The 24th annual Beaches International Jazz Festival is underway in Toronto.

The music festival kicked off Thursday night to good crowds, closing Queen Street East from 6 p.m. until midnight with the festival running from 7-11.

The closures will be in place on Friday and Saturday.

A crash that caused a gas leak forced the evacuation of Ossington Station on Thursday.

On Bloor near the station a two car collision around 9:30 p.m led to the leak and the evacuation.

One person was taken to hospital, but there was no immediate word of their condition.

The TTC reported no injuries from inside the station.

Subway service resume around 11 p.m.

The city is offering residents in the Danzig Street area free media training in the wake of the shooting that left 2 dead and 23 injured.

The session on Friday will be hosted by a communications representative. It came about following complaints from residents who were disappointed in the way their neighbourhood was being portrayed.

It's being called "Close Encounters of the Media Kind" and will be hosted by a communications representative from the city.

On Newstalk 1010's Friendly Fire on Thursday city councillor Adam Vaughan told Ryan Doyle and John Downs he thinks it's a good idea.

"There's a grieving and a sadness here that needs to be respected. That's part of what I hope the media training is imparting," he says. "As well as how to deal with being in a scrum for the first time or whether or not you can say no to a question.

It's ...

Hundreds of officers will be at the ready, in case something happens for a good chunk of the rest of the summer.

That's according to Police Chief Bill Blair, who announced the force's plans to not only react in the case of violence in the city but to prevent crime as well.

Blair says not only will officers be out in full force for the Caribbean Carnival parade, but also between August 6th and September 9th. He says over 320 officers will be available to react at a moment's notice during that time period.

He says they're doing this by extending shifts that are currently eight or ten hours to 12 hours, underlining the money going to overtime will likely come out of other parts of the police budget. However, Blair doesn't seem to be ruling out knocking on the city's door for more money in case they need other ...

The Hudson's Bay Co. says it will close most of its 64 remaining Zellers Inc. stores in Canada that aren't being converted to Target stores, affecting up to 6,400 jobs.

A spokeswoman for Hudson's Bay Co. said Thursday the Zellers parent company has been contemplating what to do with the brand since last year, when it sold the majority of the leases for the discount stores to Target Corp.

``After a lengthy review and numerous discussions with various parties it became apparent that continuing to operate the Zellers banner in its current form was not viable, particularly given the geographic footprint of the remaining locations,'' said spokeswoman Tiffany Bourre.

Most of the remaining stores will be closed by March 2013, the company said.

But Bourre said the company hasn't ruled out the possibility of maintaining some of the store locations and opening them under another retail banner.

Bourre said that ...

A 56-year-old man is dead, suffering a medical emergency after an arrest by York Regional Police officers in Newmarket Wednesday night.

The province's Special Investigations Unit has been called in to look into the events that led to the man's hospitalization.

According to press releases from the agency and York Police, around 9:30 pm officers received a call to respond to a Tim Hortons store at the corner of Leslie Street and Davis Drive.  The man in question was allegedly drunk and was arrested and taken to YRP 1 District Station.  That's where the SIU says he went into "medical distress" shortly after arrival.

At that point EMS were called and the man was taken to hospital where he was placed on life support and died shortly after 2:30 pm Thursday.

Three SIU investigators and two forensic investigators are on the case.

The SIU's mandate is to examine any case ...

Victims of the Sunrise Propane blast in Toronto have the green light to press their collective lawsuit.

The court has certified the action against the company, some of its suppliers and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority.

Almost four years ago, the Sunrise distribution plant exploded in a fireball that killed an employee.

It also forced about 12,500 people from their nearby homes and caused about $25 million in damage to properties.

Lawyers say the crucial certification means victims are a significant step closer to settling their claims.

The class action seeks several hundred million dollars in damages.

(The Canadian Press)

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair is set to lay out his plans to ramp up police presence across the city after a recent spate of deadly shootings.
    
The announcement comes just days after Blair met with the mayor and premier to discuss what can be done to prevent more gun violence.
    
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford asked for the meeting following a mass shooting at an east-end community party that killed two people and injured at least 20 last week.
    
The city was already reeling from two other deadly public shootings, one at the Eaton Centre shopping mall and another on a crowded patio in the Little Italy neighbourhood.
    
This week's talks led the province to pledge $12.5-million in permanent funding for anti-violence programs.
    
But the mayor's request for $5 million to $10 million from the province to hire extra police ...

What to do with Ontario Place?

NewsTalk 1010 show host John Tory who heads up a provincially appointed panel announced the recommendations at Queen's Park on Thursday morning.  

Among the list of things being recommended, a year-round urban park, the return of the Forum cultural events and concerts along the waterfront, residential developments, a mix of shops, artist studios and cafes as well as a learning facility to bring students in.

Tory says the vast majority of Ontario Place should be an open park, with people living and working in a small portion of the park.

Tory says the residences should be appropriately sized a not be a wall of highrises that would block the sight lines.
    
He says there should be easy and open access to a key portion of Toronto's waterfront.

The cash-strapped Liberal government closed most of Ontario Place earlier this year to help ...

Millions of Ontarians could find themselves without health insurance coverage if they ignore government notices to get a new health card.
    
There are still more than 3.5 million Ontario residents with the old red-and-white health cards that have no expiry date.
    
One of them was CTV health reporter Avis Favaro, who discovered her OHIP card had been cancelled when she went to a Hunstville walk-in clinic after suffering a bad reaction to an insect bite.
    
Favaro was told she would have to pay $60 cash to see a doctor.
    
Government officials won't comment on a specific case, but say people are sent three notices telling them to get a new health card with a photograph and a five-year expiry date.
    
If the card holder doesn't respond, and the health card hasn't been used in seven years, the government will suspend ...

Toronto seniors and the disabled could be left struggling after a snafu at city hall.

It was last September when city council voted to scrap the $900-thousand Hardship Fund, which helps low-income seniors and disabled people pay for medical expenses.

After that decision to get rid of it, the community cried foul and expressed outrage, causing many councillors to get cold feet about the move. In January, council directed city staff to keep the fund going until July 1, then ask the province to keep the program running until the end of the year.

It was only if the province refused to hand over the cash, city staff were supposed to pull the cash from the Toronto Employment and Social Services net budget.

Instead, staff still scrapped the Hardship Fund, leaving 1300 of the city's most vulnerable, with nowhere to turn.

The Hardship Fund was established in 1999 with the ...

A public funeral Thursday morning in Montreal for 33 year old Jun Lin.

He's the victim of a gory murder, in which Luka Magnotta has been charged in.

Lin was studying at Concordia University and came to Canada from China. The school is now raising money for his family and setting up an award in his memory.

Lin's murder and dismemberment captured worldwide attention and the hunt for his alleged killer ended in Germany.

Magnotta meanwhile, is in custody until his preliminary hearing, which is set for next March.

Countless thunderstorm watches and warnings issued for the greater Toronto area in the early morning hours of Thursday.

Environment Canada warned that a line of storms could bring with it large-sized hail and torrential rains at times. In some areas, totals could reach 50 millimetres.

The lightning already proved to be a major problem on Wednesday evening when two house fires in Brampton, were blamed on lightning strikes.

The first call came in just before 11:30 p.m. to a home on Spadina Road. Seven fire trucks were called to the two-alarm blaze in the Bovaird and McLaughlin area.

It was only 15 minutes after that first call, that crews were needed at a home on Amsterdam Cres. That's near McLaughlin Rd. and Queen St. There were no reports of injuries at either fire.

Another home in Vaughan on Amalfi Cres. was also hit.

Meanwhile, a home in East Gwillimbury sustained ...