A letter from George: 2026 Springtime

A letter from the editor

When you receive this edition of the Letter from George, it’s hard to know if you will need the biggest puffer jacket, or your spring bonnet! While I enjoy all the seasons we have in this country — I am definitely looking forward to longer days and warmer weather.

One of the things I love about this building is how, over the past five years, a community has blossomed. Sometimes it’s a neighbourly ‘hello’ in the elevator. Other times it’s the initiative to create connection within the building. This month Nancy Lee-Sing has highlighted some of the clubs that have developed. Take a look — there might be something that piques your interest.

Our Board continues to work closely with our new Building Manager to ensure that the property is well maintained. As an owner, I continue to be grateful for the work they do. And a small nudge to residents, any building related concerns should be flagged first to our Building Manager, Basheer Rahimy. In my experience he always provides a timely response — and action — to any concerns about the building or my unit.

Enjoy this quarter’s Letter from George and we will be back in your inbox in June.

Susan Prince

Clubs at the George

Through the efforts of our community members, we have been building quite the club scene.  We now have several clubs up and running successfully and more on the way. New members are always welcome. It is a great way to enjoy hobbies/passions and get to know your neighbours.


Book club

Our little reading community has been devouring one book nearly every month since the end of 2022! Members take turns selecting books, and we’ve read a wide variety of titles. Period dramas, dark comedies, mysteries, emotional thrillers, feel-good fiction—you name it!

We meet on the second Wednesday evening of the month at 7pm in the 8th floor party room, and we would love to welcome more residents into the group.

We’ve read 36 books now, and you can see all of our past and upcoming selections here:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/george-condos-book-club

Next Meetings

April 8, 2026: The Tiger and the Cosmonaut by Eddy Boudel Tan

May 13, 2026: Kukum by Michel Jean

If you’d like to join us or have any questions, please email georgecondosbookclub@gmail.com. We have a low-volume mailing list that we use as our main method of communication. We will also post upcoming meeting dates and book selections in the resident Facebook group from time to time. Feel free to join on a casual basis whenever an upcoming selection piques your interest. Come check us out!

Kevin Cormier

Wine club

This club is in the works with a first meeting to be held in the near future.

Are you a wine lover (or maybe just someone who wants to learn more about wine by trying new things) and being more confident when choosing wine at the LCBO or on a restaurant’s wine list? If so, Lesley Taylor (Certified Level 3 in Wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust) would love to lead the group into exploring the world of wine in an approachable and fun way. Reach out by e-mail to lajtaylor09@gmail.com.

Lesley Taylor

Nancy Lee-Sing

What’s on at the National Ballet of Canada

In our last issue of A Letter from George, we did a feature, on two of our George members who are principal dancers with the National Ballet of Canada, Principals with Principles: Beckanne and Chase.

The current ballet at our world renowned company is Pinocchio.

Beckanne is performing the role of the Blue Fairy on March 18, 20 and 21at 7:30 pm.

Chase will be portraying the Ringmaster on March 19, 21 and 22nd at 2:00 pm.

You can get your tickets here to see the beloved show that is great for kids of all ages.
Sadly, they are not performing in the same show. We’ll just have to wait a little longer for that to happen. Perhaps it will be in the upcoming Kismet / Emma Bovary or MaddAddam. The later really excites me, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s Novel set to Max Richter’s haunting music.

See you at the ballet.

Nancy Lee-Sing

Greetings from the Board

Hello Neighbours!  

We’d like to thank all who attended our AGM in January.  We felt it was a well-attended and successful meeting, and we’re pleased to see interest and involvement in our George community.  As well, we’re happy to have Stephen Fitzpatrick return to the board for another term.

Here are a few things we have been working on …

P1/P2 Stairwell Security:  Management and board members met with the Fire Inspector regarding securing stairwell ‘A’, while not contravening the fire code.  We have agreed upon two options and management is gathering quotes for the board’s review.

Reserve Fund Study:  We’ve been working with WSP, the engineering firm tasked with the study.  We expect to have the RFS finalized in the coming month.  

Parking Garage Cleaning: Management is gathering quotes for the Board’s review.  Once a vendor is approved, management will send out a memo to all residents regarding the date for cleaning.  

Water Drain Above Main Entrance:  The board is looking at solutions to redirect the drain expelling water above the main entrance.

In this month of March we’d like to wish Eid Mubarak to all observing Ramadan and celebrating Eid al-Fitr.  Enjoy the newsletter with thanks given to the newsletter team.

Sincerely, James, Noëlle and Stephen

A Simple Pairing: Blinis, Smoked Salmon, and Champagne

Some food pairings feel naturally elegant without requiring too much effort. Blinis with smoked salmon and a glass of champagne is one of those combinations. It’s simple, classic, and perfect for brunch, a small gathering, or a light appetizer before dinner.

Blinis are small, soft pancakes. When topped with smoked salmon, they create a wonderful balance of textures. A small spoonful of crème fraiche or sour cream adds just the right touch of richness.  Capers and red onion add brininess and crunch.

Champagne works beautifully with this dish. The crisp acidity and lively bubbles help cut through the richness of the salmon and cream. Each sip refreshes the palate, making every bite taste just as good as the first. Great food doesn’t need to be complicated, sometimes the most classic combinations are the most satisfying.

