Union Wins

Toronto's city councillors have voted to accept a deal reached with two civic unions following a strike that lasted nearly six weeks.

The vote happened shortly before 7 p.m. on Friday night. Councillors voted 21-17 in favour of the deal between the City of Toronto and Locals 416 and 79.

The councillors began debating the matter at 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning, when Mayor David Miller urged his fellow City Hall members to vote in favour of the settlement. Full Story from CTV News.

CUPE: WORKING FOR YOU - NOT!

The picture says it all.

Letter To Kyle Rae

I wrote a letter to Toronto Centre-Rosedale city councilor Kyle Rae today to express my displeasure with this ongoing nut squeezing of the city of Toronto by greedy unions.

After reading Mr. Rae's reply, my conclusion is that city council, or at the very least Councillor Rae is passing the buck by saying;

"the Mayor has indicated that the proposed settlements fall within the bargaining parameters established by the City's Labour Relations Committee.".

In other words, they get to keep banking sick days and ripping us off even though it has been recently reported that the fund only has something like less than half of the amount needed to pay off these gougers. I am sick and tired of this nonsense.

And while we're on the topic, is there some logical reason why a TTC collector is being paid more than 125K a year? He's a friggin TTC collector for gods sake, and now he is charged with stealing from the TTC. I guess 125K isn't enough for some people! Is it just me or has this city gone completely fucking insane!

Here is my letter and Kyle Rae's reply:

I am NOT impressed by Mr. Miller's total lack of concern for the
citizens of Toronto. Letting the union workers bank sick days is just
another step towards bankrupting this city. I will not be voting for
him, or you in the next election should you decide to approve this rip
off of a deal. Fire these lazy bastards and give the jobs to people
who really want to work and save us all some money. This council is a
JOKE!

By the way, it has come to my attention that you don't feel the need
to reply to your constituents emails. You may want to rethink that
stance.

Mark Daye, Toronto

Hello Mark,

Thank you for your email.

I have yet to see the details of the tentative agreements. However, the Mayor has indicated that the proposed settlements fall within the bargaining parameters established by the City's Labour Relations Committee. These parameters reflect the City's ability to pay during what are certainly challenging economic times.

Again, thank you for writing. I appreciate your candid feedback.

Kyle

Since this post, I noticed a friend wrote to Kyle today too. He got the same reply. Word for word. So, Kyle (or a staffer) is obviously just pounding out the canned reply to anyone who mentions the strike.

China Still Number One (for executions)

The number of prisoners put to death worldwide decreased in 2008, a human rights group said Wednesday, adding that China retained its position as the world's top executioner.

Executions in the United States were down from last year, while Iran and Saudi Arabia appeared near the top of the list of the world's top executioners, the anti-death penalty group Hands Off Cain said in a report about 2008 and the first six months of this year.

The group said that at least 5,727 executions were carried out in 2008, down from 5,851 the year before. It said that 46 countries retained the death penalty last year, three fewer than in 2007, with Burundi and Uzbekistan abolishing capital punishment, and Sierra Leone establishing itself as a de facto abolitionist by not having carried out any executions for more than 10 years.

The report said China accounted for at least 5,000 executions – or 87.3 per cent of the total – the same estimate as last year. Full Story

On the bright side, China claims that they will reduce the number in the years to come. I call that a bunch of crap. No state has the right to take ANY human life, period!

Banked sick days in city offer

Unionized city employees will continue to bank pay for unused sick days under a contract offer being voted on today.

However, a last-minute glitch in talks with one of the two striking CUPE locals means that only the inside workers began voting this morning on whether to ratify the deal.

CUPE Local 416, which represents outside workers including trash collectors, indefinitely postponed a vote set to begin at 7 a.m. today because negotiators hadn't signed a memorandum of agreement to end the strike, or negotiated a back-to-work protocol following the tentative agreement reached early Monday morning. Full Story

In other words we just went through a stinky month with no pools or daycare for NOTHING! Way to go Miller. I won't be forgetting this at election time and I will be reminding those who do forget.

City dropped all concessions, union says

CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson said today that the union fought back all of the concessions the city had sought but one councillor says that if that is true, Mayor David Miller has some explaining to do.

Ferguson wouldn't give specifics of the tentative deal reached with the city early today, but said that the support of his members gave the "bargaining committee the ability to fight back all of the concessions," the city sought.

"As I have said from the beginning, we will end this strike like we began," he told a news conference this morning at the Scarborough hotel where his local's negotiation took place.

Pat Daley, a spokesperson for Local 416, backed up Ferguson's statement that the union had managed to "fight back all of the concessions the city sought from us."

All 118 pages of concessions? she was asked.

"Yes," she said.

Full Story at thestar.com

If this is true, Miller obviously is not concerned about this city, nor does he want to try to get re-elected.

Everyone is happy this strike is over, but it appears the unions have won at the expense of the taxpayer. It's time to privatize the trash pick up and give the work to people who are willing to work for a competitive wages.

Deal Reached In City Strike

Negotiators for the city and its two striking unions have reached an agreement after more than a month of a civic workers strike.

Mark Ferguson, president of Local 416 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, made the announcement at about 8:30 a.m. but did not provide further details. Get the full story at thestar.com

Coronation Street becomes fictional first on Street View

Coronation Street will "make history" as the first fictional location to feature on Google Street View.

A Google car, complete with the roof-mounted camera, has driven down the famous cobbles of Coronation Street to capture the real-life set in 360-degrees.

When live, fans of the soap will be able to explore the street virtually on Google Street View and take in the landmarks such as the Rovers Return and The Kabin paper shop.

A Google spokesperson added: "This is the first ever TV soap to be photographed for Street View and we're thrilled that soon fans up and down the country will be able to imagine themselves heading down the street to enjoy a pint in The Rovers".

TORONTO BURLESQUE FESTIVAL STARTS TODAY

The second annual Toronto Burlesque Festival, dubbed "Tassels Without Borders," features four days and nights of burlesque performances at the Gladstone Hotel, The Mod Club, the Cadillac Lounge and The Centre of Gravity. It kicks off tonight.

"This (burlesque) scene has grown so much," said festival producer Adrianna LeBlanc, a.k.a. Sauci Calla Horra, who started performing with troupe Skin Tight Outta Sight as a "card girl" in 2002 and has since become a regular performer. Full story at thestar.com

Murder Charges Laid in Kingston Drownings

A man, his wife and their son are charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of three Montreal sisters and their caregiver, who were found dead in a submerged car near Kingston, Ont.
The bodies of the three teenaged sisters and the 50-year-old woman were found in the car in the Rideau Canal on June 30.
Kingston police Chief Stephen Tanner told a news conference this afternoon he was saddened at the "needless and senseless loss of innocent human lives," in what he described as a case of domestic violence. Full Story at 680 News

Clement defends decision not to fund gay arts fest

Industry Minister Tony Clement says his government had to consider "regional fairness" when doling out stimulus money to big tourism events – and that's why a gay arts festival in Montreal didn't make the cut.

The organizers of Montreal's Divers-Cite festival, which features gay and lesbian performers from around the world, said they were shocked to find out this week that their application for funding under the new program had been rejected.

They had been told by bureaucrats they had met all the rigorous criteria for their $155,000 bid – a fact not disputed by the government.

Director Suzanne Girard had initially scoffed at suggestions that ideology might be at play in handing out grants, but now says she suspects politics were involved.

After some Conservative caucus members complained last month that Toronto's Pride Week had received $400,000, junior tourism minister Diane Ablonczy lost responsibility for the file. Read the full story at The Star.com

This posting is a follow up to the recent post regarding the demotion of Diane Ablonczy after she gave 400K to Pride Toronto.

Miller says back-to-work order would hurt T.O.

Mayor David Miller says an arbitrated settlement in the 31-day-old civic strike would cause huge budget problems for the city in the months ahead and could possibly lead to layoffs.

"Every time there's been an arbitrated settlement, the cost of that settlement has been very high," he said at a Wednesday news conference in city hall, pointing to Toronto police officers being awarded three-per-cent hikes.

If Toronto's 24,000 unionized workers were given a 12 per cent wage hike over four years, there would be service cuts and the ability to hire young people would be restricted, he said. Source: CTV News

Miller may say that legislation to force the city workers back would hurt Toronto, but what he really means is it would hurt him. It is pretty obvious to anyone that he's made back room deals with the unions or else this strike would not have happened. Miller can take full credit for ruining the all to short summer of the children and families of Toronto.

Arrests Made In Canal Death

Three people were arrested Wednesday morning in connection with the June 30 incident in which the bodies of four Montreal women were retrieved from a car submerged in the Rideau Canal near Kingston, Ont., Global News reports. Source: The National Post

Circus Animals Abused

Visit RinglingBeatsAnimals.com

Friends for Life Bike Rally

On July 26, 2009, 400 courageous individuals will embark on an incredible journey. For six days, our riders will cycle over 600km from Toronto to Montreal with the support of a fabulous crew, and in doing so will raise thousands of dollars for men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS. The experience promises to have a profound impact on the lives of each and every participant. Visit the website.

Via Could Be Crippled By Strike, Some Trains Already Cancelled

Via Rail has already cancelled some routes ahead of a possible strike by workers on Friday.

The rail line is negotiating with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference which represents about 340 locomotive engineers. The union has given notice it intends to go on strike on Friday at noon EDT.

But Via has already cancelled some long-distance trains to ensure passengers are not be stranded en-route if the union goes on strike. Source: City News

Strike Update

Toronto garbage strike 2009. Day 30

City News reports on strike news. The Moss Park temporary dump shown in the video above is about one block from my office and is just one of many disgusting, rat infested dumps around the city.

Day 30 Strike News

• George Smitherman was accosted by a strikers wife in what quickly turned into a bad PR stunt as he swept up garbage.
• City Hall has started issuing building permits again.
• Toronto stinks, but the scent varies depending on the neighborhood, temperature and amount of precipitation.

Tories reject funding for Montreal gay festival

A gay and lesbian arts festival that was told it met all government criteria under a new tourism stimulus program learned Tuesday it was rejected for funding.

The news arrived at Montreal's Divers-Cite a few weeks after tension swept the Conservative caucus over funding for Toronto's Pride week, and just days before the beginning of their event.

The directors of Divers-Cite had actually sprung to the defence of Stephen Harper's government earlier this month, telling The Canadian Press that the Conservatives had never treated them differently. Some in the gay community attacked them for their comments.

They had submitted a bid under the new Marquee Tourism Events Program for $155,000 to add performers and promotion to this year's $2-million event. Full Story at CTV.

I can't say I'm surprised.

Here is the link to the earlier post about the Toronto Pride funding.

Saudis chided on 'rights abuses'

Amnesty International has strongly criticised Saudi Arabia over abuses allegedly committed under its counter-terrorism programme.

In a new report the human rights group says that since 2001 thousands of Saudis have been detained for years without charge or trial.

The group's 69-page report describes Saudi Arabia's human rights record as "shocking" and "dire".

It says the international community has been far too quiet about the abuse. Full Story at BBC News.

Delta Fair Starts Thursday

July 23-26, 2009

Theme: Year of the Nursery Rhyme

Karsh widow donates photographs to Ottawa

Nine prints by the internationally renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh were donated on Tuesday to the City of Ottawa by his widow, Estrellita Karsh.

Karsh was surprised to learn that the city where her husband had been a longtime resident had none of his work in its collections.

"I had no idea there was nothing in the print or art collection of the city until I was told and we were very happy to remedy that," she said.

Tuesday was declared Yousuf Karsh Day by the city, which presents an award named after Karsh and his brother every year to an Ottawa artist who shows outstanding artistic work in photography.

A wonderful gift for the city of Ottawa!

Tighty Whitey Car Wash Photos

On Friday I posted about the Tighty Whitey car wash PWA fundraiser which took place this afternoon and it is still on until four p.m. If you have a car bring it down to the lane way between Zelda's and Cafe California on Church St. and get it washed by the guys and gals in their undies.

We Tour America Scam?

The following is a message I received from Tracey Sandilands of Pride Toronto:

I also found some other sites complaining about We Tour America.

Complaintsboard.com

Rip Off Report

If you entered a competition during Pride Week with a company called We Tour America, please be warned! I've been told by someone who participated that it appears to be a scam to get hold of credit card numbers. I'm investigating and will keep you posted, but let me assure you there is no link with Pride Toronto - any such competitions were being promoted without our knowledge and purely on a private basis.

