Lifestyle
Xmeeting.com: Top 10 Dating Tips to Keep It Casual
If you’re not ready for a serious relationship at the moment, then casual dating could be perfect for you. There are no commitments, you can date a variety of people, even meeting them online on casual dating sites such as Xmeeting and you can have fun in good company without having to worry about messy break-ups. At least, that’s what they say on lifehack.com, but is it possible to keep it casual without hurting yourself or anyone else?
According to Science Daily, casual relationships aren’t necessarily bad for you. They cite the results of a recent study: ‘…this study found no differences in the psychological well-being of young adults who had a casual sexual partner verses a more committed partner.’
It would seem that it is, indeed, possible to keep it casual without any ill-effects, but what should you look out for?
1) Guard against infatuation
Meeting someone you like being with could result in a belief that you’re ‘falling in love’. If you want to discover if it’s for real, you should avoid your date for a few weeks and see if you still feel the same way.
2) Stay in control
According to lovepanky.com, most casual relationships involve a dominant and a subordinate partner. The dominant partner decides when and where to meet and generally calls the shots. If you’re inclined to feel that your casual partner is too controlling, you should move on as soon as possible.
3) Set some rules
Both you and your casual date need to know that you’re ‘on the same page’. Make sure that they understand that the relationship is casual and that both of you are free to date others or end the relationship if it’s not working out. Decide in advance how often you’ll meet and whether sex will be part of the equation.
4) Avoid the ‘I love you’ stage
As soon as those words come out, you’re either going to end up in a serious relationship or your partner is going to take fright. If you’re having sex with your casual date, there’s a real danger of blurting this out in the afterglow.
5) Don’t hide your true feelings
Don’t stick to a boring partner just because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. Feelings shouldn’t feature in this relationship. If you think you’re falling in love, avoid your date for a while and tell them how you feel once you’re sure about it.
6) You or your casual partner might cross the line: talk about it
There are a few no-no’s in a casual relationship such as acting possessive or saying the ‘l’-word. You need to feel free to discuss these things openly.
7) Don’t be manipulated and don’t manipulate
The relationship is supposed to be about fun and good company. If you or your ‘buddy’ start pulling at each other’s heart-strings in an attempt at control, it’s time to re-think the situation.
8) Remember that you both want a relationship, but not with each other
When you’re in a casual relationship, you and your friend are options rather than priorities. Keep this in mind and don’t date only one casual partner.
9) Your partner is emotionally unavailable
It’s about fun and good company, it’s not about falling in love. People who enter casual relationships are usually not available for anything else. Expect a certain amount of emotional distance.
10) Don’t get trapped
If your otherwise distant partner suddenly gets clingy when you want to end the relationship, you’re probably being manipulated. Don’t fall for it!
Avoiding these pitfalls should ensure that your casual dating experience is as light and as pleasant as it should be.
Lifestyle
Ontario Line subway construction permanently shuts down beloved Toronto bakery
The Danforth is set to lose yet another neighbourhood favourite to the Ontario line subway construction as Greek bakery Akropolis Pastries prepares to close its doors for good after over 40 years in business.
They announced on Instagram that they’ll shut down in mid-August, sharing a painting of the storefront alongside a simple message thanking their customers.
Dozens of people took to the comments to express their love for the establishment and their years of service to the community.
“Thank you for your friendly customer service & delicious goodies. You will be missed,” said one customer.
Another added, “You always had the best akropolis pies and always great service. Good luck!”
Several more chimed in with hearts and crying emojis, as well as shout-outs to their favourite dishes.
The bakery’s president, Bill Gekas, confirmed to the Toronto Star that he received official notice that Akropolis was to be expropriated in the winter of 2022.
He says that the offer from Metrolinx, who had previously promised to compensate affected business owners accordingly, was below market value and that he planned to take the company to court.
He continued, further pressing the company for taking away affordable housing from his upstairs tenants without providing them a suitable replacement.
Akropolis isn’t the first Greektown business to announce its expropriation, with Flox on Danforth and Home Hardware the most recent neighbour to share that they’ve fallen victim to the Ontario line.
They also certainly won’t be the last, as Metrolinx has confirmed that they’ll be shuttering 13 businesses on the Danforth to make way for construction.
The forthcoming transit line is currently due to open in 2031 — although, if the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is any indication, that won’t be the case.
Lifestyle
Canada considers capping international student visas to address housing crisis
The Canadian government is considering a cap on international student visas to tackle the housing crisis.
During a press conference on Monday, Housing Minister Sean Fraser told reporters that a cap is “one of the options” Ottawa is considering to address the lack of housing amidst the “explosive growth” of temporary immigration programs like the international student program.
“The international student program has seen such growth and in such concentrated areas that it is really starting to put an unprecedented level of demand, in some instances, on the job market,” he explained.
“But given the economic conditions we’ve been living with for the past couple of years, you see it in a more pronounced way on the housing market.”
Fraser stressed that the conversation isn’t about blaming newcomers for Canada’s housing challenges.
He acknowledged that these issues have been decades in the making and have been perpetuated by previous Liberal and Conservative governments.
“[Governments] retreated heavily from making the basic investments in social housing that is now revealing itself through the market today,” said Fraser.
According to official data, as of December 2022, there were over 800,000 foreigners with active international student visas in Canada.
Fraser says that before seriously considering a cap, the government plans to work closely with Canadian universities to ensure these students have a place to live.
He adds that that includes addressing some of these institutions’ exploitation of international students.
“When you see some of these institutions that have five, six times as many students enrolled as they have spaces for them in the building, and you see them continue to pop up in plaza colleges across the country, you’ve got to start to ask yourself some pretty tough questions,” said Fraser.
According to the housing minister, the government has no immediate plans to lower the number of international student visas.
Fraser says he’ll be discussing options with Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
Lifestyle
Toronto’s financial woes could mean delay of Eglinton LRT and Ontario Line opening
Facing a budget deficit of a whopping $46.5 billion over the coming decade, the City of Toronto and Mayor Olivia Chow have got their work cut out for them in trying to reduce costs and increase revenue during what is now being called an “unprecedented financial crisis.”
Among 13 suggested courses of action that staffers put on the table during an Executive Committee meeting last week are a new municipal sales tax, an increase in land transfer taxes for multi-million dollar homes, and permitting the Toronto Parking Authority to charge higher fees for on-street parking, which is currently capped at $5 an hour.
Though these very feasible options were the most widely-reported ones, there are a few parts of the new 192-page long-term financial plan that are quite concerningly being overlooked.
As local political expert and columnist Matt Elliott noted in the latest edition of his City Hall Watcher newsletter, the City Manager and Interim Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer have made a couple of pretty bold recommendations for paths forward, taking aim at the provincial government for not allocating more funding to the city.
Further down the list, we find a few items that feel more dramatic than the aforementioned levies, including, at number 11, a push to potentially refuse to fund the operation of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Finch West subway lines that the city is currently on the hook to pay for.
As Elliott illuminated, the document states that “It was never foreseen that these new operating costs would begin in circumstances when the City had such limited capacity to afford them. Deferring the launch of these two transit lines could reduce the 2024 pressure by up to $106 million.”
Similarly, item 12 advises that “City Council inform the Province of Ontario that in the absence of a new funding model for transit operations in the City of Toronto… the City will pause negotiation of further funding agreements for Provincial Priority Transit Projects and any future provincial transit expansion projects.”
These priority transit projects include the Ontario Line, on which construction has already commenced, most noticeably at Queen and Yonge.
Though these are only proposed ideas for ensuring a better fiscal future at this point, we will have to see which, if any, of the recommendations leadership heeds.
Though there would be inevitable backlash to pressing pause on the decade-plus-in-the-making Eglinton Crosstown LRT or the forthcoming Ontario Line, would anyone in the city really be surprised if a major public transportation project was delayed yet again?
-
Lifestyle8 months ago
Ontario Line subway construction permanently shuts down beloved Toronto bakery
-
Business8 months ago
The Canadian Armed Forces are hiring for several non-combat military jobs
-
Business8 months ago
Porter’s new loyalty program promises to match Air Canada’s Aeroplan status
-
Business8 months ago
People call out Sobeys for ridiculous prices after another expensive find at Ontario store
-
Business8 months ago
‘Here, everything feels much closer’: Entrepreneur says leaving Toronto for Innisfil good for business
-
Lifestyle8 months ago
Woman crashes car and runs around highway with bottle of booze on typical day in Toronto
-
Lifestyle8 months ago
Canada considers capping international student visas to address housing crisis
-
Business8 months ago
Beauty Week is back at Hudson’s Bay in Toronto and it’s time to get glam