Toronto Star Profile picture
Aug 12 7 tweets 4 min read
#StarInvestigation: OLG quietly transformed dozens of bingo halls into de facto casinos, despite slot machine ban. thestar.com/business/2022/…
Money-losing modernization program added hundreds of gaming terminals that look and operate much like slot machines to bingo halls, despite ban on slots.

OLG says the halls support communities and follow the law. thestar.com/business/2022/…
At one bingo hall in Toronto, some machines had single play wagers going as high as $12 which stunned slot machine expert Kevin Harrigan.

He said if a player went for 10 spins a minute, they could lose an average of $12 per minute. thestar.com/business/2022/… Image
But with 2,900 gambling machines in venues across the province, they now seem to resemble casinos more than the bingo halls of yesterday. thestar.com/business/2022/…
The OLG spent tens of millions of dollars installing “Vegas-style gaming machines” into bingo halls across the province, but by 2020, the charitable gaming centres were barely meeting half of the $400-million-per-year revenue projections they promised. thestar.com/business/2022/… Image
The OLG lost more than $180 million on the charitable gaming initiative between the 2013 and 2020 fiscal years, according to an audit by the Ministry of Finance.

(Annual net income or loss is revenue after expenses) thestar.com/business/2022/… Image
One expert said they may actually be more risky for problem gamblers than casino slots.

Read more of the Star's investigation here: thestar.com/business/2022/… Image

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More from @TorontoStar

Aug 12
The Ontario government has given Maggie Hickey an ultimatum: the disabled teen can lose her funding or her independence.

The Ministry of Health will cut the funding Hickey uses for caregivers unless her parents impose guardianship over her.
thestar.com/news/investiga… A close-up shot of Maggie Hickey. Hickey is sitting on a swi
While her parents have worked to keep her voice central to all decisions about her life, an inflexible provincial policy means they will lose important funding unless they permanently suppress her decision-making authority over her property and finances.
thestar.com/news/investiga… Maggie Hickey sitting with her parents Erin Sheldon and Robe
Her parents incorporated a non-profit Microboard, a group of five people who commit to maintain a relationship with Maggie, “respond to the initiatives she expresses” and advocate on her behalf.
thestar.com/news/investiga… Maggie Hickey lying on a hammock outdoors while another indi
Read 5 tweets
Aug 12
Polio, an infectious disease eradicated in Canada nearly three decades ago, has re-emerged in some Western nations. Some have started vaccination campaigns.

Should Canada be prepared for an outbreak of its own? Experts weigh in.
thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
What is polio and what are its symptoms?

The illness occurs when a virus attacks nerve cells in the spinal cord. It can leave muscles weak or damaged, and in some instances can cause paralysis or death. Other symptoms include sore throat and fever.
thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
Polio is “very contagious.” It is spread through the fecal matter, coughs or sneezes, according to Ontario Health.

Ninety per cent of people who have the illness do not show any symptoms.
thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
Read 7 tweets
Aug 12
Milk production costs decreased for the first time in four years in 2021, according to a Canadian Dairy Commission report obtained by the Star.

But the federal crown corporation plans to hike wholesale milk prices next month.
thestar.com/business/2022/…
The CDC cited “exceptional cost increases observed on-farm during spring 2022” for its price adjustment. It plans to hike prices 2.5% after increasing prices 8.4% in February, the largest on record. thestar.com/business/2022/…
“The price hike is absolutely not justified,” said Sylvain Charlebois, a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University and the senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab.
thestar.com/business/2022/…
Read 5 tweets
Aug 11
Across Canada, universities saw record-high surplus revenues during the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Universities rapidly transitioned to virtual learning when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and performed better than projected, a Statistics Canada report says. thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
Provincial funding and tuition fees were the biggest earners for universities, but investment income also raked in $5.4 billion compared with $44.3 million in 2019-2020. thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
University revenues increased by 12.8 per cent to total $46.3 billion, while their expenditures decreased by 3.8 per cent to $39 billion, resulting in a revenue surplus of $7.3 billion, the report says. thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
Read 6 tweets
Aug 11
#Opinion: She won in the last century. She won in the last millennium. She won in the ’90s, the aughts, the teens, the ’20s. And when the road wound to Toronto, she won in 2001, 2011, 2013.

Serena’s farewell tour began with a goodbye to the city.
thestar.com/sports/tennis/…
No one else — not female, not male, not Roger or Rafa or The Joker — has compiled a grander Grand Slam record than Serena Williams.

Which is why she’s the tennis GOAT, gender-oblivious. Maybe the greatest female athlete ever, sport-oblivious. thestar.com/sports/tennis/…
“It was a lot of emotions,” said Williams, just a month shy of her 41st birthday, tapering toward the end of a career that has spanned three decades.

“Obviously I love playing here. I’ve always loved playing here.” thestar.com/sports/tennis/…
Read 5 tweets
Aug 11
The average number of people turned away each day from Toronto’s homeless shelters was roughly 10 times as high in June as it was a year earlier, new city statistics show.

Approximately 100 callers per day weren’t matched with a bed by 4 a.m. in June.
thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
This June saw the highest average number of people turned away from homeless shelters in any month since the city began logging calls in November 2020. thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
One outreach volunteer said she recently called the intake line and spent much of the afternoon on hold, trying to get a woman out of the rain.

Her efforts proved fruitless, with staff repeatedly telling her there weren’t any suitable beds available.
thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
Read 7 tweets

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