Chronicle - Summer/Fall 2008

COMMUNAUTAIRE CHRONIQUE

Q U E B E C C I T Y • M O N T R E A L • T O R O N T O • W I N N I P E G • K I T C H E N E R

Winnipeg’s UndergroundCafé: hard to find, easy to like

SUMMER/FALL 2008

KING WESTCLOTHIERSToronto’s GotStyle OffersRetail for the Urban Male

KING WESTCLOTHIERSToronto’s GotStyle OffersRetail for the Urban Male

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Montreal’s Ruze Communication:Sustainable Marketing from 400 Atlantic Ave.

PLUS:• Vistek: industrial strength

camera store• Kitchener’s downtown

revitalization• Totum Tips: Drink up

Pravda Vodka House CapturesCommunist Kitsch

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ST. LAWRENCE MARKET, TORONTO / - When organizers sought a Toronto venue for the launch of the new James Bond novel, Devil May Care, this past June, a downtown Russian-themed vodka bar held just the right balance of intrigue and tongue-in-cheek décor to make an evening of all things Bond seem like it was being held on a faux-Kremlin film set rather than in a popular St. Lawrence market area lounge.

But then, that’s the idea behindPravda Vodka House, explains its owner and congenial host Robin Singh.

“In Toronto, there are a lot ofplaces whose themes don’t actuallymatch the interior, but here I justfilled it with pretty much anything I could find that was Russian,” he says of the Wellington Street East nightspot that has grown popular with the after-work crowd for its intriguing interior and dedication to allthings vodka (including gourmet Russian-inspired tapas).

“People associate vodka with an image, and that image is pretty much Russia,” says Singh. The martini bar’s rich and raw interior features dark oak floors, velvet upholsteryand chocolate brown leather sofas and arm chairs set againstexposed brick and heavy fir beam structural accents.

But in a themed lounge like this, the dressing is in thedetails, so beyond the wealth of communist leader portraits(Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Lenin, Stalin, Chairman Mao and

Marx) and the four-foot-high hammer and sickle hangingabove the ground floor bar, you’ll find a number of curiosand accents, all of which work to complete the space’s ironiccommunist kitsch atmosphere.

The long, two-level space lends itself perfectly to lounging,with more than a dozen comfortable conversation areas. Forsomething more private, the back of the upper level has aVIP area whose heavy red curtains with gold trim can be

pulled back to reveal a marble mantel, to either side of which are tables andassorted seating.

With some 76 varieties of vodkaavailable, Pravda offers tasting menuswith everything from ordinary versionsof the drink to limited edition bottlesand further authenticates the experience

by offering a number of accompaniments from sturgeoncaviar and shrimp platters to the more rudimentary rye breadand pickles (“That’s the Red Army way,” says Singh).

The kitchen offerings have become more elaborate since itmoved from its original space a few blocks west of its currentlocale (the old space is now Lucien), and features a twist ontraditional fare like Beef Stroganoff and veal-stuffed perogies.

Free appetizers are available most nights and ‘industrynight’ on Tuesdays features half-price martinis and hot foodtill 1:00 am. A DJ spins Wednesday to Saturday, giving theplace a mellow vibe, but for more eclectic entertainment,check out the politically incorrect “Midget Martini” nights.

Pravdavodkabar.com

COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 2

Vodka, Vodka EverywhereWith 76 different varieties of the world’s most popular distilled drink,Pravda Vodka House brings the spirit to life with Czarist-themed décor.

““People associate vodka withan image, and that image ispretty much Russia.”

Pravda’s rich and rawinterior features anumber of comfortableconversation areas,including a mock gulag cell (left).

TORO

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3 • SUMMER/FALL 2008

King West Retail Strategy a Matter of Balance

KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - Retail at King West Central has always been a carefully considered equationthat comes from a need to balance services for area office workers with the requirements of the node’s growing residentialpopulation. To some degree, this has come to look like a balance between bistros and furniture retailers. Of course that’snot the whole story, but as one of Toronto’s newest nodes, it’s part of the evolution of a neighbourhood.

“You have to remember that Allied [Properties REIT] created a node almost single-handedly in an area that just didn’texist before,” says Tom Burns, vice president of DTZ Barnicke’sRetail Group, who helped to build the street-front leasing strategy when the area’s historic buildings were first being refurbished in 1997.

UNCOVERING A VIBRANT NEIGHBOURHOOD Back then, thearea’s designation as a manufacturing zone had just been liftedand Allied spent considerable effort restoring the brick facadesof these former warehouses. “And now it’s a healthy vibrantneighbourhood,” says Burns, who recalls the challenge of finding the area’s first ‘big’ tenant, Rodney’s Oyster House.

“We searched a long time to find the right tenant to set thetone for the neighbourhood, and Rodney’s was having issueswith their space on Adelaide East, so we found space for him on King West,” says Burns explaining that Crush Wine Barcame in shortly after, followed by Brassaii.

A plan was drawn up for both sides of this stretch of KingStreet West to carefully select who would move in and where,helping to ensure each piece of the puzzle filled a niche of sorts.

Having the Mini Downtown dealership open in 2002 servednot only to give the neighbourhood some visually arresting

window displays, it also provided a destination shopping experience, drawing people from around the GTA to discoverthe node’s restaurants and furniture boutiques.

U.S. RETAILERS LOOKING AT CANADIAN MARKETS Therecent opening of Design Within Reach is in part an indicatorof the U.S. interest in Canadian markets, though much of theattention is drawn to premium malls, where sales per square foot continue to increase much faster than national averages.

