Voter information cards for the Toronto general election are being mailed this week. Every eligible elector on the voters list will receive one of these voter information cards. The cards provide information about when and where to vote either during the advance vote October 14 to 19 or on Election Day, Monday, October 27, 2014. People who have not received a voter information card by the middle of October can use the online tool MyVote to find out when and where to vote during the advance vote and on Election Day, including a mapping feature showing where the voting place is in the ward. Electors are encouraged to bring their voter information card with them when they go to vote. It will help make voting quicker and easier.
Jennifer Bonnell is author of Reclaiming the Don
by •
 |
| Jennifer Bonnell |
Author Jennifer Bonnell’s Reclaiming the Don: An Environmental History of Toronto’s Don Valley will be discussed in a meeting tomorrow night (Wednesday, October 8, 2014) The event is set for 6:30 to 9 p.m. the Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, Papermill Gallery, 67 Pottery Rd. The book traces the Don Valley’s evolution from its early European settlement to the construction of the Don Valley Parkway in the 1960s and through to the present. This launch is presented by the City of Toronto’s Museums and Heritage Services, University of Toronto Press and the McMaster University Wilson Institute for Canadian History.
Goliaths and Lancers collide on Friday afternoon
by •
The Mirror reports that the East York Collegiate Goliaths and Leaside High Lancers will meet Friday (October 10, 2014) Monarch Park Stadium. Game time is 4 p.m. game. East York Mirror
“Teen shootings are the real election issue”
by •
Peter Kuttenbrower takes a thoughtful tack in tying the deadly rumble in Etobicoke yesterday to the municipal general election. He’s right to be concerned about it but in the end, swaggering young men are a lot more difficult to solve than our transit complex. National Post
Forum Research poll shows mayor’s race closing
by •
The Globe and Mail is reporting a Forum Research poll Tuesday (October 8, 2014) which is said to show John Tory and Rob Ford two points apart in public support in the campaign to be mayor — 39 to 37 percent. The margin of error is 2.8 percent, which if the error were in Ford’s favour, place the two men in a statistical tie. A caveat for anyone relying on such polling. There have been examples, including some by Forum, where the results have been wildly inaccurate. On the other hand, it is not surprising that Ford’s boisterous campaign would attract support. Olivia Chow continues to slide, according to the Forum poll. She’s at 19 percent.
“Kids condo” planned on Eglinton near Yonge
by •
It appears to be a condominium designed for families with children. This Toronto Star promotional piece says it will be located a 161 Eglinton Ave. E. with a large play area for kids. Suites are said to be planned from 359 sq. ft. to 871 sq. ft and to be priced in the mid $200,000s for 2018 occupancy. Story
CNN plans 1,475 full-time job cuts world-wide
by •
CNN has announced plans to cut ten percent of its worldwide workforce or 1,475 full-time jobs. The parent corporation will be cutting 400 positions from its American and international channels, the news organization reported. The company said about 130 CNN reductions will be voluntary buyouts, and the rest will happen through layoffs. Turner Broadcasting, which owns CNN, TBS and TNT networks, said it plans to cut its workforce by ten percent, which means roughly 1,475 full-time positions will be terminated worldwide.
Grade 8 kids meet the public on South Bayview
by •
This enterprising Grade 8 group was busy outside Starbucks on South Bayview today speaking with members of the public for a school project at St. Anselm’s School. They were seeking input about the issue of bullying and were ready with questions, notepaper and camera. Good work guys.
2 dead in noon-hour shooting in Etobicoke
by •
There’s a lot still to be known about what happened in the urban jungle of Etobicoke. And lots of different stories too. But there are two dead, one just 15 years old, and the Star says there were many students involved in what appeared to be fighting when shots were fired near the School of Experimental Education. Toronto Star
Michael Bliss finds little to like in mideast mission
by •
 |
| Michael Bliss |
Leaside’s Michael Bliss has told CP24 host Stephen LeDrew that the ISIS situation is terrible and that “good people on both sides” will disagree on what to do about it. He spoke as the Commons re-convened to continue debate on the government’s decision to send fighter jets to attack ISIS in Iraq. Dr. Bliss said he wished Canada would postpone action until the matter became clearer. He said he did not think Ottawa understood conditions in the region nor did the Americans. The West’s track record of figuring out how to react to such problems was not good, he said. He conceded that ISIS terrorists were “bad guys and a menace” but he added that they seemed to be a threat to others in the region, rather than to Canada. He noted that countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey are well equipped to deal with ISIS. Between them they had excellent air and military forces. Bliss referenced the last time Canada used air power in the region. That was in Libya during the so-called Arab Spring (Bliss did not use that term). He called the effort a failure. There is chaos in Libya. (Some might say that the West embarked on its Arab Spring adventure with a giddiness quite unlike the sense of horror surrounding ISIS — Ed.) Dr. Bliss said we should give credit to CSIS for being on top of the comings and goings of terrorists associated with ISIS. He said the government should pay a lot of attention to this concern. A public opinion poll done by Ipsos Reid shows that perhaps 64 percent of Canadians support some form of action against ISIS, although with feelings of caution. American public opinion registers a similar support. This sentiment is largely attributed to the disgust and outage people feel over the public atrocities staged by ISIS. Dr. Bliss mentioned his concern, when asked about the beheadings by Le Drew, that these acts alone may not be the best basis to decide if we send forces to the area.
Take an aspirin and dive into election campaign
by •
“Postmedia-Sun” dominant but stretched for cash
by •
Toronto — and Canada — face a much changed media landscape this Monday, October 6, 2014. It comes with the announced sale of the Sun Media properties to Postmedia, owner of the National Post and many venerable names of the Southam chain like the Ottawa Citizen and the Calgary Herald. Reuters is saying the new chain will be “dominant” and it has that potential, but it is a shipwreck when it comes to money. Like most media companies, Postmedia and Sun Media are deeply wounded by the many cuts of the digital knife. It’s true that Postmedia will gain many viable local papers like the London Free Press and the St. Catharines Standard Readers of Sun papers may by happier that the publications are now out of the hands of the quirky boss of the Sun holding company, Quebecor. He is Pierre Karl Peladeau, now a member of the Parti Quebcois and ambitious it seems to be the party’s leader. At a news conference Paul Godfrey, chairman of Postmedia, called the acquisition a big bet on the future of this industry.” Reuters