Baring the Irish soul at the St. Paddy’s Day party at Steam Whistle, Saturday, March 16.
Cityscape
WHAT Art Shoppe furniture store at 2131 Yonge just south of Eglinton
PROPOSED By Freed Developments, condo towers of 38 and 29 storeys. Local councillor Josh Matlow calls the proposal “completely inappropriate.”
PROBLEM FOR THE DEVELOPER The property sits outside the growth area designated by the city and province for high-density development.
PROBLEM FOR RESIDENTS Height precedent set by Minto Towers just north of the site
UP NEXT A dogfight with residents of nearby single-family neighbourhoods who say they won’t tolerate anything more than a mid-rise on the site.
Photo by Enzo DiMatteo
Aboriginal Affair
As Idle No More protests rev for spring and the feds attempt to clean up their act on the native file, it’s revealed this week that the HarperCons have for more than a year ignored repeated requests by James Anaya, UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, to visit this country. Anaya wants to investigate the “human rights situation of indigenous peoples.” The PM doesn’t want to risk the bad publicity that would surely bring, but Canada has in the past extended a standing invitation to UN special rapporteurs. Cover up, we say.
59%
Drop in number of monarch butterflies leaving their winter homes in Mexico for their migration north this year. The World Wildlife Fund blames the ominous drop in numbers on climate change and increased use of herbicides that kill the milkweed plants on which monarchs lay their eggs. Two things WWF says you should do to help: keep some milkweed in your backyard or patio take part in Earth Hour Saturday (March 23) at 8:30 pm to vote with candlelight to tackle climate change.
Star crossed
“There is truly no prostitution healthier than Cuba’s.” What Fidel Castro told the Cuban legislature in 1992, according to the March 16 Toronto Star exposé on Canadian sex tourism in Cuba.
“There is truly no tourism healthier than Cuba’s.” What Castro actually told the legislature in 1992, according to a Washington Post report at the time, a 2000 New Republic feature, a 2004 Los Angeles Times article (citing the BBC) and a handful of books.
Castro was indeed referring to sex tourism, and in particular the country’s low rate of AIDS infections, but the distinction between the declarations is still a crucial one. The Star partnered with Miami’s El Nuevo Herald for its Ugly Canadians series, and Rabble.ca wonders if the papers have singled out Cuba as part of a larger propaganda effort.
Spotted
WHO Professional villain Nick Kouvalis, at MGM’s “showcase” for non-existent casino jobs
WHEN Saturday, March 16
WHERE Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, Exhibition Place
Off Target
Don’t let the genial Minnesota accents or modish two-tone upholstery fool you: Target Canada’s just another Walmart for shoppers who love a bargain, whether or not they need one. Read John Semley’s story.
