Hidden Gems Toronto

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To celebrate our fourth Season of the Hidden Gems Toronto podcast, we decided to take a trip down memory lane. We tracked down four of the guests who appeared in our first few seasons to see what has changed since then. And much like their original podcast, each of them had intriguing updates and stories to share.

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Coko Galore seems to have been born with an extra funny bone in her body and she proves it every night when she appears on the stage of second city Toronto.  

Kurt Scanlan, meanwhile, has managed to turn his childhood passion for playing with toys into a full time career.  They both provide us with an entertaining account of how it all came about.

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Adam Bunch is an award-winning historian with an insatiable interest and curiosity about our city's past. He has a knack for bringing history to life by including unusual and often  bizarre characters and events in  all his writing and presentations.  And he has a unique storytelling style that makes the history of Toronto seem like a John Grisham page-turner novel.

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You need a good pair of running shoes to keep up with Krissan Veerasingam.  He helped launch the Scarborough Repair Café where residents can bring a multitude of household items for repair, free of charge. He is also an advocate for public transit and supports  numerous environmental initiatives.  As if this wasn't enough, he finds time to promote ethnic grocery stores and restaurants throughout Scarborough. And he does all this will great enthusiasm and aplomb.  Residents are fortunate to have him in their corner.

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Nadya brings an indigenous perspective to her award-winning photography.  In this podcast you will learn  that it isn't just her technical ability with the camera that makes her work so special, it's  her gentle nature and empathy for her subjects that allows her to build a trust with people and that is evident in all her portraits. As she likes to say: "The camera is an extension of my arm".

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In this second episode of our series called "You do what for a living?" we introduce you to John Scott, affectionately known as the Clock Guy in Toronto. John is responsible for keeping many of our city's tower clocks running smoothly and chiming on time. John gives us a master class on how gems such as the Old City Hall tower clock operate.

After listening to John, you will be left with a whole new appreciation of this scientific wonder known as the tower clock.

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In this podcast we launch the first episode of our occasional series about people who have interesting, if somewhat unusual occupations. And Austin Emery certainly fits the bill. Over his lifetime, Austin has attended more than 500 events dressed as a mascot. He has worn every costume you can imagine. But wait; there's more! In addition to being a mascot, he also is an accomplished sculptor who invites complete novices into his backyard and allows them to create a small sculpture which he then adapts to a larger finished piece that will occupy a public space in the community. By any measure, he is a cherished hidden gem.

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In this podcast, we interview Julia Malaniy and Marg Gadke, who are part of a remarkable group of highly skilled medical professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to treat severely injured military and civilian casualties resulting from Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine. It is a heartbreaking yet heartwarming story of human compassion and hope.  

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Jacquie Rushlow is on a mission! She is determined to rid the world of single-use plastic, one community at a time. She gave up a very successful TV production career to work full-time on accomplishing this goal. In a few short years, she has opened four outlets called The Keep Refillery, where people can bring in old plastic containers and refill them with an array of everyday, household products. And for Jacquie this is just the beginning. She is smart, inventive, and relentless in her pursuit.

In this episode, she talks about her experience to date and what she has planned moving forward. She is a force.  

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For his entire career Peter Clutterbuck has been involved in creating and implementing social policies that have greatly impacted the quality of life in Toronto. Whether it’s poverty, mental health or marginalized communities, his finger print is on them all. Peter discusses the successes and disappointments of his illustrious career and weighs in on the state of our city from a social planning perspective.

We wrap up the podcast with a chat about the upcoming election for Mayor. 

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