“Springing Forward” Might Be Bad for Your Health
Maybe it’s time to hit the snooze.
Sure, it might only be an hour of sleep lost, but Daylight Savings Time might be bad for your health. You know, beyond feeling groggy.
Experts say changing the clocks forward can be dangerous, and throw the body “out of whack.” The Monday and Tuesday following Daylight Savings Time are associated with a 10 per cent increase in the risk of having a heart attack, while this same risk decreases by 10 per cent following the “fall back.” Curiouser and curiouser.
Anti-Rob Ford Petition Carries Some Weight
Image: TorontoMike
On Monday, a lifelong Toronto resident filed an application to oust Mayor Rob Ford over a financial conflict of interest.
Paul Magder alleges Ford breached the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by participating in a council vote that absolved him from repaying $3,150 in donations for his private football charity. Magder wishes for the Mayor to not only lose his council seat, but to be prohibited from running for office for another seven years following his ouster.
In August 2010, prior to being elected Mayor, Ford, a then-city councillor, was found in violation of the Code of Conduct for Members of Council for accepting donations and soliciting funds for his private football charity. Ford was ordered to pay out the $3,150 in full, and provide proof to the city’s integrity commissioner, but had yet to do so as of this January.
As a result, just eight days later, city council, including Ford himself, voted 22-12 to strike the charge from the record, and take no further action.
Magder and his lawyer hope this application will punt the Mayor out of office, while holding him accountable for both his private finances and his public position of power.
OLG to Bring Casino to Toronto
On Monday, the province of Ontario announced their plans to add a new casino to the Greater Toronto Area.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation plans to pump billions into building a new casino in an effort to create winning economic benefits for the province, which is currently experiencing a billion-dollar deficit. OLG currently contributes $2-billion to the provincial sector, and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan says this number needs to be boosted, urgently.
The approved plan includes transferring 6,000 gaming positions to private-sector operators, increasing the number of private gaming employees to 100 per cent, from 60 per cent. Still, OLG will retain operational control and business oversight, but hope the regulated private-sector will incentivize more responsible funding, site improvement and the attraction as a whole.
Though no site has yet to be chosen for the new GTA casino, many speculate it could find a home at Ontario Place, which has been shut down for refurbishment and revitalization until 2017. Social costs and threats to other Ontario casinos aside, the province is looking for both a quick and longterm cash grab, and what better way to put it all on black. … Or red.
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Joanna Adams writes the Morning Cable, and lots more, for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at †@nowstarringTO.
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