Yes, this is a rant. It's been over 3 months since it was announced that Dominion stores across the city will be switched over to the new "Metro" brand. I've been walking by this College & Crawford location this whole time and am astonished at what an eyesore their temporary sign is. I thought it was comical at first but not so much anymore.

Did they totally jump the gun by making the brand shift announcement but not being ready to actually show a change in their stores? The store flyer has already had announcements from the new ownership, welcoming customers to "see the changes" made already. Excuse me, but it looks about the same to me. Same stale feeling with mediocre product offerings and cellophane everything.

Smart Commute Toronto launched last week, with the aim of moving people away from driving to work alone. How could they possibly achieve this, you may ask? Well the usual "working with businesses" tenet is given (good luck with that) but I thought I'd look a little closer at their "Carpool Zone" to see if there was anything real going on there. Is it really possible to find a ride?

While the Mayor Miller moves forward with his 2009 budget priorities, six years after first taking office, has he made a difference on the environmental front? How have priorities developed and what's the overall plan?

It was back in 2004 when the city last assessed its "Environmental Plan", which was drawn up in the year 2000.

A scheduled 2008 plan is AWOL, and there's a lack of continuity in the green various initiatives scattered throughout the City divisions.

Fat. Butter, pork fat, beef and lamb fat. Jennifer McLagan, a Toronto-based chef and author, is taking exception to the commonly-held belief that fat is to be avoided. I had a chance to ask her some questions about the use of fat by chefs and on the Toronto scene.

Her new book, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan, makes a compelling argument that fat has been at the center the human diet for all but the last 30 years of so. I agree that avoiding it mostly leads to subbing in carbs and trans fats which are far worse for your health.

Furthermore, not all fat is created equal. There is a difference in the fat that comes off grass-fed (how we used to, and should raise animals) and grain-fed animals. So instead of fearing fat you're better off spending the time and effort finding a good source of meats. I like how McLagan alludes to a healthy person needing to eat healthy animals.

Your book seems to be getting quite a bit of mainstream media attention despite the obviously taboo subject (see: cover). Besides being a great book, what do you attribute this to? Is it that other writers such as Michael Pollan have laid some groundwork for people to re-evaluate their low-fat ideals, that people are frustrated with conventional dietary wisdom not working for them personally, or are people just intrigued by your ideas because they intuitively know that fat is flavor (and want more of it!)?

With the federal election just four days away, I hope voters are considering the environmental platforms of each party. Such issues have taken a backseat in the last few weeks given the international economic turmoil. But as Andrew Coyne points out, things in Canada might not be so bad, so let's not forget the other election issues.

Adding to my review of plans by the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, and Greens, a brief comparison is in order.

Harper's Conservatives announced yesterday in Toronto their highly anticipated (waiting until the last week of an election will have that effect) party platform.

But for our purposes, now is the chance to review the environmental component of their platform, as done for the Liberals, NDP, and Greens.

I'm admittedly sympathetic to (small-c) conservative policy, but what the Conservatives have released as their environmental plan cannot possibly avoid being labeled "skimpy". Under the heading "Ensuring Health and Environmental Well-Being", there are only four sub-points dealing with environmental issues, so it won't take too long to break it down here: