Hot Toronto Deals.com

Huge deals for Ontario teachers to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Air Canada Centre

Thanks to its majority interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is pleased to announce that active and retired Ontario teachers (and their families) can enjoy huge savings when they buy tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular coming to the Air Canada Centre November 16-18, 2009 and featuring the world-famous, high-stepping Radio City Rockettes.  Discount seats are now available for performances on Monday, November 16 at 7:30 pm, Tuesday, November 17 at 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm and Wednesday, November 18 at 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm.  Ticket options include Lower Bowl seats at $61.15 (regular $86.50) and Upper Bowl Side seats at $41.55 (regular $58.50). 

To order tickets, simply print out and complete this PDF form and fax it to ACC Group Sales at 416-359-9198.  Please note that a service fee of $2.50 per ticket and a delivery fee of $5.00 per order applies.  Discounted tickets are limited so act now!

Toronto's Museums and Art Galleries offer high culture with great savings and special discounts

HotTorontoDeals.com presents high culture featuring four of Toronto's top museums and galleries along with comprehensive summaries of admission deals and discounts available at each of these venues.  Please note that the following are limited offers that may expire at any time.  As always, some conditions apply so please contact the venue directly if you have any questions.

Royal Ontario Museum - The ROM (100 Queen's Park) presents the Dead Sea Scrolls plus unique exhibitions and galleries with great savings on admission prices, including

• Free admission, Wednesdays 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
• Half-price admission, Fridays 4:30 pm - 9:30 pm
• Free admission for post-secondary students with valid ID, Tuesdays
• Discounts for groups of 10 or more (up to $6 per person)
• Toronto CityPass admission discounts
• Free admission for kids 3 and under

For a link to the ROM homepage, click here.
For ROM hours of operation and regular admission prices, click here.
For a map and directions to the ROM, click here.

Art Gallery of Ontario - The AGO (317 Dundas Street West) presents King Tut coming in November 2009 plus timeless collections and exhibitions with great savings on admission prices, including 

• Free admission, Wednesdays 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
• Free admission for Ontario teachers with valid Ontario College of Teachers ID
• Free admission for Ontario high school students with valid ID, Tuesdays to Fridays 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
• $10 admission for full-time high school and post-secondary students with valid ID
• 20% discount for CAA/AAA members
• 10% discount for groups of 15 or more and one complimentary admission for every 20 paying customers
• Free admission for kids 5 and under

For a link to the AGO homepage, click here.
For AGO hours of operation and regular admission prices, click here.
For a map and directions to the AGO, click here.

Bata Shoe Museum - The Bata Museum (327 Bloor Street West) presents Chronicles of Riches plus mesmerizing collections and exhibitions with great savings on admission prices, including

• Pay What You Can admission (suggested donation $5), Thursdays 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
• 2 for 1 admission deal after visiting the Gardiner Museum or Museum of Inuit Art (click for details)
• Discounts for self-guided groups of 10 or more
• Free admission for kids 4 and under

For a link to the Bata Museum homepage, click here.
For Bata Museum hours of operation and regular admission prices, click here.
Foe a map and directions to the Bata Museum, click here.

Gardiner Museum - The Gardiner Museum (111 Queen's Park) presents The Art of Viola Frey plus stirring exhibitions and events with great savings on admission prices, including

• Half-price admission, Fridays 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• 2 for 1 admission deal after visiting the Bata Shoe Museum or Museum of Inuit Art (click for details)
• Free admission for kids 12 and under accompanied by an adult
• Discounts for groups of 10 or more

For a link to the Gardiner Museum homepage, click here.
For Gardiner Museum hours of operation and regular admission prices, click here.
For a map and directions to the Gardiner Museum, click here.

And finally, don't forget that all of the above museums and galleries participate in the Toronto Public Libraries MAP Program which awards free admission passes to Toronto cultural venues every week of the year.  Click here for more details.

