Car and bike sharing services have changed the way we get around. They've made transportation more accessible, and turned the concept of ownership on its head. Car and bike sharing, gives you access to convenient transportation for a few hours to go to a meeting, a dinner party, or to see the city. While having your own ride is hard to beat for maximum convenience, occasional use transportation is way more affordable. Check out this list of 5 car and bike sharing services that make life easy from Timbercreek Communities.

Car2Go

With Canadian locations in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal, Car2Go is an incredible option in the care share scene. Featuring easy app booking, no surge pricing, and affordable rates, they can't be beat. Car2Go cars are two-sweaters that are easy to park and require a small amount of fuel. Learn more here.

Bike Share Toronto

With 2,000 bikes and 200 stations, Bike Share Toronto is making an impression. BST has a fleet of incredibly solid bikes available along major city thoroughfares and subway transit stations, and presents affordable pricing programs including $7 day passes, $15/3-day passes, and a $90 annual memberships that offer unlimited 30-minute rides. Though it is still focused mainly in the downtown core of Toronto, BST is branching out to serve bigger swaths of the city. Get more info from their website.

Enterprise Car Share

Enterprise Car Share offers services in major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Regina, Saskatoon, and Sackville. A small annual fee in addition to hourly or monthly rates are available, in addition to a vast range of car choices. Enterprise Car Share’s rates include fuel and insurance. See more here.

Zipcar

With membership rates as low as $7/month or $70/year, Zipcar is an incredibly affordable care share program. Zipcar is used across Canada from London, ON., Kitchener/Waterloo, Toronto, and Ottawa. Members have access to all 10,000 vehicles including hybrids in more than 470 cities worldwide. As with most services, Zipcar’s rates include fuel and insurance. See more at Zipcar’s website.

With so many amazing sharing options available, there's no need to own a car or bike in 2017. We hope that this list of 5 car and bike sharing services that make life easy will make your commute or unexpected errands a breeze. For even more resources and info about car and bike sharing in Canada, please check out this article.

For more information on Timbercreek Communities across Canada, please visit our website.

Liberty Village is located in Toronto’s west end, in one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods. The fascinating blend of old-world charm and modern, urban living is something that must be experienced to be fully appreciated. To help you get a feel for the neighbourhood, Timbercreek Communities created this guide to Liberty Village.

Bars and Restaurants

Liberty Village is a great neighbourhood for food and drink. There are many excellent restaurants and bars to discover. The interior of Les 3 Brasseurs (3 Brewers) feels lofty, yet cozy. The beams, brickwork and the brewery itself, are all exposed, in fact every step of the brewing process in on display. The menu outlines helpful pairing suggestions for those looking to have their beverage compliment their meal. For example, when you choose your Pulled Pork Poutine ($13), you’ll know to order the Amber or Brown to wash it down. If you’re looking for something cozy, LOCAL Public Eatery is an amazingly comforting option. This restaurant compares itself to a living room with better food and drink. LOCAL Public Eatery is obsessed with craft beer and constantly rotates new selections. The menu is loaded with affordable international fare, offering everything from Chicken Quesadillas ($7.50) to Perogies with bacon and fried onions ($8). Their drinks menu is incredible and features local craft beers (like Collective Arts) and more familiar offerings from around the world (like Sapporo). They also have some seriously delicious cocktails, comically served in a boot and not in a boot like their Lucky Lemonade in a boot ($9) -- a delightful mix of JD, lemonade and guava juice.

Concerts, Sports and More!

Liberty Village is home to BMO Field, a huge stadium located in Exhibition Place. It’s an incredible venue for soccer and football games (featuring the Toronto FC and the Toronto Argonauts), not to mention major concerts and theater performances. Get your tickets for upcoming events here.

Coffee Shops and Cafes

Ciao Europe Cafe (80 Western Battery Road) is a cafe by day and a wine bar by night. Enjoy their fresh panini, stone-baked pizzas, and house-baked pastries. Other options when you’re on the hunt for caffeine in Liberty Village include Balzac’s Coffee (43 Hanna Avenue) and Louie Craft Coffee (1187 King St. West). Click here for a full list of local cafes to visit.

