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

Elementary: Winnipeg motiondesign firm breathes life into ads

SPRING 2008

FROM BISTRO TO BRITISH

FROM BISTRO TO BRITISH

1111New Décor and Menu for KingStreet West’s Crush Wine Bar

Montreal’s Drawn & Quarterly:A graphic success

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PLUS:• Quebec City boutique home to

the ‘Indiana Jones’ of tea• Montreal’s Outbox

revolutionizes online tIcket buys• Totum tells the truth about

Stretching• Toronto’s Luminato Fest

Toronto’s Fio Corp fights infectiousdisease with a high tech solution

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ST. LAWRENCE MARKET AREA, TORONTO / - Two of the city’s newest and most experimental restaurantstopping Toronto Life Magazine’s coveted Best New Restaurant list are located in Allied Properties’ downtowneast buildings.

Lucien, at 36 Wellington Street East, and Colborne Lane,nearby at 45 Colborne Street, have garnered rave reviewssince opening and now, both occupy top spots in the urbanmagazine’s annual list of noteworthy newcomers.

“These days you don’t need a hushed gastronomic templein which to worship good food,” writes Toronto Life’s JamesChatto in his description of Lucien.

Indeed, with its casual brick and beam ambience, elegantillumination, intimate dining nooks and tiled leather walltreatment, Lucien offers bay-streeters and scenesters alike a

warm and casual atmosphere in which to indulge in ChefScot Woods’ (Habitat) exciting dishes like bincho-grilledoctopus sliced thinly with chorizo, fingerlings, black olive“leather” and pimento caviar.

At Colborne Lane, much has been made of Chef ClaudioAprile’s (Senses) molecular gastronomy, a technical cuisinefrom which come concoctions like corn doused in liquidnitrogen accompanying raw salmon, cauliflower purée andsaffron-infused potato.

Matched to a modern environment whose hip attitudecomes from the irony of presenting experimental, progressivecuisine in a historical building, Colborne offers a comfortableatmosphere in which to while away an evening working your way through a seven, 10 or 15-course tasting menu –an absolute must according to Chatto.

COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 2

TORO

NTO Lucien and Colborne Lane Take Top Spots in

Toronto Life’s 10 Best New Restaurants

Lucien’s Chef Scot Woods hasgarnered praise from some of the country's top food criticsincluding Joanne Kates andJames Chatto.

Beyond Toronto Life’s list, the May issueof Conde Nast Traveler voted ColborneLane (left) one of the most exciting newrestaurants in the world.

3 • SPRING 2008

TORONTO

ALTERIORS AGAIN King East Décor Source Reopens in Burgeoning Adelaide West Neighbourhood

ADELAIDE STREET WEST, TORONTO / - Anyone interested in home décor in Toronto over the last decade will recognize Alteriors, known for its eclectic selection ofinnovative furniture and home accents. The company, whichclosed its retail store in the King Street East design district two years ago, has reopened this winter with a larger locationon Adelaide Street West.

“It’s being called Toronto’s Soho district,” says Alteriorsfounder Wendie Cohen discussing the store’s new location.“The gentrification of the whole King West district, with itsdynamic combination of creative industries, urban residents,and entertainment venues, is perfectly suited to Alteriors’design sensibility.”

A NEW PARTNERSHIP The synergy of a new partnershipteam is what prompted the reopening of Alteriors, says Cohen.

After closing in 2005 to pursue other interests in the décor industry, Cohen was encouraged by the continued interest customers and suppliers showed in the store.

In discussions with longtime associate Diana Leveille, whowas running her own interior design business, and friendRobert Geddes, a London realtor who had recently moved to Toronto, Cohen realized there was an opportunity to combine their skills to provide the best products and servicesto clients. So, the three entered into a partnership and started looking for space.

URBAN AMBIENCE “In researching possible locations, weconfirmed that this is the up-and-coming place to be,” says

Cohen, explaining that the Toronto International Film Festivalproject and a wide range of other developments are attractingthe upscale urban dwellers the store targets.

“This loft-like showroom in a restored vintage buildingoffers the perfect setting to showcase our modern furnishings,”she adds.

Many of the collections you will find at Alteriors aredesigned and manufactured in Canada. “We work with smallboutique manufacturers and design studios who offer a widerange of customization options for our clients,” says Cohen,adding that the team’s focus is to help customers express their personal style.

SPACE PLANNING EXPERTISE Some current suppliers even come from Alteriors’ early Danforth days, says Cohen,explaining that an artisan who used to make her candle holders has gone on to form an acclaimed design studio thatsupplies Alteriors with furniture made of industrial steel andreclaimed wood.

Whatever the item, the Alteriors team adopts a friendly, collaborative approach when serving customers. They arepleased to assist clients with space planning and design choices, and they’ll book consultations after store hours ormeet at a client’s home.

“The response to our new store has been wonderful,” saysCohen. “Many of our previous clients are coming from acrossthe GTA, and we can also reach this vibrant neighbourhood of people who were not familiar with our previous location.”

alteriors.com

BOUL. ST-LAURENT, MONTRÉAL - / Le nom d’OutboxTechnology ne vous dit probablement rien, mais si vous avezrécemment acheté un billet en ligne pour le Cirque du Soleil,c’est probablement avec cette société que vous avez transigé.

Société de logiciels et de services développant des produitsavancés de vente de billets, notamment pour le Cirque duSoleil (qui est associé de l’entreprise), Outbox occupe la moitié d’un étage de l’immeuble du Balfour, sur le boulevardSt-Laurent, d’où l’équipe surveille, gère et traite la vente de billets en multiples langues et devises. Selon l’un des spécialistes de la technologie Web de CNET, il s’agit de lameilleure interface d’achat de billets qui existe à ce jour.

