blogTO – Details, episodes & analysis

Rod Cohen has been the Executive Director of the Blake Boultbee Youth Outreach Service on Blake Street for over 30 years. The small, hidden street played a big part in the development of Toronto, and has a mysterious charm. However, there are some unique challenges faced by the community of state-of-the-art public housing, as it is sandwiched between more affluent neighbourhoods like Leslieville and Riverdale, who according to Cohen, have refused to asknowledge its existence.

Adam Bunch is the host of the Canadiana web series, and the author of both the Toronto Book of the Dead, and the forthcoming Toronto Book of Love. We explore a few different stories of love, jealousy, divorce, scandal, and dedication, like that time Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton got engaged at the King Edward hotel, or when Sandford Fleming broke up with his girlfriend over a sunset.

If you've ever been curious about naturism, which is slightly different than nudism, Greg Snow, the president of the Federation of Canadian Naturists and resident of Bare Oaks talks about the misconceptions and benefits of being nude in public, and why as a first-timer he wouldn’t go to Hanlan’s Point to de-robe. Just don't forget your towel, and mask!

Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon moved to Toronto about five years ago, he wrote a song called High Rise. The tune is about the lack of affordable housing, and the negative effects of gentrification, especially when it comes to racialized neighbourhoods, like Little Jamaica. We discuss what can be done to help protect the cultural and musical history along the stretch of Eglinton West, as well as the people who have lived and worked there for decades.

As the first winner of the first season of Canada's Drag Race, Priyanka discusses going through a once-in-a-lifetime experience during a pandemic, balancing drag with a day job, and coming to terms with being gay. Plus, which Toronto queens should be on season two of the show (if there is one), and prior to all those Emmy wins, had Priyanka, or anyone, heard from Rupaul?

We love Toronto, and we want to shout it from the mountaintops! Of course, we know the city isn't perfect (it's far from it), but we want to tell the stories, and talk to the people who make it weird and wonderful. Hosted by Dani Stover, regular episodes will shine a light on the corners of Toronto you never knew existed and the ones you've always wanted to know more about.  

Toronto police are warning the public of a string of incidents involving a creepy man harassing women in a white SUV. A bar and music venue that has been around for 74 years is closing because of a dispute with their landlord. Plus, Ten Restaurant at 1132 College Street is reopening next week with safety measures in place and 18 per cent added to the bill to abolish tipping. While not the first to do this, the move was met with a lot of hate online.

A Toronto restaurant group is implementing a 15% tip on all takeout orders. Out-of-towners tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting a Muskoka resort over the August long weekend. The city just introduced a new online reservation system for gyms and swimming pools. Plus, what it's like to be a working graffiti artist in the city, and how the community feels about people vandalizing their work.

Premier Doug Ford is happy for Russia, but is a little skeptical of the country's new coronavirus vaccine. Ontario reported just 33 new cases of COVID-19. Weather radar near Lake Erie captured hundreds of thousands of birds. Plus, Toronto's iconic gentlemen's club, Filmores Hotel, has reopened in Stage 3, and they still have no plans to close, despite the building being sold to developers.

Toronto police responded to a strange incident on Cherry Beach where two bloodied men were brandishing chainsaws. Ontario announced a $6 million grant program to help police buy more surveillance cameras. A customer lashed out at employees at a nail salon on Queen West, and made an anti-Asian racist remark. Plus, Superfan Nav Bhatia has been keeping busy, even without Raptors basketball, but now that it's back, he's forced to watch most of the games at home.