The layered concerns related to cost and most useful service has led the Mayor to propose an extension of the SmartTrack commuter scheme to the west with a portion of it as a light rapid transit line. The rail line portion bringing riders from both ends of Toronto is said to be sound and is projected, as Tory has always maintained, to carry the most people in the most efficient way. Current estimates for SmartTack, which could be seven years away, is that it will carry more riders each day than GO Transit.. CP24 uses the figure of 300,000 per day. CBC
Postmedia merges operations in Ottawa, Vcr and Calgary
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Postmedia, the national newspaper chain will merge newsrooms in Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary as it lays off some 90 personnel across the country. But here is Toronto the flagship papers National Post and Toronto Sun will continue to operate in separate newsrooms. CBC
Twitter slowed by international outage early Tuesday
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The outage effected Toronto Police Operations service which communicates with the public solely by Twitter. CBC
16 professional tennis players suspected of fixing matches
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British PM: Muslim women must show faces, learn English
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Muslim women can be banned from wearing face veils in schools, courts and other British institutions, British Prime MInister David Cameron has said. The PM said that he will give his backing to public authorities that put in place “proper and sensible” rules to ban women from wearing face veils in comments which will reignite debates. Mr. Cameron also says that Muslim women must learn English to a sufficient proficiency or face possible deportation. He says the absence of English leaves women more susceptible to extreme beliefs. Polls indicate the public opinion in the United Kingdom runs 90 per cent in favour of women being required to show their faces in the public process such as in court. The Telegraph
GOODWILL: People want to help but have concerns
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The CEO of Goodwill Industries Keiko Nakamura says she has heard from a number of government leaders, including officials in Mayor Tory’s office, and says she is in the process of putting together a “plan of action” that could make the organization viable. She spoke to the media today flanked by members of the non-profit organization’s administration after announcing yesterday that stores across Ontario have been closed because of a cash crisis. It seems reasonable that there will be much positive concern for Goodwill although, as some are saying, the crisis closure of the well-known service body leaves doubt about the management The Globe and Mail writers spin the story toward the cost of rent and union staffing rules as the reason for the failure. “We have to pay rent at all our locations,” said Nakamura. Still, the question remains why wasn’t this seen as it came down the road. See below from TVO’s The Agenda
Police hunt 2 who stole cell phone from woman on bus
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The TPS is asking the public’s help in identifying Mr. Mohawk and Mr. King Toque shown above as they leave a bus on Eglinton East at Warden Ave. On Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at 7:05 p.m. they grabbed a woman’s cell phone before they got off. One suspect is described as brown with a fairly special haircut wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. The second suspect is described as white, wearing a grey jacket, red hooded sweater, grey-and-burgundy toque with KING in white letters. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-4100, 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.
Health minister tells Ontario hospitals to cut parking costs
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Health Minister Eric Hoskins has ordered Ontario Hospitals to cut parking costs. Hospitals that charged more than $10 a day will have to offer passes that discount rates by 50 per cent. Dr. Hoskins said hospitals will have to offer 5, 10 and 30-day discounted parking passes starting in October. In recent years hospitals facing staggering costs and pressure from the government on all fronts have taken the opportunity to find revenue from parking. The discounted prices will be welcome but the cost of health care and hospitals will still have to be paid by the taxpayer.
Cauliflower crisis: Prices rising, supplies dwindling
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This appears to be part of climate-related growing problems but one can never be sure. Canadian Press
Monday’s driving lesson is to keep wheels on the road
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A young man clipped a parked car on Lansdowne Ave. in such a way that his front wheel got high enough to roll his SUV. He is okay but there is the matter of his sobriety or lack of it to be dealt with later. This happened near Dupont St.
Saturday’s power outage perimeters a total guessing game
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The by-guess-and-by-God nature of power outage perimeters is seen again as reports dribble in about Saturday’s blackout. It was a trying time that lasted between one and two hours for those effected. But the guessing about just where lights went out was well off the mark. Twitter reports repeated some media as saying all of Leaside as far as Laird Drive was out. Nothing like this was true. And even Toronto Hydro must have had its fingers crossed when it said the blackout went as far east as Bayview. In fact, the power failure seems to have come no further east than Mt. Pleasant. Reader Angela Rickett reports her home on Redpath Ave. was without electricity for a good two hours. Helen Godfrey told us yesterday that the lights were out only on the west side of Mt. Pleasant, as far as she could see. And here’s a surprise, the northern boundary of the outage was given by Hydro as Eglinton. But shops like Degrees Kitchen along Yonge as far north as Albertus were closing because of the blackout.
Leaside’s Emma Pye scores as team plays 3 girls to 5
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Emma Pye
Leaside Wildcat forward Emma Pye scored a seldom-seen hockey curiosity Sunday as her team fought off a two-penalty burden against the Bluewater Hawks. With only three girls on the ice against five Hawks in the second period, Pye slipped away from the opposing team and scored Leaside’s third goal unassisted. It was a cake walk all afternoon at Leaside Gardens as the Wildcats strolled to a 5-1 victory over the ladies from the Lake Huron shore.
LEASIDE VAULTS TO FOURTH
Sunday’s play vaulted the Wildcats two rankings into fourth place in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League. Other Leaside goals came from Siobhan Birch in the first, Samantha Jones in the second and Mariah Hinds in both the second and third. Assists came from Alex Woods, Olivia Reid, Megan Pardy and Kristin Della Rovere. Bluewater scored on the efforts of Jessica Forcey with assists from Madison Davey and Madison Melo.
PENALTIES
On the minor side, Leaside was collecting penalties again. There were eight infractions resulting in 16 minutes of penalty time. Bluewater was unable to take advantage of eight power play chances. This team visits from the most rural of the 20 teams in the PWHL. Their home ice is West Middlesex Memorial Arena in the town of Strathroy (population 22,000).