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Wednesday WTF

WTF Monday: The Urban Outfitters Kent State shirt and other offensive fashion items

Hana Shafi

The hipster palace of fashion: Urban Outfitters. I’ll admit, I shop there. Of course, I speed walk immediately to the sale section in search of $7 sweaters—did I mention I’m the queen of bargains?—but even in my sprint to sale racks, I never fail to catch a glimpse of at least one totally offensive clothing […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Doug Ford promotes discrimination against autistic children

Kelsey Braithwaite

Toronto city councillor Doug Ford believes that people with autism, when integrated, can ruin a community. It’s as simple as that. He shared this opinion with the staff of an Etobicoke home for teens with autism, owned by the Griffin Centre, a non-profit mental health agency. The Etobicoke Guardian reports that Ford held a public […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Questions remain about B.C.’s $66 million “all talk” funding

Kelsey Braithwaite

Six months ago, Canada learned that British Columbia’s Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) spent about $66 million on “discussions and engagement” for indigenous organizations without taking strategic action. The questionable spending was highlighted in a November 2013 report titled “When Talk Trumped Service.” Produced by B.C’s child and youth representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, […] More »

WTF Wednesday: The NBA and the Racist Boys’ Club

Kelsey Braithwaite

This past Saturday, an important clip was made public on TMZ. The audio captured Los Angeles Clipper’s owner Donald Sterling telling his sweetheart, V. Stiviano, that he does not want her “broadcasting” her associations with minorities, specifically black people. For context, Stiviano is of black and Mexican decent.  I’ll let that fester. Sterling’s reaction was […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Game of Thrones and why we still don’t recognize consent

Kelsey Braithwaite

Water is still wet, the sky is still blue, and “first-world” countries still have trouble calling rape, well, rape. Spoiler alert for all Game of Thrones fans who have not seen the episode “Breaker of Chains,” and a trigger warning. The word “rape” is used often. On Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones (GOT), fans […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Nursing homes are prescribing drugs and are fully aware they may kill residents

Kelsey Braithwaite

Many nursing homes’ workers are giving residents potentially lethal pharmaceuticals to help with dementia. These nurses and doctors are well aware the drugs may kill those suffering from the disease. But it’s still happening all across the province. The Star recently conducted an investigation into the usage of these pharmaceuticals in Ontario nursing homes. It […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Foster care youth earn less than the “average”

Kelsey Braithwaite

If you are leaving the foster care system to face the world of employment, be prepared to earn less than your fellow “average Canadian.” A recent report from the Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) said former foster care youth will earn about $326,000 less in their lifetime compared to youth not in the system. Your […] More »

WTF Wednesday: New law bans medical marijuana users from growing their own pot

Simon Treanor

On April 1, the federal government will enact a new law banning individuals from growing medical marijuana for their own use. Instead, those who wish to acquire the drug will be forced to buy it from provincially-approved growers, who then mail the dried product to the patients. Currently, only seven growers are approved; their prices […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Tibet occupation continues; Canada watches

Simon Treanor

In recent weeks, much of the the world has been closely watching the developments in Crimea. With people debating Russia’s occupation and the outrage it has caused in some sectors, it seems common nowadays that such aggressive action from any country can, and will, be met with near unanimous protest and condemnation. This sort of […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Russia approves troop deployment to Crimea; Canadians protest

Simon Treanor

This week, hundreds of protesters in Toronto and Ottawa gathered to call for a peaceful solution in Ukraine, where tensions are only escalating—especially thanks to Russia’s presence in Crimea. In both cities, crowds of people wearing blue and yellow shouted, “Putin hands off Ukraine!” At night, Toronto Ukranians gathered outside the consulate, holding candles and […] More »

WTF Wednesday: The “Fair” Election Act

Simon Treanor

The proposed Fair Election Act, first announced February 4, is set to cause controversy for quite a while yet. A petition was presented yesterday on Parliament Hill that had garnered over 50,000 signatures in opposition to the proposed act, with members from the NDP, the Liberal party of Canada, and the Green Party also there […] More »