Illustration by Kyra Kendall/Torontoist. Technically, in 2002, Ireland did it before us―but, on this continent anyway, Toronto was the first to institute a fee on plastic shopping bags. Washington D.C. recently became the first U.S. jurisdiction to follow our example, when its bag fee legislation came into force last Friday, January 1. Though outwardly similar [...]

Torontoist is one of fourteen cities in the worldwide Gothamist network. Each Sunday, the editors of every site—from LAist to Londonist—choose their most interesting article, a list which is compiled into the network-wide feature Elsewhere In The Ist-A-Verse. Phillyist learned how to put on a puppet show––it’s not as easy as you might think! Shanghaiist [...]

TTC “U-pass” close to passing for students, possibly also hotel workers. If the scheme passes, the TTC will suddenly be crowded once again, rendering all those recent fleet upgrades essentially moot. Hooray for public transit! Jack Layton calls for Family Day to be named a national holiday. He then asked for a pony and all [...]

Government fires head of Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Linda Keen. However, it is understandable, considering that Ms. Keen went public about government interference in her job and threats of being fired if she shut down the Chalk River reactor for being potentially unsafe. We mean, you can’t say she wasn’t warned that her bosses were [...]

If you’ve spent any time at all-ages punk shows in the last five years, chances are you’ve seen the Flatliners in action. Performing together since the tender age of fourteen, the band has made a name for themselves over the course of their six-year existence thanks to a tireless work ethic and the ability to [...]

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we’re all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn’t officially start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we’re [...]

This is going to be one big downer of a news roundup today, folks. Some seriously sad news from our sister site, Phillyist, where co-Editor Star C. Foster passed away suddenly yesterday. We’ll miss her. Be sure to lend your support for her friends and family in the comments on Phillyist. An 11-year-old boy in [...]

Houstonist reports on cross-dressing thieves and undressing educators this week. A Peeping Tom defends himself with a papaya and an outraged onlooker asks Ken Lay, “TATER TOTS OR FRIES?” Also, FEMA wants it’s money back. LAist are a bug bunch of geeks. They’re Star Trek geeks, David Duchovny geeks and Frank Gehry geeks. During their [...]