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Articles by Ed Conroy
Geoengineered Transhumanism: Above & Beyond Chemtrails, HAARP & the Space Fence
While Elana Freeland is widely known for her books related to geoengineering, in order to understand her orientation to that research, it is important to recognise that she is also the author of a four-volume work entitled Sub Rosa America: A Deep State History. Freeland classes Sub Rosa America less as a work of fiction than as a history of the United States since President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
That time when a clucking bunny meant Happy Easter
The Eastertime resurrection of the Cadbury Clucking Bunny was annually guaranteed to raise a smile. Like the trusted barrel collared St. Bernard dog from Neo Citron commercials, the Clucking Bunny was a lovable mascot of industry.
That time when Pizza Pizza hypnotized Toronto
From their landmark first store at Parliament and Wellesley, to the invention of a heated delivery bag, advertising on the spines of the Yellow Pages, and that ubiquitous 967-11-11 jingle, Pizza Pizza has always been a hot pie maverick.
That time when Train 48 left Union Station
Do you remember Global TV's Train 48, which took place on a GO Train car carrying average denizens home from Toronto to Burlington every evening? After ambitiously setting off in 2003 to reform the hoary format of television soap operas, Train 48 also experimented with the burgeoning techno interaction between viewers and their stories, but most importantly addressed the still pressing need for inexpensive, compelling local content. By the summer of 2005, the whole enterprise de-railed.
That time when Toronto had an Organ Grinder
Most childhood era birthdays tend to be innocuous vanilla affairs destined to end up mired in a pea soup of foggy memories, but no kids growing up in Toronto in the 1970s, 80s or 90s will probably ever forget if they attended a birthday party at The Organ Grinder at 58 Esplanade. Opened in the spring of 1975 and the only restaurant of its kind in all of Canada, the "musical pizza eatery" served up an unforgettable mixture of ear piercing sonics, mouth-watering taste and visual mayhem.
Toronto just got a green space filled with sculptures of Greek Gods and it's totally free
Back in 2014 the Garden of the Greek Gods, a collection of 20 immaculate limestone sculptures by renowned Canadian sculptor E.B. Cox (1914-2003), had become trapped behind enemy lines at the noxious Muzik nightclub and were no longer accessible to the public.
Brackenridge Park's history -- and a glimpse of its future -- comes to life in new book
As San Antonio urbanized in the late 19th century, financier George W. Brackenridge bought up plots of land enfolding those springs and grew even wealthier selling water to city dwellers. In 1899, he gave much of the land around his waterworks to the city of San Antonio, and Brackenridge Park was born. That, at least, is the fable many park lovers have long believed.
10 Toronto TV shows that deserve to make a comeback
10 Toronto TV shows that deserve to make a comeback With everything seemingly getting a reboot these days, isn't it about time some classic Toronto TV shows were given a new lease on life?
The CJN’s book columnist talks to author Kathy Kacer about how to write about the Holocaust for younger audiences and the true story of a Jewish circus performer
Since her debut The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser—the story of her mother’s own survival during the Holocaust—was published in 1999, celebrated Canadian author Kathy Kacer has gone on to write dozens of novels, largely for younger readers. Hidden on the High Wire, her latest effort, was published on Sept. 27, 2022. Based on remarkably true events, itfollows the story of Irene Danner, a young German-Jewish circus performer from a Jewish circus dynasty.
Citytv turns 50 years old and here's some of the history you might not know
"Print created illiteracy. Television is democratic, everybody gets it." Moses Znaimer's 10 Commandments of Television are about the closest we'll ever get to un-covering his televisual equivalent of the Colonel's secret recipe. Unlike most other highfalutin media gurus, Znaimer espouses theories which are practical, and which were very successfully put into practice both home and away.
How Toronto kids celebrated birthdays in the 1980s
For children who grew up in the Toronto of the 80s, birthday parties could be as random as loot-bags: some good stuff, some junk, but a prize nonetheless. Here is a heady selection of the kind of stuff which used to pass as appropriate Toronto B-day entertainment back in the day. Some of these things were universal, but most had a unique local bent. Some are even still around. All of them carried a select currency in the playground. Which of these do you most remember?
New book celebrates Hardberger Park in San Antonio
Located on 330 acres of former dairy farmland bounded by Blanco Road and Northwest Military Highway on the North Side, Phil Hardberger Park needs no introduction to the many thousands of people who have made this urban wildlife refuge — with its share of necessary, well-designed amenities — a part of their lives since it opened in May 2010.
The truth behind Miraflores garden, San Antonio’s mysterious landmark, revealed in new book
Ed Conroy, Correspondent July 6, 2022 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate At the corner of Broadway and Hildebrand, in the second and third decades of the last century, on a corner of land nourished by the waters of the San Antonio River, partially hidden by once-dense foliage, an extraordinary expatriate and survivor of the Mexican Revolution created an ornately designed garden refuge, his personal Xanadu.
Texas author Donley Watt isn’t wasting any time with new novel
Ed Conroy, Correspondent June 29, 2022Updated: June 29, 2022 10:13 a.m. While some writers reach their peak in mid-life, that’s when Texas native Donley Watt got started. Watt — who in a former life made his living as a college dean, a gallery owner and an herb farmer — started his writing career at the age of 47 through entering an MFA program at the University of Arizona.
Behind the screens of the Jewish history of Citytv as the legendary Toronto television station turns 50 on Sept. 28
The trajectory of television was altered forever on Sept. 28, 1972, when Citytv signed on in Toronto on the UHF dial—against some rather stiff competition. But the scrappy approach to programming will be forever remembered, thanks to many names the management didn’t want changed. For this occasion, we got in touch with a few. (This piece was originally published in the Summer 2022 magazine published by The Canadian Jewish News.
Deep ties between China and the Jews are on display at a Toronto art exhibition called Tribute to Friendship
An art exhibit that honours the long and rich—but not well-known—history between China and the Jews opens May 25 in Toronto. Ian Leventhal, a Toronto artist who helped organize the exhibition Tribute to Friendship, said it marks the millennium anniversary of Jewish life in China. One thousand years ago, a Jewish community was founded in the Silk Road city of Kaifeng, during the Sun Dynasty.
Ivan Reitman’s Virtual Fraternity-a tribute from the filmmaker’s closest friends
Presented by Retrontario in association with the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and The Canadian Jewish News. Ivan Reitman’s closest friends and collaborators Len Blum, Dan Goldberg and Joe Medjuck recount their time with Ivan during the production of National Lampoon’s Animal House, Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters and his establishment as a powerhouse producer/director in Hollywood until his death on Feb. 12, 2022, at age 75.
Ivan Reitman’s Virtual Fraternity: a tribute from the filmmaker’s closest friends
Presented by Retrontario in association with the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and The Canadian Jewish News. Ivan Reitman’s closest friends and collaborators Len Blum, Dan Goldberg and Joe Medjuck recount their time with Ivan during the production of National Lampoon’s Animal House, Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters and his establishment as a powerhouse producer/director in Hollywood until his death on Feb. 12, 2022 at age 75.
When someone mentions old-school Degrassi, do you think of Drake as Jimmy Brooks 20 years ago? Or perhaps Tessa Campanelli and the F Word heard ‘round the world 30 years ago (or even "going all the way" with Stephanie Kaye 35 years ago?). Maybe if you are hardcore fan you will recall the true OG, "The Kids of Degrassi Street" in the early 1980s. And if you are old enough you might even remember seeing "Ida Makes a Movie," the short film that started it all, back in 1979.
CP24 is the most pervasive television channel in Toronto. You’ll find it broadcasting in train stations, elevators, dentist and doctor’s offices, restaurants, bars, bathrooms and just about anywhere else. It has been just over 24 years since CP24 came on the air, but do you know its history? The wild-west of cable TV Way back in 1997, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (aka the CRTC) loosened the criteria for creating new digital TV channels.
The history of Mary Brown's Chicken in Toronto
Fried chicken is most often associated with the Southern states of America, but one of the best fried chicken franchises in Toronto hails from Newfoundland. Until recently, Mary Brown's was one of the best kept secrets for those with a taste for crispy golden poultry, but as the chain expands in Toronto, many have become curious about its Eastern origins.
