news
Weekend Newsstand: September 8, 2012
This Saturday, why not log on to MSN Messenger, for old times' sake. In the news: Rob Ford had a party, improving cycling safety, Proud FM versus condos, contracting out TTC cleaning jobs, and road and subway closures.
The mayor had a party last night, and everyone was invited. The annual Ford Fest barbecue in the mayor’s mom’s backyard featured food, drinks, fans, people there for ironic reasons and free food, Ford for Mayor bumper stickers, Councillor Gary Crawford (Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest) playing with a band, Rob Ford, Doug Ford, and no LGBT protest groups. Mayor Ford briefly discussed his conflict of interest trial, saying simply that he had a good lawyer and he’s sure everything will work out. Party on, Rob. Party on, Doug.
Cycling may get a little safer and horrific stories like this one from a Toronto Star reporter about getting caught in a streetcar track and breaking her teeth may be heard a little less often. At its meeting next week, the public works committee will look at recommendations to improve cycling safety, especially where fatalities have recently occurred. The recommendations include a study of the dangers of decommissioned streetcar tracks and forbidding right turns on a red light at the west-end intersection where cyclist Jenna Morrison was killed last fall.
If you hate condos and love terrestrial radio, this one’s for you. Proud FM says the proliferation of condos in the Yonge and Eglinton area where their transmitter sits is weakening their signal. The program director for Proud FM, a commercial radio station with LGBT priorities, says they’ve had to cut staff because a weak signal means weak ad sales. They have applied to take over CKLN’s old spot at 88.1 FM, but the CRTC has yet to reach a decision on that signal.
Karen “Undercover Boss” Stintz is making the case for contracting out TTC cleaning jobs. As chair of the TTC, Stintz wrote a letter to her colleagues on council saying no employees will lose their job over this, the contracting out would save millions, and pretty please get with on this, okay guys?
And what would a weekend be without subway interruptions and road closures, right? The subway will be closed between Union and St. Andrew station until Monday morning. And two ramps, one on one off, for the Gardiner Expressway will be closed until October.
