May 31st is the deadline for all stores to hide their cigarettes and all tobacco related paraphernalia from plain view. It will be illegal for any tobacco products to be displayed at any time, including during restocking or inventory checks. This is the last stage of the Smoke Free Ontario Act which became a law in 2006. Without cigarettes on display consumers will have to look through a binder in order to make their selection. The law even prohibits customers from touching the cigarettes before they pay for them.

Out of sight really means out of sight. The province is suggesting that in order to comply with the law that cigarettes be kept in overhead containers or drawers that are below the counter and totally invisible to customers. Doors that open in view of the customers are not acceptable. There are approximately 10,000 convenience stores in Ontario and at least half of them won’t be ready to hide their tobacco products by the May 31st because the store owners didn’t get the specific requirements until the end of January 2008. Many small stores derive the lion share of their income from the sale of cigarettes. In addition this new law will cause them to lose their retailing allowances, which are incentive fees that are paid by tobacco companies to ensure that their products are prominently placed. The special containers will also prove to be a financial hardship for many small shop owners with prices estimated in the average range of $2,500.00. The fines for noncompliance have yet to be finalized, but is assumed that first time fines would likely be $200.00 - $300.00.

It seems to me that we are being hypocritical. We have not banned the sale of cigarettes because we want to continue to raking in the huge tax dollars that generate. But, we want to make it as big a hardship for stores to sell them so that we can appear to be doing the right thing in the war against smoking. In the meantime the illegal cigarette trade is growing exponentially. What are we doing about it? Perhaps it time to take a real stand and make the sale of cigarettes and all tobacco products illegal instead of these half-hearted measures that continue to line the government’s pockets. Do you think that the sale of cigarettes should be banned altogether? Do you approve of the latest measure to hide all tobacco products? Do think that this will have an impact on teenage smoking?

I’m a big fan of Ontario wines and the wonderful wineries in the Niagara Peninsula and Prince Edward County. I had no idea that essentially what was an enormous home-brew facility existed in Little Portugal on Dublin Street. The problem with this quasi-winery where the wine was allegedly made and sold by Confira Imports and Distributing Limited, is that this facility was totally unregulated and as a result large amounts of the wine may be unsafe and could pose a health risk.

The illegal wine was not sold through the back door in the dead of night. It was actually sold in local convenience stores in Toronto. Red and white wine was sold by the 4-litre jug to the stores for $10.00 and they in turn resold it to the customers for $13.00 - $14.00. I assume that you had to know the owner of the store in order to buy the wine because it obviously wasn’t kept in plain view on the shelves. But, the community certainly knew about it, as is evidenced by the fact that it was someone in the neighbourhood who complained to the police about the bootlegged wine. It is apparently very easy to find, as long as you know where to look.

Acting on the tip, the police had the warehouse under surveillance for 5 weeks before making their move. When the Toronto police arrived at Confira’s warehouse on Dublin Street they found wine stewing in uncovered containers, two cats wandering around, and a dead spider floating in one of the vats. The equipment was unclean. They seized 46,680 litres of red and white wine. So far the owners of Confira and 6 store owners have been charged with unlawfully keeping, offering, and selling liquor. Confira could be fined as much as $500,000 and each individual could be fined $250,000. In spite of the unclean conditions and the health risk, there have not been any reported cases of illness as a result.

Do you know anyone who buys bootlegged wine?

Are you one of the 180,000 that have expressed an interest in tickets to see the Buffalo Bills play at the Rogers Centre? I find that astounding, but that’s how many people Anthony Viner, president and chief executive officer of Rogers Media, says have declared their interest.

This is an amazing deal for the Buffalo Bills, who had the lowest ticket prices in the NFL in 2007 with an average price of a mere $51.24. There are approximately 62,000 seats at Ralph Wilson Stadium and the average take per game is $6 million which includes revenue for tickets and concessions. In sharp contrast the Bills will be paid $78 million Canadian for playing 8 games - 5 regular season games and 3 exhibition games - at the Rogers Centre which amounts to almost $10 million Canadian per game. Rogers is part of a consortium that negotiated this deal with the Bills that runs through 2012. The Buffalo Bills will provide the team, the NFL will provide the opponent and the Toronto consortium will sell tickets, concessions, and promote the event.

Ticket prices have yet to be announced but there is talk that they could go as high as $350.00 and I wonder how many of the 180,000 who are interested are interested enough to pony up that kind of money to watch an NFL game. At the Rogers Centre on August 14th the Buffalo Bills will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in an exhibition game and on December 7th the Buffalo Bills will play the Miami Dolphins in Toronto in a regular season game. In 2009 Buffalo will play 1 regular season game in Toronto. In 2010 they will play 1 regular and 1 preseason game in Toronto. In 2011 they will play 1 regular season game in Toronto and in 2012 they will play 1 preseason and 1 regular season game in Toronto.

The Buffalo Bills will be the first NFL team in history to play annual games outside of the USA. Will you be attending? For more information follow the link to the Rogers Centre website. http://www.rogerscentre.com

It appears that Bob Kinnear, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 and union vice-president Kevin Morton can’t play nicely together. Kevin Morton and his supporters, the militant maintenance workers, clearly didn’t give a hoot about the 1.5 million Torontonians who use the TTC daily when they voting against the deal that Kinnear negotiated and supported in an attempt to force Kinnear out. And I thought that coups only happened in third world countries, but it happened right here in the GTA.

This behaviour is unconscionable and not acceptable in a civilized society. It is exactly this behaviour that makes the general public so anti-union that many are now calling for the TTC to be declared an essential service or to privatize it altogether. It seems that these 2 options are the only way that we will be liberated permanently for union bully tactics and a complete disregard for the people of Toronto. The maintenance workers are nothing more than cowards. The drivers are on the front line every day facing the public. The maintenance workers get to wreak havoc in the city and hide safely away from the angry residents of the city.

Stranding people with no warning so that you can try and overthrow your union boss should be a punishable offense. The pathetic part of all of this is that if the TTC had accepted the contract offer it would have put them near the top of transit wage earners in North America. The only transit maintenance workers in Canada who would have been higher paid were those who worked for Calgary Transit. There has to be a better way to get rid of Bob Kinnear that to have a TTC strike. The union is not at all apologetic. Adam Giambrone on the other hand did issue an apology to the people of Toronto and has stated that they will now look at scaling back some of the offers made in the tentative agreement. Wouldn’t it be poetic justice if at the end of the day the union walked away with less than they turned down?

If you’ve been downsized, or perhaps looking to make a career change, you may want to consider being a Butler, or Household Manager, as they are also called. Although we tend to have a stereotypical vision of a butler from how they are portrayed in movies and television, butlers can actually be men or women and fall into 3 categories – Residential, Hotel, and Apartment.

Residential Butler: The Residential Butler acts as the CEO of the household and may manage a very large staff, multiple residences, a fleet of luxury vehicles, and budgets. An excellent butler in this type of environment can expect to earn up to $200,000 per year.

Hotel Butler: Many luxury hotel and spa properties employ butlers to act as the interface between the guest and the property. In the highly competitive luxury market it is imperative that the guests are treated like royalty in order to build a loyal client base. The butler will also sell or up-sell services to the guests.

Apartment Butler: Apartment Butlers are popular in Asia and provide the services or a concierge.

The demand for butlers is on the rise and as a result butler schools are springing up like mushrooms – 2 of them right here in Canada. The Charles MacPherson Academy is a school for Butlers and Household Managers with the first eight-week course beginning in May in Toronto. To view the Charles MacPherson Academy online brochure, follow the link below.
http://www.charlesmacpherson.com/CM_Brochure.pdf

In April, Butlers of Canada will begin its first six-week training course for butlers at the Galiano Oceanfront Inn and Spa on Galiano Island in British Columbia. To apply to the Butlers of Canada program follow the link below.
http://www.butlersofcanada.com/

For everything you ever wanted to know about butlers but were afraid to ask, follow the link below.
http://butlerbureau.com/

There is so much to see and do in Toronto that it’s really no surprise that there are some terrific Mother’s Day events around town. I’ve found some really interesting Mother’s Day ideas that you may not have known about. If you’re looking to do something new this year, perhaps you’d like to try one of these events.

