It's time to decide the future of the Traffic Bridge, a report going to city council on Monday recommends.
The city's oldest bridge, which opened in 1907, isn't in immediate danger of closure, but it's no secret that its life is limited, said Mike Gutek, acting general manager of infrastructure services, in an interview Thursday.
"We're at that point where the bridge is coming to the end of its service life and it's no longer a question of, 'Well, that's far enough in the future that we'll figure that out later.' We need to figure that out now," said Gutek.
Council is being asked to approve a needs assessment and functional planning study for the possible replacement of the Traffic Bridge, formerly named the Victoria Bridge, including "extensive public consultation."
The project would include: assessment of current traffic; pedestrian and cycling usage; recommendations for the number of lanes if it is to remain a traffic bridge; and how the bridge might be configured as a transit-only or pedestrian/cyclist-only structure.
An additional report to council recommends an inspection of the underside of the bridge, which would require $95,000 this year. While the bridge is inspected on an annual basis, there are some parts that require a closer look, said Gutek.
The future of the Traffic Bridge was hotly debated in 2005 and 2006, when a series of reports called its health into question. The bridge was closed in late 2005 due to concerns about corrosion in the steel trusses (it had been closed immediately prior to that during construction of the roundabout on its downtown side). It reopened in September 2006 after repairs that extended the life of the bridge for 20 years, to 2026.
Coun. Charlie Clark said it's important to have a public discussion about the future of the iconic bridge, which is part of the defining image of Saskatoon as the City of Bridges.
"My hope is we can still operate the bridge for years to come," he said. "It's a cherished bridge and we want to... make every decision about the bridge as carefully as we can."
Clark noted that it's unfortunate the bridge's life was shortened because of decisions in the past to neglect certain repairs, such as a recommendation in a 2003 report -- which never went before city council -- to re-coat the steel truss members to slow down the rusting process. The re-coating wasn't done.
The type of steel used in the Traffic Bridge is no longer used when building bridge structures precisely because of its susceptibility to corrosion. The riveted joints, rather than bolts, are also prone to corrosion.
The only other steel truss bridge still standing in the province, at St. Louis, is being replaced by a new bridge located two kilometres to the east. One of the options for the Traffic Bridge that's been put forward in the past is converting it to a pedestrian-only bridge, but the report to council notes that wouldn't extend its life in its current state any further as "remedial work would still be required."
However, making the repairs necessary to convert the bridge to pedestrian-only in the future will be an option considered in the planning study.
The closure of the Traffic Bridge for inspection later this year is expected to last two to three weeks, during regular working hours, said Gutek. The bridge sees about 7,000 vehicles per day.
It's hoped the planning study, including public consultations, will be complete by the fall.
Catholic nuns and bishops have squared off over it, a Republican lawmaker has referred to it as a "wet, smelly dog," and the president has shown himself to be uncharacteristically testy when defending it.
It's the latest seamy episode in U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare reform soap opera, and after months of frequently hysterical debate about its merits, the twists and turns are off the charts this week as -- yet again -- healthcare legislation nears a possible finish line.
Obama cancelled a trip to Asia on Thursday in order to stay in D.C. for a potential Sunday vote in the House of Representatives on the $940 billion U.S. healthcare reform bill, while top Democrats work furiously behind the scenes to secure enough votes among undecided party members.
They snagged a live one earlier this week when Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, announced he'd support the bill just a few days after eviscerating it in an editorial in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
"Absent a strong public option or legal protection for states that wish to pursue single payer, the bill that the president is proposing is a step in the wrong direction," Kucinich wrote Sunday.
Fast forward three days and one Air Force One conversation with the president, and Kucinich changes his tune, telling CNN's Larry King Live: "We've moved beyond that. The things I want to see in healthcare we can move towards over the years."
The stress of the drama seemed visible earlier this week during a rare White House interview between Obama and Fox News. Obama, accustomed to giving lengthy and professorial answers to questions, grew irritable when interrupted by FOX's Bert Baier.
In a tense exchange about obscure parliamentary procedures that might be used by Democrats to push the bill through, Obama said he doesn't "spend a lot of time worrying about what the procedural rules are."
"What I can tell you is that the vote that's taken in the House will be a vote for healthcare reform. And if people vote yes, whatever form that takes, that is going to be a vote for healthcare reform."
He also likened healthcare reform to legislation aimed at fixing the financial system or pulling the economy out of a devastating tailspin.
"I knew these things might not be popular, but I was absolutely positive that it was the right thing to do," he said.
Republicans, meantime, continue to rage against the legislation that has become the defining issue of Obama's presidency. It would result in millions of Americans who don't have health insurance finally getting covered.
A Japanese-American lawmaker took offence after Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham likened the Democrats' push for healthcare reform to a Japanese kamikaze attack during the Second World War. Graham assailed Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, for her efforts to bring Democrats to heel.
"Nancy Pelosi, I think, has got them all liquored up on sake and you know, they're making a suicide run here," Graham said.
California Democrat Mike Honda, who spent part of his childhood in an intern camp because of his Japanese heritage, accused Graham of using "racially tinged rhetoric" and asked him to "show respect for our fellow Americans."
Another Republican congressman, Mario Diaz-Balart from Florida, described the bill this week as a "flea-infested, tick-infested, parasite-infected, special-interest infected, wet, smelly dog."
At so-called Tea Party rallies against healthcare reform in various U.S. cities this week, the rhetoric, not unexpectedly, has been equally colourful.
"My favourite sign that I saw is: 'Grandma isn't shovel-ready,'" Republican Michele Bachmann, a lawmaker from Minnesota, said during a raucous demonstration this week on Capitol Hill. "Because we know exactly what 'Obamacare' will lead to for the lives of innocent Americans, don't we?"
Bachman was apparently referring to the belief by some in the Tea Party movement that the bill contains provisions for "death panels" that will amount to the Grim Reaper showing up prematurely on the doorsteps of America's sick and elderly.
At an Ohio protest, a man who said he had Parkinson's disease and supported healthcare reform was heckled by the crowd.
"If you're looking for a handout, you're on the wrong side of town," a protester told the man. Someone else called him a Communist.
Democrats say support for healthcare reform is gaining momentum despite the right-wing rhetoric, pointing to the public backing they've secured from two Democrats this week: Kucinich and Dale Kildee of Michigan. Kildee had sought tighter restrictions in the bill on the financing of insurance that covers abortions.
"Voting for this bill in no way diminishes my pro-life voting record or undermines my beliefs," he said. "I am a staunch pro-life member of Congress, both for the born and the unborn."
Kildee's sudden support apparently gives the nuns the edge in their battle against bishops -- one of the more peculiar showdowns to erupt throughout the healthcare debate that's been raging for a year.
"Despite false claims to the contrary, the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions," said a letter signed by 60 leaders of women's religious orders in a stand against their own church's hierarchy. "It will uphold long-standing conscience protections and it will make historic new investments... in support of pregnant women. This is the real pro-life stance, and we as Catholics are all for it."
Not so, said the U.S. Conference of Bishops, who now apparently agrees with the 'pro-life activists' in their insistence that the bill would make it easier for women to get abortions. The bishops have long pleaded for universal healthcare.
"Despite the good that the bill under consideration intends or might achieve, the Catholic bishops regretfully hold that it must be opposed unless and until these serious moral problems are addressed," they said in a statement.
Britain is officially eating crow just a month after its sportswriters' unrestrained trashing of the Vancouver Games and Canada's controversial Own the Podium program for Olympic athletes.
The head of UK Sport -- the funding body for elite British athletes and a key player in preparing for the 2012 Summer Games in London -- says his country will emulate Own the Podium in a bid to match Canada's record-setting, host-nation performance at Vancouver.
"At first a lot of people were critical of Canada's Own the Podium program, saying that it wasn't very sporting, and it had some bad press," UK Sport chief executive John Steele told a media briefing last week as Britain unveiled its medal projections for the 2012 Games. "But as soon as it started to do well, then everyone thought it was a great idea and were a lot less critical," he noted. "We will probably use a different strap line but the idea for 2012 will be very similar, and it is something we definitely want to use as a tool for success."
Steele added: "Medals are the aim of our funding, as we have a responsibility to the British public."
The comments, UK Sport spokesperson Russell Langley said on Thursday, mainly indicate the agency is "just continuing what we started last year with Team 2012" -- and that, like Own the Podium, "a private investment stream is key in funding our athletes to supplement the public funding we already get."
But Steele's praise for Canada's medal-winning strategy for Vancouver 2010 -- which ultimately yielded a best-ever total of 26 medals for this country, including a Winter Olympics record 14 golds -- is sure to redden some faces in the British press corps.
Caustic columns by several U.K. journalists -- including one early in the Winter Games that claimed Own the Podium had offended all visiting athletes from around the world -- became one of the main storylines in the days following the opening ceremony at the Vancouver Olympics.