The Toronto Zoo presents special events, discount days and unique entertainment throughout 2009

The Toronto Zoo, located within the beautiful Rouge Valley of Scarborough and considered one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world, features special event days almost every weekend and holiday in 2009.  Upcoming special events include:

• Skyriders Trampoline Show and Freestyle Soccer Demonstration (cost $2/person) - September 5th to 7th at 12:00 pm and 3:30 pm
• Senior's Day free admission and Zoomobile ride all day pass - September 14th
• Teacher's Day free admission for OCT teachers plus one guest - September 20th
• World Animal Day with National Geographic Kids - October 4th
• Boo at the Zoo free admission for kids 12 and under in Halloween costume (two children maximum) when accompanied by adult - October 24th and 25th and October 31st
• Remembrance Day Ceremony free admission for veterans and their guests between 9:30 am and 11:00 am - November 11th
• Christmas Treats Walk half price admission for everyone all day - December 26th
• New Year's Eve Family Countdown specially ticketed event featuring music, entertainment and kids' midnight countdown at 9 pm - December 31st
• Sharks at Stingray Bay special exhibit (cost $3/person, children 3 and under are free) - now until October 12th

Admission deals:  There are several ways that you can save money on the cost of admission to the Toronto Zoo, among them:

• Use your Air Miles card to redeem 95 reward miles for one free admission to the Zoo.  This voucher is good for one year from the date of issue.  Some conditions apply.
• Become a Toronto Zoo Member and you will be granted unlimited access to the Zoo for one full year.  Various membership packages are available.  Click here for more information.
• Purchase a Toronto CityPass and you can visit five top Toronto attractions, including the Toronto Zoo, for one low price.  Some conditions apply.  Click here for more information.

For a complete listing of Toronto Zoo 2009 special events, click here.
For general information about the Toronto Zoo, click here.
For information about Zoo admission prices, click here.
For directions and a map to the Toronto Zoo, click here.
For Zoo hours of operation, click here.

Best Canadian Back-to-School Laptop Deals going in Toronto and the GTA: FutureShop's Toshiba T6500 for $699 (save $100!) and Costco.ca's HP Pavilion dv6/printer bundle for $899 (save $100)

Futureshop's deal for the Toshiba T6500 with free 500GB iPRO drive appears to have been extended at least until Sept.17th (it's on the cover of the flyer for the week of Sept.11th to 17th). Read on below!

HotTorontoDeals.com has surveyed the leading Toronto-area retailers and websites (FutureShop, Walmart, Costco, Sears, TigerDirect, BestBuy, Staples, Dell and others) to find the best deals going in the last days before students head back to school.

In general, we were keeping an eye out for well-regarded brands, with premium Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, and all the basic features (DVD/CD recorders, webcams, 14-16" LCDs, built-in WiFi, around 6 lbs in weight, full warranty) suitable for students and home office use, and all under $1000 Canadian.  Advanced gamers typically need desktops or much more expensive laptops with discrete graphics cards that can add several hundred dollars in cost, generally weigh more and come with larger 17" screens.  All laptops below include Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition, and should be eligible for Microsoft's free upgrade to Windows 7, available this fall.

FutureShop.ca - Toshiba Satellite T6500 16" LCD Laptop (model L500-00Y) for $699 (Save $100!)

• Sale Ends Sept. 3rd, 2009
• Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 CPU @ 2.1GHz
• 4GB RAM, 320GB HD
• 5 in 1 built-in memord card reader
• Dual-layer DVD burner
• 2-3 hrs battery life
• 16" 1366x768 LCD and VGA output port
• Wireless A/B/G/N built-in
• 3 USB, built-in Webcam
• No built-in Firewire or Bluetooth
• FutureShop also bundles in free iProdrive External 500GB USB hard drive (worth $69.99) and large discounts on printers when purchasing a computer, and shipping is free on items over $39.99
• Click here for all the details on the laptop, and any conditions on the special offers above.

Costco.ca's HP Pavilion dv6 Laptop bundle with HP C4580 All-In-One Printer for $899 (save $100!):

• Costco requires an annual membership fee (around $45) but the benefits include a two-year warranty on laptops, free phone Technical Support, and great 90-day return privileges
• $100 discount, available until Sept. 6th 2009, is provided at checkout
• HP dv6-1243 with T6500 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
• 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard-drive
• CD/DVD writer (dual layer) with LightScribe for labeling
• 16" BrightView LCD 1366x768 native resolution
• Built-in Bluetooth, Wireless A/B/G/N, webcam
• 4 USB ports, 1 Expresscard 54 slot, 5 in 1 card reader
• HDMI and VGA ports, remote control
• HP Colour C4580 Printer/Scanner/Copier included
• Printer has built in wireless G and 5-in-1 card reader
• For all the details on this great deal, click here.

