Morning Brew: October 20th, 2008

Photo: "Broken Down Honeymoon" by Jeremy Nathan, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA:

Business owners in Clubland may have a pipedream of a plan to reduce noise and crime and improve safety. The plan involves getting more residents, stores, and restaurants to move into the neighbourhood and put the squeeze on clubs...

But convincing residents, shops, and restaurants to move into an area of town characterized by crazy scenes like heavily armed ETF officers arresting a limousine full of people after gun shots ring, and ETF officers raiding clubs that allegedly serve minors until 7am out won't be easy.

The City is poised to put the onus on residents to recycle, and hit your wallet if you don't. A $105 fine may be imposed next year, on people who don't use their green and blue bins on garbage day.

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In Ontario, just 5% of batteries are recycled, and a lot end up in standard waste rather than properly disposed of. Is this surprising, considering the fact that in Toronto there are only 6 battery recycling drop-off locations, which are only open two days a week? Stewardship Ontario plans to change this.

A man who was acquitted in a rape case, on a defence that was founded on the claim that he was essentially sleeping when he committed the crime, has had his case overturned and will be retried. Perhaps the jury was sleeping when they let him off the first time.

TTC commissioner Adam Giambrone doesn't know why the number of sick days taken by employees continues to rise annually, but Union head Bob Kinnear does; he claims that employee morale is low. But if my employer allowed me to take half day vacation days, and I had a union behind me that won 95% of sick day benefit disputes, I can't help but feel that I'd be faking a cough every now and then. Would it make a difference if I knew that my boss would be calling to check up on me and see if I'm ready to return to work? That's the hope.