The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Toronto - A Canadian criminal justice system that treats violent offenders to a day at the spa needs a major overhaul, says Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino. His remarks are in response to an article published in Saturday's National Post, which reports that on Aug. 21, female prisoners at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Ontario indulged in various spa services, free of charge. The paper reported that the women received manicures, pedicures, aromatherapy and a harp serenade while enjoying tea on fine china. Organized by the prison's chaplain's office, the day was intended to help the women reduce stress and boost their self-esteem, writes the Post Ottawa - An annual report by a labour umbrella group finds negligible improvement in the quality of life of working families over the past year. Continued labour organizing and low interest rates were the main reasons that living standards rose slightly, according to the report card released on Labour Day weekend by the Canadian Labour Congress. "One sliver of good news over the past year was the slight shift to permanent work, both full-time and part-time," the labour group's president, Ken Georgetti, said. The job growth mostly occurred in the construction and government sectors, which are both highly unionized. The report notes that the percentage of the workforce that is unionized kept pace with the economy.
