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Newsstand: February 23, 2010
Illustration by Roxanne Ignatius/Torontoist.
The “Rob Ford Report” by Rob Ford is a real document, and Councillor Rob Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) really does call it that. It spells out a formal procedure for stepping on other councillors’ toes and harrassing their staff. City Hall just voted to “receive” the report (perversely, that means they basically killed it) in which Ford outlined his vision of a protocol for intervening in constituent issues within other councillors’ wards. For perspective, this would include summoning three of another councillor’s staff members to a meeting about a crack in the sidewalk in that other councillor’s ward. Certain peeved councillors say the report is really a systematic, painstakingly officious user’s manual for Rob Ford. “No other council has this issue and if Councillor Ford were not here, we wouldn’t have this issue,” said Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre).
Details about the upcoming Toronto G20 meeting set for June 26–27 are starting to appear. So far we know that the feds are sending in an integrated force consisting of Toronto Police, the OPP, Mounties, Canadian Armed Forces, and Peel Region Police to run security around the international summit to be held at the Metro Convention Centre. The city requested the event take place at Exhibition Place, but apparently that’s too cheesy for world leaders other than Bill Clinton. Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), in whose ward the meeting will take place, is asking the Harper government to put down what amounts to a deposit for damage done to public and private property during the summit. For guidance as to the kind of ugliness he’s worrying about, see here.
Are there really such things as “flag fans” anywhere in Canada? And what’s this about “pole dancing” at the Olympics? We should mention that the latter headline is attached to a “post” so minimal that nothing but font size distinguishes the title from the body text. Do all these borderline ridiculous headlines mean that news media have grown so bored of the Games that they’re just tossing out silly words to keep from falling asleep? To this, we say: Jesus, finally.
Good news! The AGO learning centre is getting $7.5 million in stimulus funds. Add that to the $12 million the centre received from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, and that’s a lot of learning, right? The centre is to be a massive teaching, workshopping, and exhibition space that continues an AGO tradition reaching back to the art classes led by Group of Seven painter Arthur Lismer in the ’30s.
A quick update on yesterday’s story about making the TTC an essential service: that bill, presented by MPP David Caplan, is now being held back by Ontario’s transportation minister.
Somewhere on Facebook, one man has a simple question: “Can this Bike Lane get more fans than Rocco Rossi?” But why ride on the coattails of a revolutionary onion ring? No, instead, how about campaigning to remake the bike lane in Rossi’s image: close it to bike traffic, polish its smooth surface to a crowd-pleasing shine, and then sell it off to turn a quick buck. And that’s how it’s done, son.