Wvrst Toronto sausages, Toronto Islands quickie, Air Canada labour woes

Finally had a chance to check out Wvrst, the sausage joint on King West.

Super-friendly staff and tremendously varied sausages; everything from Calabrese (pork and chili paste) to traditional Bratwvrst, plus a variety of game sausages - pheasant with apple, duck with maple and foie gras and bison with blueberry and maple. I tried the latter, as I've been reading a book about Crazy Horse the Sioux Indian hero and Custer, the U.S. Army not-quite-hero.

The sausage was quite tasty and it's served in a great baguette-style bun. I had stewed onions and peppers with mine, plus a side order of fries cooked in duck fat You can get them cooked in oil if you want but what's the fun of that?

I topped it off with a King Pilsner, which is quite good. A nice lunch, but it set me back a tidy $23 - a little steep for sausage, fries and a beer methinks. But the place was packed on a Friday at lunch and folks were having a good time. They do special events, including a recent Industry and Friends Dance Party. And they'll be celebrating the start of Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 17 with a launch party.

Check Star Travel guy Adrian Brijbassi's recent blog for more. And thanks to Julia Pelish for the photo above, showing owner Aldo Lanzillotta.

I also had a few minutes to tool around on the Toronto Islands, always a big treat. If you've never been, I highly recommend stopping at the Rectory Cafe on the Wards Island end of things. It's quiet and peaceful and the patio is one of the coolest and shadiest spots in the city; just a few steps from the lake.

The Islands really are one of the great selling points of the city. I took advantage of the new ticket machines and was able to bypass a lot of the lineup. If you haven't used the machines, they also come highly recommended. They're off to one side a few feet in front of the ticket windows...

The islands have plenty of activities, but I prefer simply biking and, when I get the chance, a short canoe ride. There are lots of places you can paddle about and feel like you're way up north and not a few yards from Canada's biggest city.

AIR CANADA LABOUR TROUBLES

Interesting that Air Canada flight attendants voted so overwhelmingly against a proposed contract. In case you missed it, the CUPE workers voted 88 per cent AGAINST the proposed deal.

Earlier this year, when Air Canada customer service workers went on strike, the Harper government announced it would legislate them back to work. With that incident still fresh in their minds, the folks who represent the company's 6,800-odd flight attendants say they fear Ottawa will intervene again.

Meanwhile, Canadian Press says CUPE is organizing a strike vote for next month and intends to talk to Air Canada management about resuming negotiations. There's talk that a strike could take place in mid-September.

Air Canada pilots earlier this year also rejected a proposed settlement with the company. Which makes me wonder if the unions are somehow misreading the membership....

Personally, I think Air Canada flight attendants do a pretty good job. Not always the most friendly workers in the skies, but almost always pleasant and seemingly quite hard working. Lord knows I wouldn't want to babysit a bunch of high-flying yahoos at 36,000 feet.