SALES UP TO 30 23 Locations & Counting! visit a store near you 2 www.thepinkpagesdirectory.com 3 AS THRIFTY AS YOU ARE. 330 Front Street West 416-593-5604 (Front Street West and Blue Jays Way) & Locations throughout the GTA. thriftycanada.ca ® Registered Trademark of DTG Operations, Inc., Used Under License. ©2019 DTG Operations, Inc. j Thank you for making us #1 in LGBTQ media j 2665.02 - Thrifty Pink Pages AD.indd 1 2/15/2019 2:25:03 PM 4 11553 - YMCA - SFG OnTheGo - Print Ad - v3.indd 1 2019-07-16 10:27 AM j Celebrating 30 years online and in print j 5 30th Edition Serving Greater Toronto Area, Ontario and Montreal in Print and Online and the rest of Canada, USA & Mexico online Publisher Antoine Elhashem Mailing address General Manager Kim Dobie 205–1691 Pickering Parkway Art Director Mychol Scully Pickering, ON L1V 5L9 Advertising Consultants To contact us Carolyn Burtch, Michael Wile, Darren Stehle 416.926.9588 or 905.231.9722 Legal Counsel Jerry Herszkopf Law We love to hear from you. Please send comments, questions or any other matters to: Published by [email protected] INspired Media Inc. For advertising inquiries: Operating: INspired Creative, your one stop [email protected] shop for all your marketing, advertising, graphic and web design needs. Publishers Notice: INspired Media Inc., its divisions, and its affiliate publications, the editors, authors, of The Pink Pages Directory, PinkPlayMags, photographers, salespersons, graphic and production The Local Biz Magazine and theBUZZ. artists shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to monetary or www.inspiredmediainc.ca emotional loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information or www.inspiredcreative.ca claims contained in this Publication. www.thepinkpagesdirectory.com www.pinkplaymags.com All rights reserved. Any copying of material in this publication in whole or in part is prohibited unless www.thebuzzmag.ca authorized by the publishers. www.onthecouch.ca www.thelocalbizmagazine.ca j Thank you for making us #1 in LGBTQ media j 6 From the Publisher As I sit down to pen the Publisher Letter, a dedication for the HISTORICAL 30th edition of The Pink Pages Directory, I feel an overwhelming responsibility to express what this occasion means to our community, and to myself personally. What do I write about an iconic publication that started around the time of the rise of The Village in Toronto, and over the last decade has expanded in reach to the regions of Ontario and Montreal in print, and North America’s LGBTQ community online? What do I write about a publication that is the oldest and most accomplished LGBTQ directory in the history of Canada, one of the unique LGBTQ Canadian publications to reach this milestone, and one of the most respected in the world for the success it has had over three decades? What do I write about a publication that opened many doors and broke down barriers, when only a couple of decades ago not many businesses were fully welcoming of our community, even hanging up the phones on us when we contacted them to say we are calling from a gay publication? At the beginning, those who advertised to our community were pretty much LGBTQ businesses from The Village. When we started to gain more of our rights, the city saw us as a valid and vibrant part of it, and minds changed, and allies and friendly businesses started to come on board. It wasn’t always easy, we had to work hard to change minds. What do I write about a publication that over the years has introduced our community to many welcoming businesses, brought our attention to products and goods which we needed (whether for our daily use or for leisure), and connected us with wonderful professionals offering the services we require? What do I write about a publication that many organizations in our community rely on as a trusted resource to have at their front desk? What do I write about a publication that has always been more than a mere bunch of printed pages to hold in one’s hands, but rather a conduit and a hub for encouraging and supporting businesses, creating community and networking events to bring us together, and paying it forward through supporting other community people, organizations, and events? www.thepinkpagesdirectory.com 7 For me personally, what do I say about a publication that I have been involved with for a span of twenty three or so years of my career in media? Twelve years spent with the past publisher and eleven years since we acquired it at INspired Media. We do feel very blessed that our media was trusted with carrying the torch, and we feel very humbled and fortunate every day that we are able to do the work we do, because to us this is MORE THAN JUST WORK. And what do I say about the wonderful people I worked with over those many many years; past colleagues, my current team, our amazing and supportive clients, and the community I have connected with over two and half decades? You all have made my life rich, and made me eager to bounce out of bed every day (well, except the day after Pride weekends, usually I need to sleep, lol). What do I say about so many cherished memories, so much hard work, so much sweat and tears, and challenging times, and amazing times, to keep producing this iconic publication for our community? I think I know what to say. While we know there is much work to be done to keep pushing for our community to live a free, safe, and authentic life, I dedicate this edition to everyone who fought hard over many years to build a community. We are community, we are family, we are in this together. Thank you for 30 EPIC YEARS. Warmest regards, Antoine Elhashem Publisher j Thank you for making us #1 in LGBTQ media j 8 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale Tel: 416-392-7903 City Hall, 100 Queen Street West Fax: 416-696-4300 2nd Floor, Suite A5 Councillor_wongtam@toron to.ca Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2 July 10, 2019 Welcome to the 30th Edition of The Pink Pages Directory! It is my pleasure to extend my heartfelt congratulations to The Pink Pages Directory for celebrating the 30th edition of the directory. For 30 years, The Pink Pages Directory has provided residents in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions a free of charge directory that showcases LGBTQ-friendly businesses and services. The directory was first established in 1989 in the heart of Toronto's gay village and has grown to be the most successful directory of its kind in Canada. It has been a great pleasure to see this publication expand over the last 10 years, now with publications in Ontario and Montreal and an online reach across North America. On behalf of Toronto City Council and Ward 13, I extend my warmest congratulations to the organizers and sponsors who put in countless hours to ensure 30 successful editions of The Pink Pages Directory. Yours in community service, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam Ward 13, Toronto Centre kwt/rb j Celebrating 30 years online and in print j 9 On behalf of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, I want to congratulate The Pink Pages Directory on the publication of its 30th edition. The Directory connects Toronto’s LGBTQ businesses to clients across our city, region and country, enabling business development and creating new opportunities for partnerships in the community and beyond. The Board’s vision is to make Toronto one of the most competitive and sought after business regions in the world. We act as catalysts for the region’s growth agenda. Queer-owned and supportive businesses contribute immensely to our region’s economy, delivering important products and services to our communities. Toronto’s motto, Diversity Our Strength, underpins our inclusive reputation. It reinforces why our region is the best place to live, work, play and invest. I urge you to continue to support local businesses and entrepreneurs who make our region so dynamic. I also encourage you to attend our networking and business development events to discover how the Toronto Region Board of Trade can be your trusted business partner to build the resources you need, enhance your profile and expand your influence. Positioning the Toronto region as a global champion starts with your growth. Visit bot.com to learn more. Sincerely, Jan De Silva President & CEO Toronto Region Board of Trade j Thank you for making us #1 in LGBTQ media j 10 On behalf of the Ontario Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce I want to extend my congratulations to Antoine and his team at INspired Media on this very special publication. This publication is a celebration of 30 years of hard work and perseverance on part of everyone who helped make this a reality and success. Over the years publications such as The Pink Pages Directory have played an integral role in building exposure for the LGBT+ business community and as times and needs have grown so too has INspired Media and The Pink Pages Directory. We look forward to another great year of new and exciting initiatives put forth by you and your team. Thank you for continuing to build exposure and bringing together businesses operating within the LGBTQ+ space. In the same vein of ongoing changes and evolving needs the needs of the professional and business communities we at the Ontario Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce are continuing to review our offerings.