Good morning, Ontario.
Here's what we're following
Parents set to battle over vaccines
Parents both for and against schoolchildren refusing vaccinations for philosophical or religious reasons are expected to make presentations before the Toronto Board of Health today. The board is considering Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen De Villa’s recommendation to allow student exemptions only for medical reasons.De Villa argues that the small but growing number of unvaccinated children could eventually threaten the city’s herd immunity, which occurs when a population is protected from disease outbreaks due to a high-enough ratio of people being vaccinated.
The science behind the popularity of vaping
The growing number of Canadians using e-cigarettes is thanks in part to dramatic changes in the chemistry used in the devices over the past two years. The CBC reports that newer e-cigarettes that entered the Canadian market last year, such as Juul or Vype, mimic the feeling of a conventional cigarette on the throat and use what are known as “nicotine salts” to deliver a higher concentration of drugs to the brain. According to a study published in British Medical Journal in June, the number of Canadian teens who said they had vaped in the past month grew from 8.4 per cent in 2017 to 14.6 per cent in 2018 — a 74 per cent increase.
The rise of the ‘seniorpreneur’
In 2018-19, its first year of operation, a pilot program designed for senior entrepreneurs in Oshawa received more applications than positions it had available. It’s a sign of the growing number of people over the age of 65 starting their own businesses. Program creator Pramilla Ramdahani tells the CBC some of the seniors she’s met have been sitting on business ideas for 30 to 40 years, “so now is the time for them to unleash.” Insufficient retirement savings and simply not being ready to stop working are the main reasons given for the growing trend of elderly entrepreneurs.
Meet Toronto’s official bee
Most don’t know that the metallic green sweat bee has been Toronto’s official bee since April of last year. It was chosen for its abundance in the city, its distinctive green appearance, and because its nests are organized almost like the condo buildings many Torontonians call home. (The underground nests have a communal entrance, but each bee gets its own unit.) Toronto Star science and technology reporter Kate Allen argues that having an official bee might be cute, but also has a purpose. “In a way, this metallic green sweat bee can be seen as a mascot for a broader movement: the recognition that cities can and must play a role in protecting biological diversity and fighting climate change,” she writes.
Watch now
The Agenda: Naomi Klein on a Green New Deal
Author and journalist Naomi Klein speaks with Steve Paikin about her new book, On Fire, which calls for a new framework to tackle climate change and economic inequality. She also has a personal reason for her push for a “once-in-a-century chance” to fix the climate collapse. “What I’m worried about for my seven-year-old … I’m worried that there won’t be any salmon in the Pacific Ocean,” she says. “I’m worried that I will have to explain to him that we allowed the oceans to warm enough that we destroyed a species on the backs that ancient cultures rest, that feed the forests where he was born, in British Columbia, and the oceans. Oh my God, I’m so much more worried about that than deficits. And I really wish that we were talking more about those kinds of deficits.”
Read now
Worst-case Ontario: How to prepare for climate change disasters
Experts warn that extreme-weather events in Ontario are only going to get worse. Journalist Glynis Ratcliffe talked to Blair Feltmate, head of the University of Waterloo’s Intact Centre for Climate Change, about how Ontarians can get ready for them. “How do we adapt to the extreme-weather risk that’s on the ground today — and, more importantly, the extreme-weather risk that’s coming for sure in the future that will be more challenging than that which we’re currently experiencing?” he tells her. “We know for sure that climate change is irreversible, period. It’s here to stay.”
Tonight on TVO
8 p.m. — The Agenda: Jody Wilson-Raybould
Steve Paikin’s discussion with Canada’s former attorney general and justice minister covers her new book, the part she played in the Liberal government’s SNC-Lavalin controversy, and her bid to win an independent seat on October 21 in her riding of Vancouver-Granville.
9 p.m. — Extraordinary Women: Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was the It Girl of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She won an Oscar for her role in Roman Holiday, her first major film, and went on to star in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and My Fair Lady. Her effortless beauty charmed millions. This documentary looks at her journey to become a beloved movie star and fashion icon.
From the archive
April 2001 — Hemingway’s Toronto
Many fans of the American novelist may know that Ernest Hemingway spent a short while in Toronto, but might not be aware of the impact his time in the city had on his early life. It was the first place his writing was published, as a journalist at the Toronto Star, and where his first child was born. This 2001 segment of Imprint has Michael Palin visiting Hemingway’s Hogtown neighbourhoods and haunts, including his Bathurst Street apartment — which went up for sale earlier this year for $730,000. Hemingway’s rent at the time? Eighty-five dollars a month.