If anyone has additional information on this company or the competition, please let me know.

Thanks and regards
Tracey Sandilands

Just For Laughs at Yonge Dundas Square

Click on the images above to view large size.

After a brief delay by a summer rainshower, we got on the subway and headed to Yonge Dundas Square to see Russell Peters at the Just For Laughs comedy festival. The packed subway was a good indicator of the crowd at the square, which I estimate was in the thousands. Below is a stitched panorama image of the crowd and one of Russell Peters on stage. We only stayed a few minutes due to the size of the crowd and we couldn't really hear anything. His act is posted on Youtube in four parts.

Thanks to Petals & Twigs in the Toronto Life Square which overlooks Yonge Dundas Square for letting me take the crowd picture from your window.

Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

Last weekend was the 48th annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. It was held at Nathan Phillips Square in front of city hall. The show was jam packed with a variety of sculpture, photography, paintings, woodwork (Jesse!) and seemed to have a really good turnout.  Here's a couple of pictures.

Regent Park Neigborhood Initiative

Last Saturday I stopped by Regent Park for their community day. I wanted to take a look at the new construction and see how the project was moving along. The project looks great so far, although I'm sure the people who are waiting for new homes would like it to be finished.

Here is a picture of one of the new condominiums and one of myself and Ellen Michelson the Green Party candidate for Toronto Centre.

CUPE Picks on Poor

Strikers told to halt 'offensive' activity at welfare offices

City threatens 'strongest possible action' unless picketers stop delaying non-unionized staff at social assistance sites

LAURIE MONSEBRAATEN 
SOCIAL JUSTICE REPORTER

Homeless for more than a year and penniless since she lost her wallet this week, Cynthia Cronkhite scraped together $2.75 for bus fare to travel to the north Etobicoke welfare office for help.

The office near Pearson airport is one of just three still operating since civic workers went on strike June 22. The remaining 11 offices are closed, forcing people such as Cronkhite, who lives near the city's Queensway office, to travel long distances for service.

At least once during the first week of the strike the north Etobicoke office was closed by picketers who stopped management staff from entering until late in the afternoon. Last week, about a dozen unionized staff who tried to go back to work clashed with their striking colleagues on the picket line, resulting in calls to police. Two security guards are now posted at the main entrance and two private investigators have been capturing everything on camera, although those workers remain on the sidelines.  Read the full story 

Source:thestar.com

Yonge-Bloor development on the brink

The gleaming 80-storey condominium tower that was to lead the revitalization of the Yonge-Bloor intersection in Toronto is teetering on the edge of extinction.

On Monday, the Toronto lender that advanced a $46 million loan is going to ask a court to put the Kazakhstan-backed project into receivership and sell off the now-vacant land its international developer boasts is the "best address in the world."

The lender, a consortium of Toronto businessmen, alleges in court documents that Kazakh developer Bazis International has defaulted on its land loan and the Kazakh bank backing the tower portion of the project is involved in a "massive financial scandal involving fake loans, racketeering and money laundering activities."  Full Story at thestar.com 

I suspected something was up with this development, which is just a couple of blocks from where I live. The old buildings have been demolished and there is just a flat vacant lot on the corner now. We've been wondering why there was no digging at the site.

Toronto Stinks!

Just a week after Mayor David Miller took to the airwaves to defend Toronto over a U.S. newspaper report about its garbage strike, Canada's own Maclean's magazine features a cover declaring "Toronto Stinks."

It depicts Miller in a trash can with a banana peel on his head, and a pair of raccoons beside a mound of garbage.

The mayor responded Friday by telling a news conference Toronto is "a remarkable place" and that "the resilience of Torontonians in the face of a four-week strike demonstrates that."

Miller went on CNN last week to urge American tourists to visit the city after an article in the San Francisco Chronicle made Toronto seem like a hazardous vacation destination.

In the newspaper's World Travel Watch section, Canada heads a list of notable countries, ahead of troubled regions like Honduras, Mexico, North Africa and Thailand.

