[PHOTO] Two shoots of Bloor-Yonge Station

Back in February, I took some pictures at Bloor-Yonge Station, on the Yonge line located on the upper level of the station. Bloor-Yonge is a central station in Toronto's subway network, one of three that link the north-south and west-east lines, and rather busy especially during peak commuting times.

Looking south at Yonge-Bloor Station
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

Looking west across the tracks at Bloor-Yonge Station
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

[FORUM] What do you think about Canada's criminalization of HIV transmission?

On Saturday, Johnson Aziga was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder for infecting two women, now dead, with HIV. Rosie Dimanno's summarizes the judgement neatly in the Toronto Star.

On Saturday, after deliberating for three days, a Hamilton jury found Aziga guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault.

It was a historic verdict: The first time in Canada – or anywhere in the world, as far as the prosecution is aware – that a criminal case involving the reckless transmission of HIV has resulted in a murder conviction.

Deliberate, without prophylactic protection, done in full awareness that infection of others might result, withholding his HIV-positive status and repeatedly denying his condition to sexual partners who inquired.

Two of those women subsequently died from AIDS-related lymphoma, their videotaped testimony--given shortly before they passed away--played for the jury.

Five other women have tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Four more women have tested negative. But it's still aggravated sexual assault because, as the Crown successfully argued, valid consent cannot be given when information about a partner's diagnosed HIV-positive status has been withheld.

There is an obligation, legally and morally, to disclose.

Aziga did not tell and, further, denied it when directly quizzed by girlfriends who were persuaded to cease using condoms.

The two women who died, further, did so in part because their HIV status went undetected long enough for them to develop fatal AIDS-related cancers.

The evidence entered into court suggests that Aziga was quite aware of his HIV status, not only (as Dimanno points out) having been repeatedly counselled on safer sex and warned not to engage in unprotected intercourse, but actively convincing some of his sexual partners to forego using condoms on the grounds that he was HIV-negative.

Aziga was diagnosed with HIV in 1996. He received counselling from medical staff on both safe sex practices and his legal obligation to disclose positive status to sexual partners. Fully educated about the virus, Aziga nevertheless continued his reckless behaviour before and after separating from his wife. Twice he was issued with orders under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to abstain from sex involving penile penetration unless he disclosed his HIV and wore a latex condom "from onset of erection."

I think, mostly, that Aziga's conviction is a step foward, just as I felt back in 2005, that someone who knowingly infects another person with an incurable and potentially lethal virus without the other party's knowing should be brought up on criminal charges. This applies to only a very small minority of HIV-positive people: Up to half of all HIV transmissions occur immediately after the first person was infected, before antibodies to HIV even show up, and the HIV-positive people I do know are quite responsible in relation to other people. Individuals like Aziga who evidence depraved indifference to human life would be the only people brought up on charges. There's still the possibility that these wouldn't be the only people, though, and the point of the Canadian AIDS Society that it could discourage people from receiving treatment or letting their partners know about their infection.

What do you think?

[LINK] "Italian-Canadians look for ways to help quake victims back home"

The Canadian Press reports that Italian Canadians in Ontario (and elsewhere) are mobilizing to help survivors of the L'Aquila earthquake in the southern region of Abruzzo region.

Pal Di Iulio, the head of Villa Charities, one of the Canada's largest Italian-Canadian foundations, spent Monday taking phone calls from people wanting to know what they can do to help.

"There's tremendous emotion and we're trying translate that emotion and passion into some sort of plan," Di Iulio said from Toronto.

Patrons at the cafes and bars that line Toronto's Little Italy were glued to televisions for updates. Antonio Lentini, a chef at an Italian restaurant, said many expatriates maintain close ties with Italy and they were anxious to find out what's happening and what aid they can provide.

"They have big hearts," said Lentini, 34, who was born in Sicily.

At the Ontario legislature, there were suggestions from a senior provincial politician that the federal and provincial governments will have a role to play in aid efforts.

"This is a shock to the system for the whole world, but certainly for Italian-Canadians," said Greg Sorbara, a Liberal who represents the riding of Vaughan, north of Toronto.

"It is very painful and it brings memories of the earthquake in the 1970s where Canadian efforts were very significant in rebuilding."

The Toronto Star

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[BRIEF NOTE] Facebook, now in Canadian French

Canadian News Wire reports that Facebook is now available in Canadian French.

Facebook today announced that Canadian French is available on its site, marking another milestone in the company's efforts to create the best possible experience for people everywhere to connect with their friends, family and co-workers, no matter where they live or what language they speak. More than 1,200 Canadian French-speaking Facebook users chose to take part in the translation effort.

[. . .]

Jimmy Lavoie, 17, an avid Facebook user from Québec, was the most prolific translator. "As I worked on the translation, my goal was to help create a site that feels natural and comfortable to French Canadians. I like the French language and I try to protect it, on the Internet and in real life," wrote Lavoie in a guest posting on Facebook's company blog. "I'm especially proud of Québec French, also called Canadian French, which is recognized as a different dialect from the European French language."

To complete the translation from English to Canadian French, users who added the Facebook translation application were allowed to submit translations while browsing the site. The community then approved all translations through a voting system that "voted up" or "voted down" each translation. For example, users agreed on citing both "cégep" and "université" as the translation for "college" in the "Info" section of the Profile page.

Back in 2008, I blogged about how Facebook was lagging behind in Québec apparently because of the late introduction of French as one of Facebook's language. It's interesting to see how quickly this has been remedied, with users going so far as to tailr a versino specifically for Canadian Francophones.