Convenient Transit

True Torontonians are always on the move. We love how accessible Liberty Village is thanks to streetcars, buses, Go Train access, not to mention the Gardiner and Lakeshore. Residents are located close to streetcar lines on Queen and King street that run East and West, and are within walking distance of Go Transit's Exhibition Station. Drivers can access downtown Toronto in minutes thanks to the Gardiner Expressway and Lakeshore Boulevard, which are connected to highways leading out of the downtown core.

Design

If you’re looking for interior design and furnishings for your Liberty Village apartment, there’s no need to leave the neighbourhood. Everything you need is within easy reach. West Elm (109 Atlantic Ave) is a great nearby option that is full of contemporary furniture and more for your entire home.

A pet’s playground

Dog owners will love Liberty Village thanks to the outstanding off-leash area in Stanley Park. Owners of timid pups can alternatively stick to the main park paths or surrounding neighbourhood streets. The neighbourhood also boasts a few great pet shops, like Global Pet Foods, Pet Valu and Timmie Doggie Outfitters which features pet clothing, accessories, designer toys, treats, gourmet foods and grooming for posh-pooches and cats.

Groceries

Liberty Village may be ultra-modern but it can still feel like a good, old fashioned neighbourhood. You can step outside your front door and take a trip to the local butcher, baker, cheese shop, chocolate shop or health food store, or enjoy the convenience of a one-stop-shop at Metro Supermarket (100 Lynn Williams St.).

Timbercreek Communities hopes our guide to Liberty Village has left you wanting more. To find your home with Timbercreek Communities across Canada, or in near Liberty Village at  200 Dufferin Street, please visit our website.

Spring is just around the corner! If you’ve ever wanted to get into gardening but thought you didn’t have the space, we have some tips on gardening without a garden. 

Windowsill Garden

A Windowsill Garden is an easy way to add a lot of life to your apartment. All you need are a few containers, some living herbs or flowers, and a few minutes of your time to transfer them into the containers. Be sure to keep your curtains open for good light exposure.

Mason Jar Herb Garden

A Mason Jar Herb Garden is an incredibly easy space saving gardening option -- and it will make your apartment smell amazing! All you need is soil, some easy-to-care-for living herbs, and a few large mason jars.

Shoe Organizer Planter

This one is super easy. Simply repurpose (or purchase) a hanging shoe organizer to create a hanging garden. This garden project will also help keep your cats from messing with your plants. Find detailed instructions here.

Tiered Herb Garden

Create your very own Tiered Herb Garden using galvanized containers stacked in order of size. They work together -- drill a hole a few inches from the bottom of one container and the water will trickle to the next one below, and so on. Leave the bottom container intact.

Timbercreek hopes these ideas help you give a green-thumbs-up to gardening this season.

To find your home with Timbercreek Communities, please visit our website.

Simply put, minimalism is about doing more with less. Minimalist design and decor in your home can open up a room and make if feel more spacious by using clean lines, and carefully selected colours and pieces. Timbercreek Communities has 5 ways to get the minimalist living room you want.

Limit Your Choices

Minimalism doesn’t mean stark white and sterile. Choose a base colour and a few accent colours. Stick to this palette when choosing paint, furniture and decor for your space. If you choose neutral colours for walls and furniture, choose some warmer colours for pillows, rugs and decorations to soften the feeling of the room.

Create Focal Points

A well designed minimalist living room will offer an open, relaxing and calm atmosphere. You don’t want things to feel scattered or cluttered. Choose focal points to make the room feel centered and balanced. Place items such as rugs, pillows and carefully selected decorations together around big furniture. Also, limit the pieces of furniture to only what you need to feel comfortable. Place all your picture frames on a single table or shelf, rather than on any and all surfaces. If the room is feeling sparse, use single pieces of art or fabric on the walls to create and airy balance.