Canada's "highly unpleasant Own the Podium program, in which they seek to exploit home advantage to the last nanosecond," wrote Times of London correspondent Simon Barnes, "has alienated the world they are supposed to play host to."
He added: "Home athletes always have an advantage: getting ugly about it is neither necessary nor appropriate."
The Guardian's Laurence Donegan also slagged Own the Podium and opined that Canadians, "in pursuit of their own Olympic dream, appear to have forgotten that national characteristic for which they are best known: politeness."
British sports officials, however, declined to join the Fleet Street bandwagon.
Sebastian Coe, the legendary middle-distance runner and head of the London Olympics organizing committee, applauded Canada's "very, very successful" hosting of the Games and expressed gratitude to Vancouver organizers for offering advice and an example ahead of London 2012.
"Our Games will be better for the help we have had here," he said last month.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has cashed in on his bet with U.S. President Barack Obama over the Olympic men's gold-medal hockey game.
The U.S. president's top representative in Canada, Ambassador David Jacobson, delivered a 24-pack of Molson Canadian to the doorstep of 24 Sussex Drive on Friday morning.
Mr. Harper and Mr. Obama had each wagered a box of beer on the outcome of the Canada-U.S. men's Olympic final, which was won by Canada 3-2 in dramatic fashion on Sidney Crosby's overtime goal.
Mr. Obama, through Jacobson, added an extra case of Yuengling, the president's American brew of choice had he won the friendly wager.
"To show there's no hard feelings, the president also threw in a case of Yuengling on top of the Molsons," Jacobson told the prime minister, adding he also wanted to "congratulate the Canadian people on the Games."
"They were great, the athletes were great and the spirit and hospitality were great to my people and around the world."
Mr. Harper responded in kind, lauding the American athletes and visitors to the Games -- and thanking them for making good on their wager.
"David, you guys always fulfil your promises to us and we appreciate it."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs wore Team Canada's colours during his daily briefing in Washington a week ago after losing a similar bet to Mr. Harper's spokesman Dimitri Soudas.
Mr. Soudas said the two cases of beer would be donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Construction will soon be under way on the first Lowe's home improvement store in Saskatchewan at 4555 Gordon Road in Regina, Lowe's Canada announced Thursday.
"Lowe's commitment to expanding throughout Western Canada continues with our first location in Saskatchewan," Alan Huggins, president of Lowe's Canada, said in a press release.
The Regina store will have 103,000 ft2of retail space and offer more than 40,000 home improvement products under one roof.
The store will be located in the Grasslands commercial development, a project of Harvard Developments of Regina, south of Harbour Landing subdivision in southwest Regina.
A separate 32,000 ft2 garden centre will offer a wide selection of flowers, bushes, trees and garden supplies.
The store represents an investment of approximately $20 million and will create up to 150 new jobs, the release said.
With 2009 sales of $47.2 billion US, Lowe's Companies Inc. serves approximately 15 million customers a week. Lowe's operates more than 1,700 home improvement stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, North Carolina, Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world.
Lowe's opened its first Canadian store in 2007 and currently has 16 stores and employs more than 2,800 in Canada.
TELUS Corp. is spending $650 million this year to upgrade its networks in Alberta, as it expands the reach of its Internet and digital-TV services.
Canada's second-largest phone carrier said Wednesday it continues to bulk up its landline system, while beefing up its wireless service in the province amid growing competition.
The upgrades may give TELUS an edge, one analyst said, as the industry seeks to gain customers by packaging services from Internet, television and phone together.
"This isn't just TELUS versus new entrants," said Greg MacDonald, a Toronto-based analyst with National Bank Financial.
"The future is that personalized devices will increasingly be sold with the communal products," he said.
The payoff for carriers such as TELUS is lower churn -- an industry measure of customer turnover -- by allowing companies to give bundle discounts, said MacDonald. TELUS said it's expanding its wireless broadband network throughout the province, building on the November launch of its new wireless network. TELUS spent about $700 million on upgrades last year, largely aimed at launching high-speed packet technology. That allows for faster data transmission and video service on handset devices, such as Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry.
"This is some of the most critical investment we have ever made as a company in Alberta," said Karen Radford, president of TELUS Business Solutions, noting that nearly 98% of Albertans now have high-speed Internet access because of the upgrades.
"I don't think any other place in Canada can boast those kinds of numbers," she said.
The investment comes as the company faces growing competition in the wireless market across the country. Globalive recently launched its Wind Mobile service, with Calgary among its first locations. It will be joined by new entrants Videotron, Public Mobile and Mobilicity later this year.
Another competitor will be Calgary-based Shaw Communications, which paid $190 million for a chunk of the wireless spectrum in 2008, but has been slow to launch.
In January, the company said it expects to start its new wireless division early next year.
Ottawa is also preparing new rules to allow foreign investors to buy Canadian wireless carriers, a move seen to bolster competition in the industry. Last month, TELUS reported lower fourth-quarter revenues, as the company signed up fewer new customers and earned less per subscriber.
Radford said main rivals BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications have shown similar subscription trends. If you include TELUS, the three companies control about 95% of Canada's wireless market.
This latest investment in TELUS' Alberta network is less about getting ahead of emerging competitors, she added.
"It's important for us to retain that position, but more importantly, with the economic downturn and the fact that it's been tough across all of Canada, we realize how critical this kind of technology is for the economic competitiveness of the region," said Radford.
TELUS shares went up by 23 cents to $35.93 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
Blockbuster Inc. on Wednesday warned that it may have to file for bankruptcy protection in the face of declining sales and rising competition, sending its shares down 30% on Wednesday.
The once-king of movie rentals is a victim of new technology and its own sluggish strategy to counter the onslaught of new forms of competition in recent years, leaving investors to wonder now whether there is enough time to turn the company around.
The company said that it may try to strengthen its balance sheet by converting senior debt into common stock, thereby diluting current shareholders' holdings. The company also raised the possibility of using its Canadian assets as collateral payments to the movie studios.
"Although we face challenging conditions, we continue to work hard to reposition and transform Blockbuster into a multi-channel brand that offers customers the most convenient access to media entertainment," the company said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
Customers at a Walmart store in southern New Jersey are expressing dismay after hearing that someone used the public address system to order "all black people" to leave.
As she left the store Wednesday, customer Sharon Osbourne of Williamstown said she considers Sunday's announcement "appalling, stupid and sad."
A male voice came over the public-address system that evening at a store in Washington Township and calmly announced: "Attention Walmart customers: all black people leave the store now."
Management apologized. Officials with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. say that it was "unacceptable" and that they're trying to determine who made the announcement and how it happened.
Remember Maxime Bernier, the guy who left confidential documents at his ex-girlfriend's house?
Onstage at a swish Ottawa gala in a creamy-white tuxedo, the former foreign affairs minister jokes about his "lost script," which would be a cheeky reference to the lost briefing documents that led to his lost ministerial portfolio.
The political and diplomatic crowd love it.
Onstage in Calgary, before the federal budget, there he was, calling for a freeze on spending growth.
In Quebec's largest daily newspaper, the favourite son from the Beauce urges a go-slow approach to climate change, declaring no "consensus" around the science underpinning claims of global warming. And now here he is, alone on the podium at the Manning Centre's networking conference for conservatives, telling them how the party can do a better job of explaining its policies in Quebec.
Almost two years since his May 2008 resignation from cabinet after it was revealed he had left government briefing documents at the apartment of Julie Couillard, an ex-girlfriend with ties to Montreal bikers, Bernier is suddenly ubiquitous.
Bernier draws a big crowd at the Manning conference. He delivers a lengthy speech, entirely in accented but fluent English, reaching only now and then for the right words to tell the room that many Quebecers are just like them.
"Quebecers don't want the government to take care of them from the cradle to the grave," he says. "I think we have too much government on our backs."
It is classic small-c conservatism served up with a healthy dose of admiration for Reform Party founder Preston Manning, and his former policy writer and current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.
Their prescriptions in the 1990s for smaller government, lower taxes, a decentralized federation, and less regulation in people's lives were "very courageous," says Bernier.
On climate change, Bernier draws applause when he says there is no "scientific consensus on the causes and extent of global warming," but denies being a denier. "I didn't say that I don't believe in global warming. I don't want global warming to be a religion."
It makes no sense to spend "billions and millions" on it without a scientific underpinning, he adds. It's a strong performance, laced with a shrug of the shoulders when asked by audience members what Quebec wants. How can Canadian conservatives show they care about Quebec and grow the party's fortunes there? Decentralization and smaller government, not token gestures of affection, he answers.
"What Quebecers want is constitutional peace and for us to focus on the economy," he says.
But conservative policies have to be sold to Quebec in French in a way that emphasizes "Quebecers' particularities and sensibilities" or risk alienating them for "negating Quebec's specific character."