Blinis

Toppings

Smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onion, capers, crème fraiche or sour cream

Directions

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  Wisk milk, egg and 1 tablespoon melted butter into the dry ingredients.  Do not over mix.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Cooking several blini at a time, drop batter one tablespoon at a time onto the skillet.  Cook until bubbles form, 1 ½ to 2 minutes.  Flip and continue cooking until brown about 1 minute more.  Repeat with remaining batter.  

Top with a folded piece of smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onion, a small dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche and a couple capers.

Serve with a brut champagne or crémant and enjoy!

Diana Harris

Happy, Shiny Tunes!

 It seems as if the world is off its axis of late, and we are being inundated with economic worries, indignities enacted against mankind, war, and a litany of bad news.  Personally, I feel a reset is in order, so for this playlist I’ve curated a selection of songs that just, well, make me happy.  Take a moment – or an hour – press play and raise your spirits with “George Wishes You Happiness”

Noëlle Jenkinson

A V(ery) I(mportant) P(et)

Many of you know me as Chilly however I do have some nicknames such as Chils, Chilson and Cuz.

I was born sometime in 2020 and after giving birth to nine puppies, I was surrendered to the Dogs & Cats of Antigua Rescue. They named me Minnie. My hooman, Lesley Taylor renamed me Chilly. Here is our backstory:

Via Fetch & Release Dog Rescue, I came to Canada where Lesley was taking me in temporarily but we fell in love with each other, became inseparable and knew it was meant to be. Lesley renamed me Chilly as she thought I was very chill…Um, that is debatable!

I think I am about 6 years old and don’t really like to play with toys. I’d much rather chew on a bone, I’m really fond of that. I am grateful that there is always one available.

I really enjoy my naps, getting a case of the zoomies and long walks. My goal in life is to one day catch a squirrel.  

When given the chance, I will lick you as that is what I have been voted most likely to do.  Just ask my secret crush, Rupam. I’ve licked her many times because she makes me do tricks for her then gives me treats.  Life is good at The George and even better when Rupam is at the front desk. I and my fellow canines can attest to that!

Dining around the neighbourhood

White Lily (678 Queen St. East, one block west of Broadview) has been a fixture in the Riverside neighbourhood since 2016. In 2023, White Lily Diner was awarded a Michelin “Bib Gourmand,” a designation given to value-driven restaurants that serve great food, have great service, and do it at more affordable prices than the traditional Michelin Star restaurants. As expected, interest in this tiny neighbourhood diner spiked. The little local diner now had line-ups around the block, especially on weekends. In keeping with its diner roots, White Lily doesn’t take reservations, but they do have an on-line wait list that makes snagging a spot in the “virtual queue” much more pleasant than standing around outside. 

The vibe is “hip diner” with six booths (two 2-seaters and four 4-seaters) along with five low stools at the counter near the open kitchen. Remnants from the days of the pandemic are the plexiglass dividers between the booths.

Food & Drink

The drink menu includes ten Ontario wines (one white and one red are offered by the glass,) nine Ontario craft beers and one cider, about a dozen different cocktails (including mimosas) and a wide selection of non-alcoholic beverages, including NA beer, kombucha, seltzers, coffee, and teas. I opted for the Pluck Peach Iced Tea (brewed, made from scratch,) which was flavourful with just the perfect amount of sweetness.

When I asked which items were most popular on the menu, the server suggested the All-day Breakfast, but also suggested that the Patty Melt and the Hot Turkey Sandwich (which I chose) were some of his favourites. All the breakfast and lunch items are creative and modern takes on classic diner fare: eggs any style (with bacon, hashbrowns, and toast,) buttermilk griddle cakes, club sandwich, toasted western, meatloaf, and an 8-oz striploin steak & eggs. They’re also famous for their buttermilk biscuits and home-made donuts (flavours change each day.) All the food items are made in-house daily, including all their breads.

By simply calling my meal a “hot turkey sandwich” I’ve completely under-represented it. The sliced turkey breast was smoked, and served atop two slices of “stuffing French toast” under a blanket of luscious brown gravy. Adorning the top was a spoonful of cranberry chutney and a quenelle of whipped, maple-infused butter, both made in-house.

It’s a mystery to me how they married Stuffing with French Toast (maybe the stuffing was kneaded in with the bread dough before baking?) and the gravy was a nice, savoury alternative to the usual maple syrup. It tasted like authentic “diner” brown gravy, but with the care of home-made. The cranberry chutney was the perfect sweet-tart accompaniment. I only had a small taste of the whipped maple butter because I didn’t fee it was needed with all that gravy.

I left feeling satisfied. In fact, I did have to leave a few bites on my plate as the portion was more generous than I was prepared to eat. While they bill themselves as a “humble, neighborhood comfort food joint,” that really doesn’t do justice to a place that clearly makes all their food with creativity and love.

Total bill including tax and 20% tip: $38.99

Lesley Taylor

The George recycles – update

Thanks to ongoing efforts to sort and separate liquor bottles and cans, The George Condominium and Towns donated $750.00 to the Daily Bread Food Bank on December 10^th, 2025. Just in time for the holiday season. 

To date this year, we have collected a total of $539.50.

The Recycling Team consists of Christine Oddy and Carol Fitzpatrick. In 2025 we made 45 visits to the Beer Store to exchange the collected bottles and cans for cash. 

If you are interested in helping with our recycling efforts, please contact the team at georgerecycles1331@gmail.com

Carol Fitzpatrick