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Spend the Night in Parkdale with QWAC!

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Join the Queen West Art Crawl’s Parkdale Nightcrawl 

On September 21st from 8pm-12am, the Parkdale Nightcrawl takes over Queen Street West from Dufferin to Roncesvalles! Part of the Queen West Art Crawl, this exciting night of innovative, immersive art exploration offers multiple levels of interaction for artists and patrons. Reflecting an ongoing commitment to events which allow visual arts and the performing arts to intersect, meld and inspire one another, the Parkdale Nightcrawl invites and encourages participation. At various venues along Queen West, you’ll be able to create or interact with art in a number of unique and memorable ways: enjoy a beverage, draw, paint, sing and dance your way through a unique art adventure!

Celebrating their 11th anniversary, the Queen West Art Crawl’s Parkdale Nightcrawl is consistently one of the most popular events held over the weekend of September 21-22. Participating venues include Goodfellas Gallery, The Baitshop, Elevator, Common Sort, Captain’s Treasures, Quinn West, West End Comics, Food & Liquor, Cambie Design, Crown Flora Studio, Shawn Skeir Gallery, North Standard Trading Post, Chartreuse Style, Where Design, My Roll Life, Go Lounge and more! 
The Nightcrawl Passports costs $10 and can be picked up in advance at Queen West Art Crawl headquarters (1313 Queen Street West) or on September 21st at Trinity Bellwoods, participating venues or 1313 Queen Street West.  Don’t forget to turn your stamped passport in for great prizes!

Follow the action live on Twitter @ParkdaleBIA and @QWAC2013
#Parkdale

For more information please email nightcrawl@queenwestartcrawl.com or visit www.queenwestartcrawl.com!

QWAC Nightcrawl Poster - 2013 REVISED

Message from Toronto Hydro on Power Outage Communications

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The following is a message from Toronto Hydro to Parkdale Village BIA members who have hydro-electric accounts

Dear Member,

In an effort to continuously improve our power outage communications and help you better manage your business operations, we are in the early stages of developing a new outage communication program for our commercial customers. This program would be activated during power outages caused by severe weather and storm situations and provide you with timely updates related to the progress of restoring outages affecting your business.

To gauge your interest in joining this new program and how you would prefer to receive future communications, we invite you or the appropriate contact at your company to complete the short registration form.

Simply visit www.bizoutageinfo.com today to provide us with your feedback. As we continue to develop this program over the next few months, we will provide you with updates related to our progress.

The registration form will be available until Thursday, October 31.

Once we have a launch date for the outage communication program, we will notify you in advance via the registration information you provide.

Sincerely,

Lauren Kirk
Manager, Customer Care
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited

 

A Walk Down Main Street – Parkdale Edition

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Slide1There’s no denying that Parkdale is a storied community. From its early roots as a resort destination for Toronto’s wealthiest citizens, to its struggles coping with the Gardiner Expressway and other challenges, to its recent resurgence as a mecca for artists, foodies and worldly newcomers… our story is unique, poignant and colourful.

On April 20th and 21st at Spring Into Parkdale, professional theatre and media company FiXT POiNT offered tulips in exchange for stories from residents and business owners about their firsthand experiences in our eclectic neighbourhood. What resulted was hours upon hours of honest, moving and inspiring tales of a town that were edited into a podcast for The Walrus.

This exciting finished work premiered at Parkdale’s Lab Cab Festival on July 27th and 28th with great success. “A Walk Down Main Street – Parkdale Edition” includes true tales of “the hilarious, the touching and the flat-out weird.”

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Lab Cab guests preview the podcast!
Photo: Lab Cab Festival & Jeremy Mimnagh

To listen to the podcast in its entirety including memories from Belle Optical, Jola’s Good Catch General Store, Cattlemen’s Meat Market & Ali Roti, click here >

Here’s a few snippets:

“We used to go in all the deserted houses… they were a perfect place to play.”

“Cattlemen’s Meat Market… hotdogs were three pounds for a buck.”

“I have an optical store called Belle Optical and I’ve been here almost 35 years… there were a lot of Filipino nurses… so I thought why not open a Filipino optical?”

“It’s clear he sees a bright future for the neighbourhood he proudly calls home.”

“Parkdale Community Centre was doing a health awareness thing and they had me become Murphy the Molar… and all the kids came up and started kicking me!”

“Many stories loaded with tales of chaos on these streets… it was rough, rough, rough.”

