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“The big new factor on the scene is the enormous growth of high-potency marijuana from Canada.”
U.S. drug czar John Walters appears to have better contacts than we do and doesn’t seem likely to share.
Giant garbage cans eat Toronto
If city council thinks postering creates visual pollution, how come it’s about to unleash monster trash cans covered in ads? As council confounds itself trying to outlaw postering, that time-honoured essential of the urban landscape, it has no problem allowing Eucan Inc. to infest the streets with gaudy garbage receptacles taller than any poster-packing person. The 7-foot ad-festooned cans will appear any day now, while local politicos, bands and yard-sale scenesters get ready to dodge the heat from an imminent crackdown.
City gets rinks right
Plenty of smiles on the often dour faces of the Upfront team as the city gets it right. Despite an orgy of budget cuts citywide, the parks department has kept a handful of outdoor ice rinks open past the Mel Lastman-imposed end-of-February closing, some even through March break. Forget the NHL lockout, wipe your tears about jolted Jetsgo southern vacation plans and hit the rinks for hockey and ice-skating. Thanks, City Hall.
Maclean’s murderously bad
A nation mourns four murdered RCMP officers, but don’t look for them on the cover of Maclean’s, Canada’s “national news magazine.” The first issue produced by long-lapsed wunderkind, new editor/publisher Kenny Whyte features a glam shot of murderer Karla Homolka “news-hooked” to a story about her “imminent” July release. The spurious story is an excuse to run a semi-topless and other cheesy shots of the schoolgirl killer inside, and makes the few readers who give a shit pine for the beige boredom of outgoing editor Tony Eton-Hogg.
Eggleton bags board bounty
What’s that slurping sound? Another disgraced ex-pol bellying up to the trough. One-time Canadian defence minister Art Eggleton has been appointed to the board of Mississauga munitions manufacturer Luxell. Chased from government for hiring a girlfriend as a consultant, Eggleton, deemed unpalatable by the desperate Martin Liberals, didn’t stand in the last election but will help his pals in the defence industry get ready for Star Wars. Old politicians, like old soldiers, never die. They just boardroom booty away.
