Ben Spurr | Authors | Toronto Star

Ben Spurr

Twitter: @BenSpurr

Contact Ben at 416 869-4547.

Legalizing pot will be a process of trial and error, U.S. expert warns Trudeau

Sun Oct 25 2015

Legalizing marijuana in Canada will be “a lot harder to implement … take a lot longer to do … and cost more than you think,” says the director of Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division.
Trudeau wants opposition rivals to join him at UN climate talks

Sat Oct 24 2015

Prime Minister-designate’s plan to take a multi-party group to Paris hailed for its new approach and inclusiveness
Nathan Cirillo’s family joined by community to honour soldier killed at War Memorial

Wed Oct 21 2015

Members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders performed a ritual parade in Hamilton to honour Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was killed by a gunman Oct. 22, 2014 while standing guard at the National War Memorial.

Upsets and rivalries in five key races

Mon Oct 19 2015

It was a wild night in many ridings, with high-profile incumbents tossed and parties’ traditional territory ceded.comments
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Video Faces of Toronto’s homeless youth

Mon Oct 19 2015

Hundreds of young people call Toronto’s streets home every night, and while the paths that lead them there may differ, their stories share common themes: broken homes, addict parents and struggles with mental health. The Star brings you some of their stories.comments
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Video Five homeless youth share their stories

Mon Oct 19 2015

“When I was 13, I got kicked out because I pulled out a knife in the house. The cops took me to my first shelter, and my parents started using it as punishment. Whenever I got in trouble, they’d just send me to the shelter.”comments
Globe and Mail backs Tories without Stephen Harper

Fri Oct 16 2015

In editorial published Friday, newspaper calls culture of government under Conservative leader ‘rotten,’ but says party deserves another go at power.comments
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Video An education in election politics is elementary for these students

Fri Oct 16 2015

The Grade 5-6 class at Morse Street Public School in South Riverdale began studying the federal election this fall. As part of a class project, each student picked the issue most important to them and wrote letters about it to the party leaders.comments
Child-care advocates see reasons for hope in new report

Wed Oct 14 2015

Inventory of more than 1.2 million spaces would cover about 25 per cent of all children under age 12, forms unconventional national child care program: Childcare Resource and Research Unit.comments
Trudeau, Mulcair reject any suggestion of backing a Harper minority government

Mon Oct 12 2015

It looks more and more like Harper’s only hope of forming next government is to win a majority, which latest polls suggest is unlikely. comments
Surge in Canadians voting in advance for 2015 election

Sun Oct 11 2015

Elections Canada says over 1.6 million went to polls in first two days of advance voting — up 34 per cent from the 2011 figures.comments
Elections Canada translator fired

Sat Oct 10 2015

Agency offers translation services to voters who request it, but Elections Canada translators can’t accompany voters behind voting screencomments
Liberals within reach of strong minority: poll

Sat Oct 10 2015

Results of a new Forum Research survey suggest the NDP has little time to avoid being relegated to third-party status.comments
Advance polls kick off flurry of campaign activity

Thu Oct 08 2015

Campaign experts say four days of early voting this long weekend could play a major role on the election outcome.comments
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Video Harper pitting country against Muslims, some Niqab wearers say

Wed Oct 07 2015

Three Canadian women who wear the face veil say Conservative Leader Stephen Harper’s rhetoric risks pitting the country against its Muslim citizens.
Lack of opportunity backdrop to tight Scarborough race

Mon Oct 05 2015

All three main federal parties have a chance of winning in Scarborough Southwest, a riding characterized by low incomes and high unemployment. comments
U.S. comic Sarah Silverman endorses Canadian NDP candidate

Sun Oct 04 2015

Actress also tweets support for Thomas Mulcair and the New Democrats — a possible breach of election law prohibiting foreigners from influencing voters.comments
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Video Harper’s pot is ‘infinitely worse’ than tobacco assertion ‘misleading’ — health experts

Sat Oct 03 2015

A University of Waterloo researcher said on Saturday that Conservative Leader Stephen Harper’s assertion that marijuana is worse that tobacco “misleading.”comments
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Video NDP proposes national cap-and-trade system to fight climate change

Sun Sep 27 2015

Thomas Mulcair backs countrywide carbon-pricing scheme, but expert warns that getting the provinces on the same page could be “extremely difficult.”comments
Ottawa denies it will open dairy market to U.S. farmers

Sat Sep 26 2015

The government is dismissing reports that major concessions could be included in a trans-Pacific Partnership deal.comments