Hidden Gems Toronto

Send us Fan Mail In this month’s podcast  we chat with Ben Lovatt, owner of the Skull Store and Prehistoria Museum.  He proudly calls his museum the worlds weirdest recycling centre and Canada’s biggest oddity shop. When you see what Ben has on display,  you will quickly surmise that “odd” barely scratches the surface.   Thanks for listening! Please visit our website at hiddengemstoronto.net Follo...

Send us Fan Mail For the past decade, Sgt. Derrick Gaudet has always referred to his police dog in the K9 unit as his partner. And why wouldn’t he? His four-legged companion, Major, has played a vital role in solving numerous complex crimes in Canada. It was Major after all who, on a cold winter’s day, found the remains of the bodies that were hidden in planters by serial killer Bruce McArthur. De...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast we tackle the issue of food waste and food production from two unique perspectives.  Julia Girmenia works for a charity known as Not Far From The Tree. This creative organization has figured a way to not only salvage huge quantities of fruit that grows in our backyards, but has created a program that shares that fruit with homeowners, volunteers and people in need....

Send us Fan Mail During a stressful time in her life, Julia Zarankin went searching for a new hobby and decided to give Birding a shot. This grew into a real passion that led to her writing a fascinating book about her experience. There are more than 350 bird species in Toronto and Julia is on a quest to see them all. After listening to her insights you may be compelled to dig out your old binocul...

Send us Fan Mail For more than 35 years the charitable organization called Trailblazers has been  providing people with visual impairments an opportunity to ride around the city and points beyond on a tandem bike.  We interview John Tam who is sighted and Geza Fenyo who is blind to talk about their experiences out on the trails. They have a very inspiring story to tell. Thanks for listening! Pleas...

Send us Fan Mail The challenges facing an independent bookstore in Toronto are daunting. If book store owner Ben McNally made a list of the pros and cons of staying in business, the cons would win hands down. But fortunately for Toronto, Ben doesn't make lists; he sells books. Listening to Ben chat about his life in the book world, it is clear that he still opens a box of new books with the a...

Send us Fan Mail For the past 15 years, nurse practitioner Bertha Hughes has worked in the Cardiovascular and Vascular Surgery Unit at St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto. She has been a beacon of knowledge, compassion and hope for patients and their families who are undergoing traumatic and life-changing surgery. And despite all the challenges of COVID-19 and the overall state of nurs...

Send us Fan Mail Gordon Precious is many things: a charming raconteur, an intrepid word traveller, an accomplished magician and a talented athlete, whose love of heli-skiing garnered him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. And did we mention he is 97 years old? You are going to want to hear his story. Thanks for listening! Please visit our website at hiddengemstoronto.net Follow us on In...

Send us Fan Mail For the past 15 years, New Circles has played a major role in helping new immigrants and people living in poverty in Toronto.  Located on an unassuming industrial street in Scarborough, this organization started out providing gently used clothing to people in need. And while that alone was a noble undertaking, New Circles evolved from providing just clothing to adding classes wher...

Send us Fan Mail There may not be a more iconic event that occurs annually in Toronto than the Santa Claus Parade. For more than 115 years, Jolly old St. Nick and his cohorts have marched through the streets of Toronto bringing joy to more than 500,000 onlookers and millions more on TV.  The parade has overcome some seemingly insurmountable obstacles over the years, including two world wars, a los...

Send us Fan Mail Mary Ladky is the executive director of the Children's Book Bank. Strategically located between Cabbagetown and Regent Park, the book store is set up in a converted Victorian style home. It is beautifully laid out and is very child friendly. After admiring the surroundings, you might notice that something is missing. There is no checkout counter. And that's because all t...

Send us Fan Mail Ryan Church has worn many hats in his young illustrious career. He is an entrepreneur,  designer, biologist and with many patents already in his name, he is an inventor. As an active environmentalist, it seemed only natural that his latest invention has the potential to seriously impact the amount of energy we can produce from Wind Turbines around the world. He is a great Canadian...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Charleen Beard. Her accordion playing father decided in 1957 to teach music lessons out of his basement. Since that opening, more than 10,000 students have walked through the doors of the Lippert Music Center.  Charleen, who now presides over the business, gives us her take on the family business and shares her insights into the joy of learning to play a musical instrument. T...

Send us Fan Mail Two retired police officers bring more than 60 years of experience to bear on this intriguing tour of crime scenes in Toronto. It is an educational tour filled with amazing stories, insider analysis and even a healthy dose of humour. These are not your typical retired police detectives.  Thanks for listening! Please visit our website at hiddengemstoronto.net Follow us on Instagram...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Martin Howard, a Torontonian who interacts with typewriters on a daily basis. He collects 19th century typewriters, and also buys, repairs and sells more recent models. His passion for typewriters inadvertently led him to acquire a prominent role in the critically acclaimed documentary, California Typewriter, where he shares the marquee with the likes of Tom Hanks, John Mayer...