Courtesy of mynews.ctv.ca

Fall is one of the prettiest times of year and the leaves will be coming into their most vibrant in the next few weeks. Do you know why leaves change colour in the fall? The major factor in why leaves change color in the fall is the length of day and night. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in trees and plants. It absorbs sunlight and helps photosynthesis occur so that a tree can make its own sugar for energy and growth. The fall brings less sunlight and cooler temperatures so photosynthesis slows down, causing the chlorophyll in the leaves to break down and as a result we have breathtaking colours. The best fall colours occur when there has been a warm, wet spring, a summer that’s not too hot or dry, and a fall with plenty of warm sunny days and cool nights.

There are many places to take in the breathtaking scenery in Ontario and some places right in our own backyard in Toronto.

• High Park
• Ashbridge’s Bay Park
• Trinity Bellwood’s Park
• Centre Island
• Muskoka
• Algonquin Provincial Park
• Renfrew County
• Huntsville
• Lake of Bays
• Beaver Valley
• Caledon
• Haliburton Highlands
• Elora Gorge
• Kingston, Rideau Waterway and the Thousand Islands
• Oro-Medonte
• Orangeville
• Hockley Valley
• Monocliffs Provincial Park
• Erin

 

Courtesy of paradise-islands.org

It’s official. Sunwing Travel has completed the merger with Signature Vacations. The reality is that this merger will probably cost consumers who are looking for deals on sun destinations because it will result in less capacity in the market which will cause prices to go up. Of course, everyone is saying that nothing will change for now, but it surely will in the not too distant future when the consolidation begins in earnest.

Over the last five years Sunwing Travel’s revenues have increased from $30 million to $660 million. At the other end of the spectrum is Signature Vacations that lost $20 million in the first half of the current financial year. Obviously Sunwing will control the merged company. Sunwing expects to have a competitive advantage as a result of the merger, giving it more clout with suppliers in negotiations for better deals.

In addition to Sunwing Signature other players in the sun destination vacation market are Transat, Air Canada, and WestJet. The more players in the market, the better for the consumer. Competition drives prices down. All we can do now is wait and see how this merger will affect the prices of sun destination vacations. <-->

Courtesy of dcnonl.com

No one suspected that there was a drug lab in an apartment on the 6^th floor of an upscale condo building on Fort York Boulevard that was used to process methamphetamines. The residents are predominantly well educated yuppies in their 20s and 30s working as doctors, lawyers and business professionals. No one suspected that they could have been blown to kingdom come as a result of cooking methamphetamines, which are very volatile.

Three people, middle dealers known to police - Nathanial Tarlo, 23, David Back, 22, and Mark Szczygiel, 24 - were arrested and police seized drugs with a street value of over $1.3 million.

• Cocaine - 2,200 grams
• Heroin - 1,200 grams
• Methamphetamines - 2,400 grams
• Ecstasy - 1,300 grams
• Marijuana - 2,100 grams
• Hashish - 430 grams
• GHB - 6 litres

In addition to the drugs, police also confiscated a loaded 9-mm semi-automatic pistol stolen in Peel in 2006, a pellet gun, unrelated ammunition, a bulletproof vest, cellphones, bags of cash, and a Lincoln automobile. Police believe that these drugs were meant for distribution to kids in the Entertainment district.

If you have information about this crime contact the 55 Division detectives at 416-808-5504 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers, 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Courtesy of AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel

Guy Laliberte, founder of world renowned Cirque du Soleil, has the honour of being Canada’s first space tourist, but not the world’s first space tourist. He is the 7^th paying space tourist to travel to the International Space Station and he may be one of the last for several years because NASA is retiring its shuttle program. After the mothballing of the US shuttle program the Russian space agency will be sending the US astronauts to the lab. Along with 2 astronauts - U.S. astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cosmonaut Maxim Surayev - Mr. Laliberte blasted off into space aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-16 spaceship for a 12-day trip that will end at the International Space Station on Friday, October 2^nd. He will return to earth on Sunday, October 11^th.

Although Mr. Laliberte has received a lot of negative publicity for spending $35 million on a space flight, or flight of fancy, instead of using the money to do some real good in the world, he says that he plans to use the publicity to draw attention to the importance of access to clean water on Earth. While in space Mr. Laliberte will not only be a passenger but he will be taking part in some scientific experiments while visiting the International Space Station.

