Fashioning Parliament: Stephen Harper’s Wardrobe Woes

 My fierce Canadian pride and love of my Italian heritage are two of the most inspiring elements for my passion to design and manufacture menswear. I am a first generation Canadian, born of Italian parents, and I realized from an early age that my childhood was a wonderful experience of

Have an Eek-o-friendly Halloween

 Once upon a time, Halloween was a Celtic ritual which celebrated the end of the harvest season and the coming winter months. Fast forward to today, the holiday is a little less spiritual and a lot more commercial. From costumes to candy to decorations, Halloween is a billion dollar industry.

Le Petit Chicago Getting Back in Style

 Walking through the old streets of the Le Vieux-Hull sometimes makes one wonder how life was at the turn of the twentieth century. Walking on the brick pathway of Aubry St. and come across the historic hotel Chez Henri in Place Aubry, where the renowned Al Capone smuggled booze, one

Simply Salmon

 With the cooler weather setting in, our taste-buds are also craving some nutritious and warm meals. Salmon is a great, healthy and delicious remedy to satisfy these cravings. Salmon, especially wild Alaskan, has great nutritious benefits. For one, it's an incredibly high source of protein and  omega-3. More interestingly, recent

Nature – the Antidote to Stress

 We’ve all had those days – the computer crashes, the car won’t start, there is a traffic jam and as a result you are late for work, the dog ate your homework and the list goes on. The fast pace of modern life can easily get us all wound up.

Love Home Swap: Home Exchanges with Style

 Half of all Canadians are tightening their belts and planning to stay home this Christmas season, according to a recently commissioned Home Swapping Survey by global market research company Research Now. “In tough economic times, travel becomes a ‘nice to have’ and is often one of the first things people cut

LG Fashion Week Wrap-up: Wu and Micalla

 Adrian Wu Spring/Summer 2012: Creatures of Photons We all remember our firsts. First fashion show, first time reading Vogue, first designer purchase, well maybe that's just me. I will also remember Adrian Wu's first runway show at LG Fashion Week. Following Wu's career for the past year, has been a

Angry Birds in Montreal

 It is clear that getting your hands on Montreal Canadiens tickets can be a difficult task and an expensive one. However, there is another sports team worth checking out just outside Ottawa, the Montreal Alouettes, winners of the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cups. The journey across the 417 from Ottawa

LG Fashion Week – Spring/Summer 2012: Day Five

 Canada Cool was the theme of Toronto’s LG Fashion Week, which ran for five days in the heart of downtown Toronto.  The final day of fashion week was highlight by an eclectic and the well-established group of designers across Canada.  Most notable of the evening was the ‘Aliens’ collection from

LG Fashion Week – Spring/Summer 2012: Day Four

 Day four of LG Fashion Week started with Sarah Stevenson’s designs in the studio tent with models standing next to easels which referenced the material their dresses were made from. The artistic designer placed cut-out blooms on the sheath dresses and the collection varied from skirt separates to Grecian floor

Locks for the Law: The Kindest Cut of All

 Ottawa lawyers made the kindest cut of all last week to brighten the lives of women touched by cancer. Organized by Borden Ladner Gervais, the Locks for the Law event involved lawyers from across the city who cut their hair and donated their shorn off ponytails.  The ponytails are to

LG Fashion Week – Spring/Summer 2012: Day Three

 Day three was the most anticipated day with two top designers showing their spring collections. The two shows Pink Tartan and Joe Fresh, were sold out with crowds of media, industry, sponsors and fashionistas hoping to make it into the tents. Designer Kim Newport-Mimran behind the label Pink Tartan brought sleek

LG Fashion Week – Spring/Summer 2012: Day Two

 The second day of LG Fashion Week was met with much anticipation for the five designers entered in the Mercedez-Benz Start Up contest. The contestants Cassie Dee, Martin Lim, Travis Taddeo, Triarchy and Unttld are all new designers to the fashion scene. The Mercedez-Benz Start Up platform is an ongoing initiative

LG Fashion Week – Spring/Summer 2012: Day One

 Day one of LG Fashion Week kicked off opening night with Holt Renfrew's spring preview (There's No Place Like Holts), featuring select pieces from their Canadian designers. Fashions by Jeremy Laing, Smythe, Naked & Famous, TwentyCluny, Denis Gagnon, Dennis Merotto, Wings + Horns and Lida Baday paraded down the runway.

