At the presser now about the arrest of nine police officers, the first question from media referenced the Umar Zameer case. Zameer was acquitted 20 months ago and police promised an investigation, including into possible police collusion. We're still waiting for that investigation.

More back-sliding on climate: Carney is eliminating the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard that would have mandated 100% EVs by 2035. New target is 75% EVs by 2035, 90% by 2040 but it's not clear if not-yet-finalized policy will achieve this www.canada.ca/en/innovatio...

At the presser now about the arrest of nine police officers, the first question from media referenced the Umar Zameer case. Zameer was acquitted 20 months ago and police promised an investigation, including into possible police collusion. We're still waiting for that investigation.

#Breaking: Toronto police officers arrested in large-scale probe into organized crime and corruption

A teenager in provincial care is found dead on a northwestern B.C. trail near Highway 16—aka the notorious 'Highway of Tears' Hear more on APTN News Brief:

NEW: Palestinian-Canadian engineer Amjad Ramadan is suing his former employer, NTN Canada. He was fired soon after a video clip circulated of him protesting outside an Indigo bookstore in the GTA. By @rdassaly.bsky.social.

New story in The Grind. Amjad Ramadan, a 52-year-old Palestinian-Canadian, is suing his former employer for wrongful dismissal after he was abruptly terminated for speaking out for Palestine. "There is a campaign to silence us," he told me. @thegrindto.bsky.social

Decent article about the IDF "comedian" who spoke in Toronto this week. The big question that hasn't been answered though is: What happened here between the Israeli consultate and Canadian government? Hochman's team says he was let in only after the consulate intervened.

NEW: After being defunded by Doug Ford’s government, Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre scrambled to find an alternative model that would allow its safe drug consumption site (SCS) to continue operating. The feds stood in the way. By @emmapaling.bsky.social.

Confused by the changes to Ontario's recycling program? @dgrdon.bsky.social breaks down the new rules and looks at some of the problems.

Thoughts on the Finch LRT for The Grind: www.thegrindmag.ca/not-so-rapid...

If we truly care about the right of Iranians to live with dignity and freedom, we must be extra vigilant to differentiate between demands from inside Iran as distinct from those of the Trump and Netanyahu camp, Gita Hashemi and Shivam Chadha write.

Informative essay on what is happening in Iran, and on the lack of an organized left inside the country (the result of decades of repression).

David launched dozens of careers and mentored many more, helping Indigenous journalists find a voice in an industry that had rarely welcomed them. Story by @karynpugliese.bsky.social

Yesterday Elon Musk retweeted "white solidarity is the only way to survive". In our numb overwhelmed media environment it barely made headlines that the world's richest man endorsed blood-curdling white nationalism. My brief writeup for @religiondispatches.org religiondispatches.org/elon-musk-ju...

🚨 BREAKING: Israeli forces have killed 7 Palestinians, including 5 children, the youngest 5 years old, in less than 24 hours by striking tents and homes sheltering displaced families across northern and southern Gaza, Palestinian Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said today. Since that...

Advertise in the next issue of The Grind, out Jan. 24! Copies are available for free at 500 GTA locations, including 170 streetboxes and 20 TTC stations. There are options for every budget. Contact ads[at]thegrindmag[dot]ca

The Voice of Hind Rajab is playing at TIFF this week and has a wider release starting Jan. 23. The film follows Palestinian ambulance dispatchers as they desperately try to save six-year-old Hind Rajab from being killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.

“We’re going to be very strongly involved in it,” Trump says about the future of Venezuela’s oil industry on Fox News

If you haven't done it yet, this is your reminder to donate to your fave local media outlets to end 2025 — or to start 2026! The Grind is behind on a few bills and could really use a boost. Etransfer info[at]thegrindmag[dot]ca or visit www.thegrindmag.ca/support-the-...

now seems like a good time to remind you all to support independent, worker run, billionaire free, and/or reader funded news how and where you can.

Some drama at York University's Goldfarb Gallery. An artist says the administration censored her recent exhibit, which featured pro-Palestine content. Later, the gallery's curator was abruptly fired. Now, dozens of faculty are pushing back. For @thegrindto.bsky.social

NEW: York University Censored Exhibition at Goldfarb Gallery then Fired the Curator Artist Amy Ching-Yan Lam was forced to change her 'Acceptable Protest' animation, removing a 'Free Palestine' sign and reference to a university president character. By @rdassaly.bsky.social.

This former inmate says he was assaulted by guards. Maplehurst lost the security camera footage that could corroborate his claims

Richest 1/1000th of world’s population controls 3 times more wealth than the poorest 50%. "The global wealth gap has become so staggering, and its impact on economies & democratic institutions so corrosive, that policymakers should treat it as an emergency..." www.commondreams.org/news/world-i...

