Tibet supporters demonstrated outside the Chinese consulate in Toronto yesterday, marching with the Tibetan Freedom Torch, which is supposed to be the symbolic opposite to the Olympic torch. Which doesn't make sense, because how can a torch be the opposite of another torch? Shouldn't it have been a large bowl of water instead? The Victoria Day weekend produced record fatalities, with eight dead as of Sunday night. The OPP stated that they were not......

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. This is my last Campaign Confidential before E-day, yet I'm hesitant to pen any "final thoughts" knowing how much can happen in the final week of a campaign. It's been a bit of a strange campaign. On the......

Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman has caused a furor with his comment that he'd be willing to test-drive an adult diaper to see if being left in soiled diapers for hours on end is really all that bad. Critics say he isn't taking the issue of sub-standard care in nursing homes seriously, which seems a bit harsh, since there can't be too many politicians who'd be willing to spend a day crouched in their own......

Photo of Owen Pallett by Heidi Slimane from his MySpace. News of Owen Pallett's OHIP being revoked has been quickly met with a reaction: an open letter sent today to George Smitherman, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, from France Gélinas and Rosario Marchese, NDP MPPs who insist that Pallett is "an award winning artist who deserves our support" but who has instead been "unfairly treated." The letter takes issue both with the......

As you may have read, Blue Rodeo played a series of free concerts around the city yesterday. As you also may have read, there's a provincial election going on. Reader Matt Kim sent us the following story of a rather odd intersection of the two: Me and some of my co-workers left early today to see Blue Rodeo, who were playing various spots around Toronto, promoting their new album. By the time we'd arrived,......

If you've ever lamented the absence of business-savvy and hygiene-obsessed superheroes at your local community barbecue, today is your lucky day. From 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. this afternoon, the Clean Freak Patrol will be on duty in Allan Gardens, making sure attendees of Health Minister George Smitherman's barbecue "spread the word, not the germs." What word do they want us to be spreading? A look at their ironically cluttered website explains it all.......

Kids think that food in a McDonald's wrapper tastes better than the same food not in the wrapper, study shows. This study confirms what many of us have long believed: namely, that children are stupid. Reason #6147 Toronto is better than Montreal: our gonorrhea rate isn't exploding upwards. The article even points out that Montreal gonorrhea is tougher and more antibiotic-resistant than Toronto gonorrhea—that's how bad their gonorrhea problem is! Former SCTV actor Tony Rosato......

Every week (or so), two Torontoist staffers square off to debate an issue that's important to our city. We invite our readers to join the debate in the comments section following the post. Last week, Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman acknowledged that the idea of banning smoking in apartment buildings probably merits some kind of public discussion. While the election-conscious Smitherman didn’t venture any real opinion on the subject, much less suggest specifics on the......

Last night's Grammy awards were just as horrible as you assumed it would be. In the first five minutes: the reunited Police gave a lacklustre performance; Jaime Foxx's attempts to warm the crowd with stale racial jokes flopped; the first award went to a duet by Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder. Click. Broadcasting The Princess Bride twice during the lengthy award show was the smartest thing YTV has ever done. At least 11 students of......

Starting today, you must have a passport to fly from Canada to the U.S. If you're dead set on clearing customs, it might be best to leave your anti-Bush shirts at home. After years of anticipation, the Robert Pickton trial is shaping up to be just as horrific as everyone imagined. The trial is expected to carry on for a year, giving the winged fire demons enough time to furnish Pickton's own special place......

Council is dealing with the fallout of the landfill deal. The Star found data that the city could've bought land at the Green Lane landfill site for much cheaper last year but did nothing. Jane Pitfield realises a day after the vote that she voted the wrong way and ended up supporting the mayor. George Smitherman is now deputy premier. If this means George gets more face-time during Question Period we might start watching. Whistleblower......

The police admit that they've been protecting witnesses and sources to the Jane Creba shooting. They've put up a $50,000 reward and got 20 investigators working on it. Here's hoping they close the case soon. Natalie Novak, the Ryerson student allegedly murdered by her estranged boyfriend apparently had a rocky past with her ex-beau. He was even convicted of assaulting her and barred from seeing her. Finally a baby and mom narrowly missed getting shot......

Students at West Toronto Collegiate are being tested for tuberculosis after one of their classmates tested positive for the lung disease. Health officials are just being cautious and don't think TB has spread. Cecilia Zhang's killer will get at least 15-years without parole. It's more than the 12 his lawyers were asking for and less than the 17-20 the Crown wanted. Parts of the city including the DVP are on flood alert. We're expecting 40......

Health Minister, legislative pitbull and name caller George Smitherman is responding to Stephen Harper's open endorsement for John Tory by challenging him to a cage match. Actually, Smitherman only challenged the current Ontario Conservative leader to run in Toronto Centre. But seeing how Smitherman won with over 51% of the vote in 2003, doubled the PC candidate and the unpopularity of the Conservative party in the riding, Tory might actually fare better in the ring.......

Torontoist was visiting Dora Keogh's pub for the first monthly CommonPlaces drinks night, when he noticed a sign for the Ben Chin Meet and Greet. It seems that everybody's favourite Liberal candidate was going to be having a minor campaign event. Torontoist would have to say that Chin was an absolute gentleman, he even spoke to us about how impressed he was with his riding association, "one that couldn't put together an event for 15......

A very clear message from the Council of Canadians on health care reform. At Bay, north of Dundas. We had originally planned to write a sprawling account on the maintenance of free public health services - including the possible fines for private clinics and the provincial leadership-aspiring George Smitherman's warning of such fines - but we thought of the already omnipresent emphasis on the issue. It's such issue with such emphasis that perhaps we......

There's nothing like throwing around the "T" word to get yourself some international attention. Australia had to stage a raid with hundreds of police officers to get itself on the news. Ontario health minister George Smitherman only had to target that new member of the axis of evil, optometrists. At a recent fundraiser, the one McGuinty cabinet minister we wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, called the province's optometrists "terrorists." And apparently, Smitherman......

Not to start any 'end-of-the-world' type panic, but Health Minister George Smitherman thinks you'd better get your vaccination at some point. Also known as German measles, around 90 cases of rubella have been reported in the town of Norwich, Ontario. Rubella spreads by contact with an infected person through coughing, sneezing or talking to them. It can also be spread by contact with the saliva of infected people. To make an internet diagnosis and find......

Yesterday, our PM with the same initials admits he needs to focus more on specific issues for the upcoming year. In contrast, Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman admits nothing. It seems Smitherman and the Ontario Liberals could use the same help with focus, as they plan to toughen up their tough anti-smoking laws in the midst of greater health crisis. Within the next 18 months, the Ontario government is planning to ban all smoking in......

Dude, it used to be that you could rely on the legion for communal smoking, and a good roast beef raffle every now and then. But Health Minister George Smitherman says that may soon be no more - the smoking that is, not the beef. Despite the GTA-wide smoking ban, an exemption had been in place for private clubs. But Smithy says the new legislation will outlaw smoking in any building that's not a private......