Richard Silver

Toronto’s Casey House Hospice Launches A New Vision!

Over 20 years ago, I found myself in the basement of a house on Isabella Street in downtown Toronto, handwriting receipts for donations given to a fairly new project called Casey House Hospice . I guess you could call it survivor guilt but by the mid to late 80's I had a lot of friends who had been lost to HIV/AIDS. I became involved in fundraising for Casey House, sat on the Board and in the early-90's was President of the Board of...Continue Reading...

My Favourite Holidays! Another Day in Paradise!

Let me begin by saying that I totally understand the lure of "all inclusive" vacations and have taken them numerous times when my mental ability was at an all time low and deciding where to go for dinner was a major decision... That said, if I have the time and even passable energy, I am always happier and more fulfilled when I can experience a total change in culture and weather. I have travelled in the Far East, India, Africa, South America,...Continue Reading...

New Year’s Resolutions 2010

It is the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. At this time of year there is a natural tendency that I have had to make New Year's resolutions. I'm sure that I am not that unusual and it is probably a trait that goes back through my family history. Was it a half-empty glass scenario? So this morning, I was taking a nice long New Year's walk...around the deck of a Cruise Ship as we are...Continue Reading...

Toronto: Saturday Night on St. Clair Avenue West

Last Saturday night we dropped in on the new location of one of our favorite Italian restaurants: Acquolina Ristorante. They moved to 760 St. Clair Avenue West recently from their original on Mt. Pleasant Road. As usual, the food and service were great however... It has been a while since I drove the length of St. Clair Avenue West from Yonge Street to Christie Avenue without construction...and now we could truly experience the finished product of the past three years, including special...Continue Reading...

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® Report August Mid-Month Resale Market Figures

TORONTO, August 18, 2009 - In the first two weeks of August, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 3,832 sales – up 27 per cent compared to the first two weeks of August 2008. The average price for these transactions was up three per cent year-over-year to $383,796. "The results for the first half of August indicate that many households in the GTA remain confident in their ability to purchase and pay for a home over the long term," said TREB President Tom...Continue Reading...

What I Learned at Inman Real Estate Connect: August 2009 Day Two

Jeff Turner of RealEstateShows (I am a big fan of both the product and the person) started off the second day with this simple truth: Provide a great customer experience. Jeff then spoke of Tech Tools to Leverage Social Media.  Use the tools that help you achieve your Social Media goals: (more...)Continue Reading...

Toronto Real Estate: Rosedale…Mystique vs. Reality!

There is a mystique about Rosedale. Just responding "Rosedale" when people ask where you live is tantamount to admitting that you are enormously wealthy, have never worked a day in your life or care for anyone but yourself... You must be anti-anything that smacks of social consciousness.. Rosedale is the media darling in Canada when it comes to discussing the "privileged". (more...)Continue Reading...

Toronto’s Wake Up Call:”What Week Is This?”

No matter what part of the GTA you live in, there is one morning a week when you can hear that refrain in every home: "Garbage Day!! What week is this?" Nothing gets you scurrying to the windows faster than to see what the neighbors have put out; Recycling, Garbage and is it leaf day? What if the neighbors are wrong? The Leaves can sit there for a month! Usually someone heads to the kitchen drawer where the calendar was last seen...it's not...Continue Reading...