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Weekend Newsstand: April 14, 2012
If you are reading this, you've made it through Friday the 13th. Good for you. Pat yourself on the back. Now throw some salt over your shoulder. Great, you're all set for the weekend, and for today's news: Toronto's crossing guards the latest target in the City's bid to privatize; Toronto Police Services Board cracks down on carding; more woes for Air Canada travelers; and the DVP is closed for the weekend.
Crossing guards are on the chopping block. Toronto Police Services Board chairman Alok Mukherjee has written a report (to be presented April 19) that recommends outsourcing the $7 million school crossing guard program in order to cut back on the 2013 police budget. Toronto’s 700 crossing guards are paid just $11.33 per hour, and get a 12 per cent traveling allowance, as well as four per cent vacation pay. Yep, really blowing the bank. If crossing guards are unhappy about the recommendation, at least they have the perfect protesting outfits. Those vests are sure to get noticed, and the stop signs make excellent props.
The crossing guards may be unhappy with him, but the city’s police activists are probably feeling a little more positive about Mukherjee as of late. The Toronto Police Services Board has passed a motion that calls for better monitoring of the controversial practice of stopping citizens and “carding” them. The Board has stated that officers must give a copy of the information they’ve gathered about those they stop to those they stop. The board also requests that police chief Bill Blair report carding statistics every three months, as well as monitor and address discriminatory practices (Toronto’s auditor general will conduct an independent review of the race-based statistics kept by police, who record skin colour each time they stop and document a resident). In other words, what Mukherjee is saying to the police is, “papers, please.”
If you have travel plans to get away this weekend, we’re a little jealous. Unless you are flying Air Canada, in which case we’re a little smug. After having to cancel 75 flights Friday due to the mass “sick day” pilots took yesterday (which the Canada Industrial Relations Board declared an illegal strike) there are a number of cancellations posted today. Ha! Thought you could get away did you? Not this time.
Seriously. There’s no escaping. If you are considering a little road trip this week, the DVP is not the way to go. Mostly because it’s closed. Okay, totally because it’s closed. It will be closed in both directions from the 401 to the Gardiner from Saturday at 2 a.m. until Monday at 5 a.m. for essential spring maintenance. Looks like you’re stuck. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.