Retailers like Sephora, Coach, Abercrombie, Lululemon,Apple, Aeropostal, Aritzia and a few others are encouraged bysolid performances to date.

But Burns says there is a new group of retailers just beginningtheir search for space in Canada that will also help drive salesvolumes and keep consumer interest up. Brooks Brothers, Crate& Barrel, West Elm, Design Within Reach, Anthropologie,Michael Kors are all making commitments for real estate.

And firms like Design Within Reach look specifically foreclectic buildings in developing neighbourhoods to establishtheir ‘studios’.

CANADA’S RETAIL SECTOR HEALTHY Unlike the retail marketin the United States, retailing in Canada remains healthy,according to Burns. The hot spots are Alberta and Saskatchewanwhere year over year increases are double digit. The GreaterToronto area is posting increases of 4%, which, according toStatistics Canada, reflects the national average.

With continued growth in sales all retail categories are seekingreal estate. From dollar stores to luxury retailers and from fastfood to full service restaurants, finding high quality real estateremains a challenge.

King Street West’snorth side featuresMini Downtown...

...while the stretch’s south side featuresrestaurants and furniture boutiques.

TORONTO

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RUE ATLANTIC, MONTRÉAL -Lorsque Sophie Seguin travaillaitcomme experte-conseil en affaires pouraider des entreprises à devenir plusefficaces, elle n’a pas pu s’empêcherde remarquer le gaspillage provoquépar les mauvaises pratiques de certainesentreprises en matière de développe-ment durable.

« Certaines entreprises ne disposaientmême pas d’un bac bleu, » sesouvient-elle. Elle fait remarquer quelorsqu’elle a monté sa propre entreprisede communications, l’un des objectifsfondamentaux du plan de gestion étaitque l’entreprise devait être carboneneutre.

En fait, les commentaires qu’elle areçus au sujet de son plan initial onttoujours été positifs, sauf en ce quiconcernait les principes de développe-ment durable. Bon nombre depersonnes lui ont conseillé ’abandonnercomplètement le côté « écolo » de sesopérations ou tout au moins de lecacher. C’est ce qu’elle a fait durant lespremiers mois, révélant par exempleaux clients seulement après achèvementd’un projet graphique quelconque qu’ilavait été imprimé sur du papier

recyclé.

C’était il y a trois ans. Depuis lors,Sophie Seguin et son collègue Pierre Provost, qui s’estassocié à elle il y a un an, ont fait de Ruze Communicationl’agence publicitaire la plus écolo de Montréal. Ils sontsouvent invités à siéger dans des comités avec de grandessociétés multinationales pour discuter de stratégiescarboneutres pour des entreprises de services. (PierreProvost participe, entre autres, à la mise en œuvre duplan de développement durable de Montréal.)

La clientèle de Ruze regroupe bon nombre de PMEainsi que plusieurs entités du gouvernement et desorganismes sans but lucratif, et sa liste de fournisseursécologiques s’allonge projet par projet.

« C’est ça le défi à relever. Il y a trois ans, trouver unimprimeur utilisant du papier fourni par une entrepriseforestière certifiée et des encres à base végétale était unvéritable casse-tête. Nous faisons maintenant affaire avecplusieurs fournisseurs, » explique Sophie Seguin, en ajoutantqu’il est indispensable d’obliger la chaîne de production en

entier, des fournisseurs de papier aux services d’hébergementpour sites Web alimentés par énergie éolienne, à adopter despratiques de développement durable.

La planification d’une campagne publicitaire utilisant despratiques de développement durable est un véritable processuséducatif aussi bien pour le client que pour le client duclient. Cependant, selon Sophie Seguin, la principale difficultéconsiste à dissiper le mythe que la solution écologique entraînedes coûts beaucoup plus élevés.

« Il est vrai que cela coûtait bien cher lorsque nous noussommes lancés en affaires. De nos jours cependant, imprimerun projet respectueux de l’environnement coûte en généralmoins de cinq pour cent de plus, » fait-elle remarquer. Ellesouligne que la liste des fournisseurs et des produits s’allongeet les prix continuent de chuter au fur et à mesure qu’unplus grand nombre d’entreprises montréalaises adoptent despratiques respectueuses de l’environnement.

ruzecommunication.com

CHRONIQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE • 4

Quand l’écolo l’emporteExperts en marketing responsable et en communication graphique écologique

Sophie Seguin et son collègue Pierre Provost ont fait de Ruze l’agence publicitaire la plusécolo de Montréal.

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UbiSoft building in Montreal marks gaminggiant’s second studio in Allied portfolioST. LAURENT BLVD., MONTREAL / – In August, Allied completed the acquisition of 5505 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, a five-storey, Class I office building on the southeast cornerof Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Viateur Avenue whose anchor tenant is gaming software giant UbisoftDivertissement Inc.

Based in France, Ubisoft became a publicly traded company in 1996 and continued to expand around the globe,opening studios in places like Shanghai and at 5505 St. Laurent in Montreal, as well as one in Quebec City in2005, which also happens to be in a building owned byAllied Properties REIT.

Nouvelle acquisition : l’édifice Ubisoft à MontréalBOULEVARD SAINT-LAURENT, MONTRÉAL – En août dernier, Allied a complété l’acquisition d’un édifice de cinq étages (déjà connu sous le nom de Ubisoft), situéau 5505 boulevard Saint-Laurent à l’angle sud-est duboulevard Saint-Laurent et de l’avenue Saint-Viateur.Ubisoft Divertissement Inc., un géant des jeux vidéo, est le locataire majeur de cet édifice; il s’agit d’une filialeen propriété exclusive d’Ubisoft Entertainment SA.

