Newsstand: September 14, 2015

In the news today, a former mayor is tentatively cancer-free, while a current mayor can see people "embracing" in the shiny new "Toronto sign," and parents and school officials are still fighting over sex ed.

By Tannara Yelland • Illustration by Matthew Daley

Former Mayor Rob Ford, who currently represents Ward 2 (Etobicoke North) in city council and has been battling a “rare and agressive form of cancer” since last fall, says no new tumours have been found since he had surgery in the spring. He still sees a nurse every day and says he’s not yet certain of his recovery, but being tumour-free since his May surgery is a good sign.

Meanwhile, current Toronto Mayor John Tory says he’s seen couples “engaged in a passionate embrace” inside the big O’s of the large “Toronto” sign outside City Hall. The sign, which was erected during the Pan Am Games earlier this summer and will reside outside City Hall until the end of next year, apparently plays host to early-morning amorous couples on a semi-regular basis, and Tory can see them when he arrives at work.

Protests over the newly implemented provincial sexual education curriculum are back on with the start of the new school year, and questions over how long they’ll last and what forms they’ll take have some school boards worried about discord and staff strain. In protest, some parents are keeping their kids home from school for September, with some even threatening to pull their kids entirely. A provision in the curriculum allows for parents to have their kids miss school for religious reasons, which some parents may choose to use to keep their kids out of sex ed. School boards and principals are concerned about finding adequate supervision for children sitting out sex ed, and have already said they will not grant religious exemptions to materials covering anti-discrimination (such as information about gender identity and sexual orientation), some of which has led to parental rebellion over the new curriculum. The conflict between parents and school officials continues to be at a standstill for now.