‘Artisans of Trabajo Rústico’ by Patsy Light and Kent Rush traces legacy of Mexican artisan Dionicio Rodríguez in San Antonio and beyond
From the lawn of Landa Library and the old trolley stop on Broadway near Central Market to the trails of Brackenridge Park, the River Walk and the interiors, exteriors, and yards of many private homes — from the humble to the elegant — the artform known as trabajo rústico is woven into San Antonio’s cultural fabric.
10 classic Toronto Christmas commercials you'll want to watch all over again
Nostalgia tends to hit like a haymaker during Christmas time, when everything from music to sweaters to alcoholic beverages can elicit memories from years gone by. That seasonal déjà vu feeling extends to advertising, when catchy commercial jingles from decades ago are still rattling around, haunting our minds like the ghosts of Christmas commercials past. Here is a collection of 10 classic Toronto Christmas commercials you might remember from the last three decades.
5 memorable horror-themed TV shows that used to keep Toronto up late at night
Halloween used to be a scary sight on TV in Toronto. In addition to spooky mood music and anchors wearing costumes on Oct. 31, most channels programmed horror movies and lurid shows that captured our collective pre-Netflix imaginations. Local broadcasting legend Elwy Yost fronted two of the best film shows in Toronto, Magic Shadows (features compiled into 30-minute pieces, screened daily) and Saturday Night at the Movies (double bills on Saturday night).
Elana Freeland moves above and beyond Chemtrails, HAARP and the Space Fence
... in her new book "Geoengineered Transhumanism" by Ed Conroy “I get the news I need on the weather report.” Paul Simon, in "The Only Living Boy in New York." “I wanted to illuminate the whole earth. There is enough electricity to become a second sun. Light would appear around the equator, as a ring around Saturn.” Nikola Tesla, inventor of alternating current technology and of “A Device to Transmit Electrical Energy Through the Natural Mediums,” U.S. Patent #787,412, 1905.
The history of the Mr. Dressup TV show and its connection to Toronto
If there were ever a Mount Rushmore of Canadian pop culture, surely Ernie Coombs aka Mr. Dressup would be on it. Although a true National icon - a Father figure who united our childhoods coast to coast – Mr. Dressup was filmed in Toronto and Ernie Coombs lived in Pickering and spent a lot of time in Scarborough. From drawing to cosplay, Mr. Dressup invited Canadian kids to engage with their imaginations.
That time when the Scarborough Bluffs just collapsed
Bluffer’s Park in Scarborough has become one of the city’s most popular weekend destinations, attracting a surge of visitors and excited media attention of late. It is a family-friendly site with a beach, breathtaking views and that cool Lake Ontario breeze. However, the Bluffs have also always had an aura of danger. Thirty years ago, in the spring of 1991, a landslide marooned park goers and residents for hours while some city officials panicked in fear of further incidents.
The history of the Toronto Zoo monorail
On July 14, 1994 the Toronto Zoo’s Dominion Ride – better known as the monorail – suffered a catastrophic accident that injured 27 people closed it permanently. For a generation of visitors, the monorail had been a defining aspect of a trip to the zoo. The dominion ride The electrically powered, air-conditioned, rubber-tired attraction dubbed “The Dominion Ride” carried visitors to various Dominions within the Metro Toronto Zoo since its inception in 1974.
They once made a movie about the SARS outbreak in Toronto called Plague City
In 2005, CTV produced a made-for-TV movie dramatizing Toronto’s 2003 scrape with a new kind of virus – Plague City: SARS in Toronto. Long forgotten, watching it in 2021 is both infuriating and depressing. For those who don't remember that far back, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) was first identified in early 2003 during an outbreak that began in China and spread to 4 other countries, including Canada, where it really took hold in Toronto with 438 cases and 44 deaths.
The history of Knob Hill Farms in Toronto
The lasting legacy of Knob Hill Farms might be their popular shopping laundry baskets, but they deserve more recognition for pioneering the very first big-box stores to Toronto. Created in 1951 by Greek immigrant Steve Stavro, Knob Hills Farms got its name from something Stavro had seen stenciled on the side of a box of produce from California. To him, the name evoked “Class and top quality for the working consumer”.