“Stories of the barriers she encountered in Parkdale, but also the help.”

“I lived across the street and there was a sign that said ‘for rent’ and I had already started a food distribution business, Good Food… where I wanted to introduce better food to people.”

“The nose was more rodenty than a pig and it had a couple hairs poking out… we were kind of in awe of this thing. It was very mysterious. And then a few months later I was reading in the paper about Baldy the hairless raccoon that had been spotted in Parkdale!”

“That’s my story…”

Created by Dave Brennan and Charles Ketchabaw in collaboration with Lisa Marie DiLiberto and Zevon Albert, this incredible piece of performance art was supported by Parkdale Village BIA, Ontario Arts Council and Mammalian Diving Reflex.

The Parkdale edition is just part of FiXT POiNT’s larger picture: capturing “The Tale of a Town,” panoramic memories of Main Streets across the province of Ontario before they are lost forever.

To listen to the podcast in its entirety click here >

Lab Cab Festival Delights Parkdale Village!

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This past July the Parkdale Village BIA sponsored the first Lab Cab Festival & Sidewalk Sale in Parkdale Village!  Visitors had an opportunity to enjoy over 100 multi-arts performers within 80+ venues, to meet business owners, shop locally and participate in free activities! We want to thank all the artists and shop owners who participated, the organizations and community partners that supported the event, the residents and visitors who came out to support our community, the wonderful volunteers and the Lab Cab Festival! – Thank You!
Please enjoy additional event photos online at Lab Cab & Parkdale BIA!

Photos courtesy of Parkdale Village BIA, Lab Cab Festival and Jeremy Mimnagh.

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Tale of a Town Tells Parkdale’s Story this Weekend at Lab Cab Festival

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At Parkdale Village BIA’s Spring Festival this past April, residents, business owners and visitors alike shared their memories and experiences from Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. These numerous interviews were recorded live on site by Tale of a Town, and will be presented as a podcast at the 2013 Lab Cab Festival, which takes place July 27th and 28th along Queen West from Roncesvalles to Dufferin.

Lab Cab is a free festival of music, dance, theatre, poetry, comedy, film, visual art, storytelling, crafts, kids’ stuff and more, and for the first time since 2006 it will take place entirely in the businesses, homes and on the streets within the Parkdale Village BIA. Taking part in this incredible festival is Tale of a Town, a site-specific theatre and documentary initiative produced by local Parkdale business FIXT POINT, that combines local stories to tell a tale through interactive live performance. The idea is built on a belief that in order to understand ourselves together, we must start first by focusing on the neighbourhoods that combine to form the whole picture. Parkdale is the perfect place for this project, with its storied history and passionate people.Slide1

Whether you’re a resident, business owner or visitor be sure to come down to FIXT POINT headquarters and get a sneak peek at the inspiring Tale of a Town production of  “A Walk Down Main Street – Parkdale”. For scheduling click here.

To find out more about Lab Cab or read its full schedule, visit www.labcab.ca.

Over 100 Artists Expected to Perform at Lab Cab Festival in Parkdale!

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The Lab Cab Festival moves to Parkdale!!! 

After six years at the Factory Theatre, the Lab Cab Festival is spreading its wings and flying into Parkdale!

Short works of music, dance, theatre, film, poetry, kids stuff, clown, visual art and comedy will be showcased in the restaurants, hair salons, clothing stores, cafes, bars, flower shops, parks, antique stores, community centres, laundromats and parking lots of the historic and diverse neighbourhood of Parkdale. All for free!

“We wanted to grow Lab Cab in order to curate more artists and engage more audiences. Parkdale’ s cultural and financial diversity inspires us. Bringing Lab Cab into the stores, businesses and community centres in the area unifies the neighbourhood and gives more people access to art and creation.”

-Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Artistic Director

Beginning at noon on Queen St. West near Roncesvalles Ave. and moving east toward Dufferin St. throughout the day, over one hundred performance groups from various artistic disciplines present work between 5 and 30 minutes.

Choose between a ten minute dance piece in West End Comics, twenty minutes of live music in the Sun Fa restaurant or a fifteen minute stand up routine in Shawn Skeir Gallery…there is something for everyone and at least five performances to choose from at one time. Performers range from age sixteen to seventy, from the newly emerged to the well established.

Lab Cab starts each day with a FREE PANCAKE BREAKFAST from 12 – 12:30 outside Hideaway Antiques.

