Newsstand: September 3, 2009

Didn't like the garbage strike? No parade for you! Labour Council President John Cartwright is snatching invitations to join him at the reviewing stand for this year's Labour Day Parade from the hands of all who opposed him during this summer's city workers' dispute. Numerous councillors are on his list of people who aren't allowed to be his friend anymore, and even Mayor Miller can't join in the fun 'cause he's a poopy dum-dum head. It would, however, be interesting to see if the only person to show up at the party will be Councillor Paula Fletcher who, incidentally, is Cartwright's wife and, therefore, can't really get out of going.

Speaking of labour, the Superior Court of Ontario has ordered a major Canadian law firm to reveal hitherto unknown information on compensation and promotion procedures as a result of a twelve-million-dollar lawsuit alleging "systemic, gender-based discrimination" filed by one of its former partners. Because really, doesn't everyone wish they knew what their colleagues were making? Then again, wouldn't it just end up depressing the hell out of us?

In other news, Owen Sound(ians?) are up in arms over the Toronto Port Authority's decision to change the name of the City Centre Airport to the Billy Bishop Memorial Airport in honour of the famous Canadian fighter pilot. The airport in Owen Sound is currently named the Billy Bishop Regional Airport, but Mayor Ruth Lovell-Stanners says they'll just change theirs to the Toronto Island Airport and "...wait and see what happens." Because she apparently had a meeting with John Cartwright and they both decided to declare National Let's All Act Like We're In Grade Seven Day all over the place.

Finally, to update our already comprehensive coverage: new allegations are emerging in the case of Michael Bryant and Darcy Allan Sheppard. Amidst reports that the former Attorney General has resigned his post at Invest Toronto whilst maintaining his innocence, we are learning that the cyclist killed on Monday evening apparently had 61 outstanding warrants in Alberta, many relating to cheque fraud.

While some say that Sheppard's girlfriend, Misty Bailey, claimed that he was drunk at the time, friends refute this and claim, in fact, that Bailey is no longer his girlfriend. Police are refusing to confirm or deny his level of intoxication until tox reports are in; a 51 Division staff sergeant says of his release from police custody earlier that evening, “In terms of his sobriety, the officers made the decision that he was okay. And I would stand behind that."

Meanwhile, there are those who question the supposedly preferential treatment Bryant received after the incident, and police are responding to the uproar in the cycling community by saying that bike/car collisions are, in fact, down this year (only around three per day...woo hoo!).

So many opinions...so many sides...Let's see how this all pans out, shall we?