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Newsstand: May 21, 2010
lllustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
Pack ’em, Dano! Did you know that in Ontario, it’s illegal for moving companies to steal your stuff and hold it for ransom or dump your furniture onto the road because you won’t pay more money than agreed upon? Apparently, it came as a surprise to the fine folks at Desi Movers (a.k.a. Dynamic Movers, Dynamite Movers, Family Movers, Indo-Pak Movers, Master Movers, Supreme Movers, Pacific Van Lines Moving Inc., Xpress Movers, A1 Xpress Moving Inc., and several other aliases) who were raided by police and charged with 180 offences, including extortion and possession of the proceeds of crime. The family business has been under investigation for months, after dozens of complaints alleging that advertised low prices for moves were jacked up once property was loaded onto trucks. Not mad yet? