Saskatchewan prosecutor wins Supreme Court appeal
A Saskatchewan Crown prosecutor did not maliciously prosecute people who were accused of sexually assaulting children two decades ago, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled.

Sask. radiologist fails competency test
The Yorkton, Sask., doctor at the centre of a review of thousands of medical tests does not have the skills or knowledge to practise radiology, the College of Physicians and Surgeons announced Friday

Boosters gush about Pan Am's effect on Toronto
Jubilant supporters of Toronto's winning bid for the 2015 Pan Am Games are calling the event a boost not only for athletics in Ontario but for everyone living in and around Canada's largest city.

Charles, Camilla arrive in B.C.
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have arrived in British Columbia.

Stelmach faces leadership review vote
Decision time for delegates to Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party convention arrives Saturday morning, when they begin voting in a leadership review of Premier Ed Stelmach.

Bullet from 'bear banger' killed teen
A central Alberta man has been criminally charged in the death of a teen who was killed when a pen-like device used to scare off bears went off in a truck and struck him with a bullet.

Campaign aims to rope in young farmers
A countrywide campaign is underway to get more young people interested in agriculture to counter a rapid decline in the number of Canadian farmers over the past several years.

2nd health worker fired for Flames H1N1 vaccination
A second person has been fired for allowing members of the Calgary Flames to receive the swine flu shot while Albertans had to line up for hours at vaccination clinics.

Natives want PM to screen northern Quebec projects
Quebec aboriginals have threatened to derail a showpiece plan by Premier Jean Charest's government to develop the province's north, and they're pleading for help from the federal government.

Prison hep C problem will cost millions, MPs told
Canadian taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in health care costs unless something is done to stop the spread of hepatitis C among injection drug users in federal prisons, a House of Commons committee heard.

Suspects in FBI mosque raid get bail
Two Canadian men accused by the FBI of conspiring to commit federal crimes in the U.S. have been granted bail in Windsor, Ont., CBC News has learned.

Defence chief plans for 2011 Afghan pullout
The head of the Canadian Forces has issued orders to prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2011 in the absence of a clear direction from government on the future shape of the mission.

Carpenter pleads not guilty in Cournoyer slaying
A 48-year-old carpenter pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder Friday in the death of corrections worker Natasha Cournoyer, whose body was found in early October in east-end Montreal.

Ask military to help with H1N1: Ottawa councillor
An Ottawa city councillor wants to call in the Armed Forces to help conduct swine flu vaccinations.

New aerial search held for missing Toronto teen
An Ontario Provincial Police helicopter scanned two parks in Toronto to look for new clues in the disappearance of Mariam Makhniashvili, a Toronto teen who went missing almost two months ago.

CBC | Canadian News
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

 

Doctor who suggested oilsands-cancer link cleared
An embattled family physician who raised concerns about a possible link between Alberta's oilsands and cancer rates in a remote aboriginal community received vindication this week when he was cleared of causing "undue alarm."

Temperatures rise over H1N1 queue jumping
First it was hockey players. Now, wealthy hospital donors have jumped the queue to get H1N1 flu shots. On Friday, news emerged that the top 200 donors at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital have already been inoculated.

Winning loto ticket worth $50M sold in the Prairies
One ticket purchased in the Prairies had the numbers 2, 7, 8, 11, 16, 17 and 18 for the estimated $50-million win in Friday's Lotto Max draw.

U.K. urges divided G20 to reach climate finance deal
British finance minister Alistair Darling urged his G20 counterparts on Saturday to work toward a $100 billion deal on tackling climate change as developing nations held firm they did not want to talk about it.

Toronto awarded 2015 Pan Am Games
Toronto has won the 2015 Pan Am Games, on the first ballot.

Manitoba MP apologizes for accusing Conservatives of politicizing torch run
Manitoba MP Pat Martin has apologized for accusing the federal Conservatives of turning the Olympic torch relay into a partisan romp through their own ridings after he learned the Olympic flame will, in fact, hit his downtown Winnipeg riding.

Drizzle greets Charles, Camilla in Victoria
Taking shelter under umbrellas from a light Vancouver Island drizzle, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, made a fashionably late arrival in Victoria Friday to begin a four-day visit to British Columbia.

No plans for Afghanistan after 2011, top general affirms
The Canadian military has no plans for troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the summer of 2011, despite recent suggestions that soldiers could take part in training or support roles, says the Canadian Forces' top officer.

1 dead, 5 hurt after Florida office rampage
An laid-off employee is under arrest after a man opened fire at an engineering consulting firm in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, killing one person and wounding five others, police said.

Massacre shocks those who worshipped alongside accused shooter
The U.S. army psychiatrist suspected in the shooting rampage at an army base in Fort Hood, Texas, was described Friday as a quiet and friendly man who was devoted to Islam but never shared his views on religion, war or politics with fellow Muslims at daily prayers.

Opposition MPs could thwart Ontario's move to HST
Ontario's plan to adopt the controversial Harmonized Sales Tax could hit a roadblock on Parliament Hill.

October job losses suggest choppy recovery
Canada's job market took a step backward in October, all but wiping out gains of the previous two months and sending another warning signal that the nation's economic recovery could be sputtering.

'Buy American' policy disheartening roadblock
Cambridge Brass Inc., a Canadian brass fittings manufacturer, discovered Thursday that it stands to lose more than $1.5 million in this most recent fallout from the Buy American protectionist measure.

UN guards eject Canadian commentator
Guards at the United Nations whisked away a UN-accredited Canadian commentator this week after she denounced a controversial report that focuses heavily on alleged Israeli war crimes.

U.S. arms sales hit record in 2009
U.S. government-to-government arms sales rose 4.7 per cent to a record $38.1 billion last year, and are expected to total almost as much in 2010, the Pentagon agency that administers the

U.K. military leading charge in climate battle
The British military's climate change czar says he doesn't expect next month's UN talks in Copenhagen to produce a decisive breakthrough in the battle to reduce harmful greenhouse gases.

U.S. House Democrats scramble for health care votes
Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives scrambled on Friday to allay lingering concerns about a broad health care overhaul and said a landmark vote planned for Saturday could slip a day or more.

Second head rolls in Flames flu fiasco
A second person has been fired by Alberta's health authority for involvement in giving Calgary Flames players and their families the H1N1 vaccine last week.

New Brunswick minister says Quebec hydro deal a 'win-win'
A proposed agreement to sell NB Power to Hydro-Quebec is a "win-win" for both provinces, Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau said Friday.

Convicted kidnapper charged in killing of corrections worker
Montreal police have charged a man in connection with the death of a Correctional Service of Canada employee.

Jobless rise 'sobering,' looking at options: Obama
President Barack Obama Friday listed a range of fresh options being considered by the White House to spur growth after "sobering" news that unemployment spiked to a 26 1/2-year peak last month.

Ruling in 'satanist' case gives prosecutors more leeway
The Supreme Court of Canada cleared a Crown lawyer on Friday of maliciously prosecuting two Saskatchewan families after their foster children said they were sexually abused and endured bizarre satanic ritual abuse in a scandal that rattled the province in the early 1990s.

Ukraine elections may be delayed by H1N1: Official
Ukraine could delay a January presidential election until May next year if the government fails to control an outbreak of H1N1 flu, a senior official wrote on the respected news Web site Ukrainska Pravda on Friday.

Motive probed for Fort Hood shooting spree
The death toll left by an army psychiatrist who went on a shooting rampage at a U.S. military base in Texas rose to 13 on Friday, U.S. media reported.

Prince Charles opens Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Prince Charles officially opened Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Friday, before spending the rest of the morning rubbing elbows with crowds of unsuspecting fair goers, in some of his most intimate moments of his three-day visit to the Toronto area.

Canada sheds 43,200 in jobs in October
Canada lost 43,200 jobs in October, Statistics Canada said Friday, as the economy struggled to exit the first recession since the early 1990s.

Feds name B.C. judge to head probe into salmon stock collapse
British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen will chair a federal commission of inquiry into the collapse of Fraser River sockeye salmon runs, Trade Minister Stockwell Day announced Friday in Vancouver.

Second coyote involved in fatal N.S. mauling killed
Parks Canada says it has killed two adult male coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, following the mauling death of a hiker more than a week ago

At least 25 hurt in U.S. troop search in Afghanistan
More than 25 NATO and Afghan troops were wounded during a search on Friday for two missing U.S. paratroopers in western Afghanistan, the NATO-led force said.

Reducing salt levels to be voluntary: Report
Health Canada's working group on sodium has determined laws aimed at reducing the amount of salt in prepared foods would be too cumbersome, complex and expensive to implement, and will instead recommend voluntary reductions, Canada's top medical journal reported Friday.

Royal visit thaws Harper-Williams relations
Although their relationship has been volatile at times because of disagreements over federal-provincial issues, it seems Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams and Prime Minister Stephen Harper made amends this week during the royal visit by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

Lee Harvey Oswald photo real: Computer expert
A photograph of accused John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, which for many years was thought by conspiracy theorists to be forged by authorities, is real, says an American computer scientist.

U.K.'s Brown warns Karzai he could lose backing
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, winner of a fraud-tainted election, risks losing British and international support unless he acts decisively to fight corruption, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Friday.

Military planning afoot for drawdown of Afghan deployment
Canada’s top soldier has issued instructions for his officers to start making plans for the pull out of military units in Afghanistan.

Brace for more H1N1 deaths, Canada's top doctor warns
Canadians should be prepared to hear about more swine flu deaths in the coming weeks as the H1N1 pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, the country's top doctor warned Thursday.

Pakistani forces enter Taliban headquarters
Pakistani soldiers entered the Taliban headquarters in South Waziristan on Friday, the military said, as gunmen wounded an army brigadier and his driver in a drive-by shooting in the capital.

Iran tested advanced nuclear warhead: Report
The UN nuclear watchdog has asked Iran to explain evidence suggesting the Islamic Republic's scientists have experimented with an advanced nuclear warhead design, the Guardian reported in its Friday edition.

Man caught in Saskatchewan charged with Edmonton woman's murder
A man sought in the death of Edmonton woman Sara Sanders last month was arrested in Saskatchewan on Thursday.

Manitoba polar bears may woo Obama's daughters
Businesses in Churchill, Man., say they’ll roll out the red carpet — and the tundra buggy — if the most famous kids in the world want to come and see the polar bears.

Conservative activists protest U.S. health-care plan
Thousands of conservative activists converged Thursday on Capitol Hill to protest the Democrats' plan to overhaul the U.S. health-care system, denouncing the legislation as a government takeover that imposes Canadian-style care on Americans.

canada.com Top Stories
News

 

Winning lotto ticket worth $50M sold in the Prairies
Canada’s newest national lottery game finally has a grand-prize winner

Vancouver teens face charges after bully beaten, hit with stun gun
Four Vancouver teens are facing a raft of charges after they allegedly retaliated against a bully by stripping him, badly beating him and zapping him using a stun gun

Second coyote involved in fatal mauling of Toronto folk singer killed
Parks Canada says it has killed two adult male coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, following the mauling death of a hiker more than a week ago

Top doctor tells hockey players to wait for swine flu shot
Hockey players should wait their turn for their swine flu shot, the country’s top doctor said Thursday, unless they are in one of the targeted groups to be immunized first

H1N1 flu nears peak, experts suggest
The H1N1 virus is spreading rapidly across the country, but the pandemic has yet to seriously burden the country’s hospitals and might be close to peaking, experts and government statistics suggest

Charles, Camilla resume Ontario tour, praise public support for troops
Prince Charles expressed his appreciation of Canada’s support for its military after presenting new colours to two Canadian regiments Thursday evening

Military planning afoot for drawdown of Afghan deployment
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk’s order for a “drawdown” of forces in Afghanistan lays the groundwork for what will be a lengthy process of transporting tons of equipment and supplies back home.

Judicial inquiry to examine disappearance of millions of B.C. salmon
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday the federal government will convene a judicial inquiry to investigate the disappearance of millions of sockeye salmon from B.C.’s Fraser River fishery.

Seventh severed foot identified as belonging to B.C. man
A severed foot found in a Vancouver suburb last week has been identified as belonging to a man missing since last year.

Canadians develop test strips to reveal food toxins
Canadian scientists have discovered a quick method to test for toxic pesticides in food which, in the future, could be adapted to detect potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, listeria or salmonella

Millions of Canadians live in inadequate housing: report
An estimated 1.5 million needy households in Canada could have access to suitable, affordable housing for the cost of around $1 a day for every household in the country, a new report says

Ontario minister angry as pro athletes jump H1N1 queue
Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews is unsure whether professional sports players who jumped the queue to receive their H1N1 flu vaccine broke any rules

Survivor clung to a seat as helicopter crashed into the sea
The lone survivor of a helicopter crash off Newfoundland has taken the stand at a public inquiry into an accident that claimed the lives of 17 of his fellow offshore oil workers last March

UN pulls foreign staff from Afghanistan
The United Nations will evacuate hundreds of its staff from Afghanistan due to deteriorating security, a sharp blow for Western efforts to stabilize the country

McGill, Simon Fraser keep Maclean’s top university rankings
For the fifth-year running, McGill University has nabbed the top spot in the annual Maclean’s magazine university rankings

Olympic celebration and survival in Old Crow
The sixth day of the Olympic torch relay was spent in the most remote native community in all of Canada, a famous town so far north and so far west in the Yukon that it’s almost off the map

Officials downplay Maclean’s university rankings
Jon Driver took the news with a grain of salt Thursday when he heard Simon Fraser University had ranked first in the comprehensive category of the annual Maclean’s magazine university rankings

McGill, Simon Fraser grab top spots in Maclean's university rankings
For the fifth-year running, McGill University has nabbed the top spot in this year's Maclean's magazine university rankings.

Slayings by 'rogue' Afghan cop underlines dangers to Canadians
The deaths of five British soldiers gunned down by an Afghan policeman have highlighted the dangers faced by Canadian troops as they try to train an Afghan security force

Royal visit: A smile from a prince
The bitter autumn winds chilled my hands to the bone on Wednesday afternoon, as I stood waiting on a lonely airport tarmac for Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, to arrive from Newfoundland

MPs vote to scrap long-gun registry
MPs voted on Wednesday to repeal the federal long-gun registry, signalling for the first time since the program was adopted 14 years ago that it is headed for the scrap heap

Royal visit: Prince Charles talks social responsibility with business leaders
The bitter autumn winds chilled my hands to the bone on Wednesday afternoon, as I stood waiting on a lonely airport tarmac for Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, to arrive from Newfoundland

Provinces claim to be out of H1N1 vaccine loop
The provinces and territories will have 1.8 million doses of H1N1 vaccine delivered to them for next week, a federal health ministry spokesman says

Alberta auditor general may probe H1N1 vaccination rollout
Alberta’s AG may look into the province’s troubled H1N1 flu vaccination program, and is suggesting a review of efforts across the entire country might be appropriate

Ambassador Doer talks trade with Obama
Ambassador Gary Doer took Canada’s frustrations over the Buy American trade dispute directly to President Barack Obama on Wednesday

Long-gun registry faces close vote in Commons
MPs vote Wednesday on a private member’s bill to scrap the long-gun registry, bringing to a head a debate that has persisted for more than a decade

Three missing softball players found dead in submerged Jeep
Classes were cancelled Wednesday at Dickinson State University in honour of three young softball players from the school who died after they drove into a pond in North Dakota

Mountie who used Taser on Dziekanski sues CBC
Const. Kwesi Millington claims that CBC’s coverage of the incident has caused him to suffer 'serious embarrassment and distress' and 'public ridicule'

Fallen soldier returns to Canada
The body of the latest Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan returns to Canada Tuesday

Disaster response body inadequate: Auditor General
The federal department charged with disaster planning is itself a disaster when it comes to preparing for emergencies as varied as the swine flu pandemic, floods and terrorist attacks, says Auditor General Sheila Fraser

Tories propose self-employed parental benefits
The legislation would allow access to maternity and parental benefits for those who take time off to care for their own newborns or for adopted children

Body of third miner found in flooded Quebec gold mine
The bodies of all three miners who went missing in a flooded mine in northern Quebec have been found

Royal couple visits Canada’s oldest English settlement
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, joined federal and provincial representatives in rural Newfoundland Tuesday at the site of Canada’s oldest English settlement to mark its 400th anniversary

Canada fights EU ban on seal products
The federal government took the first step Monday in its fight against the European Union’s ban on trade in seal products by requesting consultations with the World Trade Organization

Officials allege Tamil refugee ship smuggling explosives
Immigration officials are alleging that trace amounts of explosives were found aboard a cargo ship that smuggled 76 Sri Lankans to Canada’s West Coast last month, a lawyer representing some of the men said on Monday

‘Hardened’ restrictive prisons aren’t helping with rehabilitation: watchdog
Canadian prisons are becoming “hardened” places where inmates are increasingly confined to their cells, says a report from Canada’s prison watchdog

Charles and Camilla land in Canada
A large crowd, including Canadian dignitaries and RCMP, waited to greet Prince Charles and his wife Camilla as they arrived in St. John’s on Monday

Canada expects fewer refugees, Ottawa says
Canada expects to accept fewer refugees and family class immigrants in the coming year than this year, new government figures show.

U.S. court rejects Arar lawsuit bid
A U.S. appeals court ruled Monday that Syrian-born Canadian Maher Arar cannot sue the United States over his forced deportation to Syria after his arrest in New York as a suspected terrorist

Obama or not, Canadians’ opinion of United States remains low: poll
Despite Barack Obama’s continued popularity here, Canadian perceptions of our U.S. neighbours have changed little since the days of George W. Bush

Miner’s body found in flooded Quebec gold mine
One of three miners missing in a flooded mine in northern Quebec was found dead early Monday

Love finds Olympic torch relay
Two old flames passed the torch in a strange turn of events on Day 4 of the Olympic relay Monday morning

Lottery quits fight against Alberta man's $17M win
An Alberta man who took the Western Canada Lottery Corp. to court over his latest lottery win -- his fifth major prize in the past five years -- won his case Monday

Teenaged Medicine Hat killer granted open custody
Canada’s youngest multiple killer will be getting a taste of freedom after a judge changed her sentence Monday from closed to open custody, allowing her escorted absences into the community

Canadians wanted by FBI held pending extradition hearing
Two men arrested in Windsor in connection with an FBI investigation into a radical Islamic group have been remanded into custody

A million doses of swine-flu drugs given in Canada so far
Day 8 of the most ambitious immunization program in Canada’s history is likely to see more long lineups for unexpectedly scarce shots

Paralyzed MP supports euthanasia, but won’t vote on right-to-die bill
A disabled MPwho supports euthanasia says he will abstain from voting on a contentious right-to-die bill, even though he calls it 'a provocative starting point'

Tremblay re-elected Mayor of Montreal
After a campaign packed with allegations of corruption and kickbacks, Montrealers yesterday gave a third term to the man whose party was at the centre of the controversy, Gérald Tremblay

Feds fight back in pot restaurant case
Federal lawyers will ask a judge Monday to dismiss the case of an Ontario restaurant owner who wants a former patrons stripped of his right to smoke medical marijuana

Olympic torch relay includes logging truck and surfboard rides on Day 3
The little city with the big cheering section did it again on Sunday as the Olympic flame continued across Vancouver Island on the third day of a 45,000-kilometre trek

Three Quebec miners missing in flooded shaft
Chances of finding three missing miners alive are slim, say officials in the James Bay community of Desmaraisville, Quebec

Canadians support government-funded historic events: poll
A federal survey has revealed very strong support for state funding of history-promoting commemorations like last year’s 400th anniversary of Quebec City

The victims of H1N1: Profiles of 12 Canadians
They lived in Canada’s towns and cities, from coast to coast. Some had health problems before the virus struck them down, but many were young and vital

Montrealers to choose new mayor today
The three main contenders for the Montreal mayoralty agree on one thing: They have never seen an election battle quite like this

First a convert, now a mystery
One year ago plus a day, executives at Channel 4 Television in London received an astonishing email. It was sent from a remote region in northwestern Pakistan by an elfin, chain-smoking Canadian Muslim named Beverley Giesbrecht. The message was one of the last she sent before being kidnapped

Slain Canadian soldier remembered as ‘passionate hockey fan’
Sapper Steven Marshall began the long air journey home to Alberta on Saturday after being solemnly remembered at a ramp ceremony that was attended by several thousand NATO soldiers and virtually every Canadian not on duty at the sprawling Afghanistan airfield

Olympic torch relay starts Day 2 in wet weather
The Olympic flame began the second day of its cross-country journey in the rain and dark of the Vancouver Island community of Sooke on Saturday morning

Pandemic straining Canada’s public-health services
An already underfunded and over-extended public health system, currently bearing the brunt of the H1N1 pandemic, needs major reinforcement so it has the same kind of “surge capacity” that is built into hospital settings, according to the Canadian Public Health Association

Protesters change Olympic torch route
What started as a peaceful protest in Victoria’s Centennial Square grew increasingly disruptive Friday evening as a group of 200 protesters blocked the Olympic relay’s route cutting one leg of the relay short

Visit to poet Al Purdy’s home stirs up more than a few old ghosts
Even in death, Al’s presence arcs over the small town: the local library bears his name, and Purdy Street -- a gravel road that runs towards the mill pond — gives way to the town’s cemetery, where Al’s book-shaped tombstone sits near the shore. But despite that which memorializes the life and work o

Ontario flu shot clinics cancelled next week
Ontario Public Health officials have cancelled H1N1 flu shot clinics for the general public next week due to a nationwide shortage of the vaccine.

Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan by landmine
For the second time in three days, a young Canadian soldier whose tour in Afghanistan had just begun was killed when he stepped on a homemade landmine

Quebec group demands apology for francophone 'ethnocide'
A Royal visit to Quebec by Prince Charles in November will be met with resistance, says a separatist group

Temperatures rise as ‘flu rage’ explodes across Canada
As much as flu fears have people pulling away, H1N1 is also uniting Canadians through emotion -- specifically, a deeply entrenched sense of frustration that, for many, has mutated into bitterness, anger and even hostility

Comment: Carbon report's bloody portent
Protesters who disrupted Question Period this week demanding the government pass Bill C-311 showed how dearly some people will pay to slash Canada's carbon footprint

Airline loses 'United Breaks Guitars' musician's luggage
A Nova Scotia musician who became internationally famous this year with two songs about the time United Airlines broke his guitar has new material, after the U.S. carrier lost, and then found, his baggage on a trip to Denver this weekend

‘Buy America’ hot topic for new U.S. ambassador to Canada
The new U.S. ambassador to Canada has been on the job for only two weeks, but David Jacobson says he has been inundated with complaints about the Buy America provisions of Washington’s recent stimulus-spending package

Clinics warned they will recieve 'significantly less' H1N1 vaccine than expected
With flu vaccination clinics clogged nationwide for a fourth day yesterday, and frustration rising, provinces and territories have been warned by the federal government to expect “significantly less” of the H1N1 vaccine over the next few weeks than had been anticipated

Colin Thatcher argues murder conviction shouldn't mean loss of book profits
Twenty-five years after a court found him guilty of the first-degree murder of his former wife, Colin Thatcher was back before a judge on Thursday. The former Saskatchewan Cabinet minister is challenging a provincial law that would seize profits from his new book -- Final Appeal: Anatomy of a Frame.

Family came first for young Canadian officer killed in Afghanistan
Lieut. Justin Boyes called his young son Tuesday night before embarking on a foot patrol with Afghan National Police during which he was killed by an improvised explosive device

WHO offers new assurances of H1N1 vaccine safety
As Canadians continued to line up to take advantage of the first, limited shipments of H1N1 flu vaccine Friday, the World Health Organization offered new confirmation of the substance’s safety and efficacy

Supply of new vaccine to shrink by more than half next week
About 400,000 new doses of the H1N1 vaccine will be shipped out next week, far less than the millions that federal officials were hoping for

Canadians receive Olympic flame
The Olympic flame was presented to Canada Thursday at a special ceremony in Greece.

Guilty verdicts for all Bandidos accused
The jury in the Bandidos murder trial in southwestern Ontario deliberated for a little more than a day before convicting all six defendants of several counts of first-degree murder

Saudi husband demands $300K for wife's freedom
The common-law husband of a Quebec woman is demanding $300,000 for the release of his three children and wife, who swore in an affidavit that she has been held against her will in Saudi Arabia since 2005.

B.C. police seek serial groin-kicker after series of attacks
Police in Langley are investigating after a woman kicked a man in the groin so hard he lost a testicle -- the latest in a series of similar assaults

Soldier killed in Afghan blast
Lt. Justin Garrett Boyes was killed by a homemade bomb. He is the 132nd Canadian killed in Afghanistan since 2002

Another severed foot found on B.C. beach
A human right foot in a running shoe has been found on a beach in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond -- the seventh such discovery on B.C. shores since 2007

Why H1N1 isn't just the seasonal flu
Dr. Anand Kumar says H1N1's reported biological attributes -- different from those of the seasonal flu -- would help explain what he has seen among dozens of critically ill H1N1 patients in the intensive-care unit of his Winnipeg hospital

Joe O'Connor: The French sizzle and anglos fizzle on Battle of the Blades
Four couples in Battle of the Blades have been eliminated so far, and the male component in each failed partnership -- Glenn Anderson, Bob Probert, Ken Daneyko and Ron Duguay -- was an English Canadian.

Assaults against peace officers increase: StatsCan
Reported assaults against peace officers in Canada have increased by close to 29% on average, over the past 10 years, according to Statistics Canada

Homicide rate up, Prairies have highest per capita
Prairie cities are seeing the highest rate of gun- and gang-related murders in the country, according to Statistics Canada

Toronto musician dies after coyote attack in Cape Breton
Taylor Mitchell, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Toronto, died this morning after she was attacked by two coyotes while hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park yesterday

Jury deliberations underway in Bandidos murder trial
Nearly seven months after the Crown presented its opening arguments in the Bandidos trial, the case is now in the hands of the jury

Be patient with H1N1 vaccine lineups: officials
As more Canadians were turned away from H1N1 flu shot clinics that quickly filled to capacity Wednesday, federal health officials said the crowds are to be expected, and the lineups should be endured

Pandemic’s second wave gathers momentum
Health officials are cautioning against overreacting to the swine-flu-related deaths of two youths in the last few days, including a 13-year-old boy who died within 48 hours of first showing symptoms

Threats on Sikh editor shine spotlight on decades-long tensions
Although the motive behind Friday night’s attack on the Sikh editor of the Punjabi Post in Brampton, Ont., remains unknown, the 42-year-old victim believes he was held at gunpoint because of his anti-extremist political views. He said pockets of separatist factions continue to “speak the language of vio

Deliberations begin in Bandidos murder trial
A jury is now the fate of six men in the Bandidos murder trial in London, Ontario

Security measures not clogging Canadian border: U.S. official
A senior U.S. official is dismissing critics who say a preoccupation with preventing terrorism has led to an unnecessary 'thickening' of the Canada-U.S. border

Provinces want Ottawa to help pay for overcrowded jails
The provinces will ask Ottawa this week to help them pay for the federal law-and-order agenda, which they say will put more strain on their overcrowded jails

Full-day kindergarten ‘essential’ for Ontario, McGuinty says
Ontario’s plan to implement full-day kindergarten may mean cuts in other areas but is 'essential' to improving education, Premier Dalton McGuinty said

Black-market cigarettes could fund terrorism, RCMP fear
The black market, cross-country tobacco trade has created an underground economy Canadian authorities fear could be used to finance overseas terrorism

Feds to fix 'problem of early parole'
Reform of the parole system aimed at making it more difficult for criminals to get out of jail early

Ontario Liberals fall out of majority zone: poll
Ontario Liberals are now fighting a financial 'three-front war,' one that has seen them fall out of majority territory among decided voters, a poll says

Protesters injured as 'flash mob' disrupts House of Commons
Five people were arrested and released, and two injured after more than 120 people were forcibly removed from the House of Commons on Monday

Liberal MPP to be charged with hit-and-run
A Brampton, Ont., Liberal MPP will be charged under the Highway Traffic Act following a hit-and-run on Friday night that sent a pedestrian to hospital

U.S. suffers bloody day in Afghanistan as Obama ponders surge
Fourteen Americans died in separate helicopter crashes in Afghanistan on Monday, underlining President Barack Obama’s dilemma as he decides whether to order more troops to this war-torn country

Karzai rival sets ultimatum ahead of Afghan run-off
President Hamid Karzai’s rival in a Nov. 7 run-off presidential vote demanded on Monday that Afghanistan’s chief election official be sacked, laying out a ultimatum that could complicate the pre-election process

Support for Canada’s role in Afghanistan below 50%: poll
Support for Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan has dropped below 50%, a new survey suggests, marking a significant decline over the past three years

Ont. police simplify child abduction alert guidelines
Ontario Provincial Police are making changes to simplify the guidelines used to trigger an Amber Alert

National Post - Canada
Canada's trusted source for national news, financial news, world news, commentary, entertainment and sports.

 

Traders of the shadows
Meet the new Turks of equities trading -- an elite group which keeps a low-profile, high-frequency traders are rapidly transforming our financial markets.

Saturday Interview: Jos Schmitt
The 46-year-old native of the Netherlands and chief executive of Alpha Trading Systems has been a driving force in helping create a more competitive landscape for securities trading in Canada

Bailout fund, climate deal divides G20 finance ministers
Britain threw its weight on Saturday behind proposals to impose a global levy on banks to fund future bailouts and called on the G20 to work toward a US$100-billion deal to meet the cost of climate change.

Home renovation tax credits and condo owners
With just under three months left for the Home Renovation Tax Credit, the Canada Revenue Agency has released specific details on how condo dwellers may take advantage of the credit.

'Buy American horror stories' building
Cambridge Brass has been based in southern Ontario for more than a century and has survived two world wars and the Great Depression, but Buy American may be what finally causes the company to bid farewell to the province.

Youth feel pinch in weak job market
The latest Statistics Canada figures show more young Canadians lost their jobs in October, despite improving numbers last month that convinced economists staggering youth unemployment figures posted in the summer would improve once students returned to school.

Who killed Nortel? Rock meets hard place
As Nortel unwinds, few associated with the firm have much sympathy for its former CEO Mike Zafirovski or his team — many of them high-priced imports from General Electric who had been hired to fix Nortel.

Canada steps up oil sands push in United States
Canada has mounted its biggest campaign yet to sell the United States on the energy security benefits of the oil sands as Washington debates new environmental policy, the country’s energy minister said on Friday.

TSX rises for fourth straight day
The Toronto Stock Exchange rose Friday for the fourth straight day and managed a weekly gain for the first time in three weeks.

Grmovsek to get 39 months for insider trading
Stan Grmovsek, a former Canadian stock trader, will be sentenced to 39 months for illegally using inside information on pending mergers and acquisitions, a judge said. It will be the longest term ever imposed for insider trading in Canada.

Bay Street abuzz about MTS
Rumours spread that Rogers interested in buying Allstream, while others speculate MTS may be a white knight for Globalive

FP Tech Desk: How much does an iPhone cost in Canada?
A (somewhat) comprehensive comparison of the carriers' plans

Air Canada turns focus to business class
Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada chief executive, says the country’s largest carrier is giving a renewed focus to driving up sales in its business class seats and on its international routes as the airline begins its slow climb to recovery.

Suncor to be a 'consolidator' of leases: CEO
Suncor Energy Inc., with its massive slate of oil sands assets, will be a buyer not a seller of bitumen-laced properties as it reshapes itself following its merger with Petro-Canada, the company’s chief executive said Friday

Oil falls nearly 3% on U.S. job gloom
Oil prices fell by more than US$2 on Friday, retracing some gains after larger-than-expected October U.S. unemployment numbers emerged to shake financial markets.

U.S. unemployment rises to 10.2%
U.S. employers cut a deeper-than-expected 190,000 jobs in October, government data showed on Friday, driving the unemployment rate to 10.2%, the highest in 26-1/2 years.

Court overturns $1.6M award for former Magna CFO
An Ontario appeals court overturned a $1.6-million judgment former Magna Entertainment Corp. chief financial officer Graham Orr won for wrongful dismissal.

Telus cuts outlook on recession, smartphone costs
A prolonged recession combined with higher upfront costs for new smart phones forced Telus Corp. to cut its overall financial outlook for the fiscal year Friday.

Canada grain farmers sue railways for overcharging
A small group of Western Canada farmers is suing the country’s two big railways, alleging they have been charged at least $1-billion too much for grain shipments since 1983.

Air Canada reports adjusted loss
Air Canada rode a stronger loonie to a profitable third quarter, but still reported an adjusted loss. The airline reported an adjusted loss of 19 cents a share. Analysts had expected an adjusted loss of 12 cents a share

Scotiabank inks China banking partnership
Bank of Nova Scotia said on Friday it reached a partnership deal with China Everbright Bank that will allow people moving to Canada to open a Scotiabank account while still in China.

Magna results, renewed focus drive shares higher
Shares of Magna International Inc were up more than 12% Friday, a day after it posted a surprise quarterly profit and said it would focus on its core auto-parts business after the collapse of its deal to buy a stake in General Motors Co’s Opel unit.

AIG posts 2nd straight profit, insurance weak
AIG, the giant insurer bailed out by the U.S. government, posted its second straight quarterly profit Friday, helped by recovery in the value of its investments, but its underlying business remained weak, and shares fell.

Skype suitors reach legal pact, eBay deal to proceed
EBay Inc said Friday that private investors looking to buy Skype had agreed to settle litigation with Skype’s founders, who will get a 14% stake in the Internet phone service in the transaction.

CPP flexes buyout muscle in deals worth US$11B
The investment arm of the Canada Pension Plan has emerged as one of the most aggressive buyout firms in North America: Announces a US$5.2-billion takeover of IMS Health, separate unsolicited bid for Australia’s biggest toll-road operator

2007 oil sands frenzy dogs new Horizon project
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. says overheated oil patch led to labour, equipment problems on new $9.7-billion operation

Insurance earnings disappoint investors
If investors were hoping for a few rays of sunshine from the life insurance sector yesterday, they were disappointed as Sun Life Financial Inc. and Manulife Financial Corp. both reported worse-than-expected third quarter results

Back to business 'as usual' for Magna after Opel failure
Magna International Inc. reported a third quarter profit of US$51-million or 45¢ a share, will refocus on its main auto supply business and is not weighing a purchase of any other vehicle manufacturer following its failure this week to buy General Motors Co.’s European unit Opel

Next-generation 300 sedan an expensive decision: Marchionne
Chrysler Group LLC is planning to build a completely revamped version of its once-popular 300 full-sized sedan at its Brampton, Ont. factory next year. But if the company’s new chief executive had his way, the replacement likely never would have seen the light of day

Five plead guilty as hedge fund scandal widens
U.S. prosecutors charged 14 people, including hedge fund managers and an ex-employee of Galleon Group, as part of its probe of an alleged insider trading scheme totalling US$40-million. Five of those charged pleaded guilty.

Home building on the rebound
Canadian building permits rose 1.6% in September, the fourth gain in five months, as residential work returned to the level it reached before a recession began last year.

Manulife posts loss after $1.2-billion in charges
Dwindling corporate bond yields pushed Manulife Financial to take $1.2-billion in charges and an overall loss for the third quarter.

Agrium makes 'best and final' bid for CF
The seemingly interminable fertilizer takeover war may finally be reaching its end game with Agrium Inc. announcing this morning it has made its "best and final offer" for CF Industries.

Oil settles below below US$80
Oil fell nearly 1% to below US$80 a barrel Thursday, as doubts about a recovery in oil demand outweighed positive economic signals.

Thomson Reuters revenue falls, but CEO says worst over
Thomson Reuters Corp. reported that quarterly revenue in its markets and legal businesses fell as customers cut costs in the wake of the financial crisis, but its CEO said the worst was over.

Great West profit edges higher, but shares fall
Great West Lifeco said on Thursday earnings in the third quarter edged higher despite weaker equity and credit markets, but the results came in just below expectations and shares dropped.

RIM launches US$1.2-billion share buyback
Research in Motion Ltd. said on Thursday that it will spend up to US$1.2-billion over the next year in a share buy back that could help reverse a steep market slide that has seen the company's shares lose more than 30% of their value since September.

Focus on Q3 U.S. productivity
Economic snapshot of U.S. productivity data and what it means

One-time charges hit drug-maker Biovail’s profit
Profit at the drug-maker fell to $40.4-million, or 25 cents a share, from $48.4-million, or 31 cents a share, a year ago.

Canadian Natural Resources profit drops 77%
Profit at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd fell 77% in the third quarter as oil and gas prices tumbled and its oil sands plant was hit by operational problems, Canada's No. 2 independent oil explorer said on Thursday.

Loonie, credit challenge manufacturing rebound
Signs of a budding recovery in Canadian manufacturing are emerging but the loonie’s volatility and tight credit conditions threaten to hold the sector back, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters said Thursday.

U.S. productivity surges; costs in record drop
The productivity of U.S. workers surged in the third quarter at the fastest pace in six years as companies squeezed more from remaining staff to boost profits.

Was Bonderman the force behind keeping Opel?
There were a lot of changes at General Motors over the summer, but it's beginning to look like the most important one for failed-Opel-bidder Magna International was the election of takeover heavyweight David Bonderman to the auto giant's board of directors.

Chrysler boss confident of roadmap to recovery
The task to revive Chrysler is huge, but the picture the automaker’s executive team tried to paint Wednesday was that of a company in control of its destiny.

ECB and BoE hold rates steady
The European Central Bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 1% while the Bank of England held its rate at 0.5% and expanded its quantitative easing program.

Sun Life narrows loss, headwinds remain
Sun Life Financial Inc., Canada’s third-largest insurer, reported a third-quarter net loss on higher reserves to protect against stock-market losses.

Thomson Reuters profit drops
Media and information company Thomson Reuters reported profit of US$167-million (19 U.S. cents a share) on revenue of US$3.22-billion, down from profit of US$406-million (49 U.S. cents) on revenue of US$3.34-billion.

Quebecor profit and revenue rise
Quebecor reported profit of $69.4-million ($1.08 a share) on revenue of $918.4-million, compared with $45.7-million (71 cents) in the same period a year ago. Revenue rose to $918.4-million, up from $908.1-million.

Canaccord Capital posts profit
Canaccord Capital Inc., the Canadian brokerage whose stock has almost tripled this year, posted a second-quarter profit on higher investment-banking fees. The firm reinstated its dividend, after suspending it a year ago.

Telus, Bell kick off iWar with Rogers
Telus Corp. and Bell Canada are no longer playing catch-up to Rogers, as they flip the switch on an advanced network this week and begin selling iphones -- at cheaper rates.

Who killed Nortel: On the road to ruin
When Mike Zafirovski was new to the job of CEO, he nixed a plan that might have transformed Nortel Networks Corp. He would have reason to regret that decision again and again.

Fed creates 'sweet spot' for markets
Equity markets, which have been on the ropes as of late, might have been given a second wind Wednesday as the U.S. Federal Reserve declared its easy-money strategy was here to stay for the foreseeable future.

At least Magna investors are happy
Analysts say failed Opel bid blessing in disguise as Magna stock jumps 10%

Plenty of moves in the oil patch
As interest in acquiring oil-sands assets accelerates, cash-strapped outfits have found a way to maintain their footing in the sector while still selling undeveloped properties.

Home Capital surprises with almost 37% profit leap
The chief executive of Home Capital Group, a leading mortgage lender, was on a roll as he listed to analysts Wednesday his company’s achievements, including a return on equity for the third quarter that most big banks could only dream about.

Goldcorp, Yamana results worth their weight with investors
After some forgettable earnings from Canadian gold miners in the past week, Goldcorp Inc. and Yamana Gold Inc. have delivered very strong third-quarter results that came in ahead of expectations and showed that the companies are meeting their growth targets and cashing in on record-high gold prices.

G-20 divided on bank rules, Flaherty says
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Group of 20 governments are divided as they try to craft new regulations aimed at ensuring banks pose less of a threat to their economies.

Trading Desk: Bugged by gold bugs
FP Trading Desk: Ian McGugan is bugged by the market's infatuation with gold

Microsoft cuts 800 jobs, completes layoff plan
Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it is cutting a further 800 jobs across its operations, on top of 5,000 jobs already eliminated under a plan to reduce costs that was announced in January.

Time Warner profit beats estimates, outlook raised
Time Warner Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year earnings forecast, in a sign that advertising sales at cable networks such as TNT are recovering and that cost-cutting at the Warner Bros film studio is paying off.

Torstar results hint at losses at CTVglobemedia
Third-quarter results from Torstar Corp. Wednesday indicate media conglomerate CTVglobemedia may have lost as much as $240-million so far this year on depressed revenues, higher interest expenses and higher income tax rates.

Hydro-Quebec cutting 250 customer-service jobs: union
Hydro-Quebec is poised to cut almost 250 customer-service positions, according to the union that represents the workers.

U.S. services sector grows, job losses decline
The U.S. services sector, which represents about 80% of U.S. economic activity, grew for the second consecutive month in October, while the labor market also showed signs of improvement in data published on Wednesday.

Business leaders see end of downturn: survey
Business confidence continues to improve as the Canadian economy struggles to recover from a severe downturn, according to a national survey.

WestJet profit drops 46%
WestJet Airlines Ltd. posted a 46% decrease in third-quarter earnings on Wednesday as the Canadian airline struggled with weak consumer confidence and heightened competition in the industry.

TransCanada profit slips on lower prices, volumes
Natural-gas pipeline operator TransCanada Corp. announced Wednesday third-quarter profit of $345-million, or 50 cents a share, compared with $335-million, or 49 cents a share, in the third quarter of 2008.

Agrium profit drops as forewarned
As expected, fertilizer company Agrium Inc. announced its third quarter profit plummeted 93% Wednesday on low fertilizer sales and global uncertainty in potash pricing.

Enbridge earnings more than double
Enbridge Inc. posted better-than-expected third-quarter profit Wednesday and the pipeline giant also raised its full-year earnings outlook on improved demand.

Magic Kingdom to expand in Middle Kingdom
Disney will be hoping the Shanghai park, with an estimated price tag of US$3.6-billion, will fare better than its Hong Kong property, which has struggled with lower-than-expected attendance and financial losses since it opened in 2005.

Buffett makes his biggest purchase ever
Buffett was waiting for the right opportunity and Tuesday he unveiled it: a US$26-billion deal to buy out Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the No. 1 rail operator in the United States

Yellow Pages reports loss on impairment charge
Yellow Pages Income Fund slumped to a third-quarter loss Wednesday as it took a $315-million goodwill impairment hit on its Trader publishing unit and other long-term assets.

Gold seen as a hedge against greenback
India surprised the market Tuesday with the biggest single purchase of the commodity by a central bank in the past 30 years -- a signal governments around the world are becoming increasingly uncomfortable about the sliding value of the U.S. dollar

Budget watchdog says funding too low to do job
Canada’s parliamentary budget officer said on Tuesday he may have to shut down his operations due to lack of funding, less than two years after the government created his job to improve transparency

CRTC put a 'regulatory gun to our head’: Globalive
Anthony Lacavera, the chairman of Globalive Wireless Management Corp., said Tuesday the national regulator has made it all but “impossible” for the fledgling cellphone provider to obtain the financing it needs to satisfy the body

Canada's outstanding CEOs
Our annual CEO scorecard features the top executives from Canada's 200 largest corporations and trusts

100 jobs may go at Toronto Star
The Toronto Star has asked all unionized and non-unionized staff to consider voluntary severance packages as the newspaper explores contracting out what could amount to more than 100 jobs in its editorial and production divisions.

Kinross Gold, Agnico-Eagle Mines struggle with output
Two of the world’s largest gold miners, Kinross Gold Corp. and Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd., have reported major setbacks as they try to ramp up production and benefit from record-high gold prices. Their third-quarter earnings statements resembled mea culpas as they explained why output is well below expectations

OPTI Canada effectively puts itself up for sale
OPTI Canada Inc., a minority partner in the Long Lake oil sands project, effectively put itself up for sale Tuesday in an attempt to give its shareholders a better deal compared to what value investors now receive in the market.

Groupe Aeroplan buys Carlson Marketing for $118M
Groupe Aeroplan Inc. broadened its international footprint again Tuesday with the $188-million acquisition of Carlson Marketing, a U.S.-based loyalty marketing firm.

Ottawa needs to look at red tape: Sears Canada chief
It costs up to 15% more for retailers in Canada to sell products like appliances because of regulatory costs for product specifications, labelling stipulations and import tariffs, says Sears Canada Inc. chief executive Dene Rogers, and Canadians might be less enticed to cross-border shop if the government looked at dropping some of the red tape.

RBS, Lloyds Get US$51B in second bank bailout
Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and Lloyds Banking Group Plc will receive 31.3-billion pounds (US$51 billion) in a second bailout from the U.K. taxpayer as the two banks agreed to cap bonuses.

Madoff auditor pleads guilty, denies knowing of fraud
The former outside accountant for Bernard Madoff’s firm pleaded guilty to fraud charges on Tuesday, but he told a U.S. judge he did not know about the swindler’s multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, which shook investor confidence and market regulators who missed it.

Competition Bureau seeks real estate shake-up
A landmark investigation by the federal Competition Bureau may dramatically change the way homes are bought and sold in Canada.

Fallen heroes litter tech battlefield
Ponder the list of fallen tech heroes if you feel like picking winners in today’s smartphone battle.

Only action will defeat deficit: budget watchdog
Canada is digging itself into a deeply entrenched national deficit that will be impossible to balance unless the federal government takes further action, Parliament’s budget watchdog has warned.

Signs of life stir the Motor City
At least one of the former Big Three automakers has proven that Motor City has what it takes to stage a comeback.

Globalive ruling could spur foreign ownership revamp
Ottawa may be forced to begin the potentially thorny process of liberalizing the country’s foreign-ownership rules, analysts suggest, after the CRTC blocked Globalive Wireless Management Corp.’s entry into Canada’s cellphone market – thereby threatening a pledge to bring increased competition and lower prices for Canadian mobile subscribers.

Canada to let self-employed get parental benefits
The Canadian government will unveil plans on Tuesday to allow self-employed people to opt into the employment insurance system to get maternity and parental benefits.

TSX closes lower after RIM downgrade
Canadian stocks fell for the second straight day in a topsy turvy session Monday that was highlighted by an analyst downgrade of Research in Motion Ltd.

Canada's banks cost taxpayers nothing: Waugh
Taxpayers benefited from the stability of Canada's big banks because even in the depths of the financial crisis they continued to pay their way, the chief executive of the Bank of Nova Scotia said Monday.

Goldman acts to shield TV assets from filing
Goldman Sachs has launched a legal battle against Canwest Global Communications Corp. to shield their joint specialty-TV assets and protect the two firms’ partnership from Canwest’s creditor protection proceedings.

U.S. factories rev up production
The U.S. economic recovery is showing up in the unlikeliest of places – the U.S.factory floor

BCE plans more cost cutting amid slowdown
BCE Inc., Canada’s largest telephone company, plans to keep reducing expenses to deal with the economic slowdown and will focus on its mobile unit to drive growth, chief executive George Cope said.

Bell's HSPA network goes live Wednesday
Bell Canada says its new HSPA (high speed packet access) wireless network will launch this Wednesday, just one day before rival Telus plans to launch its own HSPA service

Google takes marketing offline
Visitors to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport can be forgiven for doing a double take when they spot an unfamiliar sight on billboards throughout Terminal One: physical advertisements from Google Inc.

Oil rises on U.S., China manufacturing data
Oil prices rose more than US$1 to top US$78 a barrel on Monday as strong manufacturing data from the United States and China stoked optimism for a turnaround in the economy and in fuel demand.

CMHC expects housing rebound to continue
Home construction is expected to continue rebounding in the second half this year and into 2010 as demand increases and inventories decline, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

Grade 4 students to learn money management
Ontario students will begin learning about money management in Grade 4, starting in September 2011.

Quebec mulls buying stake in AbitibiBowater
Quebec may consider buying a stake in AbitibiBowater Inc. if the bankrupt newsprint maker and its unions can agree on how to cut production costs, Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac said Monday.

U.S. GDP seen growing 4.5% in Q4: ISM
U.S. economic expansion could accelerate in the fourth quarter after data released on Monday showed stronger-than-expected growth in manufacturing in October, according to the Institute for Supply Management

Two-thirds Canadian equity funds lag TSX
Managers of Canadian active funds had a hard time keeping pace with their benchmark indices in the most recent quarter as only about a third of domestic equity funds outperformed the S&P/TSX Composite, a new report from Standard & Poor's shows.

Barrick may close hedgebook ahead of plan: CFO
Barrick Gold, the world’s biggest miner of the precious metal, said it may complete the planned closure of its hedgebook announced last month before the end of the 12-month window it had set.

FP Trading Desk: Consumer sentiment could stall Ford
While Ford is definitely on the right track, its path back to prosperity is going to be long and winding

APEC to keep stimulus policies, push for Doha
APEC countries, including the United States, Japan and China, will keep up stimulus policies and push for a global trade deal next year as they seek to spur a lasting economic recovery, according to draft statements from the group seen by Reuters on Monday.

EnCana's spin-off begins conditional trading
EnCana Corp.’s fast-track to a corporate split means integrated oil company Cenovus Energy Inc. and pure-play natural gas company EnCana Corp. (GasCo) will begin trading on an “if, as and when issue” basis when the market opens on Monday.

UTS sheds asset, ends sale process
UTS Energy Corp said it is offloading its key non-core asset for $250-million and that shareholders should not expect the company to sell itself any time soon.

Retailers face repeat of 2008 holiday shopping season
It’s beginning to look a lot like ... last Christmas. Ernst and Young warns in a outlook Monday that the holiday shopping season will be a repeat of 2008.

Former executives tried to save Nortel
This is the second part of an eight-day series that explains how and why what was once the most valuable company in Canadian history finally collapsed. In today's instalment, a group of retired executives sign up for one last battle to save their former firm. 'Were we prepared to just let Nortel sink? The answer was, No.'

Cameco's adjusted profit falls
Saskatchewan-based uranium producer Cameco Corp. posted an 18% drop in adjusted third-quarter profit Monday on earnings pressure in its uranium and gold businesses.

Where to invest in the strong loonie era
Buyers of Canadian banks, utilities, property firms and some retailers look set to become long-term winners if the country's currency -- as many predict -- resumes its recent rally to top the U.S. dollar in value.

Data tracker makes tracks
In 2006, the largest copper mining company in the world, Freeport-McMoRan, ran into difficulties managing the information concerning 1,500 people who were being voluntarily resettled away from the Tenke Fungurume mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dragons decide there's dough to be made
Each week, the Financial Post revisits CBC's previous week's episode of Dragons' Den. We capture what the cameras didn't and in the process provide a case study for readers, zeroing in on what pitchers and dragons were thinking and what the challenges for the deal are going forward.

Cash for gold not exempt from tax
It seems everywhere you look, there is someone lining up to buy all that unwanted gold you’ve been hoarding. If that sounds tempting, don't forget the taxman will want his share

Wal-Mart again cuts prices on toys
Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Monday announced its second round of price cuts on toys as the world's biggest retailer backs up its intention to be the "price leader" this holiday shopping season.

Cable rivals drop gloves
A once cozy relationship between Rogers and Shaw is now over. Let the real competition begin

Jobs data to give Canada back some momentum
This coming Friday, when both Canada and the U.S. report their job figures for October, momentum should shift back to the north side of the continent

Don't be spooked by liability
Be safe this Halloween -- be insured

Flaherty's trick still no treat
For history buffs, there is a certain ironic arc between Jim Flaherty’s Halloween massacre three years ago and today’s square-root-of-squat interest rates courtesy of the Bank of Canada

Saturday Interview: Prem Watsa
The head of Fairfax Financial talked with the Financial Post’s Diane Francis about the group's Q3 results and future financial conditions

V-shaped recovery not going to happen here
Canada’s recession has been much worse than originally believed and may last longer than many forecast, government figures indicated Friday

Clement to review Globalive decision
A spokeswoman for the Minister’s office said Mr. Clement will review the decision handed down Thursday by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in his capacity as Industry Minister and could decide to take the ruling before cabinet for further review

Tim Hortons may miss same-store sales targets
The largest coffee and baked goods chain in Canada says it now expects to slightly miss or hit the low end of its 3% to 5% stated sales growth target for 2009 at stores open for more than a year in Canada, where it has the vast bulk of its restaurants

TSX hit hard by disappointing economic news
Domtar, Norbord, Cogeco, Enbridge and Fairfax Financial were among the corporates in the news here

Post to be transferred to Canwest publishing
The National Post will be transferred to Canwest’s publishing division along with its other newspaper assets following court and lender approval Friday.

Cogeco sees red with Portuguese unit
Cogeco Inc.'s revenue and operating income rose in the fourth quarter, but a $400-million impairment loss on its Portuguese cable subsidiary left the company in the red for fiscal 2009.

Ford, CAW reach tentative labour deal
Faced with threat of Ford Motor Co. pulling its operations out of Canada, the Canadian Auto Workers reached a tentative labour deal with the Detroit automaker Friday that will see it scale back its operations in the country, including halting operations in St. Thomas, Ont., in 2011.

U.S. consumer spending falls, sentiment sours
U.S. consumers cut spending in September and turned gloomier this month, underscoring the fragility of the economy’s recovery even as signs emerged that manufacturing may be picking up

Backers still pursuing Canadian Arctic pipeline
Companies backing a $16.2-billion Canadian Arctic gas pipeline continue to pursue the long-delayed project despite a report that a federal cabinet committee has balked at providing a financial support package, company executives said Friday.

CIT, Icahn agreement brings bankruptcy closer
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had been trying to derail CIT Group Inc’s efforts to launch a restructuring plan, said on Friday he was now backing the lender’s pre-packaged bankruptcy, making a filing as soon as this weekend more likely, analysts said.

Citigroup shares slide after report on Q4 writedown
Shares of Citigroup Inc tumbled on Friday after CNBC television reported Calyon’s bank analyst Mike Mayo said the bank was likely to have a US$10-billion fourth-quarter writedown of deferred tax assets.

Mystery and intrigue surrounds U.S. visits of key Magna partner
Oleg Deripaska, a Russian tycoon and key partner in Magna International, visited the United States twice this year, his spokesman said on Friday, but declined to say if he solved a visa row with the United States which had long irked top Russian officials

Ex-Madoff accountant to admit guilt, cooperates
Arch swindler Bernard Madoff’s former outside accountant will plead guilty to criminal charges next Tuesday as part of an agreement to help investigators of the multibillion-dollar Madoff fraud, U.S. prosecutors said

Canadian Hydro drops plan to buy Lake Erie wind farm
Calgary-based Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. said Friday it has terminated its earlier plans to purchase a subsidiary that is developing one of the largest wind farms in the world in Ontario.

RBC unveils covered bonds
Royal Bank of Canada has become the first bank to sell covered bonds in Canada, marking what some insiders say is a key milestone in the recovery of credit markets and the start of a major new asset class for institutional investors.

World stocks extend gains
World stocks crept higher on Friday, extending gains following the United States' jump out of recession, while the dollar drifted ahead of more U.S. data that will add fuel to the recovery debate.

Globalive doesn't meet ownership rules: CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on Thursday determined that Globalive Wireless Management does not meet the Canadian ownership requirements set out in the Telecommunications Act

N.S., N.L. wary as Quebec exerts new power in region
Thursday’s proposed deal to sell NB Power to Hydro-Quebec has sparked anxiety across Atlantic Canada about the transfer of critical energy assets to a large and powerful province outside the region

Barrick wastes no time terminating hedges
But the company has been selective about which hedges it chooses to terminate first

Cossette to consider hostile bid
Canadian advertising giant Cossette Inc. will consider a hostile bid from a private equity fund run by former founding partner Francois Duffar, but noted the sweetened offer still comes close to 10% below the firm’s closing share price on Wednesday.

Toyota bets on its Scion brand cars
Toyota Canada Inc. confirmed it will start selling its Scion brand cars in Canada in 11 months as the automaker bets it can stage a sales recovery and win a new generation of young buyers after the worst recession in a generation.

Ontario credit downgraded by S&P after record deficit projection
The Ontario government had its credit rating downgraded one category by Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services on Thursday in response to its recent projection of a record deficit and negative prospects for the province’s economy going forward.

U.S. crude oil futures settle at $79.87
Oil rose more than 3% towards US$80 a barrel on Thursday after news that the U.S. economy returned to growth in the third quarter, reviving expectations of an increase in fuel consumption.

Imperial Oil profit sags on low prices, refining
Third-quarter profit at Imperial Oil Ltd fell 61% on lower prices for oil and natural gas and weaker refining results, Canada’s No. 2 oil producer and refiner said Thursday,

Cott's Q3 profit tops expectations
Canadian soft-drink maker Cott Corp. reported a third-quarter profit that topped expectations, helped by a strong performance from its British operations and a thirst for private-label products.

Nintendo cuts forecast as Wii loses sparkle
Nintendo Co Ltd reported a 52% slide in quarterly profit on Thursday and slashed its full-year earnings forecast, as its Wii console loses its place as the videogame platform to beat.

Galleon scandal widens
The ongoing probe into the alleged insider-trading scheme involving hedge fund Galleon Group is laying bare a landscape that’s rife with opportunities for illicit profiting on stocks.

Industrial and raw material prices fall in September
Industrial prices and raw materials prices both fell in September as a result of falling petroleum values, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

Market watchers see more pain to come
As markets on both sides of the border take it in on the chin this week, talk of the long-awaited correction is back making the rounds among investors.

Canadian Oil Sands seen keen for Syncrude stake
A slice of Syncrude Canada Ltd. may soon be up for grabs, and the logical – and self-professed hungry – buyer is Canadian Oil Sands Trust, industry experts say.

Chinese partnership sours for Canadian miner
While more and more Canadian resource companies are forging successful Chinese partnerships, one junior miner now says it is the biggest mistake it ever made.

Agnico-Eagle posts US$17M Q3 net loss
Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. said yesterday it posted a US$17-million net loss in the third quarter, as the gold miner absorbed a US$23-million charge on foreign exchange and dealt with production issues at its new mines.

'Difficult decisions' ahead, Carney warns
Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said Wednesday that legislators face "difficult decisions" in the years ahead to ensure Canada maintains a sound fiscal framework.

Geely's Volvo coup raises eyebrows
Chinese automaker Geely has become a shining star in its domestic market by selling affordable small cars to buyers hungry to jump off their scooters and into auto ownership.

Motorola launches second Android phone
Motorola Inc. introduced its second phone based on Google Inc.’s Android software, fighting for a bigger share of the growing market for Web-equipped phones to reverse more than a year of sales declines.

Loonie sinks to 92 US cents
The Canadian dollar fell to its lowest level in just over three weeks Wednesday as investors shunned currencies considered risky in favour of the U.S. dollar and oil prices fell on doubt over economic recovery.

Hydro-Quebec may buy N.B. power assets: Union
Hydro-Quebec, Canada’s biggest electric utility, may say Thursday it plans to buy assets from the power generator in the neighboring province of New Brunswick, a union official said.

Tech desk: Apple closing gap with RIM
While RIM's BlackBerry devices are still the most popular smart phones for consumers and non-business users in the United States, Apple Inc. and its iPhone are closing the gap, according to a new survey from U.S.-based market research firm ChangeWave Research.

Home prices up in August; off 2008 peak: survey
The Teranet-National Bank house price index, which measures resale prices in six urban markets across Canada, shows that housing prices nationally rose by 2% in August, the fourth straight month-over-month increase

Nortel delays GSM wireless auction
Telecom equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp. has delayed the planned auction of its GSM wireless business by 11 days, it said on Wednesday.

AbitibiBowater can reject Woodbridge deal: judge
AbitibiBowater Inc., the world’s biggest newsprint maker by capacity, won court approval to reject an agreement that might have required it to buy Woodbridge Co.’s share of a partnership or have its stake sold.

New U.S. home sales drop, durable goods orders rise
Sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly tumbled in September, their first drop in six months, underscoring the hazards to an economic recovery even as businesses appeared to be stepping up investment

Madoff victims to get US$534-million
The liquidator for Bernard Madoff’s firm approved initial repayments of US$534.2-million to 1,558 victims who invested directly with the con man’s firm. Another 1,303 victims had their claims denied.

ConocoPhillips may sell stake in oil sands' Syncrude
ConocoPhillips, the No. 3 U.S. oil company, said on Wednesday it may sell its 9% stake in oil sands mining project Syncrude, part of a US$10-billion asset sale that may also include pipelines, terminals and natural gas assets in North America

Oil settles down US$2 on U.S. gas stock build
Oil fell more than 2% to below US$78 a barrel on Wednesday after data showed a surprise build in U.S. gasoline inventories and weak U.S. new home sales, stirring fuel demand concerns in the giant consumer.

Google search gets social
Yesterday, Google launched a new tool called Google Social Search, which aims to help users find more relevant socially-generated content created by the people they and follow online

CIT secures US$4.5B credit facility
Struggling commercial lender CIT Group Inc said on Wednesday it obtained US$4.5-billion more of financing from its creditors, just as it seeks to complete a debt exchange.

Nexen reports 86% drop in Q3 profit
The country’s fourth-largest independent oil explorer reported net income of $122-million, or 23 cents a share, compared with $886-million, or $1.86 a share, in the same period of 2008. Those results beat analyst estimates of 22 cents a share, according to Reuters

Flaherty agrees intervention is a limited tool
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Wednesday he agreed with the Bank of Canada that intervention was a limited tool when it came to trying to drive down the value of the Canadian dollar

GM says on track for U.S. sales gain in October
General Motors Co said on Wednesday it was on track to post its first monthly year-over-year U.S. sales increase for the first time in 21 months, amid signs of a gradual recovery for the industry and the economy.

Canada seeks China canola dispute end without WTO
Canada is confident it can resolve its dispute with China over China’s refusal to accept canola with blackleg disease without seeking World Trade Organization action, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on Wednesday.

Maple Leaf continues rebound from tainted food crisis
Toronto-based Maple Leaf Foods Inc. reported third quarter profit Wednesday as the company continues its rebound from a deadly tainted food scare last year.

Ottawa aims aid at funds for retirement
Under growing pressure by Canadians to address the shortfalls in retirement savings and pension plans, the federal government announced a series of measures designed to appease pensioners and asset managers

Opti Canada scores a profit off exchange gain
Oil sands developer Opti Canada Inc. reported a profit for the first time since 2007 in its third quarter results on Wednesday, primarily due to a foreign exchange gain on the back of the rising loonie.

Toronto man pleads guilty on insider trading
Regulators had accused the Woodbridge, Ontario, resident of generating nearly US$10-million of illegal profits by trading on inside information on as many as 40 pending corporate merger and acquisition transactions

CP Rail skeptical on freight volumes, focused on costs
Despite some hopeful signs the economy is on the mend, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. remains skeptical that a rebound in freight volumes will occur before the second half of next year. In the meantime, it remains focused on controlling its costs, management said.

Canwest publishing OKs Post transfer
Canwest's publishing division signed a deal last night to reunite the National Post with its other newspaper assets after a four-year absence.

Astral shares rise as market overlooks write-down
Astral Media Inc. took a large write-down on its $1.1-billion purchase of Standard Radio on Tuesday, but the head of Canada’s largest radio broadcasting and specialty-TV company said it was poised to take advantage of the economic recovery and one analyst said the company should return to more robust growth in the second half of fiscal 2010.

Regulators urged to reconsider existing broadcast structure as a whole
The country’s largest cable and satellite TV companies continue to push the message that a new scheme that would channel a portion of their profits to the over-the-air broadcasters in an effort to rescue local Canadian content is nothing more than an unnecessary and costly federal bailout.

Telus cuts system access, 911 fees on cellphone plans
Telus Corp. announced Tuesday sweeping changes to its rate plans, eliminating most of them in an effort to simplify choice for cellphone subscribers while doing away with a pair of contentious fees

Broadband access a staple in Canadian homes
A new poll from Ipsos Reid shows that more than eight out of 10 Canadians (82%) have an Internet connection in their home, up 6% from the second quarter of 2009.

U.S. job market rut deepens consumer gloom
U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated sharply in October as the worst job market in a quarter century heightened concerns about the future, more than outweighing modest improvements in the housing sector.

Roubini warns of another financial crisis
Investors worldwide are borrowing U.S. dollars to buy assets including equities and commodities, fueling “huge” bubbles that may spark another financial crisis, said New York University professor Nouriel Roubini

Numbers on EI benefits dip in August, but up on year
The number of people collecting regular employment insurance benefits fell 2.4% in August, with decreases occurring in nearly all provinces, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.

Quebec to run a higher-than-expected budget deficit of $4.7B
In its March budget, the Quebec government had forecast a $3.9-billion deficit. The shortfall includes a $300-million reserve fund to cover possible additional revenue shortfalls

Rogers profit dips on media, retail declines
Rogers Communications Inc. reported a 2% drop in profit Tuesday on declines in its media, business solutions and retail segments.

Mackenzie Valley Pipeline dream in peril
Ottawa has decided not to proceed with its investment in the $16.2-billion Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, sources said, throwing the future of Canada's largest construction proposal into doubt.

Banker's talk takes a poetic turn
Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney reveals an affinity for the flowery metaphor in recent speeches

Who are the most influential business thinkers?
Experts rank management consultants and economists among the most respected gurus.

Build it well and they will come, says condo king
Montreal real estate developer Samuel Gewurz won’t say his business model for condominium development is recession-proof per se, but the success he’s had in the temperamental Montreal market over the past 25 years shows he can sell his properties in difficult market conditions.

Quebec offers helping hand to Nortel pensioners
On Monday, regulator Régie des rentes du Québec announced that it would attempt to safeguard the pension assets of Nortel employees in the province by taking over the management of the remaining pension assets.

B.C. watchdog hands out largest fine yet for ponzi scheme
Four people have been fined a total of $26-million in connection with a Ponzi scheme in British Columbia, with one of them slapped with the largest fine the provincial regulator has handed out.

Indigo profit drops on digital service investment
Indigo Books & Music, Canada’s biggest book retailer, posted a drop in quarterly profit on Monday as it dealt with a tough economy and continued to invest in its mobile-phone download business.

Foreign cash fuels Canadian miner in Mongolia
When Alexander Molyneux went looking for a large financing for SouthGobi Energy Resources Ltd., he quickly found that sovereign wealth funds were offering better terms than anyone else.

Loonie putting pressure on manufacturing: Flaherty
The high Canadian dollar and the speed with which it is fluctuating are putting pressure on the manufacturing sector, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday.

Lululemon raises outlook on strong demand
Lululemon Athletica raised its earnings and revenue guidance for the third quarter on Monday because of strong demand for its core yoga clothing and athletic gear as well as its new apparel lines.

Quebec warns deficit will be higher
Raymond Bachand, Quebec’s Finance Minister, said Quebecers should expect a higher deficit for fiscal 2010 than initially predicted when he delivers an economic update Tuesday, and to expect deficit spending to continue until at least 2013-14.

Air Canada sees bluer skies ahead
Air Canada is starting see some “glimmers of hope” that demand for air travel is returning. But a full rebound is expected to trail that of the broader economy by several months, according to the airline’s chief executive, Calin Rovinescu.

McDonald’s closes in Iceland after Krona collapse
Iceland’s McDonald’s Corp. restaurants will be closed at the end of the month after the collapse of the krona eroded profits at the fast-food chain, McDonald’s franchise holder Lyst ehf said.

How to get around the cellphone driving ban
Tech Desk's Matt Hartley looks at a Waterloo, Ont. company that wants to help take your smart phone out of your hand and put it on your wrist, where it's nice and legal.

Rogers teams with Eisner
Rogers Communications Inc. is getting into the content-generation game like never before, announcing Monday it has taken a stake in Vuguru, a small new-media studio backed by media heavyweight Michael Eisner

Macquarie buys Blackmont with eye to Canadian expansion
Macquarie Group, the Australian-based firm best known for its prowess in infrastructure, has taken its first step on a plan to build a major retail brokerage operation in Canada.

Verizon mobile growth beats but FiOS TV disappoints
Verizon Communications Inc’s third-quarter profit fell a less-than-expected 9% as wireless subscriber gains offset slower-than-anticipated growth in its FiOS television service.

Oil falls 2% to settle at US$78.68
Oil fell more than 2% to below US$79 a barrel Monday on concerns that a sluggish economic recovery will keep fuel demand low.

Magna, Opel deal ruling by November 27: EU
The European Union said Monday it will rule on Magna International Inc.’s planned takeover of carmaker Opel by Nov. 27.

Chicago Fed Midwest factory activity rises in Sept
The Chicago Federal Reserve Bank said on Monday its Midwest Manufacturing Index rose in September, as auto sector production rebounded.

Telus to offer iPhones starting Nov. 5
Cell phone provider Telus confirmed Monday it will flip the switch on its new 3G+ network on Nov. 5, the same day it will begin selling the popular Apple iPhone.

Madoff friend Jeffry Picower dead, found in pool
Palm Beach-billionaire and philanthropist Jeffry Picower, described as the biggest beneficiary of Bernard Madoff's fraud, died on Sunday after he was found lying at the bottom of the pool at his home, police said.

Who is behind the housing resurge?
William Hanley says Boomers and retirees are responsible for much of the buying and selling as they reposition themselves for later life. But Hollie Shaw argues first-time home buyers provided the critical thrust that propelled the real estate market out of a recessionary slump

Canada lagging in clean-tech race, industry insiders say
While climate-change negotiations have stalled, the global clean-technology industry has boomed -- but industry experts say Canada is not keeping up

Rolling plan new reality
Marketplace changes, new competition, and the incessant demand to develop new products and services mean that many small businesses today are revisiting the business planning process.

First-timers provide the critical thrust
"The re-emergence of the first-time buyers brought life back to the market,” said Ross Gurney, manager of business development at the B.C. Real Estate Group of TD Financial Group.

Who needs to save for retirement when your home is the new RRSP?
"I wouldn’t advocate it,” says Benjamin Tal, senior economist with CIBC World Markets, about considering your home a big part of your nest egg

Canada vs. U.S. -- The New Realty
Canada's housing market booms while foreclosures still drag on U.S.

Labour-sponsored funds: A tail that wags the dog
Labour-sponsored investment funds (LSIFs) are a classic example of how letting the tail wag the dog leads to investment losses

Tax Expert: The games some play with their TFSAs
The Department of Finance’s plan to crack down on tax-fee savings account (TFSA) abuses might well have been subtitled, “Games people play with their TFSAs”

Saturday Interview: Thomas d’Aquino
Thomas d’Aquino’s final day as head of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives remains roughly two months away. Yet, some of the country’s most influential people are set to gather in Ottawa on Monday for a tribute dinner in recognition of his nearly three decades as CCCE leader and his contribution to public policy

China's ambitious climate change plan
China plans to announce an ambitious climate change plan at the United Nation’s climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December as it positions itself to muscle in on the growing opportunities in the clean technology sector, says Fan Gang, a monetary policy official and senior advisor to the Chinese government

Agrium latest fertilizer company to cut guidance
The company warned that third-quarter earnings will be a whopping 90% to 95% lower than the same quarter last year, when it made a record US$367-million, or US$2.31 a share

Shaw prepares to do battle with rivals
Shaw Communications Inc. is staring in the face of a two-front battle against some of the country’s biggest telecom companies in the coming quarters as the Calgary-based firm expands its core cable business -- treading on others’ turf -- and weighs its timing on entering a cellphone market that is about to get a lot more competitive

GM puts Opel sale signing on hold
The development marks yet another twist in the long-running saga of GM’s European operations

Commodity prices, Agrium weigh on TSX
Friday’s session was also weighed down on news that Moody’s Investors Service placed Bank of Montreal under review and could possibly downgrade the bank’s credit rating

Suncor unveils new tailings pond technology
Suncor Energy Inc. is moving forward on a new tailings pond technology it believes will rapidly speed up its ability to reclaim the areas of northern Alberta it has strip-mined as it extracts bitumen buried beneath the Earth’s surface

Ottawa's deficit deepens for third month
August marked the third straight month Ottawa recorded a budget shortfall of at least $5-billion, the Department of Finance said Friday.

Flaherty's letter to financial institution chiefs
In the wake of criticism that Canada isn't living up to its G20 responsibilities, Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, has released a letter he wrote to the heads of all the major financial institutions, reminding them of the principles on bank compensation endorsed by G20 leaders at their meeting in Pittsburgh on Sept 25.

U.S. blocks bid for WTO panel in meat row
The United States blocked on Friday requests by Canada and Mexico for World Trade Organisation experts to examine new U.S. labelling rules that the countries say are hurting their meat exports.

Loonie could drag on Canada's growth: IMF
The Canadian dollar’s strength could slow the country’s recovery and lower inflation, the International Monetary Fund said Friday in its regional economic outlook, echoing remarks made by central bankers Thursday.

Bernanke presses for reforms
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Friday laid out his most detailed description yet of the central bank’s post-crisis approach to regulation and said requiring big banks to hold more capital was under consideration.

Financial Post - Top Stories
Financial Post index page top stories

 

Weekend Planner: November 7–8, 2009

Urban Planner is Torontoist's guide to what's on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you'd like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you've got any—to events@torontoist.com.

Photo by gabrioladude from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

CELEBRATION: St. Lawrence Market has been a culinary hub of our city since even before we were a city (talk about putting the cart before the horse). This year, while the City of Toronto is celebrating its 175th anniversary, St. Lawrence Market is celebrating 205 years of food and freshness. It won’t be your usual Saturday at the market with live music, buskers, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities, and guided tours of the building. In honour of the city’s birthday, many farmers, merchants, and artisans will be featuring products for the special prices of $1.75 and $11.75. St. Lawrence Market (93 Front Street East), Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m., FREE.

FESTIVAL: Harbourfront Centre will come alive this weekend with the Day of the Dead Festival, a Mexican tradition that celebrates the lives of the departed with music, dance, food, and ofrendas (offerings). The event will feature traditional and modern Latin music by Mariachi Fuego, Café con Pan, and La Alianza, as well as entertainment by the Mexican Folkloric Dance Company. This family-friendly event will also feature storytelling and crafts for the “little niños,” demonstrations on how to make sugar skulls, orange-glazed pan de muerto (bread of the dead), and Mexican mole (“mo-lay”), and a marketplace with vendors selling figurines, crafts, jewellery, and baked goods. Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West), Saturday and Sunday 12–6 p.m., FREE.

CULTURE: The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) is hosting the ninth annual “The Road to Asia” festival. This two-day celebration of arts and entertainment will highlight the richness and diversity of Asian culture, with representation from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, and Japan. The festival is expected to draw more than three thousand visitors who will enjoy musical performances, community and cultural displays, and a multicultural marketplace. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (6 Garamond Court); Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, FREE for children.

ART: The Power Plant Gallery, nestled near the lake at Harbourfront Centre, is offering a four-week workshop focusing on Toronto’s contemporary arts community. With the guidance of the gallery’s curatorial team, participants will gain a behind-the-scenes perspective of art production and exhibition, from artists’ studios to private art collections. The program will also include guided tours of local museums and galleries. Whether you’re new to town, or just want to get more involved in the arts scene, the course will offer artists, collectors, and art-lovers networking and learning opportunities. Power Plant Gallery (231 Queens Quay West); Saturdays 2–5 p.m.; $180 for members, $200 for non-members.

MUSIC: The Toronto Public Library is dusting off its stuffy image by turning Dewey decimals into decibels. As part of the Make Some Noise series that kicked off on Thursday, the library is featuring a series of live performances by local musicians. Bruce Peninsula and Timber Timbre, both nominees for this year’s Polaris Prize, will be hitting the stage (stacks, actually) for Saturday’s all-ages show. North York Central Library (5120 Yonge Street), Saturday 8–11 p.m., FREE.

ART: In the spirit of “photography by anyone, for everyone,” galleryDK is hosting the second annual PhotoLab exhibition, “PhotoLab2.” The show, which runs through December 13, is a collection of photos submitted by dilettante and professional photographers alike, as well as lens-based artists. As part of this equalizing exhibition, there will be no identifying labels on the pieces and photographer’s names will be withheld—there’s no way to know if the photograph is by an established artist or Joe Shmoe—leaving buyers to rely only on their own sense of style. Submissions, which were accepted until the end of October, could be of any style: landscapes, portraits, urban scenes, black and white, or colour. All pieces are now available for sale at the recession-friendly price of $125. galleryDK (1332 Queen Street West), opening reception Saturday 7–10 p.m., FREE.

BURLESQUE: Guess who just got back today? Them wild-eyed boys that had been away…the boys are back in town! BoylesqueTO, Canada’s only all-male burlesque troupe, presents Boys Under The Big Top: A Circus Extravaganza. This breast-free burlesque show will include the whole package: scantily clad boys, aerialists, fire performers, and other saucy circus acts. Revival (783 College Street), Sunday 8 p.m., $20 in advance ($25 at the door).

Vandalist: Ripple Effect

Once a week, Vandalist features some of the most interesting street art and graffiti from around Toronto. You should contribute.

Artist Unknown

AT ST. PATRICK'S SQUARE AND RENFREW PLACE
PHOTO BY FRANCIS MARIANI

Toronto Will Host 2015 Pan American Games

CBC Radio is reporting that Toronto's bid to host the 2015 Pan Am games has succeeded over those of Lima (Peru) and Bogotá (Columbia). This morning, BlogTO took a look at how the city might change if it landed the games; if you just want to relive the magic of today, you can check out some of the materials from Toronto's pitch, including the official—and multi-lingual—theme song, "Your Moment Is Here" (via the Post).

Presented By:

Disgruntled Star Editor Takes Constructive Revenge

Earlier this week the Toronto Star announced, among other changes, that it was planning to outsource some one hundred in-house, union editing jobs. In the press release issued by the union in the wake of the announcement, union chief Maureen Dawson explained that "Journalism is a collaborative effort, the product of a team of reporters, photographers and editors working in concert to produce the kind of activist agenda that has served Star readers and our community so well for so long...To remove a critical element of that work is to shortchange everyone who depends on it."

Now, one (apparent) editor at the Star has decided to show us all the benefits of collaboration. An extensively marked-up copy of Publisher John Cruickshank's internal memo announcing the changes was sent to Torontoist by a self-described "intermediary who was asked to send this for a friend who works at the Star" this morning; it's, allegedly, "the work of a Star editor."

Here's the whole thing:

A Forty-Five Minute Talk With Will Ferguson

On Wednesday, Torontoist books editor James Grainger sat down with novelist, travel writer, and humourist Will Ferguson at the Irish Embassy pub to discuss all thing literary and his new travel memoir Beyond Belfast: A 560-Mile Walk Across Northern Ireland on Sore Feet. Ferguson is the author of the novels Generica (later changed to Happiness) and Spanish Fly, and the travel memoirs Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw, Hitching Rides with Buddha, as well as How to Be a Canadian (Even if You Already Are One), co-written with his brother Ian. For his latest book Ferguson walked the Belfast Way through the six counties of Northern Ireland. The Belfast Way is billed as “the longest waymarked trail in the British Isles” and follows some very rugged terrain along the Irish coast. READ MORE >>

Live Green Toronto's Bright Idea

Last week, Live Green Toronto, the City of Toronto’s website for eco-friendly living, launched a new transit shelter advertising campaign with a unique twist: passersby can flip a giant switch that turns the ad on or off. The ad’s text encourages readers to "switch this poster off," and to switch on Live Green’s website for information about saving energy and living green. The ad was designed by Agency59, a Toronto-based advertising agency, and installed by Astral Media, the company behind Toronto's street furniture. While it’s undeniably clever, the execution is a little flawed.

For starters, the ad isn't all that effective. Although the switch is neat, even when it's on, the ad’s dark green tones don’t stand out at night, and during the day the text is almost invisible. On Thursday night, Torontoist staked out the sole installation at Empress Avenue and Yonge Street for more than an hour, and we found that most people didn't take notice (with the notable exception of one poor kid who couldn’t reach the switch, above).

The ad also violates two rules that govern Astral Media’s street furniture contract with the City of Toronto. According to Vibrant Streets: Toronto’s Coordinated Street Furniture Program [PDF], "To maintain visibility at night, it is critical that sufficient lighting be incorporated into the interior of transit shelters." In most shelters, the backlighting in the ad cassion (the case the ad sits in) provides the necessary light source. If a shelter doesn’t have a lit ad cassion, then fluorescent lighting fixtures have to be installed. The shelter where Live Green’s ad is installed only has one light source: the ad cassion, and when it’s off, the shelter goes dark. Although this may not seem like a big deal, it puts those who can’t reach the switch, like children or people in wheelchairs, at a disadvantage. The ad’s protruding switch is also a no-no, as the guidelines stipulate that "All advertising must be contained within the amenity; three dimensional advertisements or those that project beyond the structure of the amenity are not permitted."

During the day, the ad is almost unreadable.

We asked Brian Howlett, Agency59’s chief creative officer, about the ad's shortcomings and he told us that in the daytime "It works well enough to be read...That was the first thing we thought of when we came up with it, but lots of great ideas can be killed easily and we’d rather persevere because the reaction we’ve been getting from most people has been really encouraging." He also told us that "I can’t profess to know the intricate details of Astral’s agreement with the City of Toronto. I would only assume if they agreed to put it up then it met with their guidelines...I can only tell you that I stood inside the shelter and it remains very well lit, as Yonge Street is extremely illuminated. We wouldn’t plan on putting the ad up in a shelter that is on a smaller, darker street."

Later this month, Live Green plans to install another ad at King Street West and John Street, and another at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue West. "There tends to be a preaching to the converted when talking to all the folks that live downtown," Nancy Ruscica, Live Green’s manager of partnerships and innovations, told Torontoist. "So we’re really pushing—through our community animators program and through our marketing—to reach everybody who lives in Toronto. Branching out to Yonge and Eglinton—sort of midtown—and then further north, helps widen our reach." In conjunction with the shelter ads, Live Green is also launching an online campaign featuring banner ads with interactive trees. When a unique visitor moves their cursor over a tree, a leaf is added. Live Green is tracking all its online trees, and every time a tree gains a thousand leaves, the city will plant a real tree.

In other words, it's a smart campaign, and a creative way to spread environmental awareness. But the light switch ads may need to be retooled, and find a home other than transit shelters.

A hat tip to copyranter for letting us know about the ad, and thanks to former Torontoist contributing editor Jonathan Goldsbie for his encyclopedic knowledge of Astral Media’s outdoor furniture contract with the City of Toronto.

All photos by Christopher Drost/Torontoist.

Kensington Market's Business, Soon to be Improved

Kensington Market will soon be designated a BIA (that is, a business improvement area), pending near-certain approval by City Council this winter, according to a city staff report, released on Monday. A few area business owners have mixed feelings about the impending designation, but many see it as the best way of ensuring the future of the chaotic little neighbourhood in the heart of Toronto.

Stewart Scriver, whose vintage clothing and accessories store, Courage My Love, has been in business on Kensington Avenue since 1979 (though it was founded elsewhere in 1975), falls roughly into the "mixed feelings" category. Actually, he's not really that mixed.

"It's just gonna cost me money and not improve my business," he said, from behind the curio-laden glass counter in his dimly-lit store. A hat tree of luchador masks near the rear of the room eavesdropped on our conversation, while shop assistants busied themselves amongst the baskets of beads, the ancient plastic necklaces, the bakelite costume jewelry. Like Kensington itself, Courage My Love is full of gorgeous clutter.

Scriver expressed concern that the BIA's politics would put strictures on Kensington Market's famously anti-authoritarian way of life. "I was attracted to this place because of the chaotic nature of the Market," he said. "I like chaos. It works for me."

For others, the BIA represents a chance at a better, cleaner, more engaged future for the Market.

A Pedestrian Sunday performer, at Augusta Avenue and Baldwin Street.

"There are a lot of advantages to a BIA," said Mika Bareket, owner of Good Egg, a kitchen tools and cookbook shop, that opened on Augusta Avenue last year. Bareket was the originator of the push to create a BIA in Kensington Market (she worked in consultation with area city councillor Adam Vaughan, who supports the BIA), though she eventually removed herself from the steering committee, she said, to allow others to share control. Her shop is orderly, well-lit, and stocked with brand-new, beautiful objects. The floors are gleaming tile, and the chairs have floral-patterned cushions. Like Kensington itself, Good Egg is on the rise.

"We now have access to all sorts of city programs, city funding, and the assistance of many experts, who can save us a lot of legwork on sourcing things like more bike racks," said Bareket.

If you've ever tried to lock up a bike in Kensington Market on a busy afternoon, you probably did some serious nodding and approving while reading the last few words of that last paragraph. Even those who love Kensington and its chaos acknowledge that there are certain things about the neighbourhood that could use sprucing up. A BIA is one way of making that happen.

Plus, it's a homegrown concept. The world's first BIA was established in 1970, in Bloor West Village (Kensington Market will be the seventieth in Toronto). John Kiru, executive director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), traces the origins of the idea to the emergence of malls in west Toronto.

"Those merchants at the mall contribute to a merchant's fee, and that fee is basically used to promote and market that mall," said Kiru. "Effectively what the people in Bloor West Village in the 1970s did was say: 'Well, let's replicate that.'" Establishing a BIA, in other words, is a way for small business owners to benefit from the single best aspect of a mall's business plan, without actually having to set up shop in one.

BIAs collect their merchant's fee by levying small surcharges on the property taxes of commercial and industrial landowners in their respective neighbourhoods. They can use the proceeds from these levies for neighbourhood publicity, or to make repairs and improvements to public spaces. BIAs are highly organized, fairly democratic bodies, with elected boards of directors and voting procedures―and, to reiterate, Kensington Market, better known for its punks than its politicians, is about to have one.

BIAs are never imposed on neighbourhoods. They come about only at the request of business owners, and only after a series of stakeholder meetings, to gauge interest. The only quirk of the BIA approval process is that it requires stakeholders to opt-out, rather than -in. For a designation not to succeed, a third of tax-paying tenants and landlords must object in writing within sixty days of receiving notice of its existence. The city clerk didn't receive any objections to Kensington Market's BIA. The motion had broad support in the neighbourhood, but whatever dissenting voices there were evidently didn't bother registering themselves.

Another Pedestrian Sunday crowd, on Augusta Avenue.

Aside from allowing neighbourhood businesses to save funds collectively and spend funds collectively, establishing a BIA also gives business owners a way of negotiating and communicating collectively with the city. The city occasionally splits the costs of certain kinds of streetscape improvements with BIAs, and all BIAs are required to include at least one member of City Council on each of their boards of directors.

All this money and influence enables BIAs to tackle issues of concern to their members. Kensington Market has issues.

