news
Newsstand: March 18, 2014
So, how is that St. Paddy’s Day hangover treating you this morning? Grab some coffee, pop a few Advil, and have an internet hug from me in the form of some news headlines. In the news: Toronto public health thinks hookah smoking is bad, which is bad news for hookah lounges; the Trinity-Spadina by-election is already getting spicy; David Soknacki’s Reddit AMA was pretty great; and there’s a new Ford aiming to join City Council.
After a University of Alberta study found evidence that smoking the popular herbal product shisha can expose people to similar, if not higher, levels of carcinogens than cigarettes or other tobacco-based products, a report from Toronto public health says that a ban on hookah smoking in Toronto bars and cafes should be considered. The report by Dr. David McKeown, the City’s medical officer of health, also says that even though hookah lounges do not sell or allow the use of tobacco products, an air-quality study of 12 hookah lounges in the city found some had nicotine levels that were as high as European-based establishments that still allow smoking. Toronto public health has asked for enforcement officers to be permitted to seize products from hookah lounges for testing purposes; however, this can’t happen until an amendment to the province’s Smoke-Free Ontario Act is passed. So, it would appear that your love of shisha smoking is safe…for now.
The federal by-election to fill Olivia Chow’s Trinity-Spadina riding vacancy has yet to even be called, and it is already making headlines. In the wake of news that the Justin Trudeau has blocked Christine Innes from running in the by-election due to allegations of bullying campaign volunteers, social justice activist Joe Cressy has announced that he will seek the NDP nomination to replace Olivia Chow as MP in the Toronto riding. Cressy, who was Olivia Chow’s campaign chair in the 2011 federal election, says that he plans to build on her legacy. There was additional fallout from Trudeau’s controversial move to block candidate Innes yesterday when when emerging star Zach Paikin—yep, he’s the son of TVO journo Steve Paikin—abandoned his bid for nomination in the Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas riding. “I cannot, in good conscience, campaign to be a part of a team of candidates if others seeking to join that team are prevented from doing so if their ideas or ambitions run contrary to the party leader’s interest,” said Paikin in a statement posted to Facebook.
Toronto mayoral candidate David Soknacki threw down a strong Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Monday. Eschewing canned responses, Soknacki thoughtfully answered questions for three hours, delving deep into his political track record and policy talk, including his support for a Scarborough LRT, better bike lane strategy, and creative thinking to alleviate public transit crowding. He also said he was advised to consider “Started From the Bottom” by Drake as his top pick for a musical playlist about Toronto, proving that no one can resist the charms of Drizzy.
Finally, there is a new Ford running for City Council. Russ Ford is running against incumbent councillor Mark Grimes in Ward 6, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, but you can breathe a little easier knowing that he is no relation to Mayor Rob Ford. When asked whether his surname could be a liability in the upcoming race, Ford said, “It absolutely could be, but we’re trying to make it as clear as possible that not only is my name not associated with the mayor, but I’m extremely non-associated with his agenda either.” No word on whether he is considering a catchy campaign slogan yet, although something like “Mayor Ford—nope, not related to that guy!” would probably do wonders.