VISIONNER SA PLACE Applaudie pour sa conception intuitive, cette billetterie en ligne fonctionne au moyen d’uncalendrier relié à des images qui permettent à l’acheteur de visualiser de manière précise la salle de spectacle et l’em-placement des sièges. Les places disponibles sont désignées par des couleurs différentes selon leur prix, et il suffit dequelques clics pour sélectionner précisément son billet et l’acheter. La transaction s’effectue très rapidement grâce aux importants moyens techniques déployés par Outbox et à la surveillance constante assurée par son équipe.

« On est extrêmement présent pour contrôler toute l’expérience [en ligne]. Nous ne nous contentons pas de vendre un logiciel », déclare Jean-Françoys Brousseau, co-fondateur de l’entreprise et artisan des innovations apparues récemment dans l’industrie telles que les billets électroniques imprimables et munis d’un code barre, utiliséspour la première fois par le Cirque du Soleil en 1999.

DES BUREAUX QUI INVITENT À LA COLLABORATIONOutbox compte 20 employés et occupe des locaux aménagéspar Daoust Lestage. Ces bureaux à espace ouvert aux lignespures et aux parois de verre sont une réelle invitation à la collaboration. Seule exception : le centre d’appel sécurisé quise consacre au service à la clientèle pour les billets vendus enAmérique du Nord, et qui est installé dans un espace voisinmais séparé.

Au cœur de cet espace de blancheur et de simplicité se trouve nichée une zone centrale de surveillance, où une sériede bureaux a été placée devant quatre écrans plats géantsaffichant différentes données sur l’état des systèmes et desventes de billets du Cirque du Soleil partout dans le monde.

UNE SURVEILLANCE ÉTROITEC’est à partir de ces écrans que l’équipe d’Outbox surveillesans relâche le réseau de vente, informée en temps réel desmoindres fluctuations des ventes dans le monde entier. Des ratios complexes basés sur des moyennes mobiles sontutilisés qui permettent à une alarme de se déclencher en cas d’irrégularité.

« Si les gens achètent un peu moins qu’il y a quelques minutes, par exemple, cela peut indiquer un problèmetechnique », explique Jean-Françoys Brousseau.

La mise au point d’innovations fait aussi partie intégrante du travail de l’équipe et Jean-Françoys Brousseau prévoitembaucher une dizaine d’employés supplémentaires d’ici la fin de l’année. Il explique que l’industrie de la billetterie est en constante évolution et qu’il recherche continuellement des programmeurs-analystes et des spécialistes du soutien

d’applications.

« Il reste encore de bonnessolutions à trouver »,affirme-t-il en ajoutant qued’ici l’année prochaine, la billetterie du Cirque duSoleil étant bien établie,Outbox Technology élargirasa clientèle.

outboxtechnology.com

CHRONIQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE • 4

Des billets en quelques clicsOutbox Technology révolutionne la vente de billets en ligne

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Design Within Reach nowWithin Shopping DistanceKING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - Fans of DesignWithin Reach, a furniture source for fully licensed classics, have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of aCanadian studio. And in March, they got their wish.

“It’s mostly destination shoppers,” says the studio’sproprietor Clay Wright, explaining that weekends tendto be busy with customers coming from around thecity to peruse the 5,000-square-foot showroom’s arrayof design classics.

Best known for its wide selection of designer furni-ture, DWR has partnerships with Herman Miller, FritzHansen and Knoll to bring the legendary work ofdesigners like Charles and Ray Eames, ArneJacobsen, and Eero Saarinen to the general public.

“Given the season, we’re seeing a lot of interest inour outdoor furniture,” says Wright, a transplanted NewYorker. He says most of what is on the floor can bedelivered to the customer within 10 days of purchase.The company uses a central inventory to allowcustomers around North America to access items in a variety of styles and colours.

Beyond furniture, Wright says the Tools for Livingline focuses on items that have been thoughtfully conceived. For the Toronto studio, that could mean aclever folding bike or organic mattresses and bedding,but DWR has been involved with projects ranging fromdesigning the interior of an Airstream trailer, to BBQs to pillows and other accessories.

dwr.com

5 • SPRING 2008

BLVD. ST. LAURENT, MONTREAL - / You probably don’t know Outbox Technology, but if you’ve recently bought a ticket online for Cirque du SoleilTours, anywhere in the world in fact, then you’ve experienced it.

A software firm currently doing development exclusively for Cirque du Soleil (a partner in the enterprise), Outbox occupies half a floor at the Balfourbuilding on St. Laurent where its team monitors, manages and processes multi-language and multi-currency ticket sales for what one CNET webtechnology columnist calls “the best ticket ordering interface ever.”

SEEING YOUR SEAT Praised for its intuitive design, the online box officefeatures a calendar linked to graphics giving users a realistic representation of the venue and specifically where their seats are located. Colours indicateavailable seating, and in just a few clicks buyers can order exactly what theywant. And it all happens quickly, thanks to Outbox’s extensive back end andconstant monitoring.

“We’re extremely present when it comes to controlling the online experi-ence. It’s not just selling a piece of software,” says Jean-Françoys Brousseau,the firm’s founding partner and the mind behind industry innovations like theprintable bar-coded e-tickets, first used by the Cirque in 1999.

A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT Outbox has 20 employees andoccupies space designed by Daoust Lestage, employing clean white finishesand glassed-in perimeter offices to give the central area’s open concept acollaborative feel (with the exception of a secure North American customerservice call centre that sits in adjacent separate space).

At the heart of the space is a central monitoring area where a bank ofdesks sits in front of four large flat screens, each displaying different components of the Cirque du Soleil’s world wide ticket sales.

Development is also a large part of what the team does and Brousseauexpects to hire ten more employees before the end of the year. He says the ticket industry is continually evolving and that he is always in need ofdevelopers and support specialists.

Montreal’s Outbox Technology is changing online ticket buying

TORO

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COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 6

DIAGNOSIS ON DEMANDQueen-Richmond Centre’s Fio Corp aims to revolutionize global diseasedetection with a new portable device

Semiconductor nanocrystals illuminated with ultraviolet light. These vials hold nanometer-sized particles (one billionth of ameter wide) that have unique fluorescencecapabilities and are being developed for medical diagnostic applications such as Fio’s infectious disease detector.

QUEEN STREET EAST, TORONTO / - The manner inwhich infectious diseases are diagnosed hasn’t changed muchin a hundred years, says Michael Greenberg. Just like in highschool biology class, you get the sample, put it in a Petri dish, add some culture media, and wait to see if you can recognize what grows, he explains.

“Approaches like ours represent the end of this,” he says.“We don’t do anything remotely like that. We don’t deal with bugs themselves, we diagnose their molecules.”

Greenberg is CEO of Fio Corporation, a nano-biotechnologystartup in the Queen-Richmond Centre developing a toaster-sized device to diagnose infectious diseases on the spot.

READING MOLECULES Drawing a pin prick of blood, theinstrument scans it against a database of infectious diseasesignature molecules (biological molecules found in the bloodthat are a sign of a disease) to tell healthcare professionalsimmediately what they’re dealing with.

But don’t worry. Working with signature molecules ofinfectious diseases is not at all dangerous, Greenberg assures.

“It’s completely inactive,” he explains. “Our space createsthe molecular reader. For the real testing, the device goes to a clinical lab where it undergoes diagnostic testing.”

ATTRACTING SCIENTISTS From its top floor space, the Fio headquarters combines work stations, boardrooms, a3,500-square-foot nano-bio research lab with 50 workbenchesand plenty of natural light to create a highly attractiveresearch and business environment for ‘Fioans’.

Normally labs tend to cluster in locations near theUniversity of Toronto and in the hospital district - or outsidethe core entirely - but Fio wanted space that would attracttop research talent and show that it is intent on doing thingsdifferently. And it does.

LAUNCHING IN AFRICA Rather than make a device exclusively for the developed world’s medical marketplace,Greenberg says Fio will launch the product in 2009, simultaneously in both Africa and North America.

“To demonstrate that high tech can also be used to create affordable solutions for the developing world,” saysGreenberg, adding that while the firm does have competitorsmost aren’t looking to simultaneously address the needs ofthe developing and developed worlds.

AFFORDABLE AND DEPLOYABLE But infectious diseasesoften arise in the developing world, he explains, so it makessense to create an affordable and easily deployable solutionto bring us into dynamic partnerships with African entrepreneurs.

“The difference between an outbreak and a pandemic isknowing what you’re dealing with quickly - not only here but in Guangdong [where the SARS outbreak originated],”he says.

ADOPTING THE CELL PHONE MODEL Rather than NGOsand local governments, Fio will distribute the device througha network of local entrepreneurs, taking its cue from the success of the cell phone in Africa to not only see the deviceproliferate, but also participate in the benefits of local economic development.

As for the developed world, Fio will follow the usual medical distribution networks familiar to Greenberg.

Trained as a neurosurgeon, Greenberg made his markgrowing Cedara Software from a small, local contract engi-neering computer hardware company in the early 1990s to a Nasdaq-traded, leading provider of global imaging softwarefor healthcare with annual revenues of $50 million.

fio.com

7 • PRINTEMPS 2008

AVENUE DU PARC, MONTRÉAL / - La salle d’exposition de 1 500 pi2 que gère Johanne Therrien n’est que la partie visible de l’iceberg.Importatrice de meubles français de qualité, La Galerie Art Sélect est essentiellement un moyen d’accès à un vaste catalogue de penderies, de lits, de tables à dîner, de fauteuils, d’armoires et de bahuts, autant de reproductions de style français du plus pur raffinement.

Située au 5e étage du 6300 avenue du Parc, la galerie de JohanneTherrien ne compte pas sur les passants pour ses affaires. Elle vit presqueexclusivement sur sa réputation. Elle est également bien connue des collectionneurs et de ceux qui apprécient la qualité du travail artisanal duvieux continent.

Longtemps réputée pour ses collections d’art québécois, la Galerie Art Sélect a été créée en 1977 par le père de Johanne Therrien, rue Saint-Denis. Elle proposait alors principalement des sculptures et des peintures. En 2004, Johanne Therrien a repris l’affaire familiale après yavoir travaillé périodiquement avec son père alors qu’elle se consacraitencore à son métier d’infirmière. Puis les meubles prenant de plus en plusd’importance, la galerie est devenue le distributeur exclusif de BrigitteForestier, d’Artcopi et des Meubles Richelieu.

Tout ce qu’elle propose aujourd’hui est fabriqué par des artisans. Lesreproductions des collections françaises telles que Louis XV, Louis XVI,Louis Philippe et Directoire sont taillées dans le merisier de France, unmatériau de prédilection pour les maîtres artisans.

La plupart des meubles sont disponibles dans une variété de huit teinteset deux patines. Une partie de la collection est affichée sur le site Web,mais le mieux est d’aller voir ces meubles directement à la galerie, suggèreJohanne Therrien, « ainsi on se rend mieux compte des teintes qui sontproposées. »

artselect.ca

L’Art du meubleLa Galerie Art Sélect : le savoir-faire artisanal français sur le marchédu meuble de Montréal

AVE DU PARC, MONTREAL / - Johanne Therrien’s 1500-square-foot show room on the fifth floor of 6300 Avenue du Parc is just the tip of the iceberg. An exclusive importer of fine Frenchfurniture, La Galerie Art Select is essentially a gateway to amassive catalogue of wardrobes, bed frames, dining tables,arm chairs, cabinets and sideboards, all finely crafted and finished reproductions of French collections such as the LouisXV, Louis XVI, Louis Philippe, and Directoire often made usingregional wild cherry, a favorite among master artisans.

Most pieces are available in a number of different stainsand finishes (often a wax finish). While you can see some ofthe collection on the web site, the best thing to do is come by in person, encourages Therrien, “then you can really get asense of some of the finishes we have available.”

Galerie Art Select brings exclusive French craftsmanship to the Montreal furniture market

MONTRÉAL

La route du théDe jeunes aventuriers rapportent des saveurs d’Asie au cœur de St-Roch

CHRONIQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE • 8

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NOUVO ST-ROCH, QUÉBEC/ - Ce n’est généralement pas en rassemblant quatre passionnés de thé qu’on entame un projet de carrière basé sur le commerce international et letourisme d’aventure. Mais c’est pourtant bien ainsi que JasminDesharnais et ses trois associés se sont retrouvés à parcourirl’Asie, allant des montagnes à la jungle, à la recherche desgrands thés.

Le thé est la boisson la plus consommée au monde aprèsl’eau. Les feuilles de thé poussent principalement dans des climats tropicaux ou subtropicaux et nécessitent au moins 50pouces d’eau de pluie par an. Les meilleures sortes prospèrentaux alentours de 5 000 pieds d’altitude et pour en trouver de diverses et variées, il faut donc se lever de bonne heure!

C’est pourquoi les quatre fondateurs des maisons de théCamellia Sinensis (Jasmin Desharnais, Kevin Gascoyne, HugoAmerici et François Marchand) ont divisé les régions produc-trices de thé en plusieurs zones. Chacun s’est spécialisé dans les variétés qui poussent dans sa zone et passe un moispar an à rencontrer les fournisseurs locaux, à s’informer desrécoltes de l’année et nouer des contacts avec de nouveaux artisans producteurs potentiels.

En dix ans, l’équipe s’est constitué un solide réseau de producteurs, de petites exploitations pour la plupart. JasminDesharnais affirme que l’équipe connaît personnellement 90 % de ses producteurs.

« Avant de travailler avec nous, nos producteurs chinoisn’avaient jamais exporté à l’étranger » ajoute-t-il en expliquantqu’en Chine, la production de thé est très localisée et qu’unegrande part est destinée au marché domestique.

En 2004, après un salon de thé et une boutique bien établisà Montréal, le magasin de St-Roch, baptisé du nom latin de l’arbre à thé, a ouvert ses portes. Les maisons de thé sontmoins courantes que les boutiques de spécialités de café, quiont connu un grand succès ces derniers temps et il nous restebeaucoup à apprendre sur le thé. C’est d’ailleurs la principalemission de Camellia Sinensis que de nous le faire connaître.

« Nous essayons de faire apprécier le thé au plus grand nombre », déclare Jasmin Desharnais. Avant toute dégustation,les novices sont invités à humer plusieurs variétés de thé et à discuter de leurs goûts avec l’équipe. Les dégustations, trèspopulaires en fin de semaine, ont lieu au fond du magasin,transformé en une sorte de petit café avec son comptoir et ses quatre tables.

La boutique de St-Roch propose 180 variétés de thé, mais la sélection varie en fonction du mois de l’année et des récoltes(la plupart d’entre elles ont lieu au printemps).

Le sachet moyen de 50 g coûte environ 10 $ et permet defaire 20 tasses, mais les variétés de première qualité peuventcoûter jusqu’à 75 $ pour la même quantité.

« Ces thés sont davantage destinés aux connaisseurs »,explique Jasmin Desharnais. « On essaye de trouver à chaqueclient le thé qui lui convient. »

C’est pourquoi le magasin organise fréquemment desséances de dégustation et des conférences sur le thé. Pour connaître l’horaire de ces événements, passez au 624 St-JosephEst ou visitez le site Web de la Maison de thé.

camellia-sinensis.com

9 • SPRING 2008

HEALTH

NOUVO ST. ROCH, QUEBEC CITY / - Four guys with ashared passion for tea is not how a career involvingadventure travel and international trade usually starts,but it’s pretty much how Jasmin Desharnais and histhree partners found themselves trekking through mountain trails and jungle paths in remote regions ofAsia to make a living.

The most widely consumed drink in the world afterwater is tea. It grows mainly in tropical and sub-tropicalclimates, requires at least 50 inches of rainfall a year,and a lot of the good stuff tends to grow at elevations ofup to 5,000 feet. So finding all the teas is a bit of a task.

That’s why the four founding partners of the CamelliaSinensis tea houses (Desharnais along with KevinGascoyne, Hugo Americi, and François Marchand) dividedthe tea-producing world into regions, each becoming anexpert on the varieties available there, and each spendinga month a year connecting with local suppliers, checkingon the year’s crops and following up leads on newsources of tea.

