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Weekend Newsstand: November 1, 2014
Tomorrow night, Sunday night, will allow us all an extra hour of sleep as Daylight Savings Time starts. Pity the fools in Saskatchewan who might not have to adjust their clocks and lives, but who also forego the opportunity to sleep in an extra hour one night a year. In the news this morning: city transit will soon have blue seats designated for reservation, travel restrictions for people coming from three West African countries, some hospitals are refusing to disclose information on how patients were treated, and two updates to the still-unfolding Jian Ghomeshi story.
The TTC will change some seats on streetcars, subways, and buses to bright blue to mark them as reserved for elderly and pregnant riders, and for those with disabilities. Drivers and operators can’t enforce the reservation rule, but transit enforcement officers—whom operators can call—can give non-compliant riders a fine of up to $235.
Canada has joined Australia in placing restrictions on travellers seeking to enter the country from the parts of West Africa hardest hit by the current Ebola outbreak. Despite repeated warnings from the World Health Organization that travel bans have unproven efficacy and may even help the spread of disease (by forcing infected people who are determined to travel to hide their sickness), both countries have restricted travel from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Canada was a leader in creating the International Health Regulations after the 2003 SARS outbreak, a key component of which is the advice against travel bans. In 2003, Toronto was one of several cities to be handed a travel advisory from the WHO.
After an otherwise healthy woman died in a Toronto hospital upon admittance for a toothache, questions are being raised about the Quality of Care Information Protection Act that allows hospitals to hide their findings on patients’ care. The QCIPA can trump all other legislation, including access to information legislation, and can be used at the hospital’s discretion: some hospitals, like St. Joseph’s, use it as often as possible, while places like Toronto East General use it rarely, if ever.
More updates in the ongoing story of Jian Ghomeshi’s firing and the string of sexual assaults he has allegedly committed: he has been dropped as a guest on American musician Amanda Palmer’s Toronto book tour date. Palmer originally stood by Ghomeshi but has since announced that because his presence would be “upsetting to so many,” he will not be present as planned. Ghomeshi is also now officially under investigation by the Toronto police, as two of the women who have come forward to the media have also filed formal complaints.