Sloppy Tuesday with snow and rain predicted through night

Midtown Toronto will receive snow but amounts are uncertain as temperatures rise to perhaps 5º Celsius. Go slowly.

Rail demo on Bloor wants quick fix for all things Indigenous

As time passes without a return to freight and rail service, protesters have been emboldened to demonstrate along Bloor St. Monday saying the matter is now about everything Indigenous. Please get busy and fix things to their satisfaction.

Reality host dead, serially bad tenant and smiling baby thief

Faces, faces and the people they tell us about. The familiar smile of Britain’s Love Island host, Caroline Flack (left) is gone forever after the 40-year-old woman took her own life. Now there’s a huge furor over the treatment she got from British tabloids. At centre is Nova Scotia serial rental deadbeat Nadev Joseph Even-Har. He has just been sentenced to two years in jail for frauds of all sorts. Listen to him confess on Facebook. Finally, that’s Juliette Parker at the right. She’s a cunning Washington State woman who police say tried to steal babies by posing as a photographer specializing in children. Yikes.

Pier 1 declares bankruptcy in US, closes all Canadian stores

Pier 1 Imports is closing all of its stores in Canada, as the home decor retailer begins bankruptcy proceedings in the United States. Locally, the long-time outlet at Eglinton Ave. and Laird drive was slated to be evicted as work began on the large RioCan redevelopment of the corner. According to a brief statement on the company’s website, Pier 1 is pursuing a sale of the company in the U.S. amid the Chapter 11 proceedings. “In connection with this, the Company has made the decision to move forward in the U.S. and close all stores in Canada. We thank our customers in Canada for your continued loyalty and for shopping with us over the years,” the statement read.

Leaside United cancels pancake supper due to renovations

Boy dead, second safe in 4 a.m. L. Simcoe snowmobile folly

A boy of 14 has died in the icy waters of Lake Simcoe after he and another person ventured onto the ice at 4 a.m. Sunday on a snowmobile. The companion was rescued and the deceased boy’s body was found Sunday afternoon.

Blue Jays legend Tony Fernandez dead at 57 from stroke

Tony Fernandez has died of a stroke suffered in the hospital where he was being treated for kidney complications. Fernandez was taken off life support last night.

Minister humiliated in “talks” to get trains running again

Indigenous Affairs Minister Marc Miller was humiliated by protesters Sunday as he tried to get the train system running again. Recordings acquired by the CBC reveal Indigenous representatives telling Miller to remove all police from the scene of the illegal pickets. It seems probable there was no solution to the long-standing grievances of those protesting. The impasse has prompted the prime minister to cancel the rest of his foreign tour and come home immediately.

Bombardier Inc will sell troubled train, streetcar business

Years of mismanagement and shoddy streetcar construction have finally caught up with Bombardier Inc. The Montreal company has sold its transportation division to Paris-based Alstom SA.  The deal, first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, could yield $7 billion US for the Quebec-based firm. Bombardier’s inept execution of contracts with Metrolinx and the TTC have been a scandal. Reports also say Quebec’s pension fund manager, the Caisse de dépôt et placement, will sell its 32.5 percent stake in Bombardier’s train unit to Alstom and buy a minority stake in the combined train company.

Only way to end illegal blockade is dialogue says Liberal MP

Resentment appears to be growing as government members follow the prime minister’s lead in linking the continued nationwide paralysis of passenger and freight rail traffic to the vague notion of reconciliation. No right in Canada to commit illegal acts says Scheer.

TPS says no parking tickets to be issued Family Day Monday

The Toronto police will not be enforcing parking laws Monday (Family Day) in pay-and-display and metered areas. No tickets will be issued in rush-hour routes or areas with posted signs indicating Monday to Friday regulations. All other areas and parking offenses will continue to be enforced.

Ottawa will fly home Canadians stuck on Diamond Princess

The federal government will evacuate Canadians from a quarantined cruise ship, Diamond Princess, which is docked in Yokahama, the government announced late Saturday, citing the “extraordinary circumstances” on board. Ottawa said it has chartered a plane to bring home many of the 255 Canadians on the Diamond Princess, where some 3,500 passengers have been stuck for 10 days amid an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. So far, 355 people have been infected, including 15 from Canada. It’s the biggest concentration of confirmed cases outside of mainland China, the World Health Organization has said — Canadian Press.