Tory himself has yet to comment on the speculation, but sources have told The Toronto Star that he is seriously considering taking another crack at the position. Tory ran, and lost, against David Miller in 2003.

According to The Star, Tory has seen increasing support from private polls and constituents and is leaning toward entering the race, perhaps to the dismay of fellow Conservative front runners, Rob Ford and George Smitherman.

The Twittersphere has also been on fire over Tory’s possible second run at Toronto’s top job.

@JProskowGlobal tweeted: “last time I interviewed Tory about his mayoral ambitions he said “never say never…”.

@ c_9 tweeted: “Fascinating to think about John Tory running. Would dramatically change the positioning for Ford and Smitherman”.

@JohnTory4mayor tweeted: “Fine fellows these Sun types. “Now it’s time for (Tory) to stop making like Hamlet and answer the question: is he in, or out?”.

It is rumoured that Tory may announce his ambitions to run as early as next week.

September 10 is the last day for him to declare his candidacy.

On July 7, police responded to a call at Dundas subway station. A man was reportedly holding a video camera and videotaping women without their consent.

Julian Vazquez Lopez, 37, is wanted for voyeurism. He is described as 6-foot-6, 166 pounds, with short, brown hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416−808−5200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

Constable Abdullah Khalid, 29, a member of 43 Division, has served one year with the Toronto force.

He is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall, on Tuesday, August 31, in room 111, at 11 a.m.

Ze Zhang, 28, of Toronto, has been charged with several counts of fraud.

The accused targets business owners in Toronto and presents herself as a wealthy individual looking for business partners, police said.

She then tells the victims that her accounts have been frozen but that if she can borrow money her wealthy father will pay the individual back.

The woman then gives the victims a cheque for an account that is closed, and refuses to pay the money back.

Police believe that there are other victims.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416−808−3200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

The accused is scheduled to appear in court at College Park, 444 Yonge Street, on Monday, July 26, room 501, at 10 a.m.

Thursday July 15th – Monday August 2nd, 2010
Caribana Festival & Parade

Numerous events including a food festival and art exhibitions take place around the city during the two weeks that the Caribbean comes to Toronto. The main event of Caribana is the parade and street festival that takes place on July 31st. The parade begins at Exhibition Place and continues west on Lakeshore Blvd. The parade is free to watch, but seating at the Exhibition is available for $20.

June 25- September 5th, 2010
Dream in High Park

Now in its 28th year, The Canadian Stage Company is presenting outdoor stagings of Romeo & Juliet High Park. There are performances every Tuesday through Sunday at 8pm. Admission is by pay what you can donation for adults,($20 minimum suggested) and is free for children under 14.

Friday July 30th – Monday August 2nd, 2010
Harbourfront Free Summer Festivals – Island Soul

In the spirit of Caribana, the Harbourfront Centre is hosting a weekend-long festival to celebrate Caribbean culture through music, food, and art.

Saturday July 31st – Monday August 2nd, 2010
Artisans at the Distillery – Mid-Summer Craft Show

The Artisans at the Distillery Mid Summer Craft Show is held outdoors on the grounds of the historic Distillery District and features handmade works from Canadian artists. Visit the Distillery District over the Civic Holiday Weekend to browse crafts. Admission is free and the event runs from 11a.m. on the 31st until 6pm on the 2nd.

Monday August 2nd – Sunday August 8th, 2010
Summer Antiques Sale

The 39th annual antiques sale, Toronto’s largest antiquing event, will take place at Sherway Gardens Mall (Hwy 427 and the QEW). Shoppers can browse nearly 1.2 kilometres of antique pieces starting at 10 a.m. on the civic holiday Monday August 2nd until Sunday, August 8th (Monday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.). Parking and admission are free.

Friday August 6th – Sunday August 8th, 2010
Taste of the Danforth

Now celebrating its 17th year, the Pilaros Taste Of The Danforth is Canada’s largest street festival and welcomes over a million visitors to GreekTown on Danforth. The festival features Hellenic foods, wines, and other spirits as well as sporting events, comedy, dancing and live music.

Friday August 20th – Monday September 6th, 2010
The Canadian National Exhibition

Let’s go to the Ex! The CNE once again returns to Toronto and visitors can enjoy games, rides, the CNE Casino and a wide variety of shows and live performances. This year’s line-up includes the classic Horse Show and Rodeo, the IAMS Superdogs, and the Labour Day Weekend Air Show. Ticket prices 16 dollars for General Admission, 12 dollars for Seniors 60 years and over, 12 dollars for Children under 13, and free for Children under 2 years.

Family passes, early bird specials, and other deals are also available.

Thursday August 26th – Sunday August 29th, 2010
Toronto BUSKERFEST in Support of Epilepsy Toronto

The St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood will be filled with street performers from all over the world. Events include silent comedy and slapstick, daredevils and magicians, highly skilled circus acts and a wide variety of music, clowns, contortionists, acrobats, aerialists, puppets and fire artists. The shows run between noon and midnight, starting on the 26th and ending on the 29th, and admission is by donation to Epilepsy Toronto.

Saturday August 28th, 2010
The Underwear Affair

The North York General Hospital’s Underwear Affair is a five-kilometre, or 10 kilometre marathon to raise funds and awareness for underfunded below-the-waist cancers like prostate, ovarian, and colo-rectal. Runners are encouraged to race in their underwear or other quirky attire.

Saturday August 28th – Sunday August 29th, 2010
Live Green Toronto Festival

Exhibitors and performers fill Yonge-Dundas Square on August 28 & 29. The event features exhibitors promoting green products and services as well as live music and local food. The event runs on Saturday August 28th from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. through Sunday August 29th from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is free.