• Habitat for Humanity is having a special Mother’s Day Build on May 10th from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM at 4200 Kingston Road, Habitat for Humanity Toronto’s first Energy Star build site. Mother and child (must be a minimum of 16 years of age) teams will have the great pleasure of helping a family less fortunate than themselves. In addition there will be gifts for mom, prizes, a commemorative tote bag, and a delicious lunch. For all of the details follow the link below.
  Toronto Habitat

• Mother’s Day Cream Tea on Sunday, May 11th at the beautiful Spadina Museum, a Victorian country estate that evolved into an Edwardian city mansion. Its rich history chronicles four generations of the wealthy Austin family. There are two sittings, one at 12:30 PM and another at 2:30 PM. Tickets for this event are $12.50 plus tax and must be purchased in advance. The Spadina Museum is located at 285 Spadina Road. For more information or to purchase tickets call 416-392-6910 or 416-338-3888 or email spadina@toronto.ca

• Denim Days at the Bata Shoe Museum are a great way to support breast cancer research and the Cure Foundation. From May 11th – May 13th everyone who visits the museum wearing denim will have $5 of their admission donated to the Cure Foundation and breast cancer research. Admission for kids is only $4, so the Bata Shoe Museum will contribute the extra dollar for all of the kids who wear their jeans. Call 416-979-7799 or follow the link below to the website for all of the details.
  Bata Shoe Museum

• Mother’s Day Cruises are a fabulous way to spend a relaxing afternoon or evening out on the water with Mom. Choose from afternoon or evening sailings. For one amazing all-inclusive price you get reserved seating, a scenic fun-filled 4-hour cruise, delicious hot buffet lunch or dinner, DJ, dancing by sunlight or moonlight, and a cash bar. Call 416-777-5777 or follow the link to the website below.
  Toronto Dinner Cruises

• The Toronto Zoo is giving the first 97 moms and their families (maximum number of 4 persons per group) free admission on May 11th. For more information call 416-392-5929 or follow the link to the website below.
  http://www.torontozoo.com/

• The Kortright Centre is hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch and Hike on May 11th from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the Kortright Centre for Conservation. A delicious brunch will be followed by a beautiful spring wildflower guided hike through the forest. For more information call 416-667-6295 or follow the link to the website below.
  Kortright Centre

What are you planning to do on Mother’s Day?

The Bloor-Yorkville Wine Festival is now in its 10th glorious year and has been renamed Santé: Toronto International Wine Festival. From May 5 – 10 wines of the world will take centre stage in Toronto, with a focus on new world wines from Australia and California.

Some of the incredible festival highlights include:

• Over 10,000 participants
• 375 great wines
• 42 international wineries from 12 countries
• 22 celebrity chefs
• Deconstructing Dinner Seminars
• Ultimate Winemaker’s Dinner
• International Wine Tasting
• Sip, Savour & Shop
• Savour & Learn
• Santé Finale

Santé, a celebration of wine, is designed to appeal to all wine lovers. You don’t have to be knowledgeable or be a collector. This is a fabulous opportunity to taste and learn. If you love wine and you love to dine then you must try Santé in the City – select restaurants have partnered with Festival wineries to create fabulous wining and dining experiences. Follow the link below to the complete list of participating restaurants, dates, and prices.
http://www.santewinefestival.net/list_OF_restaurant.html

Just when you thought that air travel couldn’t possibly get any worse, the latest from Air Canada may make you rethink your travel plans. Citing fuel costs as the reason, economy class passengers who buy Tango and Tango Plus tickets will have to pay $25.00 extra to check a second bag on North American flights, effective on July 15th.

