Photo: "strait_edge" by NatureNuggets, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Smoking inside a vehicle with children present is now officially illegal in Ontario. With all the recent talk about "third hand smoke", it won't be long now before we see arguments erupt on the streets when citizens and law enforcement officers try to delineate the difference between simply smelling bad and giving off hazardous odours in public.

Keeping your cover and your job while siphoning almost $2million from a Newmarket CIBC bank branch isn't easy - and it hasn't gone undetected. Now a man is on the lam after the bank figured it out.

You know we're really in economic trouble when the restaurant and entertainment industries start seeing widespread downward trends. Not only are customer numbers down, but some Toronto restaurants are also seeing downturn-affected patterns in spending. People are buying cheaper options and leaving smaller tips.

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The strike at York University continues after union members rejected the latest offer. The Toronto Star has a great photo that recorded their reaction to the vote results. Look how happy they are! Unfortunately, students aren't nearly so happy!

Toronto Police have been able to sell over $700,000 worth of old evidence and seized property on eBay since 2003. But now their contract with an auction item preparer is up and they'll be shopping around for a new contract that will allow them to continue this effort in a profitable way. Maybe they can hire YorkU students on a part-time basis?