news
Newsstand: July 23, 2010
Illustration by Matt Daley/Torontoist.
Happy Friday! In the news today, there’s more G20 investigatin’ goin’ on, dogs are holy too, and Black may soon be back.
G20 investigating is becoming a cottage industry here in Ontario, with police watchdog Office of the Independent Police Review Director now organizing a probe. This review may have more clout than the previously announced investigation by the Toronto Police Services Board, since the OIPRD, unlike the TPSB, has specific powers to summon sworn testimony and documents, and greater authority in dealing with police services outside of Toronto. The stakes in the investigations are getting higher as well, with protest organizers now claiming that police sexually assaulted women detained during the protests. The number of potential victims and details of the assaults have not been revealed.
Subway commuters got a taste of above-ground-style gridlock this week as signal glitches shut down much of the system on two separate occasions. Wednesday evening and Thursday morning rush hours saw shutdowns after computer problems prevented controllers from seeing trains or controlling switches remotely, exponentially increasing the chances of said trains driving into one another. As of last night, TTC officials weren’t sure exactly what had gone wrong.
But “dog” is “god” spelled backwards! Controversy has erupted in a downtown church after a local pup was given the sacrament of communion. Trapper, a German shepherd mix, got in line with his owner and gulped down the host (which in Christian dogma is the literal body of Christ) at St. Peter’s Anglican Church on Carlton Street. The church faithful are divided on the appropriateness of the gesture—on the one hand, it’s welcoming beloved pets into the spiritual life of the community, while on the other it’s feeding Jesus to your dog.
Newly freed media mogul/convict Conrad Black will appear before a judge in Chicago today to acknowledge his bail terms, and may be allowed to return to Toronto pending the outcome of his appeal. Although you may not want to get the tickertape out, you should really read this story in the Post which provides an unparalleled level of detail on the current Lord Blackian situation, including how his wife Barbara Amiel sat in the limo “sporting a beatific smile and a pair of black fishnet stockings.” The word “only” was not used.
Good news if you love the great outdoors but don’t think anything is worth doing unless you can tweet about it. Ontario is looking to roll out wireless internet access to provincial parks. The service is being tested at Pinery Provincial Park near Lake Huron, and will be expanded to other parks if it proves popular. Access is only available in a common area near a store and not at individual campsites, so you’ll have to download your Lady Gaga videos for the campfire singalong.