The strike by about 24,000 inside and outside workers has halted garbage pickup and a host of other city services.

I was going to show you the cover of Macleans but those losers don't show their cover on their website. In fact, MacLeans is published by Rogers. Rogers also has a search service with Yahoo! I don't recommend it. If you take a look at my search results you will see how effective it is. I suggest you do as I normally do and continue to use Google.ca

Message for Miller; Next time you decide to jump into bed with union whores maybe you might want to watch Fatal Attraction first. This mess is YOUR fault, stop letting unions hold the rest of the city hostage. Your complete lack of leadership makes me sick, I will go out of my way to remind people NOT to vote for you, should you have the a repeat lack of judgement and run for office again! Although, if this goes on much longer, citizens are going to start demanding your resignation.

Tighty Whitey Car Wash

Sun. July 19th between Zelda’s and Café California on Church St. just south of Wellesley . Even if you don’t have a car that needs washing you have to come see this Mr. Steamworks in association with Mr. Leatherman Toronto fundraiser for PWA. This is the 3rd year for the Tighty Whitey Car Wash in support of Toronto PWA foundation.

Man On Moon! (40 Years Ago)

Forty years ago today Apollo 11 launched and put a man on the moon.  Click here to visit the official NASA site.

$300M to speed Toronto-Montreal rail travel

Ottawa is committing $300 million to what's being hailed as the largest-ever investment in passenger rail service between Montreal and Toronto.

Via Rail's CN Kingston Subdivision Project is a series of infrastructure improvements at eight locations along the 539-kilometre, double-track rail line. Full Story

Its about time!

Toronto's Had Enough!

An anti-strike rally was held outside Toronto's city hall on Wednesday by dozens of frustrated residents who say they've had enough of the job action.

The rally, organized by a group calling themselves "Toronto's Had Enough," gathered outside city hall just before noon and marched opposite a group of union workers who have been picketing at the site since the strike began on June 22.

The civic strike is now in its 24th day and has frozen services such as garbage collection and permit approvals. It has also shut down daycares, public swimming pools, summer camps and has slowed paramedic response times to non-emergency situations.

The two groups yelled at each other, with union members asking frustrated residents to "know the facts" and inform themselves of the issues.

"Get back to work," the anti-strikers retorted. Full Story

Way to go Toronto's Had Enough. These striking losers deserve to be fired. I'm sick and tired of them and Miller who has shown us what a useless 'leader' he really is.

Pet Shop Boys Not Stopping In Toronto

A few posts back I told you the Pet Shop Boys were coming to Toronto on August 30 but the venue hadn't been announced yet for their Pandemonium Tour. Well it seems the venue is in ORILLIA!!!!  Someone should tell the boys that Fu$%&ng ORILLIA is NOT the same place as TORONTO!!!! They are playing for a bunch of rednecks at Virginfest, which I'm sure will go over so very well.  Whatever!

Oh right, I did.  I also begged and pleaded but they aren't coming as you will see in the email I received:

Hi Mark. 

I am sorry to say but PSB will not be playing any other venue in Toronto apart from what is listed as tour dates on the website. 

Best, Carisa

Yeah well you suck!  I'm not impressed.

Crash pilot who paused to pray is convicted

Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:52pm EDT

 PALERMO (Reuters) - A Tunisian pilot who paused to pray instead of taking emergency measures before crash-landing his plane, killing 16 people, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail by an Italian court along with his co-pilot.

The 2005 crash at sea off Sicily left survivors swimming for their lives, some clinging to a piece of the fuselage that remained floating after the ATR turbo-prop aircraft splintered upon impact.

A fuel-gauge malfunction was partly to blame but prosecutors also said the pilot succumbed to panic, praying out loud instead of following emergency procedures and then opting to crash-land the plane instead trying to reach a nearby airport.

Another five employees of Tuninter, a subsidiary of Tunisair, were sentenced to between eight and nine years in jail by the court, in a verdict handed down Monday.

The seven accused, who were not in court, will not spend time in jail until the appeals process has been exhausted.

(Writing by Phil Stewart)

--------------------------------

As Bill Maher commented on this story...  "praying to Allah and Mohammed? Two names not often associated with air safety."

