[URBAN NOTE] On the anti-Christmas squirrels of Mel Lastman Square
CBC News' Greg Ross and Laura Fraser cover this light news item from North York.
A pack of furry, pint-sized grinches have stolen the Christmas spirit from Mel Lastman Square.
The trees and the skaters are still there, but they're no longer bathed in the glow of the season - something Coun. John Filion blames on some particularly crafty squirrels.
The squirrels have been chewing through the wires holding up lights that normally decorate the North York park's trees, he says.
"I believe it totally has to do with one or more squirrels who perhaps don't like Christmas.
It first started two years ago. At first just a few strands went dark, but it soon turned into a virtual blackout. Last season, the city brought in a cherry picker to replace the extinguished lights.
But Filion says it proved no match for the wee scrooges.
"Less than two days, and they were not working."
A pack of furry, pint-sized grinches have stolen the Christmas spirit from Mel Lastman Square.
The trees and the skaters are still there, but they're no longer bathed in the glow of the season - something Coun. John Filion blames on some particularly crafty squirrels.
The squirrels have been chewing through the wires holding up lights that normally decorate the North York park's trees, he says.
"I believe it totally has to do with one or more squirrels who perhaps don't like Christmas.
It first started two years ago. At first just a few strands went dark, but it soon turned into a virtual blackout. Last season, the city brought in a cherry picker to replace the extinguished lights.
But Filion says it proved no match for the wee scrooges.
"Less than two days, and they were not working."