Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station in N.B. (CBC)It may be a case of 'NIMBYism,' but you can hardly blame people in Sarnia, Ont., for their hesitation at the prospect of hosting a new site for nuclear waste, however benign the proposal sounds.

The backyard in this case includes not just Sarnia but the state of Michigan, whose politicians have also raised concerns about the proposal by Ontario Power Generation to bury low-level waste from the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station on the shore of Lake Huron.

CBC News reports the plan calls for the waste, which includes things like workers' protective clothing, mops and towels used to clean up spills of contaminated water, to be sunk into a "deep geologic repository" 680 metres deep in "stable rock formations" that are more than 450 million years old.

The site in Kincardine, Ont., would be about 1.6 kilometres (one mile) from the lake.

Not good enough, says Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley.

"You know, the reality is that this material is being stored at that site now above ground," Bradley told CBC News

A graphic outlining how Metrolinx plans to pay for transit expansion across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Courtesy of Metrolinx.I wonder if the people at Ontario’s transit-planning agency have a Plan B, because some people might find Plan A a tough sell.

Metrolinx, the province's transit planning outfit, released a report on Monday on how to cover a $34-billion funding shortfall in a massive expansion to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area transportation system.

It outlined a package of revenue tools that could pay for the expansion, which includes increasing Ontario’s harmonized sales tax (HST) by one per cent in the Toronto and Hamilton area.

Other measures included charging a five-cents-per-litre gas tax, implementing a 15 per cent development charge on new construction projects, and charging a parking levy for businesses. But the HST bump is the big one.

Various levels of government have already invested $16 billion in completing the multi-year transit plan, leaving some $34 billion to be secured. Metrolinx was left to come up with a strategy to fund the rest of the project to the tune of $2 billion per year.

The Snow Birds fly over Parliament Hill as part of last year's Canada Day celebrations.

The NCC is the Crown corporation responsible for administering federally-owned property in the Ottawa region. It looks after the capital's major tourist attractions and also organizes cultural events such as Canada Day celebrations.

But like every government agency, the commission has felt the Conservative government's budget knife and needs to find new funding sources.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information legislation show the NCC is considering a proposal to generate almost $4.5 million in sponsorship revenue over the next five years.

A report prepared for the commission by consulting firm TrojanOne Ltd., which specializes in something called "integrated brand activation," found sponsors could be found for things like biking events, art displays, the annual Christmas lights festival and for

The Quebec government is joining the official backlash against Airbnb, the global online service that matches travellers with homeowners looking to make a little extra cash by renting out space to visitors.

The Canadian Press reports the province is investigating 2,000 Quebec residents who've rented out their homes for short-term stays without a permit.

Under provincial law, Quebecers can't advertise or rent out their homes on a regular basis for fewer than 31 days without registering with the government and forking over $250, CP said.

“The law and regulations on tourist establishments is clear on the subject,” Tourisme Quebec spokeswoman Suzanne Asselin told a Montreal radio station, according to CP.

“The law and regulations on tourist establishments is clear on the subject,” Asselin said, adding the crackdown is intended to ensure the safety of people visiting Quebec.

[ Related: How hedging your bets with Airbnb could cost you ]

Airbnb seems to inhabit a space somewhere between Craigslist

[ This story was UPDATED at 4 p.m. ET ]

The latest missile to hit Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's office may have been one he fired himself.

Ford's press secretary George Christopoulos and deputy press secretary Isaac Ransom resigned from their positions on Monday amid a thickening controversy into how the mayor has handled allegations he was videotaped smoking from a crack pipe.

"The Mayor thanks both George and Isaac for their valuable contributions and wishes them the best in their future endeavours," reads a statement on the resignation released on Monday.

The resignations come one day after Ford called reporters "a bunch of maggots" on his radio show and three days after he finally addressed the alleged video — with a statement that may not have had much input from his communications department.

A representative with the Bank of Canada displays the new polymer $5 and $10 bank notes alongside the $20, $50, and $100 during a press conference at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Some Canadians suspect the Bank of Canada has been circulating a new scent along with its plastic bank notes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

For many people, the answer is yes. Enough people believed a rumour that new bank notes released by Canada's money ministry were purposely infused with the scent of maple that the information commissioner of Canada was called to investigate.

The Canadian Press reports the rumours started shortly after the first new $100 bill was released in November 2011. Here are a few examples of inquiries received by the Bank of Canada:

• "I would like to know ... once and for all if these bills are in fact scented, as I do detect a hint of maple when smelling the bill."
• "They all have a scent which I'd say smells like maple? Please advise if this is normal?"
• "The note ... lost its maple smell. I strongly suggest the Bank increases the strength of the ... maple smell."

[ Related: Canadians ask about maple syrup smell on new bank notes ]

So what led these people

[ UPDATE: 4:45 p.m. ET: Gawker's campaign to raise $200,000 to buy an alleged video of Mayor Rob Ford smoking from a crack pipe has surpassed its target. Gawker said last week they have lost contact with those who have the video ]

When Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his brother took to their radio program to discuss (or not discuss) the alleged video of the mayor smoking from a crack pipe, they compared the story to a Hollywood movie script.

Fantastic, bizarre and — in their words — unbelievable, the whole plot line does seem to be ripped from the pages of an over-the-top political thriller. Except for one thing: where is the murder?

Well here we are, weaving into the second week of the spectacular scandal and murder most foul has made its appearance.

The Globe and Mail reports that two sources confirmed a senior member of the mayor's office was interviewed by police about a tip connecting the alleged video with a recent homicide.

[ Related: Mayor Rob Ford called media "maggots" on his radio

You give a guy a pulpit and he'll use it.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford took to the airwaves on Sunday and issued an all-out assault on members of the media and city council as he faces calls to resign following allegations he was videotaped smoking from a crack pipe.

Ford and his brother, Coun. Doug Ford, both face separate allegations surrounding drug use and weren't shy about using their Newstalk 1010 radio program to point blame at others across the city.

Rob Ford was less direct about addressing the allegations themselves. He started the show by complaining about the attention paid to the allegations made by the Toronto Star and Gawker, after reporters viewed a video allegedly showing him smoke from a crack pipe within the last six months.

“This is all ridiculous. No matter what you say, I found out to the media, you are never going to make them happy. You could give them 10 bars of gold and they could say, ‘why don’t I get 15 bars of gold.’”

Ford then called members of the media a "bunch of