A diagram showcasing the signs of clutter creep in someone's home

Imagine walking into a home so cluttered with stuff that you have to dig through piles of junk to find the floor.

Stacks of magazines and papers covered inches thick with dust litter the home and practically scream fire hazard.

Food that has been long past its expiry date still lingers in the kitchen and undoubtedly there are critters preying on the mouldy leftovers.

Trying to find a spot to sit or sleep in the home is a daunting task, but despite the fact that the homeowner may barely be able to move, they cannot bare to part with their possessions.

Now imagine that this home belongs to a loved one.

“Everybody has clutter and I’m guilty of that as well,” said Janise Smith, Director of operations of Home Instead Senior Care.

“(But) when you are not able to find a path to walk from the kitchen to the bathroom or bedroom to the bathroom without bumping into paper or bumping into things that shouldn’t be there, that’s clutter to a degree that is hazardous,” she said.

Home Instead is a facility that offers in home care to senior citizens.

After seeing numerous cases of clients that have succumbed to hoarding practices in the Scarborough area, the administrative team with Home Instead began to research the problem and issued a press release on the issue.

“The reason we put out the release is that we notice a lot of seniors in the communities in the area we serve that are living in environments that are quite hazardous,” Smith said.

She described the case of one client who, over 30 years of living in the same home, had accumulated so much that her home was deemed as unlivable.

“You could barely even walk sideways,” Smith said. “We would pick up a book that was so old and was there for so long that if you blew on it the dust would overwhelm you.”

The woman eventually had to move from her home and lost her independence because of the clutter in her environment.

Smith said that while they are able to help a lot of their clients deal with the task of cleaning their homes, they cannot help everyone.

She also explained how important it is for family members to check on loved ones and help them get their compulsive hoarding under control before it causes adverse health and safety risks.

She said that a crowded home can cause tripping, create fire hazards and the mould and mildew accumulated from the cluttered environment can cause illness.

Smith advises children and family members of elderly citizens to be on the lookout for what Home Instead calls “clutter creep.”

“It creeps up on you. For example, you may place some clothing in the storage room and eventually the amount of objects in the home creeps up on you and it slowly gets to the point of hazard,” Smith said. “It’s better to be proactive than reactive.”

Some hoarders may have a sentimental attachment to their possessions and some may have a mental illness known as compulsive hoarding.

“One of the reasons people hoard is sentimental value and the need to conserve,” Smith said.

“There are also cases of people who may have suffered from a stroke or some other condition where they may be confined to a wheelchair and can’t do household chores or may have a compulsive love for shopping, accumulating and conserving possessions.”

To help these individuals Smith advises family members to help their loved one go through their things

“You could say, ‘I really want to encourage you to de-clutter, lets go through what you need, what you can donate and what you can throw away,’” Smith said.

There are some cases however, that may require the professional help of organizers and therapists to get the job done.

“It’s a hard thing if someone is loyal to their clutter,” Smith said. “Having some outside help makes the difference because they can look at it more objectively and can let the person know that their job is only to help.”

Smith believes that helping loved ones organize their living environments will help keep them happy and independent for as long as possible.

“To stay in your home and stay independent, de-cluttering is something you really have to consider,” Smith said.

Accusations of detainee mistreatment, police brutality and civil rights violations have been circulating since the summit weekend and continue to arise.

Not many would disagree that the individuals who caused riots and destruction of property over the weekend of June 25 – 26 should face the consequences of their actions.

It is when innocent bystanders and protesters are arrested, and then housed in a crowded holding cell in amongst guilty parties, that questions begin to be asked.

The detention centre centre that housed detainees arrested for G20 related incidents was opened to the media on June 29 to give some insight into how the facility was run.

The media was admitted to the temporary detention centre, located on 629 Eastern Avenue, and lead on a tour by Staff Sergeant J McGuire.

Tim Shore, publisher of blogTO, was one of the individuals who was given a tour of the remnants of the makeshift holding cell.

Shore said he entered the facility without any preconceived notions of what he would find when he entered.

As media toured the centre the first thing they were told was that the state of the facility now is only a glimpse into the way the centre was when it was brimming with prisoners.

“It was completely empty and we knew that we weren’t going to be seeing the detention centre in the same condition it was when people where there,” Shore said.

“We just saw the shell and whatever remnants there were.”

Shore said that the centre was not a particularly comfortable setting, but believed from what he saw the conditions were acceptable.

“It’s a holding cell, its not a luxurious arrangement,” Shore said, “(but) they seemed reasonable enough for what we’d expect in Canada and not like anything we’ve seen in videos of third-world type holding cells.”

The media guide, according to Shore, was thorough when answering the questions of the guests.

According to him, and confirmed through the photos on Shore’s blog, there was food, water, telephones, and restroom facilities available to detainees.

When the question was raised as to whether or not the prisoners had timely, or any, access to these amenities the issue of logistics was cited.

“I believe there was food and water available,” Shore said.

“(But the guide said) it’s quite possible that people didn’t get food or water when they asked for it but it was more of a logistics issue in terms of people not being given food or water at all, or when they were asked, versus it not being available.”

Shore’s photos show cases of water, apple cores and and half-eaten cheese sandwiches littering the facility floor, confirming the presence of food and water in the facility.

He also agreed with police when they said that the sheer number of prisoners and the chaos of the weekend made it difficult to respond to all of the detainees needs quickly or, in some cases, at all.

“Certain people got more speedy, if any, access to phones to call whoever they wanted to call,” he said, “but some people didn’t get that and that’s what were hearing about.”

In regards to accounts of male officers strip searching female officers, the media guide said that their policy is not to have that happen.

He said that to his knowledge there was no wavering from that policy but that its possible that there could have been violations.

