Andrew Alexander, who first took over The Second City’s struggling Toronto improv theatre in 1974—and later headed its original operation in Chicago—decided to move on after some alumni accused it of institutionalized racism. After a statement from Alexander apologizing for failures, his role was taken over by Anthony LeBlanc.
What the police are good for
There ultimately were no charges laid upon the man arrested after appearing in blackface at a Toronto protest—whose mother reportedly arrived to take him home. The incident also invoked references to Justin Trudeau, who took a knee of his own at a rally in Ottawa. But some caucus members hope for more proactive steps.
The Liberal MP facing assault, break and enter and harassment charges. Marwan Tabbara was arrested two months ago in Guelph, near his riding of Kitchener South–Hespeler, but the news wasn’t made public until now. In response, Tabbara announced he was stepping back from caucus for now.
Popping the social bubbles
The experimental reopening of school buildings in B.C. had around 30 per cent of the kids returning to sit at spaced-out desks. And while much of Quebec was quicker to advance that process, its premier got a petition signed by over 1,000 physicians who think kids are now being done more harm:
“Council added 40 kms of bike lanes when nobody was looking.” Norris McDonald, a veteran automotive journalist for the Toronto Star, was given space to rant about how the city sped up its cycling network plan amid the pandemic. His case against them featured a strange misunderstanding of how ad targeting works on Torstar websites.
Finally, a band fixes a brand
Pup, the punk act from Toronto, stepped into a Twitter debate about whether it was an appropriate time for transit fare inspectors to fine riders for non-payment. At one point, the TTC account condemned the “derogatory rhetoric” of the argument. But a prodding from @puptheband got the transit system’s tweeter to later say sorry for being snippy:
