It’s just worthless garbage but the money saved from privatizing collection west of Yonge Street runs to eight figures. That, plus the politics of trash pickup from Don Peat of the Toronto Sun
A quick wave means a lot for these littlest fans
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Minnesota Wild’s Charlie Coyle gives this young fan a wave during warmups and inspires this priceless reaction. Video views are off the meter at Youtube.
Cold warning, water main breaks — be happy
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The City of Toronto has pulled the emergency cord as the City sinks into abnormally cold weather for the first time this year. The order directs shelters to relax their normal rules to accommodate those seeking a little warmth. It adds some beds to the roster of places for people and extended an urgent outreach hand to those on the streets. On the bright side, this approach has over the years been remarkably effective in saving lives. The cold weather hit Eglinton Ave. E. and Dunfield Ave with a broken water main vengeance this afternoon. There was also a watermain break at the Lawrence station on the Yonge line closing that stop to commuters. Among the many Tweets beefing about this break was one of a lighter tone from a cheery person named Steph who rattled out this message: “Yay a water main break at Lawrence station. Yay shuttle buses. Yay early morning exams.” To which we add: “Yay Steph’s sardonic good nature.”
Ontario should explore wine vending machines
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Once again there’s been a public discussion about how wine is sold in Ontario with a word of input from the highest level. This time Premier Wynne says she is prepared to allow the sale of Ontario wines at farmer’s markets. That’s nice. But there will be no Ontario wine sold at corner stores. The government no doubt has concerns about how much money it makes in any private site but also about control of the sale of wine. Both the government and industry seem silent on the appealing idea of wine dispensing machines. These versatile machines require very little space, are secure and infinitely manageable. They can check a purchaser’s identity and shut down at any specified hour with the spirits safe inside. They can be owned and serviced by the government, if that is necessary, and located essentially anywhere. It seems to represent a modern way to sell wine conveniently, economically and safely. Wine vending machines are in operation all over the world. It is time that Ontario began to make the sale of its own products more salable in a genuinely convenient and socially suitable way.
53 Div. officer embarks on dog sled adventure
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A local Toronto Police commander will embark on a four-day mid-winter dog sledding adventure next February as part of his on-going efforts to raise money for TPS Victims Services Toronto. Staff Inspector Heinz Kuck will have an experienced guide as he covers 100 kilometres of frozen terrain in Algonquin Park. Over the past two years, Staff Kuck and his colleagues at 53 Division have paddled the 56-kilometer journey from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Lakeshore Promenade in Mississauga twice, raising $35,000 for VST, which provides crisis response, trauma and support services to victims of crime and sudden tragic circumstances 24 hours daily. Now the veteran of 35 years with police service will try something equally challenging with the help of guide Jamie Sands of Chocpaw Expeditions. More
Peter O’Toole dead at age 81 in London
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Peter O’Toole, an Irish bookmaker’s son with a hell-raising streak whose magnetic performance in the 1962 epic film “Lawrence of Arabia” earned him overnight fame and put him on the road to becoming one of his generation’s most accomplished and charismatic actors, died on Saturday in London. He was 81. New York Times
“Not in Liberal DNA to stop spending”
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Lorrie Goldstein raises ghosts of governments past and finds there is little more than showy politics in the dismissal of three OPG executives for overspending Lorrie Goldstein
Outdoor ice rink keepers of Bennington Heights
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The thermometer reads a tolerable minus six degrees, but a stiff west wind is blowing as Kevin Talmage drags a thick, 80-foot-long hose across the snow-dusted turf of Bennington Heights Park at the south end of Leaside. Globe and Mail
New York Times on Peter O’Toole
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It’s over, except for the wretched digging out
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It’s over and the digging out has begun. Above is a medley of Toronto snow pictures off Twitter. Left a benevolent “Red Cross” type of shoveller. Centre, this is the laziest snowman we have ever seen. Right, a lady measured the nearly 20 cm of snow in her garden. Good luck all.
China lands “Jade Rabbit” rover on the moon
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China becomes the third country to land an exploratory vehicle on the surface of the moon after the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. It is a remarkable accomplishment for a nation which was utterly impoverished merely 40 years ago. And while it is no doubt cause for pride China should ponder the vast poverty that still exists amid the riches of the new middle class. AFP
Mandela goes home to boyhood village for burial
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Nelson Mandela was taken home to his boyhood village Qunu today for burial. The South African Broadcasting Corporation presented all-day live coverage of events.