Balance

Minimalist design needs balance. This can mean arranging selected items symmetrically,   or asymmetrically. For example, you can flank a sofa with lamps and end tables on both sides, or guide the eye by placing items to one side, to lead the eye along and connect the room. It’s all about filling the space with care. 

Behind Closed Doors

Your living room will feel calmer when there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. Everything that you don’t love looking at should be hidden cleanly away inside cabinets or behind closet doors, in drawers or inside other storage space.

Clear Out the Clutter

When embarking on a minimalist lifestyle, it's a good idea to go through your possessions and decide what you really want to own. Clutter is the enemy of clean, minimalist design. Items that are out in the open should be arranged intentionally. For example, try to place books in order of size or colour -- this will create a harmonious feel throughout your space.

For information on Timbercreek Communities throughout Canada, please see our website.

Do you commute? Maximize it by doing something productive! Timbercreek Communities has a few suggestions to help get you started.

Learn Something New

You can use your commute to expand your general knowledge base, learn a new language or upgrade your skills. There are variety of informative podcasts, audiobooks and courses you can download to your phone and listen to in your car, on the train, or anywhere else. The Great Courses is an excellent resource available in both audio and video formats. Obviously, do not choose video courses for driving.

Reach out

Commuting in your car with a hands free device, can be the perfect time to connect with a friend, make a private phone call, or get that service call out of the way. You may not mind spending all that time on hold, if you can’t go anywhere anyway. When was the last time you called your parents?

Plot and Plan

Use this time to plan out what you want to accomplish. This can mean creating a to-do list for the day, or maybe a strategy for how to advance in your current job. Maybe you’ve been thinking of starting your own business -- use this time to come up with a business plan. If you are driving, use a voice memo app instead of taking notes.

Exercise

One of the best ways to make your commute more productive is to move instead of sit. As a society we sit way too much. It’s actually shortening our lifespan! If you are located close enough to the office or school to walk or bike, you should. Whether that means biking to the subway or all the way to your destination, it will do your body good. If you don’t own a bike and are on a budget, check out Canadian Tire -- they have a great selection of durable and stylish budget bikes.

Meditate

Meditation is something everyone can benefit from, but few make time for. If you’re going to sit for an extended amount of time in your daily commute, close your eyes, breathe deep and put your travel time to good use with meditation. We know what you’re thinking but you can meditate almost anywhere, even a busy subway car. This article will introduce you to the basics of meditation, so you can get started today.

Timbercreek Communities wishes you a more productive and more satisfying commute.

For information on Timbercreek Communities throughout Canada - please see our website.

An effective way to simplify your life is to start with your closet by building a capsule wardrobe. It’s not a physical structure -- you won’t need any tools, other than some organizational skills and the ability to let go. Building a capsule wardrobe is a way of living and dressing with less. Getting rid of everything that you don’t need can help you see what you actually do need. Timbercreek Communities is here to guide you as you build a capsule wardrobe.

Take Inventory

Before you can simplify and reorganize your wardrobe into a streamlined capsule, you’ll have to take stock of what you have. This means everything -- clothing, shoes, jewellery and accessories.  It may get a little messy, or a lot messy, but don’t worry, this is only step one. Place all of it on your bed, pile it up, if it’s all on your bed you will be motivated to get through it and when it’s all over, it's over. Really look at all of it, all that you have spent and acquired.

Sorting

The next step is to sort everything you have into categories. It may feel overwhelming but you’ll feel better once it’s done. Go through everything, piece by piece, and place it into one of four categories: love; maybe; donate and trash. The love pile is for items that fit you well and you wear frequently, because you love them! Maybe is for items you want to hold onto, even if you don’t know why. Donate is for items that you don’t wear -- they don’t fit you or your life. Trash is for items that are in poor condition and have simply run their course.

Second glance

After you have bagged up the ‘donate’ and ‘trash’ piles, it’s time to take a second pass. Go through the ‘love’ and ‘maybe’ piles again, and try on some of the remaining items. Have you worn any of these items in the last six months? Can you see yourself wearing any of them in the next 6 months? Would you buy this item today? If the answer is “no”, add these items to your ‘donate’ bag.