“(S. Sgt.  McGuire) wasn’t going to say 100 per cent that it didn’t happen,” Shore said, “but he said that if people have an accusation there are channels for them to take the complaint and launch a review.”

From what he observed,  Shore said the required amenities were available to those detained but the main problem appeared to be making them available in a timely manner.

“There would have been a lot of noise, commotion and chaos,” Shore said. “People may have been sick or having to go to the bathrooms and there would have been a lot of questions and shouting that would have taken place during the operations.”

The issue that then arises is not whether the prisoners had food, water, and access to telephones and restrooms, but rather why their requests may have gone unanswered.

Perhaps the pending independent review set to be conducted by the Toronto Police Services Board will shed some light on these questions.

To date neither the provincial or federal governments have agreed to an official inquiry regarding police conduct and detentions during the G20 weekend.

Tien Pham, 17, of Toronto was shot in the back of the head while dining at the Excellent Cantonese Seafood Restaurant at 263 Spadina Ave. at around 3 a.m. Saturday.

The suspect made no attempt to conceal his face, Det.-Sgt. Peter Code said at a press conference this morning.

He said the suspect entered the back door of the restaurant, walked up to the table where Pham was sitting with friends, and shot the boy in the back of the head.

“This act is deliberate, it’s to me,  calculated. It is not a wild shooting,” Code said.

There were about 50 people in the restaurant at the time of the shooting. Despite what Code described as  “heroic” actions by the patrons, the boy was pronounced dead when emergency personnel arrived.

Police are working with the Chinese community in the area and are investigating video surveillance footage.

The suspect is described as as a black man with a light complexion in his early 20s. He has a shaved head and is about 5-foot-7. He was wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt, white-rimmed glasses and sneakers.

A crowd of a few hundred watching the game at Plaza Flamingo restaurant at College and Bathurst Street poured out onto the roadway after Spain’s goal in extra time against the Netherlands, pushing the team to a 1-0 victory.

“There is no sleeping tonight,” one teenaged boy yelled.

At least a thousand revelers of all ages and nationalities celebrated into the night, as the sound of cheers, car horns and the now-infamous vuvuzelas filled the air.

“Spain had the best team. We won and I am proud of my players. And the best part tonight is fiesta!” Maria Consuelo, of Puerto Rico, said.

About a dozen fans climbed atop a TTC streetcar which was forced to stop amid the pandemonium.

Not only was it Spain’s first-ever World Cup victory, it was the nation’s first appearance in the tournament’s title match.

“I cheer for Spain, not because I am Spanish, but because they are the best team,” fan Pablo Lorenzo said. “I do not know how to explain this to someone who is not a follower of the cup, because this feeling comes only from the football.”

Not only was the day a success for fans, but also for street vendors who capitalized on the intense pride that revelers displayed.

Souvenirs were readily available for purchase.

Sandy Leather, owner of Promotional Wear – a printing company – made 400 souvenir T-shirts as mementos of Spain’s victory which she sold out of the back of her van.

When asked what she would have done if the Netherlands had won she just smiled and said: “it’s a risk I was willing to take.”

The owners of TTB Trading CO. LTD Food Market & Hardware, located beside the Plaza Flamingo, supplied water for hot and thirsty fans partying outside the store. One owner said that he was selling water so quickly that he could hardly keep up.

The board, a civilian agency which oversees the police force, issued a press release stating that an Independent Civilian Review has been established.

According to the release, the review will focus mainly on “matters of governance and policy, rather than operational policing issues or public complaints about personal experiences with police.”

Many Canadians were looking for answers into the police actions surrounding last weekend’s G20 summit protests and called for a public inquiry.

With close to 1000 arrests being made in a single weekend, the Canadian public questioned the legitimacy of tactics used by law enforcement officers and was concerned that many basic civil rights were violated.

Bethany Goluboff, a 40-year-old teacher from Oakville, is one of the many who have been calling for a public inquiry into the events surrounding the G20.

“We felt with the many abuses that had occurred, we needed to express our outrage at the blatant loss of human rights and civil liberties which are an affront to the Charter and what previously made us feel proud to be Canadian,” Goluboff said.

“An independent inquiry must be made if we are to make sure that this shameful episode does not repeat itself in the future,” she said.

Chris White, 32, of Whitby, his wife Rebecca Harrison-White and Darcy Higgins, 24, of Toronto, created a Facebook group to allow people calling for an inquiry to come together.

“The ultimate goal (of creating the site) is for some justice to come about for what happened,” White said

Higgins said that the social media website allowed people to mobilize and feel like they had ways to vent their frustrations about the events.

“It was more of a venue for people to organize around,” he said. “It helped organize those who wanted to rally and write letters and (helped) raise the idea of an inquiry and bring it to public attention”

White also emphasizes that an inquiry is so important because it allows all sides of the story to be heard, and all the facts to be gathered, before any action is taken.

“You can’t jump to conclusions,” he said. “The proper way to go about things is through the proper channel of an inquiry and we need to hear about everything before we can decide who was responsible for what.”

The Board’s independent civilian review will be conducted in addition to the Toronto Police Service’s own internal review to be conducted by the Summit Management After Action Review Team (SMAART).

The Board will reconvene in two weeks time.

Temperatures hit a whopping 33 C in the city Tuesday, about six degrees above what is normally expected around this time of year.

David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada, said Torontonians should embrace the warm temperatures but to exercise common sense while doing so.

“I think we should enjoy this kind of weather,” he said. “We live through many cold months so we’re owed some warm summers.”

The real problem, he said, is the humidity, which makes lowers air quality and makes it feel ever hotter.

“If you get a humidex that is around 40, which we’ve had, then even healthy, active people are affected,” Phillips said.

