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Newsstand: September 6, 2012
Say what you will about Thursday, it knows how to make a mean samosa. In the news: Mayor Ford goes to court, Vaughan goes to the polls, the Toronto Zoo board tries to sever City funding, a torso found in Scarborough, and some royals are paying us a visit.
Wednesday was day one of Mayor Rob Ford’s conflict of interest hearing. We’ve got a play-by-play in case you weren’t able to get down to the courthouse for the action. Ford was on the stand for about four hours being grilled about his knowledge of municipal procedure. In the end, it seems Ford admitted he “probably wouldn’t have voted” in his own favour on the fateful February day if he had known then what he knows now. The hearing will last two more days, but no more Ford appearances are expected.
Yipee! It’s finally here! It’s byelection day in two Ontario ridings! Voters in Vaughan and Kitchener-Waterloo get to go to the polls, and possibly lift Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals to majority status at Queen’s Park. Possibly. Could happen.
The Toronto Zoo board wants to break the zoo out of its cage. Members voted Wednesday to end the zoo’s dependence on the City of Toronto for funding within 10 years. In place of the current board, which includes city councillors, the plan calls for an oversight board made up of corporate and community members. The board say the plan is designed to relieve the financial burden on the City. The move would also open the zoo up to partnership opportunities, such as a pairing with the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus.
A torso was found in a suitcase floating in Lake Ontario just off Bluffer’s Park. Police aren’t sure yet who the body part belongs to, or if it’s from a man or a woman. One guy who saw the suitcase pulled on to shore sums it up, telling the Globe, “It’s not good to be finding all these body parts.”
For those of you thirsty for royal blood royal watchers out there, some royals are coming to town to be watched. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, are embarking on a Canadian tour that includes stops in Toronto and Iqaluit. Prince Edward is the Queen’s youngest son. But you knew that.
