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Newsstand: September 4, 2012
It's the first day of school and Beyoncé's birthday! This Tuesday is almost too good to be true, eh? In the news: Bloor and Christie rallies against sexual assaults, Labour Day parade marches on, fire at a TCHC building, Big Brothers Big Sisters needs your help, preparing for the mayor's hearing, and an iguana.
After weeks of bad news coming from the Bloor and Christie area, some good news arrives. In a response to the string of sexual assaults in the neighbourhood, a crowd of 300 marched to take back the streets. The group started at Christie Pits and made its way through the Annex on a 45-minute march. Some had signs; some were chanting; all were awesome.
In other marching news, the annual Labour Day Parade stepped out Monday for a day of laborious parading. Thousands gathered for the parade, which is in its 141st year. Union leaders played all the hits, mentioning the eight-hour work day, pension plans, and maternity leave as milestone achievements of the movement. But with labour strife looming over Ontario teachers, not everyone was in a celebratory mood, you know? And so the march marches on.
A fire broke out at a Toronto Community Housing building in the Lawrence and Morningside area on Monday night. Twelve trucks and 45 firefighters were called out to control the two-alarm fire.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is looking for a few good men—150 good men, actually, to become Big Brothers. The organization has all the Big Sisters it needs right now, but there’s a dearth of Big Brothers, so the organization launched a recruiting blitz. The recruitment is focused on a few neighbourhoods: Etobicoke, Rexdale, North York, Scarborough, Mississauga, and Brampton. But also just call them, because it’s a nice thing to do.
Getting set for the big day—the day Mayor Rob Ford testifies in a conflict-of-interest case that could see His Lordship removed from office? This handy cast list will help you prepare for Wednesday’s main event.
All that and an iguana. Yes, an iguana. One of the long stranges was found in an Etobicoke Mall on Monday, and the sucker was one metre long. That’s three feet for all you Americans who are nervous about running into iguanas in Etobicoke malls. Which you should be.