"Whether you like this or not, this has been part of Quebec's political culture for two centuries, and it's not going to change anytime soon. To sell conservative policies in Quebec, you have to take this into account."
Later, he's got words of praise for how his federal Conservative party is faring. The party's disappointing results in the last election were due to the inability to correctly "communicate" the messages around arts funding cuts, says Bernier. And he denies his bullish stand on global warming will hurt the cause. He says Quebecers do not vote on single issues. Moreover, he says a number of his caucus colleagues have told him his climate-change comments "helped them in their riding."
Watching from the audience is Tom Flanagan, a University of Calgary political scientist and a former campaign director and top aide to Mr. Harper.
"I guess the campaign has started," Flanagan says with a smile after Bernier's speech.
In Dr. Flanagan's view, Bernier looks as if he is setting the stage for a future leadership bid, and he's seen a few of those. Dr. Flanagan wrote the book Harper's Team, which chronicled Mr. Harper's climb to power.
Even if Bernier's appeal to grassroots conservatives beyond Quebec is uncertain - dependent on who else is in the race, says Flanagan - there are lots of other reasons to run for the top job in any party: higher profile and more say in party policy and where the party goes from here.
But if he does indeed have leadership ambitions, a smiling Bernier is not about to wade into those waters. He shakes his head.
"I have a leader, I am proud of my leader," he says, when asked outright if all of this is about a future leadership bid. "It is only you journalists who write that."
Are you still a loser that uses Windows XP because you are too good to switch to Windows 7? Well, you should probably upgrade. Windows 7 is incredibly excellent in comparison to Windows Vista.
And here's another reason: when Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 9, it won't run on Windows XP.
In fact, it won't run on anything that is an earlier version of Windows than Windows Vista SP2.
The National Hockey League is trying to fast-track a new rule that would punish players who deliver blindside hits to opponents' heads.
The rule, proposed at the league's board of governors meetings in Florida earlier this month, could be instituted before the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs in April, a move believed to be unprecedented in the NHL.
"There are a lot of moving parts," NHL spokesman Frank Brown said Wednesday. "There still are a number of processes that need to be followed. In order for any rule change to be implemented, it needs to be considered by the competition committee, it needs to be approved by the board of governors."
"That's not as easy as flipping a light switch."
The NHL's regular season ends April 11, which doesn't allow much time for the competition committee, which includes five active players, and fully address the proposed rule. The NHL is reportedly preparing a DVD for the league's players featuring examples of what would be allowed under the proposed rule.
Hits to the head have become the NHL's burning issue this season, following serious injuries to Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins and David Booth of the Florida Panthers. Savard is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a severe concussion after he was blindsided by the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke on March 7. Booth, meanwhile, was out of the line-up for three months after suffering a concussion when he was hit by Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers in an October 24 game.
Saskatoon's most-discussed real estate development may be revived by the University of Saskatchewan's largest-ever donor.
Karim Nasser, the man behind a $12-million property donation to the university last month, which is the institution's largest ever, says he is working on a plan to revive Lake Placid's $200-million River Landing megaproject.
"The project is a fantastic project for the city," Nasser said in an interview Wednesday. "We liked it from Day 1 and were disappointed when (Lake Placid CEO Michael Lobsinger) wasn't able to proceed with it."
Nasser, a retired civil engineering professor who heads Victory Majors Investment Corp., confirmed he has entered into negotiations with Lake Placid to restart the development. But he said everything hinges on whether city council decides Monday to consider reinstating an expired sale agreement with Lake Placid.
"If they agree, the money is available, whatever the city says is the amount... right away we will give them the cheque," Nasser said. "We'll be very happy to be able to do it."
Nasser, who said he would not go into details until negotiations are finalized, will speak to council Monday night alongside Lobsinger about their proposal for the site. A partnership agreement for the entire $200-million hotel-office-condo project is being negotiated, he said, and should be finalized by the end of the week.
"We'll be working together," Nasser said.
The city's agreement to sell the prime riverfront land to Lake Placid for $4.5 million ended in October, but many councillors said in November if Lobsinger was able to secure the money, they'd move to re-enter negotiations with the company.
At that time, Lobsinger told council he was "one signature away" from securing long-awaited funds for the entire project from overseas. He said the money had been tied up in regulatory limbo.
City officials have since begun crafting a new request for proposals for the land in an effort to make the requirements for developers more flexible.
That includes getting an updated appraisal on how much the land is now worth.
Sandi Schultz, special projects manager for the city, said regardless of what Lobsinger and Nasser propose, councillors "would not be in a position to accept outright whatever their proposal might be."
"The best their proposal could hope for is that it's referred to the administration to report back," Schultz said. "The proponents will make their case and answer any questions and councillors could accept it through a referral to administration or not entertain the proposal at all."
The proposal is different than others because it has already gone through the approval process once and could get moving faster, Schultz said.
"That puts this in a different light," she said.
Councillor Glen Penner, who backed selling the River Landing land directly to Lake Placid Developments in November if funding came through, said he's still interested in striking a deal but first needs assurances the money is actually coming.
"We would have to have the kind of assurance that is undeniable and absolutely secure and if that were the case, I'd be prepared to have another look," he said. "There can be no more playing around with this city or city council."
Nasser is not new to the city's development industry.
He built a real-estate portfolio of apartment buildings and commercial properties in Saskatoon during the 33 years he taught engineering at the University of Saskatchewan before forming Victory Majors Investment Corp., which went public in 1999, to manage the properties.
Last month, Nasser, his wife Dora and their five children donated $12 million worth of property to the university, the value of which will be channelled into student awards, two new campus buildings, the College of Engineering and the Edwards School of Business.
"We're basically very loyal to our university, as well to our community, and we would like to do all we can for both our university and our community whenever if there is chance," Nasser said.
Nasser said he hopes his involvement ends the 30-plus years of false starts developing the site and gives a needed boost to River Landing.
Saskatoon is ready for a megaproject of this scope, which he said has always reminded him of Rockefeller Center, which he recalls fondly from his time in New York City.
"It's something fantastic," he said. "The city has never had a project that has attracted everyone's attention like this."
Nasser's involvement "can only be seen as a positive," Penner said.
Toronto Transit Commission chair Adam Giambrone may be a champion of public transit, but he has nothing against taxis, as records of city councillors' 2009 office expenses show.
Giambrone expensed more than $3,000 in cabs last year, including a trip home after taping an episode of his Ride the Rocket TV show on a streetcar.
About $2,400 came from his office budget, with the rest billed to the Toronto Transit Commission.
Giambrone, like other councillors, has a city-provided Metropass. He also expensed $256 in tokens plus some weekly and monthly Metropasses for his staff, including $173.50 in July for "staff travel."
One cab ride is billed as a "ward survey during the strike," referring to last summer's garbage strike.
For a second year, he also expensed private French lessons, although the $2,299.50 he spent was down from almost $4,000 in 2008. He said last year the expense was justified because he's Toronto's representative at AFMO, an association of French municipalities in Ontario and does interviews with Francophone media.
In total, the TTC chair spent $41,801.90 of his maximum $53,100 budget.
Giambrone (Ward 18, Davenport) dropped out of the mayoral race last month amid a sex scandal in which he lied to the Toronto Star about his relationship with a university student. He has since been defending his chairmanship of the TTC.
In an emailed response to questions from the Toronto Star, Giambrone wrote: "I am on the TTC 4-5 times a day and this is my main mode of transportation. Many people see me on the system everyday and can attest to this."
He added that he walks, cycles, takes public transit and taxis to the many events he attends every day.
"Clearly there are not enough taxis bills submitted for this to be my main mode of transport. There are, however, sometimes when taxis are needed due to time constraints or what I am carrying with me (i.e. files). All expenses fit within the Council policy."
The biggest spender on council was Michael Walker (Ward 22, St. Paul's), who came within $48 of the limit. He announced last week that he is not seeking re-election in the October election.
The lowest spender was, as always in recent years, Rob Ford, who billed taxpayers for nothing, merely notifying city officials he spent $708.78 of his own money on council business.
On Wednesday morning, Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) called Giambrone's cab expenses "ridiculous."
"I've taken two cabs in 10 years of politics and I think they were for fundraising dinners after council," said Ford, who is rumoured to be set to launch a mayoral campaign. "He's the TTC chair -- how does it look that he's taking cabs everywhere?"
Ford said the councillors' office budgets, which don't include $205,557.47 in another budget for the equivalent of three full-time staff members, is "nothing but a slush fund."
He said he doesn't expect other councillors to spend nothing but $20,000 would be more than enough to cover all legitimate expenses, saying the mail-outs, advertisements, skating parties and other similar expenses are "shameless self-promotion that don't benefit the public."
Social-networking star Facebook surpassed Google to become the most visited website in the United States for the first time last week, industry analysts showed.
