When was the last time that you got anything free at the movies, least of the popcorn that keeps increasing in price and will soon cost the same as an admission ticket? For a limited time only you will be able get a free small popcorn with your movie ticket. This is a limited time promotion in conjunction with the opening of the new AMC cinemas at Yonge & Dundas. From March 28 – April 24 with every ticket purchased at the AMC Yonge & Dundas 24 you will receive one small popcorn free.

On Friday, March 28th the movie complex officially opened at the Toronto Life Square which is located at the northeast corner of Yonge & Dundas. It is Toronto’s first all-digital movie theatre complex and is being touted as a state-of-the-art facility. Featuring 24 theatres, ranging in size from 125 – 456 seats on 2 floors, its décor in the main lobby celebrates Hollywood stars on large murals. However, the digital projection – Sony’s SXRD 4K digital projectors – are supposed to provide images that are four times the resolution of HDTV, and deliver distortion free audio and video.

In addition to the theatres in the AMC complex, there will be retail stores and restaurants. And on weekdays from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM half of the theatres will be used as lecture halls for Ryerson University. It is anticipated that this movie theatre complex will help to revitalize the area which has for years been riddled with crime and drugs. Do you think that the area will become revitalized as a result or will people choose to stay away because of the high crime rate in the area?

Come down to the International Centre at 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga from April 4th – April 6th for the mouth watering Toronto Wine & Cheese Show. Now in its 25th delicious year, it is one of the most anticipated events of the year. An $18.00 admission ticket gives you entry to the show and the opportunity to experience cuisine from renowned restaurants, exciting live seminars, beers, single malt whiskies, vintages that have not yet been released, and wine and beer competitions.

Friday, April 4th from 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM, Saturday, April 5th from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM, and on Sunday, April 6th from 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM the doors will be open giving you access to the show floor and to some special features including:
• Live cooking shows with celebrity chefs from the Food Network - Laura Calder and Anna Olson
• Kitchen demonstrations
• Cheese tastings
• Wine appreciations seminars
• Exclusive sale of vintages premium and super-premium wines
• Jazz Garden – live jazz performances

There are many interesting, new, and exotic samples of food and beverages available throughout the show. In order to sample any alcoholic beverages you will need to purchase sampling tickets. They are available at the show for $1.00 each and are redeemable for samples of wine, liquor, and beer. Some food samples may be purchased with cash and others with sampling tickets, depending on the vendor. Some food and beverage samples may require more than one ticket as the purchase price. Be responsible and don’t drink and drive. Plan ahead and appoint a designated driver.

I was just astounded when I saw bus trips advertised between Toronto and Buffalo and from Toronto to New York City for as little as one dollar by a company called MegaBus. Of course being a skeptic I didn’t believe it and immediately went to the website and started putting in different dates to see if these unbelievable prices were returned on searches. And, although it absolutely boggles the mind, it seems to be true. Fares between Toronto and Buffalo really are one $1.00 each way. All of the searches that I did for fares between Toronto and New York City returned fares of $15.00 each way.

Although it may seem as though MegaBus is a new operator, they are actually owned by an established company – Coach USA. Trips between Toronto and Buffalo, New York are $1.00 each way when you reserve your seat in advance. Best of all the buses depart from The Royal York Hotel on Front St. right across from Union Station and arrive in Buffalo at the International Airport. This is just ideal for Torontonians wanting to take advantage of cheap airfares out of Buffalo, cross border shoppers, Buffalo Sabres fans, and Buffalo Bills fans. In New York City the bus arrives and departs from Penn Station.

MegaBus is launching its service in Toronto on May 30th and as an inaugural promotion for the first week of operation EVERY TRIP WILL BE FREE! All that you need to do is to pay a 50 cent booking fee. Tickets must be purchased online www.megabus.com or by phone toll free 1-877-GO2-MEGA.

On Saturday, March 29, between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM people around the world will turn off their lights. This is a WWF event – World Wildlife Fund – not to be confused with the WWE – World Wrestling Entertainment. Earth Hour is a symbolic statement about taking action against climate change and raising awareness about how making small changes can make a huge difference.

The campaign was launched last year in Sydney, Australia where 1,950 businesses and government departments, and 60,000 households participated. During the 1 hour period when the lights went out the demand for electricity fell 10.2 %, which was double the original target. For Earth Hour, each city is responsible for setting its own goals for reduced electricity demand. Toronto’s goal is to reduce the demand for electricity by 5 %, which is substantial and would require mass participation by residents and businesses.

