Base31 is the latest to garner attention as an arts and culture destination. Located on the former site of WWII air training base, business park, and airport in Picton, the 70-acre site is currently undergoing an ambitious revitalization of both indoor and outdoor spaces. Heritage buildings are evolving into places for the community and visitors alike. Currently, it is home to more than 70 tenants including galleries, retailers, and other local businesses.

Beginning this month, visitors to PEC will be able to attend a concert, do yoga in the park, rent a bike, enjoy food and beverages and much more at Base31. They’ve just announced a massive summer concert and arts program. Performances will be held at the historic Sergeants Mess Hall and Drill Hall.

Sergeants Mess Hall was formerly used as a dining hall and club by officers. Now transformed into an event space suitable for approximately 200 people. It includes a bar, cafe, and outdoor patio space for a more intimate setting.

The Drill Hall (capacity 1000 people with reserved seating and standing room availability) is a 22,000 square feet structure first built in 1940. According to the Base31 site, the building was used by the RAF, RCAF, RCSA (AA) and the First Battalion of the Canadian Guards as both a drill hall and a gymnasium. Drills were practiced in both the drill hall and the patch of land adjacent to the hall – the parade square. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the military opened the gymnasium doors on Thursday nights to the local community.

Here are just a few highlights…

Amy Armstrong and Fernando Gonzalez (August 4 & 5) will make you want to move with their show “Spanglish – Living Loca la Vida”. The duo has been performing internationally in both Spanish and English.

Jackie Richardson (September 2) the award-winning singer and actor known affectionately as Canada’s Queen of jazz, blues and gospel will take to the stage. Richardson began singing professionally publicly at the age of 16 years old with Toronto-based R&B group, The Tiaras. She also toured with the American doo-wop group The Platters and became a regular performer at Canadian Force Bases across Canada.

Sam Roberts Band (June 17) will be the first live concert in Base31’s Drill Hall. Probably needs no introduction but in 2003, Roberts released his first album We Were Born in a Flame. The album became certified double platinum selling and went on to win multiple Juno awards. He continued to release several hit albums.

Colin James (June 24) is a popular blues and rock musician who quickly made his mark in the industry at home and abroad. His first big break was in 1984 when a last minute replacement landed him opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan. Since then he has also played with Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and others. He released his first self-titled album in 1988 and was considered a break out success with hits like Voodoo Thing and Five Long Years.

Royal Wood (June 2) is a Juno-nominated Toronto-based musician and record producer.He released his first EP titled The Milkweed in 2002. Wood wrote, arranged, and produced this work which garnered positive reviews by critics. To date, he has released eight studio albums, three EPs and one live recording.

Haymaker Comedy Festival will take place the last weekend of June featuring some of the most loved funny people including Colin Mochrie, Danny Martinello, Elivra Kurt and Debra McGrath.

Serena Ryder (July 8) is a Platinum selling and Juno-award winning  recording artist loved by fans and those in the music industry. Known for her raw and honest songs, this artist continues to resonates with many.

Shakura S’Aida (July 14) began her professional careers as one of the leads in the music group Kaleefa. She was also backing soloist for artists including Patti LaBelle  and Rita MacNeil. She launched her first solo album in 2008 and in 2013 S’Aida was nominated for a Blues Music award as ‘Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist’.

Lights (July 22) is known for her electro pop/rock tunes. In 2008 she began touring around the Great Lakes in Canada and US. To date, the singer and songwriter has released four albums.

The Sheepdogs (July 29) is one of Saskatoon’s most successful rock bands with a slew of chart topping hits. They have a loyal global following to their classic rock influenced sounds.

JONI MITCHELL TRIBUTE with SARAH SLEAN backed by her band
and the 48-piece BIGLAKE Symphony Orchestra takes to the stage
Over her 25-year career, Slean has published poetry, starred in short films and a movie musical, penned award-winning chamber works, held numerous exhibitions of her paintings and shared the stage with 10 of the country’s professional orchestras. Classically trained from the age of 5, she routinely collaborates with cutting-edge contemporary classical ensembles like The Art of Time, and has been invited to sing world premieres by Canada’s leading living composers.

54 40 (August 5): Hard to believe this Canadian band, originally from Vancouver, has been performing for over 40 years now. With gold and platinum albums this band continues to touch lives in many ways.

Jane Siberry (August 18) is a prolific Canadian singer song-writer known for her hauntingly beautiful hits like Mimi on the Beach and Calling All Angels. Many also will recognize her song, It Won’t Rain All The Time, from Brandon Lee’s final film The Crow.

Other fun things happening include Partner Yoga on June 17, Friends & Family Dance Adventure (June 6), Wired for Art (running Saturdays starting June 3), Craft Chocolate Tasting Workshop (June 10), Family Art Brunch (weekly beginning Sunday, July 2)and more.

For a full list of concerts and events this summer visit the website here. 

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But what if the simple ingredients for smores – marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers – are way out of your budget? What happens when summer actually means more nights going to bed hungry or fretting all night worrying about how you’re going to feed your children?

Over 300,000 children in Canada struggle with food insecurity and many of those children rely on in-school programs to help fill their tummies. And their parents rely on these programs to offset their food budgets so that there is more money to go to things like rent or car expenses. And just like schools go on vacation, so too do these programs, leaving the recipients of the food struggling to keep full.

To help combat this issue, Food Banks Canada has come up with After the Bell, a program that helps families stay fed during the summer months. The aim of this program is to deliver healthy food packs to communities in need so that families that rely on school food programs won’t have to go hungry.

In order to get a better view of this program and the growing problem of hunger in Canada, I spoke with Caroline Newton the Chief Communications Officer at Food Banks Canada. Newton has been an advocate for social change for numerous years and for the past year she has been working with Food Banks Canada on getting the message out that more needs to be done.

As we have all been experiencing lately, prices have been skyrocketing, in particular in the grocery store. This has had a major impact on food banks across Canada and Newton admitted that this has been the “most challenging time in [the Food Banks of Canada] 40-year history.”

Newton talked about three main issues that food banks have been facing which have directly affected their ability to help people. The biggest issue is that food banks across the country are having a difficult time keeping up with demand. There are a lot more people who need help getting food and some food banks are finding it hard to keep their shelves stocked.

This issue is only compacted by the fact that food is more expensive. Not only do food prices affect how many people are in need of help, but it also affects how much food the food banks can buy, meaning your donation dollars are not able to go as far as they used to. And that brings us to the third issue I discussed with Newton- not as many people are able to donate as everyone is trying to decrease their spending.

This means that programs such as After the Bell are needed now more than ever. By providing healthy food packs for kids who usually rely on school or community food programs, we can help the entire family get through the summer without going hungry. As Newton explained, though these packs are for children, by providing this help, you are allowing parents to stick to their usual food budgets, meaning they don’t have to sacrifice their own meals in order to feed their children. In the words of Newton, “no parent should have to choose between feeding themselves or feeding their children” and with After the Bell, hopefully, fewer parents will have to do this.

So, how can we help? The biggest thing according to Newton is to pay attention. According to a study done by Food Banks Canada, 61% of people that have housing issues say that this directly affects their food security. As rents increase, families have less money for other essentials like food. Newton advocates for fixed incomes and affordable housing and hopes that people are paying attention to how these issues directly affect the hungry.

And of course, if you want to help directly, you can always donate money, food or time. There is always a need for all three and your donation will go a long way to helping those in need.

If you would like to know more about the After the Bell program or donate to Food Banks of Canada, please see their website.

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Music, burlesque, drag, theatre – and, of course, comedy. If Toronto is Canada’s main hub for what’s happening right now moment to moment in standup, sketch and improv – then Pride is bursting at the seams with shows and events tailored to showcase the who’s-who of veteran Queer comedians and outspoken up-and-comers.

Queer comedy has long been an unsung component and a vibrant subsect of Toronto’s multi-facted comedy scene, albeit a drastically underexposed one until more recently. With Canada’s major festivals and independent comedy clubs finally playing host to a more diversified array of performers in the past few years, Toronto’s comedy circuit has answered in kind by playing host to more and more independent shows putting LGBTQ comics in the spotlight. This year’s programming at Pride showcases a wide range of the comics we’ve seen and heard from lately – and a few you maybe haven’t yet, but definitely should.

Veteran LGBTQ comics who’ve long dominated the landscape (and they’d probably laugh at the sentiment) are making the rounds again. Canadian television mainstay Elvira Kurt (widely known for her Comedy Network series Popcultured, her quiz show Spin Off  and her regular appearances on CBC Radio’s ‘Q’) – returns to the cult Queer comedy hotspot ‘Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’ with her solo showcase “Fearless/Funny AF”, which features a Pride festival lineup of upcoming and well-on-their way opening acts. Andrew Johnston, who wider Canadian TV audiences will probably know best for his stint as a main cast member/commentator on Much Music’s long running Video on Trial, and Toronto comedy crowds will know from his weekly appearances as a main member of the even longer running comedy troupe Laugh Sabbath, which features every Thursday at Toronto’s Comedy Bar. This year Andrew returns to Pride to host the annual gala show of “Bitch Salad”, featuring the foremost female comics dominating the stage in Canadian comedy. Another pride fixture Dawn Whitwell brings her hit independent showcase “Dawn Patrol” to the Buddies stage during Pride.

And the LGBTQ shows that make up the festivities this June run the gambit of a multitude of formats and featured players on stages across the city. Tinder Tales, the cult hit storytelling show (which has since spawned spin-off sister shows in Vancouver and Montreal, and has toured a handful of other Canadian cities) features a Pride lineup June 22nd at the Gladstone Hotel. Tinder Tales has also previously played host to a monthly showcase in the Church-Wellesley village’s own Glad Day bookstore, featuring a lineup of Queer comics, storytellers, and some of the city’s most loved (and loud and proud) drag and burlesque performers. Comedians Chantel Marostica and Adrienne Fish have played a major role in expanding the city’s Queer comedy presence recently, with their weekly standup series “Church Street Comedy”, at Pegasus on Church. And comedy/podcast duo Jess Beaulieu and Natalie Norman have been providing a stage and a space for Queer identifying comics and female performers since their own weekly show “Crimson Wave Comedy” originally debuted at the Comedy Bar.

That’s just to name a few names, and sum up just a few of the shows of note hitting the stage at Pride this year. There’s more comedy happening at this year’s pride than perhaps ever before. From the regular haunts, to hidden gems of shows happening at glorious holes in the wall (yes, I just made a glory hole pun – this is comedy, this is pride, I’m allowed)

If Pride is about shedding our inhibitions and celebrating, as one city (and it is), then we can’t think of a better way to do that then laughing. Besides, there’s nothing sexier than a good sense of humour.

Pride 2018 promises loud and proud punchlines delivered all over the city, at a venue near you.

And for a wider offering of all of this year’s PRIDE events happening in Toronto, don’t forget to hit up Pride Toronto

We’ll see you out there!

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Risk-free Getaway Without Leaving The City. Yacht Or Not!

First, as a ‘social member’ of the Island Yacht Club (IYC) you don’t even need a yacht to join. Furthermore, you get to enjoy all the lifestyle perks of being a club member including: relaxing poolside at the outdoor pool, access to the clubhouse including lockers and shower amenities, an award winning restaurant, fireside lounge, courtyard patio, private tender (shuttle boat) from Queens Quay, clay tennis courts, access to BBQ stations, soccer pitch and badminton, a nature trail, and use of club keel boats, kayaks and canoes. Ya, membership does have privileges!  Daaaa, it’s like a home away from home (without the inconvenience of having to lug a canoe with you!).

And if you have children, they will have access to their own kid stuff, including a playground and clubhouse room. Plus a summer kids camp for ages five and up. Kids and teens love going out to the island because there is plenty of space from mom and dad (FYI we were told this by numerous club staff and parent members). Just so you know, the average age of social members is 40 to 46, and they have one or two children on average.

What else does IYC offer? The club has yoga on Sunday mornings (before bunch at the clubhouse), croquet, paddle boards, food and wine events – and yes, if you are a member, this is all for you to enjoy. Oh, you can also bring guests with you.

Sure many of the members do own boats, and the IYC does much to integrate the boaters with the social members. For instance, you can socialize with yacht owners at the regular Social Sailing Wednesday nights from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, followed by a BBQ in the club courtyard. You might even meet a Canadian Olympian!  However we don’t want to name-drop.

