In the old days you dropped some charcoal in the BBQ, used a little newspaper and lighter fluid, and waited for the coals to get very hot before you put your food on. Have you looked at BBQs lately? Now that the weather has warmed up every hardware store has all of their BBQs out front and some of them are the size of compact cars (certainly larger than the Smart car) and look like they have more features.

There are many kinds of BBQs out there.

• Charcoal: Food cooked on charcoal still tastes the best. They are not instant on the way that gas grills are. It can take from 20 – 30 minutes from the time that you light the charcoal until you are ready to start cooking. Buying charcoal is more expensive than buying gas if you BBQ often. But the upside is that charcoal BBQs are very cheap when compared to gas.

• Gas: These are by far the most popular these days. Although not as tasty as charcoal, they are the most convenient – instant on, instant off - and the food that they produce is tasty as well. Gas tanks are inexpensive and last a long time. They come in all sizes and price ranges that can boggle the mind. Some are so large and multi-featured that they can cost much more than your indoor oven/range.

• Electric: To me these don’t taste like BBQs at all. They taste more like food that comes from your oven. However, they only require an electrical outlet and may be your only option if you live in an apartment or condo where using a BBQ is illegal.

Which type of BBQ is for you?

Shopping at Toronto’s Farmers’ Markets means that you are shopping local and shopping fresh. You are supporting local businesses, supporting a sustainable food system, but best of all you are buying fresh food that didn’t have to travel thousands of miles to get to you. And that means fresher more flavourful food for you and your family.

Nathan Phillips Square Farmers’ Market:

• Open every Wednesday from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM June 4th to October 15th
• Delicious farm produce
• Address - 100 Queen Street West Nathan Phillips Square (Queen Street West and Bay Street)
• TTC accessible - Subway Station or Osgoode Station
• For more information call 416-338-0338

Withrow Park Farmers’ Market:

• Open every Saturday from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM May 24th to October 25th
• Fabulous fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm
• Address: Withrow Park 725 Logan Avenue
• TTC accessible – Pape Subway Station
• For more information: no phone or website

Trinity Bellwoods Farmers’ Market:

• Open every Tuesday from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM May 13th to October 28th
• Healthy, local, organically grown produce, meats, and dairy products
• Address: North West end of Trinity Bellwoods Park, at Dundas Street West and Shaw Avenue
• TTC accessible - Dundas West Streetcar #504, one stop east of Ossington
• For more information call 416-435-8860 or visit the website http://www.trinitybellwoods.ca/

Sherway Gardens Farmers’ Market:
• Open every Friday from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM rain or shine May 2nd to October 31st
• Fresh Ontario grown fresh fruit and vegetables available in large quantities for canning and preserving, farm fresh eggs, honey, cheese, fresh baked bread and pies
• Address: Across from Door 3 in the north parking lot of Sherway Gardens located at Highway 427 and The Queensway
• TTC and Mississauga Transit accessible – TTC 416-393-4636, Mississauga Transit 905-615-4636
• For more information call 416-621-1071 or visit the website www.sherwaygardens.ca

East York Farmers’ Market:

• Open every Tuesday from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM May 19th to November 4th
• Delicious fresh Ontario produce
• Address: 850 Coxwell Avenue, East York Civic Centre at Coxwell Avenue and Mortimer Avenue
• TTC accessible – Coxwell Subway Station
• For more information: no phone or website

Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers’ Market:

• Open every Thursday afternoon from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM year round
• A great variety of organic foods and a wood-fired oven where breads are baked right in the park
• Address: South of Bloor on the east side of Dufferin in Dufferin Grove Park at Dufferin St. and Dufferin Park Avenue
• TTC accessible - one block south of Dufferin Subway stop
• For more information call 416-392-0913 or visit the website www.dufferingpark.ca

Getting out for an enjoyable round of golf doesn’t have to be an all day excursion and it doesn’t require a car. As a matter of fact it doesn’t require a lot of money either because the City of Toronto has 5 golf courses for golfers of all levels. Each of these courses is TTC accessible and affordable.

Dentonia Park Golf Course: an 18 Hole par 54, 2176 yards located at 781 Victoria Park

• A challenging par 3
• perfect for beginners or advanced players working on their short game

Don Valley Golf Course: a fairly difficult 18 Hole par 71, 6,109 yards located at 4200 Yonge St.

• a Howard Watson design with excellent variety
• Hallelujah Corner includes the signature par 5 12th hole

Humber Valley Golf Course: a moderately difficult 18 Hole par 70, 5446 yards located at 40 Beattie Ave.