Basé en France, Ubisoft a été fondé en 1986 par les cinq frères Guillemot. Au début des années 1990, la société a entrepris un programme de développement dejeux à l’interne qui a abouti en 1994 à l’ouverture d’un studio à Montreuil (France) devenu par la suite le siègesocial de la société. Ubisoft a été introduit en Bourse en 1996 et a poursuivi son expansion mondiale avec l’ouverture de studios à travers le monde, y inclus àShanghai, à Montréal, au 5505 Saint-Laurent, ainsi qu’àQuébec, en 2005, dans un édifice appartenant aussi àAllied Properties REIT.


RUE ATLANTIC, MONTREAL / - When Sophie Seguin worked as a businessconsultant advising companies on efficiency, she couldn’t help but noticethe inefficiency of some firms’ sustainability practices.

“Some companies didn’t even have blue bins,” she recalls, explainingthat when she started her own communications firm, being a carbon neutral company was firmly entrenched into the business plan.

In fact, the feedback she received on her initial plan was always positive, save for that bit about sustainable practices. Many advised her to drop the green aspect of her business altogether or at least to hide it.For the first few months in business she did, revealing to clients only aftera graphic design project had been completed, for example, that it wasprinted on recycled paper.

That was only three years ago, and since then, Seguin and her colleague, Pierre Provost who joined her a year ago, have made RuzeMontreal’s leading enviro ad agency, often being called upon to sit oncommittees with large multinationals to discuss carbon-neutral strategiesfor service enterprises. (Provost, for example, is involved in the applicationof Montreal’s sustainable development plan.)

Ruze’s client base includes a number of small to medium sized businesses as well as several government and not-for-profit agencies, and its list of green suppliers grows with every new project.

“That’s the challenge. Three years ago, finding a printer with ForestryCertified paper and vegetable based ink was a struggle, but now we haveseveral suppliers,” says Seguin, adding that the key is to push the entirechain of production into adopting sustainable practices, from paper suppliers to wind-powered hosting services for web sites.

Planning an ad initiative using sustainable practices is an educationprocess for clients and the client’s client, but the main challenge, saysSeguin, is to dispel the myth that a green solution is an expensive one.

“It’s true that it used to be a lot more expensive when we started, butnow, to do a print job in an environmentally friendly way is usually lessthan five percent more expensive,” she says, adding that as more Montrealfirms embrace environmental practices, the list of suppliers and materialscontinues to grow, while prices drop.

Montreal Ad Shop MakesSustainability its Competitive Edge

Pierre ProvostVice-président, communication

Sophie SeguinPrésidente, directrice artistique



The Industrial Strength Camera StoreToronto’s Vistek grew from studio rentals to a national retailer of high-end and hard-to-find photo and video gear

QUEEN STREET EAST, TORONTO / - When photo -grapher Ron Silverstein began renting studio space and advising on electronic flash lighting, he was just looking toearn extra income that stemmed from his profession. TheBuffalo, New York native likely hadn’t conceived that thesideline he started in 1976 would grow into a national retailer supplying Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton markets with a wide array of the latest photo, video and digital imaging equip-ment. But that’s exactly what Vistek hasbecome.

For more than 30 years, the Toronto-based retailer, now located in the historic Dominion Breweries buildingon Queen Street East, has been the go-to spot for pros and avid amateurs in search of high-end and hard-to-findphoto and video equipment. And oneglance reveals that Vistek is far morethan just another camera store.

Occupying some 25,000 square feet at 496 Queen StreetEast for the last 18 years, and spread over four floors andwith a staff of 120, Vistek, whose name is derived from theterm ‘visual technology’, grew initially on the quality of itsrental equipment.

Back in the late 1970s, there weren’t many people rentingsophisticated photographic lighting gear, and there was ashortage of studio space. By 1977, Silverstein was makingmore money from renting out his studio than he was at actually shooting. And, answering a growing demand forEuropean lighting gear, he turned part of his studio into aBalcar equipment showroom.

“He basically had lighting equipment nobody else had,”explains Cam Levack, creative director at Vistek.

While sales are still strong on the pro side, Levack saysVistek has a loyal following among the “prosumers” – serious amateurs with skills and needs that border on the professional. As with most specialty retailers, Vistek’s strength lies in the expertise of its staff.

“They’re virtually all photographers or videographers, sothey’re not only knowledgeable, they’re enthusiastic,” saysLevack, explaining the competitive edge the retailer has over

big box electronics that have enteredthe camera market following the digital revolution.

And while that change has openedthe field to new players, it didn’tchange Vistek’s essential role as a placeto buy, rent or learn about the latestadvances. Today, as computers becomeas important to photographers as their lenses and tripods, the retailerhelps foster the link between photo,

video and digital imaging. Vistek offers a full-fledged Macdepartment with a wide range of hardware and software, even on-site Mac techs.

The store continues to sell to working professionals, dedicated amateurs, people in search of a thoughtful gift – as well as offer business-to-business solutions ranging fromsetting up an in-house studio, to recommending equipmentto produce the company newsletter. Its policy of offering“best in class” equipment in specific price categories ensuresits customers get relevant buying choices, accompanied bystaff know-how.

More than thirty years later, Vistek’s track record demon-strates there is always a market for something no one else has – whether it’s equipment, expertise, or passion.

vistek.ca

“While sales are still strong on the pro side, Vistek has a loyal following among the “prosumers” – serious amateurphotographers with skills and needs that border on the professional.