"We have major problems in the Market," said Bareket, "and those are drug trafficking and garbage. The garbage situation has just worsened. They've now cut us back to pickup only once a week. And this is a very high-yielding garbage zone. It's bad for business."

Ike Geist, the proprietor of the AAA Army Surplus, on Baldwin Street, agrees. "I think it'll bring more people," he said, when asked about the BIA. "We need lights, and garbage bins, and painting. It's dingy outside at night."

Aviva Geist, Ike's wife and business partner, gestured towards the grey brick around the store's entranceway, where someone had left their signature in black spray paint. "I wish they didn't do this graffiti," she said. "It just ruins people's property." BIAs are empowered to spend their budgets on graffiti removal, if they choose.

A BIA could also fund more infrastructure for street life in Kensington. "I think we need to have more public space for artists," said Bareket. "There's not a single museum, not a single gallery in the Market. There's no stage for a musician to play."

"There are lots of fun things we can do without cornucopias and banners," added Bareket, alluding to the cutesy neighbourhood branding efforts of other Toronto BIAs.

"Personally, I think it's long overdue," said Grey Coyote, owner of music store Paradise Lost and director of the Kensington Market Action Committee, when asked about the BIA.

Shamez Amlani, owner of the restaurant La Palette and co-organizer of PS Kensington (which orchestrates the neighbourhood's popular Pedestrian Sundays), was more measured in his praise. In an email, he wrote that he is "intrigued by the idea of an organization that gets so many previously inert community members to come to the same table," and that he'd be glad to see Kensington gain clout at City Hall.

But, he wondered: "Who stands to gain if Kensington gets a facelift? How will that affect the edgy, rag-tag gypsy flavour of Toronto's favourite neighbourhood?"

It's a question to which the only possible answer is the ever-unsatisfying cop-out: let's all wait and see.

All photos by Nick Kozak/Torontoist.

Drop Fees, End Poverty! And Also Do All These Other Things!

Enduring bouts of rain and hail, about a thousand students, workers, and community members marched through downtown Toronto yesterday as part of the Drop Fees for a Poverty Free Ontario campaign. At 4 p.m., they arrived at Queen’s Park to demand that the provincial government start "investing in the people, 'cause we are the solution," as the chant went.

The campaign—now in its second year—was started by the Canadian Federation of Students, and has branched out to include groups from the public sector. Accompanying the Ryerson, U of T, and York student unions were delegates from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (sporting "No More Band-Aids or Bail-Outs" placards), the United Steelworkers Union, CUPE Ontario, the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations, and the Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare, as far as we could keep track, anyway. Together, they urged Dalton McGuinty to protect Ontario citizens from financial hardship by investing in Ontario’s social programs and infrastructure.

The protest was one of thirteen actions taking place across the province.

"There are a lot of issues at play here," Chairperson of CFS Ontario Shelley Melanson said, "but we don’t believe you have to make a choice between cutting off one hand or the other. The [government] money is there." And boy, were there ever a lot of issues. The list included tuition fees, healthcare funding, affordable childcare, a livable wage, women’s income rights, affordable public housing, employment equity, new jobs, access to proper shelters, increased social assistance, Aboriginal rights, and status for all immigrants and refugees.

And if you think that’s a lot to take in, last year’s rally was even busier, adding Palestinian flags, anti-War and anti-capitalist protesters, and Communist Party banners—incorporating nearly every popular left-wing political mantra. In an effort to be more succinct this time around, the organizers narrowed it down to a mere eleven issues.

Lowering tuition fees was the foremost concern. "Seventy percent of newly listed jobs require post-secondary education," said Sandy Hudson, president of the University of Toronto Students' Union. "So obviously, people need access to education."

The CFS is asking for a reduction in tuition fees back to 2004 levels. With a new tuition and post-secondary education funding framework being developed by the Ontario government for this February, the organizers say the time is now. Unfortunately, this message—and the many other noble causes—were conflated and confounded within the sea of rally cries, the issues still too widespread to send a clear message.

According to Parkdale Community Centre food bank volunteer Rob Smits, the need for poverty reduction in this recession is crucial. The amount of people lining up for food went up 50% in the last year, but an increase in funding for such food banks and shelters has been slow coming, he said. "The way the government is doling out money is very disparaging." We at Torontoist heard his message load and clear, but with chants and slogans being heaved at Queen's Park from every different direction, it's unlikely Dalton could decipher it.

All photos by Nick Kozak/Torontoist.

Stacks of Tracks (in the Stacks)

"I probably don't even need this microphone, to be honest!" Frontman Odario Williams and the rest of his genre-bending hip-hop group Grand Analog launched the Toronto Public Library's current Make Some Noise series straight from the kids' section of the College/Shaw branch last night, and the alternative venue proved a somehow very fitting setting for an affair that's typically relegated to dark clubs at late hours that no adorable two-year-old would ever be able to attend.

Grand Analog.

Ranked somewhere after malls, the internet, multi-theatre complexes in the suburbs on weekends, and basically anywhere else, libraries haven't exactly made a name for themselves as a top choice for teenagers to hang out and be really cool together. Make Some Noise launched four years ago as both an effort to document and preserve the country's recent historical musical output by stacking the TPL's music library with the cream of the indie crop, and to engage teens in library and music culture by providing them with more all-ages show options, and broadening their musical scope. The TPL's youth collections librarian Lisa Heggum masterminded the project, and so far, the response from borrowers and artists has been encouraging. "[It's been received] very well. People are placing holds and borrowing the CDs, and the city's music community really seems to love the project. Artists we approach are almost always enthusiastic, and we're often approached by members of the industry who'd like to participate."

Grand Analog.

One of those eager participants is Soundscapes, the community-friendly record store turned coolness consultants. "Soundscapes has been involved since the very beginning," Heggum says. "Working with them helps make this project the success that it is. Not only do they offer their expertise, professionalism, and organizational skills in helping us build our music collection, but they also offer advice and assistance with the events side of things." Heggum strongly believes in this mutual support, both in the community, and in the stacks. "I don't see why we should favour one format over the other. Our music collection demonstrates the library’s commitment to the local music scene in much the same way our collection of local and Canadian fiction demonstrates our commitment to the local literary scene."

Best time!

Make Some Noise has branched further into the music scene this year; along with the usual library shows with high-profile artists, there will be information sessions with, among others, Steve Jordan, the founder and executive director of the Canadian indie music mecca, Polaris Prize. "Giving young people a chance to interact with local musicians and industry professionals and explore various topics [gives them] an overall excitement about the possibilities. Another area I'd like to see us become more involved in is local filmmaking. We attempt to keep in touch with those in the know and respond accordingly, and we plan to continue to listen to the community and try new things."

A moment: youth collections librarian Lisa Heggum and son enjoy Grand Analog.

For Heggum, daily validation for her efforts so far can be found right at home. "My two-year-old son is wild about the Sadies' record with John Doe. He requests it repeatedly. It's amazing that I'm not sick of it yet."

Make Some Noise runs until December 1. The next show features the totally library-appropriate Bruce Peninsula and Timber Timbre on Saturday November 7 (that's tomorrow!) at 8 p.m. at the North York Central Library branch (5120 Yonge Street; it's not that scary, it's right at the North York Centre subway!). The full schedule of shows and workshops can be found on the Make Some Noise site. All shows are free and open to all ages. Two-year-olds are encouraged to attend.

All photos by Remi Carreiro/Torontoist.

Newsstand: November 6, 2009

Our pets are catching the swine flu! And not just our pet swine! Confirmed cases of housepets gettin' sick with H1N1 are giving us some kibble for thought today. Maybe it's time to make some new flu-naming rules, though, because this is pretty complicated. While humans can't get equine flu from a horse, apparently we might be able to catch swine flu from a parrot and then give it to our cat. Dogs are virtually people-flu proof, but humans deliberately infect ferrets with our influenza germs. Rabbits are just a total wild card. And don't even get us started on the iguanas. People are being cautioned to take steps to protect their pets from the Pig, but the vaccine is still for humans only—felix no can haz.

Speaking of the vaccine, unadjuvanted doses of it are now available for pregnant women. Got a fetus? Your best shot at one of the shots is at these clinics, but you may want to try calling ahead of time. However, if you're past twenty weeks, doctors say you're better off getting any vaccination, adjuvanted or not, as soon as possible (now that the adjuvanted formula has been through further testing, the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Agency says either form of the vaccine is safe for pregnant women). Of course, those of us who aren't members of priority groups or private clinics for the rich are stuck at the back of the line for innoculation. If this keeps up much longer, we may have to turn to desperate measures, like joining the Raptors.

We interrupt this blog post to bring you the news that CP24's twitter feed demands your tweets for Adam Giambrone's travelling TV show. Ask him a question about talk radio, and the media triangle will be complete.

Yesterday, you read here about the new user fees the City is considering to balance the budget without cutting services, but now Toronto councillors are seriously discussing a proposal to create a new Municipal Sales Tax. The MST, however, won't be an easy sell. Aside from resistance from councillors and voting Torontonians who do not feel too great about paying a new tax right now, the provincial government has threatened block the tax if Toronto tries to introduce it.

All of which means we still have plenty of time to buy these Olympic torches for sale on ebay without paying City Hall the extra percentage! And at the markup those runners are charging, man, would this guy be getting a great deal. Anyway, shouldn't the taxes from those go to Vancouver, or something? We're pretty sure we can bargain the seller down to a cheaper price--those things are looking a bit tarnished.

Four-hundred-fifty kilos is a lot of weed to take the blame for. That, plus $2.5 million (presumably in Canadian dollars, though Metro isn't specific) is what U.S. authorities have seized in a drug bust that's got fifteen people accused of running drugs and laundering money in a cross-border crime ring run by a Toronto man, Hassan Mohammed Abboud. There's no word on whether or when Abboud will be put into custody and extradited to the U.S., but, really, we'd rather hear a bit more about the "personal submarine" the group could have been using.

It looks like Rae Days could be coming back, in Dalton form! But the mandatory days of unpaid vacation are as popular now as they ever were with the province's labour unions, who say the Liberals need to bite the bullet and raise taxes instead of making their members sacrifice wages.

That's about where Newsstand normally gets capped off, but, today, we'd like to take a quick look at the gun registry. This isn't, strictly speaking, a Toronto-specific issue. In fact, it's probably closest to the marrow in Montreal, where politicians have pledged to fight tooth and nail against a very credible Conservative effort to kill Canada's long-gun registry—the one created in the wake of the Polytechnique massacre. According to the Canadian Press: "Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan attempted to undermine a report to Parliament on the federal gun registry Thursday - calling into question the agenda of its authors after refusing to make the report public before a crucial parliamentary vote." That was a long link and it may therefore be a little hard to click on, so here's the short, live-action version [VIDEO]. Van Loan maintained that "only 2.4 per cent" of police gun-registry checks were for long-guns. Which means police made eighty thousand long-gun checks last year. But they made more handgun checks. Therefore the long-gun registry is useless. Van Loan also said the report he suppressed only reiterated the same thing it says every year (that the registry works), so MPs had no need to read or be made aware of it. And that's the news today.

CORRECTION: NOVEMBER 6, 2009 Today's Newsstand originally included an item about Giorgio Mammoliti, Frank Di Giorgio, and Cesar Palacio's "industry facility tour" of a strip club, with a link to a Toronto Star story. In fact, the story was from March, but a technical error at the Star (since fixed) caused their article to be republished this morning under today's date on both their website and in their RSS feed—which we mistakenly assumed meant the story was new.

Urban Planner: November 6, 2009

Urban Planner is Torontoist's guide to what's on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you'd like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you've got any—to events@torontoist.com.

Still from Chris Marker's Sans Soleil, the opener for Jean-Pierre Gorin's month-long series on the essay film. Courtesy of the Film Reference Library.

FILM: Filmmaker and scholar Jean-Pierre Gorin, companion of Nouvelle–Vague visionary Jean-Luc Godard throughout his Dziga Vertov period, is in Toronto for his self-curated series "The Way of the Termite: The Essay Film." Gorin will introduce Chris Marker's Sans Soleil tonight to launch the series, which runs until December 3 and will also feature a couple of Gorin's collaborations with Godard (Ici et ailleurs and Letter to Jane), as well as the Canadian premiere of La Rabbia di Pasolini. The films screened over the next month explore the balance between history and anecdote, fact and fiction. Each work speaks as clearly about the filmmaker as their world views, resulting in the perfect meeting of art and politics. The series invites audiences to reflect on how we think about history and how we process current events through images, which is particularly poignant in an age of media saturation. TIFF Cinematheque (2 Carlton Street), 7 p.m., check online for ticket prices.

GAME: It's not often we get to run around with reckless abandon, reenacting the games of our youth—and even less frequently, in the middle of a huge, busy urban centre like Toronto. Organized by the creatively minded folks at Newmindspace, tonight's adrenaline-fuelled game of Capture the Flag should prove as popular as the event was last year and the year before. Taking over our city's financial district—the only truly non-residential 'hood—in the dead of night, participants are divided into teams and must use whatever public means necessary (skateboards, TTC, bikes, feet) to seek out and capture the opposing team's flag. It's important to read the participant's guide before you head out tonight to keep the game safe and fun for everyone. It's also recommended that you bring a flashlight. Meet at King Street West and Bay Street, 9 p.m., rain or shine, FREE.

COMEDY: This week marks the one-year anniversary of Toronto's latest (and arguably hottest) comedy club, Comedy Bar, located under a hard-to-miss (though classy!) neon sign in a basement on Bloor, west of Ossington. As part of tonight's festivities, legendary comic and longtime Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows takes the stage for two performances with Catch 23, then ManTown! Comedy Bar (945 Bloor Street West), 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., $8–$25.

THEATRE: Tonight, Necessary Angel gives you the opportunity to sit in on the first of three work-in-progress productions of When My Name Was Anna, the highly anticipated adaptation of Divisadero, the latest novel by Canadian author Michael Ondaatje. Artistic director Daniel Brooks joins several of Canada's finest actors and Toronto's well-loved and Juno-nominated musician Justin Rutledge to bring to life this violent and passionate narrative, which deals with memory, identity, love, and the power of past and present. The sneak peek will be followed up by a full production, planned for 2010/11. Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace (16 Ryerson Avenue), 8 p.m., $13 (tickets available online or by calling 416-504-7529).

ART: Aiming to blur the boundaries between porn and art, this evening's "ArtCore" exhibition also raises funds for the fifth annual Feminist Porn Awards, the largest and longest running celebration of feminist porn in the world and produced by Toronto's own Good for Her. Featuring a vast array of work, from performance and installation to film, the show promises "you'll never look at fruit, hot dogs, Barbie dolls or fully clothed men in quite the same way again." Sounds like a challenge to me! Bread and Circus (299 Augusta Avenue), doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m., $10.

MUSIC: Local electro darlings Junior Boys have seen their fair share of hits and misses since Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark first teamed up almost ten years ago. Crafting hypnotic, minimal, and stylized "bedroom beats," the duo's music translates beautifully into a live context, drawing audiences out onto the dance floor regardless of mood or level of inebriation. The boys team up with Toronto's crazed and energetic Woodhands at tonight's show, so the atmosphere should take on all the elements of a true party. Lee's Palace (529 Bloor Street West), 9 p.m., $20.

The Daily Photoist: November 6, 2009

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo or (two) from a photographer in Torontoist's Flickr Pool, our way of showing off their great work and starting the day off as prettily as possible.

Untitled

BY LAURA LYNN PETRICK

Hog-O-Vision

Every other week, Hog-O-Vision takes an illustrated look into Toronto's future.

Take, Just Don't Steal

When Matt Greenwood saw this video on YouTube last year, he didn't just gawk in a rude fashion (as we did). Inspired by people's responses when confronted by a camera sans photographer, Matt sought to expand on an idea previously touched on only by self-timers. And when he happened to come across a disposable camera, idea met material and art was born.

Maybe you've seen them, maybe you've stolen them, but they're there—disposable cameras scattered across the city, hung below a simple message: "Take picture, don't steal" (yup, some things in life really are that easy). Matt's hung them all across Toronto in the hopes of finding something unique once they're developed. (In that way, they're more than a bit similar to Posterchild's "Take a Photo, Leave a Photo" boxes from last year.) Some photos, Matt says, are straight-on self-portraits, some shots are of scenery and places, some are candid snaps of passersby. And of course, some people (eight) have disobeyed step two. But regardless of result, the purpose of the photos, according to Matt, is to create a collective scrapbook of our divers-city. "I think Toronto is a small enough city that people can feel a strong link with the different areas," he told us last week. "It's a very voyeuristic thing, but people like looking at other people, especially when people are being themselves."

And that, in our opinion, is what makes the project cool—pure, unabashed voyeurism, be it Matt's or our own. Facebook, reality TV, the apartment across the street through binoculars (er...just kidding), voyeurism is engrained in every aspect of our culture, and it's here to stay. But what might not be? Matt's cameras. So go show yourself off, you superstar—the open-concept photobooth locations are all pinpointed on takepicturedontsteal.com.

Over Time, How Fairly Have TTC Fares Fared?

As anticipated by transit watchers, the TTC is proposing an across-the-board fare hike, effective January 3, 2010. That hike, to be decided on at the commission's November 17 meeting, would see adult cash fares rise from $2.75 to $3.00, tokens rise from $2.25 to $2.50, and adult Metropasses jump from $109 to $126. A full list of the proposed changes are here; the immediate reasons for them are—as they always are—myriad. (The Star and Globe both take a look at some of them.)

Of course, this fare increase is only the latest in a long line of them. Since 1980, there have been twenty-one hikes—a set of six adult tickets purchased on January 1, 1980 cost a total of $3; an adult Metropass, when it was introduced later that year, was $26. The chart above tracks the ever-changing cost of a TTC adult fare, as it was on June 1 of each year from 1980 until now (using statistics collected on Mike Vainchtein's Transit Stop). Save for a few spots—like the comparatively massive increase to the cost of a cash fare in 1992—the increases have been steady, and in the case of ticket or token costs when purchased in larger numbers, almost entirely predictable.

For a related metric, the far less consistent and infinitely less predictable black line in the chart above is the average cost of regular unleaded gas, per litre, from full service filling stations in Toronto for the month of June of each year (from data by Statistics Canada's CANSIM database). Though TTC fares and gas prices are affected by a number of different variables and set for different reasons—both are subsidized in different ways and determined by different organizations with different interests and different demands on them—there's no doubt that gas prices are growing less quickly than TTC fares are, even if on the TTC it'd still only take you the equivalent of two and a half litres of unleaded to get from Queen East and Woodbine to Finch and Steeles.

As usual with statistics, though, it's not the raw but the relative year-to-year statistics that give a more accurate impression. So, adjusted for inflation, easy enough to determine using the Bank of Canada's online inflation calculator, how's the TTC doing?

Well, that depends.

TTC fares have risen and are still rising year-to-year at a rate greater and greater than inflation is. (Gas? Doing great until recently!) For an ever-growing transit system that is ever-absent of adequate government funding and that individual riders pay an ever-disproportionate share to use each trip, though, it's a trend that won't be bucked any time soon. Riders who are angry about yet another fare increase—"Really? REALLY? We are supposed to be moving away from cars towards public transit, this kind of move makes me never wnat [sic] to ride the TTC again," one rider complained in the Star's comments—might be well off asking themselves what their $2.50 will be getting them in 2010 that their equivalent of $1.48 in 1991 wouldn't have then.

All charts by David Topping/Torontoist.

Sign of the Times

Photo by Michael Chrisman/Torontoist.

Late last night the City's proposed new billboard bylaw and tax [PDF] cleared a major hurdle, unanimously passing through the Planning and Growth Management Committee on its way to a hearing before the full City Council. The meeting ran 'til about 11 p.m. and had to be moved from one of the regular committee meeting rooms to the main Council Chamber in order to accommodate fifty-plus deputants and scores of other observers. It was a pitched battle, one that has lasted through several years of debate, consultation, and resistance leading up to this moment. A tremendous victory for public space advocates, progressive councillors, and Mayor Miller, the bylaw will provide harmonized regulation of the billboard industry (the rules haven't been updated since amalgamation) and the tax will create the revenue needed to enforce those regulations.

Though various people (some representing the billboard industry and some public space advocates) had qualms about various provisions in or left out of the draft bylaw language, these were relatively minor. The most significant point of contention was the taxation rate. Billboard industry representatives claimed that the proposed amount of the tax—which would total just over ten million dollars a year city-wide—was greater than the sum total of their profits and would put them out of business. However, most observers of the advertising industry believe that the billboard companies have grossly understated their earnings: the outside economist the City hired to develop the taxation model, David Amborski, developed a tax rate that he believes amounts to about 7% of industry revenue. Councillors present said, repeatedly, that the industry numbers simply defied belief, and several challenged the billboard companies to disclose their real revenues to an independent third party for assessment (the figures the industry brought to the PGM Committee were based on voluntary self-reporting).

Our favourite moment of the day came towards the end of debate, as nerves were fraying and people—likely out of sheer exhaustion—began to speak their minds more freely. Industry representatives had been protesting the fact that the new bylaw doesn't accommodate their continued growth, as it limits the number of billboards that can legally go up in a number of ways (by imposing minimum separation distances between them, for instance, or prohibiting them at intersections). How, they exclaimed, could the City leave them with such limited opportunities? Exasperated—or perhaps righteously indignant—Councillor Janet Davis (Ward 31, Beaches-East York) finally said what half the people in the room had been thinking all along: "Well maybe we just shouldn't have growth in advertising. I don't want to live in a city with an ever-growing and burgeoning number of signs…it's not my vision of a beautiful city."

Nor, let us say, is it ours.

The billboard bylaw and tax will be debated at the next Council meeting, on November 30 and December 1.

