Torontoist is officially in election mode. In the run-up to the big day, we'll be profiling some of the most closely contested ridings in the GTA, looking for the bellwethers and offering snapshots of electoral districts in transition. Photo of Garth Turner by ADMS.ca. Garth Turner, the Liberal candidate in the riding of Halton, is something of a lightning rod. He was elected in 2006 as a Tory, but ejected from the caucus one year......

Garth Turner joins the Grits. Green Party leader Elizabeth May takes all her pictures of Turner out of their heart-shaped frames, burns the mash notes and holds press conference to say that Garth Turner is, quote, "dead to her." Turner, for his part, promises that in future he will address the feelings of any dissatisfied constituents by offering them the opportunity to participate in a referendum as to what color his new leathers should be:......

Every week (or so), two Torontoist staffers square off to debate an issue that's important to our city. We invite our readers to join the debate in the comments section following the post. Today Garth Turner became the latest Member of Parliament elected for one party to wind up sitting on the other side of the floor. He's in good company. The defections of Belinda Stronach, David Emerson and Wajid Khan are still fresh in......

Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging on Friday, and video of the execution popped up on the internet by Sunday. The CBC link doesn't have the video, because they're a news organization, and as such not in the business of providing snuff films. If you want to see it, go to Fox or CNN, who both have it. No, no links. Torontoist is likewise not in the business of providing snuff films. Canada's chief of......

The House has overwhelmingly passed a motion recognizing Quebec as a nation within Canada. 15 Liberal MPs and Garth Turner voted against, although it probably would have been more if it had been a free vote for the Tories. Hey, remember when somebody, I forget who exactly but his name rhymed with "Even Carper", promised that all votes in Parliament on non-budgetary matters would be free votes? In other Parliamentary news, the Grits and......

Could Garth Turner become the first Green MP in the House of Commons? It’s not as unlikely as you may think. In related news, a CTV-Globe and Mail poll finds that Canadians would be willing to pay an energy tax if the funds went towards reducing greenhouse gases In one of the weirdest cases in recent memory, the woman accused of hiding a baby in the freezer says the child never existed. Ex Heather......

Hello, class! Ron isn't here today. I will be your substitute Ron. The TTC will be reviewing a controversial no-compete proposal from Bombardier for new TTC subway cars today. An offer exists from Siemens to fill the contract for much less (we're talking hundreds of millions of dollars here); however, the Bombardier contract would mean increased tax revenues in Ontario that TTC chair Howard Moscoe argues would outstrip the additional costs. During a fact-finding......