Author: Mike Beggs

Feature/Profile

Vinyl, CDs, cassettes…Mississauga’s Chewzzit Music carries music in all formats

Mike Beggs

Step into Chewzzit Music – situated in the Fantastic Flea Market, on the bottom floor of Dixie Outlet Mall, 1250 South Service Rd. in Mississauga – and you’ll find not only a broad range of vinyl, CD’s, cassettes, 8-tracks, 45’s, band T-shirts, posters, and patches and other rock paraphernalia – but the comical red-lipped Chewzzit logo, a disco ball, lava lamp, and free raisins and Tootsie Pops.

“(I’m) just having fun with it,” muses owner George Turanski.“(And especially since Covid), people want to come and socialize, and talk music. I even jam with some of my customers.” They also gravitate to his regular specials – currently including a big rack full of $1CD’s (with titles like The Wallflowers’ “Bringing Down The Horse”).

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Opinion/Column

My Highway leads to the Moonshine Cafe

Mike Beggs

An all-original show in the suburbs! In my 30 or so years of writing about the GTA music circuit, that’s a rarity, if not an impossibility. But that’s what listeners got when The Pistolettes appeared last Friday at the long-running Moonshine Café, in Oakville — one of the best rooms in the West End.

This all-female Hamilton band delivered a relentlessly high energy show blending elements of Rock, Rockabilly, Blues, and Classic Country. No slow, maudlin ballads here, but plenty of raucous whoops, hoots, and jokes.

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NewsRide Hailing newsTaxi industry news

Mayor acknowledges “review should have occurred, but it didn’t” after Burlington Taxi closure

Mike Beggs

After the meeting, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said in a press release, “Early in 2019, staff formed a small team to look into the bylaw review and removed the motion from the regular reporting list, with a plan to report back to council on progress. That report back didn’t happen. While we have heard that the key reasons for Burlington Taxi’s closure – high insurance rates and insufficient number of drivers – are unrelated to the bylaw review requested in 2018, we acknowledge that review should have occurred. It didn’t, and for that, we take responsibility.”

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Feature/ProfileGuest Contributions

Honest Cabbie made my night

Mike Beggs

When he reached my destination, the meter was up around $16, so I handed him a 20 and said, “Keep the change.”

At least, I thought it was a twenty. But I had a roll of bills in my front pocket, had knocked back a few drinks, and didn’t have my glasses on.

At this point, the 10-year City Taxi driver separated the twenty into TWO $20 bills, held them up in the air and said nicely, “You want me to keep the change on this?

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NewsRide Hailing newsTaxi industry news

Uber should go back home to America if it can’t obey Canadian law, protesters say

Mike Beggs

While the September 28 demonstration was held in the Uber parking lot, steps away from the company office, no Uber Canada representatives were in attendance and the corporation did not issue any statement to the Uber Canada website.

A long-time limo driver who joined Uber as an Uber Black driver, Butt was the led the demonstration to protest low pay and unfair practices.

He points out that 300 Uber Black drivers applied to unionize, in January of 2019, hoping to bring Uber to the table to discuss such issues. But three years later, this application is still bogged down at the Ontario Labour Relations Board, with Butt alleging that Uber is attempting to block this process.

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