TTC "U-pass" close to passing for students, possibly also hotel workers. If the scheme passes, the TTC will suddenly be crowded once again, rendering all those recent fleet upgrades essentially moot. Hooray for public transit! Jack Layton calls for Family Day to be named a national holiday. He then asked for a pony and all the candy he could ever eat ever, on the basis that it was about as likely that Stephen Harper would......

The Tory minority government is double-dog-daring the Opposition to force an election over their crime bill. Prediction: Stéphane Dion will grumble and pretend he doesn't care, Jack Layton will howl impotently, and the Bloc will negotiate another billion dollars for folk-dancing in Rimouski. Stephen Harper is truly the alpha Parliamentarian in this bunch. Did you know that Toronto has already gotten as much snow this winter as the past two winters combined, and that......

The Stephen Harper government unveiled its plan for the country in the Throne Speech last night, emphasizing the usual panoply of tax-cuttin', crime fightin', environment dismissin' Conservative virtues. Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe have already stated they will not support the government, while Liberal leader Stéphane Dion will decide whether to force an election after consulting with his caucus. Dion is envied by the other opposition leaders for his massive caucus. Water prices for Toronto......

"It's hard to beat the system / when we're standing at a distance / so we keep waiting / waiting on the world to change." - JOHN MAYER How Do You Get To Massey Hall? I don't know, I only came close. I can at least tell you that practice has nothing to do with it. I'd practiced my speech a lot. Last night I was invited to represent my party (the Green Party of......

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams addressed an enthusiastic crowd last night at the Hot House Cafe on Church Street, as part of what organizers billed as a "Summer Celebration" of the Irish peace process. Adams is on a speaking tour of North America to thank supporters of Friends of Sinn Fein, a non-profit fundraising group whose Canadian chapter, located in Toronto, was launched by Adams in 2001. Adams was one of the principle negotiators of......

Canada's second-last WWI veteran dies at 106. Percy Dwight Wilson (pictured) lied about his age to enlist in the army at the age of fifteen. Is that not amazing? Torontoist thinks that's amazing! Provincial Grits to announce a green energy plan that will be more aggressive than the federal Tory plan. The announcement is scheduled for June 11th and has already been leaked to the Star, so a reasonable scenario is that the government is......

There was an unexpected windfall for Green P as a major dump of snow, along with high winds and freezing rain, turned much of the GTA into a parking lot during the evening commute yesterday. Apart from the traffic mayhem, fallen trees and power outages have also been a problem throughout the city. It sure looks pretty, though. The Toronto District School Board will meet with provincial officials today after trustees rejected a recommendation......

It's probably going to be enormously frigging cold for the rest of the month! Don't expect it to climb above -20 with windchill any time soon, Torontonians! Remember to buy an extra pair of gloves and an extra bottle of whiskey to keep out the cold, and rejoice in the bitter complaining about the goddamned cold that is your birthright as a Canadian citizen! A feud between the Natural Resources Minister and the Nuclear Safety......

Tonight, in All Hallow's Eve tradition, Church Street will be blocked off from 5pm to 11pm, Alexander to Wellesley so that aspiring and professional Drag Queens can drag. The blocked traffic usually runs later because the tourists that come to view the aforementioned drag queens inevitably keep it closed until the bars let out. Church Street fills up with the best outfits ranging from clever (The Sock Monkey/Sea Monkey couple always amaze me with......

Local blogger Optimus Crime applauds Jack Layton on his improved sartorial performance at this year's Pride parade (photo above). He looks like he's ready to rock. OC even gives us a look back at the mustachioed one's past fashion crimes. Those white muscle shirts were pretty heinous and Jack why the Blackberry, why?! photo from Optimus Crime.......

From their no-doubt hilarious training centre,Second City launched a new bunch of comic hacks into the world yesterday with Da Tory Code, their inaugural comedy writers showcase. With a healthy balance of political debate and general Canadian hosery, the players joked about Osama becoming a Scientologist, used five-pin bowling and Korn to describe electoral reform and sang the praises of the Terry Schiavo diet (too soon?). But the undoubted highlight of the show was when......

A driver of a black Grand Am cut off a TTC bus and took shots at three people waiting for the bus. Fortunately no one was hit. Sadly, the shooting happened just blocks away from a memorial for a young woman killed earlier in February. The Star has the story here and the Sun doesn't get left behind. A couple of people are going to ruin garage sales for the rest of us. The city......

It appears as if most Canadians got what they wanted last night, with the Conservatives achieving a minor minority and PM Paul Martin effectively resigning. Over the past six weeks (the first two, we were convinced of another Lib win), Torontoist has spoke out against getting too cozy with the Cons - and we spoke this for good reason. First, some of the CPC platform is a little redonkers; mainly considering time and money parameters.......

There's been a number of unfavourable comparisons of Stephen Harper and George W. Bush of late, both in politics, media and of course those silly attack ads. But what of a legitimate comparison, at least in terms of the campaign? Here is George Jr. on his father's failed 1992 presidential campaign: "First lesson, polls change. I take nothing for granted. Second, we've got a strategy for the timing of policy speeches and set the debate...You......

By now, most everyone in the city knows of the single most unfortunate event in Toronto this year: On Boxing Day, while shopping, 15-year-old Jane Creba was killed by errant gunfire. Six other innocent bystanders were also wounded. Just as any other human being in this city - or rather anyone else privy to this story - we feel deeply affected by this. And, as it should go without saying, our utmost sympathies to any......

This business - a piece of chocolate banana cake and a Future Bakery cake card - is definitely not an election issue. But should it be? Prime Minister Paul Martin doesn't eat cake. His diet precludes him from eating anything similar to this chocolate banana concoction. He's also known to drink 10-15 cups of coffee per day, with rumoured bouts of insomnia as a by-product. Other signs of an unbalanced diet include fits of anger......

Jack Layton, with those steely blue eyes, is most often considered the cutest party leader for the 2006 vote. In assessing the cuteness of his assistants, however, the case is not so clear-cut. In Sault Ste. Marie's Soo Times Today, the question of cuteness takes a very serious turn, as they've dedicated a feature to Layton's little helpers. There are four of them to choose from - all photographed with permission on a campaign stop.......

In Ontario, a hamlet, dispersed rural community or other small centre is the smallest form of municipal government (must have 45 voting persons to constitute hamlet). When a community grows to over 100 persons, it may form a village. A town thereafter. When population is greater than 10,000 permanent residents, a town becomes a city. Toronto's Tent City fell under the none of the above categories, but was a qualified city nonetheless. Tonight, the Mayor......

While you wait for Jack Layton to swoop down and resolve the gas issue, check for the lowest gas prices around the city. Click on the image to find the station with the most cost-effective refuel.......

It took us long enough, but we finally tee'd off and got shirt with Cafe Press. Without further ado we present tees in honour of our favourite subjects: the bike poles that Jack Layton didn't invent, and, like you weren't expecting it, Mr. Mayor. We know the mayor swept to victory lo those years ago, but for us the honeymoon is just not over. If you have an idea for something you'd like to see......

1. Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Edmonton Spruce-Grove Though her line of thought is slightly right, Rona Ambrose has has an undeniable left-of-centre appeal. This Intergovernmental Affairs Critic definitely doesn't share the same flair for fashion as Belinda Stronach, the model-like looks of Ruby Dhalla, or even the gorgeous baby-blue eyes of Jack Layton. At the same time though, is there one red-blooded human being that can deny that steely glare? The tough-girl look is in, and......

If the selection of Jack Layton as yesterday's number five Parliamentary hottie wasn't music to your dance, please refer to the first female selection to this week's Ist List... 4. Ruby Dhalla Liberal, Brampton-Springdale A-hem. That's Dr Ruby Dhalla to you. Not only is this Manitoban a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, but she's also a former Bollywood actress and runner-up in 2003's Miss India pageant. And if that wasn't enough, she is rumoured to be......

Around the time Belinda Stronach kartwheeled over to the Liberals, former eye Editor Bert Archer was noting the lack of attractiveness of our current crop of MP's. Although Torontoist was vocal in our objections to the exclusivitey of the Archer list, we did notice a similarly shallow pool of honeys in the Hill Times Sexiest MP's poll. But now that it's summer, and the ties are loosened and underwear left in the top drawer, Torontoist......

Protesters are urging patrons to boycott Toronto's Blue Man Group show for refusing to work with the city's four theatre unions. Anywhere from 100-400 protesters (depending on who you read) gathered at the Panasonic Theatre on Sunday night to thwart the anti-union Blue Men in their opening show. Included in the protest was parliamentary voice of reason Jack Layton. The kerfuffle/kafuffle came about when the Blue People hired non-unionized stage-hands and theatre help instead of......

In a neat parallel of the recent outing of Deep Throat, John Barber goes all investigative on us and unearths the actual designer of the city's bike posts. And rather like the dismay we felt upon learning DT was just a Hooverite FBI cog, and not, say, Elizabeth Taylor, we're kind of bummed that, despite insider sources to the contrary, Jack L. had no hand in the design of these rather matter of fact city......

When the possibility of an election loomed last week city mailboxes were flooded with reams of wasted paper and brochures claiming impending parliamentary successes (Jack Layton and his budget flyer). But taking the cake was Tony Ianno's newsletter, usually just a boring, tree-wasting, badly designed thing listing advancements Ianno claims to have had a hand in. Until this week. This week Lazy Tony decided to show the world that he, along with Ralph Goodale, is......

- Rogers, having bought Fido, is now buying Sprint's parent company as well. Rogers calls the deal "another logical and healthy step in the natural consolidation of the Canadian communications market." TOist calls it a bummer. - Monte Solberg blackberries to his blog from the floor of Parliament. A play by play of those exciting non-confidence events: "They can't believe that their iron-grip on power and pocketnooks might be loosed. Kilgour just voted with the......

Surely, there are people who have found themselves benefitting from the woesome vulnerability of our minority government: Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Bono, and now, the Toronto Waterfront Revitaliation Corp. In most likelihood as a result of the government's fear of an election, $20.5 million in public funds was committed last week to the cleanup of the portlands, allowing the undertaking to switch from years of tedious planning to preliminary action. $20.5 million is merely......

Today's article in the Globe Review about David Macfarlane was probably intended to tell us new and exciting things about David Macfarlane. But TOist couldn't get past the giant picture of David Macfarlane and his city-issue bike post, a prop in his latest play. You see, for years we've lost sleep at night wondering about the validity of a rumour that we've not been able to confirm or disconfirm via snopes: Did NDP mustache Jack......

On a long weekend last summer, Defence Minister Bill Graham and PM Paul Martin went up north for some rest and relaxation. Hanging around the campfire, guzzling some brews, the two buddies got to talking. After Bill told some story about a nightspot on Church Street, it occurred to our Prime Minister that it was time for a practical joke. Martin and Graham then came up with a plan to trick their friend Jack Layton:......