I realize this one is a bit old, but a friend sent it to me and it's definitely worth sharing!

CTV lifts rock: Mel speaks

Mayor David Miller should have gone to court weeks ago to bar striking garbage workers from blocking residents at trash transfer stations, says former mayor Mel Lastman.

"I think the way we're treating the citizens of Toronto is disgraceful," he told CTV News Channel Monday evening.

Residents have been growing increasingly frustrated with lengthy wait times at Toronto waste transfer stations.

Full Story

Chrétien receives rare honour from Queen

Queen Elizabeth has appointed Jean Chrétien to the exclusive Order of Merit.

The honour is restricted to 24 living members and few foreigners. It puts Chrétien's name alongside such esteemed figures as Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.

Chrétien said he was surprised, honoured and grateful.

"What can I say?" he told The Canadian Press today. "I take it as a great compliment and I accept it with some humility.

"I did my job as best I could and Her Majesty was gracious enough to recognize that."

Chrétien, 75, is just the third Canadian named to the order, after former prime ministers MacKenzie King, at 21 years the longest-serving prime minister in the Commonwealth, and Lester Pearson, a Nobel laureate who brought universal health care, the flag and a federal pension plan to Canada.  Full Story from Thestar.com

The Queen To Visit Canada in 2010

From The Prime Ministers Office: 

It is always a high honour to host a Royal Visit,' said the Prime Minister.  'This visit by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will be a celebration of our shared heritage and values which are enduring sources of pride for millions of Canadians.' The upcoming visit by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will be their first Royal Visit to Canada since 2005.  The Government of Canada has also announced that Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will make a Royal Visit to Canada in November 2009. Further details on the dates, locations and programme of the upcoming Royal Visit will be provided at a later date.

Quote of The Daye...

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." 

Archbishop Desmund Tutu

Jackson Murdered?

Two British Sunday newspapers said LaToya Jackson believes her brother Michael Jackson was murdered by a group of conspirators trying to get hold of his fortune.

LaToya Jackson said she knows who is responsible for her brother's death and is determined to see them brought to justice, the News of the World reported. Full Story at Toronto.ctv.ca

I really must question why CTV would report on this tabloid trash. Really, its the friggin' News of the World for christs sake! Of course the people who told TNOTW LaToya said these things wish to remain anonymous. CTV are you that desperate for 'news'? UPDATE: I guess its not just CTV.  The Star is repeating this trash also.

God Punishes Camp Kids

Three children and an adult are being treated in hospital after they were seriously injured in a school bus crash north of Toronto Saturday afternoon.

Police say about 20 children were on board a school bus on Saturday when it veered off the road, collided with a guardrail and then rolled onto its roof in a ditch on Highway 400 near Highway 88 in Bradford, Ont.

Full Story/Source: Toronto.ctv.ca

I can only imagine how the parents of these kids must feel, wondering where they went wrong and what they did to deserve this punishment from their lord. I'm kidding, but all kidding aside, I'm sure the christians are all ranting and raving about how its a miracle that no one was killed and that sort of nonsense.  

When we saw this on the news I told my friends that if this bus was full of gays en route to, oh say, Gay Day at Canada's Wonderland, and resulted in the same injuries the crazy bible thumpers would be declaring that God was punishing them for their evil lives.

It looks to me like driver error, although this is pure speculation.

United Breaks Guitars

I read about this story on Thestar.com today. United airlines has now made a $3,000 donation to a music school and Dave was given three guitars by Taylor guitars.  United refused to reimburse Dave for the damage they did until he made this You Tube video which has received coverage on CNN and has had more than two million views.  In the CNN video they comment that the video had received 150 thousand views when they ran the story.  Nice to see the little guy win for a change.

Ottawa reviewing 'value' from Pride funds

The federal cabinet minister now responsible for giving Pride Week any new money said the government is reviewing the program to see what "value for money" it gives taxpayers.

Industry Minister Tony Clement told reporters that it's "appropriate" to review the Marquee Tourism Events Program after its first year, a review he suggested had nothing to do with its controversial sponsorship of Toronto's gay pride parade.

"We always want to make sure that we have value for taxpayer money," he told reporters at the G8 summit.

A Conservative MP suggested in an interview published this week that the program was pulled from the junior minister for small business and tourism, Diane Ablonczy, because she provided $400,000 for Pride Week — to the shock and dismay of her Conservative caucus colleagues and the social conservatives that back the party. Full Story at Thestar.com

I guess the million + tourists aren't spending enough for Harper and his fascist pigs in Ottawa.

Union must adjust attitude: Miller

City negotiators have been granted more flexibility to settle the 17-day strike by municipal workers, but Mayor David Miller says it's the union - not the city - that has to change its attitude to end the walkout.

"The goals remain the same as when the strike started," Miller told reporters this evening after a two-and-a-half-hour closed-door session with city councillors, the first briefing since the walkout began June 22.

Source: The Star

It seems Mayor David Miller is continuing to bet on the public being pissed off at the union and not at him for this ongoing strike.  The city streets are beginning to look pretty disgusting with garbage littering the curbs and there is no end in sight. Meanwhile, city run daycare centres and other important services are not available to the public, while the union moans for the greedy old days.

Scientist Creates Sperm

Scientists in Newcastle claim to have created human sperm in the laboratory in what they say is a world first.

The researchers believe the work could eventually help men with fertility problems to father a child.

But other experts say they are not convinced that fully developed sperm have been created.

Writing in the journal Stem Cells and Development, the Newcastle team say it will be at least five years before the technique is perfected.

They began with stem cell lines derived from human embryos donated following IVF treatment.

The stem cells had been removed when the embryo was a few days old and were stored in tanks of liquid nitrogen. Full Story

I just had a brief chat with God and he has assured me the vatican will be issuing a statement denouncing this at any moment.

Canada Earns Failing Grade on Climate Change Action

For the first time, Canada has taken over last place from the United States in this years G8 Climate Scorecard rankings! This comes just as the G8 nations are meeting in Italy in an effort to find solutions to the world's main issues, including climate change.  According to the report, developed by WWF and the global insurance company Allianz, the United States rose in the rankings due to recent actions taken by the Obama administration on green energy and vehicle fuel efficiency. Canada ended up at the bottom of the pack because our greenhouse gas emissions are not only still increasing, thanks in large part to the expansion of the tar sands, but also because we lack a credible plan to reduce emissions in the future. Learn more about Canada's climate performance by downloading the report.

Proud of yourself Harper?

Pandemonium Coming To Toronto

Yes, I will be attending. The Pet Shop Boys will be here on August 30th, the venue has not been announced yet. I have a feeling with their new album's popularity they may be regaining some old fans, which unfortunately means they might hit a bigger venue like the ACC. We saw them here a couple years ago at the Sony Centre (formerly the Hummingbird) and it was an excellent show.

Death By Chocolate

A man fell into a vat of hot melted chocolate and died on Wednesday at a factory in New Jersey, a spokesman for the local public prosecutor said.
The 29-year-old man was among four workers on a platform above the vat who were dumping in pieces of solid chocolate to be melted down, said Jason Laughlin, spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
"He somehow slipped and fell into the vat," Laughlin said. "Inside the vat, he was hit by a piece of equipment called the agitator that's used to stir, and that killed him."
Laughlin said the vat at the Cocoa Services Inc plant in Camden was around eight feet deep.
"At this point there's no suggestion of foul play," Laughlin said, adding that the man appeared to have died instantly from the blow to the head from the agitator.

Its not funny! Stop laughing, a man is dead.

Did Satan, er, Harper offend Catholics by pocketing Jesus?

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper is denying reports he received a sacramental communion wafer recently at Roméo LeBlanc's Roman Catholic funeral mass and pocketed it instead of consuming it.

The religious faux pas was caught on video during the former governor general's funeral in New Brunswick, where Harper received the wafer representing the body of Christ but instead of eating it appears to put in his program or pocket. You can see the video and get the Full Story at thestar.com.

Personally, I've eaten Jesus in a past life and I think he's kinda bland, but still, being the PM you'd think he would have a little more knowledge about the Catholic faith considering how much money Canadian taxpayers unfairly have to give them to run their schools. 
Everyone knows that just as no one puts baby in a corner, you don't put Jesus in a pocket or program you let him melt in your mouth ever so slowly and wash him down with some vino!  His 'people' are saying he ate the host, but if you look at the video (click the title link to go to the Star site to view) you can practically see him pocket it.  I think he did NOT eat it.  Here is a pic of him at last year's Calgary Stampede looking all cowboy (or was that the Pride parade?).

