news
Newsstand: April 23, 2010
lllustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
Chief of Police Bill Blair wants every front-line cop in Toronto to carry a Taser, bro. But wait—there’s a downside. The weapons are too expensive, he says, and Ontario guidelines only authorize their use for tactical, hostage rescue, and security purposes. But what about for stopping amped-up turnstile-jumpers? According to Blair’s annual report, inquests have called for increased Taser use in confrontations with emotionally disturbed people. Toronto Police recorded only two cases of minor injury caused by Taser use last year, a scraped knee and a bumped head. And a smoked deer.
Can you say security theatre? The old Toronto Film Studios building at Eastern and Pape will be used as a temporary jail during the G20 conference this June. According to the original report, which aired on CTV News, Police say the makeshift pen, not far from Ashbridges Bay, is needed to process prisoners from protests expected at the meeting. Blair told CTV News that he is confident Toronto police have the resources they need.
By channelling public support to put pressure on the McGuinty government to restore those four billion dollars it promised, the Save Transit City campaign has resulted in a grand total of forty-five calls per day to the Ministry of Government Services. That’s on a number that gets about 1,800 calls on an average day. You can also email the provincial government or call your MPP (as the Public Transit Coalition recommends), in case you were wondering. But I’m sure Queen’s Park is working round the clock counting Twibbons.
Before you privatize garbage collection, you might want to look at the new “greener” garbage trucks the city plans to buy. The city hopes to cut fuel costs and emissions with the vehicles, which cost about three hundred thousand dollars each. The diesel-fuelled trucks are going to be tested on Scarborough trash pickup for a year to gauge their efficiency. If the city does order more of the trucks, chances are those will come converted to use captured methane from the two biogas centres that City Hall also plans to establish at the Disco and Dufferin waste-processing facilities.
Sorry to kill the mood, third-graders. While it was reported on Wednesday that Ontario would be starting sex education classes in elementary schools, a backlash from “the faith community” (which no one could’ve predicted) torpedoed that plan almost immediately. The plan was to teach sex ed in stages, beginning with the correct anatomical terms for body parts such as the female [unintelligible mumble] and the male [ahem!], and continuing, while blushing furiously, onward through sexual orientation, cultural values, menstruation, gender identity, abstinence, and pretty much any other topic that’ll drop a concerned Catholic jaw.
Now some good news for everyone except the service industry (whose members are probably used to shitty news)! All Toronto stores may soon be allowed to stay open on statutory holidays. A proposal that passed a vote by City Council’s economic development committee on Thursday morning would let stores anywhere in the city do business on days off. Currently, only stores in select “tourist areas” downtown can legally open their doors on nine statutory holidays.
And the guy who (allegedly) pulled a gun at the 4/20 marijuana rally is facing thirteen charges, including pointing a firearm and threatening death. The whole thing sure seems complicated, doesn’t it?