While technically weaker than the above bundles, BestBuy also has a great deal going where you can save $150 until Sept. 3rd, 2009 on a Toshiba Satellite Laptop (model L510-016) with a smaller 14" LCD screen:

• Normally $749.99, now on sale for $599.99
• Intel Dual Core T4200 CPU @ 2GHz
• 4GB RAM, 320GB HD
• 5-in-1 card reader, webcam
• Wireless b/g/n
• Free shipping offer online
• Click here for all the details on this BestBuy laptop

Those people interested in jumping on the Apple bandwagon should remember to use the Apple's online Education discount store.  Almost all faculty and students are eligible and the discounts are also available at the Apple Store if you show some identification.  Apple is offering students a free iPOD iTouch with most Macbook's or Mac computers, and this offer expires September 8th.  Apple will likely announce new iTouch's in the days that follow, but getting a great discount or a free iTouch is still a great deal when you bundle in your student discount!  Click here for all the details at Apple Canada's Education Store.

Please share these great offers with friends heading back to school and if you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know below!

Teacher Deals - Toronto educators enjoy huge savings at various local attractions and retailers

Ontario College of Teachers - Did you know that OCT members are entitled to discounts at dozens of attractions and retailers throughout Ontario simply by producing their OCT membership card?  The list of organizations who currently offer discounts to OCT members includes:

• Art Gallery of Ontario (free admission)
• Indigo Books ($5 off IRewards card) 
• Cartridges2Go (10% discount on printer cartridges)
• Casa Loma (20% discount on admission)
• Hockey Hall of Fame (free admission)
• Lasik MD ($100 off Standard Lasik vision correction)
• Ontario Place ($14 off admission)
• Ontario Science Centre (free admission)
• Toronto Raptors basketball (20-30% discount on select tickets)
• Canadian Opera Company (50% off adult tickets)
• traveldiscounters.ca (5-10% discount on brochure prices)

This is just a brief sampling of the numerous deals that teachers can take advantage of as member of the Ontario College of Teachers.  For a complete list of participating attractions and retailers, click here  

 

Edvantage Card - You may be asking what is an Edvantage card?  Your Edvantage membership card is simply your federation/association card, e.g., OSSTF.  Participating businesses (or Partners) require your Edvantage number (the X digit number located on your card) and the name of your association in order to administer the discount.  Edvantage offers huge discounts to education employees and their families through partnerships with retailers and organizations throughout Ontario, including: 

• Apple
• The Brick
• MasterCard
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• GoodLife Fitness
• Hakim Optical
• Great Wolf Lodge
• New Balance
• Tip Top Tailors
• Pharmacy.ca
• Young Drivers of Canada
• Sleep Country Canada

For a complete list of Edvantage Partners with links to great offers, click here
For details of special offers currently offered by Edvantage Partners, click here

Perkopolis - Perkopolis, an Edvantage Partner, offers great savings at Toronto-area attractions, concerts, hotels, live shows, sporting events and movie theatres.  Perkopolis members can also enjoy huge discounts on magazine subscriptions.  In addition, Perkopolis members can take advantage of reduced prices at a number of Niagara Falls attractions, hotels and shows.  For complete listings and details of Toronto-area discounts, click below on the applicable category:

• Toronto theatre and shows
• Toronto attractions
• Toronto sporting events
• Toronto movie packages
• Toronto hotels
• Toronto concerts

Ontario Teachers' Federation - And as a special offer, Ontario educators can purchase tickets for only $15 to the Toronto Marlies' AHL home opener at Ricoh Coliseum on Sunday, October 4th, 2009 at 4 p.m.  As an added bonus, ticketholders can enjoy a free family skate before the game, a post-game autograph session for 150 people, and a free bobblehead doll for the first 2,500 fans.  Ticket prices include a $3.00 donation to an OTF charity.  For more details, including contact information, click here  

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) - As owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (themselves owner of the NHL Leafs, NBA Raptors, MLS Toronto FC and AHL Marlies), the OTPP can offer its members huge savings on discounted tickets to major-league events involving Toronto's professional sports teams.  If you are not currently receiving periodic e-mails from the OTPP promotions department informing you of upcoming ticket offers for the Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC and Marlies, you should contact the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan immediately (416-226-2700 or 1-800-668-0105) and ask to be placed on their promotions mailing list.  

TORONTO MARLIES HOME OPENER - EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR TEACHERS - $15 TICKETS

 
Come celebrate World Teachers' Day at the Toronto Marlies AHL home opener on Sunday, October 4th, 2009.  The game will be held at Ricoh Coliseum beginning at 4 p.m.

• $15 ticket price includes a $3 donation to an OTF charity
• Free family skate between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Free bobblehead to first 2,500 fans
• Post-game autograph session for 150 fans
• Follow link below for contact information

Click here for more information