Reuters: Canada creates 117,200 jobs in 60 days

Canada unexpectedly added 43,100 new jobs in October and the unemployment rate dropped to a near six-year low of 6.5 percent from 6.8 percent in September, Statistics Canada data indicated on Friday. That follows 74,100 new jobs created the month before. 

Urban Nature has new arrivals for the holidays

Paul Oliver’s Urban Nature Store in the Brentcliffe Mall is a fantastic resource for family and kids Christmas gifts this year. Canada’s Birding Store is well known for supplying the essentials of the naturists hobby. There is a breathtaking inventory of bird seeds, bird feeders, bird houses, bat houses, weather vanes, pest control  and such important household aids as clothes moth traps and pantry moth traps. But the Urban Nature store has great environmentally friendly gifts. Check the delightful earrings (inset) for mom. They are charming and come in dozens of styles. Best part? These shiny and fun earrings (inset right) are recycled from used cardboard in cereal boxes. Take a quick click over the Urban Nature website to review these wonderful gifts. Click the Fun and Education Department. When you’re done there, go to New Arrivals. Check out the Kate and Levi Dog Puppet Kit and the Giraffe Puppet Kit.  They contain all recycled elements. You can build a birdhouse or a bat house with the kids. Bat houses are a huge asset at the cottage. Bats are said to eat 1200 mosquitoes a day. Also at New Arrivals, check out the just-arrived bots. YOXOmoto Doon, YOXObug Flye and YOXObot Orig,  Spiced Mug Mats (also at New Arrivals) are a ingenious stocking stuffers or small gift at $3.95 each. A hot mug on the mat generates different aromatic scents from each mat. Orders over $125 qualify for free shipping. This applies only to orders shipping to Canadian addresses. Those who ship never pay customs or duties within Canada. To determine shipping charge, the store suggests you add items to your cart and then click the “estimate shipping” link. You will then be asked to enter your postal code. Shipping rates are based on the weight of the products. Orders can also be picked up from the Urban Nature is on Brentcliffe Rd. between Vanderhoof Ave. and Eglinton Ave. E.  There’s lots of parking out front.    

End of 30-day notice to cancel phone, Internet

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) says Canadians will no longer need to provide 30-days notice to change or cancel their television, phone or Internet service. The  CRTC does not say what the expectation for cancellation should be except that 30 days notice is too long.  It said the end of the 30-day notice period will make it easier for residential customers and small businesses to take advantage of the marketplace by switching.

DancExperts now open at 105 Vanderhoof Ave.

DancExperts, the well-known Leaside dance clothing store, is now located in its new premises at 105 Vanderhoof Ave Unit 3. This commercial mall is the easy-parking space with a wide collection of businesses such as Gears (the bicycle people) and food distributor Manning Canning. DancExperts Manager Heather Taylor and the ladies moved into the space this past weekend and want everyone to know they are up, running and ready for business. Previously, DancExperts was at 852 Millwood Road for many years. Give them a call. (416) 421-8506  

26 injured on Canadian bus in New York State

Canada 

SNC Lavalin: Who the heck are these guys again?

It means a lot to a certain class of business people and financiers but news that SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. will reduce the size of its worldwide workforce by 10 per cent leaves most Canadians saying: “Who are these guys again?” Think of SNC Lavalin as the company that does the work for a mining company and maybe finances them too. It is really reassuring to ordinary readers to find that Wikipedia prefaces its description of what the company does with a warning that the article may be “too technical” for most. In any case, the actual number of jobs lost is 4,000 and there is no hint in the Globe and Mail or other stories as to just where those jobs might be. Of course we have a lot of mining in Canada. 

Case against Remembrance Day as stat holiday

Toronto Sun 

Man accosts 14-year-old at Duplex and Briar Hill

On Tuesday November 4, 2014 at approximately 4:30 p.m. the TPS received a call about a suspicious incident in the Briar Hill Avenue and Duplex Avenue area. It is reported that a man approached a 14-year-old girl and began to converse with her. The man then tried to lure the girl into his vehicle. She was able to escape.   The man is described as 20 to 30 years, medium build with short dark hair and a round face. He was driving an older-model dark-green van.

How the El Mocambo was saved — we think

Spectator 

Debate over repair of bullet damage on Hill

The discussion of whether to save the bullet holes on Parliament HIll is understandable. In fact most members think the place should be repaired and cleaned up. It is a fair comment to say the country does not want its parliament looking like a old dump. Fact, is there are a very large number of holes and indentations where an uncountable number of slugs went flying. Opinion seems to be leaning towards repair. 

Canada sets zero tolerance of “barbaric” polygamy

The government will ban  the entry of  polygamist immigrants to Canada effective with legislation to be tabled in the House of Commons. Today (Wednesday, November 5, 2014) Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Status of Women Minister Kellie Leitch appeared at a news conference to make the announcement. They stood behind a placard on the lectern which said Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices.  This message pointed to the underlying problems of polygamy as it is practiced in many places as seen by Ottawa. These are such things as forced marriages, female circumcision and even so-called honour killings. Dr. Leitch has been a long-time crusader against the circumcision of girls and women. 

Star to drop paywall, launch tablet edition in 2015

The Toronto Star says it will drop its paywall next year as it launches a new tablet edition. The paper says it will spend as much as $12 million to develop the tablet, a project undertaken with software created by the Montreal daily LaPresse. The Star says it will enter into a joint marketing venture with LaPresse in hope of attracting national advertisers back to newspapers. Speaking in a conference call, Star CEO David Holland said LaPresse has had remarkable success in attracting and holding young readers to its tablet. Some are said to stay for as long as an hour on Saturdays. It is a considerable challenge for the Star and traditional papers as advertising has fled to many other vehicles over the decade. The paywall concept has brought mixed results at generating revenue. Users are able to find free news elsewhere and the paywall has been said to reduce readership online with a comparable loss of online advertising.  Canadian Press