By Jerad Gallinger

Bob Rae denied entry to Sri Lanka (National Post): “Mr. Rae, who had been critical of how the Sri Lankan government had conducted military operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) before declaring victory on May 18, was being held at Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, according to AFP. P.B. Abeykoon, the controller general of immigration and emigration, told AFP that Mr. Rae was ‘barred from entering the country,’ adding that he had ‘intelligence information that he is supporting the LTTE.’” [More from the Globe. Previous coverage on Torontoist: Torontoist vs. Torontoist in… Tamil Protests.]
Baird sorry for f-bomb (Toronto Sun): “Federal Infrastructure Minister John Baird has apologized to Toronto Mayor David Miller after telling the city to ‘[fuck] off’ with its request for $1.2 billion to buy 204 new streetcars.” [More from the Star, the Globe, and CTV.]
Billboards distract council from bylaw (Toronto Star): “Councillors have ignored Toronto’s sign bylaws and safety warnings to approve four billboards bordering the Gardiner Expressway.” [Previous coverage on Torontoist: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Signs but Were Afraid to Ask.]
Pepsi deal extension … or pop machine expulsion? (Globe and Mail): “What’s worse for Toronto students: Sugar-laden regular pop or diet pop sweetened with the chemical aspartame? That question has so paralyzed the bureaucrats at the Toronto District School Board that at a meeting Wednesday night they will beg for a one-year extension to the board’s existing contract with Pepsi-Cola Canada or, failing that, recommend pulling vending machines out of schools altogether.” [More from the Star.]
City, unions back at the bargaining table (Toronto Community News): “Negotiators for the City of Toronto and its unionized inside workers are talking to each other again—but not the media, after both sides agreed to a mediator’s request to drop complaints about bad-faith bargaining and get back to the table.” [More from the Globe.]
Two donated paintings fetch big bucks for Goodwill (CTV): “Second-hand store Goodwill picked up over $150,000 on Tuesday as two paintings that were anonymously donated at a Toronto location fetched tidy sums at an auction. Someone dropped off two paintings by Peruvian artist Federico del Campo at the Goodwill location on Dundas Street near Islington Avenue last fall, according to Goodwill spokesperson Mitzie Hunter.”
Raptors trade Kapono for tough guy Reggie Evans (Toronto Star): “Addressing a need for frontcourt toughness and dealing away a disappointing free-agent acquisition, the Raptors made a trade [yesterday], acquiring Reggie Evans from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jason Kapono.”