By Lori Dance

In case you haven’t heard, the HST is coming. For real and for true this time. And no, it’s not just about pissing off freelancers who just got the hang of GST forms. “It’s about creating jobs, it’s about responding to the loss of jobs in the auto sector, in the forestry sector,” according to Finance Minister Dwight Duncan. Um, okay…however, though some businesses (like paint stores) won’t be affected, people who cut hair are bitching about the fact that they may have to give their patrons a lesson in Ontario tax law when it comes time to pay the bill. “Our customers have been coming here for a long time,” bemoans Lee Monette, manager of The Barber’s Chair at Fairview Mall, “and we have to explain this to them.” Here’s an idea: why not put up a sign that says “Prices do not include HST”? Genius!
Gotta go? Well, you should have thought about that before you left the house. Thanks to this year’s civic strike (bet you thought you had heard the last of that one), the city won’t be getting its looney sex stalls toilets until next spring, which coincides with a new by-law requiring retail stores of over 3,200 square feet to provide public washroom facilities that will take effect early next year. And thanks to Ontario Building Code requirements, Astral Media’s newest eyesores conveniences needed to be made bigger than originally planned in order to fit more people accommodate the disabled, an issue outside of permit delays that contributed to Toronto needing to keep its pants on for a while longer. Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37, Scarborough Centre), for one, is dancing with anticipation. “I’ve seen people urinating in the streets and on the sidewalks,” he said, “and I think it’d be nice not to have that.” Hrmph. That’s your opinion!
Wanna see a really stiffly posed picture of the mayor—wearing the oddest combination of velvet blazer, pink Adidas yoga top, and jeans—spouting fluff about the environment before leaving for this year’s United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen? Well, head on over to the Globe, where Miller comes up with such inspiring words of wisdom as “The economy and the environment are not opposed, they are one,” and “National governments need to know there is a ‘how.’” And when asked for the requisite message of hope to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper? “Find a path to ‘yes.’ That path to yes goes right through Canada’s great cities.” Yep. ‘Cause Dave isn’t just the C40 global cities chairman—he also believes the children are our future.
Oh, and finally, in an update to our piece on the Nativity scene outside Old City Hall, the sign indicating its sponsorship status has been ordered removed, but the manger (which is juiced by an extension cord running into a taxpayer-funded building) can stay. Because a Christian shrine on civic property is no place for pro-life propaganda.