard their tour bus while they were hot-boxing [smoking joints with the windows rolled up]. After I moved to Toronto, my uncle showed up at this residency I had where I was playing to about 12 people. He handed me this red Guild Starfire guitar that I still play today and said, "I've been watching – I think you're ready for this now."'"

Read full story here
Original Source: The Independent

Resources in Canada's hinterland are driving up demand for offices in the big cities, reports Bloomberg News. The sale of Scotia Plaza, expected to be a $1.5-billion deal, will be a major test of what the market will bear.