Sting
Sting will be the feature performer at halftime of the NBA all-star game in Toronto on February 14, 2016, at Air Canada Centre. Cirque du Soleil will perform a routine before the game that illustrates “the story of a basketball dream.” Earlier this month, organizers announced Toronto rapper Drake will coach Canada’s team at the NBA all-star celebrity game on Feb. 12 at the Ricoh Coliseum. The Canadian team includes two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash and Toronto Blue Jays all-star right-fielder Jose Bautista. Comedy star Kevin Hart will coach the U.S. team, which includes actors Michael B. Jordan and Jason Sudeikis.
UNION BROKE LAW WITH PAID SMILES
A Waterloo union local broke the law when it paid 23 members $100 each to stand behind Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and smile when he campaigned here last Sept. 15. In law, that’s like making a $2,300 donation to the Liberal Party. Unions can’t do that. The Canada Elections Act says only citizens and permanent residents can make political donations. “We didn’t know that we were breaking the law,” said Russ Jessop, business manager for United Association Local 527, a union representing plumbers and pipefitters. “We feel bad. But now we know. And we’ll make sure we let everybody else know, now that we know the rules.”
UBER TAKES EDMONTON
Edmonton has legalized Uber. It is the first Canadian City to do so. Under a bylaw to become effective March 1, 2016, Uber can operate legally as long as it gets proper insurance and charges a minimum total cost of $3.25 or more and the consumer agrees to the price ahead of time. At times of peak demand, prices on the Uber app can double or more. Council declined to put in a maximum, but will revisit the issue again in six months or less, once they have data from the market.