Newsstand: August 23, 2012

It's the second last Thursday of August, and we all know what that means: time to savour those banana popsicles. In the news: the Province pledges millions for social programs and violence prevention, the reason why Mayor Ford missed Pride flag-raising, remembering Jack Layton, plans for the TCHC repair backlog, and West Nile Virus cases up.

By Sarah-Joyce Battersby • Illustration by Brett Lamb

The Province is putting $20 million towards community programs for youth. The money and the programs are part of an effort to reduce incidents of violent crime, like the Eaton Centre and Danzing shootings earlier this summer. The cash will go to things like like summer job programs, hiring more youth outreach workers, and beefing up Crime Stoppers rewards.

Remember when Mayor Rob Ford missed every Pride event this year? And the year before? Well, the Star sure does. In an effort to find out what other commitments kept Mayor Ford from attending the Pride flag-raising ceremony, the paper asked for copies of the mayor’s itinerary. Turns out RoFo was pretty wide open, with only one meeting scheduled the day of the flag-raising. The meeting is listed as private, as in unrelated to official City business. So alas, we will never know what that meeting was all about.

Friends, family, and fans of the late Jack Layton gathered at Nathan Phillips Square yesterday to commemorate Jack on the first anniversary of his death.

Councillor Ana Bailão (Ward 18, Davenport) is putting the finishing touches on a report aimed at shoring up money for the TCHC repair backlog. Bailão has been leading a working group since last March in an effort to find solutions for the housing corporation’s growing problems. Among some of the solutions the group came up with are: selling a small number of homes, refinancing mortgages, and helping more renters own their homes. The official report will be released September 17.

We all know mosquitoes are the worst, but now they’re being even worse as cases of mosquito-born West Nile Virus are on the rise across North America. So far, 49 cases have been reported in Ontario, with Toronto accounting for 30 cases. So deet up out there, friends. Or just stay inside until the end days come. Your call.