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7 • ÉTÉ/AUTOMNE 2008

Consolidation des bureaux du Centre financieraux entreprises Desjardins dans la basse-ville

NOUVO ST. ROCH, QUEBEC / - Since 2005, the Centre financier aux entreprises Desjardins de Québec hasoperated two separate offices – one on Grande Allée and the other in Nouvo St. Roch – but come September,the 58 employees will be brought together into onebuilding on Boulevard Charest Est.

The Centre financier Desjardins expects the newlocale, some 9,000 square feet spread over two floors at390 Boulevard Charest Est, will create synergy betweenthe various account reps that service a very broad rangeof client businesses.

Offering consultation in areas such as real estate and construction, retail, wholesale trade, manufacturing,emerging markets and service businesses, the centre’steam members have in depth knowledge of the localbusiness community and bring a wide range of expertiseto bear on their client’s needs, says the centre’s director,Jacques Hallé.

In business, speed and information are closelylinked, he says, so getting his group together into a single space is in part designed to keep the informationflowing in this office, which handles some 4,000 businesses as clients and manages 1.4 billion in assets.

Centre Financier Desjardinsconsolidates offices to find synergy in vibrant Basse Ville

En septembre, tous les 58 employés du Centrefinancier Desjardins seretrouveront dans un seulédifice au Nouvo St-Roch.

NOUVO ST-ROCH, QUÉBEC / - Depuis 2005, le Centre financier aux entreprises Desjardins de Québec occupe deux bureaux distincts – un sur la Grande-Allée et l’autre dans le Nouvo St-Roch. En septembre,cependant, les 58 employés se retrouveront dans un seul édifice du boulevard Charest Est.

Le Centre financier Desjardins compte sur le nouveau bureau, quitotalisera 9 000 pieds carrés sur deux étages au 390, boulevard CharestEst, pour créer de la synergie entre les divers directeurs de comptes qui fournissent des services à un vaste éventail d’entreprises clientes.

Les employés du centre, qui fournissent des services dans diversdomaines comme l’immobilier et la construction, le commerce de détail et de gros, la fabrication, les marchés émergents et les entreprises de service, connaissent à fond le milieu des affaires local et ils disposent decompétences approfondies pour répondre aux besoins de leurs clients,explique Jacques Hallé, directeur du centre.

Dans le monde des affaires, la vitesse et l’information vont de pair, fait-il remarquer. Pour cette raison, le regroupement de son équipe dansun seul endroit vise en partie à faciliter le partage de l’information.

« Quand l’information circule rapidement, l’expertise peut circulerrapidement, » explique-t-il, en ajoutant que son bureau compte quelque4 000 entreprises clientes et gère un actif d’une valeur de 1,4 milliard de dollars.

La gestion de deux bureaux dans deux emplacements différents devenaitlourde et l’équipe de Desjardins apprécie le look corporatif de l’édifice duboulevard Charest Est qui est facilement accessible à partir des autoroutesde la région.

« Le centre fournit ses services au marché de la ville de Québec, maisnous avons aussi de nombreux clients dans le Québec Métropolitain et enrégions, » fait savoir M. Hallé, qui explique que ses directeurs de comptesconsacrent une grande partie de leur temps à rendre visite aux clients.

L’idée de consolider les bureaux revêt encore une plus grande impor-tance pour avoir un endroit où tous les membres de l’équipe peuventapprendre à mieux se connaître.

Ce qui compte encore plus, c’est le quartier lui-même, où l’on trouvedes entreprises de haute technologie comme le développeur de logicielsUbisoft, des restaurants, des boutiques, des entreprises de services et unevie palpitante avec laquelle un centre financier peut s’identifier.

desjardins.com

QUÉBEC



EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Let’s say you want to get some spray foam installed onto the ceiling of yourhome’s garage and you call the Canadian Urethane FoamContractors Association to get a referral.

That’s when the phone rings in an office at 250 McDermotAve. in Winnipeg’s Exchange District where a team of 11 atBuilding Professionals Consortium (BPC) work for a number of building and trade related organizations. It will also ringthere if you call the Heating, Refrigeration and AirConditioning Institute Contractor’s Division – Manitobachapter, the National Air Barrier Association, even the AirBarrier Association of America.

But providing industry support services for constructiontrade associations is just a small part of what BPC does. Itsmain area of service focuses on developing and implementingquality assurance programs, certification and training for thebuilding energy efficiency industry.

“For energy efficiency to work, you need a good productand it needs to be installed properly,” says BPC vice presidentRyan Dalgleish.

“If you don’t have those two factors working together, youjust won’t get the efficiency you’re looking for,” he says.

So if the contractor who comes to spray foam your home’sgarage is member of the trade association (CUFCA), chancesare he will be using tools and techniques learned in training

provided by BPC and working to a specific quality assuranceguideline that has been developed by the BPC team.

Almost 60 percent of its work is with U.S.-based clientsbecause unlike Canada, energy efficiency is just starting to become a national priority and adopted in state building codes.

BPC also works with a number of manufacturers helpingcompanies like Dow and BBA Fiberweb (manufacturer ofTypar house wrap) develop training manuals for the properinstallation of their building performance products.

A family-owned firm, BPC started in the 1980s whenLaverne Dalgleish, Ryan’s father, parlayed his experience as a home builder/renovator to become an energy efficiency consultant. Partnering with son Ryan and family friend PeterStafford, the senior Dalgleish launched BPC into qualityassurance and education.

