By NANDITA SHARMA From an awards standpoint, 2021 has been shaping up as a pretty good year so far for East Toronto musician Julian Taylor. Earlier this year it was announced that he had received his first two Juno Awards nominations in the Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Indigenous Artist or Group of […]
Category: Arts & Entertainment
Beach resident John Oughton helps new teachers learn essential skills in new book Higher Teaching
By ALEXANDROS VAROUTAS A lot has changed since John Oughton began teaching in the 1980s. “In those days what we had for media was the blackboard, a 16 millimetre projector, if you could get one and found a movie that made sense, and overhead projectors. We didn’t have podiums connected to the internet,” he said, […]
The highs and lows of a firefighter’s life examined in book by Beach resident Bryan Ratushniak
By JAYSON DIMAANO Being a firefighter comes with its positives: You are helping your community and/or city, you are often seen as a hero and mostly you love your job. However, it also has its downfalls. Some of those include have dealing with the deaths of people in fires and accidents, having near-death experiences and […]
Behind The Bee Project with East Toronto photographer Cheryl Fraser
By JAYSON DIMAANO With warmer spring weather to come, people will start planting flowers outside their lawn or in their backyard; garden centres will reopen, and wildlife of all kinds will return. This includes insects such as bees, something Cheryl Fraser noticed last June. “I was looking out my front window and I saw a […]
Stitched Glass documentary by East York filmmakers included in Montreal film festival
By ALEXANDROS VAROUTAS As filmmakers, Ian Daffern and Omar Majeed are always looking for a story that would translate well to the big screen. Some of the criteria might be a distinct visual element, a local main character, and perhaps some sort of spiritual dilemma tying it all together. Naturally, then, when they came across […]
East Toronto author looks at history of conflict in Afghanistan in book Blood Washing Blood
By NANDITA SHARMA Much has been said and written about the conflict in Afghanistan, yet it seems to be a topic of confusion in the western world. Much of the modern world is familiar with a sensationalised version of Afghanistan, one that is riddled with violence and terror. Violence does exist, yes but so does […]
Local musician Alex Andrews creates apps to help with music education and training
By NANDITA SHARMA Ten Kettles, founded by East Toronto resident Alex Andrews in 2013, has created a number of apps that help educate and train musicians. These apps include Waay, hearEQ, Beat Mirror and WaayFinder. “Ten Kettles has four apps, each focusing on a different aspect of music education. The origin of each app was […]
Luminosity art installations to light up Queen Street East in the Beach
The Beach Village BIA will be presenting a COVID-safe outdoor exhibition along Queen Street East starting this month. Called Luminosity, the exhibition will run from March 13 to April 11 and will help support both the local business and arts communities. Luminosity will see art installations placed along the three-kilometres of Queen Street East between […]
Beach resident Margo Malowney tells the story of fostering rescue dogs in Good Girl Pearl
By JAYSON DIMAANO During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people have been looking for ways to keep positive and find ways to help others out including animals. Anytime it’s about helping pets, there is usually a feel-good story to be found. That is the case with Beach resident Margo Malowney’s book Good Girl Pearl. It tells […]
Music video of residents in their Toronto windows during pandemic drawing lots of attention
By JAYSON DIMAANO As the COVID-19 pandemic continues it is becoming more and more important to support local artists. This is what Ryerson University second-year film students Max Mezo and Charlie Hill recently did with band The Neighbourhood Watch. “The Neighbourhood Watch came up on his (Hill’s) Spotify,” explained Mezo. “We realized they were a […]