Facebook's homepage finished the week ending March 13 as the most visited site in the country, according to industry tracker Hitwise.
The "important milestone," as described by Hitwise director of research Heather Dougherty, came as Facebook enjoyed a massive 185% increase in visits in the same period, compared to the same week in 2009.
By comparison, visits to search engine home Google.com increased only 9% in the same time -- although the tracker does not include Google property sites such as the popular Gmail email service, YouTube and Google Maps.
Taken together, Facebook.com and Google.com amounted to 14% of the entire U.S. Internet visits last week, Dougherty said.
Google has been positioning challenges in recent months to Facebook and the micro-blogging site Twitter by adding the social-networking feature Buzz to its Gmail service.
In what could signal an escalating battle between Facebook and Google, the leading social-networking service celebrated its sixth birthday earlier this year with changes including a new message inbox that echoes Gmail's format.
Facebook boasts some 400 million users while Gmail had 176 million unique visitors in December, according to tracking firm comScore.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper waltzed through his first interview gig on YouTube on Tuesday and along the way he gave a thumbs-up to the seal hunt and the crackdown on "guns, gangs and drugs" and a firm thumbs-down to legalizing pot.
"The reason drugs are illegal is because they are bad," Mr. Harper said. "And even if these things were legalized, I can predict with a lot of confidence that these would never be respectable businesses run by respectable people."
Canadian Patrick Pichette, Google's bilingual chief financial officer, conducted the interview, and made a point of saying the question about marijuana, which he asked last, won the most votes from those who participated in the YouTube challenge.
"Well, it's a good question," Mr. Harper responded.
The 40-minute interview broke no new policy ground for the prime minister, who appeared relaxed as he gave long, uninterrupted answers to questions posed by Canadians and relayed by video or by Mr. Pichette.
The only hitch was that the interview, taped earlier Tuesday, was posted more than an hour later than was scheduled. A Google official later blamed technical problems for the delay, the problems in uploading an interview that was twice as long as expected.
The questions were straightforward and pressed Mr. Harper on such current hot topics as the $56-billion budget deficit and his government's current handling of the Afghan detainee issue.
Someone identified as B. Jonte of Waterloo, Ontario, asked Mr. Harper why the government was not more open on the Afghan prisoner issue and why it always responds to "legitimate" questions about the issue with "'support our troops' and look the other way."
Mr. Harper said he disagreed with the premise of the question and said that it's important to state there is no evidence Canadian soldiers have done anything wrong. He pointed to his appointment of Frank Iacobucci, a former Supreme Court justice, to review the contents of still secret documents to decide what can be released as proof of his openness on the issue.
Mr. Harper flatly rejected a questioner's appeal to cancel the 2010 commercial seal hunt, saying there is "no danger" of the seal population disappearing and that his government would continue to "vigorously defend our sealers" in the face of domestic and international criticism.
"There is no scientific evidence that says the seal population is in jeopardy," he said.
On mandatory sentencing, he said that although he didn't think crime was out of control in the country, there are "worrying growth areas, particularly if you look at the areas of guns, gangs and drugs, and this is a growth area, not just in Canada, but around the world."
Mr. Harper's YouTube appearance was a clear bid to try to connect with an audience that considers YouTube part of its daily online diet, which is sad for those who visit YouTube on a regular basis. The Prime Minister's Office described the move as a chance for "Canadians to have unfiltered and immediate access to information."
The interview was taped at Rideau Gate, the Government of Canada's elegant guest house situated across the street from the prime minister's Sussex Drive residence.
Google spokeswoman Wendy Rozeluk said that the tape was unedited, and that there was no vetting of the questions by the Prime Minister's Office.
However, Mr. Harper did not go into the interview blind. He and his staff, like anybody else with access to the Internet, were able to tap into YouTube's Talk Canada site to read the questions in advance to quickly ascertain the most popular subjects.
Mr. Harper's appearance was the finale of an arrangement made by the PMO and Google, which owns YouTube, to carry a live feed of the speech the prime minister gave in the House of Commons last Thursday in response to his government's throne speech.
U.S. President Barack Obama engaged in a similar YouTube event last month after his State of the Union address.
YouTube users were encouraged to post their questions for Mr. Harper, with a promise the most popular questions would be asked at the virtual town hall on Tuesday night.
By the time voting was cut off on Sunday afternoon, a total of 5,128 people had cast 170,000 votes on 1,797 questions, according to the tally posted on YouTube's Talk Canada site.
A Conservative member of the Ontario legislature says that Toronto should form its own province because communities outside the metropolis are not being heard.
Bill Murdoch, who represents the riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, says the idea came to him at an agriculture meeting where recurring complaints brought him to the conclusion "we're never going to change this as long as we have a Toronto-driven government running Ontario."
The "straw that broke the camel's back" is the current spread of coyotes in his parts of the province, he said, a matter locals would like to settle by placing a bounty on them.
"They'll never let you do that in Toronto," he said.
He says the sheer size of the city, and its voting power, means that Queen's Park is more likely to cater to Toronto's every whim.
Murdoch admits the goal has little to no chance of success, but says the suggestion would at least launch a debate.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty boasted about Canada's relative fiscal strength Tuesday as Britain and other members of the European Union face intense political divisions and social unrest over massive debt problems.
Mr. Flaherty, who is on the second leg of a two-day trip that began in New York, said Canada is on track to balance its budget, while also enjoying renewed business confidence and consumer demand and has the world's strongest and best-regulated banking system.
"Our nation fully intends to build on that crisis-tested advantage," he told the Canada-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce.
He acknowledged there has been "upward pressure" on the Canadian dollar, which closed near parity Tuesday at 98.62 U.S. cents, its highest finish since July 25, 2008.
But Mr. Flaherty, who along with Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney warned only months ago of the dangers of a high-flying currency, seemed more sanguine about it on Tuesday.
"Canada's relatively strong fiscal position is assisting the rise of the dollar," he said.
The Government of Canada, he said, is "not worried, but watchful," with regard to real estate prices, Mr. Flaherty told a business audience, noting his recent decision to toughen requirements for government-insured mortgages.
"One has to watch this to make sure that one does not have borrowers who cannot afford higher interest rates, because as we all know interest rates are historically low and they have nowhere to go but up."
Nevertheless, Mr. Flaherty, who acknowledged less flattering statistics such as the 8.2% unemployment rate, said the Canadian and global economies remain vulnerable due to the huge indebtedness of many countries, particularly the U.S. economy.
"I think we're all concerned about... the size of the U.S. deficit," he said, citing the economy's dependence on Canada-U.S. Trade.
He also noted concern about massive debt problems in a number of European countries, including Greece.
"We look forward to other developed nations of the world showing their plans to move out of deficit, towards balanced budgets over time," he said.
"That is necessary for the firm restoration of confidence in developed countries, that we all have a plan to exit from the stimulus" spending programs launched after the global crisis broke out in the autumn of 2008.
While Canada's $53.8-billion federal deficit sounds huge, it represents 3.5% of the country's gross domestic product, and less than a third of the current U.S. and British deficit-to-GDP ratios.
Mr. Flaherty's budget, released March 4, announced reductions in planned spending that the finance minister said would bring the deficit down to $1.8 billion by 2014-15.
Kevin Page, Canada's independent parliamentary budget officer, has labelled Mr. Flaherty's projections too optimistic, and has projected the deficit will be down to just $12.3 billion by 2014-15.
But that higher figure would still represent just 0.6% of Canada's projected GDP.
Honda Canada announced Tuesday that it will recall thousands of vehicles after fielding owner complaints involving brake pedals. The recall involves 24,680 Odyssey and 4,137 Element vehicles in Canada from the 2007-2008 model years. The company plans to modify the vehicle stability assist modulator, which is connected to the ABS braking system.
The announcement in Canada coincides with a recall of more than 400,000 vehicles in the United States involving similar models.
Honda said the complaints reported that the brakes felt "soft" or "gradually exhibit a pedal height that gets lower (closer to the floor) before the vehicle stops." In vehicles reporting this, the condition increased over time.
"It's not something that suddenly happened" but occurred over time as customers reported "my brake pedal feels funny," Richard Jacobs of Honda Canada Inc., said Tuesday.
No confirmed accidents were reported in Canada as a result of the brake pedal concern, but some have been reported in the United States.
"There have been a few accidents and several minor injuries (in the U.S.)," said Jacobs. "But it's mostly been just from consumer concern over the feel of the pedal; it seems to be a little more 'spongy.'"
Honda said some modulators could allow small quantities of air in, which over time, could accumulate and result in the "soft brake pedal" or "low brake pedal" being reported by customers. The fix will remove air from the units and seal it so as to prevent it from coming in, something Jacobs described as "a very quick in-and-out procedure."
