New Zealand has voted to keep its 1902 flag carryng the Britsh national flag in its upper left hand corner by a margin of 57 per cent to 43 per cent in a nationwide poll that ended Thursday. More than 2 million people voted in the ballot to decide whether to keep the British Union Jack on their flag or replace it with a silver fern. New Zealand will vote on whch of these flags to salute
Health Minister Eric Hoskins has told reporters the that billing of medical specialists in Ontario is out of control and that it threatens home and community care in the province. Mr. Hoskins (St. Paul’s) introduced a desperate note into the government’s efforts to manage and pay for OHIP. He suggested the present arrangement is not sustainable. “Unpredictable and frankly out of control billing by some doctors is a problem that creates huge income for some doctors, but it leaves less for family doctors,” the minister. “It leaves less for our salaried doctors in community health centres, it squeezes our ability to invest more money in home care and community care, and it robs of us of the capacity to responsibly plan our health care spending each year.” Specialists he said “effectively set their own salaries,” and at an average of $360,000 a year are the highest paid in Canada. Canadian Press
Former Mayor Ford and Councillor Rob Ford to lie in repose at Toronto City Hall where the public may pay its repects next week. The times for this opportunity will be on Monday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.and Tuesday, March 29 from 7.30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The honour was annoucned Wednesday afternoon. As well, books of condolence are set up at City Hall and also the East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and York Civic Centres. City Hall and the civic centres are open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and statutory holidays. An online book of condolence is available at http://
FUNERAL SERVICES
Funeral services for Councillor Ford will be held at noon on Wednesday, March 30 at St. James Cathedral, 65 Church St. (at King Street). The procession from City Hall to the cathedral will begin on Wednesday. Timing and route information will follow. The burial will be a private ceremony. Flags at City Hall, Metro Hall and the civic centres are lowered to half mast, and will remain lowered until the end of the day on March 30. The meeting of City Council scheduled for March 30 and 31 will be rescheduled to March 31 and April 1 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
An Alberta Conservative MP, Jim Hillyer, has died in Ottawa in his office Wednesday morning of an apparent heart attack. Mr.Hillyer, 41, had complained of feeling poorly. He had faced serious health issues including a battle with leukemia in 2003.
The day after an apparently generous (or perhaps terribly profligate) $880 million federal gift to Toronto for “transit” comes word that the TTC needs $34 million to repair old streetcars because of the failure of Bombardier to deliver useable new vehicles. It is this type of seemingly incompetent spending that makes reasonable taxpayers blanch. The City shows no indication of divorcing itself from its costly streetcar mentality. It isn’t clear that bureaucrats even understand the wastefulness of the current streetcar strategy. And to be fair, it costs a lot to run transit and there may be ways that the City will see a reasonable return. Perhaps new resistance will form to the senseless Scarborough subway — an underground to nowhere with no stops. Here’s the view through rose-coloured glasses.
She comes off as a caring East York mom who wants to enroll her child at the local school but while she’s there the woman shown above is rooting around lockers and offices to steal phones, cash and anything else she can easily carry. Cops say this has been going on since February 4, 2016. At 54 Division detectives have released the surveillance camera image in hope of catching up with the school mom thief. The woman is described as white, standing five-feet-two inches tall, with long blonde hair Below are the schools she has hit. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World
– Adam Beck Junior Public School, 400 Scarborough Road
– Blantyre Public School, 290 Blantyre Avenue
– Gledhill Junior Public School, 2 Gledhill Avenue
– Kimberley Junior Public School, 50 Swanwick
– Secord Elementary School, 101 Barrington Avenue
– William J McCordic School, 45 Balfour Avenue
– Malvern Collegiate Institute, 55 Malvern Avenue
The money goes to set up five health, life and dental trusts that will consolidate more than 1,000 current benefit plans. The government believes it will eventually recover the set-up costs — $175 million to establish the trusts and $125 million to consolidate the plans — due to “long-term efficiencies” and “improved purchasing power.” Canadian Press
Now French’s says it will bottle some of its ketchup in Canada as the ultimate trick of one-upmanship on rival Heinz. Canadian bottling of Leamington-grown tomatoes would make French’s a 100 percent Canadian product. Loblaws recent clanger of removing French’s ketchup revealed the potent appeal of Canadian-grown food to Canuck consumers. French’s, a British firm, says it is getting ready to announce plans for bottling here soon with an unnamed partner.
Bas Balkissoon
Liberal backbencher Bas Balkissoon has abruptly resigned his Scarborough seat in the Legislature without explanation. Premier Wynne’s office announced Balkissoon‘s decision also without reason. A statement said there will be no further comment other than to thank Mr. Balkisson for his public service. He was first elected to the Legislature in 2005 and served as parliamentary assistant to several ministers but was never promoted to the Liberal cabinet. The 63-year-old MPP was born in Trinidad and Tobago. He served as a Toronto city councillor before his election to the riding of Scarborough-Rouge River. The government has six months to call a byelection to replace Balkissoon.
Tuesday evening saw a large crowd on hand in the William Lea Room at Leaside Gardens to hear a lecture by the eminent astronomer Dr. Bryan Gaensler on The World Records of the Universe. Dr. Gaensler is Director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics and attendees were familiar with his work. Many were alumni and colleagues from the University of Toronto.
As condolences flow in, the City awaits to hear of the family’s plans for funeral services for former mayor Rob Ford. Plans will be shared with the municipal administration and some form of official honour will be paid. The City’s protocol office says state funerals are normally reserved for sitting mayors, but exceptions can be made. Mr. Ford succumbed Tuesday to the soft tissue cancer he had fought for nearly two years. The high marks of his mayoralty — privatization of garbage collection west of Yonge Street and his populist bear-hug of Toronto — are being recalled tonight. The sometimes less than polished Ford was known to have once called himself “300 pounds of fun.” He was disliked by many for his political toughness on government spending. But it was his weaknesses to drugs and alcohol that led to his loss of public support. His secret and then public use of such substances scandalized the City and humiliated its chief executive. Ford was first elected as City Councillor for Ward 2 in 2000. He built a name for himself by attacking councillor office budgets, using his own money to pay for his expenses and giving his cellphone number out to any constituent that needed his help. The following statement was issued by his chief of staff Dan Jacobs. CBC
“With heavy hearts and profound sadness, the Ford family announces the passing of their beloved son, brother, husband, and father, Councillor Rob Ford earlier today at the age of 46.
A dedicated man of the people, Councillor Ford spent his life serving the citizens of Toronto.
The family asks that you respect their privacy and join them in their grieving and their prayers.
The family will not be making any statements to the media or taking any questions. Information will follow at a later time regarding memorial services.
Over his decade and a half in municipal politics, Ford won a devoted following for being a straight talker who championed the average taxpayer.”