He warned against “being a hero” and urged residents to immediately seek shade or cooler temperatures if they are feeling dizzy, light headed, faint or nauseous.

Those especially vulnerable to the heat such as infants and the elderly, should be given extra consideration during these sticky, hot days.

Emergency cooling stations have been set up across the city to allow people to get out of the heat, rehydrate and cool down in the air conditioning.

Phillips said temperatures are expected to cool off toward the end of the week.

“It will be one or two degrees warmer than normal but (with) no humidity,” Phillips said. “So breathe that Canada air that’s clean and warm.”

On June 30, police found a woman with obvious signs of trauma in an apartment at 240 Scarlett Rd. Barbara Starkey-Brailsford was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim’s son was taken into custody without incident, police said in a statement.

Thomas Brailsford, 49, is charged with first-degree murder.

He was scheduled to appear in court July 1.

At 5:53 a.m. on Thursday, police responded to a call leading to the discovery of the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are calling the death suspicious.

Several men were seen in the gazebo where the victim was found between midnight and 4 a.m. on Thursday, police say.

The man has yet to be identified.

He is described as white, between 30 and 40 years old, short with an average build and short, dark brown or black receding hair.

He has an earring in his left ear and was last seen wearing a black and brown string necklace with beads, a grey T−shirt, blue jeans and size 8 white running shoes with four blue stripes on the side and the word Air written in red on both the tongue and the toe of the shoe.

Investigators are asking anyone with information to call Det. Sgt. Frank Skubic at 416−808−7399, Det. Sheila Ogg at 416−808−7418, 51 Division at 416−808−5100, or Crime Stoppers at 416−222−TIPS (8477).

Jack Walters, 14, was last seen on June 26 at around 10:30 p.m in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue West area.

Police describe Walters as black, about 5-foot-5, 110 pounds with dark−brown, braided hair.

He was last seen wearing black jogging pants, black running shoes, and a blue, red and grey T−shirt.

Police are asking anyone with information to call 416−808−3100 or contact Crime Stoppers at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, or by texting TOR and a message to CRIMES (274637).

It is believed that the shirt was discarded somewhere between 390 Dixon Road and the Highway 401 overpass at Martin Grove Road.

The murder is believed to have taken place before 3 a.m. on  June 29.

Police responding to a call for a person with a knife at an apartment building on Dixon Road found the victim, identified as Ayan “Denise” Osman, 28.

Area residents are asked to check around their homes for the garment and, if found, are advised not to handle the shirt but to call police immediately.

Investigators are also looking to speak with anyone traveling east on Highway 401 near Martin Grove Road around 3 a.m.  that night, who may have witnessed the suspect being struck by a transport truck.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416−808−7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

The meeting was called to address these concerns before the 30th annual Pride festival, taking place in Toronto this weekend.

When the festival begins on Friday evening, Church Street will be closed to all vehicular traffic and TTC buses travelling to Wellesley Station will be rerouted.

The event is set to take place rain or shine.

Dejauhn Needham, 13, was last seen on June 30, around 8:24 p.m. in the Dufferin Street and Finch Avenue West area.

He is described as black, about 5-foot-7, 97 pounds, with a thin build and short, black hair.

He was last seen wearing a blue, jean jacket and white shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416−808−3200, Crime Stoppers  at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

The petition follows approval by Toronto city council on May 12 for Tuggs Inc. to continue to run all food services, including the Boardwalk Cafe, on land owned by the city at Balmy Beach and Woodbine Beach Park, and which now extends westward to include also Ashbridge’s Bay Park.

Tuggs Inc., owned by George Foulidis, has run the concession for more than 20 years and the revised contract will extend that arrangement for another 20 years.

“With our efforts to raise the issue in the broader community, people are now realizing what’s at stake, Yacatto told the Toronto Observer.

“They are upset that their voice is not heard, angry at a flawed process that this license agreement goes forward.”

View Larger Map
On Sunday, Yaccato and Harvey’s group forwarded a petition with 80 signatures to city councillors and the mayor, David Miller. In less than two days, the number of supporters has grown to 150 people. Almost all of them reside in the Beach.

“The license has been extended to Ashbridge’s Bay and they are adding moving trucks. They got a bigger slice for less money,” Yacatto said. “People thought it is a done deal, but it is not.”

Harvey, a consultant who serves on the boards of three not-for-profit organizations, got involved with the campaign two weeks ago.

“I suggested to Chris that we initiate a petition to get some leverage, hopefully convince council to change what they have done,” Harvey said. “The key issue is the lack of a request for proposal process (RFP).”

“For any government organization or business, it is unheard of not going through an RFP – in general, that is the best practice,” Harvey added.

Scott Bullock, who works in magazine publishing, also signed the petition: “The city now has financial challenges and should be looking to get more, not less.

“Ask anyone if their landlord would give them a deal like that on Queen Street East, lower rent and additional rights,” Bullock added.

The Boardwalk Cafe is in Ward 32, served by city councillor Sandra Bussin. Though contacted several times by the Toronto Observer, her office was not willing to comment on the petition.

So far few businesses or groups have publicly complained about the lack of competition on the bid. Yaccato noted most businesses do not know or understand all the complex details of the proposal including sales.

Deborah Etsten, executive director of the Beach Business Improvement Association, clarified that her organization represents mainly businesses on Queen Street East. Similarly, other BIA’s of the city operate along main streets.  The area of the license, however, falls within park land owned by the city.

“When the issue came up, we discussed it, but it did not go to the board,” Etsten said. “Our businesses did not complain.”

About 150 residents from the Guildwood area gathered Thursday evening to map out a strategy against the province’s plan to install wind turbines about two kilometres south of the bluffs, in Lake Ontario.

