Significant Digits: 23 December 2018
From troops in Syria to Saturn’s rings, Adil Haider reports on all the significant digits in the news from December 16th to December 23rd.
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Significant Digits: 16 December 2018
Illustration: Roger Li $436M In an announcement that surprised absolutely no one, the Ontario Auditor General announced that Metrolinx had wasted $436M with it’s incessant waffling over the past 10 years. Some highlights include: Adding completely unnecessary stations to Line 2 for political reasons, the constant and ridiculous farce that is the Scarborough subway plan and the Sheppard subway extension, and the terrible contracts signed to build the Eglinton Crosstown. I have no words. On the off chance that any city councillor or Metrolinx official is reading this, please, please stop reading high school newspapers and get your damn act together. [CBC] $0 Angry about the horrifying state of our city infrastructure? Well be ready to add jealousy to that list of emotions, because the tiny european Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has decided to make all it’s public transit free. When the policy takes effect in 2020, Luxembourg will be the first country in the world to have a free public transit system. Interestingly, Saron Gebresellasi, a former Toronto mayoral candidate proposed doing the exact same thing for the TTC. [The Irish Times] 38 Deaths Don’t get too distracted in that European daydream, because the Toronto Police Department has recently announced that pedestrian deaths have increased significantly since last year, with 38 pedestrians dying in preventable accidents after being struck by cars. Stay safe...
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Significant Digits: 2 December 2018
$525K Pro Bono Ontario, a legal aid charity, was about to shut down its 3 free legal aid clinics in Ontario due to lack of funds, when it suddenly received a $525K deluge of funding from the federal government and lawyers all over Ontario. The clinics provide free legal advice to their clients on everything from murder cases to housing disputes, helping 25,400 people obtain access to justice in the last year. The province currently provides no funding to the organization, even though it saves them almost $5M a year by increasing efficiency in the judicial system. [CBC] ...
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Significant Digits: 27 November 2018
3 on 4 Robbing a jewelry store is generally a pretty dumb idea, for more reasons than I can list here. But if none of those have convinced you to leave these people alone, consider this: they have swords. Wednesday afternoon, 4 men attempted to rob Ashok Jewellers in Mississauga, breaking through the window and brandishing a gun. Little did they know that the store’s three employees would be ready for them, brandishing sabers, and driving off the attack. As if this wasn’t shocking enough, a similar incident occurred last month at a jeweler’s just 100m down the street,...
Read MoreSignificant Digits: 21 November 2018
90 23 year old Cardinal Licorish was shot to death this Sunday, marking the 90th homicide this year. This grim total is a record, surpassing the crime wave of 1991. Please stay safe out there. 2% In 2014, Canada made a commitment, along with the rest of NATO to devote 2% of its budget annually to defence. According to a NATO report released in July, Canada is only on track to reach 1.23%. The Liberal government, in a recent Halifax summit defended its choice by pointing to Canadian overseas missions in Latvia, air policing in Romania, and training missions in Iraq. 12812 Hectares Last year, BC sprayed 12812 Hectares of forest with pesticide to eradicate broadleaf trees like Aspen and Birch. The province mandates this mass culling in order to make room for more valuable species like Pine and Fir. They may be regretting that decision now, as the same broadleaf trees they’ve been culling are also extremely fire resistant, a strange irony in a province wracked by massive forest fires. 80% The provincial government’s Bill 47, if passed, would allow employers to require a doctor’s note, even for minor illnesses. According to a recent Ipsos poll, 80% of Canadians would come to work, even when ill, if they had to bring in a doctor’s note. Doctors have expressed serious reservations, claiming that they would be...
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