Looks like Toronto's next batch of streetcars will be made by Bombardier. The Canadian company is a shoo-in to win the $1.25 billion contract after German manufacturer Siemens pulled out of the bidding, leaving only a small British company and that guy down the street with the junked car on his lawn as competition. The TSX dropped a dramatic 433 points yesterday on fears that recession will reduce demand for commodities like the oil... [continue]

Happy Canada Day! There is lots of stuff going on around town, including fireworks tonight at Ashbridges Bay, Ontario Place, Downsview Park, and Mel Lastman Square, where Mel Lastman will be fired into space on a giant skyrocket. Delta Kappa Epsilon officials expressed shock after a drug bust at a chapter of the fraternity in Toronto. Police seized $126,000 worth of illegal drugs at the Alpha Phi Crack House near U of T. Serious... [continue]

Near Bloor and Church—actually the Yellow Pages getting cute while begging us to stop using that crazy Google thing. Photo by Patrick Metzger.... [continue]

18 of 23 trucks checked at random on Toronto streets this week by police and the Ministry of Transportation proved to have some kind of safety issue. The police inspections found numerous problems, including things like insufficient brakes, improperly secured load, cargo on fire, steering wheel fell off, truck being driven by dog, etc., etc. The former principal of C.W. Jeffries Secondary School, who came under fire for failing to report an alleged gang... [continue]

Toronto police chief Bill Blair yesterday said that the police assigned to Toronto schools would be uniformed and armed, contradicting earlier comments by school board chair John Campbell. The officers will remain on campus only until Robocop testing is completed. Toronto is also getting $5 million from the province for 26 new police officers to patrol high-crime areas that are not high schools, specifically the Jane and Finch and Regent Park neighbourhoods. The city... [continue]

Photo of Ben Stein by Patrick Metzger. Just so you know, Torontoist did not ask Ben Stein to say "Bueller? Bueller?" for the tape recorder, and we'll go to the grave regretting that failure of courage. Nevertheless, we spent an interesting 20 minutes with the monotone lawyer/writer/economist/actor/game-show host when he was in town last week promoting his documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed which opens in Toronto this Friday. The film argues that scientists willing... [continue]

The mothers of murder victims Oliver Martin and Dylan Ellis went public yesterday pleading for information to help find the person responsible for their son's deaths. Hope it's not going to be that kind of summer. In more scumbag-related news, 6 dogs have become seriously ill after someone laced a canine drinking fountain at High Park with antifreeze. Jolly good, that googly caught the batsman leg before wicket, lads! If this is the kind... [continue]

Eight people face 101 charges in an ATM scam which allegedly involved placing equipment on bank machines to steal customer PINs and data. Hey, you know what the real scam is? Paying service charges to get my own money out of the bank! Am I right, folks? Huh? Am I right? Thanks, you've been a great audience. CBC is reportedly considering using the Stompin' Tom Connors classic tune "The Hockey Game" as the new... [continue]

All three parties in the Ontario legislature are backing a bill that will ban smoking in cars carrying anyone under the age of 16. You know, when Torontoist was young, we'd roll around seatbeltless in the back of flimsy subcompacts doing 150 on the highway while our parents drank beer and spewed out lungfuls of carcinogens, and we turned out okay. The provincial government has announced that two planned nuclear reactors will be built... [continue]

The new TTC ad campaign is doubly noble of purpose—it doesn't just encourage us to keep the system tidy, but engages in a little social engineering by depicting workers and riders marching hand in hand towards a glorious trash-free future, emotionally unhindered by grudges or memories of the late unpleasantness. In the ad above, the passenger is doing her duty, placing her newspaper carefully in her purse until a suitable receptacle for disposal can... [continue]

The government has introduced revamped copyright legislation intended to address the needs of the digital age, arousing the ire of people who like to copy stuff. However, the topic is complex and controversial, and MPs are ready to head to the cottage for the summer, so it's unlikely the changes will be passed anytime soon. A new survey has found that 75% of Canadians have used the Internet, with the percentage rising to 97%... [continue]

The Star says that an immigration crackdown has halved the number of exotic dancers in Toronto over the last decade, fuelling lap-dance inflation and forcing strip club customers to make hard choices between Froot Loops for the kids and throwing twenties at naked strangers. A new survey shows that Canadians are losing confidence in the economy, with 57% predicting a recession within six months. Torontoist blames the media for all the negativity. Mubin Shaikh,... [continue]

Hey, CBC—you wanna come over to Torontoist's house and play a little Texas Hold 'Em sometime? CBC got called on their Hockey Night in Canada bluff today as rival CTV announced that they've struck a deal for the rights to the HNIC signature tune. The news comes four days after the kind-of public broadcaster announced they were pulling out of negotiations for the storied 40-year-old theme, and mere hours after they suggested that they... [continue]

Stephen Harper's Conservatives are running ads on the radio and at some gas pumps asserting that a proposed Liberal carbon tax is a "trick" and a tax grab. Firing back, Liberal Environment critic David McGuinty said that the Tories are in the pocket of the oil industry. No need to to fight, people; no doubt you're both right. A female gorilla named Ngozi has been shipped from Seattle to Toronto in the hope that... [continue]

Is your dog scratching up the door, whining like a leaky squeaky toy, and in general acting uncommonly agitated? If so, better free up your calendar because chances are she knows that Woofstock is coming to town this weekend (alternatively, she's sensing an imminent earthquake, in which case just fill the bathtub with water and crouch under a table). Woofstock has been around since 2003, when the Toronto Star dubbed it "the summer of canine... [continue]

It suddenly gets hot today with a forecast high temperature of 32º, meaning newspapers are required by law to run daily photos of people frolicking in fountains. Sprinklers are also acceptable, provided a dog is included in the shot. Union members angry about the impending job cuts at GM in Oshawa are blockading the entrance to the plant, and CAW President Buzz Hargrove is threatening a strike. The latter would prevent GM from paying... [continue]

Park at your own risk near Yonge and Gloucester. Photo by rupert affen.... [continue]

Environment Canada says it's going to be a hot, sweaty, sticky, sexy summer, perfect for rocking that thong at the beach or just sitting on a fire escape playing saxophone in your undershirt. According to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, the Feds want to convince GM to build a new car in Oshawa, and are willing to drop big bucks to do it. Flaherty is offering to give GM money from the Automotive Innovation Fund... [continue]

Former Toronto and Ontario Officer of Medical Health Dr. Sheela Basrur died yesterday of a rare form of cancer. Basrur was a calm and reassuring voice to a nervous city during the SARS crisis of 2003, and spearheaded numerous health initiatives during her career in public service. She'll be missed. GM will today announce the permanent closure of its truck plant in Oshawa, sending a thousand workers to the unemployment line while executives execute... [continue]

Waterfront Toronto has secured David Miller's support for knocking down part of the Gardiner Expressway, which currently looms over the waterfront like a massive prehistoric, um, highway. The teardown is likely to be delayed by a cost expected to be in the hundreds of millions, so Torontoist suggests doing a Berlin Wall on it—Sunday morning, we'll all meet down at the foot of Jarvis Street with our sledgehammers. In an unrelated busting-stuff-up story, demolition... [continue]