Are you one of the 180,000 that have expressed an interest in tickets to see the Buffalo Bills play at the Rogers Centre? I find that astounding, but that’s how many people Anthony Viner, president and chief executive officer of Rogers Media, says have declared their interest.

This is an amazing deal for the Buffalo Bills, who had the lowest ticket prices in the NFL in 2007 with an average price of a mere $51.24. There are approximately 62,000 seats at Ralph Wilson Stadium and the average take per game is $6 million which includes revenue for tickets and concessions. In sharp contrast the Bills will be paid $78 million Canadian for playing 8 games - 5 regular season games and 3 exhibition games - at the Rogers Centre which amounts to almost $10 million Canadian per game. Rogers is part of a consortium that negotiated this deal with the Bills that runs through 2012. The Buffalo Bills will provide the team, the NFL will provide the opponent and the Toronto consortium will sell tickets, concessions, and promote the event.

Ticket prices have yet to be announced but there is talk that they could go as high as $350.00 and I wonder how many of the 180,000 who are interested are interested enough to pony up that kind of money to watch an NFL game. At the Rogers Centre on August 14th the Buffalo Bills will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in an exhibition game and on December 7th the Buffalo Bills will play the Miami Dolphins in Toronto in a regular season game. In 2009 Buffalo will play 1 regular season game in Toronto. In 2010 they will play 1 regular and 1 preseason game in Toronto. In 2011 they will play 1 regular season game in Toronto and in 2012 they will play 1 preseason and 1 regular season game in Toronto.

The Buffalo Bills will be the first NFL team in history to play annual games outside of the USA. Will you be attending? For more information follow the link to the Rogers Centre website. http://www.rogerscentre.com

There is so much to see and do in Toronto that it’s really no surprise that there are some terrific Mother’s Day events around town. I’ve found some really interesting Mother’s Day ideas that you may not have known about. If you’re looking to do something new this year, perhaps you’d like to try one of these events.

• Habitat for Humanity is having a special Mother’s Day Build on May 10th from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM at 4200 Kingston Road, Habitat for Humanity Toronto’s first Energy Star build site. Mother and child (must be a minimum of 16 years of age) teams will have the great pleasure of helping a family less fortunate than themselves. In addition there will be gifts for mom, prizes, a commemorative tote bag, and a delicious lunch. For all of the details follow the link below.
  Toronto Habitat

• Mother’s Day Cream Tea on Sunday, May 11th at the beautiful Spadina Museum, a Victorian country estate that evolved into an Edwardian city mansion. Its rich history chronicles four generations of the wealthy Austin family. There are two sittings, one at 12:30 PM and another at 2:30 PM. Tickets for this event are $12.50 plus tax and must be purchased in advance. The Spadina Museum is located at 285 Spadina Road. For more information or to purchase tickets call 416-392-6910 or 416-338-3888 or email spadina@toronto.ca

• Denim Days at the Bata Shoe Museum are a great way to support breast cancer research and the Cure Foundation. From May 11th – May 13th everyone who visits the museum wearing denim will have $5 of their admission donated to the Cure Foundation and breast cancer research. Admission for kids is only $4, so the Bata Shoe Museum will contribute the extra dollar for all of the kids who wear their jeans. Call 416-979-7799 or follow the link below to the website for all of the details.
  Bata Shoe Museum

• Mother’s Day Cruises are a fabulous way to spend a relaxing afternoon or evening out on the water with Mom. Choose from afternoon or evening sailings. For one amazing all-inclusive price you get reserved seating, a scenic fun-filled 4-hour cruise, delicious hot buffet lunch or dinner, DJ, dancing by sunlight or moonlight, and a cash bar. Call 416-777-5777 or follow the link to the website below.
  Toronto Dinner Cruises

• The Toronto Zoo is giving the first 97 moms and their families (maximum number of 4 persons per group) free admission on May 11th. For more information call 416-392-5929 or follow the link to the website below.
  http://www.torontozoo.com/

• The Kortright Centre is hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch and Hike on May 11th from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the Kortright Centre for Conservation. A delicious brunch will be followed by a beautiful spring wildflower guided hike through the forest. For more information call 416-667-6295 or follow the link to the website below.
  Kortright Centre

What are you planning to do on Mother’s Day?

The Bloor-Yorkville Wine Festival is now in its 10th glorious year and has been renamed Santé: Toronto International Wine Festival. From May 5 – 10 wines of the world will take centre stage in Toronto, with a focus on new world wines from Australia and California.

Some of the incredible festival highlights include:

• Over 10,000 participants
• 375 great wines
• 42 international wineries from 12 countries
• 22 celebrity chefs
• Deconstructing Dinner Seminars
• Ultimate Winemaker’s Dinner
• International Wine Tasting
• Sip, Savour & Shop
• Savour & Learn
• Santé Finale

Santé, a celebration of wine, is designed to appeal to all wine lovers. You don’t have to be knowledgeable or be a collector. This is a fabulous opportunity to taste and learn. If you love wine and you love to dine then you must try Santé in the City – select restaurants have partnered with Festival wineries to create fabulous wining and dining experiences. Follow the link below to the complete list of participating restaurants, dates, and prices.
http://www.santewinefestival.net/list_OF_restaurant.html

The Toronto International Film festival gets so much hype that the Hot Docs Festival or officially the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival doesn’t get the respect or the publicity that it deserves. It is North America’s largest documentary festival, now in its 15th year. This year over 170 documentaries from 36 countries will be screened, in addition to industry programs for documentary professionals.

Hot Docs will be running from April 17th – April 27th. The Box Office has been moved to 87 Avenue Road, on the upper level of Hazelton Lanes. The films will be shown at 7 venues.

• The Al Green Theatre at 750 Spadina Avenue
• The Bloor Theatre at 506 Bloor Street West
• The Alliance Cumberland Cinemas at 159 Cumberland Street
• The Innis Town Hall at 2 Sussex Avenue
• The Isabel Bader Theatre at 93 Charles Street West
• The ROM Theatre at 100 Queen’s Park
• The Winter Garden Theatre at 189 Yonge Street
• The Royal Cinema at 608 College Street

Tickets can be purchased for single films (prices range from $5.00 - $12.00 per film, depending on the time of the screening) and multi-film passes are also available. It is recommending that you purchase your tickets in advance. Arrive early to get good seats. There are no reserved seats so the line-ups begin well in advance of the screening times. One of the most interesting features of the festival is that the directors are usually on hand to introduce their films and to participate in question and answer sessions after the screening.

Come down to the International Centre at 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga from April 4th – April 6th for the mouth watering Toronto Wine & Cheese Show. Now in its 25th delicious year, it is one of the most anticipated events of the year. An $18.00 admission ticket gives you entry to the show and the opportunity to experience cuisine from renowned restaurants, exciting live seminars, beers, single malt whiskies, vintages that have not yet been released, and wine and beer competitions.

Friday, April 4th from 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM, Saturday, April 5th from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM, and on Sunday, April 6th from 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM the doors will be open giving you access to the show floor and to some special features including:
• Live cooking shows with celebrity chefs from the Food Network - Laura Calder and Anna Olson
• Kitchen demonstrations
• Cheese tastings
• Wine appreciations seminars
• Exclusive sale of vintages premium and super-premium wines
• Jazz Garden – live jazz performances

There are many interesting, new, and exotic samples of food and beverages available throughout the show. In order to sample any alcoholic beverages you will need to purchase sampling tickets. They are available at the show for $1.00 each and are redeemable for samples of wine, liquor, and beer. Some food samples may be purchased with cash and others with sampling tickets, depending on the vendor. Some food and beverage samples may require more than one ticket as the purchase price. Be responsible and don’t drink and drive. Plan ahead and appoint a designated driver.

