The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms in Alberta has warned the Nova Scotia Registrar of Motor Vehicles that it will face “legal steps” if it doesn’t reinstate Lorne Grabher’s personalized license plate by Thursday (April 6). Grabher, and his father before him, had the plate for decades before it was seen by a woman who made a complaint that it offended her. The Nova Scotia government agreed that the plate could be seen as a socially unacceptable slogan. In its letter, the Justice Centre said that decision was “an affront to the dignity of Canadians, and particularly those Canadians who are not of Anglo-Saxon descent.” Justice Centre president John Carpay said the decision represented “pandering to an unreasonable complaint.” He said the cancellation perpetuated misunderstanding, subverted the dignity and heritage of Lorne Grabher and many other Canadians and that it violated the freedom of expression protected by the Charter. Previous

Donald Trump has talked about “dealing with North Korea” if the Chinese are unable or unwilling to do so. This comes a few days before President Xi Jinping meets with Trump in Florida. It may be an empty threat but this CNN report says that if the US put sanctions on Chinese companies that do business with both the US and North Korea, the Chinese would feel it. To the right, the CBC has talked to the Filipino girlfriend of Robert Hall, one of two Canadians beheaded by ISIS last year in the remote jungle hideaway of this bloodthirsty gang. The Canadian government made a lot of noise at the time about hunting down the knife-wielding killers, but nothing much has been done it seems. Below that, Brexit is causing Spain to talk about reclaiming Gibraltar. That has some MPs recalling the Margaret Thatcher invasion of the Falkland Islands after Argentina grabbed them away in 1982. And Christians in Iraq have returned to a church where ISIS used the courtyard for a firing range. Worse than Islamophobia, it seems.

340 cars

Michael Hall concedes he has a problem

Spread over 5 acres

A man from the interior of British Columbia is selling a 5-acre property which is home to 340 vintage cars at Tappen on Shuswap Lake about 300 kilometres east of Vancouver. Michael Hall began collecting cars 40 years ago. He remarks wryly that for the $1.45 million dollar list price, a condo owner in Vancouver can sell his place and come to Tappen with money to spare, plus get a lifetime of work on old cars. The five-acre listing comes complete with a renovated home, property zoned for auto salvage, a 900-square-foot restoration shop, a 1,200-square-foot steel building and the 340 vintage cars ready to be restored. Hall has been getting about 15 inquiries a day.

Donations are pouring in to help a family of five who lost most of their belongings in a fire Friday afternoon on Coxwell Avenue between Currie and Earl Haig Avenues. Next door to the home where the fire started, the Rogers family had the roof of their home as well as all of the contents of their bedrooms destroyed by smoke, fire and the water. As told by Joanna Lavoie of the Beach Mirror, community members and friends have come forward in droves to help the fire family, who did not have contents insurance, with donations of clothing as well as cash to help them with their basic needs. “I am very overwhelmed with people’s generosity,”  family friend Jane Somers told the Mirror. She put a call out for assistance on a few local Facebook groups. There is a GoFundMe page as well.

It’s a theme known to many journalists. Is it really right for people whose work has no purpose but to tell the truth to engage in practical jokes on their readers?  Kathy English

Global and Longo’s people

Anthony Farnell and Susan Hay

Event ran from noon to 4

Global News and Corus Radio had celebrity personnel at three Longo’s stores Saturday — including Leaside Village — to cheer on customers making donations to April Foods Day. For sure. The proceeds went to Corus Feeds Kids and the Daily Bread Food Bank.

LLFHL champs

The Peewee A Leaside Wildcats have defeated the Lake Shore Lightning 4 to 2 to become gold medal winners at the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League Championship Weekend at York University. The Wildcats pulled a sensational game out of their hockey bags to take top honours. The 11 and 12 year-old Cats were 2-1 underdogs to the Lake Shore squad which swept preliminary games 3-0. But the Wildcats won decisively in the championship match Saturday night at the Canlan York2 arena.

Ford is recalling about 52,600 F-250 pickup trucks sold in the US and Canada because the vehicles could roll after the driver puts the automatic transmission lever into park position. The model affected is the 2017 F-250 powered by a 6.2-liter gasoline engine and built in Louisville, Kentucky, Ford said.  It said it was unaware of any injuries or accidents occurring from the fault.

Councillor Janet Davis (Ward 31) was calling it mayhem at East York Hockey as pipsqueaks took to the ice Saturday in advance of an event called the Little Stanley
Cup. Sounds good.

Studio on Dundas at Margueretta Street,

George Pimental

The studio of celebrated photographer George Pimentel is in ruins Saturday after a car blew through the front window of the Dundas Street West building about 2.30 a.m. The driver fled but was caught. Pimental told CP24 that the building was originally his father’s. When his parents immigrated to Canada, they opened up the studio in 1975. “It is our heritage,” he said. The car could have easily gone through the window of next door bar, Wallflower, which would have been full of patrons. Pimental said he is insured and plans to rebuild.