Honda said not all recalled models reported these issues, but the company was recalling all units to "assure all customers that their vehicles will perform correctly." The company plans to notify customers beginning at the end of April, so can they bring their vehicles in to Honda dealers.
Jacobs said people concerned with their vehicle's current performance would be asked to bring them in immediately.
"There are things we can do right now but there's a specific process that will be ready," in the next few weeks, he said.
The recall was announced as the chief executive of competitor Toyota Canada was expressing regret at the "anxiety and inconvenience" that the company's recent recalls have caused its Canadian customers.
"Over the past few months, many Canadians have wondered whether Toyota vehicles are safe, and we regret that this has caused our customers both anxiety and inconvenience," Toyota Canada CEO Yoichi Tomihara told the House of Commons transport committee.
Toyota Canada executives were summoned to testify before the committee to explain why the company has been forced to recall millions of vehicles worldwide.
Toyota has recalled more than eight million of its vehicles since November 2009 because of instances of unintended acceleration.
Canadian movie pirates were put on notice yesterday after a Montreal DVD bootlegger pointed out by the FBI was sentenced to two-and-a-half months in prison.
Geremi Adam, who is 27 years old, is the first Canadian to be convicted under a new Criminal Code provision that bars the illegal videotaping of a film in a commercial movie theatre.
Quebec Court judge Claude Parent ordered the guy to serve an additional seven days in jail before release as he has been in custody since January 12 while awaiting sentencing.
During his trial, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the FBI pointed to Adam as the main movie pirate in Montreal, which is a hotbed for bootleg DVD making owing to the city's two main languages, French and English.
Canadian film distributors and exhibitors applauded the conviction and sentencing under new changes to the federal Copyright Act, which bars the unauthorized recording of movies in local theatres for personal or commercial use.
"Film theft costs jobs and affects thousands of Canadians who make their livelihoods in the movie business or in related industries," Patrick Roy, president and CEO of Montreal-based distributor Alliance Vivafilm, said after Adam was sentenced
Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of Cineplex Entertainment, Canada's largest movie chain, added: "We hope that today's judgment will provide a further deterrent to would-be criminals that illegally recording a movie in a theatre can result in jail time."
Jacob in 2007 came under fire from Twentieth Century Fox, as his own chain and other Canadian movie theatres, especially in Montreal, were cited as a major source of illegal recording of Hollywood movies.
With movie piracy suddenly a hot button issue, the Government of Canada soon after introduced and eventually passed anti-pirating legislation to put local DVD bootleggers out of business.
What do you do when you are in a romantic situation with your boyfriend/girlfriend? Well, typically, you would kiss. And here in Canada, there's no law against kissing in public, or is there? Well, we won't go into that, because it's Canada.
But, in Dubai, things are different. A British couple in Dubai that was caught kissing in public may be going to prison over their romance--for up to a month. Why? Well, it's all because an Emirati woman/mother complained that her child saw them kissing and had seen their "indiscretion."
The couple, a British man living in Dubai and a female friend, were arrested in November on accusations of kissing and touching each other intimately in public and consuming alcohol, their lawyer said. They were ordered to be imprisoned for a month.
The case is the third time in less than two years in which British couples have hit the headlines by falling foul of decency laws in Dubai, a flashy Muslim emirate popular with sun-seeking Western tourists and expatriates.
A lawyer for the potentially-cute couple that launched an appeal on Sunday said that there had been no inappropriate kissing and the two were just friends. A verdict in the appeal is expected on April 4, 2010.
"There was no lip kissing. It was just a normal greeting that is not considered offensive," lawyer Khalaf al-Hosani told the court, adding the complainant's testimony was contradictory.
The British man's mother in London said her son, Ayman Najafi, had vowed to clear his name.
"My Ayman is a good boy He's very wise and mature. I can't believe it," his mother Maida Najafi was quoted as saying in The Independent. "He knows the rules over there. He would never do that. He wouldn't even do it over here."
The couple, who are free on bail, were also fined 1,000 dirham ($272) for illegal consumption of alcohol, the lawyer said. They are to be deported after the completion of their jail sentence. Wow, you kiss someone and you go to prison, and eventually get deported.
Dubai's foreign population has expanded rapidly in recent years as expatriates flocked to the Gulf Arab trade and tourism hub for its tax-free earnings and year-round sunshine.
The changes have challenged the Emirati population, which is now vastly outnumbered by foreigners, raising concern that their emirate's rapid pace of growth is a threat to their social and religious identity in what remains a deeply conservative region.
In a high-profile case in 2008, a British couple narrowly escaped jail after a court found them guilty of engaging in drunken sexual activity out of wedlock, and for doing so in public on a beach in the emirate. They were sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation, but had their jail terms overturned on appeal.
In a separate case this year, a British couple who shared a hotel room managed to escape trial in Dubai for having sex out of wedlock by producing a marriage certificate. A British embassy spokesman said it could confirm that a British national was arrested in November and the mission had provided consular assistance, but gave no further details.
Sony and the estate of late music legend Michael Jackson have signed a record-breaking 250-million-dollar deal for distribution rights through 2017, U.S. media said Tuesday.
The blockbuster deal involving as many as 10 new Jackson projects may include computer videogames as well as music and film releases, the Los Angeles Times said.
"The audio rights span across different projects," said Rob Stringer, chairman of the U.S. label Columbia Epic, a division of Sony, reported the Times. "There may be theater. There may be films and movies. There may be computer games -- or multimedia platforms that I don't know about today that will happen in 2015."
Described by Sony and Jackson's estate as the most lucrative music contract on record, the deal would guarantee the late singer's heirs at least 200 million dollars, the Wall Street Journal said. The deal would go a long way to easing burdens left behind by Jackson, whose lavish lifestyle and spending sprees marked up hundreds of millions of dollars of debt.
After his death, a Los Angeles court named Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, guardian of his three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and Prince Michael II, 7, as well as of his estate, which includes his Neverland ranch and rights he held to songs by The Beatles.
Sony's contract "exceeds all previous industry benchmarks," entertainment lawyer John Branca, one of the estate's executors, told the New York Times. The closest comparable contracts would be rapper Jay-Z's 2008 accord with Live Nation worth 150 million dollars for recordings and concerts.
Since his death on June 25 last year, Sony has sold some 31 million Jackson albums worldwide and his estate, by the first anniversary of his death, is expected to have made 250 million dollars from the sale of music, merchandise and tickets to the posthumous concert movie "This Is It," the Journal said. Jackson died at his rented mansion in Los Angeles after an overdose of powerful prescription drugs, as he was preparing to perform a series of comeback concerts in London.
The star's doctor Conrad Murray last month pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the sudden death, but has admitted administering the drugs to the singer. The first recording under the new contract, according to the New York Times, will be the soundtrack for "This Is It" -- which showed Jackson rehearsing his comeback concerts in the weeks leading up to his death -- and by November a new album of unreleased recordings.
Branca said his co-executor on the estate John McClain is already working on selecting the unreleased material.
"They've got over 60 unreleased recordings that they're choosing from," Branca said he was told by McClain, according to the LA Times. "The first album will have around 10. There's some very recent stuff and vintage stuff that deserves to be shared with Michael's fans."
Branca also noted that the other high-earning careers held by dead music legends indicated the value of Jackson's brand.
"If you look at Elvis and the Beatles, and how their brands are thriving, they only hint at what the future holds for Michael," Branca said.
In October, Forbes Magazine named Jackson as number three in its annual Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list, earning 90 million dollars in the months after his death.
Fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent topped the list with 350 million dollars in posthumous earnings, while Elvis Presley came just behind Jackson with 55 million dollars.
Marijuana activist Marc Emery's battle to avoid going to a U.S. prison got a boost this week in the House of Commons for some apparent reason.
Three MPs -- Libby Davies of the New Democratic Party, Ujjal Dosanjh of the Liberals and Scott Reid of the Conservatives, presented a petition asking Justice Minister Rob Nicholson not to sign extradition papers that would send Emery south to serve a five-year sentence for selling marijuana seeds online in 2005.
More than 12,000 Canadians signed the petition.
"In Vancouver, everywhere I go, people make a point of expressing good wishes that I don't get extradited," Emery said Monday.
His removal order has been sitting on the justice minister's desk since January 8, 2010.
"Nine weeks have passed and he hasn't made that decision, so something is keeping him from doing it," said Emery, who noted the Conservatives could score political points, especially with young voters, if his extradition is halted.
All three MPs told the Commons that Emery's extradition smacks of unfairness.
Canadian courts have established a person convicted of selling marijuana seeds should face a fine of $200. In the U.S., a person could be sentenced to life in prison for the same crime.
Emery, 52, and two employees were arrested in 2005 by Canadian police acting as agents for the U.S. department of justice. He is not facing a charge in Canada.
Reid, an Ontario MP, told the Commons that the Extradition Act states the justice minister "shall refuse to surrender a person when that surrender could involve unjust or undue or oppressive actions by the country to which he is being extradited."
