Gov’t jobs growing faster than private says Fraser Institute

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The Fraser Institute says that employment growth during the decade 2003 to 2013 was much faster in the public sector than in the private. The statistics shown reveal an expansion of 22.6 percent among public sector employees against growth of 10.7 percent in the private sector. The report says the contrast is sharpest in Ontario where public-sector jobs grew by 27.6 percent over that period and private-sector jobs by 5.6 percent. The study by the Vancouver-based think-tank shows Alberta had the smallest gap, with a 31.9 percent rise in public-sector employment and a 29.3 percent increase in the private sector. The study defines public employees as anyone working for any level of government, for a government service or agency, a Crown corporation or a government-funded organization such as a school or hospital.

Training needed? 2 streetcars collide on Queen’s Quay

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streetcars Two streetcars have collided on Queen’s Quay when one of them apparently tried to turn into a loop before the other had fully cleared the intersection. There is no explanation of just what went wrong but the accident is one of a number for vehicular traffic generally. It is said that motorists are quite confused about just where to drive. Earlier, planners said the signage needed to be made clearer. Might be good to postpone your trip down there until they get things smoothed out.

FLASHBACK: 2011 collapse of Cornish cliff still thrills

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Breathtaking video of the collapse of a huge cliff in Cornwall England. Stay with it for a second or two. This comes, happily, with a report from a witness as follows: “Thanks for all of your positive comments. Sorry I can’t reply to them all individually. Hopefully I can answer most of the FAQ’s now…. The failure occurred at about 5 p.m. on Friday 23rd September 2011. It took place on the North Coast of Cornwall. There were only a few people watching, with about the same number of inquisitive seals in the water! There were lots of ‘small’ failures just before the main event. This appears to be a progressive failure, the frequency and size of the smaller failures increased until the inevitable happened. The sound was incredible, those cliffs are about 150-200 feet high. I’d been chatting to the couple mentioned in the clip only a few minutes before the footage was taken. They can just be seen walking away in the distance; the path had been fenced off and diverted, so they were quite safe. An amazing sight, and credit to R who took the video, I still can’t stop revisiting it! Thanks again for all the comments, who says Geology isn’t an exciting subject?”

End near for Greece as millions withdraw their money

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greek-lineup-w drachma The end seems near for Greece as part of the Eurozone. Both European and Greek officials are guessing that next Sunday’s referendum outcome will be a rejection of any plan to pay back the country’s debt. The latest EU plan is being called “blackmail” and people are talking nostalgically of the return of the Drachma (inset above). If it again becomes the national currency one thing is certain. It won’t be worth much. It may require several thousand to buy breakfast. It also seems likely that the Euro will trade unofficially and maybe on a black market.

Circumstances of Georgia’s death beggar the imagination

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The death of Georgia Walsh has been thoroughly investigated, examined by experts and the details heard in open court. The facts are known and it is over. And yet, to hear the circumstances in which Georgia crossed McRae Drive and was struck by Ranko Stupar’s van is to beggar the imagination. The full verdict as rendered by Mr. Justice S. Ford Clements is linked at the bottom of this post. It recounts in detail the witness information and the reconstruction of the accident provided by the police. Georgia was running westbound across McRae within the north crosswalk on Millwood Road from the northeast to the northwest corner. That’s the crossing that takes one from Trace Manes Park to Leaside United Church.  When she stepped off the curb, the pedestrian signal was flashing a red hand and the countdown timer was at 5 seconds. The accident reconstruction report concludes that Georgia was already in the crosswalk when Mr. Stupar’s vehicle approached the area of the stop bar which sits ahead of the crosswalk.

FEW CAN COMPREHEND IT

He was southbound on McRae and intended to make, and did make, a right turn on a red light during which he slowed but did not stop. Georgia was struck in the crosswalk, near the northwest corner of the intersection, by the front driver’s side of Mr. Stupar’s vehicle and knocked down to the roadway. In the words of Justice Clements, she was overrun by the front driver and rear driver side tires. Justice Clements said that had Mr. Stupar stopped his vehicle at the north stop bar, it would have taken him 3.9 seconds to travel from that point to the point of impact. There was sufficient time for Georgia to cross the street safely had Mr. Stupar stopped at the stop bar. She had the right of way. The grievous act of making a turn without stopping is appalling but not unknown. But Mr. Stupar says as well that at no time did he see Georgia in the crosswalk nor realize that he had struck anyone until witnesses began to shout at him to stop. He did stop and now lives with the miserable knowledge of what he did. But few motorists will comprehend, even as we are required to accept it, that a driver could miss the presence of a 7-year-old child in a crosswalk in front of him as he approached a red light.  R. v. Stupar, 2015 ONCJ 350 (CanLII)

Greek gov’t calls snap referendum on debt “blackmail”

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The Greek government has called snap referendum on July 5 on the outcome of negotiations with its international creditors taking place in Brussels on Saturday, Prime Minister Tsipras declared on television  Friday. “The people must decide free of any blackmail,” said Tsipras.  Other cabinet ministers spoke angrily of rejection on the part of the the Greek people. It seems a gloomy sign for  the prospects of Greece being able to stay in in the Eurozone.

Tim Horton’s at Bayview and Eglinton near completion

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tim-500-2 The sign is up and potential customers are looking through the window. It will not be long before the Tim Horton’s opens at the southwest corner of Bayview and Eglinton Aves. The location is an interesting gambit for Tim Horton’s. There is no parking and it will rely entirely on pedestrian traffic. The costs have clearly been carefully calculated as the space is rather small, and the landlord is the condominium management which is no doubt glad to see them. Tim Horton’s will open in condo at Eglinton and Bayview