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Weekend Newsstand: September 15, 2012
Don't be a hero, and take that Saturday nap. After some news: Police chief says more officers helped keep crime down, free money in Yonge-Dundas Square, premiers join the mayor's trade mission, and road closures.
More cops on the streets meant less crime in the city during the last few weeks of the summer, Police Chief Bill Blair reported on Friday. In response the Eaton Centre and Danzig shootings, Blair shelled out about $2 million in overtime to put 300 extra officers out on patrols. According to the stats released by the chief, thefts, assaults, and murders were down during the blitz. But the program is over now. Shhh, no one tell the criminals.
Two Australian brothers are handing out money in Yonge-Dundas Square this weekend. But get there quick because they’ve only got $10 to go around. It’s part of something called Free Money Day, which is apparently a real thing in which people hand out money to strangers in hopes of starting a conversation about the role of money in society. And by that they probably don’t mean a conversation that ends with, “Thanks for paying my TTC fare, stranger.”
Mayor Rob Ford’s trade mission to Chicago next week is shaping up to be a doozie. Along with his lordship, former premieres Mike Harris and Ernie Eves will be going down to the Windy City to network, talk up Toronto, and do some sightseeing. The mayor will also re-sign the Sister City Agreement that Toronto already has with Chicago. Then, heck, might as well pop in on the Ford family businesses subsidiary office while they’re there. It would be rude not to.
And good luck to motorists this weekend, as you’ll be facing a bunch of road closures. The big one is the Gardiner Expressway, which will be closed in both directions between Carlaw Avenue and the Humber River. Bloor Street is closed in the Bloor West Village area for the Ukrainian Festival, and Roncesvalles will be closed for the Polish Festival.
