The spoofing of federal government departments became so epidemic that police departments are dispensing advice—even though there’ll now be 32 fewer scam callers targeting Canada from New Delhi. But there are more reports of money lost due to “SIM swaps” and a new wave of scammers whose caller ID reads “Ontario Provincial Police.”
Ghost hotels scared out of town
Nearly two years after Toronto approved bylaws putting conditions on short-term rentals, an Ontario tribunal upheld rules that would require an Airbnb to be someone’s primary residence at least half the time. Presumably, this will reduce the related housing horror stories, as Ottawa looks to adopt similar measures to Toronto.
Don Cherry’s podcast arrives with a 35-year-old interview with Rocket Richard. Grapevine debuted after foreshadowing from Joe Warmington, who explained that the kitchen-table production involves son Tim and grandson Del. The first minutes address the Sportsnet firing: Tim Cherry seemed to introduce his dad to the term “cancel culture.”
Vice Media’s new rehab mission
Nancy Dubuc, the new CEO of Vice, thinks her predecessor, Shane Smith, doesn’t get enough credit for co-founding a media company that sees more TikTok in its future. Meanwhile, as a former Vice Canada editor awaits sentencing for his role in a cocaine smuggling ring, the publication offers a practical Toronto-based tale of redemption:
Toronto’s second Chick-fil-A will bring the lineups inside. A job posting revealed that the sandwich chain will get to close on Sundays in Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Concurrently, the company announced a new approach to charitable giving that appears to exclude further donations to anti-LGBT groups.
Hallmark’s opposite of Get Out
“Countdown to Christmas” is the annual series of Hallmark Channel movies that are mostly shot in Canada, where they air on W Network. But the efforts to bring a certain diversity to two new productions, which incorporate Hanukkah into the script, have brought on backlash, due to descriptions that betray their bias against other holidays:
