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Newsstand: June 15, 2010
lllustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
“Did break-up with Toronto model haunt besieged English goalie?” is the question the Star wants answered. The British press is blaming Canadian model Elizabeth Minett for breaking the heart of England goalie Robert Green and causing him to make the error which allowed the US to tie up their World Cup FIFA World Cup match with England on Saturday. Way to go, Canada; if we can’t get into the tournament, we’re damn sure gonna screw it up for everyone else.
Michael Downey, new president of the Toronto Humane Society, has announced that the River Street animal shelter will reopen on June 28. The site was shut down two months ago following an investigation by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the laying of criminal charges against several employees and board members. Downey said that the new board is confident in the changes that have been implemented, and also that the animals left in the shelter are probably pretty hungry by now.
The George Smitherman campaign has slammed Rob Ford following recent polls showing the controversial councillor pulling neck and neck with Smitherman in the mayoral race. In a press release, the Smitherman campaign says that Ford’s numbers don’t make sense, noting that even if city council did agree to chop itself in half, no savings would be realized until after the next municipal elections. Another recent poll found that if John Tory were in the race, he would have a commanding lead over both of them, proving either that Tory should reenter the race or that people being polled often prefer hypothetical candidates over real ones.
The Harper government is giving additional powers to the body that will play watchdog to the RCMP. The RCMP Review and Complaints Commission will have new abilities to oversee complaints against the Mounties, including the right to require RCMP members to testify. Where misconduct is determined, the Commission is empowered to make a recommendation. You know, if you hop the fence into a junkyard at 3 a.m., the watchdog doesn’t make a recommendation, he goes for your jugular until somebody knocks him off you with a length of two-by-four. Just saying.
You didn’t think you were going to get away without a G20 story, did you? The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is seeking an injunction preventing police from using LRADs or “Sound Cannons” for crowd control purposes during the G20 meetings. The Toronto Police have already promised not to use the devices as weapons, while the CCLA, for their part, have committed to inflating the already bloated summit budget with pointless legal action.