Newsstand: November 5, 2009

You read about the possibility yesterday and, besides, you knew it was going to happen anyway, so here it is: the TTC is planning to propose a fare increase on November 17, which they hope to implement by January. According to the National Post, this would be the first fare increase since 2007, and "the adult fare will increase to $3 from $2.75, while tokens will cost $2.50, up from $2.25. Seniors and student rates will rise to $2 from $1.85, while children's fares will climb to 75¢ from 70¢. The cost of a monthly Metropass will rise to $126 from $109."

Speaking of proposals, there's one in the works for a $50 fee to open an account to pay your property taxes if you're a resident or business in Toronto, and that's just one of the many charges recommended that will be debated on Monday. The Globe and Mail reports that, "if approved, the city will bring in two new fees: $50 for a new property-tax account and $35 to transfer ownership of an existing utility bill for water and solid waste. Some cities already charge even higher fees for those services – $62 for each of them in Ottawa – with others in the $30-$50 range."

As is often the case at around this time every year, the poppy is the subject of scandal yet again. So says the Toronto Sun: "Dominion Command of the Royal Canadian Legion has threatened to take legal action against a Cobourg-area credit union for distributing lapel pins depicting the Highway of Heroes sign, which incorporates the image of a poppy." According to the paper, the Legion claims to own numerous trademarks and designs having to do with the poppy.

Mayor Miller is off to Mexico for the final round of lobbying before Saturday's vote for who will host the 2015 Pan Am Games. CTV News states: "On Friday, the city will make an hour-long presentation to the Pan American Sport Federation, followed by 30 minutes of questions and answers. Toronto will be the final presenter."

And finally, H1N1 vaccinations are getting expensive. "In addition to the previously announced $403 million for the vaccine," claims CP24, "Ottawa will spend another $78 million on related costs incurred by Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency." What related costs, you ask? "That $78 million will cover the cost of developing emergency and strategic plans, surveillance and outbreak management, communications, overtime and standby pay for regulatory and lab staff, and planning ahead and rapid research." Hope that answers your question!

Urban Planner: November 5, 2009

Urban Planner is Torontoist's guide to what's on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you'd like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you've got any—to events@torontoist.com.

Grand Analog. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library.

MUSIC: Who said libraries and noise don’t mix? The Toronto Public Library thinks a bit of volume is a great way to support their extensive Canadian independent music collection (which includes CDs and music-related books). The Make Some Noise series brings well-known local bands to various branches for live shows or to lead music-making workshops, with all supporting bands' material available at the library. This season kickstarts with a concert by Grand Analog who’ll play music from their new CD Metropolis is Burning. Look to Torontoist for a review following the show. Toronto Public Library, College/Shaw Branch (766 College Street), 8 p.m., FREE.

FILM: The second KinoArt Festival of Russian film begins with the North American premiere of a (proudly) Russian version of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. The film festival runs until November 8, and the program reads like a treasure trove for lovers of Russian cinema. Offerings include the difficult documentary Process, ‘80s rock music cult film Assa and the new sequel Assa 2, Ukraine Cossak epic Taras Bulba, and the world premiere of rediscovered 1928 Georgian documentary Their Kingdom. Panel discussions abound. Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West); 7 p.m.; $20 gala includes reception ($12 students, seniors), $12 per film regular programme ($10 students, seniors).

ART: C Magazine launches issue number three at the Red Bull 381 Projects. The current issue features essays on on the theme of “Art Infrastructure,” plus reviews from Paris, New York, Montreal, and Toronto, and projects from Kathleen Ritter, James B. Maxwell, and Kara Uzelman. The magazine co-launches with the opening of Red Bull 381 Projects new exhibit “Sitting Pretty: The Enduring Role of Portraiture in Contemporary Art.” Red Bull 381 Projects (381 Queen Street West, Suite 200), 6–9 p.m., FREE.

MUSIC: We had a mini-debate with ourselves as to whether to list tonight’s The Main Thing performance as music or as a party. The seven-piece funk orchestra plays classic funk music that will have the entire audience up on its feet, especially when guest vocalist Barbara Mamabolo gets up to belt out the tunes. This is the last of the Mitzi's Sister Thursday funk series, so get down while you still can. Mitzi’s Sister (1554 Queen Street West), 10 p.m., $5.

The Daily Photoist: November 5, 2009

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo or (two) from a photographer in Torontoist's Flickr Pool, our way of showing off their great work and starting the day off as prettily as possible.

stclair

BY HALF MY DAD'S AGE

Presented By:

Budgetary Preview Review

People tend to do a lot of shouting around budget time. They feel, by turns overtaxed, under-serviced, that the City is spending too much, and that the City isn't delivering everything it should. Usually lost in the shuffle are some basic facts about how the budget process actually works and what options are open to the City should it wish to effect any serious changes to its books.

This morning Toronto's Budget Chief, Councillor Shelley Carroll (Ward 33, Don Valley East), gave one of what is sure to be a great number of speeches on the City's 2010 budget. Things are going to be more controversial than usual this time around for two reasons: it's an election year, and the economic crisis has put added pressure on the City (primarily in form of drastically increased welfare rolls) and the province (which consequently has less money to send the City's way, as it has in other years).

Because the budget can be rather mysterious, we'll repeat some of the essentials from Carroll's very helpful overview. (Apologies to the financial geeks in the audience.) Toronto's budget comes in two parts: the capital budget (which funds major infrastructure projects and long-term development, such as subways) and the operating budget (which pays for day-to-day costs such as staff and services). The City can take on debt in order to pay for capital expenditures but is required—unlike other levels of government, which are legally permitted to run deficits—to balance its operating budget. The primary revenue streams for the operating budget are property taxes (39% in 2009), provincial grants and subsidies (24%), and user fees (15%). Because all regular City services are funded out of the operating budget, and because the City cannot run a deficit, any decrease in revenue forces the City to find efficiencies in or cut services, and any increased demand on services (such as welfare) forces the City to either cut elsewhere or raise new money.

Yesterday the City announced its capital budget, which lays out a plan from 2010–2019. There was some good news on that front, as the City will be refinancing some of its debt to take advantage of the current low interest rates, thereby reducing the amount it needs to spend each year on debt servicing. One of the biggest challenges the City faced in putting together the capital budget was the much-vaunted federal stimulus funding. While it does mean an infusion of new cash, the money does come with two significant strings attached: it must be spent quite soon, and it only covers one-third of the cost of the projects being funded—the City must pay for the rest. What this means is that over the long term the City benefits, as some major projects have new funding, but in the short term the City is forced to spend more money to cover its share of the projects on deadline. The majority of this money ($25.7 billion over ten years) will go to transit projects, and to bringing many roads, water lines, and other basic infrastructure into a state of good repair.

Coming in February will be the new operating budget; since this is where the City is looking at both major cuts and tax increases, this is what most of the political fireworks and policy debates will hinge on. To help get a sense of what the operating budget might look like, the City has asked each department and agency to prepare a budget showing what two successive years of 5% cuts would mean. The goal of this exercise, said Carroll this morning, is to see where further efficiencies might be found, and have a concrete sense of what significant cuts would look like. (The easiest way to frame the debate is to be able to give voters a choice: Would you rather pay x amount more taxes or lose library service two days a week? Pay x amount more or lose a given set of bus routes?) Based on those submissions, the City will then begin the long task of producing an operating budget that avoids cuts where they seriously damage important services, and raises taxes and user fees only as much as necessary. It's an impossible balancing act, and—this year more than most—there will be an awful lot of shouting indeed.

Carroll and her fellow panellists—Board of Trade Policy Director Brian Zeiler-Kligman and National Post columnist Peter Kuitenbrouwer—all agreed, as has pretty much everyone else, that we need systemic change in the operating budget. As Carroll put it, "we are past the point of symbolism." (Carroll also pointed out that the City is still suffering the aftereffects of a three-year tax freeze implemented right after amalgamation: had property taxes gone up 3% in each of those years, the City would have $300 million more to work with.) "Every global city of Toronto's size has two things," said Carroll, which we currently lack: better relationships with higher levels of government (which would hopefully lead to initiatives such a restoration of provincial contributions to the TTC's operating budget), and "dedicated revenues that grow with the economy." Specifically, she argued, Toronto will soon be the only city of its size which does not levy a sales tax. Carroll credited municipal sales taxes with sustaining cities such as Chicago and New York, and warned those listening that "if it's not a part of the discussion then you're just fooling yourself." She also counselled voters to be mindful of these financial realities, warning that "[a] 0% [tax hike] is not an option. If you hear that in this year's election, please be a discriminating consumer."

As for her own potential mayoral aspirations, Carroll kept largely quiet, and probably with good reason. The viability of her campaign will depend in large part on reactions to the budget she proposes, and how close she comes to managing the impossible balancing act. What we can say in the meantime is that hers was the most rhetoric-free, ideology-free speech on budgetary matters we've heard thus far in this pre-pre-election season, and that's about as promising a sign in a candidate as one could hope for.

Polling Booth: Front of the Flu Shot Line

Everybody panic! It's the H1N1 über-lethal supermegavirus plague! Actually, it's just the regular ol' flu, but simply a mutation that is infecting more people because most of us don't have sufficient built-in immunity for it. And while health authorities started the flu season wondering how they were going to convince people to get themselves vaccinated, the tragic death of twelve-year-old Evan Frustaglio may have been the tipping point that immediately clogged clinics and depleted vaccine supplies. Though enough vaccine is being produced, the bottleneck is in getting the vials filled and shipped quick enough, as well as prioritizing people in higher-risk demographics. Meanwhile, as all of this is going on, corporate executives are paying $2,300 each to step to the front of the line at Toronto's private Medcan Clinic, according to the Star. With three thousand doses of the H1N1 vaccine shipped to Medcan so far, these corporate clients are getting the shot as part of their "enhanced annual checkups," immediately, in the comfort of a warm doctor's office instead of waiting hours in a line with the commoners. Pay-for-privilege bypasses Ontario's single-tier health care laws for procedures considered "medically unnecessary," in the same way Ontarians can pony-up $500 for a quickie MRI across the border in Buffalo.

Toronto Exposes Its Data

On Monday, Torontoist spent the day at the Toronto Innovation Showcase at City Hall, learning about data sets, queues, and civic engagement. At the top of the agenda was the unveiling of toronto.ca/open, Toronto’s new open catalogue of city data, ranging from—as Mayor Miller explained in a press release on Monday morning—"apartment inspection data to child care availability to dozens of GIS mapping data that will enable a broad range of location-based applications. And yes," he added, "our initial data offering also includes the TTC’s scheduling data."

Who knew that TTC schedule and stop metadata could be so engrossing?

In the afternoon, during the open data lab, attendees had the opportunity to talk with City experts about the data, and brainstorm ideas for new applications and mashups. While City officials weren't able to answer all of the attendees' questions about data availability and updates, we learned that some data sets, like GIS mapping, will be updated daily, while others, like child care centres, will be updated only when necessary.

Some developers were concerned about the TTC's data (to be refreshed every six weeks), which was released as text files, a format that many felt might create a barrier to new applications. Robert Miller, a TTC IT developer, assured us that the TTC plans to release the data in other formats soon. Real-time data is on the way too, but the TTC first wants to "get over the hump of launching its trip planner," which should be available by December.

This map of licenced child care centres in Toronto was built using the same child care centre data available at toronto.ca/open.

Another data set that received a lot of attention was the City’s child care centre information; participants with kids were especially excited at the prospect of using the data to create a child care space sharing application, which would allow parents who only need child care for a few days a week to find and share child care spaces with other neighbourhood parents. Other ideas included a multi-modular trip planner, an embeddable City event calendar, and a phone app that could be used anywhere in the city to find out when the next TTC bus is coming. (The lattermost of which, of course, received a round of applause.)

Flip charts = democracy.

While the open data lab was the focus of the event, the showcase also featured exhibits on how the City is using data and new technologies to improve its services. We stopped by the University of Toronto’s booth, where computer science graduate students were demonstrating Q-me, a program designed to eliminate the tedious lineups at municipal offices. Their solution: text messages.

"Our technology allows people to spend the wait room time more productively or comfortably by allowing them to leave the physical waiting room and be paged when their turn is near," the Q-me brochure explains. "This is accomplished by assigning an identifier to a person when they first enter the waiting room, and sending a text message to their mobile phone when they near the front of the queue." People can also use the system to enter queues online. At the moment, the team is still looking at ways to implement this technology in the public sector, before exploring its potential in the private sector.

Toronto EMS's booth at the Toronto Innovation Showcase.

We also visited Toronto EMS’s booth and talked with Emergency Medical Dispatcher Nick Kuzyk about SIREN, EMS’s new monitoring and dispatch system, which uses real-time data to display the location of all EMS vehicles and then uses historic demand models to coordinate vehicle deployment. SIREN also decides who to send to an emergency through a series of complex calculations, including, but not limited to, distance from a call, call priority, crew type, and length of time in station. According to Kuzyk, SIREN allows EMS to more effectively deploy its resources, while reducing dispatch process times from two to three minutes, to less than three seconds.

In the end, the Toronto Innovation Showcase was a resounding success. Although the City’s initial data offerings were a tad meagre (so far, only a small fraction has been released, with plans to release more in the upcoming weeks and months; the City is urging citizens to make data requests at DataTO.org, so it knows what to prioritize) most attendees saw Monday's announcement as a first step towards something greater and applauded the City’s commitment to open government. "I’m surprised that the City got as much data available as they did," Oshoma Momoh, one of the developers behind the community website 5 Blocks Out, told Torontoist. "I’m also excited by the number of City staff here, and that they weren’t cajoled into being here, but are actually engaged."

All photos, unless otherwise noted, by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist.

TorontoList Has an iPod Shuffle With Your Name On It

An iPod Shuffle, people. It's preloaded with songs from Vancouver band Elias's second album, and you gotta be a subscriber to TorontoList—Torontoist's daily email newsletter—to have a chance to get it.

	Subscribe to TorontoList and get events, contests, weather, and top stories direct to your inbox every morning.		EMAIL

Being Erica Forms a Future Perfect

Last night's episode of the increasingly addictive Being Erica sent its eponymous protagonist ten years into the future, where she proclaimed that 2019 was pretty similar to 2009. And indeed it was, save for a bad haircut and a few subtle embellishments that we're really looking forward to a decade from now.

In one of Erica's involuntary encounters with Dr. Tom, she finds him looking for directions on a touchscreen directory in the park next to Roy Thomson Hall. Since Astral Media's street furniture contract will still be effect by then, it seems like they've upgraded their craptastic InfoToGo pillars.

During a geographically incorrect rooftop scene, we can see a new skyscraper has arisen with an elegant twist, somewhat reminiscent of the Gherkin in London.

And there's our giant pickle again, but looking this time more like it's been grafted onto Hong Kong's 2 International Finance Centre. The future Toronto skyline boasts a few additional spires, but after a significant decline in the commercial real estate market over the last couple of years, we're gonna assume they're all condos. Except for the Torontoist Building off to the right, of course.

Newsstand: November 4, 2009

Just in case the National Post's miraculous financial rescue made you think that times really aren't so tough for newspapers, the Toronto Star may lay off a third of its newsroom. And, did we mention that this was announced to staff yesterday afternoon, on the paper's 117th birthday? We hope this cheery letter from HR [PDF] didn't put too much of a damper on the festivities when it informed staff that they have until November 30 to apply for voluntary severance packages of three weeks' pay per year of service. Hey, remember how the National Post called everyone who said they were going out of business an uninformed, reactionary, communist? Surely their editorial pages will now be crammed with pleas urging readers to give the Star the benefit of the doubt.

There's a reason we gave you that news first—we wanted to make sure you were sitting down for this next bit. Are you ready? The TTC's November meeting, originally set for the end of the month, has been rescheduled to November 17! No, no, we promise, this really is news, because it indicates that the TTC is probably going to bring in another fare hike soon. Of course, all the traditional omens of a fare hike have been cropping up as well—sun rising in the morning, cats walking about on four legs, winter feeling chilly, and so on.

Did we just mention the TTC without talking about Adam Giambrone's bid for mayor? Well, even though the race hasn't officially kicked off, he's in third place according to a "representative" survey of 503 Torontonians conducted by Angus Reid. Nearly half of those polled weren't quite sure who they would vote for next year (and, wouldn't you know it, neither do we) but half of the half that thinks they know who they want for mayor is pretty sure they'll vote for John Tory, with George Smitherman a second-place favourite even though he might not even run. It's a ridiculously early poll that mostly tests which politicians the respondents have even heard of, but the full results [PDF] are kind of fun! Giorgio Mammoliti tops the list if you turn it upside down (at 1%, he's just a few points less popular than "Other").

And police say that scam movers are primarily targetting people of South Asian descent in Toronto, carrying half their victims' stuff outside and then raising the price to over a thousand bucks, threatening to leave the victim's property on the sidewalk or impound it unless they get paid. Cops are warning people to hire reputable movers, insist on contracts, and not sign anything confusing, because if you get taken in by a shady operation, going to court is your only recourse.

This is where we usually tell you to have a good day and get a bit of air, but forget that—have you seen the city's new open data site? If the CBC's writeup is a little anemic and the full catalogue is just too fabulous to compute, check back later and we'll give you the geeky highlights of this versatile new public information site—once we're done figuring out which neighbourhoods get the most apartment complaints and how many upcoming classical concerts don't require reservations and have bike parking. 'Till then!

Urban Planner: November 4, 2009

Urban Planner is Torontoist's guide to what's on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you'd like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you've got any—to events@torontoist.com.

A mid–twentieth century Canadian hooked rug. Photo courtesy of the Textile Museum of Canada.

ART: In a candid talk about the oldest profession around, the Textile Museum of Canada curators Natalia Nekrassova and Roxane Shaughnessy will discuss the art of hooking. Originating as domestic products of thrifty pioneer families, hooked rugs have come to be recognized as a fine art form and admired for their colour, texture, and design. During tonight's seminar, participants will have the opportunity to look at artifacts from the museum's collection, which reflects diverse communities and geographic regions, including many pieces of Canadian origin. Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Avenue), 6:30 p.m., $15 ($12 for museum members and PWYC for full-time students).

LECTURE: In a series of culinary events highlighting the connection between the Gardiner Museum’s founding collections and the rituals of dining and food presentation, Canadian lawyer turned award-winning food writer Naomi Duguid will discuss her most recent book, co-authored with her husband, Jeffrey Alford. Duguid will share recipes (mmm… Tibetan momos and Mongol lamb patties), photos, and stories from her travels during the creation of Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China, followed by a book signing. The price for tonight’s lecture also includes admission to the museum, so be sure to peruse the pottery and check out the Gardiner’s permanent collection and current exhibitions. Gardiner Museum (111 Queen’s Park), 6:30 p.m., $8 ($5 for members, seniors, and students).

FILM : Radiance Canada, a group dedicated to promoting the art, craft, and business of independent film-making, presents the “Live! Ammunition! Pitching Competition” tonight. If you think you’ve got an idea for the next Hollywood blockbuster (or low-budget indie flick), come out to pitch it to a panel of industry experts. Tonight’s event is sure to be full of engaging performances from people of all walks of life, trying to sell their innovative ideas and ninety-minute storylines. You’re also invited to stick around after the competition to blow off some steam at the after party. The Annex Live (296 Brunswick Street), 7–9 p.m., $10 (FREE for members).

MUSIC: Dan Deacon was drinking out of cups last night at Sneaky Dee’s, and tonight the indie-rock electronic music mogul is back for a second performance at the Great Hall, perhaps appealing to a younger, thriftier crowd (it's an all-ages show and two bucks cheaper). Deacon is known for the intensity of his live shows, where he prefers playing on the floor rather than on stage, flanked by fans that he whips into a sweaty frenzy. He has a way of engaging the crowd and getting people moving, and with his affinity for ice-breakers, warm-up exercises, and co-operative group-work activities during shows, you might mistake Deacon for a recent graduate of a faculty of education. The Great Hall (1087 Queen Street West), 9 p.m., $10.

The Daily Photoist: November 4, 2009

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo or (two) from a photographer in Torontoist's Flickr Pool, our way of showing off their great work and starting the day off as prettily as possible.

..

BY JÕSÉ

Sound Advice: Spirit Guides by Evening Hymns

Every Tuesday, Torontoist scours record store shelves in search of the city’s most notable new releases and brings you the best—or sometimes just the biggest—of what we’ve heard in Sound Advice.

Why is Jonas Bonnetta so damn disarming? His debut full length as Evening Hymns—essentially a fleshed-out version of his real-monikered earlier release—oozes a level of granola that could cause discomfort for hyper-aware, self-conscious indie rock fans; the album is called Spirit Guides and much of the lyrical content is about the forest and there's a full track just of a rain storm and have you seen that eerie, foggy mountain on the cover? Somehow, though, there isn't a pretentious note on this record.

Releasing his album on Out of this Spark makes perfect sense for Bonnetta since he's long been embraced by the associated Bellwoods crew; he has appeared on both Friends in Bellwoods compilations and frequently shares the stage with these pals; Spirit Guides' backing band is made up of members of Forest City Lovers, the D'Urbervilles, and the Wooden Sky; and it was recorded back-and-forth between Peterborough and Toronto by Ohbijou's drummer, James Bunton. A lo-fi aesthetic permeates the record, and although things sound a little too loose sometimes, close mics and soft rooms aren't needed to preserve the underlying warmth in even the most chilling songs. The Appalachian-inspired "Mountain Song," with its wall-banging percussion and swelling, distant choir, recalls the grandiose of fellow woodsy locals Bruce Peninsula if they were a bit more tuneful, and "Dead Deer" is a perfect example of some of the simplest yet most effective dynamics on the record, throwing a soft confessional verse into a perfectly smudged guitar chorus that's startlingly huge, and just as quickly shifting back into a verse that's lush with instruments but tired-voiced and shuffling. A highlight among highlights would be "Broken Rifle" (streaming above, listen!), a cheerful-sounding indie rock romp whose lyrics are deceptively desperate but sing-along-worthy nonetheless (and sure to be a highlight in Bonnetta's charismatic live set). The hushed bedroom folk of "History Books" that meekly closes Spirit Guides strips Bonnetta to his barest moment on the disc and is a perfect end to a satisfying set of songs that are genuine, tangible, and truly, ahem, spirited.