The history of Citytv's Toronto Trilogy
"There are three million stories in People City. These are three of them." So began Toronto Trilogy, Citytv's gift to the people of the city on its 150th birthday in 1984. Happy Birthday Toronto! For the city's 150th, Citytv went all in on the celebrations. Courtesy of Retrontario. Doin' it right on the wrong side of Queen In 1983, Toronto’s most exciting channel Citytv (located then at 99 Queen Street East) was undergoing extraordinary expansion.
The history of the 905 area code in Canada
The history of the 905 area code in Canada Stay in the loop Sign up for our free email newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime or contact us for details. The 905 area code in Canada was born at the stroke of midnight on Friday March 25th, 1994. It was then that Bell Canada officially killed the 416 area code outside of Metro Toronto and the legend of the 905 was born. By 1993, phone numbers in the 416 area code were almost entirely used up.
The history of Toronto's King of Kensington
Toronto has only ever had one King, but sadly his legacy is in danger of being lost in a sea of apathy. September 25, 1975was when King of Kensington premiered on CBC, a low-key sitcom set in the heart of multi-cultural Toronto. From the grainy opening shots of the shop exterior at Augusta and Nassau, you just knew this series was authentic Toronto.
That time when Mr. Bean came to the Eaton Centre in Toronto
On March 1, 1996, British actor Rowan Atkinson appeared as Mr. Bean at the Eaton Centre to autograph copies of his newly released VHS tapes. The result was a celebrity mobbing the likes of which Toronto had never seen before, and hasn't since. Mr. Bean made his debut on UK Television on January 1, 1990. Photo courtesy of Prime. Created for British Television, Mr. Bean first aired on CBC in 1990 and quickly become a world-wide phenomenon.
The history of the traditional New Year's Eve bash at Nathan Phillips Square
The history of the traditional New Year's Eve bash at Nathan Phillips Square Stay in the loop Sign up for our free email newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime or contact us for details. While for obvious reasons there will be no gathering at Nathan Phillip Squares this New Year’s Eve, it turns out the "Traditional Bash" has actually been extinct since 2012.
The history of the HMV store at 333 Yonge Street in Toronto
Thirty years ago, a major music retail battle was brewing on lower Yonge Street. Music magnate HMV – derived from the old RCA Victor Motto “His Master’s Voice” - was planning the final stages of a new flagship store in Toronto, after soft-landing in Canada in 1988 with 47 smaller locations across the country. The sound of Yonge street HMV had explored opening this musical palace on Bloor, but ultimately decided on Yonge Street.
That time The Voice of Toronto Mark Dailey was everywhere Original
"The Voice" of Toronto was EVERYWHERE. It was a booming yet soothing baritone that announced movies and TV shows, news updates and locations all around Toronto with profundo basso - "From the corner of Queen and John!" It was the voice of Mark Dailey. Nice voice: Dailey spoke for all of Toronto Photo courtesy of the Toronto Star Dailey died on Dec. 6, 2010 after a long battle with cancer. It feels almost impossible that a decade has passed since that voice was silenced.
The history of Speakers Corner in Toronto Original
Long before YouTube, Twitter or TikTok, Speakers Corner was where Toronto people went to share their personalities with the world. Located at the corner of Queen and John, the Speakers Corner booth was a uniquely Toronto innovation that democratized media long before it was fashionable, or indeed even practical. The concept was simple – for $1, you could speak your mind in a video cubicle for 2 minutes. Speak and be seen! The Video Booth at 299 Queen Street West.
That time when Ontario Place was the most fun amusement park in Toronto Original
Any kid who spent time in Toronto during the 1970s, 80s and 90s surely fostered blissful, orange-soaked memories at Children's Village in Ontario Place. Long before and irresistible digital toys sapped the life out of growing up, it was a place to go and have real fun - skinned knees, rope-burnt hands and purple bruises were all worn with pride. A waterpark was a prime attraction at Ontario Place.
