Top Stories – Sept 21 – Speed Racers

A couple of guys decided they would race their cars in the Clement and Clifton area, but they didn’t know a cop was nearby. When they stopped at a red light at the intersection, the officer pulled his car in front of them and told them to shut it down. They were busted for doing 120 in a 60-zone and each fined $368. They also had their cars, a 2019 Mustang and a 2005 Chrysler 200, impounded for a week.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Canada will likely drop the covid vaccine requirement for people who enter the country by the end of the month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to give final sign off on it but the government will likely also be dropping random COVID testing at airports. Filling out information in the ArriveCan app will also go away.

The federal Health Minister tabled dental-care legislation to allow the government to send cheques to low- and middle-income families to help them pay for their kids’ oral health services. If granted royal assent, it would provide qualifying families with children under 12 with up to $650 per child each year to pay for dental services.

Food inflation remains stubbornly high in Canada as grocery prices climbed at the fastest pace in more than four decades last month. While overall inflation moderated in August, the cost of food was up 10.8 percent compared with a year ago. That’s the fastest clip recorded by Stats Canada since 1981.

From tomorrow until the beginning of October, the Abbott Street Active Transportation Corridor extension continues with a quick-build portion from Christleton to Cedar avenues. There will be some single lane alternating traffic in the area, but delays are expected to be minimal. Don’t forget that Abbott will remain closed to thru traffic vehicles from Rose to Christleton during construction.

If you find stores and restaurants closing earlier, it’s probably due to a lack of staff. Stats Canada says employers were actively seeking to fill nearly 1 Million vacant jobs in the second quarter, the highest quarterly number on record. The number of vacancies in the accommodation and food services sector rose 12.7 percent on a quarter-over-quarter basis to 149,600 in Q-2.

If you watched any of the Queen’s funeral you probably saw the thousands of flowers that were not only a part of the proceedings but also left by people outside of Buckingham Palace and Westminster. Those flowers will be composted and used in the Royal Parks for landscaping projects starting next Monday. A spokesperson for Royal Parks said teddy bears or other items will be dispersed with discretion and sensitivity over the next few months.

The expanding audio books market has a major new retailer: Spotify. The music streaming service announced its long-rumored audiobook initiative, launching a store that includes more than 300,000 titles. Initially, Spotify will sell them individually, not on a subscription basis, at prices that are competitive with other sellers.

Russia’s foreign ministry summoned Canada’s ambassador, saying an unidentified person threw a Molotov cocktail at the country’s embassy in Ottawa. A Russian language statement didn’t say when it’s alleged to have happened, but argues it amounts to a criminal act and that Canada is not upholding the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Sports

The Blue Jays began a 2 game series in Philadelphia yesterday. Toronto scored 5 runs in the first two innings and 4 more in the 8th on the way to an 18-11 win. Game two has its first pitch this afternoon at 3:45.

Veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara announced his retirement after 24 seasons in the NHL. The 45-year-old signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Boston Bruins, his team for 14 seasons.

The Kelowna Rockets continue training camp ahead of this weekend’s season opener against Portland at Prospera Place. Don’t forget that you’ll find all the Rockets info you need at rocketfan.ca

Defenseman P.K. Subban is ending his NHL career at the age of 33. The Toronto-born player won the Norris Trophy in 2013 and played his final three campaigns with New Jersey after three seasons with the Predators and parts of seven with the Montreal Canadiens to begin his career.

The CFL has suspended Stampeders linebacker Cameron Judge for one game for violating the league’s player code of conduct. The league said Judge punched BC Lions receiver Lucky Whitehead following their game on Saturday. That means Judge won’t play in the rematch this week.

The Colorado Avalanche signed superstar center Nathan MacKinnon to an eight-year contract extension. The new deal carries an average annual value of $12.6 million which would make MacKinnon the highest-paid NHL player when it begins in 2023-24.