Month: September 2013

Minister promotes all-day kindergarten study

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The Ontario government was out this morning (Tuesday, September 3, 2013) promoting full-day kindergarten (FDK). The Education Minister Liz Sandals was at Ogden Public School in the Spadina Chinatown area to say that a study has shown what what seems to be huge improvements in the ability of children to learn as a result of this program. A news release from the government says that over two years (2010-2012) the FDK program reduced risks in social competence development from 10.5 per cent to 5.2 per cent. It also reduced risks in language and cognitive development from 16.4 per cent to 4.3 per cent and  risks in communication skills and general knowledge development from 10.5 per cent to 5.6 per cent. The study was conducted jointly with McMaster University and Queen’s University on a group of nearly 700 children divided among those who went to FDK and those who did not. The categories above are apparently created by the United Nations.The full report has not been released but the extracted information provided this morning states that parents can save up to $6500 a year in private child care costs. It does not mention the cost to taxpayers however. An aspect also untouched in the promotional material is the differences between immigrant and foreign language children as opposed to those who come from English-speaking homes. 

B.C. addict’s narcotics scam lasted five years

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Ms Gettings and Oxycodone
A CBC expose has shown that it seems much easier for addicts to scam for Oxycodone and other prescription narcotics in B.C. than in other provinces. In this case, two sisters somehow permitted an acquaintance to access personal information and use it to get narcotics over a five-year period. The fraud artist and addict, Audrey Gettings, was finally caught when she recklessly started to shoplift drugs in the pharmacy where she was waiting to get a prescription filled. The matter is clearly serious and has revealed that at least two members of the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons were doling out Oxycontone in a way that seems impossible here. In recent years, the Ontario Government has put the fear of serious consequences into both the Ontario college and its members. Pharmacists are similarly facing rigorous rules and scrutiny. Records show that one B.C doctor, Michael Davidson, prescribed 80 Oxycodone pills to Gettings and then gave her another 60 two days later.  Both physicians and pharmacies in Vancouver are said to have supplied Oxycodone to patients they did not know without a health card. The CBC story is not as complete as it might be because if Ms. Gettings did not steal a card, it is nothing short of astonishing that she was able to string out a five-year fraud without one. What this case shows is the apparently stark differences between provinces where the doctors, pharmacies and the health systems are regulated provincially not nationally.

Parker to stage outdoor movie night Friday

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Weather permitting, John Parker (Ward 26) will stage an outdoor movie night in R.V. Burgess Park for constituents in Thorncliffe Park this Friday (September 6,. 2013). The feature will be the Draculinian animated comedy Hotel Transylvania. This Sony Pictures production enlists the voices of dozens of Hollywood notables and is a quality kids movie.  Hope the weather hangs in for them.  Information

Back-to-school but we should spend carefully

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Amy Judd of Global News has written one of the many back-to-school articles appearing today (Monday, September 2, 2013). Her research raised a useful point about just how much one should spend to get kids functional again for class. Among the ideas she heard was waiting a couple of days to see what is really needed.  Forty-eight hours is not going to make a difference with teacher and it gives you an opportunity to get a clearer picture and winkle out better deals. 

Yarwood’s Coke sculpture finds place of honour

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As recorded in a previous post about the plans for a Costco store on Overlea Blvd. the bronze sculpture created by the late Walter Yarwood (right) will find a place of honour in a garden with seating outside the proposed retail store. Despite its deteriorated condition the bronze has stood the ravages of some 50 years pretty well. It’s dirty and stained but the welds are sound. A little known feature of the “Coke bottle” sculpture are the scripts of many languages around the bottom. So far as we can tell, they all say Drink Coca Cola Ice Cold (Buvez Coca Cola Glace). All of this is to say the dramatic work will make a nice focus for the public seating on Overlea. The City of Toronto is notorious for twisting the arm of developers to install things like bicycle racks at new car dealerships. How about a few dollars to clean up the Yarwood before it is installed. If you would like to read more about  Torontonian Walter Yarwood, here is his biography. 

Fire damages St Jacob’s Mennonite Market

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Fire has razed parts of the St. Jacob’s Farmers Market in St. Jacob’s Ontario, a short distance from Kitchener-Waterloo. It was a well-known destination for weekend shoppers from all over Southern Ontario and a hub of Mennonite culture. The story of the market is told in the video at left. No one was was hurt in the blaze which occurred overnight and no cause has been determined.

“BlackBerry can survive as a niche phone maker”

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a  member of the BlackBerry  board, Bert Nordberg, has told it that the company can survive as a “niche smartphone maker”. Some call this a kind of public capitulation by the Canadian tech firm. Mr Nordberg is the person assigned by the board to find alternatives to Blackberry’s current wobbly position — somewhere between a fire sale and the onslaught of Apple. Mr. Nordberg did not rule out a sale of Blackberry. There is also the possibility of going private but that strategy seems murky against the company’s challenges. 

“Pop one on and you’ll feel better” firestorm

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The appearance of the trademarked names of three potentially lethal prescription drugs on women’s casual fashions has created a firestorm of protest in the U.S.  The shirts were created by celebrity favourite Brian Lichtenberg for the California fashion chain Kitson and are marketed with the suggestion that their young purchasers should “Pop one on and you’ll feel better. Doctor’s orders.” Manufacturers of the three tranquilizer drugs, Adderall, Xanax and Vicodin, are threatening to sue and are demanding the shirts be withdrawn. For his part, Mr. Lichtenberg, has thrown up the “art” and “parody” defense saying he wants to “open the door to much needed dialogue” — or tons of money perhaps At last notice, Adderall is banned in Canada and the others available by prescription only. 

Pope: “All men of goodwill” pray for peace in Syria

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To robust applause from the gathered faithful, Pope Francis called Sunday for a day of prayer and fasting over the violence in Syria. Devoting the totality of his weekly remarks in St. Peter’s Square to the civil war in Syria, Francis invited “all men of good will” to join with Catholics on September 7 to take part in the prayer and fast. He condemned in strong and personal terms the recent use of of chemical weapons. “I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart,” Francis said. “There is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions which is inescapable!” CNN

“Doctor Rooftop will be with you in a moment”

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The large and well-known building on Eglinton West at Elmsthorpe Ave. appears this weekend to be sprouting a white-coated physician from the roof. The owner of this property has applied to build up to a total of four storeys. It is believed he intends to place a new medical services centre on the as-yet-to-be built LRT. We think Dr. Rooftop is a sign of the plan to do just that.  The building has been home in recent years to a pop up discounter, Brands 4 Less and the eclectic home and clothing store Liv. Before that it was most notably home to Paul Slavens Real Estate, Nestings Kids as well as many others. We believe 418 Eglinton dates from 1936 when it was built as an A and P grocery store.