In case you have grandiose plans to go into space, contact Space Adventures to make your reservation.

Courtesy of dinemagazine.ca

I’m sure that most of you have seen the classic movie with Julie Andrews and our very own Christopher Plummer, but have you seen the Mirvish hit play of the same name? In celebration of the Sound of Music’s first anniversary on stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre, there will be a FREE Sound of Music lunch time concert on Friday, October 2^nd at 12:30 PM at Nathan Phillips Square which is located right in front of Toronto’s City Hall. And that’s not all! If you come dressed as a nun you will have a chance to win free tickets to the Sound of Music on Saturday, October 31^st, Halloween night, at 7:30 PM at the Princess of Wales Theatre. One pair of tickets will be given out to the first 99 nuns that appear in Nathan Phillips Square.

This fantastic event will be hosted by Breakfast Television’s Kevin Frankish. All of your favourite Sound of Music characters will be on hand to delight and entertain you - Maria, the Captain, the children, Mother Abbess, Sister Berthe, Sister Sophia, Sister Margaretta and some of the other nuns. This is your opportunity to see some world-class theatre absolutely FREE. Come out and enjoy!

Courtesy of geminigreetings.com

No matter what you think, an Employment Insurance ruling said that parents of twins can each receive benefits for 35 weeks of parental leave. This is the first time that a ruling like this has been issued in Canada and this decision is specific to a couple who appealed. It does not automatically apply to all parents of twins, although you can be sure that parents of twins and other multiple births will be seeking the same decision. Prior to this landmark case, parents have had to share the 35 week parental leave and the maximum weekly benefit of $447.00.

Currently it is estimated that there are about 10,000 multiple births in Canada each year. However, not all couples of multiple births will qualify. One of the criteria is that you must be eligible for Employment Insurance which automatically disqualifies people who are self employed or unemployed. Multiple Births Canada has been lobbying the government since 2005 so that the parents of multiple births can each receive benefits for the 35 weeks of parental leave and this landmark case may have opened the door wide enough for that to happen in the not too distant future.

Do you agree with the ruling by the Employment Insurance Board? No one is denying that taking care of two and maybe more babies is difficult, but should we as taxpayers have to pay for it?

Courtesy of yongeeglinton.com

After a two year battle, fought with passion and conviction, the Eglinton Park Residents’ Association has thwarted the attempt of Top of the Tree Developments from rezoning two city blocks in their neighbourhood - Yonge Street to Edith Drive, from Eglinton Avenue West to Roselawn Avenue. Top of the Tree Developments applied to build a 25 storey condo building on the northeast corner of Montgomery and Duplex Aves., northwest of Eglinton Avenue and Yonge Street. There are 100 members in this association which worked tirelessly for two years compiling written submissions and creating a presentation. After a 5 week hearing last March the Ontario Municipal Board finally denied their application.

Many neighbourhoods are facing similar problems, referred to as the “condofication” of Toronto. Putting up massive high rises in residential neighbourhoods causes many problems including increased traffic and overtaxing the existing infrastructure, not to mention changing the entire feel of the neighbourhood. However, Toronto is experience a massive condo boom, with no signs of letting up. Just look up at the skyline and count the cranes. According to developer Alan Vihant, Toronto is the top condo market in North America and one of the top five in the world.

According to Mayor Miller Toronto currently has about 105 buildings over 12 storeys going up in the city. This includes residential and commercial buildings. Phase one of the Bay Adelaide Centre - 51 storeys distributed over 1.2 million square feet – just opened. Cadillac Fairview will be opening the 43-storey RBC Centre complex near University Ave. and Wellington St. and Menkes’ 780,000-square-foot Telus Tower near the Air Canada Centre will be opening in November. Toronto keeps growing skyward, but every once in a while a residential neighbourhood says NO.

Courtesy of adaweb.net

The question shouldn’t be why is there a battle raging over bike helmets in Toronto, the question should be why isn’t there a law mandating bike helmets for adults in Toronto? It doesn’t take a great deal of intelligence to predict the potential for head injury when you fall off a bike. In a bike versus car collision the car always wins and the potential for grave head injuries and death can’t be ignored. Why wouldn’t any sane cyclist want to do everything possible to stack in deck in his favour?