Under the banner of Toronto Wind Action, the group held a forum called ‘Finally the Truth About Turbines’ at Sir Wilfred Laurier Collegiate.

Lawrence Solomon, executive director at the Energy Probe Research Foundation, told the forum that contrary to the position of the United Nations, there is no threat of global warming from fossil fuels and therefore no need for wind energy.

“There is now no shortage of energy … There is limitless natural gas … and there will be no shortage of oil in our lifetime – most of the world is unexplored,” Solomon said.  “Carbon dioxide is a natural part of our biosphere.”

Dr. Robert McMurtry, a professor or surgery at the University of Western Ontario, warned that new rules for locating wind projects should be drawn up and that large windmills should be kept a minimum of two kilometres from residential areas.

He pointed to anecdotal evidence of wind projects disrupting peoples’  health and sleeping patterns.

David Grey Eagle Sanford, a member of the Mohawk tribe who speaks for TWA, said that while evidence of wind power’s effects on human health was unclear, its effect on the health of animals was well known.

“I am a carrier of sacred eagle feathers,” Sanford said. “Hundreds of eagles are killed or disturbed by windmills.”

Sanford conceded that the eagle population has increased over the past 20 years in Ontario due to its protection as an endangered species, but to him every eagle is sacred.

“As one of my elders told me, ‘the eagle is the wind’,” Sanford said.

He then spoke of a dream told to him many years ago by his grandmother: “In the future, they are going to sell you the wind.”

Judy Lipp, the executive director of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC), which developed a 299 foot windmill in Toronto by Exhibition Place, spoke to the Toronto Observer before the TWA event.

TREC supports  wind energy in Toronto. She said that concern over global climate change justified the need for sustainable energy sources such as wind power; there are no easy choices, she said.

“The impact of a large power plant is much bigger in terms of its footprint on the landscape and we can’t quickly return the land to its original state,” Lipp added.

She added that the large windmill in downtown Toronto,  has not led to any complaints from local residents since it was built eight years ago.

“If you stand under it, you cannot hear anything except the Gardiner Expressway … In an urban environment, ambient noise far overshadows the noise that wind turbines make,” Lipp said.

Toronto Homicide Detective Justin Vander Heyden told a press conference Tuesday that because Lu’s remains were cast in concrete before they were dumped into Lake Ontario, they were well preserved and were identified using fingerprint analysis.

Marine police and divers recovered Lu’s body on Sunday, using a crane to hoist the barrel from the waters of Lake Ontario at the bottom of Jarvis Street, near the Redpath Sugar refinery.

View Queen’s Quay in a larger map

According to police, Lu had travelled frequently between China and Canada; his friends and family reported him missing soon after arriving on a trip from China in late 2007.

“He was known to police … and had ties with Asian organized crime… he lived a high risk lifestyle,” Vander Heyden said.

Police still have not found Lu’s car, a 2004 BMW Z4 convertible with license plate number AVBC 138.

“We will re-interview people from 2007 and 2008,” Vander Heyden said. “We will start the investigation from scratch …The BMW is a major focus of the investigation moving forward.”

Police are asking anyone with information about Mr. Lu or his car to contact Det. Hank Idsinga at 416−808−7392, Det. Justin Vander Heyden at 416−808−7397, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477).

On April 24 police reported that two men approached 79-year-old Yusuf Hizel on a subway car near the TTC’s Chester station. They allegedly asked him for change and when he refused the two men grabbed him and took his wallet.

Hizel attempted to fight off the muggers, called out for help and attempted, unsuccessfully, to activate the subway’s emergency assistance alarm, but the robbers made good on their escape.

The incident sparked a public debate when it emerged that riders aboard the subway car failed to come to Hizel’s aid.

Shawn Waldron, 27, and Jason Thompson, 28, both of Mississauga, have been charged with robbery and forcible confinement.

Waldron has also been charged with failing to comply with a recognizance while Thompson faces an additional charge of failing to comply with a probation order.

They were scheduled to appear in court Saturday at College Park.

“There’s tons of different ways to run city elections,” he said. “(We’re) looking at those options … to help solve some of the problems.”

Better Ballots has wrapped up a series of four town hall meetings around the Greater Toronto Area exploring ways to address low voter turnout in municipal elections.

Those attending the latest session at the Scarborough Civic Centre were asked to vote on 14 proposed changes to the electoral process. Among other solutions, the group suggested telephone and online voting as a method of improving convenience.

Better Ballots is a coalition of non-partisan organizations exploring and promoting change to Toronto’s municipal elections. It’s an initiative of the Emerging Leaders Network, a civic group that identifies and tackles city issues. It has offered 14 reform options for discussion at its forums.

The closest community to embrace online and telephone voting is the Town of Markham. In 2003, a pilot program saw 7,210 residents vote online, 25 per cent of those people had not voted in the previous municipal election.

Markham’s online voter turnout increased to 10,639 in 2006. More than 20 per cent of those voters had not participated in the previous election.

Frank Edwards was manager of administration for the Markham Clerk’s Office when the proposal of online voting came to town council and during both previous elections.

He recently returned from retirement as elections co-ordinator for this year’s vote. He has only heard positive reaction from constituents.

“People who use it, say it is so slick, because … they can vote from work or home, whatever their convenience is,” Edwards said.

According to the Director of Elections Toronto Bonita Pietrangelo, the City of Toronto has considered online voting in the past.. One of the concerns was security of the online option. Edwards is confident the system can keep online voting secure.

“It is as secure as us banking online, purchasing our tickets with credit cards. It’s as secure as that,” Edwards said. “Talking about hackers and mirroring of websites, that’s old school; that’s back in 2003 when we first started. It is so secure now.”

