According to news reports, the OPP says the Ontario Liberals paid $10,000 to wipe clean the computers of the political staff of the party. The police say they were told this by the spouse of a senior advisor in the office of former premier Dalton McGuinty. The spouse is Peter Faist, a name previously known, and his work was paid for he said by the Liberal Caucus, which is funded by taxpayers. The revelations come in newly released information about an OPP search warrant. “Mr. Faist was under the impression that Cabinet Office was aware of his presence and the work requested of him,” the warrant says. Faist told investigators that his spouse, Laura Miller, asked him to wipe “personal data” off about 20 computers used by senior staff in the premier’s office, the warrant says. Facebook photo shows Laura Miller and Peter Faist.

A Toronto crossing guard – Peter Atienza – has been honoured as one of Canada’s best in the annual awards presented by Parachute Canada and the delivery firm FedEx. Mr. Atienza has been a crossing guard for 16 years. He is seen with PC Wai Lau of 53 Division who is in charge of crossing guard matters. The video report above is preceded by a commercial.

As posed by the South Bayview Bulldog in the post below “Would you travel with a man you had never met?”  You can vote on this social (and personal) dilemma of the day by picking one of three choices offered: 1. Sure, I’m not scared 2. Maybe if I liked him a little or 3. No Way Jose. But as it turns out, there are other questions out there. In a comment to People magazine Elizabeth Gallagher, the 23-year-old stand-in lady from Cole Harbour with the right name, admits that her boyfriend is “not too thrilled” she is heading off around the world for weeks with Jordan Axani, 28, of Toronto. Really Elizabeth? What a poop he must be. Dump him this instant. For his part, Mr. Axani is evidently looking forward to his fantasy trip with Ms. Gallagher (No. 2) but he has not said what caused the end of his relationship with the first Ms. Gallagher. Yes, its complicated. The second Ms. Gallagher had to have the same name as the first so the pre-paid tickets were valid. Fun eh? Of course, it’s nobody’s business what happened to Mr. Axani’s relationship except perhaps for the second Ms. Gallagher. And maybe she already knows. It seems  like such an obvious question. If so, she isn’t telling. Does one have to be especially old-fashioned to find these details important? 

Jordan Axani wants to make it very clear, there’s no romantic intent in his planned fantasy trip with a young woman he hardly knows. But then, who can predict that? The lucky (we suppose) girl is Elizabeth Gallagher, 23, a student who applied for the opportunity when she saw the offer on Reddit where Axani advertised it.  CBC tells the complicated tale but as excited as she is, Ms Gallagher, from Cole Harbour N.S. hints at what many people might feel about this adventure. “It’s less spooky now that I’ve spoken with him.” Well, that’s nice.

BlackBerry launched its greatly heralded Classic phone Wednesday (December 27, 2014). The reviews are very good and yet it seems impossible that the Classic can do more than shore up the remaining Blackberry clientele who have stuck with previous keyboard devices. Of course the talk is highly opstiistic with Blackberry saying it can win back market share and woo those still using older versions of its physical keyboard devices. The Waterloo technology company said the new device has a larger screen and longer battery life. It is reminsicent of the  popular Bold and Curve handsets and expanded app library with access to offerings from Amazon.com Inc’s Android App store, and a browser three times faster than the one on its legacy devices. Business Today

The Justice Minister of Nova Scotia has lifted a ban on the publication of the name of the unfortunate and now deceased young woman who has been the subject of a national tale of gossip and scandal for more than two years. She is of course Rehtaeh Parsons. Her story has been sensationalized to an outcome which leaves many people with deep regret. Regret not just about bullying and teenage bad judgement but also for the morbid fascination it held for the media. It is true that this pretty teen with the delicately rebellious name (Heather spelled backwards) suffered a terrible agony of humiliation and shame at the hands of those she thought were her friends. But it is also true she committed indiscretions which exposed her to this abuse. Please do not bother to complain that this is blaming the victim. The facts are the facts. If others had had as much concern for Rehtaeh she might still be alive. Any adult knows the odds were high for her to grow up and lead a happy life. In making the decision to permit publication, the Nova Scotia Minister, Lena Metlege Dia, has said there will  be no prosecution as long as Retahah’s name is not used in a derogatory fashion. That’s fine but we trust the minister will accommodate the truth about this sad matter before seeking to charge anyone.