El Mocambo isn’t an empty venue after all

A peek was five years in the making

Mar 4, 2020

The mysteries surrounding the state of the El Mocambo were cleared up with a media-friendly walkthrough and an explanation of what’s been refurbished. So, now that we can see what the storied Toronto nightclub looks like on the inside, owner Michael Wekerle needs to attract acts that live up to a plan to charge $100 to $1,000 to get in.

Silence broken about accident

CTV News Northern Ontario @CTVNewsNorthern

Celebrity businessman Kevin O’Leary says his wife has been “really affected” by the fatal Ontario boat crash last year and wants the forensic evidence to be completely disclosed so they can put the tragedy behind them.

northernontario.ctvnews.caKevin O’Leary speaks on 2019 fatal boat crashO’leary and his wife Linda were on board one of the boats involved in a collision that claimed they lives of two people.

The garrulous “Mr. Wonderful” finally said something about the deadly boat crash on Lake Joseph, which led to careless operation of a vessel charges for Linda O’Leary, and to she and husband Kevin being sued by the family of one of the two people killed.

Buck-A-Beer made all other bottles more expensive in Ontario. The conclusion came from craft beer podcaster Jordan St. John, who blames the 10 per cent price hike on 24-bottle cases on Doug Ford’s promotion.

Canada’s Super Tuesday views

Joe Biden’s comeback to the front of the U.S. Democratic primary pack found Daniel Dale determining a parallel with how the 2014 Toronto election turned out in favour of John Tory. Meanwhile, an attempt by CBC’s Keith Boag to effectively blame the popularity of Bernie Sanders on the Chapo Trap House podcast led to more absurdity:

CBC World News @CBCWorldNews

The original version of this story, and corresponding tweet, had the term ‘Dirtbag Left’ in the headline without quotation marks. That tweet has been deleted. The quotation marks were added to emphasize the term is a self-described nickname.

A man pleaded guilty in a Toronto court to threatening death upon journalists. But related jail time was spared for the parole violator, who walked away with a suspended sentence and two years probation for online comments about the Toronto Sun. His vitriol was provoked by a front-page feature about the three local rappers recently shot dead.

The outbreak reaches Ottawa

Justin Trudeau has created a cabinet committee to deal with the coronavirus, as the COVID-19 count in Canada rises to 33 confirmed cases and plenty of precaution. How social media information about the outbreak was dealt with in China was a subject of research by Toronto-based Citizen Lab, which reached a censorious conclusion:

Citizen Lab @citizenlab

NEW REPORT: Censored Contagion: How Information on the Coronavirus is Managed on Chinese Social Media

citizenlab.caCensored Contagion: How Information on the Coronavirus is Managed on Chinese Social Media - The Citizen LabThe analysis of YY and WeChat indicates broad censorship—blocking sensitive terms as well as general information and neutral references—potentially limiting the public’s ability to access information that may be essential to their health and safety.

Henry Cobb dead at 93. The architect was the lead designer on Montreal’s Place Ville Marie. Boston-born Cobb co-founded Pei Cobb Freed & Partners in 1955—and also worked on Toronto’s Commerce Court, whose lead designer, I.M. Pei, died last May.

Finally, harsh pictures of Lilly

Lilly Singh still has her show, A Little Late, even if NBC now gives more credit to its social media counts than any other ratings. She’s also the focus of several epic takedowns on YouTube, which saw a resurgence after her spot on the NBA All-Star Roast. A video from a disappointed audience member stoked this discourse: