Here are various exciting spring and green events in Ontario, Canada:
ROMwalks 2013
FREE
May 1, 2013 – October 20, 2013
- ROMwalks are over 40 FREE guided walking tours through 11 Toronto neighbourhoods of architectural and historical interest
- ROMwalks take place Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons from May to October
Please click here for the complete itinerary of the FREE ROMwalks in Toronto.
This video presents “Ontario Parks Learn to Camp Program”:
- Interested in camping but don’t know where to start?
- The Ontario Parks Learn to Camp program might be for you
Ontario Parks
Southern Ontario Parks: Starting May 10, 2013
Northern Ontario Parks: Starting May 17, 2013
- There are more than 330 provincial parks in Ontario, with more than 100 featuring visitor facilities
- Many Ontario parks provide barrier-free facilities
- Most provincial parks in southern Ontario will open for the season May 10, with the majority of northern Ontario parks opening May 17
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The opening dates for some Ontario provincial parks may be delayed due to the late spring arrival
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- Starting this month, visitors can enjoy a range of great family activities in Ontario provincial parks. For example:
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Use the backdrop of beautiful Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park to learn how to better use your new (or not-so-new) camera on May 23
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Learn single-burner gourmet cooking at Frontenac Provincial Park on May 12
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Join park staff at Bronte Creek’s Spring Thyme on the Farm on May 20 and participate in farm activities typical of the 1890s
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Spot magnificent wildlife such as deer and moose at Algonquin Provincial Park
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If you’re a birder already or would like to become one, there are several birding festivals this month in provincial parks:
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Visit MacGregor Point’s annual Huron Fringe Birding Festival from May 24 to June 2
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At The Pinery, see Migration Weekend on May 18-20
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Come to Presqu’ile for the Warblers and Whimbrels Weekend on May 18-19
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- Campsites can be reserved online 24 hours a day or by calling the park reservation line at 1-888-ONT-PARK between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily
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Visitors can have a whole summer of fun with an Ontario Parks seasonal day-use pass
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- Please note that there is an alcohol ban at some Ontario Parks during the first 11 days of the season
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This year the ban is from May 10-20, 2013
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Please click on the following text for more info:
- For information about camping, park opening and closing dates, fees and special events, visit OntarioParks.com.
- See the 2013 Ontario Parks Guide or get a printed copy by calling 1-800-ONTARIO (668-2746).
- Ontario Parks 2013 Season
Out of the Ashes Tree Tour: Lessons from the Emerald Ash Borer
Saturday, May 11, 2013 – 1:00p.m. – 2:30p.m.
suggested donation: $5.00
Registration Required
Milne Park
8251 McCowan Road
Meet at the entrance to the main parking lot
Tour Leaders:
Melissa Williams, Manager Residential Planting Programs, LEAF
Kathleen Ryan, Forest Entomologist, PhD, Silv-Econ Ltd.
- Join LEAF as they explore the impact of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) on our urban forest
- “Kathleen Ryan, will discuss her research on biological controls (enhancing parasitoid health and habitat) and what it means for restoration and sustainability
- Together the tour leaders will explore the ways we can all play an important role in the recovery and strengthening of our urban forest“
Contact Info:
Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests
Artscape Wychwood Barns
601 Christie St, Suite 253
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M6G 4C7
Phone 416.413.9244
Email info[at]yourleaf.org
City Hall, Toronto
Toronto Officially Becomes North America’s Largest Fair Trade City
Fair Trade City Celebration
FREE
Friday, May 10, 12-1:30pm
Green roof podium, City Hall (100 Queen Street West at Bay Street)
- Fair Trade Toronto is proud to announce that Toronto will be officially designated as a Fair Trade City on Friday, May 10th, 2013!
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On April 3, Toronto City Councillors voted unanimously in favour of having the city qualify as Canada’s 16th Fair Trade City
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- Toronto can now join over 1100 cities worldwide in sending the message that it is committed to supporting the Fair Trade movement that has produced measurable improvements in the quality of life of millions of people in the developing world
- Fair Trade Toronto invites everyone to come mark the occasion on City Hall’s rooftop rotunda where they will be raising a special Fair Trade Toronto flag and celebrating with free fair trade coffee and chocolate, courtesy of Fair Trade Toronto!
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Special guest speakers include Councillor Mike Layton, and the Executive Director of Fair Trade Canada, Tom Smith
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- Public Transit:
- subway to Queen (Yonge line) or Osgoode (University line) and walk on Queen St.
- alternatively, take Bay bus #6 or #6A north from Union Station or south from Bay station (transfer required); disembark at Albert St.
Biting Bash
Free
May 10, 2013
11:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Bite Bar
57 Elm Street
(Bay Street and Elm Street)
Website: www.bitebar.ca
Email: info@bitebar.ca
Phone: 647-907-4465
- Presented by Bite Bar
- “Who doesn’t love just a bite of dessert! Now you can choose amongst a range of flavours of your favourite cupcakes, marshmallow bars and cheesecakes, all bite sized!
- Toronto’s first bite sized desserts bar is celebrating the love to bite with its first Biting Bash on Friday May 10th“
- Public Transit: Nearest stop is Dundas
Norman Felix Field of Vision: Contact 2013 Reception
FREE Admission
Norman Felix Gallery
627 Queen Street West
May 10, 2013
6:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Drop in anytime in the evening Friday May 10th!
Exhibiting May 1 – May 30, 2013
Website: www.normanfelix.com/events.html
Email: 627queenwest@normanfelix.com
Please RSVP to guarantee admission to the event by emailing art@normanfelix.com
- Norman Felix Gallery invites you to join them for the opening reception of “Norman Felix Field of Vision”
Science Rendezvous
FREE Admission
May 11, 2013
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Website: www.sciencerendezvous.ca
Email: kelsey.miller@sciencerendezvous.org
Phone: 647-770-7207
- Science Rendezvous is the only national science festival hosted by 40 of Canada’s top universities and research institutions, all on a single day: May 11, 2013!
- “From the chemistry of ice-cream to the physics of rock & roll, Science Rendezvous is reinvigorating the interest of Canadian youth in the sciences and engineering
- Many of Canada’s top scientists are on-site during the Science Rendezvous festival
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They are keen to talk to visitors, answer questions, and show the whole family around the lab
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Others will have hands-on experiments that the kids (or adults!) can try
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Over 6,000 volunteers make this event work, including 4,000 university-level science students, 2,000 researchers, faculty, scientists, and support staff
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- Please click on the following text for info on Science Rendezvous events in
Tommy Thompson Park Spring Bird Festival
FREE
May 11, 2013
7:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Tommy Thompson Park
1 Leslie Street
Website: www.springbirdfestival.ca
Email: ttp@trca.on.ca
Phone: 416-661-6600 ext. 5770
- Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day at the Tommy Thompson Park Spring Bird Festival!
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Located on the Toronto Waterfront, Tommy Thompson Park is “Toronto’s largest greenspace and provides critical stopover habitat for migrating birds
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There have been 314 native species, plus 10 introduced, recorded to date at the park!“
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- Activities will include guided bird hikes, interpretive displays, bird banding demonstrations and fun activities for children
- Toronto and Region Conservation Authority will have many birders participating in the Baillie Birdathon, a fundraiser and data collection event run by Bird Studies Canada
- Participants will be scouring the park searching for as many bird species as they can find
- Public Transit:
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From Donlands Subway Station, take the 83 Jones S. bus south from Donlands station to Commissioners St; it is a short walk south of the stop to the park
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From Downtown, take the 501 Streetcar along Queen St. to Leslie St., catch the 83 Jones S. Bus to Commissioners St. and walk south to the park entrance
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Victoria International Ballet Academy
10th ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE
FREE Admission
Saturday, May 11
7 Bradwick Drive, Vaughan, Ontario
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
info@victoriaballet.com or call 905-707-7580
- Victoria International Ballet Academy invites you to enjoy:
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a beautiful Ballet Performance and Music Concert
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an Art Workshop for children
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an Art Exhibition
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an Animal Show presented by pirates with a fascinating mix of cuddly and creepy creatures
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- Come early with all your friends to get the best seats
- There will also be food and drinks for sale
Toronto’s Heritage Streetscapes: Can They Be Saved?
FREE
May 11, 2013
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Twist Gallery
1100 Queen Street West
(Queen and Ossington)
Website: www.davidkaufmanphotography.com
Email: e@evelyntauben.com
- Presented in conjunction with Early Sunday Morning, a CONTACT Festival exhibition featuring new architectural photographs by David Kaufman of Toronto’s heritage buildings
- A conversation with Margie Zeidler (architect, President of Urbanspace Property Group), Deanne Taylor (playwright, co-Founder of VideoCabaret) and Adam Vaughan (Toronto City Councilor, Trinity-Spadina)
- “Three prominent figures deeply engaged with Toronto’s development and the preservation of neighbourhoods discuss the uncertain future of the city’s heritage streetscapes“
Spring for Art
Presented by: Walnut Studios
FREE Admission
May 11, 2013
1:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Walnut Studios
83 Walnut Avenue
(Bathurst and King)
Website: www.walnutstudios.com
Email: ilene@walnutstudios.com
Phone: 647-919-7336
- Walnut Studios is one of the last artist workspaces in downtown Toronto
- Located in the King West Village, this old factory is the creative home to 45 artists working in painting, jewelry, graffiti, fashion, drawing, photography, and silk-screening
- SPRING FOR ART is a chance for members of the community to have an insider’s view of Walnut Studios, to see what makes this building and its resident artists so special and to support local artists and craftspeople by purchasing their work
- Walnut Studios encourage Torontonians to support artists who contribute greatly to the development of the creative energy of the city
- Public Transit:
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Go to St Andrew Station and take the King West Street Car to Niagara Street
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And walk one block west to Walnut Avenue
- Cross King and walk half a block south on Walnut to 83 Walnut Avenue
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Walking the Don: 200 years of change along the river
Presented by: Toronto’s Historic Sites – City of Toronto, Cultural Services, Museum Services
FREE
May 11, 2013
11:00 AM
Todmorden Mills Heritage Site
67 Pottery Road
Meet at St. Matthews Clubhouse, south end of Riverdale Park East.
Website: www.toronto.ca/museums-events
Email: todmorden@toronto.ca
Phone: 416-396-2819
- “In the 1790s, the Don valley was wild and unspoiled
- Over the next two centuries, the river was harnessed, channelled, polluted, moved, and ignored
- Join Toronto’s Historic Sites – City of Toronto for a walk through the Lower Don trail system from Riverdale Park to Todmorden Mills and see how humans have impacted the valley – and how it is being reclaimed as a vital green space at the heart of the city“
- Public Transit:
- Take the 87 Cosburn or 100 Flemingdon Park bus from Broadview subway station to Pottery Road and proceed west down Pottery Road.
Heritage Toronto Walk: Aggie’s Wildflowers
Presented by: Heritage Toronto
FREE
May 11, 2013
1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Lambton House
4066 Old Dundas Street
LEADER: Madeleine McDowell
START POINT: Lambton House, 4066 Old Dundas St, east side of Humber River just south of Dundas St W
FINISH POINT: Lambton House
LENGTH: Approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours
FOCUS: Natural, historical
DIFFICULTY: Some stairs and slopes, woodland path which may be rough or muddy
Website: www.heritagetoronto.org
Email: rostep@toronto.ca
- Explore the woods and river flats of Lambton Mills through the eyes of the 19th century
- The area was a favourite spot of artist Agnes Dunbar Moodie, daughter of pioneer writer Susanna Moodie
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Perhaps Agnes used the flowers here as models for her paintings, published in an 1868 book called Canadian Wildflowers
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- Hear stories of ‘Aggie’ and the history of this area while we look for the spring wildflowers that inspired her
5km Fundraising Walk&Hug – Mother’s Day
Produced by: Meagan’s Walk
Costs: Range: $1 – $9; Adult: $10; Family Registration for 2 adults and 4 children is $35
May 11, 2013
8:30am: Registration and pledge form drop off begins at Fort York.
10:00am: 12th Annual Meagan’s Walk commences
11.45am: Megan’s Walk participants join hands, creating a circle of hope, as they “hug” SickKids.
