Welcome to New Members
In the Spotlight, June 18
First Outdoor Canadian Living Flag in Toronto
Downtown Yonge BIA in partnership with the Community Folk Art Council of Toronto will put together the first Living Flag in Toronto July 2015! This is to celebrate Canada Day and the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Flag. We invite the public on July 1st to be part of the history-in-the-making formation of the Canadian Living Flag at Yonge and Dundas Square. Red and White shirts will be distributed on-site starting at 2pm. Come early though. While you wait for the formation, enjoy the live performances on stage representing cultures from around the globe. Mayor John Tory will also join us for this special day! It’s a family event! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more information!
Outside of the Box program
The Downtown Yonge BIA is very excited to partner with StART Toronto’s Outside of the Box program to beautify all 14 of our traffic signal boxes in Downtown Yonge. This is part of a citywide initiative to paint a total of 64 traffic signal boxes by the end of Summer 2015.
Downtown Yonge is home to over 2,000 businesses and has a daytime population of 575,000 people. By the end of the summer, all visitors, residents and people that work in the area will be able to enjoy these unique murals.
Play the Parks
We invite you to sit back, relax and soak in the summer sun as you enjoy free music concert series this summer on weekdays and nights. 30 more performances will happen throughout the summer. Schedule listed below:
College Park Courtyard every Wednesday, June 17 - August 26, except on July 1; Noon to 1pm
Trinity Square Park every Thursday, June 18 - August 27, except on July 23 and August 30; Noon to 1pm
McGill Granby Parkette on the following Thursday evenings – July 9 & 30; August 6 & 27; September 3 from 5pm to 8pm. Then on the following Sundays: August 16 and September 6 from 9am to 2pm
Mackenzie House – Sunday, June 28 from 3pm to 5pm; Thursdays: July 23 and August 20 from Noon to 1pm
1 Queen Street Patio on Tuesday, July 7 fron Noon to 1pm
Print full schedule click here or visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks.
Discovery Tours
Cultural and Historic
Our friendly Discovery Team offers free tours of the Cultural and Historic Downtown Yonge neighbourhood from June 9 to August 28, 2015. Hear fascinating facts about the Old City Hall, Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, Massey Hall and more.
Tours run from Tuesdays through Saturdays, and departs at 3pm from the corner of Yonge Dundas. The tours are approximately an hour.
Tours are offered in English, French, Spanish and Russian. If you would like to take a tour in any of the offered languages besides English, please book the tour in advance to ensure that the service is available. For tour in English, feel free to drop by the corner of Yonge Dundas at least ten minutes before the start time.
For larger group tours, we can arrange a special day and time.
Book your Cultural and Historic tour now! Call 416-597-0255 Ext 223, email: bia@downtownyonge.com
Music History
Music Tour runs on July 15, 29 / August 5, 19 / September 9
This year the Downtown Yonge has partnered with Heritage Toronto to provide a free Music History tour along Yonge Street. This tour is offered on select dates in the summer and departs at 6:30pm. *Please note that registration is required and can be done at http://heritagetoronto.org/tours/2015-tours/
What's on
TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Update
Torch Relay
The Pan Am Games Torch Relay will be a 41-day journey that will share the Pan Am spirit in more than 130 communities. Deeply rooted in history and tradition, the Pan Am flame will be lit on May 28 in a traditional ceremony in Teotihuacan, Mexico, before it travels to Canada.
Fast Facts:
- The Torch Relay takes place May 30 to July 10
- 3,000 torchbearers
- 5,000+ kilometres on the road
- 15,000+ kilometres in the air
- 60+ alternative modes of transportation, including plane, train and ferry boat
Community Celebrations Produced by the City of Toronto.
PanAm Torch Relay will arrive in Toronto Saturday, July 5 and travel throughout the city until Friday, July 1th when it heads to the Opening Ceremonies.
Key Dates for Torch Celebration:
July 4: Lighting of Prince Edward Bloor Viaduct
July 5: Scarborough – Pan Am Aquatic Centre
July 7: Rexdale – Albion Centre
July 8: North York – Mel Lastman Square
July 9: DT Toronto – Nathan Phillips Square
In addition to the Community Celebration, please visit http://www.toronto2015.org/torch-relay/pan-am-games and download the route map for more information about the celebration sites in your neighborhood.