The team, along with some 30 instructors and consultants,has been establishing building industry energy efficiency standards for over 25 years now and with green building drawing more attention, BPC is poised for growth.

The company is in the process of becoming a certificationbody by the Standards Council of Canada, and if that goesthrough, it will be the only firm in the country accredited tocertify individuals specifically for energy efficiency, admini -stering tests and validating a candidate’s skill and knowledge.

bpc.ca

Green StandardsWinnipeg’s BPC has been establishing building industry energy efficiency standards for over 25 years. Now with the construction industry seeing green, it’s poised for growth.

The Smithsonian Institute inWashington, DC and theChildren’s Hospital in Madison,Wisconsin, two buildings thatincorporated BPC’s qualityassurance program for air barriers.

A BPC instructor runs training for a foam insulation installer in Boston, MA.

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Allied’s new Kitchener building an early sign of area revitalizationWAREHOUSE DISTRICT, KITCHENER / -Sold out warehouse-to-condo conversions, ahigh-tech university campus under completionand a rising demand for funky brick-and-beamoffice and retail space are what you’d expect tosee in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, but it’s happening in Kitchener.

The southwestern Ontario city of 200,000 iscurrently undergoing an extensive revitalizationof its downtown core. Shifting, as many cities in the region did, from an industrial base to a knowledge economy hollowed out the down-town as companies and workers gravitated tothe suburbs.

But the city has launched a number of initia-tives to infuse the downtown with live, workand play areas in an effort to draw a criticalmass back to the centre. One such initiative isthe development of the warehouse district.

WAREHOUSE CONVERSION ‘UNIQUE’ A few blocks from cityhall and from the current $100-million Centre Block initiative, a condos, parking, retail, hotel and courtyard project intended to kickstart further revitalization, the ware-house district is repurposing historic buildings into funkyoffice environments. One already completed conversion, acentury-old former wooden seat factory at 72 Victoria StreetSouth, was acquired by Allied Properties REIT earlier this year.

“We don’t really have many buildings like that here,” saysDarren Shaw, a broker with DTZ Barnicke in Kitchener.

“There are very few brick and beam office opportunities inthe local market. That’s why it’s always done well from a leasing perspective. It’s pretty unique to the downtown area.”

Eight tenants fill the 90,000-square-foot, four-storeybuilding, whose brick and beam environment was renovatedin 1999, drawing design and advertising firms, engineers,consultants and a large software firm, Peer Group, as tenants.

U OF W CAMPUS, CONDO LOFTS AND TANNERY PROJECT CREATING BUZZ Another Toronto firm has purchased thenearby 5.6-acre site on which sits the former Lang Tannery,once the largest in the British Empire. It currently houses afew dozen small artisanal businesses in a warren of connectedbuildings, and the $30-million redevelopment plan for theTannery District project calls for more retail, restaurant andoffice with completion scheduled for 2009.

Bootmaker Kaufman’s old factory, also in the district, hasbeen converted to lofts and all of its 270 units, from studiosto three-bedroom units, have sold out.

Adding a residential component to the area is likely toaffect the demand for further amenities, but perhaps one of the largest projects to do so is the University of WaterlooSchool of Pharmacy’s $147 million Downtown HealthSciences Centre, which opened its doors early this year.

The 120,000-square-foot mini campus is also home to asatellite medical school affiliated with McMaster Universityand is expected to stimulate residential growth in the city’score as well as produce spin-off activities such as the creationof supporting businesses, the development of housing, as well as businesses focused on fitness and leisure activities.


72 Victoria Street South,originally renovated in 1999,houses eight tenants.

KITCHENER


EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Fourteen yearsago, Leona Brown was just looking for a sunny, quiet place to work on her painting. It wasn’t hard to peg 70 Arthur as a likely location. It had a long association with the artisticcommunity and the old sunlit warehouse spaces were dividedinto eclectic shapes that seemed to jibe with the sensibilities of the tenants.

She’s since occupied a few spaces in the building, but the1,000 square feet she currently has is just the right size for her, not only to display the large scale collections of abstractwatercolour landscapes for which she has come to be known,but also to teach classes and run her painting tours business.

SOAKING UP THE ATMOSPHERE “You really get to see theculture and meet the people because you’re sitting in one placeall morning painting and soaking up the atmosphere,” shesays, accounting for the popularity of the sold out tours thatrun to locales in Greece and Spain.

Participants paint every morning and Brown estimatesabout half return home with several pieces ready to framewhile the other half come back with solid beginnings for larger works. Brown, who has been running these trips for 11 years now, doesn’t paint major pieces on location. Exceptfor her outdoor demonstrations, she’s too busy teaching.

She looks to the time between teaching and travelling todevelop her creative interests and finish her instructional bookabout working with watercolours on experimental surfaces.

EXPLORING NEW MEDIA “I like experimenting with differ-ent surfaces and combining media,” she says, explaining that

some of her work is initially mistaken for oil or acrylic because it’s on a canvas primed with gesso to give it texture.

Another favourite material is Tyvek, the vapour barrierpaper used in residential construction whose fibers can be seen when the surface is painted, giving it a marbling effect.She is also experimenting with large-scale mixed media collage, tearing some old paintings into pieces that are reusedin a new work.

Brown had always had an artistic bent, but only began painting seriously when her children were young(watercolours were easier to clean up, she says).

A PASSION THAT PAYS Her husband worked for varioustransportation companies so the family moved around a fairbit, living throughout Canada, and even for a year in China.All the while, Brown felt her need to paint grow, so when thefamily returned to Winnipeg, she took up studio space tocommit more time to her art.

