Toronto Dull But Nice, Court Ignores Panhandlers, Thuggish Protesters Really Thuggish Cops

Toronto came in 5th in the livability survey of the Economist Intelligence Unit, behind Vancouver, Melbourne, Vienna and Perth. While we can rightfully be proud of our score, it's kind of like being one of the kids who sits in the front of the room near the teacher while all the cool kids like New York and London are having a lot more fun down in the 40s and 50s.

The Supreme Court has refused to review Toronto's panhandling law forbidding aggressive panhandling and entrepreneurial squeegeeing. The decision means that the Court doesn't exactly reaffirm lower courts' support for the law, but doesn't strike it down either. Basically the court is averting its gaze and pretending it doesn't see the law.

Quebec police finally admitted what was pretty obvious already: that the three burly, truculent "anarchists" outed at the SPP protests last weekend were in fact police officers. However, they said the men were not agents provocateurs, but just there to spot potentially violent elements in the crowd. No explanation was offered as to why the undercover cops wore masks and carried rocks instead of trying to blend in with the predominantly older peaceful protesters.

Nightclub impresario Peter Gatien is still struggling to get the liquor license approved for his 55,000-square-foot nightclub Circa so that it can open in time for the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7. Come on, licensing shouldn't be an issue—everyone knows the Entertainment District isn't about drinking; it's about culture.

Photo by CdnIvy from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.