The Falconer report on violence in Toronto schools talks of a "culture of fear," saying that many students bring weapons to school, and many crimes go unreported. Some of the basic recommendations to fix things include more social workers and after-school basketball, fewer suspensions, more diverse teaching staff, and gun-sniffing springer spaniels to roam the halls. Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealander who was the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest,......

Repo! The Genetic Opera!––the upcoming musical about an organ donor program that goes horribly horribly wrong––is (surprise!) filming in Toronto. Though there are a bunch of other half-decent actors in the film, Repo! is most notable for its star: Paris Hilton. Sooooo...yeah. That's something. Anyway, the production is looking for about 200 unpaid extras (men and women between the ages of 25 and 60) to dress up all nice and pretend to be opera......

Photo by smlgphotos. Beware, Toronto. The Celebrities walk among us. There are only three days left before the horde returns to their L.A. mansions and the pages of US Magazine, so enjoy them while they're in town. We're featuring the best celeb photos from our Flickr Pool in our ongoing coverage of TIFF 2007.......

Did you know that 26% of Ontarians believe in creationism? 42% of Canadians think dinosaurs and humans coexisted on earth. Check out these fun stats from a recent Angus Reid poll. Dalton McGuinty is launching a $650 million fund which will offer grants to Ontario automotive companies that build clean energy power generators. The goal? More electric, solar-powered, and wind-powered cars. The ideal? Emission-free vehicles that run on the feces of handbag dogs. T.O.......

Yahoo! just released a new entertainment blog/website-thing called omg!. The enthusiastic exclamation-pointed acronymic name—and pink-on-black elements of its colour scheme—should be familiar for anyone who's ever read Toronto-based celebrity/entertainment/queer blog !! omg blog !!. Now, Frank from omg blog is accusing Yahoo of ripping him off. The argument is not without merit: as Frank says in an entry posted this morning, !! omg blog !! has been around with its current graphic design since......

You can't make this shit up. This morning at a press conference, Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Ltd. announced their plans to build a $12-million, 45,000 square-foot Dan Aykroyd Winery, just off the QEW in Beamsville, Ontario. Done by Moriyama + Teshima Architects, the winery "will pay tribute to the region’s terroir and to Dan Aykroyd's 30-plus years of work in film and television by showcasing some of his favourite memorabilia throughout the building."......

Conservative finance monkey Jim Flaherty on the budget: "We chose to support hard-working families." The budget has won favour with the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, saving Stephen Harper from a dangerous early election. Flaherty recommended that Toronto "be prudent in their budgeting", dismissing David Miller's One Cent Now and transit plans. Ontario schools will be getting a boost in cash flow after Education Ministrer Kathleen Wynne announced a $781 million hike yesterday. Music, art......

The CBC points out that three people were murdered in a matter of hours this Sunday. First, a man was run over and then hacked to death by machete. Second, a 22-year old man was found by his parents in their backyard. Third, a man was found shot in the head in a Parkdale rooming house. Out of town, a Toronto-raised basketball star is clinging to life in a Pittsburgh hospital after being shot in......

The 2004 Special Olympics Sports Celebrities Festival at Westin Harbour Castle’s Metropolitan Ballroom proved once again to be an overwhelming success. The annual charity dinner brought in $400-per-plate along with a host of local sports celebrities - and Toronto’s cutest sports writer was fortunate enough to attend last Wednesday night. Knowing that the busy ex-Blue Jay Carlos Delgado probably didn't catch Wednesday’s Torontoist sports post, I was pleased to be able to reiterate the thanks,......