Stepping back into a vaccinated state
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The reopening of Ontario got three extra days that will come about three months after the province last permitted patios, only to be shuttered two weeks later by the third wave. This time, it comes with a clearer decline in COVID-19 cases, but also questions about whether staff who refuse to get vaccinated can be terminated from public-facing jobs.
The border closure’s not over
While business groups are now raising the pressure for the Canada–U.S. border closure pact to avoid its next monthly renewal on June 21, fully vaccinated travellers reportedly will soon be subject to fewer quarantine rules. Justin Trudeau anticipates a loosening in possibly asymmetrical phases.
“This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities.” The prime minister spoke about the pickup truck hit and run that led to the death of four members of the Afzaal family of London, Ontario. Police alleged it was a premeditated hate crime that targeted the family for being Muslim.
The cat-calling comeback
Toronto-based podcast The Construction Life interviewed a plumber named Danny for an episode that included lamenting the decreased tolerance for sexual harassment—which a woman who owns a carpentry business highlighted on Instagram. The episode was edited in response to her complaints, but the hosts are suing her:
The movement to keep hipster church away from a Toronto hipster enclave. Geary Avenue’s cachet owes much to the Rehearsal Factory space that the Australia-based C3 Church claims it acquired. But a Toronto Star story confirms the building hasn’t sold. It’s also unlikely to be rezoned. The neighbours want to keep it that way.
Finally, big bet on the Beaches
History has made international showbiz news because it’s a new 2,500-seat concert venue in Toronto, announced as a partnership between Live Nation and Drake. What was formerly an off-track betting facility at 1661 Queen East had this transformation in the works for five years, but only now does the space have a name:
