What is gender-affirming care? Your questions, answeredWith 2025 just around the corner, several new laws and regulations in Ontario will be taking effect soon that will impact business owners, tenants, and those requiring childcare across the province. The Ontario government and the City of Toronto will both be introducing new rules in 2025, and here are some of the ones that you should keep on your radar. Drawing inspiration from a Hamilton bylaw enacted in 2024, Toronto formally adopted a in November to curb bad-faith evictions and protect tenants from “renovictions.” The bylaw officially comes into effect on July 31, 2025. Renovictions describe situations in which tenants are evicted under the false pretense of necessary renovations so that landlords can significantly increase rents or refuse tenants from returning to their homes. The City says the practice has become increasingly common in Toronto’s tight rental housing market and disproportionately impacts low-income and marginalized communities. Starting July 31, 2025, tenants who have been issued an N-13 notice should contact the City to verify that their landlord is in compliance with the new bylaw. Under the new regulations, landlords issuing an N-13 notice to end tenancy will require a Rental Renovation Licence. To apply for a licence, landlords will need to provide approved building permits, provide a copy of the N-13 notice, submit a $700 application fee, notify tenants of a licence application, post a tenant information notice in the building, and provide a report prepared by a qualified person noting that the renovation requires vacant possession. Landlords will also need to complete a tenant accommodation/compensation plan and provide tenants with prescribed severance compensation where the tenant chooses not to return to the unit. Starting January 1, 2025, the City of Toronto will be implementing updated licensing and zoning bylaws for restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues that seek to . Key changes include clarified criteria and new names for business licence categories, retired and merged business licence categories with existing re-named categories, increasing permitted maximum areas that bars and restaurants can use for entertainment, and permitting entertainment establishments and nightclubs city-wide in most commercial zones. As a result, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues currently holding business licences might need to transition to a new licence type, depending on the activities and services they provide. The zoning bylaw changes for nightclubs are aimed at reducing the clustering of nightclubs in the downtown core. Still, entertainment establishments must be located in a non-residential building, the only nightclub in the building, and located on the first storey or in the basement. Starting January 1, 2025, Ontario’s Highway 407 ETR will be rolling out a new rate schedule that will affect how much you’ll have to pay depending on the vehicle you drive. The new vehicle classifications aim to better reflect each vehicle’s impact, including motorcycles (charged 0.8x of light vehicle rate) and medium-sized vehicles (charged 1.5x of light vehicle rate). The roll rate for light vehicles will range from three to 14 cents per kilometre, depending on the time of day and zone you travel on the highway. Instead of the highway’s current four zones, there will be 12 zones starting next year, which will allow the highway operator to set different toll rates for each section. The annual transponder lease in January 2025 will also cost $29.50 plus tax. Toronto residents will have to such as water and garbage collection in 2025. The 3.75% increase — which will take effect on January 1, 2025 — is intended to support the continued delivery of services such as waste management and water treatment while also funding ongoing projects. Next year, factoring in the increase, the yearly solid waste fee for a single-family household will be $306.36 for a small bin (an increase of $11.07), $371.91 for a medium bin (an increase of $13.44), $505.12 for a large bin (an increase of $18.26) and $585.89 for an extra-large bin (an increase of $21.18). For an average Toronto household that uses 230 cubic metres of water per year, the 3.75% increase equates to an increase of $39 yearly, for a total annual cost of $1,078 in 2025. The comes into effect on January 1, 2025, with a three-month grace period that lasts until March 31, 2025 for certain designs that are already underway. The new Building Code seeks to reduce regulatory burdens for the construction industry, increase the safety and quality of buildings, and make it easier to build housing. The latest addition streamlines processes for the sector and increases harmonization with the National Construction Codes by eliminating at least 1,730 technical variations between the provincial and national requirements. The provincial government says the new code was developed in consultations with partners in the sector, including building officials, fire prevention officials, architects, engineers, builders, and the construction industry. In 2025, the Ontario government says it is taking the next step in as part of the national Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system with a new fee cap to reduce costs for families as well as a cost-based funding approach to provide more stability for operators. Starting in January 2025, parent fees will be capped at $22 per day for children under the age of six in CWELCC programs, which is estimated to result in additional savings of nearly $300 million in 2025 for families. Ontario’s cost-based funding approach for childcare operators — which also comes into effect on January 1 — replaces the “revenue replacement approach” the government used between 2022 and 2024, where operators were eligible for the amounts required to buy down the parent fees (plus cost escalation). “The new funding approach prioritizes a simple and easy-to-administer system that is consistent across the province and is representative of the true costs of operating child care,” the province says. Starting July 1, 2025, will take effect, which introduces a suite of new protections for workers in digital platform-based services like Uber and DoorDash. The new regulations apply to workers and operators of digital platforms, regardless of their employment status under the Employment Standards Act (ESA). Under the Act, operators must pay at least the ESA-prescribed minimum wage for each work assignment, provide details about how worker pay is calculated, and establish recurring pay. Operators are also barred from withholding tips, and workers cannot be removed from digital platform access without written notice (except in cases that involve public safety, legal restrictions, etc.). Ontario will be appointing compliance officers to investigate violations and issue penalties. Back in November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a on groceries for Canadians ahead of the pricey holiday season. The temporary tax break — which went into effect on December 15 — applies to several categories of products, including those related to childcare, alcoholic beverages like beer and wine, groceries, decorative items for the holidays, and books. The cuts also applied to restaurant meals and takeout. The federal government estimates that a family spending $2,000 on qualifying foods would see GST savings of over $100 over the two-month period. Along with this, the province also announced that it would be removing the HST from qualifying goods, meaning the same $2,000 basket of purchases would realize savings of $260 over the two months. However, this temporary tax break is set to expire on February 15, 2025. In October, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced , which seeks to pause population growth in the short term. For the first time, the levels plan includes controlled targets for temporary residents (specifically international students and foreign workers), as well as for permanent residents. “In response to the evolving needs of our country, this transitional levels plan alleviates pressures on housing, infrastructure and social services so that over the long term, we can grow our economic and social prosperity through immigration,” the federal government said in a press release. “This unprecedented plan offers a comprehensive approach to welcoming newcomers— one that preserves the integrity of our immigration programs and sets newcomers up for success.” The 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan is expected to result in a population decline of 0.2% in 2025 and 2026, before returning to a population growth of 0.8% in 2027. Compared to 2024’s plan, the federal government will be reduced from 500,000 permanent residents to 395,000 in 2025. Along with the temporary resident reduction measures announced in September, the Canadian government expects to see the country’s temporary population decline by 445,901 in 2025.Giants' 10th straight loss showed once again that they need a young QB
When VHS tapes hit the scene in the ‘80s, people thought cinemas would die a natural death in a matter of a decade. But what happened was just the opposite; VHS faced a natural death and CDs took over by the 2000s to be quickly replaced by the DVDs and Blu-ray. Then the internet gave us Netflix and the rest is history. Forty years later, theatres are still relevant. IMAX and 3D have broadened cinematic possibilities thanks in part to innovative technology, big studio budgets and all-star casts. But this is not about commercialised cinema. Instead, we went in search of two cinema halls well past their glory days that have survived (in some form) to the present day. Although the stories are different, they lend a unique perspective to Sri Lanka’s shifting socio-political narrative down the years. Welcome to the Ritz and the Rio – a tale of two cinemas. Ritz cinema transformed The Ritz is in the heart of Borella. Covered in billboards, the theatre stays relevant showing Sinhala and Kollywood releases. The Gallery downstairs has been converted to a pub, while the balcony has been converted into one entire floor for screenings. The lobby of the Ritz cinema is decorated with posters of silver screen classics like Sweep Ticket and Maruwa Samaga Wasey. Between the theatre’s ‘vomitories’ stood a defunct 35mm projector; a reminder of the cumbersome analogue era. Rakith Sugathadasa is the current proprietor of the Ritz cinema which has been in his family for three generations. As a millennial, he is well aware of the challenges to small independent theatres. One issue, he says, is parking. Decades ago, not many people owned cars and so building parking lots were not given much attention when designing commercial buildings. Rakith’s grandfather opened the Ritz in 1959 but passed away two years later and the cinema was rented out till 1980 after which Rakith’s father managed it until 2007. In its heyday, the Ritz was a massive theatre with a seating capacity of 700. “After the popularity of multiplexes, I decided to make it into a 116-seater. That’s why the Ritz survived and the Lido cinema didn’t,” Rakith said. One of the main Sinhala movie centres since the ‘80s, the Ritz cinema is an independent cinema and is part of the Lanka Film Distributors (LFD). Only five film circuits have the authority to release local and foreign films in Sri Lanka – They are the MPI, EAP, CEL, LFD which are owned by the private sector, and the Rithma Film Circuit owned by the Government under the National Film Corporation. In a world of multiplexes the Ritz keeps running due to its budget rates, according to Rakith. “We also have a bar and restaurant downstairs, so that is also one reason we are still surviving”. The Ritz upgraded to digital in 2016 to keep up with the times because analogue is just not feasible to operate. “35mm film costs Rs. 300,000 per single cinema, but a circuit can distribute to every cinema digitally for under Rs. 500,000. Moreover, film rolls are a hassle to operate”. Rakith said he hopes to upgrade the theatre and is still managing the Ritz cinema since it’s a family heirloom. “I grew up here. The Ritz is just a hobby. I have other businesses,” he said with a smile. “At the end of the day, the cinema is not marketable by itself. Films are what drive the market. We have a consistent crowd and sometimes get houseful in the weekends or during holidays”, he added. Rio theatre: flawed beauty In downtown Slave Island stands a decaying building—a flawed beauty and a tragedy of Sri Lanka’s dark past. The Rio theatre and hotel opened its doors in 1965 and featured Sri Lanka’s first 70mm Todd-AO projector. The Todd-AO 70 mm widescreen film format was developed by Mike Todd and the Naify brothers. The Todd AO also marked the beginning of what later became ‘Surround Sound’. The Rio’s first screened the musical South Pacific which was attended by the then Governor General William Goppalawa and a 20-year-old Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. During its heyday the Rio screened 70mm hits such as Can Can, Alamo, Sound of Music, Cleopatra and West Side Story. In the 60s, the Rio cinema became a popular entertainment hub for Colombo families as it featured amenities such as restaurants and ice cream shops. “But the good times came to an end quickly when the Film Corporation took over all distribution and importation of films and then the quality of movies began its decline from then,” Rathnarajah ‘Thambi’ Navarathnam, proprietor and manager of the Rio cinema, said. “Hollywood didn’t want to deal with a monopoly; they were big enough to ignore Sri Lanka and the 360 cinemas islandwide dropped to a mere 140 in the following years. However, to save the industry, a few private entities were once again allowed to import films. Torched The Rio was torched during the communal riots of 1983 just as many other Tamil-owned businesses. The cinema was rebuilt but the once-magnificent 70mm Todd-AO was replaced by the basic 35mm projectors, marking the end of an era. Rio earned a bad reputation after its fall from grace. The fact that the old cinema is being used as a ‘cruising’ spot is an open secret. The 35mm projectors are handled by an old-time technician who splices martial arts films, exploitation movies and R-rated shows into one continuous roll which are screened thrice a day. The Rio in recent years has also become the haunt for artistes, anarchists and bohemian-types. Several large murals have taken up the walls and the hotel section has been rented out to raves, parties, rock concerts and galleries. The Goethe Institut and Techno Worlds undertook minor restoration efforts and closed off much of the unsafe parts of the building. Contrasting fates The stories of the Rio and Ritz are part of our continuous internal struggle as a nation. The contrasting fates summarise the duality of Sri Lanka’s journey—adaptation and decline, resilience and abandonment. While the Ritz thrives through modernisation and community relevance, the Rio stands as a haunting reminder of missed opportunities and the scars of history. Together, they challenge us to confront the choices that have shaped not only our cultural institutions but also our collective identity. In cinema, as in life, transformation often requires vision and effort, while ruin comes easily, borne of neglect or misguided decisions. The Ritz and the Rio are not just cinemas; they are reflections of who we are, where we have been and the possibilities that lie ahead. Whether we learn from their stories or repeat the patterns they represent, remains to be seen.Israel claims responsibility for Hamas leader's killing
Vodafone Idea plans for 5G migration NEW DELHI: Telecom major Vodafone Idea on Friday said it has “sufficient spectrum” to support the migration of its entire 4G subscriber base to 5G. The company’s scrips were up 1.78 per cent and 1.52 per cent at the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange, respectively, on Friday after it released a presentation stating that it has 6.8 MHz of 5G spectrum holding per million 4G subscribers. The corresponding numbers for peers Airtel and Jio were 8.3 and 6 MHz, respectively, the presentation said. Vodafone Idea’s total spectrum holding in 700MHz and 3300 MHz bands to offer 5G services is 825 MHz with a 4G subscriber base of 125.9 million. The telecom major said that a late adaptation of 5G is a boon as the company is embracing latest and advanced technology products with the benefit of cost efficiency. The presentation was released ahead of its scheduled EGM on January 7 to seek shareholder nod on the issuance of equity shares of Rs 1,980 crore along with appointment of one non-executive director and one independent director. At the Q1FY25 earnings call, Akshaya Moondra, CEO of Vodafone Idea, had said that the rollout of 5G in key geographies will start in Q4FY25. Vodafone Idea highlighted four key strategies in its investor presentation to take on Airtel and Jio. These include — focused network investments to drive coverage and capacity expansion, market initiatives to drive ARPU (average revenue per user) improvement and customer retention, focus on business services through telco-to-techco transformation and strategic collaborations to monetise digital opportunities. The telecom service provider has identified 17 priority circles, including Calcutta and Bengal, for its focussed investments. The company has planned a capex spend of Rs 50,000-55,000 crore over the next three years for the launch of 5G services and expansion of 4G services. In the first six months of FY25, the company has spent more than Rs 2,000 crore to increase its 4G data capacity and coverage. The expected capital spend in the second half is around Rs 8,000 crore. AgenciesFantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 17: Wan’Dale Robinson, Devin Singletary | Sporting NewsForte scores 21, South Dakota beats Western Illinois 89-66
Jared Padalecki's return to 'Fire Country' Season 3: What fans can expectPentagon should assume drone 'invasion' is 'not friendly,' New Jersey lawmaker says: 'Wake up!'By MICHELLE L. PRICE WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer’s comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump’s world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment. Musk, the world’s richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump’s movement but his stance on the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Related Articles National Politics | Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns Trump’s own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump’s businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country” and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the “All-In” podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump’s budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.Giants' 10th straight loss showed once again that they need a young QB
S&P/TSX composite, U.S. markets end the trading day lower FridayNEW YORK (AP) — Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Greg Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time,” said Berson. Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.