Mayor Rob Ford is advocating for a by-election to fill former deputy mayor Doug Holyday’s seat at a special city council meeting today. Council must decide between a $250,000 by-election that would likely be held in late November, which is just before the general election nominations open January 1, or an appointment that would save money but arguably not be accountable to Ward 3 residents. [Toronto Star]
UPDATE: City Council has voted to go with an appointment.
Eeeeeevvvvvvvvvvveerybody is talking about a provocative performance from Miley Cyrus at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards. It’s almost as if MTV understands that a good way to make money is to showcase young, good-looking people in sexy outfits. [Vulture]
UN Investigators in Syria attempting to determine whether chemical weapons have been used against Syrian civilians have been delayed after their convoy was targeted by sniper fire shortly after leaving the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had earlier pledged that a ceasefire would be upheld during the investigations, but former weapons inspectors have called the sniper fire a clear case of “intimidation.” [CBC]
A new poll suggests most Canadians wouldn’t mind if Verizon Inc. were to enter the Canadian telecom market, so long ast hey don’t have any advantages over homegrown competitors. Respondents believe that wireless prices would likely go down if the American giant were to come here and Canadian firms were forced to compete, but it’s not clear if that would happen. Canada’s big three providers have been waging a PR war against the potential entrance, but we think you should ignore their big ballyhooing. [Globe and Mail]
Seems like expense reports aren’t the only finances Senator Pamela Wallin has been involved in fudging. A lawsuit against Oilsands Quest that claimed the bankrupt energy exploration firm, of which Wallin was a director, overstated their value by $136 million has been put to an end with a $10.4 million settlement. [Financial Post]
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