thisissue SOCIAL LIFE 3 Features> • The Farmers and Artisans Market at Western Fair • Down to business: Futurpreneur Canada • City spruces up for spring with Clean & Green • Putting the ‘forest’ in Forest City: Earth Day • Rise of the robots and the UBI • Rocky’s Harley-Davidson revs up for 2016 Social Listing Sci-Tech Digest Social Life Listings POP CULTURE9 Features > • Killswitch Engage forefathers of metalcore • The Weeknd triumphant at Junos • Country music honours its own Scene&Heard London’s Indie Pop Beat Listings > Concerts /Limited Engagements • House Bands / DJ’s / Karaoke THE ARTS15 Cover Story> • Oh Boy! Buddy Holly takes over the Grand Theatre Features> • Notes on Love: Chorus London Closes Season with Brahms, Whitacre • LCP’s August: Osage County • Elizabeth’s Night at The Palace • London Artists’ Studio Tour 2016 • The 56th Annual Kiwanis Music Festival • An enlightening journey with #WePlayOn • Book sale at Masonville Library • Original Kids at 25: A chat with Alexa Shipman • It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Free Comic Book Day! Art Beat Indie Art Listings > Visual Arts • Performing Arts • Literary • Museums PHYSICAL REVIEWS20 • Pop CDs & DVD • Classical CDs • Books • Movie DVDs THE CLASSIFIEDS23 PERSONAL LIFE27 Advice Goddess by Amy Alkon 2 ESTABLISHED IN 1989 APRIL 7 - MAY 4 • 2016
sociallife W estern Fair District in 2016 is a sprawling entertainment complex with multiple venues, a casino, and a racetrack. But in its earliest incarnation, Western Fair was incorporated as an agricultural society, which is still the basis for the brand. The spirit of that first, rural-based organization lives on the Farmers and Artisans Market at the Western Fair. As anybody who has visited the market on a Saturday morning will attest, it’s a veritable cornucopia of sights, sounds, tastes and textures that opens only once a week to eager Londoners. Market vendors, roughly 80 in total, are situated in the Confederation building, a 52,000 square-foot, two-story red brick construct which began as a place for area merchants to sell their wares, the same purpose for which the structure is used today. The lofty ceilings and illuminated ambiance of the historical building makes excellent housing for artisans, artists’ studios, musicians and crafts people, who conduct business on the market’s second floor. The market is a popular destination for chefs, cooks and local gastronomes, all of whom require a wide variety of artisanal products and seasonal ingredients. But whether needs are professional or personal, market-goers appreciate the variety and availability of high quality, farm-fresh foodstuffs that can be purchased directly from the producer, as well as the unique goods they won’t discover anywhere else in the city. In fact, that constitutes a large part of the market’s mission statement, which is basically to incubate the development of small businesses, encourage entrepreneurship, and support the local economy by promoting and creating healthy food networks. The first floor is where visitors to the market can find fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses, specialty meats, flowers and plants. FEATURES FARM FRESH: THE FARMERS AND ARTISANS MARKET AT WESTERN FAIR THE FARMERS AND ARTISANS MARKET AT THE WESTERN FAIR IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC EVERY SATURDAY FROM 8AM-3PM, YEAR-ROUND Among the businesses located there are… …All Bout Cheese - Purveyors of fine local artisanal cheese, international favorites, and a wide array of local domestic cheeses. ABC offers a full line of goats’ milk cheeses, along with dessert cheeses. …Artisan Bakery – Creators of croissants, danishes, artisan breads, pastries, savories and sour dough bread from scratch each week to tantalize taste buds. …Corner Deli – Producers of traditional European deli meats, wieners and sausages. …Habitual Chocolate - A small chocolate company, Habitual Chocolate produces handcrafted chocolates from the beans they source on their world travels. …Kinehdn Maple Sugar Company - Serving fine maple products, maple sugar, maple syrup, BBQ sauce, maple mustard and more, including candy apples with a maple syrup coating and maple suckers that are 100 percent pure maple syrup. …On the Move Organics - Offers local organic produce, dairy, meat and grocery items. Creators of The Local Box home delivery program which delivers the freshest local, independent and 100 percent certified organic produce right to your front door …Smokin’ Good - Fresh fish and smoked meat, including pulled pork, chicken and salmon. And that’s just to start! If you’re a consumer intent on getting quality, ethical, healthy food from a known source, than the market’s first floor is the place to be. Up the stairs and under the soaring ceiling of the second floor, though, the market’s artisans, craftspeople and merchants have assembled a colorful array of products and services to feed the soul, much in the same way first floor food producers fed the body. Businesses located on the second floor include… …Meddle with Metal - Precious metal works, featuring projects that range from the simply beautiful to the incredible. Created to last. …Oh Baby Boutique - Baby and toddler items handmade by local artisans. …The Painted Peacock - Painted furniture shop carrying three full lines of furniture paints and home décor. Offers workshops for DIY on how to paint and create all types of home décor projects. …Wethered Hearts - A home based business offering handmade country fare inspired by antiques and country living. Only a small fraction of the products and producers encountered at the market can be compiled here for consideration, but a comprehensive listing is available online. The Farmers and Artisans Market at the Western Fair is open every Saturday from 8am-3pm, all year ‘round. (Please note: While some market vendors have debit service; some do not. For that reason, it is advisable to carry cash when visiting the market.) - Chris Morgan H DOWN TO BUSINESS: FUTURPRENEUR CANADA aving a good idea for your own business is one thing, but having the wherewithal to make it a reality is something completely different. That’s where Futurpreneur Canada can help. Futurpreneur Canada is a national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Their internationally recognized mentoring program matches young entrepreneurs with business experts from a network of more than 2,800 volunteer mentors. For nearly two decades, Futurpreneur has supported over 8,500 young business owners and helped launch 7,220 Canadian businesses, not to mention having a hand in creating more than 34,000 jobs nationwide. In an era where employment equity and wage parity between male and female workers is under scrutiny, Futurpreneur reports that nearly 40 percent of the entrepreneurs exiting their program are women. How exactly does Futurpreneur help new business owners? They do it by taking the best approach to overcoming the challenges faced by individuals beginning their first business venture. Pre-launch coaching provided by knowledgeable ‘Entrepreneurs-in-Residence’ is one way the organization aids new startups. From demonstrating how to develop a marketing plan to providing a crash course on business finances, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence make the launch of a new business less overwhelming. Futurpreneur’s Business Resource Centre offers a variety of tools and articles that young entrepreneurs can utilize. This includes access to free Business Plan Writer software, which provides a powerful way to focus young business owners’ entrepreneurial intents. An essential ingredient to the success of any business startup is capital. Through a financing program, eligible individuals can receive up to $45,000 from Futurpreneur Canada and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). FUTURPRENEUR CANADA OFFERS FINANCING AND MENTORSHIP TO NEW BUSINESS OWNERS For 18 - 34 year olds who are starting their own business, Futurpreneur offers collateral-free loans at better interest rates than most banks. The organization will finance up to $15,000 per business. If more money is required, BDC may provide up to $30,000. Futurpreneur applicants aged 35 – 39 apply directly to BDC to receive their financing (up to $45,000). The final and perhaps most essential element of the work that Futurpreneur does is foster and promote opportunities for mentorship. Mentors provide business advice, as well as support and encouragement to help young entrepreneurs accomplish their short and long-term goals. By offering two years of business mentoring through an industry-leading program, young entrepreneurs have access to a mentor’s vast experience and knowledge. This knowledge is essential when navigating the turbulent first few years of a new business. But the relationship goes both ways. Futurpreneur also gives established business owners a chance to share their understanding of beginning a new venture, and the attendant challenges that young entrepreneurs may encounter. By volunteering a few hours of their time each month, mentors can make a profound difference in new business owners’ lives. Futurpreneur also offers professional development opportunities to their mentors throughout the year, so they are up-to-date on the latest techniques and advances in the field. For more information on Futurprener and the support they can provide to young business owners, call toll-free 1-800-464-2923 or visit them online.. - Chris Morgan APRIL 7 - MAY 4 • 2016 <strong>CELEBRATING</strong> 27 YEARS 3
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