Temporary HOV Lanes
- Open to vehicles with three or more people (June 29-July 27), two or more people (July 28-August 18), Games vehicles, accredited media, emergency vehicles, electric vehicles with green license plates, public transit and taxis
- Operating from 5am to 11pm
- Incorporates existing HOV lanes where applicable
Temporary HOV Lanes on sections of:
- Highway 427
- Highway 404 (uses existing HOV lanes)
- Highway 401
- QEW
- DVP
- Gardiner Expressway
- Lakeshore Boulevard (Toronto)
- Jane Street (York Region)
Visit www.ontario.ca/games2015 for more info on:
- Transportation info and advise to plan ahead
- Detailed maps and info about traffic changes near venues
- Travel guide and e-bulletin sign up for businesses
Event at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (Ryerson Athletic Centre)
- Venue hosts all men’s and women’s basketball and wheelchair basketball competitions during the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.
- In total, 384 athletes will compete at Ryerson during the Games — 192 in basketball and 192 in wheelchair basketball
- This is a live broadcast venue
- The basketball competition schedule — listing all preliminary games by country — is available now at http://www.toronto2015.org/0/basketball-schedule
- No Games-operated road closures surrounding the Ryerson Athletic Centre. However, there will be additional traffic on nearby streets
- PrideHouseTO will hold a street festival every weekend of the Games in the neighbourhood
- Basketball schedule: Training: July 11 – 25; Competition July 15 – 25
- Wheelchair Basketball schedule: Training: Aug 3 – 15; Competition: Aug 8 – 15.
Your Games Plan
Transportation Updates for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games
Getting ready for the Games with new temporary HOV lanes!
As the Games approach, you’ll start to see and hear messages around the GTHA to encourage businesses and residents to plan their travel routine during the Games.
New pavement markings are starting to appear on several highways for the new temporary HOV lanes. The lanes include existing HOV lanes as well as new temporary HOV lanes. Existing HOV lanes will change from 2+ to 3+ occupancy during the Pan Am Games. In most cases, the new lanes will use the left most lane on the highway which will be converted to a temporary HOV lane. The temporary HOV lanes will be in effect from June 29-August 18th.
Need to know how to get around? There’s an app for that! The 2015 Games Trip Planner will be launched very soon and it will be your go-to source for road, traffic and transit information.
More details will be shared next week to keep you informed as you plan for the Games.
Important dates to remember:
May 30 - July 10 Pan Am Torch Relay
June 29 - HOV lanes open
July 10 - Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony
July 26 - Pan Am Games Closing Ceremony
August 7 - Parapan Am Games Opening Ceremony
August 15 - Parapan Am Games Closing Ceremony (located at Nathan Phillips Square; this is a non-ticketed event).
Farmers' Market at Ryerson
Chelsea Hotel, Toronto’s Homemade Caesar mix now available to the public!
The Chelsea Hotel has introduced their new and deliciously blended Caesar mix in T|Bar. Made in-house from fresh and local ingredients, this Caesar mix has made the perfect introduction to the upcoming warm season ahead. As one of the many options on the T|Bar beverage menu, it has grown into a frequently ordered drink of choice.
Created by Chef Brian MacAskill, this tasty classic Canadian Caesar mix is the key ingredient for five specialty created Caesars served in T|Bar: The Classic, The Checkout, The Whasssabbi, The T|Garden and the Latin Dancer. Locals can now enjoy the convenience of T|Bar’s homemade Caesarmix !
What better way to kick off the spring with the Chelsea Hotel’s delicious homemade Caesar mix- now available for purchase in-store.
Caesarmania at T|Bar
Sunday Brunch Every Sunday from 11am until 2pm
$19 per person*
c|aesarmania – all signature c|aesars only $9 during Saturday & Sunday Brunch!
For reservations call 416.277.5025
* Includes choice from Sunday Brunch menu, juice, coffee or signature loose leaf tea and a collection of breakfast pastries. Taxes and gratuities not included.
T Bar also features an authentic Indian lunch buffet which is available weekdays from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The buffet includes traditional Indian curry dishes all of which are prepared from scratch in house.
Location: T|Bar in the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto
Address: 33 Gerrard St. W.
For more information visit www.chelseatoronto.com or call 1-800-CHELSEA (2435732)
WIN $10,000 TOWARDS YOUR DREAM WEDDING
Win your wedding at the Chelsea Hotel – Book a Silver, Gold, Platinum or Enchanted Buffet wedding package to take place in 2016, and you’ll be automatically entered! The winner will receive a grand prize of a $10,000 credit towards their dream wedding at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, our team here at the Chelsea Hotel is devoted to making any experience an unforgettable one.
Contest entry period: January 1 – December 31, 2015
Grand Prize Draw: A random prize draw will take place on February 6, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto.
Visit http://goo.gl/huutoX for complete contest rules. Enter now and make your dream wedding a reality!