The City of Toronto has introduced the Election Community Engagement Program for 2010. It has addressed results from 2006, when 102,000 fewer constituents voted than in the previous election.

Voter turnout in Toronto’s last municipal election was 39.3 per cent; that’s lower than the last provincial turnout of 52.8 per cent and the federal result of 58.8 per cent.

Pietrangelo said that although online voting may be an option to increase turnout, Toronto would not consider it for this fall’s election and most likely not the following one either. In regards to engagement, she thinks mandatory voting, seen in other parts of the world, is not a solution.

“I think democracy is about choice,” she said. “You can’t mandate people to vote, they have to want it.”

The CAC said requirements for pharmacies to cut prices on generic drugs will compel them to compete and as a result, improve the cost and the quality of their services.

Bruce Cran, President of the CAC, predicts drug stores will have to shape up in order to stay profitable.

“That is the theory of the marketplace and in practice, I hope the theory works out. There’s more than one large chain and there’s all of these private ones that could ingratiate themselves to consumers by supplying extra service,” Cran said.

The Ontario government in March announced changes to require makers of generic drugs to cut their prices by 25 per cent. The requirement has sparked a province-wide firestorm of protest from pharmacists.

Cathy Nguyen, a pharmacist at the Rum Ball Drug Mart in Toronto, warned that to make up for lost money, her customers could see new charges on services which are presently free.

“Some of our patients rely on the services that we provide because of disability. We will have to start charging them for these services they have come to depend on.”

She added the some pharmacies could possibly close, limiting access and variety of services stores have to offer.

“If it comes down to the rumours of pharmacies closing, people will be forced to go to certain pharmacies, whereas they had an option before,” Nguyen said.

Cran said the threat of pharmacy closures was negligible, adding Ontarians didn’t need “four pharmacies of the same brand name on the same block.”

We’re being told that a lot of consumers think we’re being over serviced by the number of pharmacies that are there. If a few close, I think consumers are saying that they’re not going to miss a readjustment towards reality and clarity.”

Generic drug makers pay pharmacies “professional allowances” in exchange for stocking their products. Pharmacies receive the money through what Health Minister Deb Matthews calls needlessly high costs on prescription drugs to pharmacies.

“The days of artificially high drug prices, paid on the backs of patients and taxpayers, are gone and they are gone for good,” Matthews told a gathering at the Canadian Club in early April.

Under the guidance of 22-year-old Toronto musician, teacher and entrepreneur Mitch Wong, students at De La Salle College, University of Toronto Schools and St. Clement’s School are learning how to jam.

Unlike traditional conservatory-based programs, which are based on composition and performance, Wong puts an emphasis on spontaneous collaboration, improvisation, and creative expression.

“Jamming is such a fun thing to do, it’s so easy to do,” Wong said. “Its just a matter of giving (students) a course, taking them by the hand and showing them how to do it, and then let them free – let them play!”

The three private school each ran distinct pilot versions of Wong’s Music As a Second Language class during the past academic year, allowing Wong to fine tune the program; he’s hoping to gauge the interest of larger, public school boards such as the TSDB.

The public board is no stranger to innovation. It currently boasts 19 alternative elementary schools and 22 alternative secondary schools, several of which have a focus on the arts.

UTS music teacher Ronald Royer said there’s “a real need” for more creativity in the music curriculum. He handed control of his music class over to Wong for one period a week during the spring term and said that there’s been a positive effect on each and every student’s performance.

But despite the promise, Royer notes that resources and funding for new pilot projects in the public sector are limited. “Getting them logistically to work it all out,” Royer said, “I think is the biggest hurdle.”

Offering the jamming classes to students in high school, Wong says, will hopefully inspire them to think the possibilities for making music differently.

“Jamming usually happens with a guitar, a bass, drums, maybe a piano…very rarely in that group will you see a saxophone player or a clarinet player.”

At De La Salle College, meanwhile, only three students were selected to take Wong’s program as an enrichment experience, and only two of them agreed to give it a shot.

Sixteen-year-olds Johnathan Chan and Alethea Song are already practising upwards of six-hours a week as part of their intensive musical regimes. Despite their rigorous training, they agree that the program offers them a new way experience music.

“Its different than just playing notes on a page,” Johnathan said.

Wong has also volunteered to teach the program on Saturday mornings at Regent Park School of Music but the school’s director, Richard Marsella, is hesitant to confirm the program will proceed.

The board of directors at RPMS has been unwilling to accept volunteer teaching staff, Marsella said, and is still finalizing the year’s budget.

“We value to work of our educators,” he said, “and we think it’s important to ensure a standard (by paying them.)…We work with volunteers in so many other ways, but we don’t encourage volunteer teaching.”

Marsella did say that he was thoroughly impressed by Wong’s program, and that “there’s a definite interest.”

In the meantime, Wong is planning to open a studio in midtown Toronto in September, where he can try out the teaching approach with members of the general public.

“This is the heart and soul of music,” he insists. “I would like to see this is wide spread as possible.”

To hear Mitch Wong’s thoughts on the program and the sound of a live lesson at De La Salle, listen to the audio clip below.

For further comments from the author, click here.

The Chiefs of Ontario, representing 134 First Nations, along with other aboriginal groups across the province, have been pressuring the provincial government to clarify and amend its HST legislation.

Larry Frost, director of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, said First Nations groups are beginning to mobilize.

“You’re going to hear some voice very shortly. They’re gathering their drums, if I may use that analogy, and we’re going to make a voice,” Frost said

The HST will blend the five per cent federal GST with the eight-per cent provincial sales tax. The plan, passed in December 2009, has angered Chief Sharon Stinson of Rama First Nations.