‘In the Loop,’ a new history of San Antonio, focuses on the city’s politics and economy
How does one write a history of San Antonio’s economic and political development, from its founding in 1718 to as recently as 2017? David R. Johnson, author of “In the Loop: A Political and Economic History of San Antonio,” found the task not easy at all. Apparently no one else had ever attempted to write a truly comprehensive history of the Alamo City as a living, breathing, dynamically growing and changing social organism.
The history of the haunting at 131 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto
A haunted property at 131 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto used to make a spooky local Halloween tale. Now, its mysterious legacy has sadly receded into the background since the property was knocked down and replaced by something even more fearful — a condo building. The home at 131 Hazelton Ave. was once the site of major poltergeist activity, as well as numerous ghost sightings.
The history of YTV's annual Halloween celebration Dark Night in Toronto
In the 1990s, Dark Night was the title of YTV's annual Halloween celebration: a candy haze, pop and chip frenzy induced bumper marathon of spooky kids shows. These included series like Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Freaky Stories, all linked together with epic interstitials starring PJs Phil, Paul, Jenn, Katie, Krista and many more. For children of the '90s, Dark Night was annual appointment TV, almost as important as Halloween itself.
The 10 greatest Degrassi Junior High episodes of all time
The 10 greatest Degrassi Junior High episodes of all time Stay in the loop Sign up for our free email newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime or contact us for details. It's likely that Degrassi is the best known Toronto street in the world: From London to Sydney, Los Angeles to Paris, Halifax to Johannesburg, the serene passage is loved and still madly obsessed over all thanks to a low-key, acid-wash jean wearing, acne-scarred tween drama.
The history of Electric Circus when it was Toronto's best party
Except maybe PJ Phil on YTV's The Zone or Speakers Corner, Toronto has no greater icon of pure 1990s television culture than Electric Circus, the high energy dance show that aired on Citytv and MuchMusic between 1988 and 2003.
The most memorable Toronto movies and TV shows from the 1980s
Toronto in the 1980s was a transitional time. The city was expanding but retained a small town vibe, while Yonge street still oozed a junior 42nd Street atmosphere of danger.
The history of how Toronto got a truck smashing through a wall at 299 Queen St. West
The history of how Toronto got a truck smashing through a wall at 299 Queen St. West Stay in the loop Sign up for our free email newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime or contact us for details. Any list of quintessential Toronto locations must surely include 299 Queen Street West, at one time Canada’s greatest and busiest pop-culture incubator when Citytv and MuchMusic lived there.
The 10 weirdest Toronto movies of all time
The definitive Toronto movie has yet to be made. While New York enjoys Taxi Driver, and Chicago The Blues Brothers, (hell, even Winnipeg has Death by Popcorn: The Tragedy of the Winnipeg Jets), Toronto's film scene has yet to produce an iconic, undisputed masterpiece which captures the pure un-distilled essence of the city. That said we certainly have no shortage of weird movies.
That time when KFC was Scott's Chicken Villa and Colonel Sanders moved to Toronto
That time when KFC was Scott's Chicken Villa and Colonel Sanders moved to Toronto Once upon a time in Toronto KFC was actually a tasty, gingery golden brown coloured fast food known as Kentucky Fried Chicken and sold at a chain of take away restaurants called Scott's Chicken Villa. Their coleslaw was made with Miracle Whip, sugar and carrots and the gravy was a delicious stew of thick and lumpy goodness.
That time someone jumped off the CN Tower
Since the CN Tower opened to the public, only two times has someone actually jumped off the top of it. Both times, it has been the same man - maverick daredevil Dar Robinson. The steel-balled stuntman was paid a cool $150,000 to double for Christopher Plummer and jump off the Tower for the exciting conclusion to a 1982 (but filmed in 1979) heist gone awry rom-com Highpoint, itself a high point in a middling, convoluted Canuxploitation snoozer.
New documentary ‘The Phenomenon’ uncovers 70 years of UFO sightings in the United States
A secret, parallel history of the United States stretches back at least 70 years, according to director James Fox and writer Marc Barasch. In their new documentary “The Phenomenon,” released on streaming services today, they aim to reveal that history, step by step, and build the case that it is time for that history to be known and taken seriously. The secret?
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