Choose your capsule

It’s time to choose the 30 items or so that will make it into your capsule (33 if you want to follow the Project 333 protocol). You can make a capsule for each season, and some of your favourite items may overlap across several of your seasonal capsules. Use this collection of your favourite go-to items to mix and match all season long and seriously declutter your closet. Box up the remaining items that you have decided to keep until it’s time to create the capsule for next season.

For information on Timbercreek Communities across Canada, please visit our website.

Going somewhere that have never been means that you are forced to break your routine and live a little more in the present. Timbercreek Communities wants to help you make the most of these precious and special times. Here are a few things most people don’t do when they travel (but you should)!

Plan Not to Overplan

Many travellers have a list of the things they need to see and do during their stay and wind up with a rigid, jam-packed schedule that keeps them as busy on vacation as they are back at home. A trip should be relaxing, so keep your plans light and leave room for discovery. You may even want to plan a whole day with no plans. Let yourself slow down, look around and really explore where you are.

Talk to the Locals

If you only see the major tourist spots when you travel, you aren’t going to get a feel for what the destination is really like. The way to truly discover what your destination has to offer is to talk to people who live there and see if they have any recommendations. If you aren’t comfortable talking to strangers, do some online research before you leave and while you’re there. You’re bound to find some local secrets.

Use Public Transportation or Walk

If your destination has a solid public transportation system, use it. Resist the urge to hop in a cab everywhere you go. If you do use a taxi remember that the driver is also a local resident, so ask them some questions about the area. Using public transportation is a great way to experience your destination like the locals do. If the place you’re in is walkable, that’s even better.

Keep a Journal

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it’s still worth jotting down a few of those words in a travel journal. At the end of the day, each day, write down a few highlights and how they made you feel. A travel log can be so much more meaningful and personal than pictures alone.

Do Something That Scares You

Travelling is your chance to step outside of your comfort zone and try something you may not try at home. This does not mean taking unnecessary or dangerous risks. Even a small risk can be exhilarating, not to mention teach you something about yourself and what you are capable of.

Happy (and safe) travels from Timbercreek Communities. We hope you have a great adventure.

Grab your green clothes and get ready to celebrate, because everyone is Irish on St Patrick’s Day! The big day is Friday, March 17th and Timbercreek Communities is here to help with 5 ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Toronto!

St Patrick's Day Céili

Experience a modern take on an old Irish tradition at the Hart House St. Patrick’s Day Céili (kay-lee). There will be live music by Ena O’Brien and headliners The O’Deadly’s, plus guided folk dancing and plenty of food and drink inspired by all things Irish. All ages are welcome. Get your tickets now for only $10.

St Patrick’s Day Party at Steam Whistle Brewery

Steam Whistle Brewery gets even greener with their annual St Patrick’s Day Party. Enjoy a drink and some traditional food courtesy of the Irish Embassy Pub. Enjoy entertainment from Irish Dancers, live music by Brogue, Scantily Plaid & Fresh Eire. Tickets are $20 in advance ($25 at the door) with proceeds supporting the Achilles St-Patrick’s Day 5k Run/Walk.

Grand Marshal Ball

If you’re looking for a more formal, fancy and elegant experience this St. Patrick’s Day, check out the Grand Marshal Ball at Casa Loma. There will be traditional Irish dancers, live players and a DJ at this special and exclusive event. Tickets will sell out well in advance and are not available at the door. Ticket requests must be made by email to [email protected], request your ticket today!

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Enjoy a late night St. Patrick’s Day event on March 17th, rest and recover on Saturday, and watch the Toronto St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday! It begins at 12 noon at the corner of Bloor and St. George, travels east on Bloor, then south down Yonge Street to Queen, and finishes off at Nathan Phillips Square.

Stay Home and Celebrate

If St. Patrick’s Day crowds aren’t your idea of fun, you can have a quiet celebration at your Timbercreek home. Bake some Steak and Irish Stout Pies and enjoy some St Patrick’s Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Bars for dessert for a delicious, non-traditional night in.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day from Timbercreek Communities! We hope you enjoy a fun and festive weekend. To find your home with Timbercreek Communities in Toronto, please visit your website.

