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Newsstand: November 19, 2014
Forget kale—according to some Peruvians, frog juice is the real superfood. Yuck. There is no scientific evidence that it can actually cure asthma and bronchitis as claimed, so let's hope this trend isn't coming to Whole Foods any time soon. In the news: a culture of intimidation at the TDSB, more layoffs at Walmart, a $1,200 airplane Wi-Fi bill, and drug charges laid in connection with the Liberty Village apartment explosion.
Problems persist for the beleaguered Toronto District School Board. Now, TDSB chair Mari Rutka has asked provincial Education Minister Liz Sandals to intervene, alleging that director of education Donna Quan routinely blocks trustees from probing areas of concern over transparency and accountability. Rutka’s appeal comes on the heels of trustee Pamela Gough penning a letter to Sandals that details what she calls a culture of intimidation that exists within the TDSB, where trustees who ask for greater accountability from Quan are subjected to “public shaming.” According to Rutka, Quan also refuses to provide trustees with a copy of her contract and has shut down efforts to review her job performance. Problems surfaced earlier this year when TDSB trustee Howard Goodman pushed for transparency about a $200,000 catering payment Quan authorized with no supporting documentation. Goodman was charged with forcible confinement and criminal harassment in connection with an incident where he allegedly blocked Quan from leaving a room during a meeting. Sandals has said that the levels of distress at the school board are distressing, and she plans to meet with Rutka this month.
Walmart Canada has eliminated 210 positions from its head office in Mississauga and field management, a layoff that represents less than 0.3 per cent of its Canadian workforce. This is the second round of layoffs for the company over the last six months. In May, 750 jobs across the company were eliminated in a management restructure. The company says that, even with these layoffs, it plans to create 7,500 new jobs in the next year through temporary construction and trade work.
Jeremy Gutsche is a Toronto tech executive who recently was hit with a nearly $1,200 bill for internet usage while on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore. Gutsche detailed on his blog and Twitter how he was charged US$1,171.46 for going over the 30 MB Wi-Fi package he purchased in-flight for just under $30. While the data limit was clearly disclosed, Gutsche said the connection was too slow for him to watch films, so in between sleeping on the flight he racked up 155 web page views that were mostly of his email account, and uploaded a 4 MB PowerPoint presentation. He has asked Singapore Airlines for more detail on the charges, and in a tweet the airline has said it is looking into the matter.
A man now faces drug-related charges in connection with an explosion that happened late Monday night in Liberty Village. In what could have been a possible drug lab explosion, a 36-year-old man connected to the accident appeared in court yesterday afternoon and has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. The explosion at 85 East Liberty Street occurred inside a unit on the sixth floor, with one eyewitness saying the wall near the elevator was completely blown apart by the blast. The fire marshal is still investigating. Yet another reminder that amateur chemistry should likely be limited to creating potato batteries and science-project volcanos.