No physical store, no problem, says government pot regulator
Instead of a government-run storefront merchandising plan the new policy will rely on private enterprise to sell to what’s expected to be a huge marketplace.
The one store approach had been criticized in any case because it would have woefully underserved the local market, though more outlets would have been rolled out in later years.
Instead, the new government’s private model will see bricks and mortar outlets open April 1 instead.
Windsor and Essex County still doesn’t know how many stores will open locally though the new government will release details as it continues to formulate the private retail sales strategy.
Where does that leave the Liberal government’s Ontario Cannabis Store, overseen by the LCBO?
It still exists and is very much in the cannabis sales game, and it will still be serving the public when sales begin Oct. 17, only that it will operate the online sales website through which shoppers can place marijuana orders.
“The Ontario Cannabis Store welcomes the direction from the Ontario government to focus on launching our online retail store and begin establishing a wholesale distribution network to supply cannabis to legal private stores in Ontario once legislative requirements are put in place,” OCS president Patrick Ford says.
The new website will be run through Ottawa-based private retail portal Shopify.
“The site is complete and final testing is underway,” Ford said.
More details will be released soon, including about supply agreements and delivery methods.
What happens to any leases the OCS signed with local landlords for government-run physical stores that now will not be needed?
The OCS says these costs are “minimal” and that current leases “will be honoured and we are reassessing the plans for these locations.”
How about people hired to staff those locations?
Says the OCS, in response to questions from WON.com, “very few store-specific staff” had been hired and those that have are being reassigned “to new roles where their social responsibility and product knowledge training will be useful elsewhere in the organization, such as in online support.”
WindsorOntarioNews.com
Lakeshore Imagine Cinemas lowering concession prices
Theatres from time to time reduce ticket prices. But Lakeshore’s Imagine Cinemas is lowering the price of concession items. Besides lowering its cheap Tuesday movie price to $8, food and beverage purchased at the counter that day will be $5 or less including taxes. And, says the chain which started in Windsor, theatregoers will only pay $8 any day of the week for matiness prior to 6 pm. – 23/7/24
Art Crawl to "transform" Amherstburg
The second annual Amherstburg Art Crawl takes place this weekend July 20 & 21. This year it’s two days and organizers are expecting to “transform” the historic town into a “dynamic hub of creativity, featuring live outdoor painting, mural installations, guided art tours, local authors, musicians, dancers (and) interactive workshops.” Events run 11.30 am to 4 pm. The event is sponsored by the Art Amherstburg Society and Art Windsor-Essex (formerly Art Gallery of Windsor). “Amherstburg has been on a roll for over four years and the arts have played a role,” says local developer and art society chairman Richard Peddie. “Art Crawl 2024 will build upon the town's momentum and create another great Ontario festival". Admission for this event is free. Free parking is available at Christ Church on Ramsay Street. – 18/7/24
Tims' musical "sickly sweet" says TO critic
The new Tim Hortons musical didn’t garner a good review in the Toronto Star. “Sickly sweet…Tim Horton’s musical amounts to half-baked publicity stunt” for the doughnut behemoth. The Star called it the corp’s “worst publicity stunt ever” and a “75-minute commercial advertisement masquerading as a musical.” Yet critic Joshua Chong had “high hopes” for, yes, The Last Timbit. Staffed with a “who’s who of Canadian actors” and the “most talented voices” the production comes across as massive PR. “Could that explain why the lyrics are stuffed with items off your menu...?” The musical is based on an incident near Sarnia in 2010 when a massive snowstorm forced motorists along Hwy 402 to seek shelter in a Tims. – 9/7/24
Facebook group formed to save University Players
A Save the University Players group has sprung up on Facebook. Created June 21 the group wants the University of Windsor to restore the venerable student theatre, in place for decades until the university last week announced it was cutting it due to budget constraints. “The termination of University Players by the University of Windsor is unacceptable to this community,” the FB page says. “This is a planning and strategy group to pull together and try to save the group, through alternative measures and protest.” Comments are piling up. “This will be like the school naming debacle in Kingsville, where the ‘decision makers’ dig in their heels and stand firm on their bad decisions.,” said one. “I think we need a public outcry has the mayor made any comments?” said another. Administrator Kristina Garswood said a few of them went yesterday to “deliver letters” to university president Robert Gordon. “They wouldn’t let us into the building. A woman answered the door of the building a crack, accepted the letters, and said that the president wasn’t taking phone calls or accepting any attempts to make appointments, and that they were ‘forming a team to look at answering emails.’ That was IT.” – 25/6/24
Group formed to fight University Players closure
WIFF screenings of Windsor-made films coming this month
For the first time the Windsor Intl Film Festival is hosting a group of Windsor-made or connected films this month at the Capitol Theatre. These include Michael McNamara’s 100 Films & A Funeral, Best of the Mark Boscariol 48-Hour Flickfest, Ted Bezair’s The Birder, Michael Stasko’s Iodine, Sasha Jordan Appler’s Kili Klimb, Last Call by Gavin Michael Booth, Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, produced by Windsor native Stephen Paniccia, Mike Evans’s Quick and Dirty, Mine Bae’s Reset (see WON post March 30 this page), Marshall Sfalcin’s Rise and Fall of the Grumpy Burger, Chris Pickle’s Saving Grace, Rachel Lambert’s Sometimes I Think About Dying, Kim Nelson’s This is What a Feminist Sounds Like, and WIFF Shorts 1 and 2. The films have been screened over the past two decades at WIFF and in a way have become Windsor classics. They screen June 21-23. – 11/6/24
Festival kicks off its 72nd season tonight
Tonight marks the opening of the Stratford Festival’s 72md season with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Five more productions open the season this week, some by The Bard and some not. Tomorrow sees the opening of the Tony award-winning Something Rotten! That’s followed by Cymbeline, Hedda Gabler, La Cage aux Folles (photo) and Romeo and Juliet. Other productions this season are Wendy and Peter Pan, The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia, Get That Hope, London Assurance, Salesman in China and The Diviners. – 27/5/24
Photo: Stratford Festival
Shaughnessy Cohen prize for book about Fort McMurray fires
Canadian-US writer John Vaillant has won the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. His book, Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast, is about the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and its political ramifications. Judges found it a “deeply compelling, skillfully crafted story.” by The award is presented by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, recognizing a book of literary nonfiction that has the potential to shape Canadian politics. The Trust says the award is named for “the outspoken and popular MP from Windsor, Ontario” who died in 1998. The award was announced May 7. It has been given out since 2000. - 13/5/24
Get your Mint Julep at Derby distillery party
Saturday May 4 is Kentucky Derby Day. And the Detroit City Distillery is hosting a special event not just to celebrate the race – with mint juleps of course – but their own special win. The distillery, located in Detroit’s Eastern Market, just won a platinum medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Homegrown Rye. The distillery makes small batch artisanal whiskey, gin and vodka, and limited-edition spirits, using the local ingredients from local farms. This Saturday Mint Juleps will be going for $10 (US). A gift card will be awarded to the person with the best Derby hat. – 5/1/24
Stratford starts plays with land acknowledgements
The Stratford Festival announces land acknowledgements prior to performances but does not issue “trigger warnings” per se. A land acknowledgement is a formal statement that acknowledges the original Indigenous Peoples of the land the event is taking place on, and is spoken at the beginning of public events. Local municipal councils have them. “Yes, we do land acknowledgements before performances as part of our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation,” publicity director Ann Swerdfager said. Does the festival also use “teigger warnings,” increasingly popular in theatres, to warn audiences about content that might distrurb them? The University of Windsor Players introduced this a couple of years ago and also offers counselling. But, said Stratford’s Swerdfager, “We have always had audience advisories for our productions. I would not call them trigger warnings as they predate that term by decades.” Example: “This production contains some mature subject matter, including sexual innuendo and coarse language. It is suitable for most families with teenagers.” – 15/4/24
New DIA board chair admits to buying 'Art for Dummies'
The new head of the DIA, a defense contractor, admitted to buying the book Art for Dummies when he joined the esteemed museum's board a couple of years ago. He is the first Black appointed chairman and a non-Detroiter, originally from Chicago. "And I needed to become like, a pseudo expert," Lane Coleman told The Detroit News. "So, one of the things I did, I bought a book, 'Art for Dummies.' " The businessman, owner of Strike Group LLC, is an avid collector but admits his art knowledge is limited and says he tries to catch up as best he can. "One of the takeaways (when visiting museums) is when you don’t have a lot of time, go right to the gift shop. Look at the postcards. That will tell you what the highlights are, right?" Coleman is a prominent figure on Detroit area boards including the Detroit Water Commission, Henry Ford Hospital Health Network, and the Detroit Regional Chamber. - 25/3/24
Detroit punk scene DVD set now on sale
Dope, Hookers and Pavement, The Real and Imagined History of Detroit Hardcore, is now out on video. This is a limited-edition of 1000 numbered copies. The package includes two Blu-ray and DVD discs, a numbered slipcover, an old school DIY-style hardboard folder, an extra 32 minutes of supplemental videos, and a 20-page full-colour book. Advance orders include a bonus copy of "The Eternal Present" DVD, the filmmaker's weirdo feature debut from 2005 (while supplies last). See www.detroithardcoremovie.com – 12/2/24
Folk dancers from around the world
Here’s your chance to see folk dancing from around the world. The St. Nicholas Macedonian Orthodox Church is hosting a day long event Saturday Feb. 3 with doors opening at 2 pm. Folk dancers in traditional costumes will highlight Macedonian, Serbian, Antiochian, Irish, Ghanaian, Chinese, Slovak, Indian, Scottish, and Ukrainian cultures. Tickets are available at pre-sale prices: $25 (entrance + meal) or $10 (entrance only). Vegan fare will be available. For more information contact mkgerdan2023@gmail.com
'Glass' and 'Little Women' round out UP's 23-24 season
The University Players round out their 65th season with two plays this winter – Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie and Marian de Forest’s Little Women based on the book by Louisa May Alcott. The Glass Menagerie is staged Jan 19-28 and Little Women March 15-24. The first is directed by Lee Wilson, an award-winning director who has worked in Canada and Ireland. The second is directed by Kerry Ann Doherty, a BC based director who has worked in Canada and the UK and first time directing for University Players. Performances are at Essex Hall Theater on the university campus. – 12/1/24
Booking online will cost you at Cineplex
If you want to buy a movie ticket online – and provide yourself and presumably the theatre more convenience – it will cost you. Using Cineplex's website, Canada's largest theatre chain charges a $1.50 "online booking fee." Cineplex introduced the charge in 2022 "to further invest and evolve our digital infrastructure." But if you're a Scene loyalty card member, the charge is only $1. According to CBC, Cineplex ironically years ago eliminated a similar charge to encourage the audience to buy tickets in advance. – 5/1/24
AWE - capitalism, dystopian futures, colonialism on tap
Analysis of capitalism, dystopian futures, feminist artistry and Western colonialism are featured in exhibits this fall at Art Windsor-Essex (formerly Art Gallery of Windsor). The seven exhibits bring together local and non-local artists. “From the pixelated decay of the digital realm to reinterpreting icons of Western colonialism each exhibition offers a captivating lens through which to reconsider our place in the world and engage in meaningful dialogue,” AWE says. Artist Sasha Opeiko’s “decaying household objects symbolize the impact of capitalism, challenging perceptions of reality and reminding viewers of the fractures within…” Well known Windsor artist Chris McNamara has created miniature city dioramas (photo) depicting the “complexities of city life.” – 12/12/23
Photo: AWE
Detroit's Music Hall undergoing a massive $122 M expansion
Music Hall for the Performing Arts, an almost century old mainstay in downtown Detroit’s theatre district, will be undergoing a massive $122 million expansion which should be complete late in 2026. The design creates a seven-story 100,000 sq. ft. neighboring building with new concert and recital halls, recording and practice halls, leasable office space and a welcome center. There will also be an alleyway between the buildings which will host live performances. The expansion is being designed by New York-based Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, which designed the Obama Center in Chicago and David Geffen Hall at New York’s Lincoln Center. Over its history the 1700-seat art deco Music Hall has served as home for the Detroit Symphony and Michigan Opera Co. In recent years it has added the Jazz Café and Rooftop 3Fifty Terrace. – 28/11/23
Last chance for tickets for zany opera revue
The most offbeat opera you’ve probably ever seen is coming to Windsor’s Capitol Theatre this Friday Nov. 17. Ruckus on the Road puts opera through a whole new spin at once zany yet a great way to enjoy a classical art form you probably wouldn’t have otherwise gone to see. “From heart-wrenching tragedies to comedic, satirical parodies, this revue will take you on a journey through the diverse world of opera,” the troupe says. Combining classic arias, duets, and ensemble pieces, in an irreverently fun, and non-traditional way. – 13/11/23
Blight to beauty
Detroit has now completed its 200th City Walls mural, part of Motown’s Blight to Beauty campaign now in its sixth year. Detroit artist Nicole Macdonald’s Show Love is at 14229 Jefferson Ave in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighbourhood. “The Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood is a unique spot in the city, located on the river with canals and urban gardens,” Macdonald said. “I tried to capture some of this uniqueness while highlighting residents who are working hard to restore and reimagine this corner of the city. – 30/10/23
WIFF to announce its first Canadian film award
The Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) is proving its mettle with each passing year. This year, for the first time, it will be awarding a $25,000 cash prize for the top Canadian film. The festival made the announcement at Toronto’s film festival last month. WIFF will screen 10 Canadian films during the festival Oct. 26 – Nov. 5. The films will be shown on opening weekend and the award, chosen by an “independent jury of industry professionals,” will be announced at a special ecent Sunday Oct. 29. – 13/10/23
Highland Games find permanent Kville home
The local Highland Games have found a new home. The Canadian Transportation Museum & Heritage Village will begin hosting the games, on a permanent basis, on June 22 next year. This comes after the once long time – and popular event – "disappeared" from the Town of Kingsville in the 1980s, the Village says. The Games were revived in 2019. Then the pandemic hit, and this year the Jack Miner bird sanctuary hosted them, attended by more than 3000. However, this space proved "too small to house the growth expected." The Games have also been renamed the Kingsville-Essex Highland Games. – 22/9/23
City to get back-to-back film festivals
The Media City Film Festival, Windsor's internationally renowned experimental film festival moves to mid-autumn this year, almost immediately following, by comparison, the city's more mainstream film festival, the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF). The experimental festival, now in its 26th yea
r, features filmmakers from around the world, many renowned in the genre of inventive and creative cinema. The festival runs Nov. 7 – 11 and more than 50 films and digital works will be screened. WIFF runs Oct. 26 – Nov. 5. Last year Media City was held earlier in the calendar year. Both festivals stake out the Capitol Theatre downtown as their home venues. – 7/9/23
Photo: Media City
Invitation to Detroit street art summit
The National Street Art Summit ins coming to Detroit Sept. 8. The event, sponsored by the cities of Detroit and Philadelphia, and held in conjunction with the BLKOUT Walls mural festival, will be held at Wayne County Community College's downtown campus on West Fort St. Officials from around the US will take part in discussions on the "rising mural movement in America, what cities are doing to encourage mural art, what cities can learn from each other and what ideas can be exchanged to make life easier for the artists." There will be an entrepreneurial workshop for students and emerging artists the day before the summit. And a tour of Detroit street art will take place afterwards. – 24/8/23
Your name on Leamington Centre
The Leamington Arts Centre is offering naming rights as it reconfigures and expands its footprint. “Naming rights sponsorships are unique opportunities to support the Leamington arts and culture community while also raising the profile of one's own business, organization, or family name," the LAC’s director Chad Riley says. Business, organizations and individuals can have sections of the building named after them. The LAC is a 10,000 square foot facility of four exhibition spaces, a market place artist market, café and wine bar, an art supply store, an education studio and meeting rooms. For more info go to leamingtonartscentre.com – 11/8/23
Upcoming concerts at the Colosseum
Tickets are on sale now for:
Incubus (August 5), RuPaul’s Drag Race (August 6), Theo Von (August 18),
Jann Arden (August 25), Diana Ross (September 8), Bush (September 14), The Australian
Pink Floyd Show (September 28), Eddie Izzard (October 1), and The Vampire Circus
(October 26)
Cineplex opens to moms and babies
Cineplex is advertising Stars & Strollers, a new cinema-going experience especially designed for moms and their babies. “Parents - escape to watch new releases in a baby-friendly environment with soft lighting, reduced volume and other amenities,” the company’s website says. Cineplex's Devonshire Mall cinemas also advertises it. “New films are introduced weekly to this program at select Cineplex theatre locations so you can get back to the movie ex
perience you love. Theatres feature reduced noise, soft lighting and even changing tables and bottle warmers. – 13/7/23
Media City fest teams up with art gallery
Windsor’s experimental film festival, Media City, is teaming up with Art Windsor-Essex (formerly Art Gallery of Windsor) to present films of the US-based filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson. Moonshine: The Celestial Films of Kevin Jerome runs through Oct. 1. Media City has a long history of working with Emerson (photo), showing a retrospective of his films more than a decade ago. Emerson’s films often depict working class and African American migration from the South to northern factories. His films have been shown around the world. – 29/6/23
Photo: Oona Mosma of Media City
Detroit's Four Tops ducked destruction
Detroit’s famed Four Tops inadvertently lucked out when they missed a flight from London to the US in the late 1980s. They were booked to be on ill-fated Pan Am Flight 103, which was bombed out of the skies over Lockerbie Scotland by Libyan terrorists. The Tops had to change flights because their recording session ran late. Canadian actress Kim Cattrall also missed that flight because she wanted to go to Harrods to pick up a tea pot for her mom. – 15/6/23 - 15/6/23
Fireworks party returns to gallery
Windsor’s main downtown art gallery resumes its annual fireworks night party, the first since 2019. Art Windsor Essex (formerly Art Gallery of Windsor) will host the event June 26. As per the glow of the 65th edition of the Ford Fireworks guests are encouraged to “to dress in their most extravagant attire, reflecting the theme of color, glitter, and light.” There will be live art and musical entertainment with appetizers from Thyme Kitchen and drinks from Maiden Lane Wine & Spirits Bar. Money raised goes support future exhibitions and education programs. Tickets $100 in advance for members, $125 for non-members; $150 at the door. – 1/6/23
Windsor's Cimolino heads up play panel
U of Windsor graduate and Stratford artistic director Antoni Cimolino will helm a series of conversations based on this year’s Stratford Festival lineup. The theme? Duty vs. Desire. Audiences at the live events will also meet the directors “and learn what goes into envisioning and staging performances.” It’s all part of Stratford’s Meighen Forum, a series of talks throughout the season on various themes. The discussions take place July 3 – 9. Cimolino will host July 7 at the Tom Patterson Theatre. Tickets on sale now. – 18/5/23
Photo: Stratford Festival
