Results tagged “newsstand”

Our pets are catching the swine flu! And not just our pet swine! Confirmed cases of housepets gettin' sick with H1N1 are giving us some kibble for thought today. Maybe it's time to make some new flu-naming rules, though, because this is pretty complicated. While humans can't get equine flu from a horse, apparently we might be able to catch swine flu from a parrot and then give it to our cat. Dogs are virtually people-flu proof, but humans deliberately infect ferrets with our influenza germs. Rabbits are just a total wild card. And don't even get us started on the iguanas. People are being cautioned to take steps to protect their pets from the Pig, but the vaccine is still for humans only—felix no can haz.

You read about the possibility yesterday and, besides, you knew it was going to happen anyway, so here it is: the TTC is planning to propose a fare increase on November 17, which they hope to implement by January. According to the National Post, this would be the first fare increase since 2007, and "the adult fare will increase to $3 from $2.75, while tokens will cost $2.50, up from $2.25. Seniors and student rates will rise to $2 from $1.85, while children's fares will climb to 75¢ from 70¢. The cost of a monthly Metropass will rise to $126 from $109."

Just in case the National Post's miraculous financial rescue made you think that times really aren't so tough for newspapers, the Toronto Star may lay off a third of its newsroom. And, did we mention that this was announced to staff yesterday afternoon, on the paper's 117th birthday? We hope this cheery letter from HR [PDF] didn't put too much of a damper on the festivities when it informed staff that they have until November 30 to apply for voluntary severance packages of three weeks' pay per year of service. Hey, remember how the National Post called everyone who said they were going out of business an uninformed, reactionary, communist? Surely their editorial pages will now be crammed with pleas urging readers to give the Star the benefit of the doubt.

Shall we begin today's Newsstand in the gutter? (Were you expecting anything less?) Yesterday, the Executive Committee approved the application of the savings gleaned from this summer's city strike to offset a 2% rate hike in our garbage fees. Sounds good, right? Well, the mayor doesn't think so. "I thought they were taking a short-term gain for long-term pain," he lamented. "I thought cancelling the rate increase this year means that the increase next year will have to be over 4%." Councillor Pam McConnell, on the other hand, is lamenting the fact that the green-bin program will now take longer to implement, citing "pent up desire on behalf of residents...to be able to participate." And with that quote, you know in what direction today's news is going to go...

Like chomping through a thick skull to get at the chewy, unlife-giving braaains inside, you gotta work for the good stuff. Let's see what you did with your weekend, Toronto. Well, for starters, it looks like somebody decided to keep candy out of the mouths of Rosie DiManno's niece and nephew, and now she is foaming at the mouth has written one of her columns, heaping snack-size helpings of whoopass (marked not for individual resale) onto the kid-hating "money bag brigade" of Bridle Path, who wouldn't even send one butler to hand out goodies to the kids, or her, or the Star photographer out taking pictures of the expedition. Hey, at least no one put a razor blade in there. Besides, fair's fair, Rosie: You clearly waived your right to a treat when you agreed to the "trick-or-" part of the deal. Verbal contract.

Remember when we reported earlier this month that the intrepid Joe Pantalone was on the case to help save the Annex from itself? Well, he failed, and now Ici is getting its liquor licence after all. “It's fantastic—it finally gives this incredible business the ability to open,” said area resident John Bowker. “Everybody seems just ecstatic.” Ecstatic to start boozing it up all over the place, John? That Ontario pinot grigio you're sucking back with your Melba of Maritime lobster is one daintily held pinky finger away from complete and utter iniquity. Sheesh. Well, there goes the neighbourhood...

Wuh-hoa! Fans of top-notch investigative reporting need not look any further than the Star's front page, above the fold, today. The newspaper has apparently managed to get its hands on a classified photo of Omar Khadr in Afghanistan that appears to exonerate the Guantanamo Bay detainee and former child soldier in the murder of American soldier Christopher Speer. The magic photo itself, however, is conspicuously missing from the Star's coverage, which might raise a few eyebrows. Will this be enough to change Ottawa's longstanding policy of being cool with letting Khadr rot in an inhumane prison and then go to hell? If today's story holds together, there's bound to be some heat on the government—but maybe Stephen can cool things down with another Beatles cover.

There are many of you who have been following the whole illegal-signs debate raging though our (not so) newly amalgamated city on the edge of your seats. Really; it's terribly riveting. Okay, so for those of you who haven't, we covered it in quite some detail here. And here. And we even gave it a Nuit Blanche slant here, because that's just how we roll. Anyway, it looks as though City Hall has released the final draft of their new sign by-law and billboard tax. This basically means that all illegal signs (and billboards without permits) will enjoy some pretty hefty fines. Which, in theory, and like many by-laws, means that Toronto stands to make a serious killing if they'd only go after the myriad perps responsible for this blight upon our fair city. In theory, communism works. In theory.

Stop. Look outside for a second and breathe in deep. The morning news can wait just one more minute. Sip your coffee if you've got one and smile a little, because between pranksters blinding pilots and a cash-starved city blowing much-needed millions on garbage stunts, there's not much relief ahead.