Bricks Fall On Cyclists

Two cyclists have been taken to hospital with minor injuries after bricks fell 35 storeys to the street at a downtown construction site.

A third person, a pedestrian, treated for minor injuries at the scene.

The project is located at Sherbourne Street and Isabella Street.

Reports of Tuesday's incident came right about the supper hour.

Police have closed the area around the building.

Early information from witnesses indicates that high winds may have toppled a brick wall under construction.

This building is the new 500 Condominium on Shebourne St. just south of where I live. I ride my bike past here almost daily.

Gay Pride cash may have led to demotion of MP

A Conservative MP says federal funding for Toronto's Gay Pride parade may be responsible for junior cabinet minister Diane Ablonczy losing a key part of her portfolio.

Brad Trost, the MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt, said Ablonczy's decision to use $400,000 for the popular parade that celebrates homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered culture was not supported by most of the Tory caucus.

Trost told the anti-abortion website LifeSiteNews.com that the decision surprised the Conservative cabinet and the Prime Minister's Office.

He said that responsibility for the Marquee Tourism Events Program, a $100 million initiative, has been given to another cabinet minister. The two-year program helps fund major tourism events such as the Calgary Stampede, which received nearly $2 million or Ottawa's Bluesfest, which took about $1.5 million from the program.

Industry Minister Tony Clement has taken over the program, his office confirmed.  Full Story at CTV.CA

Obviously the Harper Conservatives are still making up their own rules as they go along and are not interested in getting elected in Toronto.  Wherever you are please do NOT vote for these pigs who have no interest in equal rights!

Paris Jackson Seals Emotional Farewell

In what was one of the most emotional moments of the memorial for her father, Michael Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris told the crowd "ever since I was born daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine." before breaking down in her Aunt Janet Jackson's arms. Click Here for the full story

Celebrities speak, sing in tribute to Michael Jackson

In a strange turn of events the Rev. Al Sharpton spoke and actually made sense.  

Rev. Al Sharpton addressed the crowd and spoke of Jackson's contribution to the music world.

"When Michael started, it was a different world, but because Michael kept going, because he didn't accept limitations, because he refused to let people decide his boundaries, he opened up the whole world in the music world," Sharpton said. "He put on one glove, pulled his pants up and broke down the color curtain."

Sharpton then addressed Jackson's children.

"There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy," he said. "It was strange what your daddy had to deal with, but he dealt with it."

Singer John Mayer then took out his guitar and performed Jackson's "Human Nature."

An emotional Brooke Shields, who was 13 when she became close friends with Jackson, said they bonded "because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age."

The service turned to tears, though, as Jackson's brother Jermaine sang "Smile," a favorite song of Michael's. After struggling not to cry through the song, Jermaine was hugged by his surviving brothers as he left the stage.

Martin Luther King III, Bernice King and Congresswoman Shiela Jackson Lee also addressed the crowd.

Source: CNN

Jermaine Jackson Tribute to Michael

Michael Jackson's rose-draped, golden casket was placed in front of the stage at his memorial as a choir sang and millions of grieving fans said goodbye to the "King of Pop." After performances by stars including Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey, Jermaine Jackson sang "Smile" while wearing one sequined glove. Source: CNN.COM

Eyewitness describes Forthton shooting

An Ottawa-area man who was fatally shot in a confrontation with police near here Friday had both hands on his steering wheel when he died, according to a witness who said she watched the incident from her apartment window. 

Julie Young said she saw a police officer fire two shots at the driver’s side of the pickup truck, adding the truck was “boxed in” by Ontario Provincial Police vehicles at the time.

“The vehicle was not moving,” said Young.

Ontario Provincial Police officers shot and killed a man Friday night after he reportedly struck an officer with his pickup truck.

The OPP says two police officers suffered minor injuries in the incident, which resulted from a chase after the man bolted from a routine check for impaired drivers in Brockville. Full Story from Recorder.ca