In the midst of all the ruckus about the Gardiner Expressway lane closures that just took effect and are due to mess up commutes for the next three years, drivers in and around Toronto will not be pleased to find out that another local highway is about to be plagued with similar slowdowns. Starting on Wednesday, those travelling on Highway 401 will likewise be met with blocked-off lanes as the Ministry of Transportation starts necessary rehabilitation work. Gardiner Expressway lane closures are already causing gridlock on other Toronto roads https://t.co/wOGdeWTRYQ — blogTO (@blogT ..read more

An Instagram video in which a man explains how he "saves hundreds of bucks" on grocery bills each month by using food banks in Ontario has the internet quite understandably up in arms this week amid sky-high demand for the charitable service. The individual, who speaks to the camera while wearing a Wilfred Laurier University sweatshirt, explains how he gets free grocery hauls from food banks on the school's campus, which he says are "for everyone, for all the students." He goes on to tell his audience — ostensibly, other post-secondary students — that h ..read more

Customers at a Toronto restaurant were allegedly warned by their server not to leave a tip during a recent visit, claiming that the restaurant's management have been pocketing their tips. There's been a steady buzz around Scarborough's Ishq Veg, an all-vegetarian restaurant, since they first opened this past January. Not all news is good news, though, it seems, as one patron reports an allegedly disappointing — if not shocking — experience. "I went with a friend on Saturday and noticed the staff seemed extremely burnt out, and stressed," the person claims in an email sent to blogTO. The ..read more

Toronto's rental landscape continues to be a frightening scene for tenants, who regularly have to weed through all of the alarming listings — such as beds in the middle of kitchens and horrifying basement apartments — on websites like Kijiji just to find a place to call home.  As the average rent price for a one-bedroom apartment in the city has also crept up above $2,400, sketchy landlords continue to list unconventional spaces at a discount rate in an effort to attract tenants who may be operating under a tight budget.  In today's edition of questionable listin ..read more

A pesky invasive plant species is wreaking havoc across Ontario lakes, and aquatic experts say its complete eradication is unlikely.  Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) — also known as the "zombie plant" — gets its nickname from its ability to come back to life even after being severed from its root.  The plant was first found in Ontario in Lake Erie in 1961 and has since spread throughout all of the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, as well as the inland lakes throughout the province.  The presence of the troublesome plant has only grown stronger, as ev ..read more

Tim Hortons rolled out a new hot beverage lid in parts of Ontario in April, the latest in a series of nationwide trials of its new plastic-free design. But not everyone is happy with this environmentally-friendly offering. The new plastic-free hot beverage lids first appeared in the province in Ottawa and neighbouring Gatineau, QC, in mid-April as part of Tim Hortons' five-year project to develop new greener packaging options. Similar trials have already been carried out in Vancouver and P.E.I. Made of plant-based materials, these lids come with some obvious benefits for t ..read more

Though higher interest rates and unyieldingly prohibitive home prices have made Toronto completely unaffordable to all but a select few, the housing market has fared surprisingly well this year. The market is on track to see more activity and even higher prices in the months to come — that is, with the exception of one segment. Condos, usually the entry point for first-time homeowners, are not seeing anywhere near as much interest as they once did, and builders are slowing construction as a result. Per the latest stats from the real estate analysts at Urbanation, new condo sale ..read more

Dreams of owning a home in one of Canada's most expensive provinces , with a new survey revealing that the majority of prospective homebuyers here would need another form of income to afford a property.  According to RBC’s 30th annual Home Ownership Poll, 60 per cent of Ontario residents polled said they would need a side hustle or a second job to afford buying a home in the province.  The online survey of 2,824 Canadians aged 18 to 64 was completed between January 25 and February 23.  Fifty per cent of Ontario residents surveyed also said that rising i ..read more

Bargain hunters are in for a treat this weekend as one Toronto neighbourhood gears up to host a huge yard sale crawl. Residents of the Junction, Junction Triangle, Bloor West Village and High Park are joining forces to throw a massive yard sale crawl with more than 70 households and independent sellers participating this weekend, and you're invited. From roughly St. Clair in the north to Bloor in the south, Lansdowne to the east and Runnymede to the west, you'll be able to stroll the neighbourhood, browsing used items and handmade goods while meeting the members of the neighbourhood. You ..read more

A Toronto restaurant was just surprised with a visit from Star Wars star Oscar Isaac. While Pai is typically the go-to site for celeb-spotting in the city, their sister restaurant, Kiin, is the latest to get a surprise visit from a superstar. The Golden Globe-winning actor stopped by the Entertainment District restaurant for a dinner of droolworthy Thai goodness from Chef Nuit Regular, co-Founder of Pai, who posed for a photo with Isaac after the meal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeff Regular (@paitoronto) The actor, who was sporting some fierce sideburns, is c ..read more