news
Newsstand: May 1, 2010
Illustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
Greetings comrades, and welcome to May Day and the inaugural Saturday edition of Newsstand. The same mixture of news and irritating snark, posted a little later than usual to ensure time to tweak the verbiage and sleep off Friday night’s Cristal appletinis. So, anyway.
The last few months haven’t been stellar for the TTC, what with sleepy collectors, brawling drivers, Giambrone’s relationship troubles, and the province waffling on Transit City money. However, it’s not all bad news. In spite of all the above as well as fare increases, recession, and the barely suppressed Rocket Rage of many passengers, ridership has remained steady this year, meaning they’ll take in about $17 million more than budgeted. The powers-that-TTC have also landed on a scheme that could see tangible improvements in the customer experience on Toronto’s subway system. Existing supervisors and managers will become station managers, taking direct responsibility for things like cleanliness and customer service at specific stations. Some managers will have sole ownership of busy stops like Bloor and Union, while others will service multiple stations. The reassigned individuals will no longer work out of offices, but will roam across their domain, fixing, cleaning, and generally being accountable.
If you think marijuana smoking and political activism go together like spliffs and Doritos, consider heading down to Queen’s Park today, where the twelfth annual Toronto Global Marijuana March kicks off at 2 p.m. The protest, which drew twenty thousand weed enthusiasts last year, features “Prince of Pot” Marc Emery (currently awaiting extradition to the US on a drug conviction) as Grand Marshall. Marchers will circle the legislature, then drift over to Yonge Street for falafels and and bongs before heading back to Queen’s Park.
Ruh-roh. Scooby Doo and his Hanna-Barbera buddies are being replaced as the face of Canada’s Wonderland by Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. Dave Phillips, Wonderland’s Vice President of Marketing and Sales, said, “Every year we always look for ways to stay relevant with teens and families,” which in this case will be achieved by branding the park with a gaggle of one hundred-year-old megacephalic misfits and a psychotic beagle.
Frugal councillor and mayoral candidate Rob Ford is savouring a Pyhrric victory this week, with the TTC requesting that all councillors immediately return the 2010 Metropasses that had been provided to them. The move came as the Canada Revenue Agency declared that the free passes and other council perks will now be considered taxable benefits. Ford, who’s built his rep on belligerent penny-pinching, has been lobbying for such a move since he arrived at City Hall back in 2000. Best quote of the article comes from a refreshingly caustic Adam Giambrone: “…I suspect Rob Ford’s pass has cost us very little in lost revenue.” Snap!
Big fan of architecture but your friends are all sick of listening to you ramble on about pediments and performalism? Well, here’s your chance to make your voice heard, with the return of the annual Pug Awards to choose the best and worst of Toronto buildings in 2009. Between now and the end of May, you can head to pugwards.com to vote on which of thirty-four residential and seven commercial properties you love, like, or hate.