The St. Roch location carries 180 varieties of tea,but selections will vary based on the time of year andwhether a crop has been harvested yet (much of the harvesting is done in the spring).

An average 50g bag will run you about $10 andmakes 20 cups, but you could pay as much as $75 forthe same amount of a high grade first harvest variety.

“But that’s more for the connaisseurs,” saysDesharnais. “What we try to do is match the teas withthe customers.”

To that end, the store runs a full schedule of tastingsand lectures.

International team brings tastesfrom the mountains of Asia tothe tea cups of Quebec

T O T U M T I P S

The Truth about StretchingKING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - The Vikings always knew the impor-tance of stretching before battle, cartoonist Gary Larson once wrote. Butthings were less complicated then. Today, the debate on stretching hasgrown to include not only the stretchers and non-stretchers, but also sub-groups like pre-stretchers, post-stretchers and stand-alone stretchers.

Mary-Catherine Fraser-Saxena, a physiotherapist and director ofTotum’s sports medicine clinic on King Street says studies still haven’tproven conclusively whether stretching before or after prevents injury,but some specific links have been made. Some research has found thatthe amount of flexibility in your hamstring, for one, can predict whether or not you will have an injury.

THINK ONGOING FLEXIBILITY So don’t think in terms of juststretching for a single activity, she advises, think of it as an ongoing flexibility program.

“One part of your weekly workout routine should be dedicated toimproving flexibility,” says Fraser-Saxena, adding that a runner, for example, might join a yoga class. But you could also just do somedeep stretches with no running to follow.

USE WARM UPS AND COOL DOWNS Stretching and running dogo together in a certain combination, she says explaining you should usewarm ups and cool downs to do it right. If your muscle is cold, stretchinglengthens it and creates microscopic tears. Then you start running, so it is contracting. “You’re basically asking it to be strong after you haveweakened it,” she explains.

START LIGHT AND FINISH DEEP Best is to do a slow jog for fiveminutes before stopping to do some light stretching for two minutes (work the hip flexors and calves, holding stretches for 10 to 30 seconds,breathing normally and no bouncing).

After your run, walk for 10 minutes to bring your heart rate back downto resting, then you can do some deeper stretching, spending a minute ortwo per muscle.

totum.ca

Camellia Sinensis co-owner Jasmin Desharnais with atea supplier in China.

EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Joyce Winter-Schmidt is a spiritual person. So when a sudden gust blew all her hand-painted greeting cards away during the city’sFringe Festival, she took it as a sign that she should get someartist friends together and find some indoor space.

“Within three days, I had 12 people interested, so I startedlooking at buildings,” says Winter-Schmidt, whose effortslanded her in the Exchange District at 264 McDermot Ave.where she volunteers as manager for Keepsakes Gallery ofWinnipeg, a registered non-profit art gallery. Also helping tomanage the cooperative are Fred Beardy and Takashi Iwasaki.

EVERYONE LENDS A HAND Opening in July of 2006, thegallery’s concept is straightforward, says Winter-Schmidt afull-time educational assistant who runs Keepsakes in her spare time (when she isn’t working on theatre productions).

Artists displaying work at Keepsakes pay rent based the amount of space they need, or they can choose to contribute to running the gallery by volunteering their time in lieu of paying rent. Others simply have their work sold on consignment.

“We operate on a shoestring budget,” says Winter-Schmidt,adding that the group will usually do two theatre productionsa year as fundraisers. The recent run of The Vagina Monologuesplayed to a sellout crowd, and in July they will premiere InSomeone Else’s Shoes, a series of true local stories.

MADE IN MANITOBA With deep ties to the Winnipeg theatre and art communities, Winter-Schmidt has one maincriterion when it comes to bringing artists into the gallery:they have to have made their art in Manitoba.

“It doesn’t matter where they’re from, as long as their work

was made here,” she says, noting that one clay mask artist is from the Netherlands and another studied in Italy.

Very few are full-time artists, and most have day jobs, she says. One potter, for example, is a band director andanother artist, who makes aboriginal medicine shields, is asocial worker.

EXTREME MIX Keepsake’s extreme mix of paintings, photo-graphs, pottery, raku, writing, glass (fused, blown and stained),chalk drawings, pen and ink art, silver and crystal jewelry and soapstone carvings makes visiting the clean, white space a kind of treasure hunt.

But it’s not a craft sale, she cautions, explaining that most of the artists are not represented by other galleries and that Keepsakes gives them a place to show their workamong contemporaries.

CASUAL ATMOSPHERE Winter-Schmidt has worked hard to keep the space from having a clinical art gallery feel, sothere’s no pretension here, she explains.

“There’s something really warm about this space,” she says. “You walk in and you hear music, and there’s often coffee brewing.”

Music is a big part of the space’s charm. A keyboard is a permanent fixture in the gallery and every second Saturdayfrom 2 to 4 there’s live music and patrons are encouraged to drop by anytime, bring a lunch from the neighbouringUnderground Café and enjoy the atmosphere.

keepsakesgallery.ca

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COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 10

Manitoba MadeDowntown Winnipeg gallery features an eclectic collectionof work from local artists

Winnipeg artists and supporters (top) gather at the Keepsakes Galleryopening in July 2006 at 264 McDermot Ave. Glass artist Kevin McKay(above) shows the crowd his technique.

11 • SPRING 2008

BRITISH INVASIONCrush Wine Bar leaves the bistro concept for a refreshing take ontraditional regional English fare

TORONTO

KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - In a city burstingwith bistros, Jamieson Kerr has decided to change directionsand bring his six-year-old Crush Wine bar away from Frenchfare and over to something more British, changing the menuand the restaurant’s design to reflect this new identity.

Here, amid the cherry-red bar stools, pinstripe-suited banquets and white table cloths, you’ll find beef cheeks and chips (slow-cooked tender braised beef on a bed of frites)instead of steak frites as Chef Michael Wilson reinvents anumber of traditional English dishes with the use of farm fresh local product.

But it’s not gastro pub food, explains Kerr.

“It’s traditional regional British cuisine,” says the ex-patriotwho, during trips home over the last few years, was continuallyimpressed with the caliber of food served at some of London’seclectic wine bars.

Last year, he and Wilson began planning a renovation andreinvention that sought to bring a number of these refreshedEnglish classics to Toronto diners, combining the new menuwith renovated space designed by Ralph Giannone (Terroni onAdelaide East and Le Select Bistro on Wellington West).

Having just reopened in April after four weeks of construction, the new space is posh yet cosy and features alarger bar area, paying tribute to the cool Britannia vibe ofLondon wine bars with details like an eight by 12-foot image

of a stadium filled with Manchester United fans, a 30-seatcork bar, a floor to ceiling blackboard, and an inlaid fireplacein the front area.

Patrons looking for a quick bite before or after a show canchoose from the new bar menu, which offers light fare at modest prices and features items like pickled quails eggs, ecclescake, pork scratchings and deep fried white bait.

Some of the main menu’s highlights include Lamb Saddlewith Woolwich goat cheese potatoes; Pork Chop with Bubbleand Squeak (pan-seared mashed potato, cabbage and leeks in a Dijon cream), and Chicken breast with tarragon gravy.

Embracing the slow food movement while reducing the carbon emissions involved in producing his menu, Kerr isbuilding a network of local producers to ensure a steadystream of fresh ingredients.

Of course, the wine list is still as extensive as it has been(150 labels), but what’s a pub atmosphere without a pint? Tothis end, Kerr has tapped into three Canadian brewers forsteady access to some of the freshest beer on tap.

With 20 stools at the bar, two private dining rooms for parties and its patio open for the season, Crush is expandingits reputation as a stellar cellar to become an equally comfortable place to drop in for a drink and a bite.

crushwinebar.com

KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - “It was tenants looking for value and an alternative tocontemporary office space. And also wanting to dosomething unique culturally for their employees,you know, bring a new or different energy to theiroffices,” says Jeff Friedman contemplating the earlystages of the Allied Properties portfolio in Toronto.

The notion of Class I real estate - the renovatedbrick and beam style that has become the trademarkAllied Properties space - was just beginning to catchon when Friedman and his colleague Chris Vanexanpitched the Allied Properties management team tobecome the area’s leasing agents.

They started leasing space for Allied in 1999, andsince then, the duo has placed more than 100 ten-ants representing over 1 million square feet in theirbuildings, shared in the company’s 2002 NAIOPwin for Office Development of the Year, and helpedto make King West Central one of the city’s mostsought after office nodes.

FULL FLOOR TENANCIES “Allied was the first landlord in the renovated class marketplace to recognize the opportunity to lease space to full floor tenancies, as most of these buildingswere split to multi-tenant floors,” says Friedman, ExecutiveVice President in CB Richard Ellis’s Toronto downtown officeleasing group, explaining that this type of building 10 yearsago would have typically serviced the small tenant market.

But Allied’s management team saw these spaces as anuntapped market for larger tenants looking for alternatives tothe city’s financial core, tenants like Indigo Books & Music.

Friedman and Vanexan say that at the time, Indigo presidentHeather Reisman’s decision to move from offices in the financial core to 468 King Street West was a bold one. She was one of the first tenants to recognize the Allied vision forKing and Spadina.

INDIGO THE FIRST IMPACT DEAL “Some of the buildingsstill housed the rag trade, and the area wasn’t even considered a real office node,” recalls Vanexan, a senior sales associate forCB Richard Ellis.

It was the first impact deal for Allied, and now Indigo occupies the entire building. And that’s a theme that repeatsitself throughout the portfolio’s short history, he explains.

“PC Financial was a similar story. They moved into 439King Street West taking a floor and a half and now they havethree floors,” he says.

Vanexan says that whenever space does become vacant, heand Friedman usually know either of a company looking forspace in the area or of an existing tenant interested in takingover the space as part of an expansion plan.

“They’re sold on the concept and they don’t want to moveaway from the characteristics that these buildings bring,” saysVanexan.

FUTURE EXPECTATIONS “Ten years ago the brick and beamoffice inventory was approximately 4 million square feet, todayapproximately 10 million square feet is tracked,” Vanexan says.

“This market is not about to grow again since you just can’tbuild a historical building,” says Friedman. Instead, he expectsthe market to grow as new A class buildings are built withcharacteristics that mimic the brick and beam style to whichtenants have grown accustomed.

“It’s the obvious evolution to the area and it’ll be exciting to watch where the market evolves over the next ten years,” he says.

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Toronto west brokerage team’s tenant work helps make King West Central a where-to-be office node

Toronto brokers ChrisVanexan and JeffFriedman (right) haveworked to place over100 tenants in AlliedProperties buildings atKing and Spadina.

CONTACT TURNS THIS YEAR’S LENS ON MEMORY AND HISTORYBrassaii hosts opening party as month-long photo fest spreads to street corners, expressways, cafés and museums.

TORONTO / - In the downtown, strange things canhappen to you in May. You could step onto a subwaycar to find all the ads replaced with black and whitephotos of underground transit scenes from around theworld. Images of bicycle lock posts can turn up pastedon the sidewalk of Queen Street West to form an illusion that is an allegory for the passage of time. Andyou might even drive by 15 large format images ofupside down trees affixed to the columns of theGardiner Expressway near Spadina.

Celebrating the photographic image using a combi-nation of public installations, galleries, cafés, stores andmuseums, the month-long CONTACT photographyfestival has become an enduring spring ritual.

King Street West’s Brassaii hosted the opening partyMay 2nd and a number of Allied Properties tenantscontinue to work with the festival, including KingStreet West’s Nicholas Metivier Gallery, which featuresMichael Awad’s The Entire City Project, large scalepanoramic images that form an objective visual inven-tory of places in cities like Toronto and Milan.

In the east end, at the Queen Richmond Centre, B Espresso is showing Jason Ramsay’s series that confronts the difference between memory and remem-brance through images of Venice. But these are just asmattering of the city-wide offerings.

There are over 200 venues across the GTA as the cityplays host to the work of more than 500 professionalphotographers - both established and emerging talents.

This year’s theme examines the notion of memoryand history as the digitalization of photography hasmade it increasingly easy to record any given momentof our lives.

The main exhibition, Between Memory and History:From the Epic to the Everyday, at the Museum ofContemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), probes relationships that exist between the intimate and thepublic, between moments of personal significance toevents of global resonance that affect each one of us.

Ten artists from nine countries exhibit a wide rangeof images - from the epic to the everyday - and lookbeyond the headlines to explore private and social histories.

For more on the festival, pick up a CONTACTguide or visit www.contactphoto.com

13 • SPRING 2007

TORONTO

Contact images (from top):Greece, Athens, Acropolis, 1991by Martin Parr (at Museum ofContemporary Canadian Art);The Entire City Project, 2008 byMichael Awad (at the NicholasMetivier Gallery); and treeportraits, 1980 by RodneyGraham (along the GardinerExpressway).

RUE ATLANTIC, MONTREAL / - Chris Oliveros is known for his visual acumen and astute production values, but if you ask him how he built a stable of top-notch graphicnovelists and parlayed an interest in comics into an interna-tional publishing concern, it’s pretty straightforward.

“We just publish what we think is good,” says the head of Drawn and Quarterly at 400 Rue Atlantic. D+Q started life as a periodical company but soon grew into a book publisher with over 20 titles a year and an extraordinary backlist of perennial best-selling graphic novels.

Although Oliveros has run the company since 1989, heattributes Drawn & Quarterly's recent success to the work ofseveral key employees, notably Peggy Burns and Tom Devlin,both of whom left New York City in 2003 to move toMontreal to work for D+Q.

Under Burn's watch as the company's director of marketing,Drawn & Quarterly's books have been lauded by publicationsacross the continent, from The New York Times to The Globe& Mail. As creative director, Devlin has brought many keyprojects to the company, including the best-selling Moominbooks by legendary Finnish author Tove Jansson.

COMPLEX STORIES AND MATURE THEMES Graphic novels are essentially hard-bound comic books that exploremature themes using lengthy complex story lines as would anovel. They first appeared in the late 1970s and were furtherpopularized when Art Spiegelman’s won a Pulitzer Prize forMaus in 1986.

Long a fan of the genre, Oliveros published the first editionof Drawn and Quarterly, a hard-bound compilation featuringoriginal work from local, national and international artists, in 1989.

There were various incarnations since then, and the companyhas stopped producing the quarterly because the demand forgraphic novels has grown steadily in the last ten years.

“Now, artists that started with us have four or five booksbehind them and guys like Chester Brown are full-time graphic novelists,” says Oliveros, referring to the author/artistof the critically acclaimed historical biography Louis Riel.

As for what makes a great cartoonist, he says, it’s complex.

LIKE DIRECTING A FILM “You have to be a very good artist and know how to tell a story,” he says, explaining thatchoosing between using visuals and dialogue to advance theplot is akin to being a film director.

Some of the works include war comics-journalism from Joe Sacco, travelogues by Guy Delisle, a charming teenagememoir by Michel Rabagliatti as well as translations ofEuropean masters Dupuy & Berberian and the French bestseller Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie.

Always with an eye to the international (many of its customers in fact are in the U.S.) Oliveros is publishing translations from authors like Japan’s Yoshihiro Tatsumi, and Israel’s Rutu Modan.

RETAIL STORE OPEN Beyond the graphic novels, the firm also publishes an ongoing comic series and sketchbooksfrom iconic luminaries like R. Crumb and Chris Ware. And it has even gotten into the distribution game opening its ownstore at 211 Bernard Ouest in the Mile End neighbourhood.

Initially it was just a showroom for its products and to host book launches and other events, but to Oliveros’ surprise, it took off. Now the space sells graphic novels from other publishers, graphic design books, and there’s even a fiction section.

drawnandquarterly.com

Novel ApproachFocused editorial direction and a love of the genre build an international graphic novel success

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A book launch at Drawn and Quarterly’s Bernard Ouest store.

CORPORATE MASSAGE Therapy Service Offers Employees Onsite Stress Busting

TORONTO / - With employee stress levels on the rise and energy drink sales going through the roof, it’s hardly surprising companies are seeking new ways to ensure productivity without increasing worker burn out. On-site massage therapy services have been a popular solution to this problem and a growingcomponent of attraction and retention programs for a lot of firms, but finding the right provider can be tricky.