Remember Giorgio Mammoliti? The guy who, according to previous Newsstands, names streets after people who contribute to his campaigns, traps cats and says that gays make bad parents, and is now running for mayor with a platform of red-light districts and casinos? Well, now he wants to shut down a bunch of Toronto spas! Sheesh, Giorgio, didn't you read in the Sun today that Torontonians are 4% more stressed than everyone else? Don't you think we could use a little "me time"? Wait...whut? What kind of spas, you say? Oh. Never mind...

Apparently the kids at Northern don't really care all that much about the student from their school who was arrested for calling a police officer "bacon" and then charged with assault and resisting arrest. That at least is what the Post tells us, since only about one-tenth of the student body came out to protest the cops' patrolling the school. The protest organizers went all out, though, even sending out press releases to media outlets—press releases, real ones, for a high-school protest! Sure, only 150 students came, but everyone who went is gonna start an advocacy group when they grow up (or at least vote in city elections when they're old enough).

Many of you have likely heard about this through one of your friends' outraged Facebook status updates (or yesterday's Newsstand), but here it is for the social-network challenged: the Toronto District School Board is toying with the idea of an all-boys' school. What makes it news again? Dalton McGuinty likes the idea! No kidding! He's like Mikey…you think he'll hate it, but he's just scarfing down the ideas lately. Really, though—are you surprised? First gays, then blacks…now boys are next in line for a school that caters to their unique needs. Because obviously, people just can't learn in settings where they are forced to interact with other people. What's next, a school for girls? Well, math is pretty hard…

Clean diesel trains for all, public schools for boys only, and the RCMP’s very own giant terrorist bomb blows up in a huge "test blast" released on video for you. All this and more from a city that hit the ground running this Wednesday.

Despite the fact that Mayor Miller promised to divert 70% of waste from landfills by 2010 as part of his 2006 election campaign, he will be well out of office before his dream is realized. But why should he worry? Experts are saying that his goal, though lofty, was a noble one. “The faster we got to 70 per cent, the longer that landfill is going to last," says the man with the (failed) plan. "So that was why I [set] an ambitious date." I don't know, Davey. The fact that it was an election campaign promise, by virtue of name alone, kinda indicates that you set the "ambitious date" to get elected. But what do we know of such things?

Ever since a conference of "gay delegates" picked Toronto to host the World Pride 2014 festivities yesterday, one thing has been clear: the bar is now high. If Toronto is going to step up as the proudest city in the world and finally show those punks in Stockholm, we need to start gathering an unprecedented amount of self-esteem right now. And what better way is there to build ourselves up than to go over what else we've accomplished lately, and how it makes us, as a city, look good. Think of the following as talking points to bring out when interviewing for the job of being awesome.

Who let the dogs out? Toronto's Parks and Environment Committee, that's who! The group has decided that dog owners can allow their furry friends to let their freak flag fly south of the snow fence on the Kew, Balmy, and Woodbine beaches between November 1 and March 31. We at Torontoist think it's an excellent excuse to provide those of you without canine companions with a photo of a shaky wet dog to start your day. You're welcome.

Say, what would you do with a free domain name from none other than Raptors' power forward Chris Bosh? Okay, you probably aren't on the list of Bosh's beneficiaries, but here it is just in case you want to check [PDF]. If you are among the roughly eight-hundred athletes and celebrities whose names Bosh just rescued from internet infamy at the hands of cybersquatters, you'll probably want to start by scrubbing out all the tacky ads and XXX links. Then again, if Bryan Colangelo or Scarlett Johansson can't find a more profitable use for their new domain names, we hear that marketing cheap Cialis online (no Rx needed!) is a reliable way to make a living.

Has anyone actually seen a TTC special constable hand out one of those newfangled citations this week? Apparently, they've been in effect since Monday. The bylaw changes include new fines for injustices like hogging more than one seat, but old offenses are getting a hefty increase as well. Adding a hundred bucks to the fine for smoking on TTC property? Fine. Throwing in a thirty-five-dollar victim surcharge? Do it. But charging $345 (plus a victim surcharge of $75) for drawing Sharpie dongs in the hands of respected Canadian authors on subway advertisements? Dude, that's just not cool. You should be paying us for that special brand of seventh-grade comedy gold.

If you Google "Fire Queen's Park" right now, odds are good you'll get hits about an actual fire. In a city where knee-jerk abuse of politicians is the norm, that's sort of neat. For an eerie moment last Sunday while flames shot from the top of the Ontario Legislature, it looked like history was repeating itself—it had been almost precisely a century since a tinsmith mending the roof there had sprayed sparks in the wrong direction and started a blaze that consumed the building's west wing and decimated its hundred-thousand-book library. In the year 2009, though, humanity has humbled fire, and the blaze was snuffed out almost before we could take a picture to remember it by.

