TVO.org daily: Monday, December 16

Flying for the holidays? You’ve got new protections

People travelling by air have new federal passenger protections, CTV reports. In effect as of yesterday, the rules govern delays and cancellations, standard of treatment, and the seating of children. For example, a passenger is entitled to reimbursement for flight delays of three hours or longer that are unrelated to safety issues and within the airline’s control to avoid. When it comes to children, those under the age of 5 must be seated adjacent to a guardian, with flexible rules for older children.

Amazon a godsend to residents of remote Iqaluit

As Christmas shopping draws to a crescendo, The Guardian has a reminder that the cheap, easily-available goods most Canadians take for granted are a luxury in some of the country’s more remote areas. While many revile Amazon’s business practices, the e-commerce behemoth’s free shipping program is treasured by residents of Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital. For example, basics for young families such as diapers and formula can cost up to twice as much in local Iqaluit shops as in the rest of the country. Thanks to cheap shipping, residents there can buy products at the same price as other Canadians.

Queen’s Park will be watching Toronto council tax vote

Toronto Mayor John Tory is expected to put his plan for a substantial property tax increase to a vote at city council on Tuesday. The province will likely be watching to see whether the increase passes, since the $6.6 billion it is intended to raise will partly go toward transit infrastructure, a priority for Premier Doug Ford.

Access 360: Kyoto

A threat looms over Kyoto, the cultural centre of Japan and a city packed with World Heritage sites. Rapid modernization has decimated its traditional cityscape and threatens age-old cultural practices. Now, a team of warriors from various walks of life battles to preserve Kyoto’s essence in the face of inevitable change.

Why visions of teachers and Andrew Scheer will be dancing in Tory heads

The legislature recessed Thursday and isn’t supposed to be back until February — but the Ontario government has taught us to expect the unexpected, writes politics columnist John Michael McGrath: “Although, normally, we wouldn’t see MPPs in the chamber again until after Family Day, there’s one big issue on the horizon that could mean everyone gets called back early: negotiations with the province’s four biggest teachers’ unions.” He explains how bargaining, a Charter challenge to Bill 124, and the wild-card news of Andrew Scheer’s resignation could have Ontario’s top Tories on edge over the holidays.

What climate change means for Ontario’s largest provincial park

Northeastern Ontario Hub reporter Nick Dunne spoke with researchers about global warming’s effects on the geese, muskrats, and polar bears that reside in Polar Bear Provincial Park. Warmer temperatures have affected not only the wildlife, but the Weenusk First Nation, a Cree community whose traditional lands sit on the southern edge of the park. “Members still hunt, fish, and trap game, although global warming has brought new challenges,” he writes. “Changing ice formations, for example, have led to hunts being called off.”

8 p.m. — The Agenda: Volunteers wanted

Are Canadians in the giving spirit these days? What’s preventing people from offering their time to charitable causes? To discuss the state of volunteering in Canada, The Agenda welcomes Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank; Rafael Gomez, director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources; Joanne McKiernan, executive director of Volunteer Toronto; and Katherine Alexopoulos, director of Volunteer Resources.

9 p.m. — Alberto Giacometti by Stanley Tucci

Actor Stanley Tucci has long been obsessed with the great modernist artist Alberto Giacometti. In this hour-long documentary, Tucci examines why Giacometti was a relentlessly curious artistic mind, but also a man burdened by doubt in his own abilities. Compelled to keep working on his sculptures and paintings despite his deep anxieties, Giacometti created works that are hailed as some of the greatest of the 20th century.

December 2000 — A Shakespearean meal

Shakespeare is remembered for the ingenuity of his insults — and some of his best were rooted in the language of food. You eater of broken meat! You greasy bag of guts! In this episode of Imprint, host Tina Srebotnjak makes a cherry custard recipe from Eating Shakespeare, a 2000 cookbook co-authored by Betty and Sonia Zyvatkauskas, two sisters inspired by every food reference the Bard ever made in his writing. Researching Shakespeare’s food themes, Sonia says, brings a new intimacy to understanding his work. “When he is talking about Falstaff running up a bar tab and eating anchovies, you realize Shakespeare probably did that himself,” she says.