LOCAL
Mayor Ford was fuming after Charles Sousa, the Liberal finance minister, said the province won’t reconsider funding changes to Toronto’s social programs. The two men painted incredibly opposing pictures: Ford says the city’s vulnerable will suffer while Sousa claims the city will get $364-million for social programs, growing to $500-million in 2016. [National Post]
The TTC voted unanimously to study controversial ideas for getting the King Street streetcars moving again during the morning rush, potentially by outlawing cars. The King route serves more people than the Sheppard subway, and the brutal congestion causes streetcars to bunch up, a real shame after $1.02-billion was invested in a new fleet of them. [Toronto Star]
Mayor Ford attended a Pride event for the first time in his mayorlty. His words: “In a world often marred by clashes between people who see differences as a reason for conflict, Pride Week is a time to celerbate diversity, inclusiveness and understanding. [CBC]
NATIONAL
The Alberta government has earmarked $1-billion for flood recovery, abandoning what had been its goal of balancing the budget with the next couple years. The money will be used to support people who have been evacuated, as well as to run relief centres and to rebuild infrastructure. [National Post]
Two former interns have filed complains against telecom giant Bell Media for breaking labour laws for not paying them for work they did for the company. The plaintiff is one of 280 post-secondary grads Bell invites each year to work at their Mississauga complex for three to four months at a time. [CBC]
The Conservative party has asked the Council of Canadians, a citizen group from 6 ridings that received robocalls, to pay $355,907 to the party, a fraction of what the party incurred in an election fraud case brought to court by the council. The council has called this sum exorbitant since the judge did rule that voter suppression did occur and that the Conservative Party list was likely the source of the calls. [National Post]
INTERNATIONAL
An American executive said he was held hostage in his medical supply plant in China as his workers guarded all exits and deprived him of sleep by banging on the windows and shining bright lights on him in demand of severance packages previously given to a phased-out department. Local officials coerced him to sign documents meeting the workers’ demands, even though he protested that they weren’t being laid off. [Toronto Star]
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi faced a verdict in his sex-for-hire trial, with presecutors seeking to send him to prison and ban him from public office for life. Berlusconi, 76, is charged with paying an underage teen for sex then covering it up with phone calls to Milan police.
The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, shocking the Boston Bruins by scoring 2 goals with about a minute left of the game to win the series clincher 3-2. Whether it’s better to choke at the end of the first round or the fourth is a question Leaf fans will be asking themselves. [National Post]
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