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Newsstand: July 2, 2010
Illustration by Matt Daley/Torontoist.
A lot of you probably won’t read this because you’re at a cottage enjoying your four-day weekend. But for the less fortunate who had to work today, and those without friends with cottages, here it goes anyway.
While out and about yesterday, you may have noticed that it was costing you more to celebrate—especially if you hailed a cab or wanted to get out of the city. Taxis, rail, and bus tickets all got a price hike thanks to Day One of the HST. For many, paying more for gas is one of the tax’s major drawbacks. The tax also affects goods and services like electricity, hotel rooms, and gym memberships. Said one aircraft fueler visiting Toronto from Sault Ste. Marie: “We just think that it’s stupid.” You are not alone.
Rather than going boozing, hundreds of people spent their Canada Day at a rally demanding an inquiry into the events of the G20. Demonstrators assembled at Queen’s Park and marched to police headquarters at Yonge and College, where they stopped to chant “shame, shame, shame on you.” Along with an independent public inquiry, some are also asking for Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair’s resignation. (After their return to Queen’s Park, the protesters with a fun side probably did go boozing.)
After the intensity of the G20 summit, some much-needed lightness is coming to the city. Be on the look out for the fez—not the dude with the accent from That ’70s Show, but a funny-shaped red hat worn by the Shriners. Along with the hats, expect clowns, tiny cars, and a four-million-dollar boost for the city’s downtown. The 136th convention of this “secret” society with three-hundred-and-fifty thousand members around the globe begins Sunday. “Quirky and charitable,” the Shriners, founded in 1872, have a history of building specialized health facilities for kids. The first-ever patient is still kickin’ it. A Shriners parade will begin in Queen’s Park on Tuesday, July 6, at 1 p.m.
Following the reversal of the ban against the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid, and with the kick-off of the Pride Parade days away, some are worried Pride is losing its focus. Rather than drawing attention to gay issues, it is becoming a “battleground” of political agendas, moving from inclusion to intolerance. “They’re losing their focus in the fight against homophobia and creating an environment that’s highly divisive,” said one gay rights activist. Still, members of QuAIA say Pride should be open to all political debate, considering its history, and strive for more social justice and not just a “party-on” attitude.
And speaking of backtracking on bans, Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is one of the few places in the city where smoking is still permitted and will remain so, after the facility, the largest of its kind in the country, decided against a plan to ban. Rather than patients lighting up off-site, the centre is planning on setting up designated smoking areas. Surrounding businesses and residents didn’t like the idea of smokers hanging out on the sidewalk, so the plan comes as an effort to be a “good neighbour.”
Happy Weekend!