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Jack Layton Fighting New Form of Cancer, Temporarily Stepping Aside to Focus on Treatment

In February 2010, Jack Layton announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. At a press conference held a few minutes ago in Toronto, he announced that recent tests had shown that his battle against that cancer "was going very well." Unfortunately, he continued, "in the closing days of the most recent session of the House of Commons, I started suffering from some stiffness and some pain." Further testing has led to a diagnosis of a new form of cancer (more details were not provided at today's announcement). Layton will therefore be taking a leave of absence from his current position as leader of the NDP in order to focus on fighting this new cancer. His intention is to return in September, when parliament resumes sitting. In the meantime, the NDP federal council will convene to appoint an interim leader; Layton is recommending Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel be given the post. "If I've tried to bring anything to federal politics it's the idea that hope and optimism can be at their heart," said Layton after breaking the news. Today Canadians of all political stripes are expressing their own hopes for Layton's recovery.

Welcome to the OC

Photo by m.gifford. It was a common pastime last year to trade stories about where you were when the TTC made the surprise announcement to strike close to midnight on a Friday. Transit users everywhere tried to one-up their friends with how far from their destinations they were stranded and how long it took them [...]

Federal Election Confirmed

It’s been a pretty dependable rumour these days, but now the Prime Minister’s office has finally confirmed it: there will be an official election call for October 14. At 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, Stephen Harper will mosey from 24 Sussex over to Rideau Hall to get permission (albeit a simple technicality) from Governor General [...]

Schooled By Dubai Do

Dubaimetro Naming Rights Turn your brand into a destination RTA offers Dubai Metro Naming Rights Welcome to the ultimate branding and marketing opportunity. With Dubai Metro Naming Rights, you can put your brand on a Dubai Metro station of your choice, or one of the two lines of the Dubai Metro Network. Dubai Metro Naming [...]

It’s the Hard-Knock Life for Us

Hope is a cruel thing for a sports fan: no matter how bleak the situation, as long as there’s a straw in sight we’ll happily clutch at it. Case in point: Leafs Nation, of which we’re proud, occasionally defiant members. We’ve been flip-flopping over the Leafs all season long. A few weeks ago we’d written [...]

The Nelly Furtado Hour of Darkness

You’ve got less than three weeks to prepare yourself for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 29. That’s when people around the world are being encouraged to turn off their lights for one hour to raise awareness about global warming. Toronto was the first Canadian city to sign up for the international event late last year, [...]

Where Are We Running?

Far be it from us to conflate professional sports with Bill Shakespeare—but the Toronto Maple Leafs’ actions before, during and after Tuesday’s NHL trade deadline recall Macbeth’s famous words: full of sound and fury, yet ultimately signifying nothing. Charges of heresy will be duly acknowledged. In the end, the promised blow-up never materialized. None of [...]

Campaign Confidential: Relationships

Torontoist Environment Editor Chris Tindal is currently engaged in a federal by-election campaign. This weekly column is an attempt to offer a behind the scenes glimpse into what it’s like to be that mysterious Other: a politician. As you read this I’m somewhere in the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, likely between [...]

Won’t the Real Maple Leafs Please Stand Up?

It’s been the best of times, it’s been the worst of times for the Toronto Maple Leafs; in fact, the past couple weeks have been nothing short of surreal. First, the best of times: wins against the high-flying Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, followed by a thoroughly unexpected Hockey Day in Canada victory over the [...]

Can You Spare An Hour For The Planet?

Do you think you can turn your lights off for an hour? The WWF is challenging people around the world to do just that at 8 p.m. local time on March 29. The global event is called Earth Hour, and the goal is to raise awareness of global warming. Last year’s inaugural event took place [...]

Illustration Sunday: The Dentist

Deep in a Toronto basement is the former office of budget dentist, Dr. Jimmy Connolly. Though he claims to have been a dentist in Kosovo, Connolly, whose real name is Gzim Bytyqi, isn’t licensed to practice in Canada. License be damned—Jimmy has been practicing in Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec for at least a year. Soon, [...]

Higher Fuel Standards, RIP Bobby Fischer, Ryerson Expands

Ottawa to introduce new fuel economy standards. They will be “at least” as stringent as American fuel economy standards. In response, David Suzuki blew upon a party horn sarcastically and waved a tiny flag, his derision apparent to all and sundry. Bobby Fischer dies at 64. The former world chess champion was famous for beating [...]