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Newsstand: August 18, 2010
Illustration by Matt Daley/Torontoist.
Hey, how’s it going? Did you know that Drake makes a ton of money, more folks will be comped for the G20, and house sales are down? It’s all true!
How much did you make last year? Well, if you’re Toronto rapper Drake, (and in the unlikely event that you are, thanks for reading Newsstand and feel free to leave an endorsing comment) you pulled down a cool ten million US dollars, enough to put you at number eleven on the Forbes list of highest-earning hip-hop artists. Drake earned his money on sales of his debut album Thank Me Later and by shilling for Sprite and Virgin America. By the way, that “thump” you heard is another kid dropping out of school to pursue a doomed attempt at rap stardom.
If the G20 summit was like a bad one-night stand which started out filled with promise and ended in embarrassment and disaster, now it looks like a case of herpes which we’ll continue to pay for long after the excitement of the original event has worn off. The feds are extending the area within which businesses affected by the event can claim compensation to Queen West, Bay Street, and other areas, although damage caused by vandalism will still not be covered. The deadline for application has also been pushed back from September to November.
The design costs for the proposed York University subway station are going to be quite a bit more than originally planned—at least $3.2 million more than the earlier estimate of $14.8 million. Does that surprise you? We didn’t think so.
The inquiry into Hazel McCallion’s involvement in her son Peter’s failed hotel deal in Mississauga—which can be summed up as “what did she know, when did she know it, and does she remember any of it”—is getting even more baffling. Peter McCallion’s claim that he did not know he owned World Class Developments, the company which was working on the deal, has been corroborated by his partner. Leo Couprie also said that mayor and mom Hazel didn’t know either, although she witnessed and signed the declaration that gave her son control. But wait, there’s more—Vaughan businessman Tony DeCicco, also involved in the deal, says that he, Hazel, and Peter knew perfectly well that Peter owned most of World Class. That’s some fine governing, people.
Home sales in Toronto took a beating in the first two weeks of August, down 29% over the same period last year. See, you were right to rent for the last twenty-five years.
Can you hear me now? Ontario’s largest teacher’s union has rejected a call from some Niagara teachers to ban cell phones and wireless networks in schools. At a meeting of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, it was decided not to endorse a proposed campaign against using wireless technology in schools. The decision comes only a couple of days after some parents in Barrie demanded that schools turn off the wifi, claiming it was making their kids sick. Of course, eventually everyone will realize that if wireless is frying kid’s brains, that ship has pretty much sailed whether it’s in the schools or not.