• Great for all skills levels
• Accuracy is the key
Scarlett Woods Golf Course: a moderately difficult executive length 18 Hole par 62, 3749 yards located at 1000 Jane Street

• Great for all skill levels
• The 17th signature hole has an elevated tee overlooking a pond, 140 yards away from a well-bunkered green.

Tam O’Shanter Golf Course: a moderately difficult 18 Hole par 72, 6,083 yards located at 2481 Birchmount Rd

• Considered the premier golf course in Toronto’s northeast
• links, holes, and water hazards will make for a very challenging round

What are you waiting for? Book your tee times now.

Victoria Day is on Monday, May 19th this year and many of you will be heading for the hills, or the Muskokas to open your cottages on this unofficial start to the summer. The rest of us less fortunate will be looking for something to do. The golf courses are open and in full swing, if you excuse the pun. However, if you were planning to do some shopping, think again. Victoria Day is one of the Retail Council of Canada’s designated retail holidays and as such stores will be closed except for those in and around the Eaton Centre which is an officially designated tourist site. Other stores that are legally allowed to remain open regardless of their location are book or magazine stores under 2,400 square feet with a maximum of 3 employees, pharmacies under 7,500 square feet, flower shops, and gas stations.

Take advantage of the holiday to play tourist in your own city. Visit:

• Historic Fort York – considered to be the birthplace of modern Toronto: It’s a great venue for the whole family offering guided tours, musket, drill, and music demonstrations. It is conveniently located at 100 Garrison Road (off Fleet Street, east of Strachan Avenue, west of Bathurst Street) and easily accessible with the TTC – take the 511 Streetcar. For more information call 416-338-3888 or follow the link www.toronto.ca

• Celebrate Victoria Day the way that Queen Victoria herself would have with a very special afternoon tea at Montgomery’s Inn located at 4709 Dundas Street West. Tea will be served from 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM and is incredibly affordable - Adults $3.77, Seniors/Students $1.89, Children 94 cents, plus GST.

• Fireworks at Ontario Place will take place on Sunday, May 18th and on Monday, May 19th. Spend the day and take in the new large format film at Cinesphere®, Dinosaurs, Giants of Patagonia, and Soak City®, Toronto’s biggest outdoor water park.

• The CN Tower will have a fabulous light show in honour of Queen Victoria. The evening of May 19th the tower will be lit up in the royal colours of purple and gold.

What will you be doing on this Victoria Day weekend?

Saturday May 24th and Sunday May 25th the doors will be open to over 140 of Toronto’s most significant buildings. This annual event allows you to explore structures that may have never before been open to the public. This fabulous event is absolutely FREE. There are no tickets or pre-registration required. Many buildings will be open one or both days, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but some buildings will have more limited hours. However, you may experience considerable line-ups at certain buildings, so be prepared. Wear comfortable shoes and enjoy the experience.

There is an official program guide. It will be available in:

• The Toronto Star, Entertainment section, on Thursday, May 22, 2008
• Access Toronto counters at City Hall, 100 Queen St. West, and all other civic centres as of May 22. The phone number for Access Toronto is 416-338-0338.
• CBC’s Canadian Broadcasting Centre at 250 Front St. West. The phone number for the May 24 and 25 weekend only hotline is 416-205-2670.
• The ROM, located at 100 Queen’s Park.

The ROM will be hosting a FREE Doors Open Toronto Kick-off on Friday, May 23rd from 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM. There are also many family-friendly programs specifically geared towards kids.

Have you attended Doors Open Toronto before? Are there any buildings that you recommend as “must sees”?

Mark your calendars. After an enormously successful first season Luminato is coming back to Toronto from June 6 – June 15. Last year over 1 million people attended 100+ fabulous events that included 10 world premieres and 3 Canadian premieres in the disciplines of music, dance, theatre, film, literature, and the visual arts. Toronto’s downtown core will be alive with the arts throughout our streets, public spaces, and stages

Although many of the events are ticketed, there are plenty of fantastic free events. Seating is available on a first come first serve basis, so arrive early to avoid disappointment. Check out the list of free events.

Luminato is a federally registered charitable organization. It raises more than $12 million from the public and private sectors that support not only the Luminato Festival, but educational programs, and community outreach. Corporate sponsorships and donations are gratefully accepted and necessary to keep this marvelous festival coming back year after year. One way that you can support the festival is to participate and show your support by buying tickets.

Volunteers are important to the success of the festival. Not only are volunteers required during the 10 days of the festival itself, they are required all year round for important work including marketing, promotions, public relations, sponsorships, and business development. If you have some time to devote to this worthwhile endeavor there are forms on the festival website that you can download and send in.

Luminato Festival brochure

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.