The Ontario Government this afternoon voted to pass the legislation freezing teachers wages for at least two years. Teachers and others in the Legislature gallery shouted “Shame” while some Progressive Conservative members replied “Isn’t there school today?” The opposition PCs voted with the Liberal minority to provide an ample majority for passage. Public school teacher unions leaders said they’ll ask their members to stop any voluntary duties in school, such as extracurricular clubs, to send a message they’re not happy with the law. High school teachers are scheduled to demonstrate tomorrow. The Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty has acted with uncharacteristic firmness in cutting costs as the reality of Ontario’s $220 billion debt has set in. It is said that each one of Ontario’s’citizens would have to pay $16,900 to balance the province’s accounts.
Leaside beats Newmarket to advance in GTBL
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| Travis Skelton |
Centre fielder Travis Skelton drove in three runs with a pair of hits as the visiting Leaside Leafs topped the Newmarket Hawks 6-2 to sweep a Greater Toronto Baseball League quarter-final playoff series Monday night at McKnight Field. Skelton hit a two-run double in the seventh inning off losing pitcher Adam Kallio to expand a 3-1 Leafs lead. The victory enabled Leaside to claim the series in two games and advance to the league’s four-team, double-knockout tournament starting Friday night in Thornhill at Bishop’s Cross Park. Mark West had two doubles and Liam O’Brien had a double and single among the six hits Newmarket recorded off winning pitcher Andrew Morales.
Crown seeks two years in dungeon case
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The Crown is seeking a two-year jail term for a man who built a dungeon in an abandoned Pickering farm house with the intention of abducting and detaining a woman. The convicted man is Robert Edwin White who earlier pleaded guilty to building a so-called confinement room in an abandoned farmhouse to kidnap a woman who had given assistance to his estranged wife. Sentence will be handed down October 4, 2012. Durham
Gold necklace theft on Thorncliffe Park Drive
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Toronto Police Service report: A 31 year old female reports that on September 9, 2012 at approximately 1600 hours she was in the area of Thorncliffe Park Drive and Overlea Boulevard when she was approached from behind by a male suspect. The suspect removed a gold necklace from the victim’s person and fled the scene northbound on Thorncliffe Park Drive. No injuries were sustained by the victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, black, 22 to 26 years, 5’9”, medium build
Moms To Be and More theft reported
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The owner of Moms To Be And More has reported that over the period stretching from February to September , 2012, cash has been removed from the store. It’s not clear from this brief police report that the disappearance is the result of occasional pilfering or the removal of a sum of money that was seldom checked. The sum was not given and may not in fact be known.
Amsterdam Brewery moves to Esandar Drive
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Amsterdam Brewery has announced that it will move to Leaside Industrial Park east of Laird Drive. The address will be 45 Esandar Road down the way and around the corner a little bit from the newly-opened Leaside Village. The premises is now a large multi-tenant warehouse building (inset) which seems quite suitable for the Amsterdam business. The transfer date is November 1, 2012. The new shop will feature a “sampling facility” with more than ten beers on tap as well as a retail store with a 400 square foot glass wall so shoppers can look into the brewery. There will also be a 2000 squre foot event space for dinners, brewing seminars (of course) and other weekly events.
Corner stores over-regulated lobby says
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| Remember Bayview Express? |
A report to the Canadian Convenience Store Association says over-regulation is crippling the convenience store industry in Canada. This is especially true for independent stores, the report maintains. Corner store owners are said to be dealing with 517 federal and provincial laws and regulations at an estimated annual cost of $225-million. The report is being presented today at a meeting of Canadian retailers, distributors and manufacturers in Toronto. A report in the Financial Post says that for every dollar of profit the industry generates, governments collect $16 in revenue. The story does not say it but it would appear much of the government’s take on corner store business comes from the large tax on cigarettes. Profits in the industry are about $1-billion a year, and revenue generated by the convenience store industry for government exceeds $16-billion.
Swarming on Laird near Eglinton (knife shown)
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Toronto Police Service report: Two male victims and a female victim, ages 15 to 17 years, report that on (Friday) September 7, 2012 between 2245 hours and 2320 hours, they were in the area of Laird Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East when they were surrounded by 10 male suspects. Two suspects were armed with knives. The suspects made a demand for the victims’ cellular phones. The victims complied. The suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the victims. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1 and #2: Male, 18 to 21 years, 5’7” to 5’8”, 119 to 130 pounds, thin build, short black hair. Suspect #3: Male, black, 18 to 21 years. Suspects #4-#10: Male,
Great Expectations (2012) to premiere at TIFF
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| Holliday Grainger |
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will show a new adaption of a Charles Dickens towering classic this week. Great Expectations will premiere on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. This is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Dickens, the world’s best-known Victorian author, This time the two star-crossed lovers, playing Pip and Estella, are Jeremy Irvine and Holliday Grainger. And it’s worth noting that durable Helena Bonham-Carter portrays the nasty Miss Havisham, a bitter old woman who teaches Estella how to break hearts. Over the years Estella’s role has been played by actresses such as Jane Wyatt (1932) and Jean Simmons (1946). Take a look at the trailer.
CRTC tests Bell/Astral deal for market share
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This story asks if the swallowing up of Astral Media by omnivorous Bell breaks some sort of “threshold”. Asrtral owns Newstalk 1010 and 83 other radio stations, HBO and numerous Pay and Specialty Channels. Who knew there was a threshold? Vancouver Sun.
Gardiner ramps closed for six weeks
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Two Gardiner Expressway ramps at Bay Street to the eastbound Gardiner and the eastbound off-ramp to Jarvis Street will be closed until the end of October starting tomorrow (Monday, September 10, 2012).. Drivers can still exit the eastbound Gardiner using the York/Bay/Yonge off-ramp to get to Jarvis Street.
“Calendar Girls” revived by Yorkshire players
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| The original Calendar Girls |
There’s nothing so British it seems as a group of nice middle-aged ladies stripping on stage for charity. The women above, the original Calendar Girls, are responsible for this. It’s 13 years since their Women’s Institute group in a small North Yorkshire village bared all in that famous calendar to raise millions of pounds for charity. They became a legend in the process. Now a Yorkshire theatrical troupe, the Grassington Players are performing naked for the world amateur premiere of the stage version of the incredible story. It was back in 1999 when the ladies of Rylstone WI came up with an idea to raise money for charity. Their nude calendar and the story behind it sparked international interest, an award winning film and stage play. Video