All throughout, the surprising guitars, the understated Arcade Fire intensity of the string, horn, and organ arrangements, and the enviable pop instincts give Spirit Guides an unassuming sophistication that is rare, infectious, and refreshing. Add all of that to his irresistible Joel Plaskett likeability factor, and Jonas Bonnetta could very quickly become one of the most talked-about dudes in local music.

Sound Tracks: "Hands Reversed" by Tokyo Police Club

Believe it or not, music videos still exist. Sound Tracks trolls the internet to find the best and the worst of local artists' new singles and the good, bad, or otherwise noteworthy visuals that accompany them.

Freshly hip to the fact that you don't have to spend money on music videos anymore, local indie-pop exports Tokyo Police Club just shook out this tasty lo-fi morsel to keep us Pitchfork-ers wet for their second full-length record, Forthcoming LP (cheeky!).

Filmed on the deck of singer/bassist Dave Monks' Toronto apartment (ladies, ignore all signs of its obvious location), it's basically a live performance video of the unreleased track "Hands Reversed." Shot POV-style by some dude who gets lured by a suspicious crayon-drawn sign advertising the private show, all audio is in-camera, including the song itself and the jerk helicopter flying overhead.

And maybe it's just us, but when the cameraman—and his plain white Keds that have seen better days—leaves the serenade zone to grab beers from the fridge, we half expect him to find something infinitely better to do. It looks to be about midday, so there's probably a "Not the Father" episode of Maury on the teevee or a sandwich to be made. Whatever, we're not judging (except for that square fan by the deck door: ugly). Says Monks on the Tokyo Police Club blog: "My friend Simon and I filmed it in my apartment, which I am leaving soon. Otherwise I would have limes in my fridge too!" Really would have liked to see those limes, Dave.

Forthcoming LP will be out on mom+pop records, the humble U.S. label that recently snapped up our "biggest Canadian export since Molson,” in early 2010.

Vintage Toronto Ads: The League of Rations

Isn’t it wonderful when four stereotypical figures can come together in perfect harmony thanks to a humble can of spaghetti? We never suspected that the finest spices from Asia lurked within our sloppy Saturday childhood lunch.

Paying homage to the League of Nations might not have been the smartest marketing move in 1936. The weaknesses of the forerunner to the United Nations were all too apparent that year as it failed to make sanctions against Italy stick after Benito Mussolini’s forces invaded Ethiopia and did little to intervene when civil war broke out in Spain.

As for the teaser at the bottom of today’s ad, CFRB was one of the Canadian outlets for the new Heinz Magazine of the Air program, which aired three times a week on CBS. An ad in Life magazine promised homemakers that they would enjoy “a fun half-hour of sparkling music, famous guest stars, romance, drama, homemaking, child problems.” We suspect that a tin of spaghetti was the recommended method of restoring harmony between battling brats.

Additional material from the November 23, 1936 issue of Life.

An Aerial Earth

In the two rooms of Gallery 44 at 401 Richmond Street West, you can see planes take off from Chicago’s O’Hare and Tokyo’s International Airport at the same time. The gallery’s current exhibition, entitled "Google Earth"—running from October 23 to November 28—features a handful of the millions of images captured by the aerial photography internet program.

Since the release of Google Earth 3.0 in 2005, our ability to view the world vastly improved. We can take a digital tour through the Grand Canyon, watch the midnight sun rise in the Arctic, or simply pinpoint our own house from above. And all of this can be done from the comfort of our desks (or couches or café table tops).

Halifax and Montreal–based artists Eryn Foster and John van der Woude illustrate the social implications of the enormous amount of visual information we receive from these photos. Foster’s Flight Simulation animation displays a shot of an aerial landscape with an overlay of computer-generated, continuous movements of abstract images. It comments on our increased sociological distance as we went from being mere passengers on a plane to participating in virtual navigation today. Van der Woude’s Airports series compiles Google Earth satellite photos of the nine busiest airports in the world. Gallery gazers can view the runway plan of Hartsfield Jackson in Atlanta or the observation towers at London’s Heathrow. The series is a commentary on how accessible airport information is, even in an age of terrorism.

As Foster and van der Woude demonstrate, this "developed" perspective, as they call it, alters our relationship with the Earth. No longer are we bystanders, but rather active participants in visual information sharing.

The show couldn’t be more timely, as it coincides with the release of Google’s Street View Toronto, a voyeuristic look at the city’s street corners, parks, storefronts, and pretty much anything else that happens in the public realm. Residents of Toronto—and anywhere in the world—can tour the city with just a few clicks of their mice.

The exhibition is an insightful visual interpretation of one of the most salient issues of our digital age. But if you can’t make it down to Gallery 44 to view the images in person, never fear. Just Google it.

Reel Toronto: The Tuxedo

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city.

This is a movie about a taxi/limo driver, played by Jackie Chan, who wears a magic suit that makes him do kung fu shit, and he fights evil criminals with help from a scientist or secret agent or something played by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Yeah, this is precisely the sort of movie that usually gets shot here.

Possibly it's supposed to take place in New York (or Chicago? or Detroit?) but there's clearly no effort to disguise Toronto or otherwise employ the cinematic arts in any meaningful way. It's got Jackie Chan doing some sub-par wire-fu, and JHew (JLoHew? JLove?) does offer a PG cleavage-shot, if that's you're kind of thing, but overall The Tuxedo is a bit weak, folks.

Well, right off the bat we're clearly in the Big Apple, eh? Like, New York is so famous for its architecture that it's practically impossible to shoot there without getting a shot of the Empire State....um, er...Toronto City Hall.

Anyway, Jackie is a taxi driver and he gets in a fight with some big dude on this street, which is Melinda Street, behind Commerce Court. It's nice to see our bike rings getting some respect from Hollywood.

Here's a wider shot and you can see the exact same view right here, thanks to the super-amazing magic of Google Street View. Thanks, Google!

Jason Isaacs usually plays horrible bad guys, which means he must have enjoyed playing a decent-enough, James Bond–esque fellow here—at least until he gets killed in the first act. Here, Jackie is picking him up on Wellington Street, right near the Flatiron Building and where Pravda is today. Do they have Green Ps in New York?

He's definitely well off, since he lives in Casa Loma, and all. We see it from the outside...

...and the inside...

...a few times.

Speaking of lovely interiors, Ms. Hewitt works at a lab at the RC Harris Filtration Plant.

This quaint backyard party was shot at Oshawa's Parkwood Estate, which we've already seen in a kazillion movies, such as X-Men.

No disguises here: the bad guys' super-secret headquarters is located within the Seaway Queen, parked down in the Port Lands. According to the fine folks at, um, Boat Nerd, she was parked here from 1999 to 2003, before getting taken apart and floated to Montreal, and then India.

Speaking of waterfront landmarks, there's an extensive action scene set atop the silos at Essroc, on Cherry Street. Credit to the filmmakers: you might think they shot most of this in some safe studio, but apparently they actually spent eight nights out there putting this together. Hope it was worth it!

These guys must have really liked the Port Lands, judging by the fact they moved only a block or so to shoot this shot at the Polson Pier Parkette, which is by the main parking lot at The Docks.

Here, Jackie steals a cellphone from this lady at the Yo Yo Ma–designed Music Garden at Harbourfront.

These exciting hotel interiors were shot at the Fairmont Royal York but...

...when dude gets tossed out a window he lands way up at the Crowne Plaza on Eglinton East.
The distinctive pool is easily visible in this overhead view. Thanks again, Google!

Here, Jackie walks under the recognizable canopy of the Hummingbird/Sony/O'Keefe/L Building centre to see a James Brown show...

...which, through the magic of cinema, was shot at the Fairmont Royal York, which we just saw minutes ago in a totally different context! That's the magic of cinema, folks.

Since dude is a driver and all, he drives all over the place. He drives past the Limelight...

...he drives on the Bloor Viaduct (shot from a lovely angle)...

...and under the Gardiner...you get the idea.

What, you're still not satisfied? You want to know something utterly obscure and pointless about this movie you never saw and never will? Fine. The bottling plant seen here, during the opening credits, is the Aberfoyle Springs plant in Guelph.

Not good enough?! Fine—according to the press notes, the titular tuxedo was designed by Giorgio Armani. It is "a one-button classic wool crepe tuxedo with narrow notched satin lapels. The jacket is detailed with topstitching, and the waistband cummerbund is in satin and is worn with a classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie."

Satisfied? Good.

The Fifteenth Hour

As we told you last week, local comedian Pat Thornton is performing twenty-four hours of stand-up comedy as part of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Dare to Remember campaign. He is currently just past the fifteen-hour mark, is looking disheveled, but is still bravely firing jokes, and when Torontoist checked in at 7 a.m., he was on a Nelly Furtado/Fartado/Fartaco roll. Comedy gold! According to his fundraising profile, Thornton has raised 93% of his three-thousand-dollar goal. Him and his few core supporters will be at Comedy Bar until 6 p.m. tonight and on your internet machine until the same time. He will pretty much read anything you write on the live-stream site. Recipe for a good day.

Not Far From The Tree, Very Close to Home

Waste not, want not—so the old saying goes. Taking the adage very much to heart is a fledgling non-profit and its several hundred volunteers, who have been plumbing our city for hitherto forgotten bounty for the past couple of years. The organization is called Not Far From The Tree, and its mission is to rescue fruit growing in Toronto that would otherwise go to waste.

Not Far From The Tree's main activity is a residential fruit-picking programme. Volunteers go out to the homes of people who are lucky enough to have a fruit-bearing tree on their properties and pick all the fruit when it ripens—no small task when a single tree can yield over a hundred pounds of fruit. The harvest is split three ways: a third goes to the homeowner, a third to the volunteers, and a third to community organizations with food programs, like Na-Me-Res and Wychwood Open Door.

As harvest season comes to a close, we sat down with NFFTT co-ordinator Laura Reinsborough for a chat about the food we didn't even know we were growing.

Torontoist: Where did you come up with the idea for NFFTT?

Reinsborough: I'd heard about an art project in L.A. where a bunch of whacky art profs go and pick fruit by night—they wear sanitation suits and harvest into shopping carts. They do these as sort of public spectacle pieces but are really trying to engage with the idea of harvesting public fruit. And then an opportunity kind of fell into my lap to harvest the apples at Spadina Museum—never having picked fruit from a tree before—but I went with it and was inspired by it as performance, as spectacle. Then I learned about other projects, because there are lots. We've learned from groups in B.C., and the Hamilton Fruit Tree Project had started a year before us.

We focused on residential fruit trees because that's where so many of them are not being used and people don't feel as though they have the access to address that themselves—people don't feel comfortable just going and picking from somebody else's tree.

You're just finishing your second year. How have things been going?

Last year we picked three thousand pounds of fruit, entirely volunteer-based with no funding, and that was in one neighbourhood. This year we're picking a couple more neighbourhoods and we've just passed eight thousand pounds. At the end of our first year we had 150 volunteers and we're up to about four hundred now, so there's no shortage of eager people to help out and lend a hand to this. It's a really strong community-building project because of that. There's no shortage of fruit trees—we have over three hundred in our database right now—and that's with very little soliciting. There are so many other neighbourhoods with fruit trees where we could expand, and of course organizations that could make good use of the fruit, so the key is just trying to build our capacity.

You're looking at a tree-mapping project now too, we hear?

Yes! It's in its really early stages, but we're hoping to work also with public trees. Right now it's all residential trees on private property, but there are a lot of trees on public property... [W]e want to make the information available about where those trees are and what are the cautions about those trees—the specifics you should know in order to harvest that tree best.

And if the trees are on city property anyone is free to just go and pick the fruit?

There aren't any bylaws written up about this, but generally the feedback I've gotten is that there are quite a few trees—some that the city will plant, most that happen by accident or are remnant trees from old orchards—and of all of those the city really doesn't have the capacity to tend them. So, any sort of harvesting would be making good use of them.

What kinds of fruit are you picking?

We'll pick any fruit that grows on a tree: sweet cherries, sour cherries, serviceberries, mullberries, apricots, plums, crabapples, elderberries, sumac, pears, apples. We just did ginko nuts; we did black walnuts—those were two firsts for us for this year.

We seem to be having this cultural moment that is part return to the land, part homesteading, part environmentally driven: people are talking about their food in a way that they weren't even ten years ago. What do you think that's about?

It's huge and it's exciting and I think it has to do with a collective understanding of just how screwed up our food system is—so much so that we have a difficult time imagining what a sustainable food system looks like. But slowly examples of that, pieces of the puzzle, are starting to bubble up here and there, and I think that what is especially exciting about urban agriculture is that it's...challenging the division of city and country. It shows so much potential, and it also helps to bring the city alive in a different way.

There's this one cherry tree on St. Clair: it's in a Green P parking lot, and I don't think it's there on purpose—it has just sprouted up in a crack in-between asphalt. From that soil that's underneath the concrete a friend made a few pies this year. To know that a tree is coming from that soil makes you think differently about what constitutes that soil and what's underneath our feet. To know that food can be produced from that—that you can actually eat this, that this is delicious, that this is actually fruit, that it's sweet, that it has come from something in the city—it shows the potential for what can be grown in the city and it shows the potential for what we can be doing in what looks like some of the most dire circumstances... It's doing a number on how we perceive the city. That soil is there anyway; it's just that if we see it as food-producing or life-giving soil then that potential can be realized.

Not Far From The Tree's End-of-Season Celebration will be held at the Wychwood Barns this Thursday, November 5, from 7–10 p.m.

Photos by Ayngelina Brogan/Torontoist.

Newsstand: November 3, 2009

Shall we begin today's Newsstand in the gutter? (Were you expecting anything less?) Yesterday, the Executive Committee approved the application of the savings gleaned from this summer's city strike to offset a 2% rate hike in our garbage fees. Sounds good, right? Well, the mayor doesn't think so. "I thought they were taking a short-term gain for long-term pain," he lamented. "I thought cancelling the rate increase this year means that the increase next year will have to be over 4%." Councillor Pam McConnell, on the other hand, is lamenting the fact that the green-bin program will now take longer to implement, citing "pent up desire on behalf of residents...to be able to participate." And with that quote, you know in what direction today's news is going to go...

When is a grain silo just a grain silo? When it's allowed to remain erect, of course! Wait...did that sound wrong? Well, kids, it's true: despite abandoned plans to turn the Canadian Malting silos site into a museum, a new plan by the city to preserve heritage sites will be combined with private funding to avoid tearing down the silos to create a "symbolic outline" (which, unfortunately, would have been anything but Freudian). Shocker of shockers, our good friend Councillor Doug Holyday has something to say about the whole thing. “It is nice to preserve things but you can't preserve everything,” he said. “This is valuable property we should be doing something about.” You know what, though? He's right. Maybe we should cut off the top halves of the outer two silos, leaving the middle one intact, and name it in his honour.

Speaking of phallic symbols, CP24 is launching its own broadcast euphemism with On the Rocket, a monthly show where TTC Chair Adam Giambrone will "discuss everything from daily transit operations to improvements and plans for the future." Ooh, baby. What's even better is that the station promises that "viewers are invited to get on and off for a free ride" during the show. Hold on. A free ride on Giambrone's rocket? Only once a month? Must...not... go...there...

And finally, here's another one for the shocker files: a university paper has been forced to shut down because it spent too much money on booze and parties. An even bigger shocker is the fact that we're choosing not to make a puerile joke about the fact that the group behind the decision to halt The Gargoyle's iniquitous splurges is called UC Lit. We'll leave that one up to you. Own it. Love it. It's all yours, baby.

CORRECTION: NOVEMBER 3, 2009 This article originally stated that it was City Council dealing with the garbage fees yesterday; in fact, it was the Executive Committee.

Presented By:

Urban Planner: November 3, 2009

Urban Planner is Torontoist's guide to what's on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you'd like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you've got any—to events@torontoist.com.

Photo of Basement Jaxx by Jamie Beeden.

MUSIC: Basement Jaxx, the over-the-top house music imports from the UK, are in Toronto tonight for a DJ set at the Century Room. The duo, consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, first gained notoriety in Canada in 2001 with the single "Where's Your Head At?" (complete with a crazy video featuring monkey-human brain transplants) from their second album, Rooty. They're out promoting their latest album, Scars, which is characteristic of most of their work, using plenty of vocals and live instruments to complement the sample and synth. Century Room (580 King Street West), doors open at 10 p.m., $20 at the door.

LECTURE: The Ontario College of Art and Design's Nomadic Residents series brings to Toronto Hal Foster, professor of art and archaeology at Princeton University, for a talk called "How To Survive Civilization, Or What Dada Can Still Teach Us." Foster, an art critic of nearly thirty years, can be partially credited with (or blamed for) postmodernism, as he's widely considered one of the cultural movement's founding theorists. Ontario College of Art and Design (100 McCaul Street), 7:30 p.m., FREE.

ART: Art with Heart is an annual art auction that features works from many well-established and emerging Canadian contemporary artists. Proceeds from the auction go to Casey House, which provides treatment and support to people affected by HIV/AIDS. Pieces such as Harold Town's John Lennon and Yoko Ono series, and "Stereo" by Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber of the Royal Art Lodge, are a part of Art with Heart's limited edition works on sale through their website, while pieces by John Kissick and Douglas Coupland can be bid on tonight. The Carlu (444 Yonge Street); reception at 5:30 p.m., auction at 7 p.m; $125.

WORDS: Tonight's Strong Words poetry reading features Electric Jon, Brick Books editor Barry Dempster, and Gypsy Eyes. This monthly poetry reading series is moving come the new year, so come out and enjoy their second-last reading at the Gladstone. Donations of new and used books for the Toronto Public Library's Book Ends program are, as always, appreciated. Gladstone Hotel, Art Bar (1214 Queen Street West), 7:30 p.m., pay-what-you-can.

The Daily Photoist: November 3, 2009

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo or (two) from a photographer in Torontoist's Flickr Pool, our way of showing off their great work and starting the day off as prettily as possible.

Img2006-11-25-003

BY PICTURENARRATIVE

Enza Anderson Eyes City Council Seat

Enza Anderson waits at a bus stop on the west side of Bay Street by City Hall with a tall shovel in her hand. The bus to Queen's Quay pulls up and all eyes fixate on her as she boards. Walking towards the back, an elderly passenger comments, "A bit early for shovelling the snow off your driveway, isn't it?"

She replies, "Yes, but I'm going to be shovelling something a lot better."

In the same way the broom symbolized David Miller's promise to sweep out corruption at City Hall during his run for mayor (insert your salty quip here), the normally winter-worn outdoor tool will be the calling card of another foray into municipal politics for Anderson. The social activist, media personality, and grand marshall of the city's 2008 Pride Parade is putting the finishing touches on announcing her candidacy for councillor of Ward 27 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale). If her campaign—which she will publicly launch this month—is successful, she will be the first-ever transgendered councillor in the city's history.

"People are just fed up with incumbents who continually waste resources. These people don't understand that it's the taxpayer who picks up the tab and not them," says Anderson while, ahem, on the move to a photo shoot. "And at the same time I want to make history as the first transsexual on City Council."

No stranger to the bear pit of municipal campaigns, Anderson has twice run for office and lost, though has marked impressive showings. In 2000, she placed third in the mayoral race behind Mel Lastman and Tooker Gomberg, with more than 13,000 votes. In 2003 (a year after she tried to run for leader of what was then the right-wing Canadian Alliance), Anderson took on incumbent Kyle Rae for the Ward 27 seat. Soundly beaten, but not defeated, Anderson wants a rematch, and will brook no arguments that her efforts are solely about garnering press attention.

"I've never done anything as a publicity stunt. What I say to anyone who says that is that I'm raising issues that you failed to do, one," she says. "Two: When I do something, it's because it affects me and other people. When something upsets you, you have to make a stand. And these people, what was the difference when they ran? Why are they so special that it wouldn't be a publicity stunt for them? But I don't sweat it. The voters can decide."

And what's on Anderson's agenda? She's the first to admit her total platform is embryonic, but she's adamant about building a bridge to the island airport, fiscal responsibility and transparency, and making public transit and garbage collection essential services. Privatization is a no-go, she says, adding that Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti's idea to have a corporate-sponsored TTC is "crazy" and that Mammoliti "has been in politics for years and still hasn't got the grasp of how serious the transportation issue is. To him it's just a big joke."

"This city is so under-managed when it comes to moving people," she says. "And we need to open the books so people can see where their money is going. We also need to take a look at our communities that are being lost. Church Street is dying, for example. We've [Toronto's LGBT community] fought an uphill battle for what we have, for this, and if we lose this area, we lose who we are."

Not long after Anderson says this does a group of high school students walk by; one yells "Go home, you fucking faggot!" It doesn't take a person of LGBT orientation to see how deeply those remarks cut, and it's an ugly reminder of the unique battle she'll fight to be taken seriously during her bid. Anderson steels herself and continues, but not before saying, "I hate that."

"People should be looking past my gender and look at my ideas," she says. "I can work like everybody else, not just in the gay community. It's about what you can do, not what you are. And I can do the job of city councillor."

All photos by Brian Towie/Torontoist

Can-Can-Canzine!

Yesterday afternoon, hundreds of people who were way cooler than Torontoist came out to the Gladstone Hotel to see the 175 independent publishers, artists, and writers at Canzine, Canada’s largest zine fair and festival of alternative culture. The day-long event was organized by Broken Pencil, the quarterly magazine dedicated to all things underground culture and the independent arts.

