Tag: Toronto

News

Canada Post To Phase Out Home Delivery In Cities

Canada Post is phasing out home delivery.

People, particularly those living in urban areas, won’t have their mail delivered directly to their home.

They’ll have to do what most people in rural areas already do—get their mail from a “community mailbox.”

Canada Post says about two-thirds of people in Canada already get their mail this way.

It will be about five years before home delivery is completely phased out.

The elimination of home delivery service is one of a number of things Canada Post is doing to save money.

News Sports

Pitcher Roy Halladay: One Final Day As A Blue Jay

One of the finest baseball pitchers in the history of the sport retired yesterday.

And he went out as a Blue Jay.

Roy Halladay had a distinguished career as a pitcher, with a record of 203 wins and just 105 losses.

He spent 12 years wearing a Blue Jays uniform; the last four years of his career he pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies.

On May 29, 2010, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. Then, he threw a no-hitter on Oct. 6—only the second no-hitter in MLB post-season history.

He won the Cy Young Award twice and was selected eight times to play in special All-Star games.

In addition to his impressive baseball skill, Halladay is also known as an upstanding person who gave generously to people in need.

Although at the end of his career Halladay played for the Phillies, he wanted to finish his career as a Toronto Blue Jay.

Animals News

New Ripleys Aquarium In Toronto

Toronto has a new landmark–an aquarium.

Nestled in beside the Rogers Centre at the base of the CN Tower, the new Ripleys Aquarium opened last week.

It’s home to more than 16,000 marine animals and 450 species.

There are lots of interactive displays to let kids see and experience the fish.

In the “dangerous lagoon,” visitors board a moving sidewalk which takes them on a slow ride through a 97-metre see-through tunnel filled with 17 sharks and thousands of marine animals. Sea turtles and saw fish swim overhead as visitors file past.

“Touch pools” feature horseshoe crabs, stingrays and bamboo sharks. The pools are shallow, so people can reach in and gently pet the animals.

An exhibit called Planet Jellies houses many different species of colourful jellyfish.

News Sports

Raptor Mascot Out For The Season

One of the most important members of the Toronto Raptors basketball team is injured and won’t be participating this season.

It’s the “Raptor,” the team’s mascot.

Many people think the Raptor–with his athletic moves, edgy attitude and fun-loving spirit–is one of the best mascots in the NBA. Perhaps even professional sports.

He tore his Achilles tendon during a school visit in Halifax before the basketball season started.

People have an emotional reaction to the Raptor mascot–whoever he/she is.

The coach’s daughter cried when she heard the news of his/her injury.

News

Toronto Landmark, Honest Ed’s, Has Been Sold

A Toronto landmark has been sold to a builder in Vancouver.

Honest Ed’s discount store, at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst, will close down in two to three years.

Since 1948, the store has grown to take up almost a whole block.

Over the years, the decorations all over the building have become more and more extravagant.

The public can see the store’s neon signs and colourful lights from two blocks away.

The founder of Honest Ed’s was Ed Mirvish.

News Sports

University of Toronto Goalie’s Hockey Dreams Come True

Many young Canadians play hockey. They dream of one day playing in the NHL on a professional team.

Last week, that dream came true for University of Toronto goalie Brett Willows.

One minute he was about to eat dinner with his friends at a restaurant called Noodle Bowl on Spadina Ave. in Toronto. The next, he was suited up as a Toronto Maple Leaf goalie, waiting to go in and play in a professional game.

Willows never got to play in the game, but for a little while, he was a Leaf.

When the Leafs’ goalie, James Reimer, got injured, they put in their other goalie, Jonathan Bernier.

But Bernier would need a backup, and that backup was Brett Willows.

So they called him. Willows ditched the Montreal Canadiens cap he was wearing, threw a $20 bill on the table to pay for the few bites of soup he’d eaten, and ran to gather his goalie gear.

Then he raced to the Air Canada Centre.

Chris Hadfield at Freedom Day
News

Chris Hadfield Inspires Thousands Of Students At Freedom Day Celebration

Thousands of middle-school students converged on Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto on Wednesday to celebrate Freedom Day.

The annual event was hosted by the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies.

Speakers ranged from holocaust survivor Max Eisen to dance troupe SolePower, and culminated in an inspirational speech from former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.

Max Eisen talked about surviving a concentration camp.

“When I was in Auschwitz, trying to survive on 300 calories a day,” he said, “I thought of two things: food and freedom.”

The downtown square was packed with students, who sat cross-legged under a blazing sun, shoulder to shoulder, to listen to the speakers.

Animals News

Toronto Zoo Elephants Prepare For Trip To California

For two years, the Toronto Zoo and Toronto City Council have been trying to agree on the best way to move three senior elephants to California.

The elephants are quite old and must be treated very carefully.

Now, if all goes well, Toka, Thika and Iringa will begin their trip next month.

At first, they were to make the move by plane, but that idea was turned down in favour of driving.

Now they will go in containers on a 50-hour journey with several stops along the way for feeding and cleaning of the crates.

Veterinarians and handlers will go with them on the trip to make sure the animals are safe and not stressed.

Sports

New Blue Jay Winning Over Fans And Teammates Alike

He dances, he gives funny interviews, he bows to his teammates and he loves to flash a smile – even when taking a pie to the face.

His name is Munenori Kawasaki, and he is the gregarious new shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

Kawasaki was called up on April 13 to replace shortstop Joe Reyes, who had suffered an ankle injury.

Kawasaki is originally from Japan, and often carries around a Japanese-English phrasebook to help him communicate.

Kids

Program Provides Help To Angry Teens

A program to prevent kids from dropping out of school is now available in Canada.

Reconnecting Youth is a U.S. program that helps kids gain self-esteem and cope with their emotions.

The Canadian program adds something more. It helps kids to see how anger can rule their lives.

The Canadian program is taught by social workers, who have training to help kids deal with anger that may be holding them back.

Many teens who are angry may also skip classes, insult teachers and even drop out of school, says Ed Schild, a spokesperson for the Reconnecting Youth program.

Reconnecting Youth has been a pilot project at R.H. King Academy in Toronto for the past two years.