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Newsstand: May 11, 2010
Illustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
Man, remember back when Torontoist was the only place with all the info on the Banksy pieces appearing on walls and signs across the city? Well, those days are over: Stories about the new street art are all over the damned place today, and, unlike the artwork itself, they won’t be disappearing any time soon. Property owners unimpressed by the wry (and unsellable) paintings have already begun erasing them. To expeditious readers hoping to track down the remaining works and appreciate the living hell out of them…we can’t help you, since Torontoist is bound by journalistic ethics and integrity and possibly an explosive collar to never reveal the open-secret locations. But our commenters, on the other hand—well, who knows?
Now, then. Did we have some news? Oh yeah, the Presto card is finally here! Transit followers will know that Presto is the smartcard that can be charged with fare money and used across a variety of regional transit systems. No, it will mostly not work on the TTC, but beginning in June, it will be accepted at selected subway stations. Still, for GO riders, it’s a giant leap forward into to the future present. By 2011, you’ll be able to travel with a Presto from Don Mills to Ottawa and—unless Ottawa is really great for you—back. For now, the TTC is looking into other options, like a way for riders pay their fare using credit cards.
And if you’re still cranky about not getting a smartcard, at least the TTC is letting its riders contribute suggestions for the name and seat-fabric colour on its incoming fleet of 204 Light Rail Vehicles. With prototypes due in 2011 and full adoption expected by 2013, the TTC is anxious to stitch down those last little details like settling on a mandatory nickname for the vehicles and on a design theme to represent Toronto.
This apology from Rob Ford about his “only gays/junkies get AIDS” comments gets surreal really fast. Yesterday afternoon, Ford cut short a conference call with the Star and Offended Gay Man Dieter Doneit-Henderson, and led a “caravan” over to Doneit-Handerson’s Etobicoke apartment to deliver his apology personally, along with a reporter, a photographer, and his brother, Doug Ford. Everyone in the room was super comfortable throughout what was basically the best afternoon ever. Harper government, if only your issues-management were that smooth.
“God hasn’t left city hall—city hall has left God.” Or so mayoral middle-runner and religious guy extraordinaire Rocco Rossi told a debate sponsored by the Toronto Area Interfaith Council yesterday. We were there and will be posting shortly about the event, at which other candidates brought up ideas like appointing an official faith liasion (Smitherman) or the fact that he has coached high school football at a Catholic school (we’ll leave it to you to figure out who said that).
This is not Toronto-specific, but oh, how we wish it was. We’d even trade away our Banksies for it. The city of New Westminster, B.C., has passed Canada’s first bylaw guaranteeing civic employees and municipal contractors a living wage. That means an hourly wage of at least $16.74, “the pay required to keep a family with two working parents and two children above the poverty line.” Unfortunately, while New Westminster hopes other cities will follow its example, Toronto isn’t likely to be one of them. Toronto’s “fair wage” policy dates back to 1893, and hasn’t had its minimums raised in seven years, meaning that some of them actually fall below legal minimum wage. A living wage here, in case you’re interested, is around $17.50 per hour.