March Break in Montreal is the perfect time for a bit of wintertime fun and excitement. Timbercreek Communities has some ideas to help you have an amazing March Break in Montreal.

Hit the Slopes

Let’s face it, the winters can be harsh here, but don’t hide away and hibernate! Embrace your environment and enjoy ski and snowboard season. The Laurentians region is the closest ski destination to Montreal and home to Mont Tremblant, voted the best overall resort in Eastern North America by Ski Magazine for the last 19 years. It’s a great place to visit, whether you plan to be on or off the slopes, and is less than a 2 hour drive from Montreal.

Nuit Blanche and Montréal en Lumière

Montréal en Lumière is on now until March 11th. It’s a celebration of food, fun, wine, winter and lights. The highlight of the festival is Nuit Blanche on Saturday, March 4th. The party goes until 6am on Sunday March 5th! It draws 350,000 people for a mostly free night of over 200 cultural, culinary, arts and just plain fun activities. Not to be missed!

Underground Art in the Underground City

If you need some relief from the cold, you're in luck! Montreal is home to the underground city and from March 4th to March 11th you can revel in the creative and thermal energy underground, during Art Souterrain. It’s a 7 km underground circuit featuring 107 contemporary art projects.

Jazz it Up

Jazz is not a fairweather friend in Montreal. You don’t have to wait until the summer Jazz Fest to enjoy some live. Get your fix from March 18th to 25th at Jazz en Rafale, a mini festival during the last weekend of winter and the first weekend of spring.

To find your home with Timbercreek Communities in Quebec, please visit our website. Timbercreek offers several residence options in the Montreal area including: Cote St-Luc, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Montreal Downtown and Southshore, Pointe Claire, St. Laurent and Verdun.

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner and we’re ready for it. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods, and a whole lot of green. With Statistics Canada reporting approximately 77,000 people claiming Irish ethnicity, and another close to 200,000 with "British Isles" heritage, it's not a stretch to assume St. Patrick’s Day is well celebrated in the Waterloo area.



There’s no shortage of pubs in Waterloo, and whether you’re Irish or just Irish-at-heart, there’s a seat at one with your name on it this St. Patrick’s Day. Timbercreek Communities has pulled together this list of local pubs to check out:

Beertown

If it's beer you're looking for, this is the spot. With a raft of craft (most of it local) from Quads to IPAs, and a deep menu with a lot of affordable options, Beertown checks all the boxes. For Waterloo craft beer find out more here.

Morty's

A Waterloo staple, Morty's is a local K-W hangout. With live music every week, a solid menu, and a standard beer selection with a couple left-of-center options, Morty's is worth considering for your St. Patrick's Day festivities.

Bombshelter Pub

Bombshelter is a beloved Waterloo campus pub that will definitely tip the more raucous end of the scale for St. Patrick's Day. With live music, a great menu, and green everything, Bombshelter will be doing St. Paddy's day up in style. Check out the full menu and the pub’s upcoming events here.

Chainsaw

Jason himself would approve. Chainsaw, a neon lit pub known for its live music and table tennis, is a Waterloo staple. With all-day karaoke as just one of its many draws, Chainsaw will pull out all the stops for St. Patrick's Day. Have a look at their full event lineup here.

Duke Of Wellington

Can't have a St. Paddy's list without at least one Duke, Friar, Firkin, or Ceilidh. The Duke of Wellington is everything you know, love and expect from an Irish pub. Dark wood, velour bar stools, exposed beams, that white stucco wall -- it's all there. St. Patrick himself would approve.

We hope you have an amazing and safe St. Patrick’s Day in Waterloo! Please remember to follow the city by-laws when participating in the festivities.

Here is a list of transit options in Waterloo to get you around safely!

Book a ride with Uber

Waterloo Taxi – 519-888-7777

City Cabs – 519-747-7777

For more information on Timbercreek Rental Communities across Canada, including our Waterloo communities, please visit our website.