What's New in Downtown Yonge
The Chelsea Hotel, Toronto takes Accessible Tourism to the next level
New Innovative Accessibility Program Launch
The Chelsea Hotel, Toronto, is pleased to be the first hotel to adopt Closing the Gap, an accessibility program designed to enhance the hospitality experience for persons with disabilities. The Chelsea will offer a Guest Accessibility Package to hotel guests, providing them with a wealth of information to make the most of their stay, including information about the hotel, its amenities and surroundings in a way that speaks to persons with disabilities. Designed by Accessibility Professionals of Ontario (APO), a full-service accessibility consulting firm, the Chelsea is committed to ensuring that persons with disabilities have access to the same information as all guests – consistent with the principles of independence, dignity, integration and equal opportunity.
Great EGGY Search
To Do in Downtown Yonge
Music Mondays
All Concerts are held Mondays at 12:15 at The Church of the Holy Trinity, 10 Trinity Square Toronto, right beside the Eaton Centre.
This year, for the very first time, a generous donation enabled Music Mondays to commission a brand new work in celebration of Holy Trinity’s deep musical heritage. Composer and well-known CBC music host Peter-Anthony Togni’s Benedicite receives its world premiere on August 24th. You won’t want to miss this moving work.
Our concerts take place in the warm, inviting and accessible space of Holy Trinity Church, just steps away from Bay Street’s wheels of commerce and the bustle of the Eaton Centre. Bring your lunch – and a friend – every Monday at noon from May through the end of August.
June 22 - Maria Soulis, soprano; Michael Kolk, guitar; Julian Knight, violin
June 29 - Raphael Weinroth-Browne, solo cello
July 6 - Cecilia Lee, piano
July 13 - Lalun Ensemble
July 20 - Mary Kenedi, piano
July 27 - Chris James, flute; Lara Dodds-Eden, piano
Check out our website: www.musicmondays.ca
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicMondaysToronto
Mackenzie House Events
Interlove: An Exhibition of Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography by Colin Boyd Shafer
Runs until Sunday, August 16
Mackenzie House is proud to host the premiere of new works by award-winning photographer, Colin Boyd Shafer. Interlove is an exhibition of documentary photographs that explore how people with differing beliefs come together in love and shared respect. Included with regular admission.
Adults $6.19, Seniors/Youth $3.54, Children: $2.65 (plus tax), and Children (4 and under) are Free.
Play the Park with Pride - June 28
Sunday, June 28, 3 to 5 p.m.
Mackenzie House is participating in the Downtown Yonge BIA's summer concert series celebrating Pride Week in Toronto. As the Pride Parade finishes up at Yonge Dundas Square, participants and spectators can kick back in the nearby courtyard at Mackenzie House for live music. Admission is FREE.
Canada Day at Mackenzie House - July 1
Wednesday, July 1, 12 to 5 p.m.
Celebrate Canada's 148th birthday with a visit to Mackenzie House! In the printshop, learn more about the role of the media in Confederation, and print a Canada Day souvenir using our nineteenth century printing press. Regular admission applies.
Mackenzie House - 82 BOND ST, Phone: (416) 392-6915, www.toronto.ca/mackenziehouse
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre Events
EWG tours
Guided tours of this National Historic Site and the last operating double-decker theatre in the world, recount the history and restoration of the complex. Visit the original and new lobbies, the elegant Elgin Theatre, the unique and resplendent Winter Garden Theatre and samples from the world’s largest collection of vaudeville scenery. As well, a backstage exhibit housing the Winter Garden’s original Simplex Silent Film Projector and a dressing room containing artifacts from the time period are on view.
When: Thursdays at 5 p.m.; Saturdays at 11 a.m.
Dates: June 20, 25, 27
Cost: Adults: $12, Students and Seniors: $10 (includes HST) Cash only | No reservations required.
Lunchtime Tours
July 7 to September 4
12 noon (45-minutes)
New this summer the EWG will be offering a 45-minute lunchtime tour of both theatres to the public. From Tuesday to Friday, visitors will get a chance to see the original and new lobbies, the elegant Elgin Theatre and the whimsical Winter Garden Theatre.
Cost: Adults, Students and Seniors: $5 (includes HST)
Cash only | No reservations required.
Extra Tours
July 18 & 25 and August 8 & 15
2 p.m. (90-minutes)
In celebration of the Pan Am and ParaPan Am Games this summer the EWG has added extra tours Saturday afternoons in July and August. The tours are 90-minutes and recount the history and restoration of the complex.
Cost: Adults: $12, Students and Seniors: $10 (includes HST)
Cash only | No reservations required.
Location: Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, 189 Yonge Street (just north of Queen Street, meet in the lobby)
Website: www.heritagetrust.on.ca/ewg
Hard Rock Café Events
The Hard Rock Café Toronto is located directly across from the massive Eaton Centre department store mall. The memorabilia-stocked restaurant serves up distinctive meals and refreshing beverages for any rocker with a taste for diversity. So roll on in and get ready to rock the night away at Toronto's bustling Hard Rock Café.
For more information, please visit www.hardrock.com
Address: Hard Rock Cafe Toronto, 279 Yonge Street
momondays Toronto June 29, 2015
June 29, 2015
Time: 06:00 PM EDT - 9:30 PM EDT
Place: Hard Rock Cafe Toronto, 279 Yonge St., Toronto ON M5B 1N8, Canada
Price: $15 online (available until June 26) / $20 at the door
Host: Michel Neray
Website and Tickets: www.momondays.com/toronto
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1585626741575877/
PROUD TO BE A MO AT MOMONDAYS!
Momondays in June comes the day after Pride Week in Toronto - a true celebration of diversity of sexual and gender identities, histories, cultures, creativities, families, friends and lives. The heart of Pride is authenticity, diversity and fun - like momondays!
YOU BE YOU AND ME BE ME, WHOEVER WE BE!
Whether you are straight, gay or anything in between, we can all be proud that our city hosts one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world with an estimated attendance of over 1.2 million people.
Put story-telling into a blender. Add a dash of personal growth & transformation, and drop in a load of laughs. Mix in real, live music, and great conversation with some of the nicest people on the planet, then push the ‘high’ setting… and out comes momondays!
Want to reserve a table of 10 or more for your group or company?
Want to advertise in the printed programme?
Email toronto@momondays.com to let us know!
Info and tickets: www.momondays.com/toronto
moSpeaker Academy 1-Day Performance Masterclass
July 19, 2015
Time: 10:00 AM EDT - 4:00 PM EDT
Place: Winchester Street Theatre, 80 Winchester Street, Toronto, ON M4X 1B2, Canada
Price: $127 (super ealry-bird, until June 6) / $147 (early-bird, until July 4) / $197 (masterclass rate, available until July 17)
Host: Michel Neray
Website and Tickets: http://www.momondays.com/mospeaker-academy/masterclass/
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/503257629822298/
Participants have been raving about the unique approach we take in the moSpeaker Academy - which uses your signature story as the basis for a more impactful message and performance. The moSpeaker Academy Performance Masterclass has been specifically designed for people who want to improve as speakers – whether your focus is motivational and inspirational speaking, keynoting, speak-to-sell, informational speaking and training... or changing the world.
In this 1-Day Performance Masterclass you'll get the opportunity to up your speaking and performance game to the next level... or the next 5 levels. Facilitated by Michel Neray, founder of momondays, you will cover - and practice - the core elements of speaking performance that take you from good to great!
PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE.
On this day, the focus will be on giving you maximum stage time to rehearse, get feedback, and get better.
• Stage presence
• Act-outs
• Pacing
• Opening and closing with impact
• Timing Your Talk & Memory Tricks
• Dealing with feedback
• Live coaching
Super early-bird ends June 6. Early-bird ends July 4. Tickets available until July 17.
CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND TICKETS: http://www.momondays.com/mospeaker-academy/masterclass/
2015 Brings new talent to Monarch’s Pub
Lively and energetic, Monarchs Pub is downtown Toronto's must-visit live music venue. While HD televisions keep sports fans up to date on the latest scores and games, music buffs can enjoy live jazz, blues or rock performances six nights a week.
Monarchs Pub has also introduced a new menu that is as enticing and diverse as its musical selection. Available from 5pm-11pm, the extensive à la carte menu features contemporary pub fare including delicious starters, hearty mains and tempting desserts, while a special late-night menu is available from 11pm to 1am. Guests can also sip samples from Monarchs Pub's impressive range of domestic and international brews, featuring Mill Street beers on tap.
Upping the ante even more, Monarchs Pub has also teamed up with Young Lions Club, bringing fresh new talent and creating unique and memorable music experiences for all.
Visit monarchpub.ca or facebook.com/monarchspub to reserve, for more information and monthly music listings!
Location: Monarchs Pub in the Eaton Chelsea Hotel, 33 Gerrard St.
Call 416 585 4352 or visit www.monarchspub.ca for more information
Jazz Bistro is Toronto’s newest jazz venue and dining destination
Located at 251 Victoria St., three-level club includes a performance and dining area, wine bar, private event space and expansive rooftop patio. The open-concept design ensures guests on the second floor balcony have a perfect view of the stage, which features a magnificent red pop Steinway piano (the only one of its’ kind in the world). The warm and inviting space serves as an intimate setting for authentic, live jazz performances by some of the world’s finest jazz musicians, and will focus on promoting Toronto’s own jazz artists. The space creates a comfortable atmosphere for quality modern bistro dining.
For upcoming events click here.
Call 416 363 5299 (JAZZ) or visit jazzbistro.ca for more information
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