The federal government's defence plan will cost $20 billion more than the federal government said it would cost, at least according to the Vice Chief of Defence Staff. Stephen Harper responded to the criticism by explaining that the country would be purchasing its planes and tanks through Canadian Tire, and that the Canadian Tire money generated by the purchases would be applied directly to the national debt, thus equalizing out costs. Tory MP Jason......

Alert the Commissioner—the Good Night Bandit has struck again! Some downtown residents awoke to a less unsightly landscape this morning, thanks to this anonymous do-gooder, who collected much of the detritus left behind after the disappearance of the trash-ridden snowbanks. As if to underscore the benevolent message left by this stealthy stranger, a used condom lay on the sidewalk directly below this sign. Litterbugs: sleep with one eye open, for the Good Night Bandit......

Ontario considers electronics recycling fee. The proposed fee, already in operation in other provinces, would get tacked on when you purchase electronic items and would pay for provincial electronics recycling centres. It's a simple, feasible solution to a problem we need to deal with, and we have evidence it already works, so six months from now it will likely be the focus of a maelstrom of public debate as people declare that an extra......

New glass recycling program will save local municipalities millions of dollars. It turns out that you can turn used glass into other things than smaller bits of broken glass! Stephen Harper threatens to sue Stéphane Dion for libel over allegations of bribery. Harper, long an advocate of tort reform, explained that while limiting the ability of people to sue is generally a good thing, he didn't mean that it should apply to him. Tory......

Gift cards may make convenient presents for Christmas, but they're a lump of coal for the environment. According to the Consumers' Association of Canada, Canadians will spend $3 billion on gift cards this year, which means a lot of rectangular pieces of plastic will end up in the garbage. Gift cards can be reloaded to extend use, but a person who receives multiple gift cards for a retailer usually keeps only one to reload......

Though the lineup for this year's Virgin Music Festival is, admittedly, pretty awesome, there are still bound to be individuals for whom a full day of live music (and shameless advertising!) is simply not reason enough to make that ferry boat ride out to the Island. That's where Global Inheritance comes in. A registered non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, Global Inheritance is looking for volunteers to participate in a human chess game at......

Every weekday, we pick an image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve! Sometimes another man's trash can be a photographer's treasure, as demonstrated in this shot by Flickr pool contributor inventor_77. These old tires piled up in a wall of rubber almost resemble a microscopic view of woven fabric, with the varying tread......

Recycling plant fire closes the 407. Officials commented how deeply ironic the fire was. "It's a recycling centre and it's contributing to smog!" (Not ironic: rain on your wedding day, good advice you just didn't take.) Canadian soldier killed near Kandahar, two wounded in roadside bomb blast. Trooper Darryl Caswell brings Canada's military death total in Afghanistan to 57. The Sopranos comes to an end with an episode that, depending on your viewpoint, was......

The mayoral debate at the St. Lawrence Centre last night was a success. 27 out of the 38 candidates showed up including LeDrew, Miller, Pitfield and this guy, who is young enough to be their kid. We stink, or at least our garbage does. It's probably why a Superior Court judge has given the Halton Recycling Plant a big thumbs down and ordered it closed till next year. A lawyer is filing complaints that the......

The City is paying over $28 million to make sure we get bigger recycling bins. The plan is to make recycling easier for Torontonians. We think the Sun's headline spells it out best "Recycling now 4 times the fun." Who could hate that? The OPP raid biker gang strongholds all over the province, including a chapter of the Vagabonds here in Toronto. They found guns and meth labs. 500 police officers were involved in the......

None of these things is just like the other, but here you go anyway: - My Parent's House, the new HGTV design show that sends twentysomethings back to live with their parents, and spar about area rugs accordingly, debuts tonight. Oh, and according to the promo copy, they also throw 'two hot, young designers into the mix,' for good measure. What's more, "the two work together with adult siblings to create high “wow factor”, city-style......