Newsstand: July 16, 2015

Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider are doing their thing again, and we should all be very scared because obviously the world will end soon. In the news: Cuban athletes defect to America, Tim Hortons employees defect to other jobs, and John Tory asks for a sign of the times.

By David Hains • Illustration by Brian McLachlan

Four Cuban Pan Am rowers have defected to the United States. The athletes were competing in St. Catharines for the games, and took the short trip across the border. The United States maintains a policy of accepting all Cuban defectors, but with evolving foreign relations between the two countries, that could soon change. When Canada last hosted the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg in 1999, eight Cuban athletes defected to the United States.

Tim Hortons, which merged with Burger King just over six months ago, has offered buyout packages to 15 per cent of the workforce at their corporate headquarters. The Oakville-based chain says that 3 per cent of total corporate employees accepted the offer. They will receive three weeks severance for every one year of service.

John Tory is asking residents where they think the Pan Am Games “Toronto” sign that is currently in front of Nathan Phillips Square should go after the Games end. The plan is to have the popular sign tour different sites in the city starting in 2016, all the better for selfie-taking opportunities. We would suggest the Distillery District, or to place one of the giant “T”s over buried treasure.