The argument made by Yvonne Bambrick, executive director of the Toronto Cyclists Union representing about 800 cyclists, says that cyclists over the age of 18 shouldn’t be forced to wear helmets because “millions of people ride safely everyday without them”. If you accept that as a valid reason then motorcyclists should not be required to ride with helmets and drivers of cars should no longer be required to wear seatbelts. The reality is that research shows:

• About ¾ of all cycling fatalities involve head injuries.
• A case-control study of the effectiveness of bicycle safety helmets published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that riders with helmets had an 85 % reduction in their risk of head injury and an 88 % reduction in their risk of brain injury.
• Bicycle safety helmets are highly effective in preventing head injury according to HealthyOntario.com.

Since bicycles are a form of transportation and share the roads, they should be subject to the same types of laws that scooters and motorcycles are, including licensing. The bike lobby wants it both ways – they want to make roads safer for bicycles without accepting any responsibility for ensuring the safety of cyclists.

If you are in the market for a bike helmet make sure that it meets safety standards by looking inside the helmet for stickers from:

• Canadian Standard Association: CAN/CSA D113.2-M89
• Snell Memorial Foundation: Snell B90, Snell B90S, or Snell N94
• American National Standard Institute: ANSI Z90.4-1984
• American Society For Testing and Materials: ASTMF1447-94
• British Standards Institute: BS6863:1989
• Standards Association of Australia: AS2063.2-1990

Courtesy of schmidthappens.net

Canadian broadcasters including CTV, Global, and the A Channels have formed an organization called Local TV Matters. The purpose for this organization is to set up a system that will force cable and satellite companies to pay into a local programming fund. And, why should you care? Because, if the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) approves this fee-for-carriage (a fee that cable and satellite companies would have to pay broadcasters to carry their signals), the cable and satellite companies will raise their fees to the consumers in order to recuperate their payments. So at the end of the day, it’s the consumer who will end up paying for this local programming fund. And, if this fee-for-carriage gets approved, what will prevent American broadcasters from demanding the same?

The cable and satellite companies are dead against this fee-for-carriage program. Rogers has called it “an unnecessary bailout for over-the-air broadcasters and an unfair tax on cable and satellite television subscribers” and estimates that it could end up costing the cable and satellite subscribers an additional $5 - $10 per month. This is in addition to the fee that came into effect on September 1, 2009, to finance the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF), a fund established by the CRTC to provide a subsidy for smaller market television stations. According to an email that Rogers sent to its customers, “The CRTC has suggested that if the cable and satellite distributors don’t go along with the fee-for-carriage scheme, the television signals of American network stations, (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and PBS) which we have distributed since cable TV began, will be taken away”.

What can you do? Contact your Member of Parliament. Will we ultimately be able to afford to watch television?

Courtesy of monado.files.wordpress.com

The festival season is winding down and after a summer of eating, drinking, and film, it’s time to celebrate literacy. Word on the Street is an important event that takes place across Canada in Toronto, Vancouver, Kitchener, and Halifax on Sunday, September 27^th. All of the events are FREE and it’s a great family friendly event.

Where: Queen’s Park

When: September 27^th from 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

What can expect to see? Famous authors will be on hand reading from their new books, most notably Margaret who will be reading from her new novel “The Year of the Flood”, and using LongPen technology her appearance will be broadcast to Word on the Street events in Halifax and Vancouver. There will be an amazing selection of books and magazines and you can get great deals. I got a fantastic price on a magazine subscription last year. Bring the kids along and take them to the Children’s Activity Tent, Children’s Reading Tent, Little Readers’ Tent, and the TVO Kids’ Stage. There will be food on site at the world food market.

As a fundraiser for literacy organizations in Toronto, Word on the Street is launching two Literacy Murals that will be signed by authors and performers on site and auctioned off this fall (date to be determined). Donate a loonie to this worthwhile cause and you too can sign the mural.

How can you get to Word on the Street?

• Take the subway to either Queen’s Park Station or Museum Station on the University section of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line.
• Take the 506 Carlton West Street Streetcar and exit directly south of Queen’s Park.
• Take the 5 Avenue Road Bus and exit at Queen’s Park.