“We as an individual First Nation were not consulted,” she said. “We just got word through the Chiefs of Ontario office that this legislation was being implemented and unfortunately has been passed by both levels of government.”

Pam Hunter, communications analyst at the Chiefs of Ontario office in Toronto, said the province and Ottawa adopted HST legislation quickly in an attempt to outrun public opposition.

“They pushed it through in a matter of days,” she said. “Many people believe it is totally undemocratic to do so. You haven’t talked to anybody.”

But Leslie O’Leary, a press secretary for province’s Ministry of Revenue, said economic necessity was the motivation for the speedy adoption of HST legislation and she said authority over tax exemptions for First Nations ultimately rests with Ottawa.

“Since this is a federal tax, they need to agree to the exemption and to date they have not,” O’Leary said. “We will continue to work with the First Nations to encourage the federal government to come to the table and discuss this matter with us.”

Currently, First Nations people living on reserves are exempt from both the GST and the PST. Those living off reserves are exempt from the PST. On it’s website, the Ontario Ministry of Finance states it wishes to continue with the current set-up.

Hunter said she is frustrated with the different treatment of aboriginal people living on and off reserves. She believes all First Nations should receive equal treatment when it comes to tax exemption.

“Our rights are our rights despite where we are. You don’t suddenly become non-First Nation when you leave home. It’s about portability of rights,” Hunter said.

Frost warned of consequences the HST will have for First Nations of Ontario.

“It will have a big impact on daily life, food costs and house costs. It’s going to affect everybody,” Frost said.

Hunter believes the Ontario government has reneged on its promise of a renewed relationship with First Nations.

“Ontario and Canada both have a requirement to consult us… Ontario has been talking up a new relationship between the provincial government and the First Nations of Ontario. So this would be totally inconsistent with what they’ve been saying publicly.” Hunter said.

Stinson said the government is sending mixed messages about HST legislation She said attempts to contact both levels of government have yielded confusing results.

“Some (officials) say, ‘Oh, yes, certain purchases will still be exempt if you purchase on the reserve and the product or service is used on the reserve …. We don’t know that until we actually get to July 1 and see how it rolls out,” Stinson said.

Instead of patrolling the downtown streets of Toronto, Constable Mo Fadel now roams the hallways of Senator O’Connor High School as part of a joint program with the Catholic School Board.

Senator O’Connor is one of 50 schools to employ officers as part of a relationship building program between students and the police. The program is in its first year and according to Const. Fadel, it took some time for the kids to get used to the idea of trusting a policeman.

“There’s always a few kids not too comfortable with police officers, thinking we’re targeting them, spying on them, but it’s not the case,” he said.

Const.Fadel sensed the tension immediately and decided to take a more active role in the student’s lives.

“I was assisting coaching with the school basketball team and now I’m coaching the school basketball team. So that’s a group of kids right there that all of a sudden opened up to me,” he said.

Const. Fadel believes that Senator O’Connor is no more violent or dangerous than any other high school and was not chosen based on any specific incident.

“Violence can happen anywhere and it’s important that people trust the people enforcing the law,” he said.

For Kent Mendoza, a grade 12 student at Senator O’Connor, trusting the police became difficult after an altercation at his former high school that got him expelled.

“I got jumped by a guy outside school but I still won the fight. Everybody saw it was self-defence but the police still charged me and I got expelled,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza plays on the school football and basketball team and began to see Const. Fadel as just one of the guys.

“After a while he kinda grew on me. I gave him a chance and he helped me out with a lot of things. He told me stuff not to do and I basically became a better person ,” he said.

Although Const. Fadel occasionally misses cruising the streets of Toronto with his fellow officers, he hopes the program continues long enough to see his new friends win a football or basketball championship.

“They work hard and take it serious, it would definitely make me proud of these kids,” he said.

“It was really just fun to let loose and be a participant,” she said. “It was really a great time. The improv was phenomenal.”

The group let loose at Admit it! You’re Creative, a workshop in theatrical improvisation on April 17. It was one of eight events held during World Creativity and Innovation week at Centennial College’s Centre for Creative Communications at 951 Carlaw Ave.

The 75-minute workshop included warm-up games and the opportunity for adults, with little to no previous experience, to pull characters out of thin air.

As an innovation consultant, Reitzel helps businesses generate and present new, creative ideas. For her, the improv workshop provided a “safe” environment to explore and connect with complete strangers.

“There was one point where I jumped up on a guy and hugged him,” she said. “I didn’t know him from anyone… I felt safe and I felt comfortable to just give him a big bear hug, when normally you wouldn’t do that to someone you never knew.”

Reitzel feels that improvisation can be applied outside theatre and even in working situations.

“To do improv, or to do an exercise like that, just to have a little break from what it is you’re working on, is great,” she said.

Jennifer Spear has trained with Second City. She taught the workshop. She said that just teaching the material and seeing how people take to it was energizing.

“It’s amazing when you see the participants get involved like that. You get energy from it. That was just so much fun for me! I just had such a great time,” she said.

The report released by the Ontario Hospitals Association (OHA) last week suggests the province can save up to $15 million a year for revised strategies on patient care.

Among the recommendations, the report suggested revising existing care strategies under palliative care. It estimated that as much as $15,000 per patient can be saved if those in palliative care are taken out of hospital beds and transferred into home care settings. That translates to $9 million in annual savings.

Premier Dalton McGuinty applauded the OHA report called “Bending the Health Care Cost Curve” during Friday’s annual meeting of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.

The recommendation received approval from across the floor at Queen’s Park.

NDP Health and Long-Term Care critic France Gélinas said that this recommendation is a viable one. Adopting this policy, she added, would allow the province to “deliver a top quality, respectful, appreciative care” to palliative patients.

