Sitting at an antique table in Casa Loma’s original, turn-of-the-century coach house, the founders of Renaissance Fine Homes reflect on their passion for preserving the past. “We may not have a storied history like England or Italy but, if we don’t start protecting it now, we’re never going to have that story,” says Matthew Garnet, …
In Toronto’s tony shopping district, Teatro Verde comes into view as I weave through pedestrians collecting on Yorkville Avenue. The Georgian facade of the housing emporium is soon behind me as I step through its entrance, where India Hicks stands against a backdrop of floral novelties. We politely exchange introductions before a customer interjects, her …
It’s only been an hour since she announced her resignation as CBC’s executive vice-president, but Kirstine Stewart is already trending on Twitter. From Richard Florida to Shinan Govani and Andrew Coyne, virtual congratulations from Canada’s business and media fixtures are pervading the T-sphere with a celebratory rhythm. As one of the most famous faces in …
It’s been almost a year since Peter Gilgan made the single largest private donation to a children’s hospital in Canadian history. “Didn’t you hear? I took it back,” he playfully jests about the $40 million he donated to the SickKids Centre for Research and Learning. Removing the lid to let his herbal tea cool while …
Margaret McCain’s mother had a problem managing her money: she loved giving it away. “She was incorrigible,” McCain says with a chuckle, recalling the predicaments that wild munificence brought. The family farm sunk into deep financial trouble over it, and was to be sold off. The family gathered at the Nova Scotia estate, sat down …
It began in 1989, a year when spending sprees and an emphasis on brand names captured the zeitgeist of the era. A freshly minted Boston College graduate thinking that success was to be found in the narthex of corporate margins, Joe Bastianich gravitated to Manhattan like a kid to a lollipop. Wall Street was his …
