Newsstand: October 21, 2015

According to the Toronto Zoo, panda mom Er Shun's cubs are a-okay! In the news: poverty reduction strategy takes another step, Toronto Dominion begins staff layoffs, and Canada to pull out of the Islamic State.

By Sarah Duong • Illustration by Matthew Daley

John Tory announced the start of TO Prosperity, a 20-year anti-poverty plan, but many citizens are concerned with the plan’s lack of direction. Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East) and Toronto city councillor Gary Crawford (Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest) voiced support for the motion, but drew attention to the strategy’s unclear budget goals, with Minnan-Wong calling the report “aspirational” and “ambitious.” City council will review the report for final approval in November.

The Toronto Dominion Bank has begun staff layoffs as part of a company-wide initiative to cut costs across major divisions, retail, and wholesale in both its Canadian and American offices. The bank confirmed Monday that it will be eliminating some job positions and restructuring others, and though would not confirm how many people would be affected by the layoffs, an unnamed source puts estimates in several hundreds.

Following Justin Trudeau’s electoral win Monday evening, Canada’s prime minister-designate announced plans to withdraw fighter jets from Syria and Iraq. Speaking at an Ottawa press conference on Tuesday, the Liberal leader says he spoke to U.S. President Obama about these plans, stating, “I committed that we would continue to engage in a responsible way that understands how important Canada has a role to play in the fight against ISIL, but [Obama] understands the commitments I’ve made around ending the combat mission.” Trudeau has not yet given a timeline.