Here’s the news of today as well as what to keep watch of, with special attention to Toronto.
#SheTheNorth
— Bianca (@Bandreescu_) September 15, 2019
We should begin with a big win, especially one that is record-breaking. Bianca Andreescu returned home to Mississauga this past weekend to enjoy a little celebration. The 2019 U.S. Open tennis champion, a legendary feat for both Andreescu and Canada, was honoured in downtown Mississauga for the #SheTheNorth rally, which saw thousands of fans in attendance. The 19-year-old Andreescu received a key to the city by Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, and she now has her own street sign “Andreescu Way” in the city as well. It was estimated that 10,000 people were part of the celebration, cheering on and supporting the famed athlete. September 16 has now even been declared #SheTheNorth day in her honour. Andreescu can add $3.85 million in prize money to her earnings, too.
Virtue & Moir
While one Canadian star rises the ranks, two of the most celebrated athletes in Canadian sports, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, announced they will be retiring. The figure skating duo has broken records, scored multiple Olympic medals including two gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, stolen hearts and made folks fall in love with the sport. And their career spanned 22 years. The two will still be performing at the Rock the Rink Tour, but after that, it will be farewell.
Toronto Raptors basketball player Fred VanVleet was among the first to stay in the SickKids Airbnb, which is an “eye-opening” experience that allows people the opportunity to see what a stay inside the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at SickKids is like. The experience is valued at a total of $16, 744 (approximately the cost to care for four patients and their parents at the PICU), and the room sees four beds, four chairs and one shared washroom, which is down the hallway. There is no place for parents to sleep and no privacy between patients and their families. This innovative approach is part of the BuildTheNewSickKids.ca campaign, where the goal is to raise $1.3 billion to fund a new hospital. It costs $2,400 per person to book the SickKids Airbnb.
“People know we are in the process of funding a new hospital, but people don’t know why,” Lori Davison, vice president of brand marketing and communications at SickKids, tells us. “People will get a real wakeup call in terms of the gap of what you would expect from SickKids and its world-leading care and the actual infrastructure. The oldest part of the hospital dates back to 1949 and the newest part was built in 1993.”
We got to peek inside the SickKids Airbnb, which sees staff involved throughout the stay.
“It is a full-on audio experience too that the staff are involved in” adds Davison. “They come in and do rounds, check on their patients and we even use a ‘simulator doll’ that makes sounds and is assessed and then reassessed by staff.”
TIFF
Stars and film pandemonium from the Toronto International Film Festival may have settled, but there are some memories we’re still relishing in — like this one.
Then there was J-Lo and the exclusive #SheInspiresMe event put on by Twitter Canada.
The afternoon saw the cast of Hustlers (Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, and Lili Reinhart) in house to discuss film, females, and empowerment.
TIFF noted that 84 countries and regions were represented at this year’s festival. 245 features and 82 shorts were shown, and 51 first-time feature filmmakers made their debuts.
Business
Canadian Business named the fastest-growing businesses as part of its annual Startup 50 list. Among the top companies were LBC Studios, FreshWorks, Aurora Cannabis and Marlin Spring. The fastest-growing startup was Exzell Pharma.
Canadian Business also unveiled its Growth 500 list of fastest-growing companies. Article, Levio, Prodigy, Cluep, Link Energy and SendtoNews were among the leaders.
Tech
From September 20 to September 26, Elevate will take over Toronto for its second-annual run. Here’s our take from last year. This year the tech conference will feature the likes of Chris Hadfield, Kara Swisher, Michelle Obama, Martha Stewart, TIFF’s artistic director Cameron Bailey, Akon, and Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri.
Upcoming
We feel obliged to inform you all about Sneakerhead Toronto happening in a few weeks at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The event, which you can buy and sell and browse through sneakers, takes place on October 5 and tickets are $20. Cool stuff will happen.
Also, next month is TEDxToronto (October 26). Look for Sidewalk Hustle’s rundown of what to catch at the big event.
We’re also a big fan of Hot Docs, so another event we’re anticipating (it’s coming in November but the lineup was just unveiled) is the Hot Docs Podcast Festival. The fourth annual event runs from November 6 to 11 and will showcase non-fiction audio storytelling. On tap will be British author, journalist and screenwriter Jon Ronson (This American Life, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed), who will vamp his podcasts The Butterfly Effect and The Last Days in August into a live show. Toronto’s Sean Rameswaram and Pulitzer-winning journalist Wesley Morris are also on board.
Eataly Toronto is set to open by the end of 2019, marking the first entry of the authentic Italian marketplace in Canada. Apparently it will house an on-site brewery.