“We will not cross your line and if you want us to leave the hotel we will,” Sheen told the cheering picketers on behalf of himself and his son, actor and director Emilio Estevez.

Wearing a sign reading “On strike for justice Unite Here,” Sheen told the Star: “I’ve been a union member all my adult life. I’ve been involved in labour struggles all my adult life and I support it.”

Sheen walked with each of the three pickets around the entrances to the landmark downtown hotel which has been hit by a one-day walkout at the start of the Toronto International Film Festival.

“I know it can get very difficult with labour struggles,” Sheen, a long-time social activist, told the strikers.

“I’m here to remind you that lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for.”

Sheen stayed with the pickets for about 20 minutes. He stars in his son’s film The Way, which was scheduled to premiere at the festival Friday afternoon.

credits : thestar.com

I always knew Martin Sheen was a cool guy, this just makes him even cooler –> ( is this even a word? ) lol … need more star power down there at the Royal York Hotel !

Two men, one armed with a gun and another with a sledgehammer are wanted after a TTC collector was robbed over the weekend.

Toronto Police say the armed robbers struck around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Wilson TTC station.

One of the men used a sledgehammer to break the glass of the collector’s booth then reached inside and opened the door, police said. The second suspect pointed a handgun at the collector.

The duo grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the Wilson Ave. station.

Both men are described as black, 5’6″ to 5’8″ with thin builds.

Toronto’s proposed 2010 budget includes a property tax hike of four per cent as well as new user fees meant to narrow its $382-million shortfall.

The tax hike matches last year’s four per cent increase.

It means a home worth $407,374, the average price in Toronto, will be hit with an extra $93 in property taxes.

Property taxes make up 39 per cent of the revenue for the city’s $9-billion budget.

Mayor David Miller notes that despite the rate jump, Toronto still pays the lowest property taxes of any other municipality in the 905 region.

But critics say a house in the suburbs will likely be situated on a much larger property.

Aside from the property tax hike, the city also wants to increase user fees and impose new costs for city-run services and facilities.

That includes a one-time charge of $50 per family to sign up for recreation programs.

Giambrone apologized but could not finish his prepared statement.

“There are weeks that change your life and this one has certainly changed mine,” Giambrone said.

“This searing experience has taught me, I hope permanently, that a public career of integrity cannot survive deceit in your private life.”

Giambrone’s executive assistant came out shortly afterward and said he would abandon his mayoral run but will stay on as chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission.

Giambrone said he’s sorry for the hurt he’s caused to everyone in his life, including Sarah McQuarrie, his partner of several years.

This week a 20-year-old university student came forward saying she had been having an affair with 32-year-old Giambrone.

Giambrone then admitted to having “intimate relations” with women other than his partner.

The relationship and Giambrone’s further admission of multiple affairs came to light in the Toronto Star.

I think his career is over do you ?

A female pedestrian was killed Wednesday morning in the GTA’s 10th road death of a person on foot in the past eight days.

A bloody tarp lay on Dufferin St. where the woman, believed to be in her mid-30s, was hit by a minivan just before dawn.

The driver of the minivan, a blue Honda Odyssey, and the driver of a white dump truck sat in separate police vehicles, answering questions.

thestar.com

Citytv is cutting shows, production staff and on-air talent including veteran CityNews at Six anchor Anne Mroczkowski.

In a statement, Leslie Sole, chief executive of Citytv parent company Rogers Media Television, said the changes “are necessary to align our operations with the economic and regulatory realities of our industry.”

According to Koreen Ott, director of marketing and public relations for Rogers Media Television, in Toronto, the noon news program, CityNews at 5 and weekend newscasts have all been cancelled.

A Mississauga man was killed in a hit-and-run
A teenager in Vaughan
A young mother in Etobicoke
A senior citizen in the city’s west end
A 24-year-old woman was killed by a Brampton transit bus
A man taking a shortcut was hit by a GO train
A father walking with his wife and 4-year-old son was run over by a tow truck.
A 60-year-old woman was killed by a TTC bus.

Is it even safe on our streets anymore ? Soo many pedestrian deaths you have to be alert when walking our streets.

According to Bev Oda, Minister of International Cooperation.

“Our government is prepared to match their contributions dollar for dollar,” up to a maximum of $50 million.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will hand out these funds to Canadian and international humanitarian and development organizations.

The death toll from Haiti’s earthquake could be between 45,000 and 50,000, with a further 3 million people hurt or homeless in an increasingly desperate country, a senior Haitian Red Cross official said Thursday.

At least 1,500 bodies were stacked inside and outside the morgue of Port-au-Prince’s General Hospital Thursday before noon, as pick-up trucks continued to deliver the dead from Tuesday’s earthquake, the hospital’s director said.

thestar.com

The following is a list of reputable aid organizations currently seeking cash donations for relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Donations can be made at the web pages or by calling the appropriate phone numbers.

OneXOne (Rogers/Fido customers)

Text “HELP” or “Donate” to 1291. Reply to confirmation request with ‘yes.’ You will receive a thank you message that confirms the donation and $5 will be added to your next Wireless invoice.

Rogers will forward 100 per cent of the SMS revenues to OneXOne. In addition, Rogers Communications and the Rogers family will donate $250,000 in funds and goods to Partners In Health: Haiti and other relief organizations in the country.

Canadian Red Cross
Toll free: 1-800-418-1111

cbm Canada
Toll-free: 1-800-567-2264

Humanitarian Coalition (CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Quebec, Save the Children Canada)

to see the entire list of organizations you can donate to visit citynews.ca

The new security measures, which also include security checks and tougher rules on board, were introduced after a failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit by a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to ignite an explosive substance hidden in his pants.

The U.S. Transport Security Administration, a body formed after 9/11 to oversee security for American transportation systems, immediately issued the measures. Transport Canada “mirrored” the rules right away, said spokesman Patrick Charette.

But the communiques about the new security regulations were only sent to airport authorities late Christmas Day – leaving airport officials scrambling to comply with the rules and inform passengers on the busiest flying weekend of the year.

source thestar.com