Tag Archives: scarborough

Music, podcast

Farley Flex

My next guest was an early manager of Canadian hip hop legend, Maestro Fresh Wes.

He also spent a dozen years convincing the CRTC to give him and his partners a licence for Canada’s first urban radio station, FLOW 93.5.

He spent 6 seasons as a judge with Canadian Idol alongside one of my favourite rock voices, Sass Jordan.

Today he spends a lot of his time executing intercultural conflict management workshops and seminars as well as programs focused on community capacity building as well as youth and community engagement.

Please welcome to the show, Farley Flex.

This is Episode #169 of the Welcome! podcast.

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Wayne and Elizabeth Cuffe

I remember it was in HomeEc class. The year and grade escapes me. But it was at JB Tyrrell Senior Public School in Scarborough. Wayne Cuffe was able to recite the full dialogue of the movie, Terminator.

Wayne also liked to make people laugh. But he wasn’t one of the cool kids. He was different. And I liked different. I still do. So when social media came around I naturally followed many old school mates including Wayne. He was always happy. But it felt real. He’s still into pop culture. His workouts even follow the style of his favourite superheroes. When he travels he shares stories of the people he meets and those that inspire him. And he always shares photos of his wife, Elizabeth. And GROOT. After more than twenty years we meet again.

Welcome to the studio, Wayne and Elizabeth Cuffe.

This is Episode #163 of the Welcome! podcast.

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groot

podcast

Councillor Michael Thompson

My next guest, like yours truly, is a graduate of Scarborough’s Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute. He is a long time resident of Scarborough who has assisted in the creation of the Wexford Heights Business Improvement Area and the popular Taste of Lawrence Avenue East Festival.

Now in his fifth term at Toronto’s city hall, my next guest helped to create the first ever TTC transit strategy for Scarborough, was the first chair of Toronto’s Music Advisory Committee and has been the recipient of many awards.

Please welcome to the show, Councillor Michael Thompson.

This is Episode #162 of the Welcome! podcast.

Listen here: 

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councillor michael thompson and karim kanji

 

 

 

 

podcast

Carrianne Leung

My next guest is a fiction writer and educator. She has a PhD in Sociology and Equity Studies from the University of Toronto. Her debut novel, “The Wonderous Woo”, was shortlisted for the 2014 Toronto Book Award.

An award-winning author who has recently returned to the place where her most recent book, “That Time I Loved You”, is set: Scarborough. She can currently be found at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus as it’s Writer-In-Residence.

I’m excited to welcome to the show, Carrianne Leung.

This is Episode #159 of the Welcome! podcast.

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Aparita Bhandari

Aparita Bhandari has covered arts and culture for many of Canada’s top newspaper and online publications: The Toronto Star, Saturday Night Magazine, The National Post, CBC, The Walrus and many others. She also co-hosts a popular Hindi-language podcast about Bollywood movies.

Today, Aparita uncovers important local stories here in Scarborough for the new media start-up company, The Discourse.

Today, she joins me in Toronto’s 100th library, the Scarborough Civic Centre Library. Please welcome to the show, Aparita Bhandari.

This is Episode #158 of the Welcome! podcast.

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Shasha Nakhai

Shasha Nakhai is a filmmaker based out of Toronto with both Compy Films and Storyline Entertainment.  Shasha’s award-winning  films have screened at festivals and aired on TV worldwide, been released on iTunes, gone viral and been awarded Vimeo Staff Pick and Short of the Week.

This is Episode #152 of the Welcome! podcast.

  • Shasha Nakhai was born in Nigeria to parent from Persian and Philippine backgrounds.
  • Shasha came on a student visa to study but now is a proud Canadian and new owner of plaid pants!
  • She studied journalism and radio and TV from 2005 until 2009 at Ryerson University. Shasha also attended Sheridan and Humber to finish her formal education.
  • Shasha Nakhai was the director of Take Light which is a movie about the energy crisis in her Nigerian hometown.
  • Shasha produced the 2017 Oscar “nominated” short doc, Frame 394 which was about the shooting of an unarmed man in South Carolina.
  • Shasha Nakhai is also producing the movie adaptation of the award-winning book, Scarborough (which was written by Catherine Hernandez).

Listen below:

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This episode was taped at Girth Radio studios inside the Pacific Junction Hotel bar in Toronto.

Music featured in this podcast  episode is by my cousin, Afraaz Mulji. 

If you liked this episode with Shasha Nakhai you may also like these:

Toronto

Gordon Is 25

Happy birthday Gordon!

Yesterday was the 25th birthday of The Barenaked Ladies’ first studio album, Gordon. Formed in 1988, a few years prior to the release of Gordon, The Barenaked Ladies formed in Scarborough with Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Andy Creeggan, Jim Creeggan, and Tyler Stewart.

In 1991, thanks to the massive success of the band’s independently released cassette The Yellow Tape, Barenaked Ladies won the “Discovery To Disc” contest hosted by a Toronto radio station. The Canadian quintet used the prize money to record Gordon with producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda. Following its release on July 28, 1992, the Diamond certified album topped the Canadian charts for eight weeks. (AMAZON)

Front Side:

  • Hello City
  • Enid
  • Grade 9
  • Brian Wilson
  • Be My Yoko Ono
  • Wrap Your Arms Around Me
  • What a Good Boy
  • The King Of Bedside Manor

Back Side:

  • Box Set
  • I Love You
  • New Kid (On The Block)
  • Blame It On Me
  • The Flag
  • If I Had $1000000
  • Crazy

 

Toronto

Historical Scarborough: Thomson Park

Yes. Scarborough is historical. The Thomson Settlement (a precursor of Thomson Park) was the first permanent settlement in Scarborough (then a township). Brothers David and Andrew came here in 1796 via Scotland.

thomson park | scarborough

The first library in Scarborough was first organized on April 7th, 1834. It had 46 original members who paid a five shilling membership fee.

Scarborough Library | Thomson Park

Scarborough Library | Thomson Park

The Thomson memorial in the nearby cemetery which happens to be close to the Scarborough Library:

Thomson Family memorial

 

Toronto

Scarborough Bluffs Erosion

I walked down the Doris McCarthy Trail this afternoon with some friends. When we reached Lake Ontario we headed west along the shore. We came upon the results of one of our more recent rain storms. As many of you know the Bluffs have always been eroding. However, I have never seen a part of the cliffs that have recently broken off. Until today.

Scarborough Bluffs

While it looks like hard rock it is in fact a clay like substance that is densely packed.