A new era of nightlife arrives in Toronto
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Vaccination proof will be required at Filmores when it opens for the first time since Ontario’s September 25 shutdown due to COVID-19 outbreaks—most notably in Toronto at Filmores’ strip club competitor the Brass Rail. While vaccine passports aren’t planned for the province, Toronto’s mayor is now urging such a system due to demand.
The face of musical freedom
Border restrictions remain a factor in the uncertainty surrounding any kind of summer concert scene, but Hamilton band Arkells are a safe distance from mid-August dates booked at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto. Meanwhile, negotiations to return baseball to the Rogers Centre involves a two-track plan to accommodate any unvaccinated players.
Annamie Paul could have $250,000 in Toronto Centre campaign funding blocked by her own party. Green antipathy toward their own federal leader appears to include a motion to withhold financial support ahead of a non-confidence vote on July 20. Paul significantly boosted her ballot count on her second try in the downtown riding last fall.
Too hot to scratch this off
COVID-19 vaccination lotteries seem to work well enough in Alberta for Manitoba to follow suit, while Quebec is still considering the idea to increase inoculation rates. But this week, Loto-Québec found itself distracted by criticism for a game that tied the value of a prize to the temperature outside. The scratchers were pulled the day after launch:
“Go Tell It To The Birds: Time to Stop Overfeeding Toronto’s Pigeons.” A motion put forward by city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam attempts to address how the rock doves end up flocking to spots where “copious amounts of carbohydrates” are deposited for them by humans. No current Toronto bylaw addresses the practice outside of city parks.
Finally, nostalgia for old Pornos
The New Pornographers were peddling a new record before the pandemic halted hopes around an optimistic anthem. But with it looking safe to book new tour dates, original members Dan Bejar and Neko Case will rejoin the band for two-night stands focused on two albums: Twin Cinema and Mass Romantic, their reissued debut: