The company:
Claire Martin is the senior meteorologist for the CBC. Her background is incredible. She is trained as a meteorologist, not as a television personality and has insisted in her time at CBC that the News Weather...

The company:
David Okidi is a journalist in Northern Uganda and was the station manager at Mega FM, a radio station in the northern Ugandan region of Gulu. He recently joined the board of directors of Farm Radio International. Farm Radio International (FRI)

Date of lunch:
Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The company:
Jeffrey Remedios is the co-founder and president of Arts & Crafts, a record label and production company. Its first album that really helped to launch the label was 2003's...

Tour background:
As a follow-up to my lunch with TTC CEO Andy Byford and my extreme transit nerdiness that was on full display in my post, Andy invited me for a tour of...

The company:
Andy Byford is the new (as of March 2012) CEO of the TTC, the Toronto Transit Commission. There was definitely a lot of news around Andy's appointment as his predecessor, Gary Webster, was fired...

The company:
Jorn Weisbrodt is the artistic director of Luminato. For those who don't know, Luminato is an arts festival that takes place all across Toronto. It encompasses all kinds of arts. In its sixth year, Luminato begins...

The company:
David Miller is one of the more well-known people I have taken out for lunch. It is a bit strange when everyone in the restaurant recognizes the person you are lunching with. So if you don't know who David Miller...

The company:
Andrew Stoeten is one half of the Drunk Jays Fans blog and podcast. Dustin Parkes, the other half, was planning to join us but was unfortunately not feeling well. Drunk Jays Fans started as...

The company:
Mike Landry is a physiotherapist, Division Chief in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Duke University, former professor at University of Toronto, and a 15-year veteran of...

The company:
Dr. Ian Burton's resume is incredible and beyond impressive! He is a scientist emeritus with the University of Toronto's Adaptation and Research Section at the Centre for the Environment and was formerly a senior...

The company:
Lynne Missen is publishing director of Penguin Canada Young Readers, its children and young adult program. Lynne has been an editor for over 20 years. Prior to joining Penguin Canada, she was executive editor...

The company:
Noah Cowan is the artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, the incredible new facility at King and John Streets in downtown Toronto. He drives the curatorial vision for the year-round programming. Noah has been a part of TIFF...

The company:
Andrew Cash is my MP. He is the Member of Parliament for Davenport in Toronto. A few years ago, I was able to take out Andrew's NDP colleague Olivia Chow for lunch, who was...

The company:
Massimo Capra is a well-known chef. Many people will know him from his appearances on The Food Network's Restaurant Makeover. He is the owner of Mistura and Sopra in Toronto....

The company:
Dr. Steven Cohen is a psychiatrist at CAMH (the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) in Toronto. He has also worked with Doctors without Borders in both Chad and Sudan....

The company:
Dr. Benjamin Neel is the director of the Ontario Cancer Institute at the University Health Network and Princess Margaret Hospital. He has been in this post for over four years, coming from Boston where he had been working for over 20 years. Specifically, Dr. Neel is the...