When her husband Murray decided to stop working andsemi retire, she began to teach painting, drawing on her previous career as a teacher.

“Frankly, it was through my determination not to work atTim Horton’s that I could make this passion of mine actuallypay,” she recalls, “and once I started teaching more, it mademe realize it was all quite viable.”

More than that, her passion seems to be contagious. Whilesome of her students are retirees eager to learn or nurture abudding interest in art, more than half are now selling theirwork, and six former students are now renting studio space at 70 Arthur.


Watercolour artist feeds creativity throughteaching and painting tours

Changes, a 48x60 watercolour

Brown with a work in progress.

From her studio, Brown paints, hosts classes and runs her international painting tours.

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AutoCAD developer and furniture retailer join the St. Lawrence Market Area of Allied portfolio

King West’s Calphalon Culinary Center offers learning, inspirationand some serious sampling KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - The Calphalon Culinary Centerat 425 King Street West offers a variety of themed cooking classes to enjoy,from hands-on learning to delicious demonstrations.

For hands-on classes, you’ll get all you need to create a gastronomic masterpiece as a chef walks you through the recipes and techniques. Working from your own cooking station, classes such as Wok & Roll, teach you to create healthy and flavourful Asian inspired dishes like Chili Hoisin Beef Stir Fry with Cellophane Noodles and Crispy Chickenwith Eggplant Stir Fry. And of course, you get to eat what you make

If you’d rather sit back, relax and enjoying some sampling, check out a demonstration class where you can watch a chef in action. The Tuscan Table class features Gorgonzola and Porcini Fusilli, and Pine Nut-CrustedHalibut while the Tropical Luau shows a sampling of island hospitality with Braised Short Ribs and Mahi Mahi in Banana Leaves.

Also, watch for the fall’s popular lunchtime demo Top 5 Kitchen Secretswhere you can learn how to salvage a hollandaise sauce and how to searmeats for taste and flavour. (There’s a $20 fee, but you also get a $20 storecredit at the Calphalon Shop.)

Cooking classes start at $70. For more information, visitwww.CalphalonCulinaryCenter.com

TORONTO / - A seven-storey Class I brick building on King StreetEast is among the recent acquisitions to come into the AlliedProperties REIT portfolio this summer.

Near the intersection of Jarvis and King, and located on thenorth side a block away from George Brown College, 204, 210 and 214 King Street East feature a variety of tenants, the largestof which is AutoDesk, a California-based world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. (Since itsintroduction of AutoCAD in 1982, Autodesk has developed thebroadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutionsto help customers experience their ideas before they are real.)

Retailer InDesign occupies a two-storey showroom furthereast at the 214 King Street East address. It carries a mix of mod-ern and contemporary furniture including sofas, chairs and tables.

INCOMING!


KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - If the abundanceof extreme makeover shows, the launch of Men’s Vogue andthe rise of the term ‘metrosexual’ haven’t clued you in to theneed for proper fitting men’s fashions, a visit to GotStyle onKing Street West will.

Launched in 2005 by Melissa Austria and Seamus Clarke(and now under the sole ownership of Austria), the menswearstore is designed to simplify the clothes shopping experiencefor men seeking to update not only their wardrobe, but their look - hairstylists work onsite and spa services availableinclude back waxing and an anti-hangover facial treatment, as well as a range of massages.

ONE FLIGHT UP Located on thesecond floor of an office building,GotStyle’s space isn’t ideal forattracting walk-by traffic, but given the media attention the storehas received since opening, the5,000-square-foot showroom hasbecome something of a destinationshopping experience.

Designed by club impresarioMarc Kiryacou, the space’s exposed walls and columns aregallery white, decorated with original art, lit with warehousewindows and peppered with flat screen TVs and leather furniture. But beyond the boy’s club aesthetic, the store’s appeal to men lies in its organization.

PRE-ORGANIZED OUTFITS FOR EASY SHOPPING Suits and more formal attire occupy a back-of-house spacewhile casual clothing takes up the bulk of the front, and is

arranged on racks that are colour-coordinated.

“The idea is that you can put an outfit together just fromone rack,” says Austria, a veteran of the fashion business whoworked on the wholesale side for brands like Clairborne,Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole.

Finding something stylish here is easy, and you don’t have to be model thin to shop in the store. Sizes run to XXL, thereare shirts with 18-inch necks, and pants with 40-inch waists.

“The difference is that we offer a modern fit,” says Austria,“so it’s not the boxy or baggy cut that larger guys are used towearing. A modern cut gives you shape and actually makes you look trimmer.”

While Harry Rosen and Holt Renfrewaim for the CEOs, Austria says her storeserves the up-and-coming guys who wantto look great, but don’t have the salary tospend $2,500 on a suit.

TOP-NOTCH TAILORING The miscon-ception, she says, is that made-to-measuresuits are expensive, but GotStyle’s tailorednumbers start at $800, are made of Italian cloth and sewn locally under the

watchful eye of Joa Cavalicanti, who worked at Harry Rosen’s,and before that was a tailor on Martin Scorcese movies likeThe Aviator and Gangs of New York.

While the store doesn’t lack for ironic T-shirts with retroNHL logos and gadget accessories like cool Zippos andchunky watches, the bulk of its sales go to the smart casualwearer, trying to complete a jeans and blazer look that is both professional and contemporary.

