Island Yacht Club – Your Cottage In The City

Island Yacht Club is often referred to as the most beautiful cove on the Toronto Islands. Your holiday event begins at Queens Quay where you board the private shuttle to your retreat on the island. Relax while enjoying the view of the Toronto Skyline on the short 10 minute boat ride to Muggs Island.

This is a popular venue for corporate meetings and weddings. The Clubhouse has a capacity of 414 guests, including the outdoor patio area. There is a full catering service on site that offers a menu for any occasion.

In the summer there is a tent set up outside for private dining, picnics etc.

The facility can accommodate the following capacities:

-Club House : 414 guests (including outdoor patio area)

-Other Activities : Two clay tennis courts, Pool(connected to patio), Nature Trail, and Kayak.

-Kids Club : It includes sailing, hikes, volleyball, badminton and swimming.

Address: 89 Queen Quay West P.O. Box 81079, Toronto, ON, M5J 2V3

Contact: admin@iyc.ca / 416,203,2582

Website: http://iyc.ca/

Is it a Restaurant? Is it a Comic Book Store? It’s FIGURES!

Step into the past and relive memories of your childhood as you enter Figures. At first glance, Figures offers visitors a look into a their small vintage toy shop, a space that’s been specially wallpapered with comics by a local artist.

If curiosity truly gets the best of you, you’ll notice a faint outline of a door that leads to the best section of Figures.

Through the secret passageway you’ll find yourself in a beautiful restaurant that takes pride in the joys of comic book imagery; custom art, comic themes and some of your favourite superheroes and villains fill the walls, filling you with feelings of nostalgia and excitement.

But what really gets people to come back is the mix of tapas, shareable plates and delicious food that is offered on the menu (which you only get to take a look at once you visit the restaurant in person!) For the curious minds however, you have choices of Yellow Beet & Yukon Gold Gnocchi ($22) or even a Warm Crab Cake over Lightly Truffled Crab Salad ($26) and more.

In terms of events, the venue is a fantastic space for networking and entertaining as the atmosphere provides an intimate space with plenty of character that will be sure to be an icebreaker for guests

Space: 2,000 Sq. Feet

Capacity: 80 seated | 150 cocktail

This space also has a DJ booth and an area for socializing, Figures’ guests can enjoy a delicious dinner into a vibrant nightlife.

Whether it’s through the use of stormtrooper appearances in your latte’s and cocktails or the Pac-Man that seems to leave behind neon trails on the ceiling, you’ll be fascinated with what Figures has to offer.

For more information visit: http://figuresto.com/

Or email: info@figuresto.ca

Twitter: @figurestoronto

 

137 Avenue Road

Toronto, ON, M5R 1R2

416-900-1022

The Ups and Downs of The Richard L. Hearn Generating Station

Gritty and raw, iron and steel beams, industrial, passageways and tunnels, brick and concrete. Toronto History. If any of this makes sense to you, then you know we are about to talk about the Richard L. Hearn Generating Station, one of Toronto’s largest and most rarely used spaces.

Toronto’s massive wealth of space in the Portlands has seen its years of ups and downs since it opened in 1951. Originally, the Richard L. Hearn Generating Station burned coal which was shipped out on the Saint Lawrence Seaway to ports around the globe.

Environmental complaints in the early 70’s about the heavy smog that was emitted from the Stations eight chimney stacks lead to the installation of a single smokestack, which cost nine million dollars but it also landed the Station in the record books at the time with having one of the world’s tallest smokestacks (215 m/705 ft.). This move greatly reduced Toronto’s air pollution and the area around the plant came to be known as a popular fishing and recreation spot.

The Station was decommissioned in 1983 after it was unable to meet the increasing financial demand that cogeneration ( natural gas and coal) would cost.

Since it was decommissioned there were many talks and many different plans to restart the generators and switchboards, with none coming to fruition mostly because of city and provincial politics

In 2002, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) gave a long lease to a film studio ( 32.5 years, according to the City of Toronto’s Waterfront Secretariat) who had ambition plans to convert the Station into a 28 thousand sq.m. multi purpose film and production studio and call it ‘Great Lakes Studios’. Many of the interior boilers and equipment was removed to make room for the renovations, which sadly also did not make it to completion.  

