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“How can G8 commitments to end poverty be taken seriously when the very same governments are undermining stability by approving arms transfers to repressive regimes?”
Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan asks the awkward question on the eve of the G8 meet in Edinburgh.Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan asks the awkward question on the eve of the G8 meet in Edinburgh.
Honest Ed’s 23,000-bulb salute
On a day when Honest Ed’s was turning off its giant 23,000-bulb sign to conserve energy, the city chose to unveil its monstrous monument to conspicuous consumption: garbage bins with giant illuminated billboards. We never liked the bins to begin with. But why unveil these energy suckers in the middle of a heat wave – when other levels of government are trying to lead by example and turn down the voltage?
Bishops take samesex to the Senate
Members of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops have gotten their tutus in a knot over passage – finally – of the same-sex marriage bill. Now they’re calling on that other crusty sanctum of old white men, the Senate, “to exercise in full its role of assuring a second and sober look” and kill the legislation. Yes, folks, it’s getting weirder. Last time we checked, the Senate wasn’t an elected body. We say hurry up and fast track royal assent.
Secrets police keep
When it comes to abiding by Ontario’s freedom of information law, the Toronto police are worse than bad. They’re downright secretive. For the second year in a row, they have been singled out by the province’s privacy commissioner for a “substandard” compliance rate. A measly 32 per cent of the 2,589 public requests for information were responded to within the required 30 days. Chief Blair wants the force to be trusted? He can start by directing senior officers to come clean with the public.
Shelters with no name
Viacom Outdoor, the fickle folk who got the gig to replace our transit shelters, have painted “Viacom” where the street names are supposed to go. A nice bit of shameless self-promo at taxpayers’ expense, but our friendly neighbourhood Toronto Public Space Committee has a solution. It’s encouraging citizens to decorate the shelters with the missing street names and send photos of their handiwork to www.publicspace.ca.