Davies, the MP for Vancouver East, said she has found broad support for Emery.
"People don't understand why Marc Emery should be extradited. He was never prosecuted in Canada for these crimes, and I think people see it as a question of Canadian sovereignty," she said.
Dosanjh, MP for Vancouver South, said: "It appears to me that we have assisted a foreign government arrest a man for doing something that we wouldn't arrest him for doing in Canada."
"As a former premier and a former attorney-general, I sense a certain degree of unfairness in the process."
Congressional Democrats took the first step on Monday toward a quick final vote on a healthcare overhaul and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed to muster the votes needed to pass it.
With a close vote expected later this week, House Democrats hustled to line up support and President Barack Obama hit the road in Ohio to push his case for a sweeping overhaul of the $2.5 trillion healthcare system.
Republican opponents promised to make Democrats who support the healthcare bill pay in November's congressional elections, when Democratic control of Congress could be threatened by political fallout over the issue.
But Democratic leaders counselled nervous lawmakers to hold firm and pass the bill, which has been the focus of a political battle that has mired the Congress in legislative gridlock for nine months.
"We need courage," Obama told a crowd in Strongsville, Ohio, during his third road trip in the past week to rally support for his top legislative priority. "This debate is about far more than politics."
The House Budget Committee began the drive toward a final vote, advancing changes sought by House Democrats and Obama to the Senate-passed healthcare bill. Democrats Chet Edwards and Allen Boyd, who opposed the House-passed bill in November, broke with their party on the largely party-line 21-16 vote.
House Democratic vote-counters say they are still short of the votes necessary to pass the overhaul but Pelosi was confident they will hit the magic number by week's end.
"When we bring the bill to the floor, we will have the votes," Pelosi told reporters.
The overhaul would constitute the most dramatic changes to the healthcare system in more than four decades, extending coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans and banning insurance practices like refusing coverage to those with pre-existing medical conditions.
Health insurer shares were mixed on Monday as the broader market was little changed. The Morgan Stanley Healthcare Payor index was up 0.2% and the S&P Managed Health Care index dropped 1.1%.
Obama also maintained the upbeat tone put forth by the White House during the weekend, telling ABC News: "I believe we are going to get the votes. We're going to make this happen."
Republicans condemn the health bill as a costly government takeover that would lead to higher insurance premiums and less consumer choice. They plan to launch a series of television ads against House Democrats who support the overhaul.
Wow, attack ads... not surprising.
"If there's one thing the American people didn't want, it was for us to make healthcare more bureaucratic and expensive," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican leader John Boehner said in a joint commentary in The Wall Street Journal.
Democrats are waiting for final cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and more advice from the Senate parliamentarian before unveiling a final package and deciding the exact process for passing it. In a two-step procedure, House Democrats want to approve the Senate's version of the bill and make changes sought by Obama and House Democrats through a separate measure passed under budget reconciliation rules.
Those rules require only a simple majority in the 100-member Senate, bypassing the need for 60 votes to overcome Republican procedural hurdles.
Pelosi said it was undecided whether the House would take a direct vote on the Senate-passed bill or include it in a separate vote on the reconciliation package. The House Rules Committee will meet on Thursday to determine the process.
House Democratic leaders met in Pelosi's office on Monday to discuss their options but announced no final decisions. "When we have the substance then we will decide on the process," Pelosi said.
The changes in the reconciliation bill include expanding subsidies to make insurance more affordable and extending more state aid for the Medicaid program for the poor.
They also would eliminate a controversial Senate deal exempting Nebraska from paying for Medicaid expansion costs, close a "doughnut hole" in prescription drug coverage for seniors and water down a tax on high-cost insurance plans.
Republicans want Democrats to vote directly on the Senate bill, which includes unpopular provisions like the Nebraska Medicaid deal, so they can use the vote against them in November.
"To resort to these kinds of tactics to deal with this is just plain wrong," Representative David Dreier, the senior Republican on the House Rules Committee, told reporters.
Now that mixed tapes have disappeared from today's lexicon, it's time consumers cough up a little cash for a private copying levy for iPods and other MP3 players, according to a private member's bill tabled in the House of Commons Tuesday.
The Government of Canada, when run by the Liberals, first introduced private copying provisions in Canada's Copyright Act in 1997 so musicians could be compensated when consumers purchased blank tapes or compact discs to make mixed tapes or CDs.
The levy, set by an independent board, is charged to manufacturers and importers and passed on to retailers and consumers. The money is then distributed to musicians and other copyright holders.
Charlie Angus, the NDP's digital affairs critic who is also a musician, coincidentally, says it's time the copyright law is updated so the levy is extended to the next generation of devices that consumers using for copying music for personal use.
"Digital locks and suing fans are not going to prevent people from copying music from one format to another," he said. "The levy is a solution that works. By updating it, we will ensure that artists are getting paid for their work, and that consumers aren't criminalized for moving their legally-obtained music from one format to another."
Angus' proposed amendments to copyright act also include a "fair dealing" to permit the reasonable use of copyrighted materials in some circumstances. This would expand the exemption to non-commercial copyright infringements for researchers, innovators, educators and artists when copyrighted material is used appropriately.
The move on Tuesday by the NDP copyright critic is a direct challenge to the Conservative government, as the Conservative government is expected to introduce a copyright reform package in the current session Parliament.
City councillors were united Monday in support of adding $1.5 million to the snow removal budget, including a new policy to clear residential streets when they become badly rutted.
But a proposal to give city crews the ability to clear snow part way onto sidewalks to free up room for parking on residential streets was widely criticized. Now, the question turns to how willing council will be to support the increase early next month in the face of operating budget pressures stemming from city growth.
Councillors approved the new spending during an executive committee meeting, sending the matter to an April budget meeting for final approval.
"I think it's obvious that council needs to be focusing more priorities on snow removal," said Councillor Tiffany Paulsen. "People are frustrated when you pay significant property taxes and they don't see a snow-plow down their street even once a year."
The additional cash for the city's snow and ice budget, which would put it above the $7-million mark for the first time, was pitched as part of a series of changes to policy after criticism flowed in following a January storm. The city needs a separate policy for dealing with rare storms that drop 15 centimetres of snow or more on the city, public works manager Wade Gasmo said.
The major change would be in how the city handles residential streets. Now, city crews only clear residential streets as needed after priority streets are cleared, but many residents complained in January of deep ruts and drifts, making it difficult to get around.
If the extra money is approved, residential streets would be cleared when ruts of greater than 10 cm appear either after a major storm or as that amount of snow accumulates over time. The city's administration also pitched a change that would give crews the ability to store snow on a one-foot width of sidewalk as long as two feet of sidewalk remains clear.
The idea, which mimics a Regina policy, was to give crews a place to pile the snow because of complaints from drivers that snow windrows were blocking parking, said acting infrastructure service manager Mike Gutek.
But councillors were cold to the idea of allowing snow storage on sidewalks, with some wondering how crews would ensure a portion of the sidewalk remains clear of snow.
"Is somebody taking a ruler out there?" said Paulsen. "I think it's a bad, bad idea."
"The message in there was pretty clear," Gutek said after the meeting. "The pedestrians get everything and don't worry about the parking on the street."
Councillor Charlie Clark also requested the city's administration report back at budget time on how to improve sidewalk clearing after the city was delayed in responding to and enforcing complaints following the last storm.
"I can see within a week we're not going to be able to respond, but within a month?" Clark said.
So, the question is: what do we get for $1.5 million more in snow removal? Well, here's what you get:
Residential streets cleared when 10 cm ruts appear.
Residential streets cleared two to four weeks after storms.
The world's shortest man has died in Italy, where he was to take part in a TV show, the program's production company said Tuesday.
He Pingping, of China, who was 2'5.37" inches (74.6 centimetres) tall, had become a recognized figure across the world, often taking part in shows, photo shoots and other events, Guinness World Records said.
Craig Glenday, the Guinness World Records editor-in-chief, said that He was "an inspiration to anyone considered different or unusual" and "showed us that, despite the challenges we face, we can still make the most out of life."
He died Saturday in Rome, according to the TV production company Europroduzione.
Guinness World Records said in a press release He was born in 1988 with a form of primordial dwarfism. He was officially measured in March 2008.
He was taken to a hospital March 3 after he fell ill while rehearsing the Italian program The Record Show, Marco Fernandez de Araoz of Europroduzione said.
After two days, He was transferred to intensive care, where he was found to have a heart condition and high cholesterol, said Fernandez de Araoz. He said the hospital, where he died, has so far given as his cause of death the heart condition.
The man's body will be flown to China soon once the paperwork is ready, Fernandez de Araoz said.