📚 FLASH SALE! 📚 🚨 30% off on all our books via our webstore. ⏰ Shop now until December 11, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST: www.btlbooks.com

My latest for @breachmedia.ca: When Saskatchewan's government brought in anti-trans laws, unions pushed back. Right-wing premiers are using the notwithstanding clause to attack their culture-war punching bags. Solidarity between unions and trans advocates in SK shows how to put up a fight.

The former Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation, located on Bathurst south of Bloor, is going to be turned into a city-owned shelter for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. By @dgrdon.bsky.social.

The Grind has learned that the City of Toronto is the new owner of 720 Bathurst St., the former Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation. The City plans to create a shelter for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. By @dgrdon.bsky.social.

UPDATE: Yesterday, four city councillors referred Saxe's motion for further study by city staff. The Ontario Clean Air Alliance says "'Further study' is the black hole of city decision making, especially since the Councillors attached no deadline for a response."

The Net-Zero Advisory Body is *legally* mandated to consult on Canada’s climate plans but has been completely ignored by Carney and Dabrusin. It appears that it is being bled dry — and now two of its most prominent members have quit in frustration.

Human rights lawyers are urging the RCMP to investigate and arrest Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni for alleged war crimes ahead of tonight's Munk Debates in Toronto. “Canada cannot become known as a safe haven for suspected war criminals," a lawyer told me. For @thegrindto.bsky.social

International lawyers are calling on Canadian police to investigate and arrest two participants in tonight's Munk Debate for possible war crimes for their roles in the 2008-2009 Gaza Massacre when Israel killed over 1,100 Palestinians. By @rdassaly.bsky.social.

Toronto city council is going to decide this month whether to pick another fight with the province. The city voted in 2023 and 2024 to shut down the Portlands gas plant by 2035, but the province wants to keep it open. By @emmapaling.bsky.social.

Councillor Saxe wants council to call on Toronto Hydro to develop a plan to phase out a giant gas-fired electricity plant by the lakeshore. If her motion passes, Toronto will be on a collision course with Ontario, which wants to extend the plant's life. By @emmapaling.bsky.social.

The Pathways Alliance project would inevitably be a massive boondoggle if it ever gets built. It’s only purpose is to greenwash the oil industry and deceive Canadians into thinking we can be a clean petrostate.

From Etobicoke to Moss Park, condo developers are putting their ambitious plans on ice as the market crashes. These shopping malls, social services, and half-finished construction sites are left in their place. www.thegrindmag.ca/toronto-cond...

“This year it’s measles and syphilis, next year it could be polio and whooping cough." This morning, unionized frontline workers warned that provincial cuts are plunging Ontario's public health into a state of crisis.

Umar Zameer was acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer more than 18 months ago. But the investigation into whether three of the officer’s colleagues coordinated their testimony during the trial remains unresolved. Story by @xavierrichervis.bsky.social

It's not just measles. Ontario has also seen a rapid spread of syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia in recent years. This morning, frontline workers warned that provincial funding cuts are plunging Ontario's public health into crisis. For @thegrindto.bsky.social

Toronto city council has long opposed extending the life of the polluting Portlands gas electricity plant on the waterfront. A new Ontario report suggests keeping it open indefinitely. Community groups are urging council to reject that plan and instead invest in renewables.

It's rare for a police officer in Canada to be criminally charged for shooting someone, and then to plead guilty Andrew Davis shot Devon Fowlin in 2023 and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced on Friday: no jail time and one year of probation www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...

Bill 60 could pass as early as today, stripping renters of significant rights and making it much easier for landlords to evict tenants.

After strong positive response last issue, we've also sent the new issue out into these boxes. There are 170 of them within the old city of Toronto area (not Scarborough, Etobicoke or North York, maybe next time). Copies also go in the TTC and to 300 shops this weekend and early next week.

During a downtown protest calling out Trump's plan for a Gaza "stabilization force," a snowplow operator drove through the crowd and gave attendees the finger. Toronto police told CBC News there is "No reason to believe there was any malicious intent."

Mark Carney is travelling to the UAE this week, but has not indicated that he will raise the issue of the UAE’s support of the paramilitary RSF in Sudan. The RSF recently carried out a brutal massacre in el-Fasher, Darfur, killing hundreds of civilians.

Saeed Teebi was among the hundreds of Canadian authors and book workers who boycotted the Giller Prize last night. For the @thegrindto.bsky.social, he shares a version of the powerful speech he gave at a Boycott Giller event in Vancouver. www.thegrindmag.ca/literature-d...

A group of Toronto tenants raised the alarm over a landlord with a long history of bad faith "renovictions" in apartment complexes across Ontario Now, a provisional order from the LTB means he'll have to appear in court if he wants to defend himself.

It's fundraising week at CIUT 89.5 FM, Toronto's community station! If you listen, consider supporting to keep the station on the airwaves.