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Newsstand: May 14, 2010
lllustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
As if the forced invasion of personal space on the morning subway commute wasn’t uncomfortable enough, police have released images of a man who sidles up behind unsuspecting females in cars and engages in “sexual acts.” The Sun aptly refers to the creepy thirty- to forty-year-old East Indian man as the platform pervert. He has been showing up between May and June since 2007 and usually targets women with a slim to average build and long, dark hair. Riders should keep a particularly watchful eye at the Dundas/Queen and Eglinton/Davisville stations. One more reason to grab a helmet and bike instead.
Okay, well, if that turned you off the TTC, it turns out that at least the bus driver charged with impaired driving, whom we told you about yesterday, may not have been drunk or stoned on purpose (so reassuring). TTC union ATU 113 came to Zvi Domb’s defence and blamed prescription drugs. Union president Bob Kinnear said, “[Domb] had not been advised that his medication might cause impairment.”
It’s like Canadian Idol…but without the singing, the un-widely known celebrity judges (Sass who?), and heck, probably with a higher viewership. The mayoral candidates will be facing off in six live debates at CP24’s Queen West studios beginning next Tuesday. In true Idol fashion, Ben Mulroney will be there for the tears and jeers—not as a Seacrest stand-in, but as a political panelist. Not all twenty-six hopefuls will take part, of course, just the usual suspects: Smitherman, Ford, Rossi, Pantalone, Mammoliti, and Thomson. Who said politics weren’t fun? Get ready to dial and vote for your favourite at 8 p.m.! Wait, does it work that way?
When you’re really thirsty, there’s nothing more refreshing than low-fat milk or a nice soy drink. It sounds a little off, but if council gets its way, those two gems, along with 100% fruit and veggie juice, will be all anyone sees in vending machines on city property. The city’s goal is to rid all its machines of sugar-infused drinks by 2014. Pop and sports drinks made up more than two-thirds of sales at facilities around the city in the last few years, but health is pushing its way past cash profit. The city’s licensing agreement with Pepsi ends in October, at which point a new bidder, willing to fulfill the new criteria, can step in. Toronto’s rules would make its vending machines the healthiest in Ontario.
On to the less healthy and dead. The killing spree euthanasia of hundreds of possible pets came to a halt yesterday, after relentless protesters took up post in front of the now notorious Newmarket animal shelter. Originally, it was expected that 350 animals infected with ringworm would be put down, but the death toll stopped climbing at ninety-nine. At a press conference yesterday, OSPCA chairman Rob Godfrey said the society had “miscommunicated” its intentions, and that killing all the animals would have been a worst case scenario. Worries have now turned to fifteen infected animals that were thieved from the shelter when the killing began, which could spread the grossness further.
And finally, most self-respecting Torontonians—no, let’s go bigger—people, might not admit to having watched both Twilight films, having read all four novels, and owning a movie poster–embossed Walmart gift card (yeah, who does that?); that said, getting behind local indie-rockers Metric is much more acceptable. Yes, there is a common thread here. According to Emily Haines’ blog, the band has co-written the theme song for the next instalment of the series: Eclipse. “All Yours” will supposedly be heard in the last scene of the film. Soundtrack is out June 8, movie, June 30.