City councillor Paula Fletcher has asked the province for $3 million to fight Toronto's bed bug infestation. A spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care said the province is still studying the problem to decide on the best course of action, and hasn't made any firm decisions on what it will do. In the meantime, Toronto Public Health is running an information campaign showing citizens how to deal with infestations -- or you could always call this guy.

A battle of epic proportions is shaping up in the GTA: Who has the biggest maple leaf? No euphemisms here, folks. Just days after Joseph Donato of Pickering was sired by the Guinness Book of World Records for having the biggest maple leaf, people from all over the country, including Toronto, are insisting they have bigger ones. Toronto's Nolan Toner, 9, says his leaf is longer and has greater overall mass. However the record still holds for Donato, who was treated to a Maple Leafs game, courtesy of the Buds themselves. Is it me, or is all this "leaf" talk great PR for MLSE?

In a bizarre set of events, an assistant Crown Attorney's facial expressions were the reason a second mistrial was called in the case of Erika Mendieta, accused of killing her daughter Emily Mendieta. The judge said that during his cross-examination, Paul Alexander excessively rolled his eyes, made faces, and gestured toward the accused that he clearly didn't believe her. Guess someone was watching Pacino in "Justice for All" a little too much.

A University of Toronto PhD grad has rejected his diploma. Masrour Zogh, who graduated in a T-shirt reading "U of T Inc." on the front, and "Univ for SALE" on the back, explained he was upset with what he calls the increasing corporatization of the university. Zoghi said he objects to U of T "accepting donations that come with so much strings attached that it really resembles more a purchase than a donation." But the question remains: where can we buy those t-shirts?

In Brief:

• Royson James rounds up new leaks regarding the make-up of Rob Ford's executive committee.
• Tim Hortons finally accepts debit-cards!


• The CBC thinks we're fat and stupid.

Photo by PLTam in the blogTO Flickr pool.