Johanna Skibsrud won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize for The Sentimentalists which tells the life story of her father who was a Vietnam war veteran. The 30-year old Nova Scotian poet was "utterly" shocked by her win and plans to use the $50,000 prize to pay off her student loan and travel the Trans Siberian Railway. Not that a bit of travelling and being debt-free isn't a good thing, but really, all that for just this? Luckily the Giller Prize turns winners into instant bestsellers.

Yesterday, the handful of new Toronto councillors checked out their new digs at City Hall. The rookies were taken on a tour, posed for pictures and were given a Council Handbook. Mary-Margaret McMahon who beat Sandra Bussin in Ward 32 (Beaches-East York) said that she felt like she was in Grade 9 all over again, but she and some of the other councillors are complaining that they've had little or no contact with the outgoing councillors. I'm guessing they didn't make it to the communications protocol session during their orientation.

If you thought waiting around in hospital rooms was boring, let's hope you don't have to be at Toronto's Women's College Hospital anytime soon because they're banning magazines in an effort to stop the spread of germs. Really, it's not that harsh a precautionary measure considering that hospitals in other parts of the world have banned the wearing of items that might pass germs such as ties, jewellery and watches. It's just a bummer that you might actually have to buy those tabloid magazines now.

Employees at a Scarborough condominium are giving high-rise condos a new reputation. The superintendent and two security guards have been arrested after a 2.6 million-dollar marijuana grow-up was discovered in the maintenance area on the building rooftop

IN BRIEF:

• The National Gallery of Canada expanding its art-sharing program with Toronto's MOCCA.
• Belinda Stronach on attracting women to Parliament Hill.
• Japanese film, Toilet, aims to give young tourists the urge to visit Toronto.

Writing by Marisa Iacobucci. Photo by skakeylove in the blogTO Flickr pool.