There are performances and activities for kids of all ages. Nannies on Call partner with Lab Cab to provide FREE CHILD CARE for parents seeking a more mature artistic experience.

As Lab Cab promotes community building as well as arts awareness, businesses along Queen Street West in Parkdale will be having sidewalk sales and selling food outside their businesses.

Support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation has allowed for a new initiative of free artist led workshops. People can sign up on the day to make puppets (Dutch Uncle Puppetry), create a clown character (Helen Donnelly), learn the Singkill fan dance (Catherine Hernandez), make jewellery (Michelene Sutherland) and kids can create a piece of visual art (Shirin Divanbegi). All are welcome to contribute to the mural being created by graffiti artist Gloria “Fiya” Monreal.

Please refer to our website for a full schedule and program. www.labcab.ca

Lab Cab Festival: Parkdale is a multi-disciplinary event, engaging over one hundred artists from seven artistic genres. Participants include:

THEATRE: Shadowland, Christian Lloyd, Natalie Kulesza, Raoul Bhaneja, Brooke Banning, Clinton Walker, FIXT POINT, Katherine Lanteigne, Making Room & Farah Merani, Michael Rubenfeld & Sarah Garton Stanley, Amy Lee Lavoie, Camille Stubel, Jessica Moss, Laura Nanni, Marilo Nunez, Michelle Polak, Morgan Norwich & Johnnie Walker, Severn Thompson, Sashoya and Derek Kwan

Media Release Image

LITERARY: Daniela Saioni, Maria Meindl, Verne Good, Andrea Villanueva, Lisa Young, Jeremy Hanson-Finger, Jenna Turk, Nicholas Sgouros, Shari Kasman and Sarah Sheard & David Bolt

DANCE: Caroline Niklas-Gordon, Daniella Beltrami, Barb Lindenberg, Dark Dance, Gadfly, Kristy Kennedy, Meagan O’Shea, Triana Project Cuadro Flamenco, Lee Pham and Toni Ellwand

FILM: Arturo Perez Torres & Saylor Perez Haynes, Azza El Siddique, Bruce Hunter, Joe Pingue, Melissa D’Agostino & Matt Campagna, Teresa Pavlinek & Shoshana Sperling, Tricia Collins and Rob King

VISUAL ART: Shawn Skeir, Edie Inksetter, Allegra Fulton, Re-Imagining Dementia Through the Arts, Julie Campagna, Johnny Spiff, Corinna Schnitt, Tyde and PARC knits.

COMEDY/CLOWN: Mackenzie Muldoon, Annie Bradley, Asiansploitation, Greg Thomas, Carolyn Bennett, Joanne O’Sullivan & Christy Bruce, Kevin Dowse, Lindy Zucker and Amy Matisyo & Dina Pino.

MUSIC: Andrea Hatala, Bob Wiseman, Danny Simmons, Diem Lafortune, Emma Phillips, Heniz Klien, Jayli Wolf, John and Wally, Kaïa Kater, Karrnnel Sawitsky, Kim Jarrett, Kristin Cavoukian, Local 164, Patrick Brealey, Steven McCarthy & Jason O’Brien, The Gypsy Rebels, Treva, Urvah Khan, Kim Lee, Beams, Kalsang Doma, Domanique Grant and Victoria Carr

STUFF FOR KIDS: Heather Mazhar (music), Yolanda Yott (puppets), Stevie Jay (clown), Andrew Larsen (reading), Leah Salomaa Family Music (music), Winston Spear (dance), Space Chums (music), Laylah Jane (kids dance party) and Sing Along Tim and the Pacifiers (music)

Lab Cab Festival: Parkdale

Saturday, July 27th  and Sunday July 28th, 2013

12pm-6pm

Admission: FREE!

Beginning in venues closest to Roncesvalles Ave, moving east on Queen St. and ending at Dufferin St. by 6pm 

Full schedule and program available online and onsite.

www.labcab.ca

Media Contact: Aviva Armour-Ostroff aviva@labcab.ca 416-629-8609

The Lab Cab Festival is supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Toronto Arts Council, Canadian Heritage and the Parkdale Village BIA.

 

 

Ambassadors to perform Random Acts of Kindness in Parkdale

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PARKDALE VILLAGE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREA PERFORMS RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS ALONG QUEEN WEST

 TORONTO, July 5, 2013 – Be on the lookout throughout July for Parkdale Village (BIA) Business Improvement Area ambassadors brightening the day of residents, businesses and visitors! To say thank-you for visiting Parkdale Village and supporting Parkdale Village BIA member businesses, a team of eight ambassadors will be performing random acts of kindness along Queen Street West, assisting visitors, offering directions and demonstrating the community spirit that’s at the heart of Parkdale. There will be free water and newspapers handed out, street sweepers keeping storefronts clean, handy reusable branded shopping bags, even complimentary parking if you get spotted by an ambassador… all courtesy of the Parkdale Village BIA. The campaign coincides with new brochures highlighting businesses and community resources which will be distributed and on display in over 150 businesses – pick one up today! The Random Acts of Kindness Campaign within the Parkdale Village BIA proudly encourages everyone to shop local, support the community and pay it forward.

random acts of kindnessWho: Compliments of the Parkdale Village Business Improvement Area

What: Parkdale Village Business Improvement Area ambassadors, dressed in neon-green Parkdale t-shirts and aprons will roam Queen Street West and interact with residents, businesses and visitors by:

  • Handing out Parkdale bags
  • Handing out brochures
  • Handing out water bottles & newspapers
  • Paying for parking
  • Opening doors
  • Sweeping the street
  • Handing out yellow City garbage bags (to business owners)

Where: Along Queen Street West within the Parkdale BIA, between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue

When: Keep an eye out for Parkdale Village BIA ambassadors throughout July

Why: To welcome and say thank-you to residents and visitors exploring Parkdale Village and supporting its BIA members.

For more information or interview requests:

Anna Bartula, Executive Director director@parkdalevillagebia.com
Carolyn Grisold, Communications Associate info@parkdalevillagebia.com
#parkdale
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Parkdale Proudly Welcomes Lab Cab Festival

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Facebook Banner Lab Cab 2013

The Parkdale Village BIA is proud to sponsor the Lab Cab Festival and Sidewalk Sale on July 27th and 28th.

Lab Cab is an annual, two-day multi-arts festival which includes free family activities, rickshaw rides, sidewalk sale and of course music, dance, theatre, film, poetry, kids’ stuff, visual art and comedy performed in restaurants, bars, community centres, boutiques, cafés, parks, library, parking lots, hair salons, flower shops, clothing stores, convenience stores, antique stores and book stores. Acts range from 2 to 40 minutes, and are performed by seasoned and amateur artists from 12:00pm-6:00pm throughout the weekend along Queen Street West.

Founded in 2001, the mandate of Lab Cab (short for “Laboratory Cabaret”) is to provide a home for local artists of various disciplines to experiment with new work in a fun and risk-free environment. The first Lab Cab Festival premiered in the fall of 2006 with over 50 arts groups filling every nook and cranny of the Factory Theatre at Adelaide and Bathurst.

Parkdale Village BIA is excited to host Lab Cab in 2013 as the festival flourishes throughout our neighbourhood with over 100 performance groups in more than 50 Parkdale Village businesses and venues.

And the best part? It’s FREE.

lab cab photo collage

Courtesy of Lab Cab Festival

Stay tuned to http://www.labcab.ca/site/2013-festival/ for line-up and schedule updates!

To volunteer for the festival email us at director@parkdalevillagebia.com or contact Nausheen Currington by email nausheen@labcab.ca or by phone at 647-229-5175.

Parkdale Patio Guide

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The best part about summer is, arguably, dining al fresco. Whether you’re out for a full meal or a quick pint, nothing beats sitting in the sun on one of Toronto’s many patios. You don’t need to look far to find them – some of the best to be had are in your own backyard.

From Dufferin to Roncesvalles, here is a list of the licensed restaurants within the Parkdale Village BIA that have an outdoor patio:

Rustic Cosmo

Rustic Cosmo Café

Famous for its cow-in-martini-glass logo, Rustic Cosmo has been a Parkdale staple since 1995. Known for its delicious sandwiches, breakfasts and friendly, familiar faces, this little gem of a café has a charming little backyard patio too.

drink

The Parkdale Drink

Asian-inspired cuisine and live DJs create a fun, party-like atmosphere in this resto-martini bar. With an intimate back patio complete with natural stone waterfall, The Parkdale Drink is a contemporary night-time neighbourhood destination.

Cadillac Lounge

Cadillac Lounge

This large backyard patio resembles a funky cottage-country deck and half of it is covered, which is perfect for inclement weather. The Caddy’s menu has undergone a delicious upgrade; try the microgreen house salad or any of their smoked meats. Addictive.

The Rhino

The Rhino

Though technically it’s a side patio, The Rhino’s outdoor seating area is one of two in Parkdale that faces the street. A perfect place for people watching, there’s ample room and more than 20 beers on tap to satisfy anyone’s taste. Plus, their menu is affordable, satisfyingly diverse and includes a section of “something on a stick.”

Grand Electric

Hip tacos and bourbon joint, Grand Electric, is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week (closed between 4-5:30pm). Their backyard patio, cozy with communal picnic tables, is currently pending approval by the City. Check back for more updates over the next few weeks on ParkdaleVillageBIA.com.

OM Restaurant

Om Restaurant

If you’re going to hit up a patio in Parkdale, you might as well take advantage of the resident Tibetan diaspora while you’re at it. Om serves up authentic Tibetan and Indian dishes – including delicious momos – and its large south-facing back patio is tucked away under the canopy of neighbouring trees.

not my dog

Not My Dog

Open from 7pm to close, Not My Dog offers a secluded back patio that’s only accessible through its basement. The Dog’s menu is incredibly affordable and surprisingly Asian-inspired (try the perfectly spicy chicken curry). There’s also live music.

Tibet Kitchen

Tibet Kitchen

One of the two Tibetan restaurants in Parkdale with a patio, Tibet Kitchen is open for lunch and dinner. In addition to Tibetan delicacies, Tibet Kitchen’s menu includes other Asian favourites like spring rolls and great deals on (spicy!) lunch specials too. Vegetarian friendly.

Mezzrow's

Mezzrow’s

This casual backyard patio is a haven for local hipsters and hippies alike, with live music, a feel-good vibe, affordable pub grub and an infamous fish tank. Go here for a low-key pint with your Parkdale posse.

The Sister

The Sister

Casual pub The Sister (previously known as Mitzi’s Sister) has been a Parkdale favourite for years. Open at 4pm, their patio seats 40 and is the perfect place for a comforting daily special like roast beef dinner on Sundays, $5 Martini Mondays, half-price nachos on Tuesdays, and $12 pitchers of Great Lakes Golden Horseshoe on Thursdays. Plus, kids eat free Wednesdays until 7pm.

geraldine

Geraldine

Coming soon is local owner/chef Peter Ramsay’s seafood joint Geraldine. This hot-spot will boast the second of only two front street patios along the Parkdale BIA strip and will surely please seafood aficionados looking for a twist!

food

Food and Liquor

The newest kid on the black, late night snack bar Food and Liquor has taken over the premises of patio favourite Poor John’s Café. Expect quality times from 5pm to close, Thursday to Monday, with a menu developed by chefs from Campagnolo and Victor at Hotel Le Germain.

Amico's Pizza

Amico’s Ristorante

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this August, Amico’s offers reliable classic Italian pizzas (half-price on Wednesdays), pasta and sandwiches in a cozy restaurant with a backyard patio. The atmosphere is casual and family-friendly – plus, from Thursday to Saturday, it’s open until 4am.

local

Local Kitchen & Wine Bar

Located at the west end of Parkdale’s Queen West strip, Local is an Italian kitchen and wine bar, specializing in house-made pasta and simple, locally-grown foods. Add to that a backyard patio and what’s not to love?

Stay tuned for an extended Parkdale Patio Guide as we reveal more hidden gems, unlicensed courtyards, patios & outdoor spaces!

Council passes Queen Street West Restaurant Study

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On Tuesday June 18th, 2013 Toronto and East York Community Council unanimously passed the bylaws which limit the concentration of bars and restaurants in the Parkdale Village BIA. The study includes a variety of amendments including patios and capacity. These resulting recommendations will be considered by Toronto City Council at its next meeting.

To view recent media reports related to the passing of this bylaw, please view the following:

Inside Toronto, Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun, CBC, Blogto

 

Detailed information regarding the proposal are available by clicking here, additionally, background information and material and a copy of the propoed Zoning By-law Amendment, may be obtained by contacting Dan Nicholson, Planner at 416-397-4077, or by email at dnichol2@toronto.ca or Joanne Kimont, Planner at 416-392-7216 or by email at jkimont@toronto.ca

If you wish to submit written comments, please forward them to the City Clerk, attention: Rosalind Dyers, Administrator, Toronto and East York Community Council, City Hall, 2nd Floor West, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto ON M5H 2N2, or by Fax: 416-397-0111, or by email to teycc@toronto.ca