LOCAL
A Scarborough Subway Line could be a real thing, again, if the province imposes a transit tax to raise the $500 million needed to build it. City Councillors from Scarborough say they’ll only back new revenue tools if a subway is built in place of the planned LRT. [Toronto Star]
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne will testify before a legislative committee to explain why the Liberal government shut down two local gas plants. It was alleged that one of the plants, in Oakville, cost $40 million to shutdown. [CP24]
More than 600 school bus drivers could be on strike as early as tomorrow if they can’t reach an agreement with the Toronto District School Board. The union estimates more than 6,000 students could be affected. [680 News]
NATIONAL
The federal government has put a hold on the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion process, which allowed companies to bring in foreign workers. Business groups say it will make it harder to import short-term labour. [Globe and Mail]
A CBC casting call, in search for a host kids’ TV program, has been removed from its website and Craigslist after it stated white people need not apply. The ad has since been revised and deleted from Craigslist. [National Post]
Luka Magnotta, the man accused of dismembering Jun Lin in Montreal almost two years ago, will stand trial in September next year. According to lawyers, the trial could last six to eight weeks. [Reuters]
INTERNATIONAL
Heavy machinery has now been called to the Bangladeshi factory site that has killed more than 400 people. Most of the factory workers were between the ages of 18 and 22. [CNN]
Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi escaped what media reports suggest was an assassination attempt. A car bomb exploded near his convoy in the latest of a series of attacks. [New York Times]
A report has been released on why some American cities perform better than others. The Milken’s Best-Performing Cities index took aim at key factors such as population, density, human capital, creative workers, key occupations, and other measures. [Atlantic Cities]
Correction: This post previously said Premier Wynne would testify in court. We regret the error.
____
For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.