Invest In Hassle-free Summer Fun. Location Is Everything. 

Never again risk renting a cottage for a long weekend and have it ruined by rain. Never again get stuck in Muskoka/Toronto traffic. Torontonians know there’s a long list of deterrents preventing a relaxing cottage experience. Therefore, think of being an Island Yacht Club member as an investment in your valuable time. Don’t risk one day of precious summertime ever again! The biggest IYC perk is having a private island at your disposal. You can pop out to the IYC any day of the week to swim, canoe or just chill in the clubhouse with a beer. Another big club perk is the vibe is uber laid-back; it’s totally got a chill cottage vibe.

There is still so much more that could be said about IYC, and their plans to extend the club season. Think snowshoeing and perhaps even a winterized yurt!

Oh, did we mention that IYC has their very own club peacocks, Bella and Conrad. They just turned up one day and decided to stay on. We don’t blame them! Island Yacht Club is an oasis of peace and paradise just a short boat ride from downtown Toronto.

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If you’re curious about a social membership don’t delay. The club does have a cap on how many boat and social members are admitted. Please contact Andrew Birch, Director of Membership, at the Island Yacht Club Here –  Ask for a tour!

Here is the link to the 2017 rate card.

About IYC 

Nestled on a private island and dedicated to active, resort-style living, Island Yacht Club provides a cottage-in-the-city member experience.  Island Yacht Club calls Blockhouse Bay home. It’s often called the most beautiful cove on the Toronto Islands, and rewards visitors with unprecedented views and sunsets. Board the IYC private shuttle at Queens Quay, and arrive 10 minutes later on Muggs Island. Boating members enjoy a full-range of marine services, including: storage, repairs, hauling and launching, handled by an experienced team.

SPOKE ON THE WATER ™ 

The Island Yacht Club has a mainland sister club, The Spoke Club, a private members club on King Street West. Spoke on the Water is the fusion of two great groups: The Spoke Club and Island Yacht Club. This alliance, which creates a mainland club for yacht club members, ensures camaraderie and relationships forged over the spring and summer months continue during the coldest of winters.

The post Toronto Island Yacht Club Cottage-In-The-City Lifestyle appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Try this summer exercise routine for yourself and sign up for Nichelle’s newsletter on her site for more interesting tidbits to keep you on track. Take it away, Nichelle!

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Many women ignore training their legs for fear of looking bulky. To the contrary, shaping and strengthening the lower half will result in a tightly toned overall appearance, and beautiful feminine curves.

Let’s head outside for this one! These 4 lower body exercises are easy and focus on strengthening the legs, improving stability, and defining your beautiful figure.

To get started, warm up with a light 3 – 5 minute jog, skip, or running on the spot to warm up the leg muscles, develop the thighs, and strengthen the hips.

Then, perform 3 sets of 10 reps of each exercise below, resting less than 60 seconds between each set.

Walking Lunges (Quads, glutes, hamstrings):

Stand upright with your feet together.
Take a controlled step forward with your left leg. Lower hips toward the floor and bend both knees (almost at 90 degree angles). The back knee should come close but never touch the ground.
Your front knee should be directly over the ankle and the back knee should be pointing down toward the floor.
Push off with your right foot and bring it forward to starting position. This completes one rep.
Repeat with the right leg, and continue for the number of desired repetitions.

Bench Jump (Quads, glutes, hamstrings):

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Start by doing a regular squat, then engage your core and jump up explosively onto the bench.
When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep. Land as quietly as possible. Repeat for number of desired repetitions.

Glute Bridge (Glutes, Core): 

Lie flat on the floor on your back with your hands by your side and your knees bent. Your feet should be placed around shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
Pushing mainly with your heels, lift your hips off the floor while keeping your back straight. Breathe out as you perform this part of the motion and hold at the top for a second.
Slowly go back to the starting position as you breathe in.
Repeat for the number of desired repetitions.

Fire Hydrant (Glutes, Outer hips, Outer thighs)

Start on all fours, knees directly under your hips, and hands directly below your shoulders. Keep your back and neck straight and look forward. Keeping your knee bent, raise your right leg out to the side, until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Keep your pelvis stable. Slowly lower your leg back to starting position.
Perform desired amount of repetitions, and switch legs.

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