By André Bovee-Begun

Sherbourne Street has been called a lot of things over its 164-year history, but we’re guessing this is the first time it’s been billed as a microcosm of Toronto. Star writer Mary Ormsby sure thinks it is, though, given the corridor’s jumble of high-density housing projects, luxury condos, street missions, and tiny upscale cafés. You can probably see where she’s coming from with her talk about the highs and lows of city life displayed along the road’s three-and-a-half downtown kilometres. Still, does it seem a bit weird to think that a contender for the most Torontoish street in town would be an urban planning desert known equally for its horrible slums and shiny, exclusive condo towers?
How’re you liking those lineups at the TTC ticket booth? Would you say yes to a smart card system that lets you skip the Temporary Adult Ticket box and instead wave your wallet vaguely at the turnstile and waltz right through? What if, unlike metropasses and tokens, it also freed you from worrying about shortages and hoarding? Come on, TTC, surprise us with the good news today. The smart card technology is no longer the cutting-edge stuff it was when introduced over a decade ago, but it would still be a great accent to the brand-spanking new six-station line to the suburbs you’re building. And what better time than the present to announce it, since apparently today is “Cyber Monday“?
After three people were stabbed in the arm, back, and stomach outside a bubble tea shop in Scarborough, one of them staggered away and managed to drive off before being pulled over by police “on an unrelated matter.” Unrelated? Seriously? What, along with “bleeding profusely,” was he also texting behind the wheel? The three victims are OK, and police are searching for suspects.
Anyone in the newspaper business these days must be either a chump or a true-born gambler. So National Post CEO Paul Godfrey probably has some sterling credentials to show off at his new gig as chairman of the troubled Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. How great would it be, though, if he brought along a few of the Post‘s arch-conservative pundits to lend a hand? Just picture Lawrence Solomon reading the 649 results: “Today’s winning numbers are 3-14-climatechangeisalie-84-52 and 19, and also Obama is destroying Israel. See you tomorrow.”