FROM T-SHIRTS TO TIGER OFSWEDEN From $30 T-shirts to $1,250suits, the store tries hard to keep youdressed in something the guy at theother end of the bar is not likely to bewearing. Brands like Tiger of Sweden,Junk Deluxe, Gsus, Sand, Ted Baker andHaight & Ashbury figure prominently,but the made-to-measure department iswhere Austria is seeing a lot of growth.

To that end, GotStyle has come upwith a business starter kit that featurestwo made-to-measure suits, four shirtsand four ties all for $2,500.

“If you get a great fitting suit, you’ll feel better in it. No question,” says Austria.

Gsmen.com

FROM WARDROBE TO WAXINGGotStyle simplifies fashion for Toronto’s urban male professional


““The difference is that we offer a modern fit, so it’s not the boxyor baggy cut that larger guys are used to wearing. A moderncut gives you shape and actuallymakes you look trimmer.”

TORO

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T O T U M T I P S

How much water should I drink when I exercise?With summer workouts in full swing and the fall marathon season upon us, it seems a good idea to tackle the topic of hydration. Drink too muchbefore an activity and you can feel bloated and cramp up. Drink too little and you’ll lose energy and risk dehydration. Drink too much after an activityand you can risk hyponatremia, where the blood’s plasma becomes dilutedbringing on headaches, nausea and vomiting.

So what’s the right amount?

Of course individuals perspire at different rates and therefore have different hydration requirements, but a good rule of thumb, says CaraMacMullin, a naturopathic doctor at Totum Life Science on King West, is todrink 1.5 to two litres a day.

“The key is to make sure you’rehydrated before you start exercising,”she says, adding that you should stepup fluid intake a couple of hoursbefore you begin your activity.

“Endurance events and longercompetitions are when you shouldconsider electrolyte and carbohydratereplacement,” says MacMullin, but ifyou’re planning an average workoutafter work, just make sure you’redrinking water throughout the day.

WATER BY THE NUMBERS1 to 2: the average person’s sweat rate per hour.

2: the number of cups of water you should drink two to three hours beforeyou start a half-hour of physical activity.

60: the percentage of your body weight that is water.

60: the duration in minutes of an activity that will require you replace spent carbohydrates and electrolytes with a sports drink.

150 to 200: the amount in milliliters of fluid you should take in every 10 to 15 minutes for an activity that lasts more than 40 minutes.

200: the amount in milliliters of orange juice that you can add to a liter of water to make a homemade sports drink.

CALCULATING HOW MUCH WATER YOU NEED EACH DAYHydration requirements will change with each individual, so Dr. MacMullinsuggests using this formulation as a starting point. You’ll likely adjust it based on your body’s needs and weather conditions, but essentially it’s a simple matter of dividing your body weight (in pounds) by two. The solution is equal to the number of ounces of water you will need daily. So if your weight is 130, you’ll need 65 ounces of water, or approximately 8 eight-ounce glasses.

totum.ca

Formal attire andonsite spa servicesand haircuts (above)can be found at theback-of-house while casual clothesfill the front.

HEALTH / SANTÉ


CITE MULTIMEDIA / - The longest cargo ship in theworld today is the container vessel Emma Mærsk. If this1,300-foot-long behemoth were set on its stern next to the CN Tower, its bow would reach the tower’s main observation level.

Depending on cargo weights, a ship like this could carryfrom 13,500 to 15,200 containers (most small ships carryless than 3,000), and the total value of cargo per voyagecould easily reach several hundred million dollars.

Keeping track not only of the world’s estimated six million containers on the move at any given time, but also of the insurance policies that surround these, used to be a paper-based system. It was something Montreal’sOceanwide sought to address.

INTERNET AND INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT Taking itsname from its roots in the shipping industry, though itworks in all manner of transportation, Oceanwide was started in 1996 to address inefficiencies in the movementand management of international freight through the development of Internet-based applications.

Now it’s one of the largest privately held software companies in the insurance and logistics field, with officesin Miami and Belgium.

“We actually started with the idea of trying to displacesmall magazines publishing the sailing schedules of shipsaround the world,” recalls David Berger, an executive vicepresident and one of the firms’ founders, who along with CEO Mitchell Wasserman and CFO Mark Adessky, set about trying to create an online portal for freight forwarders.

They didn’t make much money from that initiative, but in the process of developing an e-commerce applicationin the international ocean freight arena, they connectedwith insurance companies and their initial target market of freight forwarders and became more involved in that industry.

SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE Oceanwide now delivers enterprise applications on a Software as a Service (SaaS)basis, where an application is hosted as a service provided to customers over the Internet. The firm’s solutions are used by the world’s largest insurance brokers and underwriters for the management of cargo and marineinsurance. It also services hundreds of international freight forwarders and customs brokers for transportationmanagement and customs entry filing.

Whether it’s insurance, shipping or customs, Oceanwidemaintains an emphasis on delivering collaborative platformsthat can be deeply integrated into the IT systems of customers and partners.

Oceanwide.com

Montreal’s Oceanwide One of the largest software firms in the insurance and logistics field


L’informatique au service du transport des marchandisesCITÉ MULTIMÉDIA, MONTRÉAL – C’est en 1996 qu’Oceanwide relevait le défi de développer des logiciels adaptables à la gestion du transportdes marchandises par route, par air ou par mer, y compris, bien entendu, les questions touchant les assurances et les douanes.

En effet, l’objectif de cette entreprise était de remédier, au moyendu développement d’applications Web, à la mauvaise utilisation desressources dans le transport et la gestion du fret international.