What began as a single event in Sydney, Australia has now spread to 17 cities in 7 countries across 6 continents. And the movement is still growing. The mission of Earth Hour is to show governments and industries that small changes can be made with dramatically positive results. One person at a time and one business at a time can make a difference. Downtown towers could reduce their level of lighting as could all outdoor signage. Toronto’s goal is to get as many individuals and businesses as possible to participate, joining with other cities around the world to show that we care about climate change and that we are prepared to do something about it. Will you or your company be participating? If so, what will you be doing?

For more information or to sign up follow the link below.
http://www.wwf.ca/EarthHour/

Finally something may be done to slow down these monsters of the highway. I don’t know about you, but driving on the highways with the big rigs terrifies me. When I see one come up quickly behind me and hang a few inches off my rear bumper I get out of the way in a nanosecond. I know fully well that they need much more stopping distance than a car and if I was to come to a sudden stop there would be no way that a big rig that was tailgating could possibly stop. Studies show that speed has a direct correlation with the severity of injuries in a vehicle crash. Therefore if you reduce the speed of a large truck, the impact of the collision will be greatly reduced. Since November 1, 2007 there have been 31,350 car and truck collisions in Ontario. That is 2,000 more collisions than in the same period 1 year ago. And that’s a frightening statistic.

Transportation Minister Jim Bradley introduced legislation that would require large trucks on Ontario roads to use speed limiters which are built-in microchips that can preset a truck’s top speed. It is proposed that the preset top speed for the big rigs would be 105 kilometres/hour. This would apply to all trucks built after 1995. It doesn’t matter where the truck comes from. As long as it is on an Ontario highway, it would be required to be fitted with a speed limiter. However the government would allow a 6 month introduction period before the limit goes into effect. The Ontario Trucking Association reports that more than 50% of Ontario big rigs are already voluntarily using speed limiters, and that most large trucks built in the last 10 years are already equipped with them.

I would certainly feel safer if the big rigs were limited to a speed of 105 kms/hour. Wouldn’t you?

Toronto commuters on the QEW, usually enraged by the morning gridlock, had an unexpected treat the morning of March 20th – ringside seats to a rodeo. They must have felt like they were extras on a western movie set instead of in Canada’s largest urban centre on a major highway.

At 6:40 AM on March 20th a pickup truck with a trailer attached containing 6 cows rolled over on the ramp from Highway 427 southbound to the QEW. As a result the cows got out of their trailer and were roaming free on the westbound lanes of the QEW. The Ontario Provincial Police and Animal Control officers were immediately called. Very astutely the police also called in someone with rodeo experience.

The westbound lanes of the QEW were closed at Dixie Road while the cows were being rounded up. The object was to herd the cows off to the shoulder of the road and then off the road all together. By 9:00 AM the cows were moseying around a residential neighbourhood just off the highway and 2 of them were seen in someone’s backyard grazing on the grass without an apparent worry in the world. Operation Rodeo was very efficient and all lanes of the QEW were reopened less than 1 hour later. None of the drivers were injured. However one of the cows was hit by a car. And unfortunately another had to be destroyed after it injured 2 people and couldn’t be safely contained.

I haven’t heard if any fancy riding, roping, and wrangling were involved. But, I’m sure that it was indeed a sight for the morning commuters. And it provided a more than creative excuse for showing up late at the office.

Do you have old, obsolete computer equipment lying around the house or garage taking up space and collecting dust? Computation has a suggestion for you. If you bring in your unwanted computer equipment from March 22 – March 28 a proportion of the computer systems collected will be refurbished and donated to families affiliated with Big Brothers and Sisters of Toronto. And you’ll be helping the environment as well. Approximately 1,000 litres of clean fresh water, 20 Kg of chemicals, and 300 Kg of fossil fuels are consumed in the mining, manufacturing, and distribution associated with a new computer. Recycling makes sense.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto, a volunteer based mentoring program matches adults over the age of 18 to children between the ages of 6 and 18 in one-to-one mentoring relationships. Believe it or not Big Brothers of Toronto was founded in 1913 and they have had fabulous success. A child with a Big Brother or Big Sister is less likely to drink or use drugs, is less likely to skip school, and more likely to achieve higher grades.

