Morning Brew: Gravy is hard to find at city hall, York transit to strike tomorrow, Toronto rallies for Libya, Schenn ready to take on bigger role with the Leafs, and LARP isn't just for nerds
According to the Star, there actually isn't a lot of gravy to be found at city hall. Maybe some computers can be turned off, along with the lights at night, but insiders -- ranging from members of the budget and executive committees to city financial staff -- say the government savings Ford campaigned on is still a few years away. What Mayor Rob Ford has scored are more symbolic victories (pay freeze for councillors, cutting their free food). Necessary ones, yes--but also small potatoes. And we all know potatoes taste better with gravy (couldn't resist).
If you live in York region or know someone who does, you better find an alternate mode of transportation tomorrow. More than 200 bus drivers and maintenance workers are walking off the job after refusing to ratify a tentative deal reached between their union executive and management last weekend. Talks between the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, and the workers' employer, Veolia Transportation Services Canada, broke down on Friday.
Students at Oakville Trafalgar High School are fighting against human trafficking--a problem that is not just happening in third world countries but right here in the GTA. The students are working with Free-Them and another group, Walk With Me, to promote awareness this month. "These poor people are being violated. Some people don't even know this is happening (in Toronto) so no one can help them... It's just awful," said Kristin Gottshalk, 17, a Grade 12 student who has taken lead of the school's Free-Them month awareness team. Walk With Me has helped rescue 50 victims of human and sex trafficking in Southern Ontario during the last 10 months.
Another rally in Toronto at Yonge-Dundas square yesterday was in support of anti-government protesters in Libya and called for the ouster of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. Chanting "The world must know, Gadhafi has to go," the crowd carried signs and expressed outrage at the ruling regime's crackdown on protesters this weekend. Many who gathered in Toronto said they are struggling to stay informed about events in Libya, since a media crackdown has restricted the flow of information out of the country.
This weekend's National Post had a couple of weirder-than-usual articles including: a debate about which iconic movie statue Toronto would have (The Fly and Al Waxman are suggestions); and how to LARP (Live-Action Role Playing) in an urban setting, a phenomenon that's on the rise in Canada and proving it's not just for nerds. Or is it?
IN BRIEF:
Photo by Pfotoblog in the blogTO Flickr pool.
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