Newsstand: June 20, 2012

Wednesday. Just saying it out loud takes away its power. Wed-nes-day. See, not so bad, eh? In the news: the plastic bag ban might not make Captain Planet proud; five police officers await a decision in cover-up trial; the high cost of living for expats; Ontario’s Ombudsman wants to play in the MUSH; coppers seek copper thief; and Doreen Hayes has still got it.

By Casey Irvin • Illustration by Brett Lamb

Will the plastic bag ban be a good, environmentally beneficial policy? The answer is a resounding “maybe.” The net outcome of the ban will depend largely on how retailers decide to replace the single-use bags that will be verboten as of 2013. Should they opt for reusable bags made of recycled material and people actually reuse them, then it might be a good thing. Paper bags on the other hand, with their low level of reusability, might not make much of an improvement to Toronto’s carbon footprint.

After they allegedly shook down drug dealers and then covered-up the evidence 15 years ago, five police officers are awaiting a Superior Court jury’s decision on their case. John Schertzer, Steven Correia, Nebojsa Maodus, Joseph Miched, and Raymond Pollard were originally charged with conspiring to attempt to obstruct justice in 2004, but the charges were stayed after four years of delays in the case. An Ontario Court of Appeal ruling later overturned the stay in the conviction and a new trial was called. No matter which way the ruling goes, this case points towards a clear need for more communication and oversight on Toronto’s police force to safeguard against everyone accidentally playing bad cop on the same day.

Here’s one for the all expats in Toronto: you live in the most expensive Canadian city you possibly could. Yay! Our lovely city has found its place at number 61 on the global survey of expats’ cost of living. All told, North America is relatively cheap on the list of 214 cities that stretches from Tokyo to Karachi, but don’t be too hasty to add this tidbit to your list of reasons to move to Vancouver (mountains and the ocean). No Fun City is only two spots behind Hogtown.

Andre Marin, Ontario’s Ombudsman, is seeking to expand his office’s power. Marin’s concern is that his office does not currently have the authority to look into issues surrounding the hilariously named MUSH sector (municipalities, universities, schools, and hospitals). Of the 18,541 complaints that he received last year, 2,539 had to be left uninvestigated because they were MUSH. Think of all the great MUSHy scandals he could discover with more reach. Hint: the answer rhymes with orange.

Call the coppers if you know anyone that happens to have “found” $1 million worth of copper on the weekend. The police do not have a description of any suspects, but an ill-timed penny counterfeiting operation seems most likely.

Here is a nice story about an 80-year-old dance instructor.

CORRECTION: June 20, 9:47 AM We initally wrote that the police officers in the drug trial were “awaiting conviction.” Of course they are not—that prejudges matters; they are waiting for a verdict. Our apologies.