If you're all good commuters, we're sure you'll shrug off the news that the increased TTC fines quietly approved last January will come into effect this Monday. Alongside whopping increases for smoking or making fraudulent passes (duh), people will now start getting fined for hogging priority seats. Though the fines are set by TTC's by-laws, the money collected doesn't just go down the tubes—all the funds go to the city itself, not its cash-strapped transit commission.

Just to prove that we here at Torontoist don't entirely believe that the universe revolves around Toronto (it's true—we looked it up!), we shift our focus from our fair city to the heavens for this paragraph (and this paragraph only): in case you haven't noticed, it's almost the end of World Space Week. To celebrate, NASA's going to bomb the moon. Wait, what? Indeed, a missile fired at twice the speed of a bullet will hit our nighttime friend tomorrow morning, its impact being televised for all to see at approximately 6:15 a.m. The intention of this mission is far from sinister—they're looking for water—but who the hell cares? Bombs? Space? Yes, please! (However, if you're tuning in and the man in the moon gets shot in the eye, you're likely watching an earlier broadcast.)

If you were driving yesterday, or just happened to be walking near a car-traffic hotspot, you may have noticed small groups of dressed-up ladies holding placards bearing messages like "Police lurk here" along with an unfamiliar logo. The women were hired by the men's website DailyXY (get it?) for an event the site called "Ticket-Free Tuesday," a bid to drive up the site's readership by helping motorist dodge fines, either by checking bad driving or simply avoiding police.

Love the iPhone but the big red giant, not so much? Apple fanboys (and girls), rejoice—the monopoly is OVAH! Bell and Telus have been in cahoots in a joint effort to get their 3G network up and running ahead of schedule and will begin selling the Jesus phone as early as next month, effectively breaking the stranglehold that Rogers has been getting off on having on us for more than a year (not that there's anything wrong with that…). What's that you hear? A busy signal, you say? And with that, Torontoist has effectively broken the Rogers wireless retention queue. Good luck getting through, kids!

What a weekend! Floating four-letter words, Fun Slides, and a Stephen Harper look-alike who staunchly tickled the ivories and sang out a tune from Sgt. Pepper's—wait, that wasn't a look-alike? Hm, well, "With a Little Help From My Friends" (go ahead and rub it in, by the way) was on the Blue Album. Bonus points go to the artsy gala crowd if it's true they shouted back "we want a grant!" after the performance. Dare we admit it, though...Harper actually does a decent Ringo impression.

The world's cutest mayor is embroiled in as controversial a scandal as an eighty-eight-year-old politician can be (without things getting too sexy all up in here, that is). Ward 6 Councillor Carolyn Parrish, who has been gunning for the mayor of Mississauga with a zeal that has only been matched by last night's episode of The Office (oh, that Dwight), claims that Mayor McCallion committed a gross conflict of interest by not disclosing her son's involvement in a land deal in a council meeting. "Hurricane" Hazel, on the other hand, is defending her position and welcoming all who challenge her to the contrary. Ever wanted to kick a grandma? Neither have we. Way to boost the old popularity ratings there, Carolyn!

Say whatever you want about her, City Councillor Sandra Bussin isn't afraid to call a spade a spade, or at least to call John Tory a "three-time loser" on his own radio show, and if an anonymous phone call is what it takes to publicly slag the former PC leader and current talk-show host, then so be it. "Sandra from Toronto" let loose on the air this past Friday, chastising Tory and his co-host Tarek Fatah for making "ridiculous" comments about David Miller. Tory claims he didn't realize who the mean lady on the phone was, though Fatah didn't take long to call Sandra's bluffin'. But don't settle for our play-by-play—not when the real deal is right here on the internet! Bussin apologized yesterday.

This summer's garbage strike saved the city over thirty-three million dollars, but—wait for it—the cheque is not in the mail. Quelle surprise. Proceeds from the thirty-nine-day stinkfest will be lining the coffers of City Hall instead as Torontonians gear up for increased garbage fees. Shocker number two? City councillors don't like it and have something to say! That, like, never happens! Ooh...ow. Is it possible to sprain your sarcasm?

A Star investigation has accused Toronto Police of "dipping into" a public fund meant to compensate civilian victims of crime. According to the newspaper, over four hundred Ontario police officers and prison guards, including 133 Toronto cops, have received a total of $1.5 million from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board since 2005. Surely officers injured in the course of law-enforcement duties deserve good compensation, but the police are already covered by workplace insurance, contends the Star. Well, yes, but would regular insurance pay out pain-and-suffering claims like ten thousand dollars for losing one's love of flea markets, gardening, and "collecting carnival glass"?

Approximately twenty thousand runners took over the downtown streets yesterday morning as part of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which raised almost two million dollars for charity. Forty-five thousand dollars went to Kenyan Keneth Mungara, who finished the forty-two kilometre race in a record two hours, eight minutes, and thirty seconds. Mayor Miller, you were so close! We know you could probably use the money...

Here's a nice quick Newsstand for today, because, take our word for it, you're going to want to keep an eye on the onrushing current of this news day as it proceeds. So let's get you up to speed and turn you loose, okay?