Now in its 12th glorious year Canada Blooms, Canada’s largest indoor garden show will be taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building from March 12 – March 16. The show hours are:

• Wednesday, March 12 - 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Thursday, March 13 - 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Friday, March 14 - 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Saturday, March 15 - 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Sunday, March 16 - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

This year’s magnificent display showcases over 250 exhibitors - leading garden centres, equipment and accessories vendors, florists, designers, educational and horticultural organizations - and 40 features gardens on 6 magnificent acres created by Canada’s top landscape designers. Leading experts will be on hand giving over 200 hours of demonstrations and talks.

Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit organization that supports community garden projects across Ontario including:

• Toronto Botanical Garden Entrance Garden Rejuvenation
• Ontario Heritage Foundation’s Garden Conservancy Fund
• The Tree Conservancy Fund, Toronto
• The Weston Quarry Garden at the Don Valley Brick Works, Toronto
• The Teaching Garden at Edwards Garden, Toronto
• The Royal Botanical Garden Perennial Border Project, Hamilton
• Humber Arboretum, Toronto
• The Sustaining Project at the Humber Arboretum, Toronto
• Elevated Wetlands, Toronto
• Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto

Tickets are $18.00 for adults, $16.00 for seniors and students, and free for children 12 and under. Save $2.00 by purchasing your ticket in advance at any Sobeys store in Ontario or on the Canada Blooms website at the link below.
http://www.canadablooms.com/

Save $8.00 per ticket when you come to the show after 5:00 PM where you can purchase your tickets at the South Box Office.

The first episode of Star Trek set off on its mission in 1966 and no one could have predicted the cultural phenomena that it has become. The social impact of Star Trek cannot even begin to be measured and many of the phrases used by the characters have found their way into our popular lexicon. Even those who are not die hard fans, or Trekkies, recognize “Beam me up Scottie”, or “Live long and prosper”.

Star Trek, Star Trek: Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Star Trek: Voyager, and 10 major motion pictures have provided us with a wealth of magnificent music. On June 20 and June 21 at 8:00 PM the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) presents STAR TREK: THE MUSIC at Roy Thomson Hall. The guest conductor will be Erich Kunzel, the Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The TSO will perform:

• Alexander Courage’s theme from the original TV series
• Jerry Goldsmith’s theme for Star Trek: Voyager
• the Klingon battle theme
• the opening music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• music by Cliff Eidelman from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• music by Leonard Rosenman from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• music by Dennis McCarthy from Star Trek: The Next Generation
• music from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• music from Star Trek: Generations
• music by James Horner from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• music from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

The very special guest hosts for the evenings will be the infamous Q, played by John de Lancie, and the holographic doctor, Dr. Lewis Zimmerman, played by Robert Picardo. What a Trekkies dream!

		Sunday, March 2nd was the day the music died in Toronto. Tragically, Jeff Healey succumbed to cancer at the age of 41. Jeff Healey had battled cancer his whole life – a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma. According to Retinoblastoma International, “Retinoblastoma is a childhood cancer arising from immature retinal cells in one or both eyes and can strike from the time a child is in the womb up to 5 years of age. This cancer is curable if caught early enough.

However, 87% of the children stricken with this disease worldwide die, mostly in developing countries. In developed countries, 97% of those who do live have moderate to severe visual impairment.

Retinoblastoma is a relatively uncommon tumor of childhood that accounts for about 3% of the cancers in children under the age of 15. The tumors originate in the retina, the light sensitive layer of the eye, which enables the eye to see. When the tumors are present in one eye, it is referred to as unilateral retinoblastoma, and when it occurs in both eyes it is referred to as bilateral retinoblastoma. 60% of the cases involve only one eye (unilateral); the rest affect both eyes (bilateral). 90% of retinoblastoma patients have no family history of the disease and only 10% of newly diagnosed patients have other family members with retinoblastoma”.

It was this cancer that robbed him of his vision when he was an infant. But even cancer couldn’t keep his music genius from emerging. At the age of 4 he taught himself how to play the guitar by laying it across his lap and playing it the way you would play a keyboard. He also played trumpet and clarinet.