This is the latest in a series of cash grab schemes instituted by the airline in an attempt to generate revenue without announcing a fare hike. Do they really think that we don’t understand what they are doing?

If you have excess baggage, this news may make your heart stop! Economy passengers who check in more than two bags will be charged $100.00 for each additional bag on North American flights and $225.00 on international flights. This is absolutely unbelievable. I cannot imagine how families traveling with children are going to afford air travel. Air Canada’s cavalier response to these concerns was the following quote by Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur, who said, “If you choose to pack lighter, then you will not pay this fee”.

Of course this new cash grab scheme won’t affect business class travelers. It will only affect those who it will hurt the most – families and people who head off for an annual holiday. Air Canada has clearly taken its cue from some of the U.S. airlines who instituted similar policies. United Airlines, Continental, Delta, Northwest, and US Airways will begin charging customers an additional $25.00 for checking second bags in May.

Porter Airlines said it has no plans to introduce any new fees in the near future. Will this latest airline surcharge make you rethink your travel plans? Will this help swing you over to Porter?

The TTC is the poster child for a union who should not have the right to strike. Everyday the TTC is used by approximately 1.5 million people. The City of Toronto cannot function without an operational transit system. The residents of Toronto cannot get to their jobs and earn a living with the TTC on strike. If that is not the definition of an essential service, then I don’t know what is.

Union President Bob Kinnear, a megalomaniac and bully, pranced around beating his chest in victory last week when he declared that he accepted an agreement that made no concessions. The TTC didn’t get a good deal, they got a deal that what utterly stupid for the people of Toronto. If the TTC got everything that they wanted, then why wouldn’t the union members ratify the agreement? Instead they rejected the sweetheart deal and went out on strike at midnight on Friday night with a mere 90 minutes notice instead of the 48 hours notice that was promised. Countless numbers of people were left stranded all over the city. Others woke to the news on Saturday morning with no means to get to their jobs.

Some say that the deal was rejected because mechanics were concerned about job security because new bus repairs are covered on warranty and not the responsibility of the TTC. Another theory is that the maintenance workers were very upset that they didn’t get the “highest paid” clause that the drivers got. The reality is that David Miller gave away the store and the union still wouldn’t ratify the agreement. It’s time for the mayor to take back control of the city, and have the TTC declared an essential service. Once that’s done they should be given a fair contract for all parties. If the union doesn’t like it then these overpaid prima donnas can go out and find another job and perhaps another union boss who has a grip on reality.

In the meantime the legislature sat on Sunday and quickly passed back to work legislation. There was some service on Sunday afternoon and full service is to be restored by Monday morning. If the union or any union members defy the legislation fines of $25,000 per day for the union and $2,000 per day for individuals could be imposed. The bill imposes mediation and arbitration and must take into account the ability of the city and the province to pay. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

What a great way to get free advertising and publicity. The $1.00 house is now the most talked about property in Toronto. Omar Ibrahim, the owner of the 2-storey house located at 93 Badgerow Avenue, came up with this publicity stunt to get his house noticed. And that he did. The story has appeared everywhere. Obviously he has no intentions of selling the house for $1.00. In a market that is not as hot as it was (Toronto’s residential unit sales dropped 13.4 % and new listings dropped 7 %) Mr. Ibrahim felt that an extra edge was needed to create interest in his property – a semi in Riverdale with three bedrooms, new flooring, appliances, fresh paint, and a finished basement.

I was actually disappointed to hear that this marketing strategy is not new. According to real estate broker Tony Bassels, in 2004 a house in Willowdale was listed for $1.00. In 16 days it sold for approximately $960,000. The interest generated by the $1.00 listing was believed to have contributed to the high sale price. Mr. Ibrahim has done his homework well. He buys, renovates, and sells houses. In January 2008 he purchased the property at 93 Badgerow Ave. for $342,000. Clearly he will not be selling the house for bargain basement prices. Quite the contrary, he is hoping that the interest generated by the $1.00 listing will drive up the interest in the property and the selling price. It will be interesting to see if lightning strikes twice and if this marketing strategy works again.