Photo: "_IGP2995" by phocrastinating, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA:

According to a recent study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the working wage required for a single parent with a child to have a "decent living" in the GTA is $16.15/hr - almost double the current minimum wage of $8.25. I guess this means that in addition to those heavily marginalized and living well below the poverty line, there is also a huge segment of the population who aren't flat out poor, but certainly not as secure/comfortable as they'd like to be.

Young drivers in Ontario may see the rules get really strict if legislation being introduced today passes. Zero blood alcohol for all drivers 21 and under, a three strikes and you're out speeding policy, and a limit of one fellow young passenger in the car at any given time (siblings exempted) all aim to improve safety on our roads. I guess this would completely rule out carpooling to school - another blow to air quality in the city.

Toronto Police have launched a web site dedicated to bringing a slew of unsolved "cold cases" into the public eye, in hopes that they may still be solved. The site features recent unsolved crimes, but also has info on cases dating back to 1973 - one even offers a reward of up to $50,000.

--

Do you recognize this guy? If you do, please call police. He's accused of having stolen 17 Remembrance Day poppy collection boxes in the city's east end - a despicable act, and a sign of sheer desperation, in my opinion.

One of the city's wealthiest families is now offering a sizeable award for the safe return of jewelry (including two Stanley Cup rings) that were stolen from their Forest Hill home. Police have piped up though, because it's apparently against the law to publicly advertise civilian amnesty for crimes punishable by the crown.

Bed bugs continue to be a news item in the city. In the last 8 months, there's been a 1000% increase in calls from concerned residents to city officials. I wonder how many of these calls are legitimate reports, and how many are concerned citizens making inquiries after having seen so much about the problem in the news.

There's an unforeseen symptom of the TTC having introduced a new 2-metal token and eliminated paper tickets - their sorting/counting facility is now taking on an 1000% increase in weight and officials are concerned about the structural integrity of the floor of the building.