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Newsstand: May 23, 2012

Happy days are here again, it's Wednesday! Do the Hump Day dance! Well, no. Actually, don't, you might get charged with a crime and end up on a registry for the rest of your life. Instead, read some nice, harassment-free news: Pride funding may be in jeopardy; one city councillor says the mayor isn't doing his job (no word on how many other councillors are thinking it); more chunks of concrete crumble off the Gardiner Expressway; the royals have come and gone; ball hockey is prohibited on Toronto streets (what?!) but maybe not for long (phew) but it's not as simple as you think (what?!); a new cause for NIMBYs: the proposed casino; and Toronto's newest multimillionaire.

The City’s cultural grant of more than $100,000 is not a sure thing for this year’s Pride. City Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10, York Centre) said if Queers Against Israeli Apartheid registers to march in this year’s parade, city council will have to rule on whether or not to fund the massive annual event. Last year, city staff ruled that the group’s name did not violate the city’s anti-discrimination policy, but council voted last June to reject that staff report. On Tuesday councillors on the economic development committee approved more than $6 million in cultural grants, including the Pride grant, but city council will have final say on funding. When asked for his views on the issue, Mayor Rob Ford shouted “Cottage!” then scuttled away to his weigh-in. We’re kidding about Mayor Ford of course — the weigh-in thing should have tipped you off.

City Councillor (and likely 2014 mayoral candidate) Shelley Carroll (Ward 33, Don Valley East) says Mayor Ford is “not doing his job” and should “get out of the radio station, come back to City Hall and work with [his] fellow councillors to decide the future of the city.” She suggests that councillors see or hear little of or from the mayor, save for when he is at his weigh-in (so, pretty infrequently?) or on the radio.

Once again, the sky is falling. Or, at least, for the third time this month, the Gardiner Expressway is crumbling. During Tuesday’s evening rush hour, a large chunk of concrete fell at Lower Simcoe Street and Lake Shore Boulevard. Again, we remind you to bring a helmet or a very strong, steel umbrella should you venture under Toronto’s most controversial highway.

They came, they saw, they conquered. Well, not really, but who hasn’t gotten caught up in the excitement of the Game of Thrones? In less-thrilling royal news, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, have wrapped-up their Toronto visit which included visits to Queen’s Park, Ryerson University, the Moss Park Armoury, the Fort York Armoury, the Distillery District, the Yonge Street Mission, the Royal York, and, of course — no Toronto visit would be complete without it — a ride on the TTC. Phew. And what did you accomplish over the past few days, hmm?

If you’ve ever participated in a game of road hockey, or shooed your kids outdoors and onto the streets to smack a ball around, you are officially a bylaw breaker (or, in the case of the latter, an accessory to a bylaw-breaking crime). Under a widely ignored and rarely enforced bylaw, road hockey is actually prohibited. But, thanks to City Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22, St. Paul’s), that could soon change. That is, if would-be ball hockey players obtain the formal support of 80 per cent of the households on the street; the street has a speed limit of 40 km/h or less; 1,000 or fewer vehicles per day pass on the street; there is an average gap of one minute or more between vehicles; and there are sightlines sufficient to allow vehicles to stop before crashing into the goalie (oh, plus there are a few more hurdles). So, yeah. That sounds fun.

A new poll finding shows that most Torontonians would not be in favour of a casino if it meant it would be built in their neighbourhood. The majority think that there should be a city-wide referendum in which all voters can cast a ballot. To sum up, yay, casinos (maybe?) as long as they are not near anyone’s neighbourhood. Oh good, just as long as we all agree.

Are you $50 million richer as of this week? No? Well this penny- and girlfriend-pinching guy is. And we’re all so happy for him. Humph.


CORRECTION: May 23, 10:22 AM As has been pointed out by a reader, the next municipal election will be in 2014, not 2012. A typo that got someone’s hopes up, apparently! Apologies.

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Comments

  • Anonymous

    Could Pride survive without the city funding it? It’s one of the largest in the world, how can it be so reliant on grants from the city? (Not that I agree with pulling the grant on the basis of QAIA marching, but being independent of city funding would certainly resolve that issue by taking it out of council’s hands.)

    • Anonymous

      OMG how any times does it need to be said, events supported by the city are non profit, they do not make money. Yes they need the grants to survive.
      Now read carefully, the economic benefits mentioned for such events are not going to the events, they do not going directly in city coffers. The monies are going into the profits of business from tourists and locals spending in privately run business.

      • Anonymous

        Take a step back from the keyboard and breathe.

        Now re-read carefully, because I said nothing about Pride sustaining itself (on profits or otherwise). The City of Toronto is not the only grant/funding body in the world.

        • Anonymous

          and neither did I. Read carefully it is a generalization about all events funded by the the city. many feel these event should not be funded.

          • Anonymous

            So you replied with a non sequitur.

          • Anonymous

            seemed appropriate here

      • Anonymous

        The city government is not the only legitimate representative of the community. If the city is out to lunch, can’t “the community” kick in cash independently of the city?

        Moreover if local businesses are making fantastic profits off a city grant to Pride, and nothing goes back to the city coffers, somebody is doing something wrong.

        • Anonymous

          Agreed. The city should identify businesses that profit directly from city-sponsored/subsidized events, and apply a special property tax surcharge. Federal & provincial governernments should also rebate a portion of sales taxes, but that seems unlikely.

          • Anonymous

            How would you do that? In the case of pride (since you mentioned that specifically) you only target gay owned, or gay run, or all local businesses? What is local? The Eaton Centre profits, Hotels profits, bars along and Queen etc profit.

          • Anonymous

            “In the case of pride (since you mentioned that specifically)”

            Actually, I didn’t.

            It would necessarily be an imprecise estimate based on such-and-so formula (pretty much like all tax law, then). Some will grumble and call it unfair, especially businesses that love to cash in on government-funded initiatives, but if the alternative is no event…

            Don’t forget the banks, and all their debit and credit transaction fees!

          • Anonymous

            Sorry you are right Andrew97 did.
            How would that be an incentive for boosting the economy? Why would any business get involved in community partnerships, or fund raising if they are going to be penalized? Would that not put more pressure on the city to further fund community programs?

        • Anonymous

          Actually all communities that put on events kick in far more then what it gets from the city. It is done through donations, fundraising and sponsorship.

          • Anonymous

            So I ask again, can Pride continue without the city chipping in? Because if it can, city council can’t hold it hostage based on QAIA or anything else.

          • Anonymous

            Not in it’s present form. Pride is more then a parade and drinking. It is a forum to help community groups raise funds and recruit volunteers.

          • Anonymous

            I would also like to add if you hold Pride up to that standard you have to hold all events to that standard.
            This QuAIA thing is a red herring, it is an excuse to back door homophobia. The are many events held in the city that skirts the cities standards.

          • Anonymous

            What standard? All I’ve suggested is the possibility of Pride excluding itself from whatever council standards may be used to justify withholding funding by not being reliant on that funding. I didn’t say it should be required to.

          • Anonymous

            If your looking for a short answer it would be no

  • Carol

    2012 mayoral candidate? You’re just trying to hurt me by suggesting that Ford could go away so soon!

    • Anonymous

      Thank you for pointing this out! It has been corrected.