December 14, 2006
Rexdale Cops Slack, Sassafraz Burns Black, And Vernon Wells Gets Paid (As Do MPPs)

Police watchdog groups are outraged over the revelation that Rexdale traffic cops had a system wherein officers were allowed to clock out early once they got 25 traffic tickets. Speeders, on the other hand, are furious that nobody told them about this system, the knowledge of which would have made real life re-enactments of 2 Fast 2 Furious all the simpler. (Although there still would have been the inevitable fights over who got to be Paul Walker and who got to be Tyrese Gibson, but you can't have everything.)
In case you missed it, the Sassafraz Cafe in Yorkville burned down yesterday. Click here for Torontoist's exclusive coverage, featuring enough burning sensations for a hundred herpes clinics!
Speaking of burnination, an oil refinery in Sarnia ALSO caught fire, but officials say the fire is under control and nobody's been hurt and there's no environmental danger. However, this story is not as amusing as the Sassafraz fire story on account of no stars on the CW tragically wondering where they will now buy their thirteen-dollar beet salads.
The Myriam Bedard story gets weirder as the police issue a warrant for her arrest for allegedly abducting her daughter. Remember, folks: she's fleeing to the United States and seeking asylum from Canadian "bureaucratic terrorism."
Queen's Park considers giving MPPs a $22K raise. In other totally unsurprising news, puppies chase after a stick and kitties do things that are amusing when you take a picture of them and caption it as if they were people!
Finally, Vernon Wells confirms that the Jays have offered him a double-pantsload of money. Members of provincial Parliament pointed out that they only asked for an extra $22K per year, although they admitted that their RBI production is not quite as impressive.



Peter Kormos' comment in the raise article is absolutely brilliant:
"It's remarkable that they would have the chutzpah, the nerve, I mean gonads the size of a canal horse, to introduce legislation like this in the shadow of the ongoing scandal around Tom Parkinson."
MPs really need a pay cut if MPPs making a fixed 75% of their salary are still pulling in six figures. Maybe they should all have their pay capped at the median income of the country or their province?
Is this the greatest photo ever used for a Torontoist news roundup? I think it just may be...
I just totally cut the sleeves off of my button-up shirt.
God I want Kormos for provincial NDP leader.
And Wells deserves the money WAY more than the MPP.