More than 150 people have died after a plane bound for the Canary Islands crashed in Madrid yesterday. The plane failed in its first attempt to take off and passengers were initially told they might have to disembark in order to board a new plane. 19 people survived. One person has died and at least 16 others are ill in the aftermath of a listeriosis outbreak. The outbreak is believed to have originated at......

Four children aged approximately 8 to 9 years old were taken to hospital yesterday after ingesting or coming into contact with a pool cleaning agent—believed to be muriatic acid—at a Royal Canadian Yacht Club swimming pool yesterday. For those of you unfamiliar with the name "muriatic acid," you will be relieved to find out that it's just another name for plain old hydrochloric acid. Aren't you relieved? The area surrounding the Rogers Centre was......

Toronto's city councillors have voted to change the rules governing their office budgets, which includes the elimination of alcohol with meals with staff, mileage compensation to and from City Hall, and compensation for raffle tickets or silent auction bids. On the bright side, Torontoist's corporate booze budget is at an all-time high. Statistics Canada recently released data indicating that Canada's crime rate is at a 30-year low, with reductions in violent crimes such as......

Despite the fact that it's damn near impossible to find an unoccupied treadmill at the gym after work, the Toronto Sun is reporting that a large portion of Torontonians—one-third, in fact—are overweight. More disturbing (except perhaps to a small but dedicated group of fetishists) is the fact that one in nine Torontonians is considered obese. In total, 40.4% of Torontonians are considered to be over their acceptable weight, based on the Body Mass Index,......

Environment Canada says it's going to be a hot, sweaty, sticky, sexy summer, perfect for rocking that thong at the beach or just sitting on a fire escape playing saxophone in your undershirt. According to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, the Feds want to convince GM to build a new car in Oshawa, and are willing to drop big bucks to do it. Flaherty is offering to give GM money from the Automotive Innovation Fund......

Marcel Marceau dead at 84. Torontoist hadn't heard anything. (Rimshot!) John Tory wants to let corner stores sell booze. He says local brewers and vintners are getting a raw deal, and he's got a point. After all, when you go into your local corner store, think of the wealth of independent chocolatiers you have to pick from when you want a candy bar! George W. Bush shuns global warming summit. In other news, sky still......

Statistics Canada reports a national population increase of 5.4% since 2001, yet downtown Toronto only experienced an increase of 0.9%. The boom is being attributed to immigration, which experts predict will be our only means of population growth by 2030. It seems everyone is happy to settle in the suburbs as towns like Brampton (33.3%) and Vaughan (31.2%) are growing as fast as houses can be built. Milton has grown an astounding 71.4%. I......

Every five years, the bean counters at Statistics Canada dole out the census numbers. Well, the 2006 model is in the showroom, the tires are getting kicked, and those who care about such things are saying things like, "Hey, Toronto is STILL the biggest city in the country!" Indeed, Toronto's population has grown—albeit by a mere 0.9% in the last five years—to include 2,503,281 urban dwellers.It's not surprising that the suburbs have been experiencing......

David Soknacki, the right-winger picked by David Miller to be his budget chief, has announced that he is retiring from politics and will not be running for re-election in Ward 43 - Scarborough East this fall. Some councillors see this as another sign that Miller can't work with others who don't see his viewpoint. In the past, Soknacki has openly criticized the Mayor and his allies. Nonetheless he's earned the respect of many from Miller's......

A bizarre shooting has left police scratching their heads. A man and a transvestite were found shot dead in a Scarborough garage. The police aren't sure whether it was a murder or a suicide. Neighbours aren't even sure what the relationship is between the victims and the family who lives in the house. A man clings to life after being shot in the head in his apartment yesterday near Weston Rd. and Eglinton. We wonder......