Drop off you old equipment at the Computation offices located at 280 Jane
Street, between Bloor and Annette from 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Monday - Friday and from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM on weekends. This event is for residential quantities only. Businesses with large quantities should contact the company for more information. A $5.00 recycling fee for each monitor is required. For more information contact Computation by following the link below.
http://www.computation.to/

To learn more about Big Brothers and Sisters in Toronto follow the link below.
http://www.bbbst.com/en/Home/default.aspx

Here we go again. The Toronto transit workers, including drivers – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 – is threatening to strike. They have already voted almost unanimously to reject the first contract offer. I’m sick of listening to sanctimonious quotes from the Union Chief about how much they don’t want to take away services from the public. Well, if you feel so strongly about not wanting to take away services, then don’t go on strike.

These unions must be living in LA LA Land. In the private sector, if a company has no money, then there is no money for raises. And, benefits that cost companies a fortune get rolled back. You can’t take blood from a stone and you don’t go on strike. If you are not happy with your wages and your benefits, then do what everyone else does and go out and find a new job with a better pay package. No one is holding you hostage and forcing you to work for the TTC.

The rejected TTC offer included a 2 % pay increase in each year of a 4-year agreement and significant concessions to some benefits. The union wants more. That’s all fine and well but the reality is that the City of Toronto is broke. It’s about time that the unions got a healthy dose of reality. As an essential service they shouldn’t have the right to strike. Why should the public be held hostage by Toronto transit employees?

The current agreement expires at the end of March and technically the TTC workers could go on strike as soon as April 1st – and that’s no joke. I don’t think that transit employees should be allowed to strike. Do you agree or disagree?

Toronto Wants To Charge A Deposit Fee On Batteries, Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs, And Paint Cans

This spring a report will be submitted to city council to recommend that a refundable deposit system be put in place for all batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and paint cans sold in Toronto. An Environment Canada study showed that in 2004, 347 million batteries weighing 11,623 tonnes were discarded in Canada. It is estimated that battery discards are growing by approximately 494 million per year and by 2010 they could amount to nearly 16,000 tonnes.

In Toronto:

• 36 million batteries are disposed of annually
• 1,079 tonnes of batteries are sold annually
• 34 batteries per household are disposed of annually
• 9 % of batteries are recycled

Batteries, bulbs and paint cans release toxins into the environment. Batteries contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals, compact fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury, and paint contains a range of chemicals. The City of Toronto could require that stores selling these products operate deposit/return systems as a condition of getting and keeping a retail license. Home Depot already recycles batteries for power tools with no deposit/refund system and they recently launched a compact fluorescent bulb recycling program.

Unfortunately the City of Toronto has thought up this plan but as usual has no idea how to implement it, or how to control it. What would stop someone from purchasing product in a store outside the Toronto city limits where no deposit/refund system is in place and then returning the product for recycling and collecting the refund in Toronto? How much would the deposit fees be? Who would collect and administer the program? Who would be responsible for the costs incurred in shipping the product back to the manufacturer for recycling? Is this program actually viable at this point in time or is this another cash grab opportunity by the city?

It is inconceivable to me that slavery exists in any civilized society. There were stories of young blonde women who were kidnapped and whisked off to become the trophies of rich Arab Sheiks. And the sex slave trade in parts of Asia is a well documented fact. But to find out that we have slaves here in Toronto is something that I still can’t wrap my head around.

However, Toronto lawyer, Amina Sherazee says that it is so and that she has proof of this travesty. Women from Nigeria, Cameroon, Namibia, Djibuoti, and the Ivory Coast are being kidnapped by smugglers. They are issued fake documents and illegally trafficked through 2 or 3 countries in a series of safe houses. From there they are smuggled into Canada where they are forced to work as domestics, nannies, or prostitutes.

Several women in Toronto have applied to remain in Canada legally and the stories that they relate about their ordeals can only be described as absolute horror. Some end up contracting AIDS as a result of being forced into prostitution. They are concerned for the safety of their families if their identities become known.

According to Federal immigration spokesperson Karen Shadd-Evelyn, the victims are not required to testify against their traffickers to obtain status in Canada. They are eligible for a temporary resident permit that allows them to stay in Canada for up to 180 days and they can also apply for a work permit and get health-care benefits.

In 2004, the RCMP estimated 600 to 800 people were trafficked into Canada annually. But the reality is that there is no way that we really know the magnitude of the problem. What we do know is that this is a crime against humanity and must be stopped. We all know of illegal domestics and nannies. Does this make you wonder?