“Touch is a very particular thing,” agrees Daphne Jacobs, a massage therapist with 15 years experiencewhose service is expanding to work with downtown Toronto businesses.

Offering reflexology (the massaging of pressure points in the feet, hands and ears to improve overallhealth) and aromatherapy treatments, in addition to regular shiatsu massages, healing massages and deep-tissue body work, Jacobs is taking her practice to downtown workers in the form of an on-site serviceoffered on a scheduled basis.

“It’s not just one type of massage, or just aromatherapy, it’s a combination of healing techniques that I’ve refined over the years,” she explains, adding that a short relaxation massage releases tension and calms the nervous system, leaving employees feeling recharged and refreshed.

Connecting directly with business owners and human resources departments, Jacobs is consulting with firms to learn more about their employees’ needs and how best to manage stress levels.

For more information email daphnejacobs@rogers.com

15 • SPRING 2008

TORONTOLuminato to Shine Again in JuneDancing in the streets, world premieres and stirring theatre events mark this year’s line up

QUEEN STREET EAST, TORONTO - / Building on last year’s success, Luminato, whose offices are located in the QueenRichmond Centre, is shaping up to be as varied and spectacularan event as it was last June. For ten days, the city is given a tasteof international arts and creativity with world premieres andlarge-scale public events fast becoming the hallmark of this culture-to-the-city initiative.

There’s a lot happening from June 6 to 15, but look to theopening and closing weekends for some great free events. Theopening night concert at Yonge-Dundas Square also marks thestart of the dance series where live bands celebrate different musical genres each night combining early-evening lessons to make these the ultimate outdoor dance parties for all ages and skill levels. Things kick off with a live swing orchestra Friday night.

A little west of there on Saturday, you’ll find McCaul Streetclosed from OCAD to Queen Street as the area hosts a retro-spective on 70s and 80s Punk and New Wave, both in music andin art. In the afternoon, head to Nathan Philips Square to funkdown with bands like the James Brown Soul Generals.

Paid events include a South Asian production of Shakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring 23 dancers, street acrobats, martial arts experts, musicians, actors and performersfrom across India and Sri Lanka; the National Theatre ofScotland’s critically acclaimed Black Watch, about the legendaryScottish regiment and its role in Iraq; and the Alberta Ballet’sThe Fiddle and the Drum, which features paintings by Joni Mitchell.

luminato.com

Clockwise from top: A southpacific version of A MidsummerNight’s Dream; Morris Day atNathan Philips Square’s FunkFest; and Emun Elliott in theAward-winning Scottish playBlack Watch.

PHOTO: Tristram Kenton

PHOTO: Manuel Harlan

MOTION AND EMOTION Winnipeg media firm specializes in creating brands that move

EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - While thenotion of media convergence has many of us scratching ourheads, wondering whether to get a plasma TV or just a largeflat-screen monitor, Simon Burgess and Lori Dyck saw it asan opportunity in motion graphics.

Both left their jobs at CanWest Global in 2005, Burgess aproducer and Dyck a graphic designer on the interactive side,and later teamed up with a motion graphics expert fromCorus Entertainment, Adam Duguay, to form ElementalMotion Media.

“When we started, our focus was broadcast television and websites since we saw those two worlds merging,” saysBurgess who worked as a copywriter, web designer as well asin television commercial production and long form video.

Elemental also does print advertising, but motion graphicsin both web and broadcast are what form the bulk of its work.

“You’re basically creating emotion by using motion,” says Burgess. “That’s the strength of motion graphics over,say print.”

A traditional ad agency will start with print, he explains,but Elemental thinks in terms of movement, so the team will conceive of how a message – usually an emotion or

how you are supposed to feel about a product or service –can best be conveyed using video and graphic elements.

Telling a story without words is how Burgess describes it.And often a campaign will work back to a print concept later.

A recent campaign for local radio station HOT 103’s The Ace Burpee Show began with a series of short TV spotsdocumenting ‘behind-the-scenes’ at a photo shoot. Anaccompanying billboard campaign shows the resultant photos. The viewer has a sense of story, of knowing that the photo is part of a larger narrative, explains Burgess.

Based out of a 2,000-square-foot loft at 250 McDermotAvenue, Elemental Motion Media has also animated

petroglyphs for the motion graphics packaging of theinaugural Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards;

developed the trailer and graphics for a Gemini-award-winning documentary on hockey brawls; and regularly produces motion graphics for The Brick’s national television campaigns.

The television work is designed to make theviewer feel a certain way towards the product while the web component provides the informa-tion and further detail, says Burgess. And with the technology to produce high quality broadcastcontent becoming increasingly more accessible tosmaller enterprises, he says it comes down to the

creativity of the people involved.

“It’s something we take pride in,” he says. “We’recreating ads and special effects that are powerful andemotional and that have a national level caliber to them.”

COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • SPRING 2008 • 16www.alliedpropertiesreit.com

Send your company info, events and story ideas to news@alliedpropertiesreit.com

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WHAT ARE MOTION GRAPHICS?Motion graphics use video and/or animation technology to create a sense of motion or of transforming appearance.Typically, it’s seen as elements such as an advertiser’s logojumping onto the TV screen to flip around in three dimensionalform, or at the start of a television show when the program titledrops into focus and swirls out of the frame. Motion graphicsare as much a part of broadcast as they are web these daysand are designed to give vitality to what would otherwise be a very static few broadcast seconds.

FSC LOGO HERE