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Newsstand: January 25, 2010
Illustration by Roxanne Ignatius/Torontoist.
The latest GTA scandal, now called “TTZZZzzzzgate,” has gripped the viral world by storm—or should we say snore. By now you’ve probably all seen the photo of George Robitaille, the infamous “TTC Napper,” on the front page of sources like The Star. When Robitaille took that ill-fated catnap, he became an icon for all that frustrates TTC users and an object of entertainment for Photoshop enthusiasts alike. But Robitaille, a TTC employee for thirty years, has medical conditions that can explain his snooze, but he’s nevertheless very sorry—especially to all the other employees getting shut-downs for his shut-eye. But it doesn’t seem like they’re too bothered, as another booth operator was caught sleeping on the job on Friday. Still, the Amalgamated Transit Union says we’re the ones that should be ashamed.
If TTC Chair Adam Giambrone doesn’t have enough on his plate—he is about to officially launch his campaign for mayor of Toronto. The announcement will most likely be made at a party “full of celebration and excitement” at Revival on College Street next Monday, February 1. And it should be exciting—as long as TTC employees take their naps before they arrive.
And in other TTC news, the trip planner that Torontoist announced last Thursday was inadvertently made public for a few hours over the weekend, so we grabbed the opportunity to take it for a test drive (the CBC and Spacing did as well). Though it has been in the works since 2007, Torontoist found that it’s still not ready to take off its training wheels. If you’re lucky, there will only be a few hiccups. But most of the time, it’s about as useful as a handful of paper TTC tickets and no quarters.
Over three thousand Torontonians joined forces on Saturday to protest Stephen Harper’s decision to prorogue parliament for the second time in one year, and Torontoist was at Yonge-Dundas Square to take part in the marches and chants that briefly shut down that busy section of Yonge Street. Protesters from all political leanings showed up at rallies across Canada at the same time. Hundreds withstood -7 degree temperatures in Edmonton, while Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton gave speeches in front of thousands on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Both leaders, who are sending their MPs back to the Hill Monday, praised Saturday’s events, initiated by grassroots groups using social media, as proof that Canadians are shirking their apathy towards government. Torontoist will have further coverage and photos of the Toronto rally coming soon.
People are smiling about the unseasonably mild weather Toronto has been experiencing lately, and not only because temperatures are warm enough to actually have facial expressions. The lack of snow is saving the City almost ten million dollars. The transportation department spent thirty-two million on snow plows at this time last year, whereas this year only twenty-one million has been spent to date to keep roads clear. Bike shops and golf clubs are also riding the heat wave, but Canadian Tire is apparently suffering from slower snow scraper sales. Tear, tear.
Tim Hortons and Starbucks have been battling to satisfy our caffeine cravings since the dawn of the to-go cup, but now it seems our national brewer has gone too far. A young barista in California is suing Starbucks after her manager, Tim Horton, started demanding sex when she began working at the coffee shop at sixteen years old. Kati Moore, now twenty, says she received daily texts from Horton, who was then twenty-four, and felt compelled to fulfill his requests since he was her superior. Horton pleaded guilty to illegal sex with a minor, but now the Moore family is going after Starbucks for not protecting her properly. And the public has reacted with a boycott of the java giant. If this were some secret, double-agent plan of Hortons to bring down the competition—not cool, Timmy. Not cool.
This article originally suggested that the Sun‘s article about TTC collector George Robitaille provided no specific medical details for why he might have fallen asleep on the job. In fact, Robitaille told the paper “he underwent a heart procedure in August and is taking special medication.”