Donna Simpson, who is 42 years old and lives in Old Bridge, New Jersey, already tips the scales at 600 pounds but says she won't be satisfied until she's gained enough weight for herself to weigh 1,000 pounds, to grab the title of world's fattest woman, the London Daily Mail reported.
That's why she's gone on a junk-food-eating-spree. However, Simpson has given herself two years to hit the millennium mark. She earns her chow bucks, a whopping $750 a week, with a website where men pay her to watch her eat fast food.
"I love eating and people love watching me eat," Simpson said. "It makes people happy, and I'm not harming anyone."
Sure, she's not harming anyone but herself.
"I do love cakes and sweet things. Doughnuts are my favourite," she said. She's also fond of burgers and fries - an important part of her 12,000-calorie-a-day diet - and carefully avoids exercise.
Simpson already holds the Guinness World Record as the fattest mom, 532 pounds when she gave birth in 2007. She says her boyfriend Philippe, 49, eggs her on.
"I think he'd like it if I was bigger. He's a real belly man."
The chief executive of Toyota Canada on Tuesday expressed regret at the "anxiety and inconvenience" that the company's recent recalls has caused its Canadian customers.
"Over the past few months, many Canadians have wondered whether Toyota vehicles are safe, and we regret that this has caused our customers both anxiety and inconvenience," Toyota Canada CEO Yoichi Tomihara told the House of Commons transport committee.
Toyota Canada executives were summoned to testify before the committee to explain why the company has been forced to recall millions of vehicles in worldwide.
"Nothing is more important to Toyota than the safety and reliability of our products to our customers," said Toyota North America president Yoshi Inaba.
Stephen Beatty, a managing director with Toyota Canada, noted that the company decided to recall vehicles here, despite the fact that all-weather floor mats that caused problems with accelerators in the United States have a different design in Canada.
"In a perfect world, there would be no recalls, and that is always our goal. But we also know we cannot assume a perfect world," said Beatty, noting that Toyota's parent company has developed a six-point global plan to renew its focus on quality since the recalls.
However, Liberal MP Joe Volpe suggested the company had skirted a dangerous line in the pursuit of profits.
Taking Saskatoon Transit is relatively easy, right? Well, with Phone&Go, some services are limited, and with Click&Go, it's slow, and you're better off knowing the addresses of where you would like to go, since not every business is listed on there. Of course, it would be easier to use the service in conjunction with Google Maps or something like that.
Well, soon, Google Maps will be launching a 'public transit' feature when you are viewing maps in Saskatoon through the service. So, let's just say you were at the Real Canadian Superstore located at 2901 8th Street East and wanted to travel by bus to the Real Canadian Superstore on Confederation Drive. Well, you would simply choose the two stores on Click&Go, which is slow. But starting in June, that will be a lot more simple, as you can do it all on Google Maps.
The service is called Google Transit, and will launch in late June, according to Google, although no firm date has been confirmed.
Transit planner Kevin Sturgeon says that even when Google Transit launches, Click&Go will continue to run though.
It would be easier to get transit information on Google Maps, as virtually all businesses and residences in Saskatoon are on Google Maps.
There are currently ten Canadian cities that are under the service, including Calgary Transit, which also uses the same software as Click&Go for their Trip Planning feature. Their trip-planning feature is located at http://tripplanning.calgarytransit.com.
Calling it "a good day for victims of crime," Saskatchewan's justice minister applauded a court decision ordering killer-turned-author Colin Thatcher to turn over the profits of his book Final Appeal: Anatomy of a Frame.
In a decision released Monday, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Ted Zarzeczny upheld the provincial Profits of Criminal Notoriety Act. The law allows the government to seize any profits from those convicted of certain serious crimes who "directly or indirectly" recount their offences for profit.
"Victims of crime should be able to take some comfort knowing that people will not profit as a result of these things," Justice Minister Don Morgan told reporters.
Neither Thatcher nor a spokesman for ECW Press Ltd., his Toronto-based book publisher, could be reached for comment. Thatcher had argued the law was unconstitutional, impacting his free speech rights, and that his book didn't fit within the law's scope. Zarzeczny disagreed.
The Government of Saskatchewan had initially resisted enacting such a law last year before abruptly reversing itself. In the words of Zarzeczny, "Word of the proposed publication of such a book prompted a public and political uproar." When the government passed the act on May 14 last year, it was made retroactive to June 1, 2007 to encompass Thatcher's book, released last September.
"This is something we introduced on a very quick basis as you are aware. So we are pleased it was upheld," Morgan said.
Thatcher, who exhausted every legal remedy in fighting his murder conviction, has 30 days to file an appeal of the ruling.
Morgan was unsure exactly how much money is potentially at stake, but said the Justice Ministry will move quickly to clarify the amount. The book has reportedly been selling well. Under his contract, Thatcher received an initial advance of $5,000, to be applied against royalties of 10% of book sales on the first 5,000 copies sold, 12% on the next 5,000 and 14% on anything over 10,000 copies.
It's also unclear exactly what will become of the seized profits. The legislation provides for the money to be given to either the family of the crime victim or victim services. Morgan has acknowledged that could mean the recipients would be Thatcher and Wilson's three adult children, who are oddly supportive of their father. Wilson also has siblings in the U.S.
"I wouldn't want to see the money in Mr. Thatcher's hands either directly or indirectly. So we'll have to look at it and see what's appropriate. We have no past history of dealing with this so we are in new territory," said Morgan, adding the final decision will be made by the Saskatchewan Party cabinet.
Thatcher, the son of a former Liberal premier and a former Progressive Conservative MLA himself, was convicted in 1984 of first-degree murder in the shooting death of his ex-wife JoAnn Wilson. He was paroled in 2006 after serving 22 years.
Zarzeczny's decision opens with a bit of literary flourish, uncharacteristic of often dry, legal rulings, as he notes, "JoAnn Wilson was brutally murdered January 21, 1983 in the garage of her home in Regina across the street from the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. Her murder shocked the Regina and Saskatchewan community, as did her shooting and wounding at that same residence a year and one-half or so prior."
"This notorious homicide became even more so when, after a lengthy period of police investigation, Colin Thatcher was accused and ultimately, on November 6, 1984, convicted of her murder in the first degree."
In handling the challenge to his book himself, Thatcher told the court in December that he's been steadfast in proclaiming his innocence and that's part of the reason his book doesn't fit within the scope of the act.
"I'm hardly going to be recounting a crime I did not commit," he said, adding the book was intended to be an analysis from the defence's perspective, questioning the evidence that put him behind bars.
But Zarzeczny said Thatcher's book clearly falls under the law because it recounts the circumstances relating to Wilson's murder and Thatcher's feelings on the case. The judge also noted the ending of Final Anatomy "engages in what can only be described as either a chilling or bizarre recounting of a scenario" of how the murder could have taken place.
The judge ruled the law did not violate Thatcher's Charter rights since he can write the book, just not profit from it. If the law did violate his rights, "the Act constitutes a reasonable limit demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society," Zarzeczny added.
While four other provinces have similar laws, this is the first time such legislation had been challenged in Canada, and the ruling could establish a precedent.
The Conservative government is taking steps to promote "workforce wellness" in the public service, as records show depression, stress and other mental illnesses account for nearly 45% of all disability claims.
The Treasury Board quietly kicked off a disability initiative several years ago and is expected to have a business plan ready within the year, which is a critical first step in turning around the escalating number of mental-health claims that are taking employees off the job.
The "workforce wellness" strategy promotes prevention, takes the stigma out of mental illness and gets those suffering from depression treated and back to work as quickly as possible.
It marks the biggest shift in disability management since the plan was introduced 40 years ago.
Stress, burnout, anxiety and depression are rampant in all workplaces, especially in time of economic uncertainty. The federal public service, however, ranks among the worst.
Disability claims in Canada continue to climb, with between 40%-50% for depression.
In the public service, mental-health claims doubled between 1991 and 2008 to 45%, half of which were for depression.
Bill Wilkerson, the co-founder of Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, has long pressed the government to develop a mental-health strategy to deal with what he called its "toxic" workplace. He said depression should be tackled as a national "public health crisis."
"We have to push for a new generation of benefits design that emphasizes prevention and recognizes than brain skills are the most important skills in the federal government and for 85% of all jobs in the economy," said Wilkerson. "Only 2% of the people off for a year ever return to work and the return rate goes down like a roller coaster after being off for six months. You have to get people motivated and supported and back to work within six months."
But the Treasury Board overhaul is happening slowly. The initiative is headed by a project team with input from senior bureaucrats across government. The plan will unfold in three stages over three years. Officials expect the combination of prevention and accommodating mentally ill workers could significantly reduce disability benefits being paid out.
Treasury Board officials said 10,560 public servants have received disability benefits since April 2009. About 3,000 aren't permanently disabled and managers are trying to get them back to work.
Treasury Board documents show the government paid about $331 million in 2007-08 in premiums and fees to the insurance companies that manage its disability plans. During that time, it paid $436 million in salaries for workers on sick leave. Public servants get 15 days for every year they work, which they can bank over a career.
The European arm of Blockbuster Inc. has been put up for sale amid growing concern over the financial health of its American owner.
Blockbuster Inc. is struggling with spiralling losses and more than $1 billion in debt. It wants to offload the European division, including 650 stores in the U.K. and more than 5,000 staff, as part of a drive to raise cash.
The company has appointed Winchester Capital, an American corporate finance house, to find a buyer for the European operation, which it values at about £50 million. The company also has stores in Denmark, Ireland and Italy.
Blockbuster, founded in 1985, has been battling with debt since it was spun off from Viacom, the U.S. media conglomerate, more than a decade ago. At the same time, it has attempted to modernize by embracing the online market for home entertainment and moving away from its traditional shops.
Last month, the company said its global sales had fallen by $1 billion to $4 billion in 2009 and losses had jumped 50% to $560 million. Shares in the chain, once valued at $28, are now worth only 41 cents. Blockbuster is reportedly assessing a change to its capital structure, possibly a debt-for-equity swap with its bank, after its auditor raised doubts over its ability to continue as a going concern.
The company is also looking to modernize by improving its digital and mail-order services and expanding its network of DVD rental kiosks.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that Canada's record-setting performance at the Vancouver Olympics should be an inspiration to MPs and all Canadians as they face the challenges of recovering from the recession.
Mr. Harper made the remark in the House of Commons but was hopeful that it was heard by more than just MPs. Mr. Harper's speech was broadcast live on YouTube, the online video service owned by Google, part of a new initiative his staff said was intended to reach out to Canadians who don't normally pay attention to politics.
"Because the Vancouver-Whistler Games... showed that when the challenge is understood, when the goal is clearly defined and when Canadians are given the tools, Canada can get things done," Mr. Harper said in the House of Commons as part of his reply to the speech from the throne. "And Mr. Speaker, getting things done is the trademark our country is starting to be known for."
But just as Mr. Harper saw the Olympics as inspiration for his government's agenda, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, in response to Harper, cited the Olympics as one more reason why Quebec must declare its independence.
There was significant criticism, even from some cabinet ministers, that the opening ceremony did not include enough French or references to Quebec culture.
"That means that Canada can continue to impose its multicultural ideology, the old Trudeau ideology, on Quebec," Duceppe said in the House of Commons. "Canadian federalism has nothing to offer Quebec."
Duceppe's speech was also broadcast on YouTube and caught the attention of a thousand or so who saw it on a special YouTube site set up by Google.
The site, found online at www.youtube.com/TalkCanada, also lets visitors post a question to the prime minister. Visitors can then vote on the question they'd most like Mr. Harper to answer.
Within an hour of the conclusion of the speeches by Duceppe and Mr. Harper, the most popular question was from "Warren from Red Deer." He asked: "With regards to the Bloc Quebecois party, how can we justify having so much of the federal vote controlled by what is essentially a provincial party?"
More than 600 questions had been posted by curious Canadians as of mid-day Thursday and 37,000 votes had been cast for those questions.
Mr. Harper is expected to answer those questions which attract the most votes from the online visitors.
The popularity of the Bloc Quebecois question was later eclipsed by other topics, but one issue that stayed among the top three all day was the decriminalization of marijuana.
U.S. President Barack Obama used the same YouTube system last fall and a question about marijuana legalization was the top vote-getter. The topics for Mr. Harper's questions ranged from the government's record on climate change to the Middle East to prorogation to the troubles of gay teenagers.
One person asked Mr. Harper for a job. Another asked if Harper really had an economics degree. The answer to that one: yes, he has a master's degree in economics which he earned at the University of Calgary.
In his speech in the House of Commons, Mr. Harper reiterated what Governor General Michaelle Jean had said in the Senate a little more than a week ago, that creating jobs will be the government's chief objective this year.
"It is true that our unemployment rate is still too high. That is why it is our chief priority," Mr. Harper said Thursday.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff argued in the House that the government appears to be doing little to reduce unemployment.
"On jobs and innovation, this throne speech doesn't hold water, it treads water," Ignatieff said. "The throne speech will only be remembered for one of the most remarkable flip-flops in the history of throne speeches -- a promise to change O Canada that lasted approximately 48 hours."
NDP Leader Jack Layton, in his House of Commons speech, said the NDP could support neither the throne speech nor the budget.
"This was a long throne speech, a voluminous budget, more free-flowing giveaways for big banks and oil companies," Mr. Layton said. "And precious little hope for the victims of the recession. That's not an approach New Democrats can support."
It's time to decide the future of the Traffic Bridge, a report going to city council on Monday recommends.
A man from the Vancouver suburb of Surrey has set a new Guinness World record -- by a whisker.
Catholic nuns and bishops have squared off over it, a Republican lawmaker has referred to it as a "wet, smelly dog," and the president has shown himself to be uncharacteristically testy when defending it.
Britain is officially eating crow just a month after its sportswriters' unrestrained trashing of the Vancouver Games and Canada's controversial Own the Podium program for Olympic athletes.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has cashed in on his bet with U.S. President Barack Obama over the Olympic men's gold-medal hockey game.
Construction will soon be under way on the first Lowe's home improvement store in Saskatchewan at 4555 Gordon Road in Regina, Lowe's Canada announced Thursday.
TELUS Corp. is spending $650 million this year to upgrade its networks in Alberta, as it expands the reach of its Internet and digital-TV services.
Blockbuster Inc. on Wednesday warned that it may have to file for bankruptcy protection in the face of declining sales and rising competition, sending its shares down 30% on Wednesday.
Customers at a Walmart store in southern New Jersey are expressing dismay after hearing that someone used the public address system to order "all black people" to leave.
Remember Maxime Bernier, the guy who left confidential documents at his ex-girlfriend's house?
The National Hockey League is trying to fast-track a new rule that would punish players who deliver blindside hits to opponents' heads.
Saskatoon's most-discussed real estate development may be revived by the University of Saskatchewan's largest-ever donor.
Social-networking star Facebook surpassed Google to become the most visited website in the United States for the first time last week, industry analysts showed.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper waltzed through his first interview gig on YouTube on Tuesday and along the way he gave a thumbs-up to the seal hunt and the crackdown on "guns, gangs and drugs" and a firm thumbs-down to legalizing pot.
A Conservative member of the Ontario legislature says that Toronto should form its own province because communities outside the metropolis are not being heard.
Honda Canada announced Tuesday that it will recall thousands of vehicles after fielding owner complaints involving brake pedals. The recall involves 24,680 Odyssey and 4,137 Element vehicles in Canada from the 2007-2008 model years. The company plans to modify the vehicle stability assist modulator, which is connected to the ABS braking system.
Canadian movie pirates were put on notice yesterday after a Montreal DVD bootlegger pointed out by the FBI was sentenced to two-and-a-half months in prison.
What do you do when you are in a romantic situation with your boyfriend/girlfriend? Well, typically, you would kiss. And here in Canada, there's no law against kissing in public, or is there? Well, we won't go into that, because it's Canada.
Sony and the estate of late music legend Michael Jackson have signed a record-breaking 250-million-dollar deal for distribution rights through 2017, U.S. media said Tuesday.
Marijuana activist Marc Emery's battle to avoid going to a U.S. prison got a boost this week in the House of Commons for some apparent reason.
Now that mixed tapes have disappeared from today's lexicon, it's time consumers cough up a little cash for a private copying levy for iPods and other MP3 players, according to a private member's bill tabled in the House of Commons Tuesday.
City councillors were united Monday in support of adding $1.5 million to the snow removal budget, including a new policy to clear residential streets when they become badly rutted.
The world's shortest man has died in Italy, where he was to take part in a TV show, the program's production company said Tuesday.
Donna Simpson, who is 42 years old and lives in Old Bridge, New Jersey, already tips the scales at 600 pounds but says she won't be satisfied until she's gained enough weight for herself to weigh 1,000 pounds, to grab the title of world's fattest woman, the London Daily Mail reported.
The chief executive of Toyota Canada on Tuesday expressed regret at the "anxiety and inconvenience" that the company's recent recalls has caused its Canadian customers.
Taking Saskatoon Transit is relatively easy, right? Well, with Phone&Go, some services are limited, and with Click&Go, it's slow, and you're better off knowing the addresses of where you would like to go, since not every business is listed on there. Of course, it would be easier to use the service in conjunction with Google Maps or something like that.
Calling it "a good day for victims of crime," Saskatchewan's justice minister applauded a court decision ordering killer-turned-author Colin Thatcher to turn over the profits of his book Final Appeal: Anatomy of a Frame.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that Canada's record-setting performance at the Vancouver Olympics should be an inspiration to MPs and all Canadians as they face the challenges of recovering from the recession.