Oceanwide fournit des applications de gestion fondées sur le modèle du logiciel-service (SaaS), une application étant hébergéecomme service fourni à des clients par le truchement d’Internet. Lessolutions de la société sont utilisées par les plus importants courtiersd’assurances et certaines sociétés d’assurance et de gestion du fretmaritime. La société fournit aussi ses services à des centaines d’entreprises de transport international et de courtiers en douane pourla gestion du transport et des exigences de déclaration en douane.

Qu’il s’agisse d’assurance, de transport ou de douane, Oceanwideaccorde une importance prépondérante à la fourniture de plateformescollaboratives qui peuvent être entièrement intégrées dans les systèmes informatiques de ses clients et de ses partenaires.

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Luminato’s Light Bright10-Day Toronto Arts Fest’s Venues Rack up Record Attendances

QUEEN STREET EAST, TORONTO / - By mid June,the crew at the Luminato offices at the Queen RichmondCentre breathed a sigh of relief as Toronto’s newest arts festival wrapped up ten days of theatre, dance, classical andcontemporary music, film, literature, visual arts and design.

With the participation of 215 international artists andsome 1,400 local artists, the second annual Luminato festival, which featured events and installations at 41 different venues, was declared a resounding success by its CEO Janice Price, who explained that the 10-day art-a-thon’s balance, breadth and depth met with its stated goals of collaboration, diversity and accessibility.

Yonge and Dundas Square a proved a popular publicvenue where nightly dance workshops and live music keptcrowds thoroughly entertained while the Nathan PhilipsSquare’s Funk Fest lit up the first Saturday’s daytime programming.

Sales for ticketed events were up 11 percent from last year and the Distillery District reported its highest everattendance numbers on the Saturday it hosted its gourmetstreet food program.

Meanwhile, Harbourfront Centre’s attendance that sameday equaled its annual Canada Day figures, and the iconic

Galleria at Brookfield Place hosted busloads of visitors tothe exhibition of Pierre Maraval’s Toronto’s Mille Femmes, a photo installation of 1,000 artistic, creative and inspiringwomen from Toronto and their protégés who embody the passion and heritage of the city. Given the numerousrequests from the public for additional opportunity to see it, organizers held it over for an extra week. Luminato is scheduled next year for June 5th to the 14th.

luminato.com

EVERY DAY, IN EVERY WAYUsing everyday moments to comfort, play with, and teach your child will open a world of possibilities for you both.

425 Adelaide St. W., 6th FloorToronto, ON M5V 3C1Tel.: (416) 977-1222Toll Free: 1-877-583-5437 (KIDS)General inquiries: [email protected]: [email protected]

Invest in Kids® is a trademark of Invest in Kids Foundation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All rights reserved. © Invest in Kids, 2007. Charitable registration no. 88988 5521 RR0001

Photo installation Mille Femmes at Toronto’s Brookfield Place.

TORONTO


Underground Café:Winnipeg’s ‘Secret’ Restaurant

EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - It’s one ofthose well-known local secrets. If you go to the basement of70 Arthur Street, open the silver door at the bottom of thestaircase, you’ll find the best veggie burger in Winnipeg.

While it can be a little hard to find, the ExchangeDistrict’s Underground Café is not much of a secret to thedowntown office population, to which it has been servingcomfort food with a twist from its eclectic basement localesince the late 1990s.

“I think being hard to find hashelped,” says current owner WendyCohen. “When people find us, Ithink it makes them feel special, likethey’re in on a secret.”

The truth is this secret restauranthas been around since 1994 when theoriginal owner, Rory Boyce, decidedto offer local musicians and artists aplace to hang out and some decentfood to go with it.

“In the early 1990’s there were a lot of rehearsal spaces andart studios around here,” says Cohen, who at the time wasone of the restaurant’s first employees.

While the customer base has shifted somewhat with thecafé’s reputation having expanded to nearby Portage andMain’s bank towers, the bohemian atmosphere has not leftthe space.

Orange vinyl chairs and Corian-topped tables with aneclectic selection of intimate lighting offer seating for some50 diners while the wall are decorated with an elaborate

series of murals depicting fantastic scenes that mix weirdwhimsy with images of pop culture and some of the lunchspot’s more popular dishes.

Painted by local set artist Romolo Fantini who worked onthe walls after hours in exchange for tea and beer, imagesfeature things like Spiderman chasing winged chili peppersover the café’s best-known Sun Burger, Salvador Dali eatinga plate of melting food, and Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picardsharing space with hooka-smoking toads.

The space used to feature regular livejazz guitar and piano performances andwas once a venue for the Fringe festival,but these days, its Sun Burger, a sesame,sunflower, rice and egg patty on a toastedbagel with lime-dill sauce is what drawsdiners in from a five-block radius.

The spicy tuna melt is another popularchoice, says Cohen, and of course there’sthe Wendy, an egg salad sandwich with dill

pickles and sharp cheddar. (“I figured if Ruben could have asandwich, so can I,” she says.)

Breakfast is a relatively simple affair with variations on theegg, cheese and tomato on a bagel sandwich (add bacon,chicken, pickles or sausage), and a full selection of specialtycoffees. The Underground also offers catering services. Andif you’re bringing a large group in midday, be sure to callahead and reserve. Between noon and 2 pm, things get prettybusy. Seems the Underground Café is not a very well keptsecret.

COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • SUMMER/FALL 2008 • 16www.alliedpropertiesreit.com

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““I think being hard to find has helped. Whenpeople find us, I think itmakes them feel special,like they’re in on a secret.”

COMMUNAUTAIRE CHRONIQUE

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Chronicle - Summer/Fall 2008