“(They) are not served well in hospital systems,” Gélinas said. “This is a huge win-win for the patient, their families and the taxpayer.”

Rick Firth, executive director of the Hospice Association of Ontario (HAO), supported this move to provide patients with more options to long-term care. The HAO has spent the last four years developing improved operating models for the community it serves.

“(We provide) patient-directed care,” Firth said. “Our clients’ experiences (have produced) an overwhelming positive response.”

Hospices provide both on- and off-site services that allow hospice staff (including nurses, specialty physicians and volunteers) to care for patients in a home-like setting.

HAO’s reports from the past fiscal year show that the money saved from moving palliative care patients into hospices is similar to the OHA’s estimates.

There are currently eight hospice programs in the City of Toronto. Over a 12-month period, 34 per cent of residential hospice admissions (a total of 622 patients) have come from hospitals.

The OHA “Bending the Health Care Cost Curve” report also suggested that staffing hospital emergency rooms with mental health professionals around-the-clock could help Ontario save another $6 million a year in ER services.

ERs are currently staffed with general practitioners and nurses who do not have the necessary training to deal with patients needing immediate mental health care. According to the report, if mental illness and addiction specialists are available 24/7, ER wait times could be significantly reduced.

Gélinas is one of three MPPs appointed to a select committee for mental health.

“People with (urgent) mental health needs are really poorly serviced in our existing emergency rooms,” she said. “(Our committee) has been working on this issue for over a year now.”

According to Gélinas, there will be “a re-engineering of delivery of mental health services coming for Ontario.”

A final report on her committee’s findings will be released in September.

Coalition officials staged a press conference recently to unveil a new public awareness poster at the Toronto Police Services’s Spring Child Seat Safety Clinic held at the corner of St. Clair Avenue West and Runnymede Road.

The brain-child of Juniper Park advertising agency, the poster  features a black hearse driving down a road. Pasted onto its rear window is a familiar bright yellow sticker that reads “Baby on Board.”

Written below the image is a reminder that 80 per-cent of the time, parents and caregivers incorrectly install child safety seats.

Coalition co-chair Constable Stephanie Borun was on hand to explain the reasoning that went into the campaign.

“The message for this ad is simple: don’t let your child’s last ride be to a cemetery. As shocking as this may be to some, the shock of learning of the death of a child is even greater,” she said. “It is a stark reminder of how fragile life is and that the protection of our future is paramount.”

The hope is that through public education and outreach, proper child seat usage and maintenance will improve and the number of child deaths will go down.

According to Inspector Gord Jones out of the Toronto Police Traffic Services Unit (http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/traffic/), parents, caregivers and their communities need to do a better job at protecting their children in motor vehicles.

“Although advances in the design of car seats has had a significant impact on the reduction in the number of children killed or injured in collisions, there are still close to 100 children per year in Canada being killed in motor vehicle collisions. That number is still far, far too high,” he said.

In addition to the public awareness campaign, car seat clinics play an important role in the coalition’s public awareness program. The clinics allow caregivers to bring their car and child safety seats in to be inspected and installed by a staff of police officers cum car seat technicians.

Technicians such as Constable Cindy Greenlaw of 55 Division, a veteran at these car seat clinics, look for and record the child seat make, model and serial number, proof of Canadian safety certification, seat position and belt tension.

“Most car seats that come in aren’t installed correctly. They’re generally loose,” Greenlaw said. “What you’re looking for is when you pull the actual car seat it moves (only) about an inch.”

Link here for more information visit about the Coalition online, including future clinic dates.

Ryan Bissonnette handles the public affairs for the Toronto Transit Commission. He said, “If you’re travelling east on Eglinton and want to make a left hand turn on Islington, you won’t be able to.”

The TTC is in the process of revamping the city’s public transportation system. It’s currently constructing an above ground Light Rail transit line on Eglinton Avenue. It’s a modern version of the streetcar that will connect Kennedy subway to Pearson airport.

The above ground LRT requires tracks that will run along the middle lane of the street. Vehicles are prohibited to cross the tracks to make left hand turns. Instead, they will have to make a u-turn at a specialized median intersection; it’s the first of its kind in Toronto.

“Vehicles will have to travel through the main intersection, veer to the left and come to the u-turn traffic signal. Once it goes green, the car can make a u-turn while opposite traffic is stopped,” Bissonette said.

The TTC believes this will improve traffic safety.

“Studies show that with these specialized intersections there’s a 20 to 50 per cent deduction in crash rates compared to other signals,” Bissonnette said.

While on-coming traffic is stopped at a red light, vehicles can cross without fear of head-on or angle collisions. The commission also believes that it will improve the flow of pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

“Median u-turns result in short wait times for pedestrians and left turning vehicles,” Bissonnette said. “Busy intersections and LRT light phases are long. These will permit a quicker signal phase and ultimately more reliable service for the LRT.”

But with any new concept, there are some concerns. The CBC radio’s traffic reporter, Jim Curran believes it may help congestion on Eglinton in the long run, but he’s concerned that people who don’t frequent the road will find it confusing.

“This is very new. People don’t normally turn left at u-turn signals in Toronto,” he said. “If you don’t drive the street all the time you may find it confusing. Especially if no sign is posted, clearly indicating how to proceed.”

He believes that like everything, it will take frequent drivers some getting used to. He predicts a two-month period where drivers will familiarize themselves with the new rules. In conjunction, the TTC will most likely conduct studies to determine its success and make the necessary adjustments.

“Anything new takes some getting used to. If you’re on Eglinton road everyday you may find it a nuisance at first. But in my experience, if its beneficial people will adjust.” he said.