Hundreds of thousands of high school students are out of class Wednesday as their teachers hold a one-day strike to protest the lack of progress in contract talks between their union, the OSSTF, and the Ontario government. The union said the Education Department had not made any constructive proposals.
The recurring danger of falling Ice has again visited the sky-high corners of Toronto’s downtown. Warming temperatures in the urban stratosphere Tuesday loosened ice and sent some falling. Incidents were reported under the CN Tower, at Union Station and on Bay St. It was closed in both directions in the afternoon between Wellington and Harbour streets due to ice.
Actions taken by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and simple cold weather are being blamed for the prospect of reduced beef and potato supplies this winter. CFIA took stern action by revoking the licences of three companies tied to a massive beef and veal recall for falsifying E. coli lab results. It said Tuesday in a statement it had cancelled the Safe Food for Canadians licences of Ryding-Regency Meat Packers Ltd., as well as two others operating under St. Ann’s Foods Inc., Canadian Select Meats Inc. of Etobicoke and The Beef Boutique Ltd.
PEI still to report
The potato crop has been hurt by cold weather and the impact of Hurricane Dorian in Canada and the US. That means smaller potatoes and potential pressure on supplies for french fry processors. Manitoba’s crop has been estimated to be some 20 percent reduced from expectations. The largest potato grower in Canada, New Brunswick, still has to report on the crop size.
Faces in the news Tuesday include Veronika Didusenko, 24 (left) and her five-year-old son. Veronika is about to sue the organizers of the Miss Ukraine Pageant for crowning her the winner in 2018 but then yanking the title when it was learned she had a child. At centre is once-popular teacher Fiona Viotti, 30. It’s just been revealed she had sex with as many as five boys she taught at elite Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town between 2013 and 2019. At the right are Prince Andrew and the woman who claims she was pressured to have sex with him in 2001 when she was 17. She is Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Her accusation is that she was trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew and Virginia have given dueling interviews to British television.
The City of Toronto has received regulation by which it can begin to deploy photo radar camera on local streets. We will see. Then, the return of Jim Karygiannis to City Council is being challenged by Adam Chaleff, a citizen who thinks the Councillor should not be there. What’s it all about? Below that, Nick Nurse was talking Monday about Raptor prospects sd well as individual players. Always of interest. Finally, Richard Southern of 680/City on Union Skating, a TD Bank promotion at the old train depot.
Now Magazine has been sold to a firm named Media Central Corp. for as much as $2 million in what appears to be the first step of a plan to consolidate the alternative publication landscape. Now reported a loss of more than $832,000 after announcing it would drop escort ads and related sex ads late last year. National Post
Young woman duped of $4,000 by phone number spoof scam
A Cornwall woman has lost all her money after falling victim to a scam the RCMP are calling the top identity fraud in Canada. Julia-Shea Baker, a 23-year-old server, lost $4,000 to the “SIN scam,” a new version of the Canada Revenue Agency fraudulent act that’s been used for years to dupe people out of their money. She was told by the fraudster to transfer cash out of the bank and buy gift certificates. Along with payment in Bitcoin, the purchase of gift cards is a well-known warning that a fraud is taking place. Sadly, Ms Baker did not speak to her bank manager. CBC
East York man picks up dog, hurries home as coyotes circle
Reporter Joanna Lavoie tells of Topham Park resident Andrew Ryan’s harrowing decision to pick up his border collie and carry the animal home after he and his pet.were circled by two coyotes.. “(The coyotes) are too comfortable around people. Making noise doesn’t seem to scare them away,” Ryan told Lavoie, He said he has seen three coyotes — two younger ones and what appears to be their mother — at least 20 times in the area in recent weeks. Toronto.com
The man identified as the knife attack killer of two people near London Bridge is Usman Khan, convicted in 2012 with eight other al Qaeda plotters. He was given early release despite the expression of judicial concerns about public safety. ITV.
Facebook posts offer a picture of random power outages in the area early Sunday. FB The Toronto Hydro Outage Map shows an all-day outage affecting from 50 to 500 customers centred at Danforth and Woodbine Ave.
Police are issuing urgent warnings to motorists that road conditions have quickly turned treacherous across the City. A 12-vehicle collision is reported (among many others) at Davenport Road and Avenue Rd. Toronto Police Operations Twitter
Winds bring down glass at King and Yonge Sts.
Falling glass attributed to high wind has caused glass panes to fall from a building at Yonge and King Sts. Sunday morning.
A successful promotion known as the Tunnel of Glam has been brought back for a second Christmas season by the Yonge and St. Clair BIA. The walkway of shimmering sequins is on Wally Crouter Walkway between Yonge and the Alvin Ave. parking lot.
