Monday 25 January 2016

Pulcinella Italian Restaurant in South Etobicoke


Thank you to the owner and staff ....great time was had by all of the RGR Pharma team ...
 fabulous food, drinks, desserts and atmosphere....

























Serving traditional Italian cuisine 

3687 Lake Shore Blvd W, Etobicoke, ON M8W 1P7   416-253-9959

http://www.pulcinellatoronto.com/

Friday 15 January 2016

Winterlicious

Calling All Foodies... 
Winterlicious is back! 
Winterlicious is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the winter season with great culinary savings during Toronto's favourite winter foodie event. Enjoy an elegant culinary experience among the stonewalls and rich tapestries in the historical setting of the Old Mill Dining Room. Tempt your palette with our three-course Winterlicious menu prepared by our executive chef Martin Buehner and his talented culinary 
team.

Friday 8 January 2016

Partnership protects ecological hotspot


Land acquisition creates wildlife corridor from Cootes Paradise to the Niagara Escarpment


 – Nearly 100 acres of natural lands situated in the Greenbelt in Hamilton have been safeguarded from development forever thanks to 10 local government and non-profit organizations who have partnered to purchase and protect the properties.


The land, in Dundas’ Pleasant View (York and Valley Roads and York and Old Guelph Roads), falls within the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System, one of Canada’s biodiversity hotspots.  It is home to more than 1,500 species of plants and animals, including nearly one- quarter of Canada’s wild plants and more than 50 at-risk species.  It provides the last intact ecological connection between Lake Ontario wetlands and the Niagara escarpment.  The area is also situated in one of the country’s most rapidly developing urban and economic regions, where growth has resulted in the fragmentation of natural areas into a disconnected patchwork of smaller protected sections.  The newly acquired lands are two separate tracts which provide the connection between protected properties, creating a safeguarded wildlife corridor stretching from Cootes Paradise to the Niagara escarpment.

The new Pleasant View properties are now owned by Conservation Halton, Hamilton Conservation Authority, and Royal Botanical Gardens. Funds for this purchase have come from the Hamilton Community Foundation, Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton Conservation Authority, Conservation Halton Foundation, the City of Hamilton, the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. Financial support of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation was crucial in helping make arrangements for this project.

“The protection of these natural lands is an example of what can be achieved when so many great organizations can work together towards a common goal,” said Dr. David Galbraith, RBG’s head of science and chair of the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System management committee. “We are delighted at the progress made so far in permanently protecting natural lands between Hamilton Harbour and the Escarpment and look forward to continuing this momentum.”

“Royal Botanical Gardens is honoured to have a leading role in the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System partnership,” said Mr. Mark Runciman, CEO of Royal Botanical Gardens and Chair of the EcoPark System governing council. “The purchase of these lands in Pleasant View is a tangible demonstration of the power of working together toward the vision of the EcoPark System. There is now a continuous corridor of protected land from the Niagara Escarpment to Cootes Paradise. This has been a major goal for us all along.”

Hamilton Community Foundation also played a critical role in the acquisition, bringing donors with a deep environmental interest, and stepping forward with a loan which enabled the simultaneous purchase of both pieces of land.   

“We are thrilled to have been able to play the part of catalyst in securing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Terry Cooke, president & CEO of the foundation. “Our spectacular natural surroundings are one of the area’s most defining features.  We are proud that the foundation’s long history of commitment to the environment impact will include protecting and preserving these critical lands and the wildlife that inhabit them.”

Long-time owners of the properties are pleased to see the properties sold to EcoPark System partners, ensuring the lands remain in a natural state as part of an important wildlife corridor.

While half of the land acquisition funds have been secured, approximately $850,000 will still need to be raised. EcoPark System partners will be looking for community support to help complete this important land purchase.

Partners in the Ecopark System have now permanently protected more than 220 acres of ecologically significant land in the past two years, through purchase, donation and conservation easement.

“We have made incredible progress,” says Jen Baker, land securement coordinator for the group,  “but we still have a way to go as we look both for landowners who are interested in contributing properties in the EcoPark System, and contributions to help make land purchase possible.”  She adds that landowners who are interested in contributing lands to the EcoPark System can receive help from the partners with the land securement process and provide advice on the best options that meet their needs. 

Landowners who are interested in contributing lands to the EcoPark System can receive help from the partners with the land securement process, including advice on the best options that meet their needs. Please contact Jen Baker, Land Securement Coordinator, for more information (land@hamiltonnature.org, 905-524-3339).

The Parties to the Memorandum of Understanding Establishing the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System are:

•           Bruce Trail Conservancy
•           Conservation Halton
•           Hamilton Conservation Authority
•           Hamilton Naturalists’ Club
•           City of Burlington
•           Halton Region
•           City of Hamilton
•           McMaster University
•           Royal Botanical Gardens
with support from the Office of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan.



Press contact:

Nick Kondrat
Manager of Communications
Royal Botanical Gardens
680 Plains Road West
Burlington, Ontario LL7 4H4

nkondrat@rbg.ca
Phone:  905-527-1158 ext. 223
Toll Free: 1-800-694-4769
Fax:      905-577-0375
Web:    www.rbg.ca


Thursday 7 January 2016

The snow has finally arrived! Get your Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass!

The snow is falling and winter is in full swing.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The snow has begun to fall all across the country and with all this snow comes all sorts of fun! Don’t let your kids spend the winter indoors, get them outside and active, and get them to try skiing and snowboarding with the Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass.

Don’t worry if your kids haven’t even been on a pair of skis or a snowboard before. With all the fresh snow on the ground, it’s the perfect time to get them started. And the Canadian Ski Council has everything you need to make it easy and affordable for them to learn. Just pick up Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass for your child and receive three free lift tickets at each participating ski area. With 150 locations across Canada there are hundreds of opportunities for your kids to ski and snowboard this winter!

Registering your child for a SnowPass is easy and any child in grade 4 or 5 is eligible (or those born in 2005 or 2006) Just visit www.snowpass.ca (or www.passeportdesneiges.ca for French speaking applicants), upload your child’s picture and proof of age, enter your method of payment and presto, your child’s personalized SnowPass will be mailed directly to your home in days.

The Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass is a national program and is valid at 150 ski areas across Canada, including 31 ski areas in British Columbia, 21 in Alberta, 1 in Saskatchewan, 2 in Manitoba, 29 in Ontario, 57 in Quebec, 8 in Atlantic Canada, and 1 in the Yukon. So no matter where you live, everyone can take advantage of this fantastic offer. To see a full list of participating ski areas, please visit: www.snowpass.ca.

If this is your or your family’s first time skiing or snowboarding, the Canadian Ski Council has you covered.  Sign up for a Discover Learn to Ski or Snowboard lesson package, which includes a lesson, lift ticket and equipment rental, all for a very low price. Check out www.skicanada.org for a full list of ski areas that offer Discover lesson packages and their package prices.

Grade 4 and 5 SnowPass information and applications are available online at www.snowpass.ca or www.passeportdesneiges.ca. Sign up today!

For more information on the Grade 4 and 5 SnowPass program, contact the Canadian Ski Council, tel: 905-856-4754 or email info@skicanada.org  
 
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