Summer Fresh Pesto Pasta

 Although fall is in full bloom, there is no reason to put summer in the back of our mind. One way to keep the lovely bright season alive throughout the year (read: winter) is to experiment with recipes and food that evoke that fresh summer taste. Pasta is always a

Soup for the Soul: Prescott Community Holiday Dinner Celebrates 10th Anniversary

 Soup for the Soul: A Christmas Cuisine, a community dinner established in 2001 by two Prescott-area youth, is celebrating its 10th year of bringing people together for a hearty meal during the holidays. Soup for the Soul was started a decade ago by organizers Kaitlynn Dodge and Mackenzie Eaton in

Adrian Wu: Canadian Born, Internationally Raised and Europe Bound

 Last year, fashion designer Adrian Wu wasn’t ready for LG Fashion Week. Wu applied to show his work at the Toronto-based fashion week’s Spring/Summer 2011 exhibition, but was turned away because his collection was “unfinished”, he said. Wu said he later met Robin Kay, LG Fashion Week’s organizer, at a

Boutique Le Local: A true local treasure

 Clothes nowadays rarely have Made in Canada printed on the label. Marie-France Roy and Marc Gagné, owners of Boutique Le Local on Eddy Street, are working hard to change this reality. In this historic working-class neighbourhood, Roy and Gagné “provide a place de chez nous, suggesting quality and originality,” said Roy. It’s also an exclusive shop

Rogers Kaleidoscope of Hope Gala lights a flame against teen depression

 The inaugural Rogers Kaleidoscope of Hope Gala – to take place at the Westin Ottawa on Saturday, October 29 – will create awareness of youth mental health in Ottawa and increase help for the countless brave youth and families reaching out for support. “Whether they are struggling with depression, bullying

Participants at Open Ottawa Libre Brainstorm

 On September 28, Ottawa had its second Open Ottawa Libre event at Arts Court. Libre was a City of Ottawa-organised and participant-driven forum for creativity and innovation in Canada’s capital. This year’s event brought together about 120 Ottawa residents from all walks of life, up from 40 at last year’s

No Brains Association: Dissecting the Lockout

 In the wake of its most enthralling regular season and playoffs in over a decade, the National Basketball Association has cancelled the first two weeks of its 2011-12 season as a result of the league’s ongoing lockout. With the NBA currently mired in negotiations between its 30 owners and the

Law and Disorder: A Mockery of Justice

 Calling Ottawa’s legal community: It’s time to laugh your “arts” off!  And the Ottawa Arts Court Foundation has just the event on the docket for you. On November 3, from 5pm to 9pm, judges, lawyers, actors and comedians will gather at the old Carleton County Courthouse, now known as Arts

Mais Oui, Learning French at the OCSB

 When it comes learning a new language, there is no question that the earlier you get started, the easier it is. So it is no surprise that the best time to acquire linguistic skills is when you are a child. (Just ask any public servant in the throes of language

Top of Investors’ Minds: The exponential rise in the price of gold.

 By Kash J. Pashootan Whether you’re an investor or on the sidelines watching the markets, Canadians want to know, seemingly more than ever, how global financial events impact their financial security. The underlying desire to understand the impact stems from the transition of our country’s demographics. Baby boomers, people born

Bank on One King West

 Next time you are heading to the Big Smoke and need a place to hang your hat, be sure to check out the digs at the übercool, perfectly located One King West Hotel & Residence. At King and Bay, you just can’t get more downtown Toronto than here and the