The 11th Annual Women’s Dinner at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church, 1399 Bayview Ave. is tonight This is the one where the men of the parish serve dinner and are the wine stewards. They also clean up. It sounds like a nice evening and the tickets are very reasonable at $20 a person. This event will be held Friday, October 23, 2013. Come at 6.30 for dinner at 7.15 p.m. Tickets are available at the church office (416) 485-0329
A man seen in security video has been eliminated from suspicion in the attempted abduction of a child.
Premier Wynne says she will give school boards permission to dock teachers pay if there is no settlement or end to job action by the end of the month. Speaking to the media and accompanied by the education minister the Premier said she has been asked by the boards across Ontario for this permission but that she has not yet given it. She said she will however grant this power if the teachers do not resume normal work. It is within the power of an employer under the labour act when a contract expires to withhold salaries if work remains undone by employees.
NOT ASKED ABOUT ISSUES
The Premier took many questions but was not asked about the issues which keep the sides from agreeing to a settlement. In the past, the education minister has said she does not know why the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario cannot agree to terms. The protocol of negotiations traditionally requires parties to refrain from talking about issues. Nonetheless, immense public interest in and ownership of the schools might require an explanation of what has become a standoff. But, no questions were asked. What the heck is really going on? CP24 Video
The police practice of stopping persons to ask them about their activities will be stopped by the provincial government. The decision comes a day after the Legislature approved an NDP motion calling for carding to end. Carding has been the source of rancorous criticism from groups that say police discriminate against black people and that many more blacks than other races are stopped. The police have always said that carding was colour-blind and that it merely occurred where crime occurred. In recent years police chiefs have said that carding is a useful tool in fighting crime. The new Toronto Chief Mark Saunders is among these. The chief of the Peel Regional Police Jennifer Evans last month defied municipal council when instructed to stop carding. Now the Liberal government has ended all carding anywhere in Ontario.
The CBC says that Scotiabank will lay off an unspecified number of employees in so-called back office support jobs across the country. The positions typically involve paperwork for everything from commercial loans to account operations, CBC days. The cuts are said to be likely over the next two years as Scotiabank closes regional operations and consolidates the services into two high-tech hubs in Toronto.
BAYVIEW AVE. BRANCH
Here in South Bayview, the Bayview Ave. branch of the bank is engaged in a public relations exercise that has seen staff waiting at or near the front door, ready to welcome customers. Staff said the branch is trying to make people feel comfortable and welcome at the bank. Nice
The heir to the Chinese Communist revolution met another of the common folk yesterday, Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge. Xi Jinping and wife Peng Liyuan, both looking thoroughly capitalistic, found the Duchess dressed to beat the band in a lace eggplant dress by Dolce and Gabbana. In fact, fashion reporters agree the Duchess looked stunning in the outfit, which she color-coordinated with her husband, who wore a tie of the same color. The fitted lace dress featured long sleeves, high neck and ran up to Middleton’s knees. The dress by the Italian fashion house is made of the luxurious Guipure lace. The rich shade was just right for an autumnal day. The high neck and long sleeves ensured that Middleton was dressed appropriately for the occasion. More enjoyable pictures from The Mirror Nothing like a visit to London to lift the spirits.
The union that represents teachers in Ontario’s public elementary schools has ordered its members to stop providing all voluntary extracurricular activities on Oct. 28 if a new collective agreement is not reached by then. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario says it is threatening to escalate its job action because the Ontario Public School Boards Association and the provincial government have “ignored all attempts by ETFO to get them to return to the central bargaining table, including an offer to refer one issue to binding arbitration,” according to a news release.
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?
True to form in a ruthless battle of government versus big union there is no specific information about the issues that allegedly justify such a reckless stand-off. It might be the union’s brain wave but the education department knows what union boss Sam Hammond is saying Tell the public. How could it possibly damage relations in the present caustic wreckage? Why — really why? Is it about class size, money for “delays” caused by the government, is the coffee cold? It is genuinely shocking how little the public knows about what might be the real issues — or the level of personal animus that exists between the government and the union.
Marco Estrada has saved the Toronto Blue Jays from elimination for the second time this post-season. The Jays right-hander pitched a gem as Toronto beat Kansas City 7-1 to force Game 6 in the American League Championship Series The Blue Jays had sweet revenge on Royal’s pitcher Volquez by forcing him to walk in the winning run (above). TSN
Former PM Paul Martin
Former prime minister Paul Martin has spoken again in favour of the deficits that the incoming Trudeau government plans to run. Mr. Martin, a multi-billionaire shipping heir, said it is a good idea to have deficits in order to invest in infrastructure and help kickstart the economy. Martin says it is important to spend money in areas that will give future generations a better life. According to the longtime finance minister, these include infrastructure, education and research and development. Martin says not investing in the future is a guarantee of ongoing deficits. Trudeau said during the recent election campaign that a Liberal government would post three annual deficits of up to $10 billion to spend money on infrastructure.
Justin Trudeau visited the Jarry Metro Station near his home Wednesday to thank voters. He hurried about shaking hands and agreed to several selfies. Standing at the top of a subway escalator in a few of the images, some social media users couldn’t resist cracking a few jokes about how the scene was reminiscent of one of Trudeau’s most memorable campaign videos, in which he climbed an escalator moving in the opposite direction.
Read it and weep. The government is said to have paid both high school and elementary unions as much as $2.5 million for delays because of a “new system” God help us. Spectator
