City
Morning Brew: OLG Shake-up, Clinton Event Screw-ups, Anti-violence Rally Disgust, Toronto Police Drug Squad Revisited
Photo: "We all saw so much, saw all and everything in a new light" by fightoffyourdemons--, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
The government-run and scandal-plagued Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) is rumoured to be headed for a shake-up very soon, as a new scandal is apparently brewing. Fraud by retailers, glitches in their computer systems, and now another problem coming to light (will it be spending within the corporation?) have resulted in the need for sweeping changes.
Bill Clinton spoke to an estimated 12,000 people at the CNE this weekend, at an event that some are calling an organizational flop. Empty seats were plenty, and many attendees had reason to be upset given that they paid full price well in advance only to have others gain entry for a measly $5 when tickets sales slumped. What's worse is that some people who waited at the doors for an hour and wanted to gain entry couldn't because they cut off sales despite seats being available.
Attendance was also disappointing at an anti-violence rally in the city this weekend, prompting some to express disgust in the lack of disgust over the problem of crime and our failure to show solidarity on the issue. I think most people are disgusted by violent crime, but don't want to spend their weekends chanting about it.
A scathing editorial (that only touches on the tip of the iceberg, really) in the Globe and Mail this weekend says it's "Time to say no to the LCBO." Unfortunately saying no to the LCBO means your only option is to drink beer, cloudy homemade stuff, or take trunk-filling trips out of the province often.
And we're learning now that the alarm was sounded a long time ago. Montreal police had suspicions about the conduct of potentially corrupt Toronto police officers in the drug squad, who never ended up seeing the end of their trial in court (proceedings were stayed in early 2008 due to the sluggish pace).
And the last weekend of August was a busy and fun one. In case you missed it, here's what blogTO was up to:
- Tim, toting camera, took a hard hat sneak peek tour inside the forthcoming Bell Lightbox film complex.
- Rick tried out some of the new e-book readers that are now out there.
- Emily and Alyssa tried out Coffee Culture and wondered how the chain will fare in an area known for its charming, independent coffee shops.
- Gary chatted with local folksters The Wilderness of Manitoba in advance of their Wavelength gig.
- Roger reviewed the country-heavy Elvis Costello show at Massey Hall.
- Chandra gave us a great roundup of TIFF reviews (what to see and what not to see), and got us thinking about the film festival boycott controversy one filmmaker is stirring up.
- Lauren filled us in on what's fresh in local produce - swiss chard.
- Beverly tried a few of 267 (salty) dishes offered at Pho Ai My in Chinatown.
- Briony reported on the Label fashion show at Cheval Nightclub.
- Corina and Roger gave us the lowdown on and photos of Virgin Festival Day 1.
Discussion
17 Comments
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Re: Clinton, Anti-Violence rally (and V-fest for that matter)
Wow, schedule events on the last weekend of the summer and no one attends....no shit.
I had fun walking around buskerfest.
I was playing rockband and drinking martinis. Priorities.
It just proves that most people would rather bitch about the problem on internet message boards than actually drag their asses outside to protest it.
I think bitching on the internet and protesting (read as bitching in person) does about the same thing.
I want to start a protest/rally against all protests and rallies.
Ban them. They accomplish shit.
Which would mean your effort would fail. Seems like a waste of time then.
Ok, i've read two different articles on BlogTO today and this Alogon cat is all over the place.
How creepy is this person?
Someone commented on two different stories? That's messed.
Clinton got his money even if all the seats were empty! If the seats had been full, it would have just been gravy.
Why you ask? OUR TAX DOLLARS, paid this guy to come to Canada to push amerikan propaganda.
A portion of a $3-million grant from the federal government's controversial tourism stimulus fund was used to bring him in on our sovereign soil.
About 25,000 people were expected, but less than half showed up.
During a festive occasion at the CANADIAN National Exhibition, our government & city, thought it would be 'wonderful' to drag this guy in our country. And they thought we would all go over amerikan politics on our soil? Nooooooooooooooo!!!
Sounds like this Clinton visit is something else I'm supposed to be disgusted with... but am not.
Anyway, what's Amerika? I thought it was spelled America.
I guess only twice as creepy as you for having commented on one article. Though, since you change your name on every comment you post I may be underestimating your "creepiness".
BTW, exactly how is posting on 2 articles being all over the place or creepy, especially on a blog designed for reader input?
I think Everywhere on is creepy actually.
He/she is stalking you across multiple threads.
Sean, be sure to cut lengthwise, not across. Do it right the first time.
I was at The CNE to hear Clinton and I thought his speech was great. He spoke of the philanthropic efforts of the Clinton Foundation across the globe. He spoke about the importance of Education and the importance of employing women in developing countries. The speech in no way pushing American(note spelling)Propaganda. In fact it was called Embracing our Common Humanity.
And the tickets were not just 5 bucks, They were 5 bucks after admission to the CNE grounds which is $15. Advance tickets were sold for $20 so it was the SAME THING.
I think people get so caught up in complaining that they forget to actually review the facts. I enjoyed the speech and I was happy that the CNE provided a unique experience.
Such enlightening discourse.
The ability to return unwanted/gifted alcohol and buy stuff you like in exchange means the LCBO is a rock star in my opinion.