The Ontario government released its budget today, including plans to harmonise provincial sales tax with the federal GST. The result will be higher sales tax on several items that were previously exempt from PST like bikes, bicycle helmets, and homes over $400,000, but women can take solace that feminine hygeine products are still exempt from the provincial portion of the tax. So how come I can't get the provincial tax discounted on vasoline and Kleenex?

In local news, the Entertainment District Business Association is taking steps to regulate itself amid growing city and police pressure against club owners. The 'duh' obvious suggestions they come up with aren't exactly groundbreaking, and local councillor Adam Vaughan didn't even show up to the meeting, but just maybe the meeting will inspire the city to remember that they created this district to be played in, and not get so uptight about people having fun.

On the lighter side of the news, CTV reports that federal Liberal party leader Michael Ignatieff's latest (lame) web initiative, onprobation.ca shares a domain name with an ethnic and interracial porn and fetish web site (NSFW).  

Tarragon Theatre annouced its 2009-10 season today, including a new play written and directed by queer playwright Daniel MacIvor.

Not to be outdone, Hot Docs announced its lineup for the upcoming festival, running from April 30 to May 10. Queer documentary fans will be happy to see a film called Outrage on the bill, which examines American politicians who campaign against queer issues.

Vancouver-based musician Matthew Good shoots his mouth off by blasting the upcoming Juno awards as being too commercial and not about the art. Good, who was not nominated for a Juno this year, might sound like a bizarrely irrelevant choice of critic given that his last album of any significance was 2004's White Light Rock and Roll Review, but don't forget that the Junos exist in a dimension outside of conventional space and time, where artists maintain relevance up to a decade after everyone else has forgotten about them. Don't believe me? Check out David Usher's nomination for Pop Album of the Year, which boasts that Usher has sold 1.3 million albums over the course of his both his solo career and with Moist, even though 1.2 million of those sales were between 1993 and 2003, and he's had four albums since then. Perhaps Good was just hoping that he could regain relevance by osmosis. Oh yeah, and k.d. lang was nominated too. The Junos air on Sunday.

Sunshine and warm weather are finally starting to make cameos on the weather reports again -- it must be Spring! Well, ok, not until tomorrow, but we can still be be happy.

And what better way to celebrate the launch of spring than by checking out the sexy rock 'n' roll musical Spring Awakening, which our neighbour down the street previewed this week? 

Tonight is also Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's marquee fundraising event, a one-night-only performance of Canadian theatre icon and queer artist Daniel MacIvor's Cul-de-Sac. Not only will you be entertained, but your ticket will help support the future of queer theatre.

On a more fun and frivolous note, why not celebrate the official start of spring by taking part in Newmindspace's annual pillow fight tomorrow in Yonge-Dundas square? 

Today saw the launch of LG Fashion Week. Be sure to take in the beauty which is currently tented outside city hall -- as are many spectators. *ahem*

Meanwhile, The Globe reports that mayor Miller is launching a song contest to create a new pop anthem for the city. The article bafflingly claims that more info is available on the city's web site, but darned if I can find it.

And The Star announces that a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which defined Toronto's big budget musical theatre scene for ten years, will be making its world premiere later this year right here in Toronto, likely with a Torontonian in the lead.

That's cause for celebration, but the biggest party of the month is certain to be Buddies' official St. Patrick's Day party, St. Patricia's Day, in Tallulah's Cabaret tomorrow from "5pm to last man standing." The party doubles as a fundraiser for the theatre company, so when you're boss chides you for being hungover on Wednesday, you can always say "it was for a good cause!"

Toronto refuses to proclaim Global Love Day, to the chagrin of love ambassador Kate Hollett. 

Given that Toronto was where the first gay male Israeli couple that was granted the right to adopt tied the knot in 2004, it's clear that we're already a global love capital, no?

But as one couple celebrates, another Toronto couple becomes the latest victim of the economic downtown, as Steven & Chris gets put on hiatus while CBC deals with its ongoing financial problems. The Tories have announced that CBC will be getting no additional government support to deal with the shortfall. Adding insult to injury, culture minister James Moore was here in Toronto, on the set of CTV's Flashpoint no less, to announce the new Canadian Media Fund, which would force CBC to compete with private television stations for public funds to create dramatic programming.

US TV however lures away Canadian actor Kyle Riabko from the Toronto run of the sexually explicit rock 'n' roll Broadway smash Spring Awakening, which opens in Toronto next week.

Still trying to figure out what to do this weekend? You could always try to make a new straight guy friend. Apparently, it's so complicated, The Globe offers extensive and somewhat homophobic advice on the subject.