Matt Elliott: Toronto may finally drop this 24-year ban this week. Why we should relish the moment A report at this week’s city council meeting recommends Mayor Olivia Chow and council make sweeping changes to the bylaws related to street vending and busking.

My @thestar.com column: Freedom for frankfurters! After 24 long years, Toronto Council could finally end a moratorium on new downtown hot dog carts this week.

It’s another sign that our famously stodgy city might actually be loosening up. That’s a good thing. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

The Role of Producers in Shaping Artist Identity - That Eric Alper When you think about what makes David Bowie Bowie, the alien theatricality, the chameleonic restlessness, the sheer audacity of the thing, how much of that belongs to Bowie himself, and how much belongs to Tony Visconti or Brian Eno? Not a trick question. Actually one of the most fascinating puzzles in all of popular music, […]

We celebrate the artist. We forget the producer. But very often, the producer is the one who figured out who the artist actually is. New post on exactly that. zurl.co/LnEtn

Moraine Lake, Rocky Mountains
Yvonne McKague Housser
1930

Please enjoy my cartoon for Friday's Toronto Star

TIMe Cover from January 2026: Back to the Moon: Artemis II Astronauts Will Travel Farther than any humans have before

If you’re watching the Artemis II launch, I can not recommend enough TIME’s fantastic cover story about the crew and the mission by Jeffrey Kluger, the best space journalist in the biz
time.com/7346146/arte...

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on getting to the moon Why should Artemis II get Canada’s attention and why is it important? What is Canada doing in space? The rookie space flyer explains.

Was proud to interview Jeremy Hansen for @thestar.com's podcast #ThisMatters just after he was assigned to Artemis II three years ago. He and the crew are set to launch tomorrow: www.thestar.com/podcasts/thi...

tbh i would support an end to daylight saving just so we can stop debating daylight saving

Dejected rivalry

That was so many men

Winter Olympics 2026 live: Canada defeats Britain to take men’s curling gold; Homan wins bronze; Canada’s Blondin takes mass start silver Our live coverage has everything you need to know about Team Canada and the biggest stories at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

#Breaking: Canada beats Great Britain to win gold in men's curling

Is this the second season of “Heated Rivalry?”

Gaëtan Dugas sits outdoors on a wooden fence or rail beside a lake. He is wearing a green long-sleeve shirt, light blue jeans, and a patterned scarf or bandana around his neck. One leg is crossed over the other, and his hands rest on his knee. Behind him is a calm blue lake with forested hills and trees along the shoreline under a clear sky. Tall grasses and plants are in the foreground.

After Gaëtan Dugas of Quebec City discovered he had HIV, he worked closely with doctors to provide invaluable information.
Then he was erroneously vilified as Patient Zero of the AIDS epidemic after his death.
It took decades to clear his name
This is his story.

🧵 1/8

Oshawa Generals apologize after asking fans to shower before games | CBC News The OHL's Oshawa Generals have apologized after asking fans to shower before attending games. The junior ice hockey team's director of ticket sales and service sent out on email this week asking fans to shower if they went to the gym "or did something that produced body odour."

Oshawa Generals apologize after asking fans to shower before games

Netflix and windchill.

a close up of a woman 's face with a serious look on her face and a white tank top . ALT: a close up of a woman 's face with a serious look on her face and a white tank top .

When you are in denial that you are sick on a stretch of days off...

Canadian songbird Jann Arden has shared on Instagram she is engaged to Icelandic writer @thordiselva.bsky.social. Kinda of nice to end the year with some love-related news. Love wins. Cheers to 2025.

Sunset with Deer
Maud Lewis
c. 1964

‘The internet is dead.’ Long live print | CBC Arts Flyers, posters, zines: they've always been important to the DIY music scene, but now that everything’s enshittified, print is the best line of communication in our post-search age.

CBC Arts: The internet is dead. Long live print
www.cbc.ca/arts/print-i...

Current issue of @theonion.com nails it again.

A midtown Toronto walking tour of ravines, riches and retail Rosedale and Summerhill reward a leisurely stroll with heritage houses, snowy green space and a stretch of Yonge Street boutiques and cafes.

A midtown Toronto walking tour of ravines, riches and retail
#TorontotheBetter

Deer
Benjamin Chee Chee ~ Ojibwe
1976

The crows have eyes.

Skate Canada to stop holding national, international events in Alberta | CBC News Skate Canada says it will no longer host major events in Alberta following a review of the province's legislation on the participation of transgender athletes in women's sport.

BREAKING: Skate Canada is boycotting Alberta over the province's ban on Trans women competing in women's sports.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Headline: what Gen Alpha misses by not slow dancing

Hey Millennials, you should congratulate Gen Alpha on their first successful kill

Here’s my Spotify Wrapped 🎵✨

Out of the Blue
Monica Morrill
c. 2025

Future bike lanes banned by new provincial legislation New bike lanes on existing roads are banned by new provincial legislation. Bill 60 says municipalities can’t build bike lanes on any part of a road currently used by vehicles.

New bike lanes on existing roads are banned by new provincial legislation. Bill 60 says municipalities can’t build bike lanes on any part of a road currently used by vehicles www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...