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Cake day: July 18th, 2023

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  • I visited Chicago. Took a tour of Wrigley Field (where the Cubs play) and spent a little time in Wrigleyville (the surrounding area). I went to a White Sox game that evening (where my Blue Jays were playing). I got into a conversation with a gentleman in the seat behind me. He was talking disparagingly of the White Sox and I pointed that out, and he said “Oh I hate the White Sox. I’m only here because this is a free seat and a work outing.” The stands were very empty in the stadium. I don’t know if they offered stadium tours. I came away with the impression that the White Sox were a littler brother to the Cubs in Chicago than the Clippers are to the Lakers the or Mets are to the Yankees. So, if I was guessing, I’d guess a person affiliated with Chicago would be a Cubs fan if they’re a supporter of an MLB team in that city
















  • According to Loblaw, the cameras are only worn by trained store teams, including asset protection representatives, security and management.

    [However] At the Parkdale Shoppers location, TorontoToday also witnessed cashiers wearing them.

    Loblaw said if a camera is turned on, the employees are trained to verbally inform those around them and ensure everyone is aware.

    As if!

    Loblaw said stores choosing to deploy the body cameras are supposed to have signage at their entrances to inform customers of their use. If any footage collected is not required for police investigation, it’s deleted within 72 hours, the company said.

    However, at the Shoppers in Parkdale on Thursday, TorontoToday could not locate signage specifically pertaining to the body cameras, though there were signs indicating that security cameras are in operation.


  • Though the goal of the program appears to be safety, the cameras leave a sour taste with James Turk — the director of Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. He argued the program exposes an underlying issue where Loblaw no longer employs enough actual people to handle conflict efficiently by defending one another in numbers.

    “They’re trying to do everything they can to eliminate the number of staff by having these automated checkouts and so forth,” he said. “In the days when there were more staff, if one member was having a problem and loud voices were raised, having other staff around was an important protection.”

    If I’m frustrated by a lack of service in a corporate store, I know it’s the fault of a business decision to not have adequate staffing. I avoid these stores. In stores “we don’t accept any rudeness to our colleagues” or on phones “we’re experiencing a surge in call volume” are just codes for “we’re deliberately understaffing, we expect this will frustrate customers, and rather than staff adequately we’ve decided to lie to and police customers”