Newsstand: October 15, 2012

If today's the kind of Monday that makes you just want to crawl back in bed and block out the world, go for it! We won't tell. Today: Presto chango, the GO monthly pass is out and the Presto card is in; police in the East End aim to ease traffic congestion; Occupy Toronto celebrates its first anniversary; Hudson the polar bear celebrates his first birthday; and pictures of a kitten (need we say more?).

By Jess Davidson • Illustration by Brett Lamb

Commuters, if you’re already feeling down after shlepping into work on this blustery day, this news may not help. Monthly GO passes will be discontinued in the new year. While GO officials maintain that most riders can save money using the Presto card instead, because the trips accumulate until a discount kicks in, former pass holders may find the system more onerous: unlike the monthly passes, which need only to be shown as proof of payment if fare inspectors ask for it, Presto requires riders to load money onto their cards and tap them on an electronic reader before boarding the train or bus. No more down-to-the-second dashes from Union Station’s McDonald’s straight to the waiting train!

Car commuters, we haven’t forgotten you. We’ve got something for you, too: Toronto police are launching a two-week enforcement campaign, Operation Clear Sailing, to ease traffic congestion in the area from the Don Valley Parkway to Victoria Park Avenue, south of Danforth Avenue. As of today, a zero-tolerance tag-and-tow policy is in effect on rush-hour routes, targeting drivers whose vehicles are parked in no-stopping zones, and motorists who make other infractions that interfere with the flow of traffic.

Occupy Toronto supporters will gather today at St. James park, where they camped out at for more than a month last year, to mark the one-year anniversary of the movement. Occupiers plan to march from King and Bay streets to the park starting at 1 p.m., before kicking off a day-long anniversary celebration.

The Toronto Zoo’s most popular polar bear had his first birthday this weekend, and he celebrated with a rather disgusting-sounding “cake” (an ice block packed with chunks of apples and carrots, smothered in a meat mixture, and topped with Froot Loops and whipped cream) while fans flocked to the zoo to celebrate the big day.

Because it’s Monday, and because we’ve already whet your appetite for all things cute and furry (save for that cake, blech!), here’s some pictures of Hope, the kitten who was rescued from a garbage bin in the St. Clair Avenue West and Bathurst Street area last week.