Newsstand: October 8, 2015

All of those in favour of skipping out on school/work/responsibilities for the Jays game, say "aye!" In the news: pipe bomb prompts three hour shutdown, Campaign 2000 publishes new report on citywide child poverty rates, and Elections Canada tells voters to vote at the wrong place.

By Sarah Duong • Illustration by Matthew Daley

A man visiting Toronto Police headquarters prompted a three hour shutdown of two busy downtown intersections after bringing a pipe bomb to the premises, the TPS Twitter account announced yesterday evening. Police barricaded the Yonge and College and College and Bay intersections at approximately 6:16 p.m. as the TPS bomb squad, ambulances, two firetrucks, and a dozen firefighters tended to the area. Staff Sergeant Robert Brown said he did not know how the man came to possess the bomb, but that subway and restaurant services continued without incident.

According to a new report published by Campaign 2000, an astounding 30 federal ridings across the GTA have child poverty rates above the national average. Seven Ontario ridings, including five within the city—Humber River-Black Creek, Scarborough-Guildwood, Toronto Centre, Etobicoke North, and York South-Weston—are among the top 15 national ridings with the highest child poverty rates. Nationwide, child poverty rates are at 19 per cent. A strategy is in place to help tackle the issue of city poverty.

Elections Canada will be sending out 5,600 corrected voter information cards after residents in the Toronto-St. Paul’s riding received cards with erroneous information. The first batch, which instructed voters to go to 44 Room Avenue, prompted numerous calls from concerned citizens about the non-existent address. Elections Canada staff say they are working towards sending the corrected cards before election night on October 19, and that the cards are expected to arrive this Thursday.