Stevie Ray Vaughan is the one credited with discovering Jeff Healey playing in a Toronto club in 1982. He played with the all-time greats in music including B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan and recorded with legends like George Harrison. Healey was passionate about jazz and until recently he had a radio show on the Toronto jazz station CJRT – FM. He had a personal collection of 35,000 rare and obscure 78 rpm recordings and an encyclopedic knowledge of the music.

Jeff Healey wasn’t just a Canadian musician, he was an international star. The world of music mourns his loss.

		March break is the time when many families head off to the sunny south. But, you don’t have to leave home for March break fun. Toronto will be bustling with activities for the whole family. The TTC (Toronto Transit Commission has a great family pass deal that gives families unlimited travel for an entire day. Follow the link below to check it out. www.ttc.ca

If you’re not sure about what to do during March break, here are some fun ideas for the whole family that won’t break the bank:

• Be a tourist right here at home and take in 6 of Toronto’s most popular attractions – Hockey Hall of Fame, CN Tower, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Casa Loma, Ontario Science Centre, and Toronto Zoo – for one great price. Follow the link below for all of the details. http://www.citypass.com/city/toronto/now.html

• Toronto City Hall and the Harbourfront Centre both offer FREE outdoor skating with music and rink-side hot chocolate. Don’t worry if you don’t have skates. Both venues offer skate rental on site.

• There are fabulous March Break historic programs from March 8 – March 16 at Colborne Lodge, Fort York National Historic Site, Mackenzie House, Gibson House, Scarborough Historical Museum, Spadina House, Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre and Montgomery’s Inn. Pre-registration is required at most programs. For more information call 416-338-0338 or follow the link below.
  http://www.toronto.ca/culture/camps.htm#marchbreak08

• Try some delicious maple syrup at the Kortright Maple Syrup Festival from March 10 – March 14. There will be FREE maple syrup demonstrations, all-day creative crafts, horse-drawn wagon rides, and pancakes with maple syrup. Follow the link below for all of the details. www.trcaparks.ca/maplesyrup

• The McMichael Gallery has a great March break planned with art, music, clowns, circus acts and more! From March 8 – March 16 from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily, they’ve got a full slate of fun planned for the whole family. For more information follow the link below.
http://www.mcmichael.com/

• Although you’d never know it by the cold temperatures and snow that still clearly have a grip on Toronto, it is time once again for Canada Blooms. From March 12 – March 16 in the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the garden industry and community show off the best in flowers, gardening, and landscaping. Admission for kids under 12 is absolutely FREE. And they have tons of things to see and do including the fabulous Green Playground. It’s a must see! For all of the details follow the link below.
www.canadablooms.com

It’s time for Toronto foodies to get out their calendars and start penciling in lunch and dinner dates.

Winterlicious is back from January 25 – February 7 and promises to be the best ever. Since it began in 2003, Torontonians have embraced the 10-day long food extravaganza in force. Although Torontonians are extremely clever, we did not dream up Winterlicious on our own. We nipped the idea from our neighbours to the south in New York City and made it our own. New York’s brain child came in 2002 as a way to encourage tourism and get people out and about enjoying the city again after the World Trade Center attacks.

This year over 130 of Toronto’s top restaurants are participating in Winterlicious. It’s a great way to try some restaurants that you’ve never been to before and you don’t have to break the bank to do it. All menus, lunch and dinner, are “prix fixe” which means that the menus are one all inclusive price, regardless of your selection, and include an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Prix fixe lunches are in 2 categories - $15.00 or $20.00. Prix fixe dinners are also available in 2 categories - $25.00 or $35.00. All prices are per person and do not include taxes or gratuities. Beverages are extra. If you are on a budget but would like to try one of the restaurants in the more expensive category, take advantage of the considerably lower prices for lunch. In many cases the menus are very similar.

Reservations are pretty much a necessity and should be made directly with the restaurant. Once you have a reservation, if for any reason you can’t make it, don’t forget to call the restaurant and cancel or you may be charged. Most restaurants take a credit card number when you make your reservation. For a list of participating restaurants follow the link below.
Winterlicious