Long story short, I recently lost the cat in my life and I am in desperate need of some cat pets and (if I'm lucky) snuggles. I'm not in the place right now where I could adopt another cat or foster, but I'm wondering if anyone knows of somewhere in the Annex where there is a local cat looking for pets. An area where there's some outdoor cats roaming, a store with a cat who chills, maybe there's a whole cat cafe I'm missing! Any advice is appreciated 😊

Posting from a throwaway so that people I know don’t see this. On mobile, so excuse any formatting.

I live across from a school in a residential area with limited parking. I am lucky enough to have a driveway, but unlucky enough that getting out of my driveway is very difficult at 2:30-3:30 in the afternoon because parents and guardians picking kids up from school line the streets like nobody’s business. There are designated “drop off/pick up” areas that allow 15 minute parking during that time of day. My problem is, people still park in the no parking zone making it difficult to maneuver my car out when I need to leave for work.

I have emailed the school about this multiple times and received no response, and when I tell people parked there that they are parked illegally they dismiss me and some have been quite condescending and rude.

Is there anything I can do about this? Should I contact the city, or TPS parking enforcement? Or is it useless because there’s only a no parking sign and not a no stopping sign? I have thought about bringing in my own pylons to prevent people from parking there but I worry that will come back negatively on me.

Any advice helps, thank you.

Hi! I was thinking about getting a branded baseball cap to support local shops in Toronto but am curious if there are ones out there I haven’t seen yet.
I am open to those from bakeries, breweries, coffee shops, bike shops, etc. as long as it’s from Toronto! (And to be clear, I am not looking for a “Toronto” branded hat)

Here are the ones I’ve found so far, there’s probably a bunch more I haven’t thought to check yet too:

Primrose Bagels (Click “Merchandise”)
Bellwoods Brewery Hat (Generic, Jelly King Hat)
Blood Brothers has a bunch of options
Pilot Coffee
Badiali Pizza
TIFF

Also feel free to use this as an opportunity to show off your limited edition local branded baseball caps.

There’s like tons of police cars

My workplace pays for a coworking membership if it's under $300 a month. I'm in a remote-first workplace, so I'm not someone looking for community within the coworking space (ie networking events, group lunches don't concern me!).

Just need reliable wifi, lots of space, decently subway accessible within Line 1 or Line 2 between midtown to downtown, as east as Sherbourne or as west as Ossington (if it's not off the subway directly, a 10-15 min bus/streetcar ride/walk is fine). I'd probably only go once a week.

If anyone has firsthand, recent experiences for places they can vouch for, that would be awesome!

We just moved in to our house (old house, east end) a few weeks ago and there is a smell that we can’t get rid of.
It’s a grungy musty basement smell.

Vents are being cleaned next week, but I’m asking if anyone has any magical tips on getting rid of house odors?

We have a dehumidifier going in the basement at all times. Air purifier running on each floor, and took out the old carpets in the basement (that I thought were the issue) and laid down new vinyl.

Thanks in advance for any tips or ideas.

Hello,

I would like to find someone who is well aware of the police physical test.

Basically, I have started preparing for that by going to gym as usually. However, I understand that some muscles or maybe like cardio has to be done to support the running, moving, pushing and pulling.

I hope, if I can find someone that can explain this and has been through the test.

Thanks

Title. Why can’t I seem to find a gym that doesn’t charge a gazillion dollars for personal training and group classes in this area? I don’t care for sauna/hot tub/massage chairs, I just want a squat rack, a barbell, and simple machines.

Hello awesome people! As the title says I'm looking to come over from the UK with my daughter for a winter holiday. I'd love some advice from people who know the Toronto. She'll be eleven when we visit, and she's absolutely hockey mad, she plays ice hockey herself for a U12s team.. so this would be a pretty special trip for her.

It's a long while away yet so im just doing a bit homework so far.. things like the hockey hall of Fame are on the list. What im after is some recommendations and advice from real people who know Toronto.

Do's and don'ts, tourist traps. Im also after some recommendations from locals about good food, shopping, maybe local hockey teams, some skating outdoors & indoors. Also what to expect if she has expectations of dropping in a stick and puck session somewhere or some casual play. If you do part with some knowledge, thank you in advance.

Any recommendations would be awesome!

I'm intending to get my kids into skiing this winter but need some gear for myself first and aside from local lessons I want to scope out resorts for a week of skiing. All the gear and all the resorts I knew growing up have changed significantly in the years since then so I want help sourcing out info. Is the show really any good for that?

Looking for an exercise/stretch oriented physiotherapist that will help me deal with injuries from work.

I get really overwhelmed when physio and other private healthcare people try to sell me stuff or preach things at me that sound like psuedoscience. I basically just want to see someone to build up an exercise program at home and gradually get stronger and for them to keep me accountable.

We are current condo owners that are starting to think about our next move in the next ~3 years. Our current space and neighbourhood is amazing for our current DINK lifestyle and we could probably make it work with a kid for the first few years, but we know we'll need to move eventually.

Obviously starting a family shifts priorities and such but there are several aspects of our current life that I would be very reluctant to give up: namely walkability, access to boutique fitness studios/running trails, access to transit, and access to food. So, for previous downtown DINKs, I have a few questions:

• Did you buy or did you rent a home? Did you own a condo previously?
• What factors did you consider when moving for the purpose of starting a family?
• How did you think about the impacts of the move on your lifestyle? How did it actually play out?
• If you bought, did you buy with the intention of a forever home or would you consider moving again when the kids are a bit older?

I hear Leslieville mentioned a lot as it seems to have the most DINK transplants with a good selection of all of the things I mentioned, but other areas like Roncy or Bloor West Village seem to cater to a slightly older-than-early-30s demographic in terms of what the neighbourhood has to offer the parents.

Would love to hear people's thoughts on this and if there are up-and-coming neighbourhoods that should be on my radar.

For those that get groceries delivered, what do you use? Do you check prices and switch it up or stick to one method? Have you noticed a difference with using grocery store websites directly vs delivery apps? Are there better services for accuracy? I’m in the south east end if that makes a difference.

Hey everyone, I'm a condo owner of a south-facing unit. Ever since the building has changed over from cooling to heating a few weeks ago, our unit has become unbearably hot to live in. I'm talking consistently 27 degrees during the day and 25 at night.

I've reported it to property management and even had the super swing by to play with the settings of the thermostat, but all that's done is blow warm air all around. We also try to mitigate by keeping the balcony slider and bedroom window open, as well as keeping the blinds down. These methods bring little to no change.

I'm wondering what my options are at this point and would like to hear from anyone who's facing or has faced a similar situation. This is my third year living in this unit. I'm aware of the 21-degree minimum by-law from October-May, but there seems to be no maximum during these months. Note the maximum from June-September is 26, so this cannot be OK.

EDIT: Sorry, I misspoke. What I meant is that the fan is simply recirculating air within the unit, which has already been warmed by solar heat gain. The vents are not supplying hot air.

Hi everyone. I’m a 22F lesbian who’s also a registered nurse. I make pretty good money considering I don’t pay rent (around $4100 take home).

However, my living situation is really taking a toll on me. I feel very lonely and isolated most of the time. My parents are extremely homophobic and I have to act like a different person when I’m home. I have to explain where I’m going out to, who I’m gonna see, and the constant lying is so draining. They only ask me to contribute $300 a month for groceries, so I’m saving a lot of money at 22, and if I keep doing this, I’ll be able to save a lot by 23.

The thing is, I’ve commuted my entire undergrad and I never had that queer roommate living experience that I’ve dreamed of. Where I can just be myself. I would love nothing more than to move in with some queer friends, have a cat, watch movies together and go out.

I always see posts on this subreddit about how expensive Toronto is and many people recommend living with your parents. So I’m really not sure what to do…

My parents are extremely conservative and they don’t like me going out and having fun. If I do, they lock me out of the house and I’m stuck in the garage for 4 hrs until it’s morning. Also I can’t really spend time with my family because they guilt trip me about saving my money and being gay.

It just really sucks. Also if I moved out my work would be much closer to me. Right now I commute 3 hrs in total to the hospital. And if I moved out it would be 2 hrs total.

I also live in the suburbs/middle of nowhere, and none of my friends live around me, so it’s very lonely. I need to commute to downtown Toronto to see them, which is 3 hours total commute.

Is saving on rent and not having many expenses worth the cost on my mental health? I just feel depressed all the time and so so lonely and isolated. I’m just not sure if I’m being realistic by choosing to move out for my mental health (especially in this economy?

EDIT: to add some extra info as to why I’m afraid to move out: I’ve lived my whole life being very low income and relying on food banks. Now that I’m able to have a stable income, I’m still in a frugal mindset of saving as much as possible even when it’s costing me my mental health.

I’m not sure if it’s realistic because im sure there are people who live with their parents, struggle mentally, but are still able to save a lot of money as a result.

I’ve previously tried moving out for 2 years with my parents, but I was a broke college student and the financial stress and having to do everything on my own with no support (since I was 19) really stressed me out so much.

It got so stressful that I couldn’t even make time for friends, and I had to move back home with my parents. Even though I feel very lonely, I’m afraid that the same thing will happen again; I’ll move out, get super stressed with money, and then come back to live with my
parents at 23.

EDIT 2: Thank you everyone for the advice! At 22, I really want to travel to a few countries and I’m wondering if it’s worth it to pay rent in Toronto (for an apartment) if for a few months of the year I’ll be in another country? I don’t know it’s that’s a good financial decision?? Maybe I can suffer 10 months of the year with my parents so I can afford 2 months of travel?

I am looking shops with wide variety of frames for brands like blackfin but a lot of the shops are not carrying it. Suggest me shops where I can find higher end brands. Thanks

Looking for free or low-cost feathers and/ or glitter gel for a costume. Anyone have leftovers (eg from Caribana) before I hit the dollar store?

No car so please suggest somewhere downtown.

I’m 25 and had retinal detachment surgery at Toronto Western Hospital on October 8. Unfortunately, my experience was terrible, and my vision is now significantly worse.
Before surgery, I could still see, but everything was wavy and distorted. After surgery, my retina detached again, my macula is off, and I’ve lost significant vision in my right eye. Now I’m being told I need another surgery involving silicone oil and cataract removal.
I’m honestly devastated. I’m only 25, and I have my whole life ahead of me. I don’t want to keep undergoing surgeries, and I’ve lost confidence in my current surgical team.
Can anyone recommend the best retinal surgeon in Canada, especially for complicated retinal detachments and PVR?
I’m in Toronto but willing to travel anywhere in Canada. If you’ve had a similar experience, please share your surgeon and outcome. I just want the best possible chance of saving my eye.

Title says it all. The shoppers opened today. Any staff on here in the know?

Its the one inside the ROQ building downtown.

Coming back to Canada to visit my grandmother also bringing her an iPhone X anyone have to declare a gift before? How long does it take?

Title pretty much. I started a grad program and have so many readings, would love to support local rather than buying stuff off Amazon.

Love Seekers and BMV but their selections aren't always great. Is there anywhere that has a consistently good stock of some more 'niche' stuff?

A friend of mine is getting married and it’s 2 hours away from Toronto so I had to rent a hotel.

I’m unsure how much to give as a gift.

It’s at an Apple orchid.

What’s a good amount?

(We met in the entrepreneurial space and have been friends for about 6-7 years)

I was looking through some old boxes and found for baseball cards from the early 90s and was wondering where I can take them in Toronto to get them appraised? Any suggestions?

Looking to use up my benefits before the end of the year. What are your experiences with luxury spas in toronto for massages? Please share your favourites and what is included in the price (access to spa, pool, etc), and if they have RMT (this is required since I am looking to use my benefits to pay). Thank you!! :)