Toronto International Baccalaureate Schools

International Baccalaureate program now available at many Greater Toronto Area schools.

Founded in 1968 the International Baccalaureate program is now available in 140 countries and includes over 905,000 students worldwide. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland as a non-profit educational foundation for internationally mobile students preparing for university the program is now customized for students ranging in age from 3-19. An IB education consists of three programs: Primary Year, Middle Years and the Diploma Program. Approximately half of all IB schools worldwide are public and half are private.
There are approximately 30 IB schools in the Greater Toronto Area. The following Toronto neighbourhoods have an IB school offered at either a public, catholic, or private school: Humewood, Rosedale, York Mills, Centennial Park, Parkdale, Woburn, Guildwood Village, Davisville Village, Deer Park, Lawrence Park, Forest Hill, Cedarvale, Parkwoods Village Weston, Windfields and Willowdale. Toronto suburbs with IB schools include: Richmond Hill, Aurora, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Oakville, Burlington and Whitby.
To search for an IB school visit the website www.ibo.org

Toronto Curling Clubs

Curling Clubs flourish in Toronto Neighbourhoods

Anyone who witnessed Canada’s dramatic Gold medal victory in men’s curling at the 2010 Winter Olympics could not help but be gripped by the thrilling suspense and brilliant shot-making strategy of the Canadian and Norwegian sides. The skips and their teammates stared each other down like gun slingers from the wild west; neither team blinking as they sought to out duel each other on an icy cold sheet of ice. History will tell us that Kevin Martin and his Canadian team were the gold medal winners that day but the real winner may have been the sport of curling which really put itself on the world map with this gripping performance.
Curling’s has been a sport on the rise for sometime now in Canada with a steady succession of medal winners in both men’s and women’s curling in world championship and Olympic tournaments. The colourful characters this sport has produced at the national level and the social aspect curling has cultivated at the club level have resulted in many Canadians both children and adults taking up the sport. Curling’s popularity is certainly felt in Toronto. There are 23 curling clubs in and around Toronto that are part of the Toronto Curling Association (TCA).
The TCA helps organize and promote curling leagues for men, women and children. TCA and member club bonspiels are held regularly January through to April. If the names of some of these events are any indication there is plenty of fun to go along with the good spirited competition. Here are some of the bonspiels listed: Cook ‘N’ Curl, Cupid’s Spiel, Kings Feast, Oakville Annie, Robbie Burns Funspiel, Scarboro 38th Beer ‘n Beef and Curling Night in Canada Mixed Spiel just to name a few.
If you are thinking you might want to give curling a try, TCA clubs can be found in the following Toronto neighbourhoods: Leaside, High Park, Weston, Don Mills, Cricket Club, York Mills, East York, Humber Valley Village, Scarborough Village and Woburn. TCA clubs also span across Toronto suburbs including: Ajax, Oshawa, Brampton, Mississauga, Oakville, Thornhill, Richmond Hill, Markham and Newmarket.

GTHL Hockey organization the largest in the world.

Greater Toronto Hockey League a fixture in many Toronto neighbourhoods.

Formed in 1911 the Greater Toronto Hockey league is the largest single minor amateur hockey league in the world. The list of National Hockey League all-stars that grew up playing in this league is very impressive and includes the likes of Hall-Of-Famers: Charlie and Lionel Conacher, Frank Selke Jr., Bill Durnan, Red Kelly, Frank Mahovilich, Ken Dryden, Brad Park, Mike Gartner and Paul Coffey among others. Current NHL stars Rick Nash, PK Suban, John Taveres, Tyler Seguin and Jeffrey Skinner also starred in the GTHL.
The success of this league which is operated as a not-for-profit organization has largely rested on the shoulders of thousands of volunteers who step forward to coach and manage the teams. The GTHL now has 47 club teams with over 20,000 participants including 500 rep teams at the AAA,AA, and A levels plus an affiliation with 35 house league organizations. The league includes children of all ages divided into 10 divisions ranging from Minor Atom (9 years old) to the (18-21 year old) Juvenile division.
The GTHL begins its season in September and regular season play continues through to February when the playoffs get underway. Team tryouts for the following season take place in April. The GTHL operates at indoor ice arenas in neighbourhoods across Toronto including: Amesbury, Don Mills, Downsview, Flemingdon, Forest Hill, Leaside, Lambton, Long Branch, Malvern, North Toronto, Victoria Village, Weston and Willowdale.

Downtown Toronto Newest Attraction

The Downtown West neighbourhood is home to over 50,000 people living within walking distance of Union Station. Now these residents have a wonderful new 17 acre greenspace called Roundhouse Park which is located at the foot of Bremner Blvd, just south of the Rogers Centre. Roundhouse Park is the newly minted home of the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre. This museum was championed by the Toronto Railway Historical Association which sought to commemorate Toronto's rich railway history.

The centrepiece of this museum is the restored John Street Roundhouse turntable, circa 1929, that features a remarkable 32 bays that once serviced Canadian Pacific's steam locomotives. Now designated a National Historic Site the Roundhouse has taken on new life. Bays 1-14 are appropriately occupied by Steam Whistle Brewery. Bays 15-17 are occupied by the Toronto Railway Historical Association, and bays 18-32 are now the home of a new Leon's retail store that is a must see and a great lesson on how old spaces can be converted to new uses in a way where everybody comes out a winner.

Without a doubt the highlight for the kids will be the miniature steam railway that runs through Roundhouse Park. A computer simulated cab ride in an actual diesel locomotive as well as an interpretive railway village with restored railway buildings and trains are some of the other highlights that make this museum well worth the visit. The Toronto Railway Heritage Centre is open from May to October. Be sure to check it out. It is well worth the visit.

WINTERLICIOUS

Winterlicious takes place in Neighbourhoods across Toronto Presented by American Express and The City of Toronto

Starts: January 28, 2011 Ends: February 10, 2011 Toronto's favourite winter gastronomic celebration again offers TWO popular programs for you to savour. Discover new favourite restaurants by sampling mouth watering three-course prix fixe menus at 150 of Toronto's top restaurants. Food gurus will want to explore the culinary event series of 14 unique foodie experiences featuring diverse cuisine and notable chefs. Just in time for holiday gift-giving, culinary event tickets go on sale December 16, 2010! For more information contact: Phone: 311 Address: Various locations TTC Trip Planner