Noon: Closing festivities
Event takes place in multiple locations, please contact event organizers for more details
Website: megswalk.squarespace.com
Email: meaganswalk@sympatico.ca
Phone: 416-239-7843
- “Meagan’s Walk welcomes people of all ages and abilities to come out for our annual Walk – an amazing event and an incredibly meaningful way to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend
- A 5km-walk from Fort York to the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) culminates with thousands of participants joining hands to hug the hospital, sending a message of hope and love to those within
- The day includes live music and entertainment, face-painting, an opportunity to sign our Wall of Honour, and moving and powerful messages from Meagan’s Walk’s founder, youth ambassadors and world-leading doctors and researchers“
- Public Transit:Directions by TTC:
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From St Andrew Station take the 504 streetcar west to the Bathurst St
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Then walk down by the Bathurst St to Fort York
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The entrance to the Fort York is from the Garrison Road
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Big Ideas 2013
Presented by: Alumnae Theatre Company
FREE admission and donations gratefully accepted
May 10 – May 12, 2013
Fri reading start at 8pm; Sat & Sun readings start at 2pm.
Alumnae Theatre
3rd floor Studio
70 Berkeley Street
(Adelaide Street East and Parliament Street)
Website: www.alumnaetheatre.com/npd.html
Email: play@alumnaetheatre.com
- Staged readings of 7 new plays by the award-winning writers of Alumnae Theatre’s New Play Development group
- (Fri) YOU HAVE TO EARN IT by Ramona Baillie, directed by Jane Carnwath
- (Sat) IN A TIME OF WAR by Anne MacMillan, directed by Marianne Fedunkiw
- (Sat) BROCKFEST by Joan Burrows, directed by Maria Popoff
- (Sat) WAITING FOR KATRINA by Donna Langevin, directed by Pat McCarthy
- (Sun) THE YEAR MY FATHER BECAME A SAINT by Linda McCready, directed by Brenda Darling
- Public Transit: From King subway station, take 504 streetcar eastbound
This video presents “Toronto Comics Arts Festival 2012”:
TCAF – The Toronto Comic Arts Festival
Presented by: Toronto Public Library and The Beguiling Books & Art
Main festival events are FREE, but some special events may require tickets.
May 11 – 12, 2013
Saturday May 11, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday May 12, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Toronto Reference Library and Neighbourhood
789 Yonge Street
(Yonge Street and Bloor Street)
Website: www.torontocomics.com
Email: contact@torontocomics.com
Phone: 416-533-9168
- Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) 2013 celebrates 10 years of promoting the best of Canada’s comic book and graphic novel authors, and welcoming some of the greatest authors from around the world to Toronto
- Taking place at Toronto Reference Library and the surrounding neighbourhood, TCAF will feature exhibitions, panels, readings, and more
- Starting May 11: 9-9:30am Free Comic Book Giveaway
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From superheroes and fantasy to funny animals and cartoon fun
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Come to the show early for FREE COMICS!
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Limit 3 for children 12 and under
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Limited quantities each day
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- Starting May 11: 9-9:30am Free Comic Book Giveaway
- Public Transit: Located just north of Yonge TTC station
Heritage Toronto Walk: The Splendour That Was Sherbourne Street
Presented by: Heritage Toronto
FREE
May 12, 2013
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Church yard in front of Trinity Lutheran Church
619 Sherbourne Street
LEADERS: David Parry, Janet Langdon
START POINT: Church yard in front of Trinity Lutheran Church,
619 Sherbourne St, just south of Bloor St
FINISH POINT: Allan Gardens, Sherbourne and Carlton Streets
LENGTH: Approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours
FOCUS: Historical, architectural
DIFFICULTY: Average walk on sidewalks
Website: www.heritagetoronto.org
Email: rostep@toronto.ca
- In the 1880s, Sherbourne Street was one of the most fashionable streets in Toronto
- Glimpses of its noble past survive in its architecture – grand homes built for wealthy businessmen, and imposing churches
City of Toronto Contact Info
Phone within Toronto city limits: 311
Phone outside city limits: 416-392-CITY (2489)
(can be used within Toronto if you can’t reach 311)
TTY customers: 416-338-0TTY (0889)
Fax: 416-338-0685
E-mail: 311@toronto.ca
If your matter is urgent, please call them. They are open 24/7.
Always call 911 for emergencies.
Enjoy!
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You may also want to know:
- You’re Invited: May 4 – 5, 2013 Events in Ontario, Canada (BMFA Arts Centre’s 2013 Guest Artists Exhibition: Leslie Sorochan • Permitted Paths and Lynn Christine Kelly • Cycles of Life May 1-26, 2013)