Editing Ed Mirvish (section)

==Publicity stunts==
Mirvish was renowned for his publicity stunts, doing everything from riding elephants, to hiring protesters to picket his own restaurant over its dress code.  Every Christmas, Mirvish gave away ten thousand pounds of free turkeys in his store to shoppers who stood in line for hours. The giveaway continued each Christmas until 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goffin |first=Peter |title=Last call for Honest Ed's annual turkey giveaway |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/12/02/last-call-for-honest-eds-annual-turkey-giveaway.html |newspaper=Toronto Star |location=Toronto |access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news|first=Ian |last=Robertson |title=Ed's turkeys theirs for the gobbling |url=http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/12/04/2621225-sun.html |newspaper=[[Toronto Sun]] |date=December 4, 2006 |access-date=11 July 2007 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070128164737/http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/12/04/2621225-sun.html |archive-date=January 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A tradition since his 75th birthday has been the annual birthday bash outside the store, with free food, entertainment and children's rides. In 2003, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman proclaimed Mirvish's birthday "Ed Mirvish Day".<ref>[http://www.toronto.ca/proclamations/2003/proclamation_edmirvishday2003.htm City of Toronto: City Proclamations<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

At one time, a sign in the store read: "When Ed dies, he would like a catered funeral with accordion players and a buffet table, with a replica of Honest Ed on it made of potato salad."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jul/14/guardianobituaries.obituaries Obituary: Ed Mirvish]</ref>