Participants—which ranged from the established and critically acclaimed fashion magazine Worn to the start-up zine Deep Madder, a publication that “articulates all feelings of inadequacy”—appreciated Canzine’s relaxed and creative vibe, acknowledging that it’s one of the few remaining festivals that’s cheap enough for independent writers and artists to showcase their goods. Cartoonist Dan Barclay of Brown Paper Bag Comics has been coming to Canzine for eight years. “Shows like this are a great way to get your stuff out there,” he said. “It attracts a broad group of people and it’s great to see what others out there are doing.” Graphic artist Jesse Rayburn agreed. “I’ve been coming for the past three or four years. It’s a good show with a good vibe,” he said.

ECW Press participated for the first time this year, having published Broken Pencil’s new fiction anthology, Can’tLit. ECW Press's publicist, Sarah Dunn, was surprised by the diverse crowd and vendors the festival brought out. “It’s been a busy day so far,” she said. “Being here gives our books exposure to a different audience.” The organizational structure was a bit of a free-for-all—booths were served up on a first-come first-served basis and better signage would have simplified navigating the haphazard layout—but participants seemed pleased with the large turnout and enthusiastic response.

Events included the One-Two Punch Book Pitch, where participants had two minutes to pitch their best-selling book idea to Coach House Press’s Alana Wilcox, Broken Pencil’s Hal Niedzviecki, and The Rights Factory’s Sam Hiyate. The pitches ranged in topics from a darkly comic novel “A High-Rise Condo at the End of the World” which promised philosophical reflection and spies (!), to “Search History,” a collection of poetry based on the search history of people’s computers, and “Waterlogged,” a graphic novel that sounded a lot like a scifi reinterpretation of Splash. Alana and Sam had fun playing good cop/bad cop, as Sam unapologetically shut down any project where he didn’t see potential, and Alana tried to be more constructive, offering participants advice on how to improve their concepts or on finding an appropriate audience for their work.

Artists Kim Sokol (left) and Karen Brown (middle).

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the Canzine Olympics, an event staged in honour of Broken Pencil’s latest Olympic-themed issue. Evan Munday, King Frankenstein, and Lindsay Tipping competed in such creative events as Word Relay Race, the Zine Lift, Speed Zining, and Competitive Speaking. Chaos reigned as the three competitors rolled around on stage trying to score coveted words (“penis” was a popular choice) to compile inane sentences, tested their strength and endurance by repeatedly lifting zines, and showed off their cut-and-paste skills by putting together a zine at breakneck speed.

The day ended with readings from Can’tLit by Joey Comeau, Greg Kearney, Zoe Whittall, and Jessica Faulds.

All-day art installations filled the Gladstone’s hotel rooms, including the Toronto Comic Jam project, a continuous comic where each sequential panel is created by a different artist; The Lost Window, a collection of photographs of Toronto mannequin window displays from 1930–1950; and Artcade 2009, a showcase for Toronto’s indie videogame scene, which featured an awesome arcade cabinet created by the Hand Eye Society and stations to create your own videogame character.

Photos by Erin Balser/Torontoist.

Televisualist: Who Needs More Than Four Weeks of Alien Invaders Anyway?

Each week, Torontoist examines the upcoming TV listings and makes note of programs that are entertaining, informative, and of quality. Or, alternately, none of those. The result: Televisualist.

Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans in V. Illustration by Brett Lamb/Torontoist.

Monday

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar was unsurprisingly (and not entirely undeservedly) scorned by critics for being a bastard stepchild of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert when it first came out; it's tamer and more mainstream than Priscilla, to say the least. (Man, thinking back to a time when Priscilla was avant-garde is just so weird now, isn't it?) But it's not a bad little movie at all, despite being clumsy and mainstream and Hollywoodish: Patrick Swayze is a great lead and Wesley Snipes's drag queen is consistently hilarious. Time improves some things. (BET, 8 p.m.)

Speaking of "things that were common in the '90s but relatively rare now": a rerun of an episode of classic Star Trek! Space is kind enough to air "The Cage" in its full-length version (which runs about seventyish minutes, ninety with commercials): you really don't get a chance to see the full version often, and although by modern standards the effects are of course hokey, and by Trek standards the storytelling still finding its feet (they hadn't formalized a lot of the canon at this point, to say the least), it's still gripping television, and explains a lot about why Trek became, well, Trek. (9 p.m.)

Tuesday

ABC's strategy for their new rendition of V (er, which is remaking the 1983 "aliens invade Earth while pretending to be friendly" TV epic, and not the recent movie about the guy in the mask blowing up future fascist London) is...interesting, in that they've decided to air four episodes of it right now in November and then, so far as we know, will air no more episodes until March. Like we said...interesting. In fairness, the "single-serving preview" strategy worked reasonably well for Glee, but Glee has an entirely new sort of revenue-generating model and V doesn't. And also Glee is a much, much cheaper show than V. All of this having been said, the pilot for V is slambang fantastic, so give it a shot. But you have been warned. (CTV, 8 p.m.)

Nova is caught up in a series-within-a-series called "Becoming Human," about proto-apes and early human life on Earth. It's actually pretty fascinating; this week's episode focuses on "Lucy," the famous complete proto-human skeleton found by the Leakeys (among others) in 1973. However, Nova refuses to accede to Televisualist's demands for idle speculation as to what Lucy's favourite flavour of ice cream might have been were she to live today, so, you know, grain of salt. (PBS, 8 p.m.)

Wednesday

It is kind of creepy watching Pitchmen because Billy Mays plays such a prominent role in it, and with Mays's death this summer the entire thing becomes sort of funereal. Which completely works against the tone of this docu-show, as it wants to be light, fluffy fare. Like, this week has Mays's son directing his first commercial, and it should play as funny. But, you know, dead guy, so it's not that funny. Awkward! (Discovery, 8 p.m.)

Bill Cosby receives the twelfth annual Mark Twain Prize for American humour; presumably he will do some standup. This is worth seeing, because even though Cosby is now a grumpy old fart he is actually still very, very sharp when it comes to his standup act. Alternatively, he might complain about how black people need to be more responsible, and that's not quite as funny but it's also worth watching in a sort of train-wreck way. (PBS, 8 p.m.)

Thursday

We're up to the "merge" in Survivor: Samoa. For those having trouble keeping track: one tribe is full of utter douchebags who are unfortunately pretty good at the challenge portion of the game, and the other tribe is filled with such a bunch of useless, pathetic schmendricks that Russell, this season's likeable sociopath who was touted as the next awesome Survivor villain, is actually the guy that Survivor fans are all now rooting for because A) he is actually pretty clever and B) he backs up his lip with good challenge performance, gameplay, and work ethic. See, this is what CBS doesn't get: Survivor villains aren't guys like Russell. They're guys like Coach from last season, who was the most useless bag of flesh ever invented and who never, ever shut up about how awesome he was. (Global, 8 p.m.)

Community is flopping in the ratings and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's just too dry a show for network TV? After all, The Office has gradually wackied up since its first couple of seasons, and 30 Rock is one of the funniest shows on the air but it's also one of the silliest. Community's generally restrained wit and affinity for wordplay over visual gags seems almost too urbane by comparison. (City, 8 p.m.)

Friday

This week's contestant on "classic comics concept ruined by Smallville": the bottle city of Kandor! Give it up for the bottle city of Kandor, ladies and gentlemen! All three million of you tiny Kryptonians must be very proud indeed. (SunTV, 8 p.m.)

The Simpsons rerun of the week: "Deep Space Homer," which birthed the "I, for one, welcome our new ______ overlords" meme when Kent Brockman sees the supposedly giant ants. "The only danger is if they send us to that terrible Planet of the Apes. Wait a minute...Statue of Liberty...that was our planet! You maniacs, you blew it up. Damn you! Damn you all to hell!" (CFMT, 10:30 p.m.)

The Weekend

The Nature of Things's three-part special minseries on Charles Darwin concludes tonight. Spoiler: he figures it all out, but Republicans don't like him a hundred years later! (CBC, 9 p.m. Sunday)

Secret Girlfriend is a new and frankly terrible comedy series with a gimmick: the entire thing is shot from a second-person perspective, making you the viewer the "star of the show." (Much like how you were previously Time magazine's Person of the Year. At some point, they should probably start paying you.) It's a clever gimmick: unfortunately the comedy is just a series of dick-and-titty jokes not even worth repeating to your friends when you are drunk at a bar somewhere, which tells you something. (Comedy Network, 10:30 p.m. Sunday)

Torontoist
Torontoist is a website about Toronto and everything that happens in it. It's edited by David Topping and Marc Lostracco.

 

Boosters gush about Pan Am's effect on Toronto
Jubilant supporters of Toronto's winning bid for the 2015 Pan Am Games are calling the event a boost not only for athletics in Ontario but for everyone living in and around Canada's largest city.

Ontario still vaccinating only priority groups
Ontario doesn't plan to expand its H1N1 vaccination program to school-age children next week and will continue immunizing only those in priority groups.

Leafs climb out of NHL's basement
The visiting Toronto Maple Leafs overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Friday during a battle between the two worst teams in the NHL.

Toronto to host 2015 Pan Am Games
It's mission accomplished for Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor David Miller and all other members of the delegation supporting Toronto's bid to host the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Mavs look to keep rolling vs. Raptors
The Dallas Mavericks look to rebound from a disheartening defeat with a 10th straight home win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.

No probe into H1N1 shots for execs - for now
It won't be until after the H1N1 pandemic passes that the province looks into why and how some hospital executives got flu vaccine shots before many others in priority groups, according to Ontario's Health Minister.

Suspects in FBI mosque raid get bail
Two Canadian men accused by the FBI of conspiring to commit federal crimes in the U.S. have been granted bail in Windsor, Ont., CBC News has learned.

Vaccine shortage closes Peel clinics
All H1N1 vaccination clinics in Peel Region will be closed Sunday through Wednesday because they don't have enough of the serum.

New aerial search held for missing Toronto teen
An Ontario Provincial Police helicopter scanned two parks in Toronto to look for new clues in the disappearance of Mariam Makhniashvili, a Toronto teen who went missing almost two months ago.

Charges dropped against Muskoka club executives
Charges have been withdrawn against 11 Clublink employees charged after the deaths in Muskoka of three young Toronto men, the Bracebridge Examiner reported Thursday.

Ontario school funding falling behind: report
A new report says Ontario schools are so strapped for cash they have to fundraise for essentials.

Bosh leads Raptors' win over Hornets
Chris Bosh scored 27 points and the Toronto Raptors used a 27-4 run in the third quarter to take control of a 107-90 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.

Charles and Camilla open Royal Winter Fair
Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, have officially opened Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Leafs, Hurricanes in dubious battle
The two worst teams in the NHL will square off on Friday night in Carolina when the Hurricanes host the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Canada sheds 43,200 jobs in October
Canada's unemployment rate rose slightly in October, with the economy shedding 43,200 jobs in the month.

CBC | Toronto News
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

 

Greenspan denies role in U.S. policy
Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan told CBC News Friday he makes regular visits to the Obama White House, but he denied he still influences policy-making.

Videotron ideal suitor for Globalive: analyst
Quebecor's Videotron telecom arm might be the ideal candidate to help solve Globalive Communications' foreign ownership problems, an analyst at Royal Bank suggests.

Toronto to host 2015 Pan Am Games
It's mission accomplished for Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor David Miller and all other members of the delegation supporting Toronto's bid to host the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Canada sheds 43,200 jobs in October
Canada's unemployment rate rose slightly in October, with the economy shedding 43,200 jobs in the month.

U.S. unemployment hits 26-year high of 10.2%
The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 10.2 per cent in October from 9.8 per cent, as non-farm payroll employment declined by 190,000.

Air Canada: no quick recovery
Air Canada's CEO says he's seeing the first signs of economic recovery, but he doesn't expect a return to full revenues at the Montreal-based airline for at least a year.

How executive bonuses fail to deliver
A new study suggests 12 of the companies in Canada's TSX 60 index have corporate governance issues that make them a serious risk to investors. Another 10 are a moderate risk.

Gold soars for 5th straight day
Gold futures jumped to yet another new record Friday, soaring over $1,100 US an ounce.

Suncor plans to sell $4B in assets
Calgary-based Suncor Energy Inc. said Friday it plans to sell up to $4 billion in assets next year.

GM Europe chief resigns
Carl-Peter Forster, the chief executive of General Motors Europe who runs its struggling Opel unit, is leaving the company, GM said Friday.

Justice to head Fraser River salmon inquiry
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen will head the federal inquiry into the decline of the Fraser River sockeye salmon stocks.

G20 debates how to let big banks fail
Finance ministers from the G20 countries were grappling with the problem of how to allow big banks to big fail as they gathered in St. Andrews, Scotland, on Friday.

Telus lowers profit outlook
Telus Corp. has lowered its estimate of how much profit it will make this year.

Campaign aims to rope in young farmers
A countrywide campaign is underway to get more young people interested in agriculture to counter a rapid decline in the number of Canadian farmers over the past several years.

Magna says no more takeovers planned
Magna International said Thursday it has no further plans for takeovers now that the deal to acquire Opel is off.

CBC | Money News
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

 

Phone-card seller misled customers: ruling
An Ontario-based company that sells prepaid long-distance phone cards has been fined $300,000 for misleading customers about rates.

Canada sheds 43,200 jobs in October
Canada's unemployment rate rose slightly in October, with the economy shedding 43,200 jobs in the month.

U.S. unemployment hits 26-year high of 10.2%
The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 10.2 per cent in October from 9.8 per cent, as non-farm payroll employment declined by 190,000.

Canadian parents' group lists safest infant toys
U.S. companies have nailed down seven of the 10 slots in the Green Parents' List of safest infant toys and baby care products for Christmas.

U.S. drivers happier with auto claims in 2009
U.S. auto insurers did a better job dealing with consumers in the first six months of 2009 compared to a year earlier, according to a new study released this week by J.D. Power.

Canada's pension plans post improved Q3 returns
The financial picture for Canada's pension plans got a bit brighter in the July-to-September period of 2009, but not by as much as managers might think, according to a report released this week.

Ball voted into U.S. Toy Hall of Fame
The ball, arguably the most popular plaything of all time, has finally earned a place inside a glass case at the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, N.Y.

Kids beverages recalled over health risks
Several beverages tied to a youth trading-card game contain ingredients that could harm kids and should not be consumed, Health Canada has warned.

G20 debates how to let big banks fail
Finance ministers from the G20 countries were grappling with the problem of how to allow big banks to big fail as they gathered in St. Andrews, Scotland, on Friday.

Gun registry's looming demise welcome: shop owner
New Brunswick's largest gun shop owner is shedding no tears over the passage of a federal private member's bill that is designed to kill Canada's long-gun registry.

Shaw ticket sales slip amid recession
The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., saw ticket sales fall by nearly 10 per cent in the 2009 season.

Porsche intros newest Boxster for $72k
The newest Porsche Boxster Spyder will go on sale in February 2010 for a cool $72,900.

Awards at The Royal
The Canadian Culinary Book Awards were handed out Friday at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, and I caught up with this year's three English-language gold winners to talk about their books (and of course, to get some great recipes).

Beware of online swine-flu remedies: Health Canada
As flu activity picks up across the country, federal authorities are warning Canadians not to buy unauthorized products from the internet or other sources that claim to fight the H1N1 virus.

Flight cancellation fees unfair during pandemic: passenger
A Vancouver woman who paid $350 to cancel her flight to Japan after she was diagnosed with swine flu is criticizing the airline, saying it should consider easing its cancellation fees.

CBC | Consumer Life News
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
As preparations begin to get under way for Remembrance Day on November 11, it's worth noting that almost 20,000 of the 80,000 Canadians who died in World War I have no identifiable grave. Those who could be identified as Canadian have gravestones inscribed "A Canadian Soldier of the Great War - known unto God." In 2000, Canada created the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to represent all Canadian service people who have no known grave.

The Canadian government asked the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to select a grave of an unidentified Canadian soldier in the Vimy Ridge area of France. The remains of the soldier were brought back to Canada and buried in the sarcophagus of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Nothing is known about the soldier who is buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, except that he was Canadian, he died in France during World War I, and he was young.

Photo Courtesy City of Ottawa

More About Canada and World War I
Pictures of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Pictures of the Battle of Passchendaele
Canadian Battles in World War I
Canada and World War I

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 20:38:33.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

H1N1 Flu Shots Begin Across Canada

Clinics have opened across most of Canada to provide vaccinations for the H1N1 flu virus (human swine flu). Since it's the provinces and territories who administer the vaccination programs, the priorities for who will get the vaccine first vary depending where you are in the country. In general, health-care workers, people under the age of 65 with a chronic illness, pregnant women, children under five and people in remote communities will likely be vaccinated first.

To find out how the vaccination program is being handled in your province or territory, and to locate an H1N1 flu clinic near you, check H1N1 Flu Shot Clinics in Canada.

If you have questions or concerns about whether the H1N1 flu vaccine is appropriate for you, please ask your own doctor or a public health practitioner.

Photo: Pool / Getty Images

More on H1N1 Flu in Canada
H1N1 Flu Symptoms and Precautions
H1N1 Flu Shot Priorities
H1N1 Flu Risks for Pregnant Women

H1N1 Flu Shots Begin Across Canada originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 23:54:30.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

In Flanders Fields

As we approach the 91st anniversary of the end of World War I, the poem In Flanders Fields remains an evocative symbol of remembrance world wide. The poem was written by Canadian doctor and soldier John McCrae.

A surgeon in the dressing stations in the Ypres salient in 1915, John McCrae had spent weeks tending the injured and dying when a friend and former student, Lt. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, was blown up by a shell burst during the Second Battle of Ypres. With no chaplain available, McCrae performed a makeshift funeral service for Helmer under cover of darkness. Sitting on the back of an ambulance on a break the next day, McCrae looked over the scene in front of him and wrote these 15 lines that still strike a chord.

Alexis Helmer was just one of more than 60,000 Canadians who died during World War I. Another 170,000 were wounded.

Photo: Flanders Poppies
Tom Brakefield / Getty Images

In Flanders Fields originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 14:29:53.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Jean Chrétien Receives Order Of Merit

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was at Buckingham Palace in London yesterday to receive the Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II. The Order of Merit is a special honour awarded to individuals of great achievement in the fields of the arts, learning, literature and science, and is considered the most senior honour a Canadian can receive. A special gift from the sovereign, the award is limited to 24 living members, with a few additional foreign recipients.

Only three other Canadians have received the award: neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, and former prime ministers Mackenzie King and Lester Pearson. Other recipients of the award, which was founded by Edward VII in 1902, have included Florence Nightingale, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and Graham Greene.

Photo: Ian Nicholson / PA Pool / Getty Images

More About Canadian Prime Ministers
Biography of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Canadian Prime Ministers Since 1967
The Role of the Prime Minister of Canada
Canadian Prime Ministers Quiz

Jean Chrétien Receives Order Of Merit originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 23:13:39.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Unique 2010 Olympic Medals

Each of the medals given to gold, silver and bronze medallists at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Paralympics will be different, the organizers of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics have unveiled. In an Olympic first, the Vancouver Olympics and Paralympics medals will each feature a part of an image cropped from two large master artworks by Corrine Hunt, a Canadian Aboriginal designer and artist. The orca was chosen as the motif for the Olympic medals, and the raven as the motif for the Paralympic medals. Each Olympian and Paralympian medallist will be presented with a silk scarf printed with the master artwork so they can see how their medal connects with those awarded to other athletes at the Games.

Another unique feature of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic medals is that they are undulating, rather than flat. The wavy nature of the medals is intended to represent British Columbia's mountains, ocean and snow. They are also among the heaviest medals in Olympic and Paralympic history, weighing over 500 grams.

Photo: 2010 Vancouver Olympic Medals
© VANOC/COVAN

More About the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
2010 Vancouver Olympics Sports
2010 Vancouver Olympics Schedules
Vancouver Olympics Red Mittens

Unique 2010 Olympic Medals originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 22:22:38.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

New Premier for Manitoba

The Manitoba NDP have selected Greg Selinger as their new leader, replacing Gary Doer who is moving on to become the Canadian Ambassador to the United States. As the leader of the governing party, Greg Selinger becomes provincial premier. It is expected that he will be sworn in on Monday, October 19.

Greg Selinger is the Manitoba MLA for the St. Boniface riding in Winnipeg, and has been Finance Minister since 1999. With a Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics, Selinger certainly had the credentials for that job. His background as a social worker in Winnipeg's north end has also made him a strong advocate for social justice. All indications are that he plans to follow Gary Doer's middle-of-the road approach.

More About Manitoba
Doer Named Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.
Role of Provincial Premiers in Canada
Premiers of Manitoba Since 1870
Manitoba Facts

New Premier for Manitoba originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 19:42:35.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Famous Five Named Honorary Senators

The Senate of Canada has voted to name the Famous Five as honorary senators in Canada, 80 years after they won a political and legal battle that changed history for Canadian women. In what has become know as the Persons Case, the five Alberta women - Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parlby - fought to have women recognized as persons under the BNA Act. The landmark ruling in 1929 recognized women as persons and allowed them to sit in the appointed Senate.

Read more...

Famous Five Named Honorary Senators originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 22:16:25.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

New Canadian Language Tools Available Online

The federal government has launched the Language Portal of Canada giving users free online access to a very useful set of tools to make understanding and effectively using both of Canada's official languages easier. The French is available at Portail linguistique du Canada.

Run by the Translation Bureau at Public Works, this new site includes TERMIUM Plus^®, a terminology data bank with about 4 million terms in English and French, as well as more than a dozen writing tools. An example of the writing tools is The Canadian Style, which answers questions about written English in the Canadian context - on topics like abbreviations, capital letters, frequently confused words and Canadian geographical names. It also includes advice on drafting letters, memos, reports, indexes and bibliographies.

More on Canada's Official Languages
Bilingualism in Canada
Learn French - About.com
Learn English as a Second Language - About.com

New Canadian Language Tools Available Online originally appeared on About.com Canada Online on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 19:40:19.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

25 Years Since Canadians Went Into Space