Since then, the Station has been a haven for urban explorers and photographers. It began getting serious about opening up its doors as a venue for events and film in 2010 when it was used in a movie, and in 2014 for Luminato’s Big Bang Bash and Yves Saint Laurent Opening Night Party. In 2015 Luminator hosted UNSOUND on the property and again in 2016 Luminator used the grounds as their festival hug, utilizing most of the space for art and performance.

 

 

 

Recently there have been a few commercial shoots, but that’s about it. So far, Luminato Festival seems to be the only lucky infrequent resident of the Station. Stats show that the 5.6-acre venue has proved to hold 10,000 people.

 

Written By: Paula McDines

A Timeless Beauty – Omni King Edward Crystal Ballroom

The Omni King Edward Hotel welcomed more than 100 guests to enjoy delicious foods and fantastic entertainment while leading up to the main event of unveiling the timeless beauty that is the Crystal Ballroom, fully restored and as pristine and elegant as ever.  The Omni team is excited about the new space and is already booked for a number of weddings over the next few months.

Our Deb Lewis from CityEvents was lucky enough to see the ballroom a few times over the last decade at Doors Open Toronto. The first time over a decade ago, when the room was full of cobwebs and was only used by a local fly fishing club. After that the ballroom was deemed unsafe so it was years later after the renovation started she was able to see the ballroom starting to take shape.  “It is such an exciting time to see the King Eddy ballroom rebirth for another century of key events.”

Named after their adorned crystal chandeliers, the Crystal Ballroom also kept its old-world charm meets modern luxury with ornate moldings, 8-metre high coffered ceilings and floor to ceiling windows with panoramic views of the city. These features are what makes the Crystal Ballroom the most popular venue for hosting grand society affairs, royal galas, debutante balls, weddings and conventions.

In fact, since opening in 1922, the venue, located on the hotel’s 17th floor has hosted some of Toronto’s most prestigious and extravagant events from the 1920s to the 1970s including:

• August 8, 1927 - The Prince of Wales (later, the uncrowned King Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor) and British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin were entertained with a lavish state dinner.

• 1939 – Senator Frank O’Connor founder of Laura Secord Candy in Canada, received a remarkable testimonial dinner, which had a crowd overflow the hall and the head table was filled with the chief representatives of the king, the government and the city including Mayor Ralph C. Day

• April 12, 1955 - Polio Vaccine proved effective and safe for 80% to 90% of children across Canada and the US. Nearly 700 doctors, technicians and nurses crowded the Crystal Ballroom to watch the news report on two dozen TV Sets, installed specifically for the occasion.

And it seems that the hotel has some very strong intentions to keep doing so, especially with the new restoration that has brought new life and shine to the ballroom.

For more info about the Crystal Ballroom re-opening, click here: Omni King Edward Hotel 

Recap: 13th Annual Canadian Helen Keller Centre Award Luncheon

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

On April 5th, 2017 The Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC) held their 13th annual Award Luncheon at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. The luncheon is held each year to help raise money and awareness to support the services the CHKC provides free of charge to its clients.

This year, The Honourable Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Community and Social Services and MPP for Oak Ridges-Markham, received the prestigious award for her continuous support and dedication to bettering the lives of those in the deafblind community. Since becoming the Minister of Community and Social Services, her work to assist deafblind Ontarians has been groundbreaking. Most recently, she will focus on the development of new frameworks that will result in a consistent, fair and accountable approach to funding.

The luncheon’s keynote speaker was Gail Asper O.C., O.M., LL.D., President of The Asper Foundation, Governor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and sitting board member of The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CHRM) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Ms. Asper’s speech reminded everyone in attendance of the importance of inclusivity and charity. As a special thank you Vim Kochhar, founder of Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons and chair of CHKC, presented Gail with a cheque for $15,000 to go towards the CHRM to continue to be the most accessible museum in Canada.

 

Thanks to Steve Blackburn, you can check out photos from the afternoon on his website steveblackburn.com

Learn more about the Canadian Helen Keller Centre www.chkc.org

Information on past awards and the host organization, Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons www.cfpdp.com

 

Written by: Paula McDines

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »