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Focuses on the severe winter storm which crippled the city of Toronto, Ontario in January of 1999. Snowfall totals; The frigid temperatures which accompanied the storm; How people across Canada reacted to the city's plight; Delays that the storm caused at Pearson airport, the main air traffic hub in Canada; How the storm affected the homeless, the elderly and people with physical disabilities; Efforts to keep the city going by Mayor Mel Lastman. INSET: `Homelessness is Fixable,' by Warren Caragata.

The article focuses on the Toronto band Metric, who are gaining popularity, and may soon achieve widespread arena-rock fame. The band has worked hard for their success, writing smart and technically advanced songs with dance appeal and a social conscience. Their chic image and confident attitude threaten to undermine their independent credibility if they are cautious about appearing contrived, though.

This article looks at the popstar Prince during the Canadian leg of his North American tour. I've been told at least twice by his people that I can't record our interview, but by force of habit I pulled out my tape recorder as soon as I sat down. That's why when you see him on TV, he speaks in those hushed tones, giving short answers, acting timid and bizarre. But in the comfort of his recording-device-free dressing room backstage at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, surrounded by candles, rugs and tapestries, 46-year-old Prince is unaffected and chatty, letting 30-minute interviews run well over an hour. He recorded his latest CD, Musicology--a mix of funky guitar jams and sexy, piano-heavy ballads--at his home studio built on a leafy street of mansions called the Bridle Path. By including the price of his CD in the cost of his concert tickets, and handing out the disc at the door of his arena-sized shows, Prince has sold over a million records (Sony doesn't share in any of these profits.

The article focuses on Woody Harrelson, director in the upcoming Toronto theatre production of "This is Our Youth", written by Kenneth Lonergan (Sept. 22-Oct. 18), and one of the world's most vocal proponents of an organic vegan diet -- he doesn't eat meat or dairy, and won't ingest food that's been heated to above 43¡C (110¡F). Actors Marya Delver, Marcello Cabezas, and Fabrizio Filippo contacted the Maui-based Hollywood actor and then wooed him to Toronto to direct a production involving virtual unknowns in a venue, the Berkely Street Theatre Upstairs, with only 167 seats. It was really Torontonian Cabezas, 29, who brought it all together. Currently featured at the Toronto film festival, it depicts the actor's Simple Organic Living Tour, in which he travelled down the U.S. West Coast in a hemp-oil-fuelled bus, stopping at colleges and preaching the benefits of raw food, yoga and hemp.

Reports on the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival. Celebrities who attended the festival, including Robert Duvall; Films which were premiered, including 'A Shot of Glory' and 'Almost Famous'; Activities of the celebrities.

The article recommends books, movies, exhibits and other products of popular culture. Among the recommended items are the film "The Science of Sleep," directed by Michel Gondry and starring Gael García Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg, the book "Murder in Amsterdam," by Ian Buruma, and Toronto (Canada)'s all night art event "Nuit Blanche," held September 30, 2006.

The article mentions three music albums. In Sarah Slean's Day One, the Toronto-based singer-songwriter offers up a collection of wannabe show tunes, rather than a good pop album. In the Thrills' Let's Bottle Bohemia, the band doesn't have the thematic California vibe of the 2003 debut. Peter Elkas' Party of One is clever, moody and blessed with both a sweet falsetto and a rich sexy tone. This Toronto musician (formerly of Montreal's Local Rabbits) has made an exciting return to the country's indie scene.

Ron Sexsmith avoids eye contact, staring at the table when talking. He's the kind of guy who has a panic attack moments before meeting his idol Ray Davies and bolts from the scene. While the Toronto-based musician hasn't had that big breakthrough hit album, he is regarded by peers--Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, John Hiatt, Chris Martin of Coldplay, to name a few--as a real craftsman. On his latest effort, the often-earnest Sexsmith, 40, provides his usual crop of corny ballads (Imaginary Friends, Tomorrow in Her Eyes), but there are some commanding pop gems (From Now On, Happiness). "Retriever" is less experimental than his last CD, "Cobblestone Runway" -- where he played around with funk, soul and electronic dance music.

"Note for note, cut for cut." That's the hook of Classic Albums Live--a rock show in which Toronto musicians recreate, live and with precision, definitive albums from the '70s. They've already tackled Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Next up is Exile on Main St. by the Rolling Stones. There's no one on stage mugging like Mick Jagger or spinning like Stevie Nicks. "It's about the music," says concept creator Craig Martin. "It's like a recital--like Mozart would be done by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra." In other words, completely against the spontaneous and improvizational nature of rock 'n' roll. The series, which will also feature classic albums by Led Zeppelin, the Who and the Beatles, plays to music fanatics in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, London, Ont., and St. Catharine's, Ont.

Toronto has a brand new neighborhood with a fascinating history. In 1831, British immigrant James Worts purchased 5.2 ha on the banks of Lake Ontario and erected a windmill. By the end of the century the site held the world's largest whisky manufacturer, Gooderham & Worts Distillery. Of late, it's become Canada's most popular movie location, the setting for "X-Men" and "Chicago." And now, the prime real estate, with its Victorian architecture and brick-lane charm, is being prepped for yet another incarnation as a walking district and arts community. On May 22, John Berman's firm, Cityscape Development Corp., will unveil the Distillery Historic District. Forty-four buildings that were once used for smoking, malting, fermenting and the like, will now be filled with galleries, studios, cafés, restaurants, one-of-a-kind retail shops and a microbrewery.

Jerusalem is sitting on the shores of Lake Ontario. Then, from a nearby trailer with the initials J.C. printed on the door, emerges Jesus--that is, Jesus as played by British actor and Royal Shakespeare Company veteran Henry Ian Cusick. It was the last week of March, and the cast and crew of "The Gospel of John," a Canada-Great Britain co-production, were in the final days of shooting. They'd been working for four months in Spain and Toronto to recreate the book of John in painstaking detail--floors were decorated with mosaics appropriate to the period of the New Testament, and the costumes used only fabrics of the era. Most other films about the life of Jesus, like Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" or Mel Gibson's upcoming "The Passion"--a recounting of Jesus's final hours--amalgamate the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But "The Gospel of John" strictly adheres to just one account. Peter Richardson, a retired University of Toronto professor of theology and chair of the movie's advisory committee, says that mixing up material from different gospels is the usual approach because it gives filmmakers more leeway with the story. "So, we don't insert ourselves into the film quite as much as I suspect Mel Gibson will."

Composer John Weinzweig has a good memory. Weinzweig was born in Toronto in 1913--and has been composing since he was 16. He studied music at the University of Toronto, was an instructor in the air force band division during the war, wrote scores for CBC Radio and the National Film Board of Canada, was a professor at the University of Toronto--and became one of Canada's premier orchestral composers. On March 23, Toronto's New Music Concerts will celebrate his 90th birthday with a performance at Glenn Gould Studios, featuring a work by Weinzweig.

This new series, "Family Secrets," is without a doubt, haunting. Directed by Toronto-based Maureen Judge, "Family Secrets" is exactly as the title suggests -- each episode focuses on one person or family, peeling back the layers from a secret they've kept. There's an infertile wife, a cross-dressing father and an S&M mother. The emotions of these Canadians are laid bare on film, transfixing viewers and drawing them into the stories. For example, in one episode, three brothers talk about the night that their father brutally murdered their mother -- visiting her grave and looking at old family photographs. But while the rawness of the series is fascinating, there are no resolutions, which is frustrating.

Focuses on Daniel Applebaum. Services which he provides to foreign visitors in Toronto, Ontario on business; His efforts to coach clients in Canadian culture.

Comments on notable current events as of February 12, 2001. Members of a Canadian trade mission to China who sell tobacco products; Thoughts on the takeover of Chapters Inc.; Thoughts on the sale of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team to a United States investor; Possibility that Toronto, Ontario will fall into bankruptcy.

Profiles David Freedman, proprietor of Toronto, Ontario's Freedman Harness. History of the family business, which specializes in hand-made leather harnesses for horses; Consumer demand for the company's products; Difficulty of recruiting qualified craftsmen for the harness business.

Focuses on the controversy surrounding folk singer Judy Collins' interpretation of the Canadian national anthem. How Collins altered the lyrics of 'O Canada' during her performance at a November 2000 hockey game in Toronto, Ontario; Her attempt to make the traditional lyrics more gender-sensitive; Reaction of hockey fans to Collins' changes.

Discusses Graham Cook, a doctoral student in sociology at the University of Toronto, who prepared a list for colleagues on dissertations that could be written about the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) television program 'Survivor.' Areas of study that could be applied to the show, including anthropology, engineering, and geography.

Profiles comedian Mark Breslin. Growth of his stand-up comedy club Yuk Yuk's, started in Toronto, into a chain across Canada; Details of his autobiography 'Control Freaked'; His intentions to offend every reader.

Describes the `Ovary Tower' of Toronto, Ontario's York University. Dominance of women in prestigious senior and administrative positions; Comment of president Lorna Marsden.

Debunks the assumption that members of the band 'The Village People' are homosexual. Public acknowledgement of one member, Felipe Rose, that he is gay; Upcoming performance at 'Fashion Cares' fashion show and charity banquet in Toronto, Ontario sponsored by the AIDS Committee of Toronto on April 29, 2000.

Profiles Toronto, Ontario-based landscape artist Doris McCarthy. Exhibitions of her work and starting price for one of her oil paintings; Plans of the 89-year-old artist to continue painting to age 100; Characteristics of the varying landscapes of Canadian provinces.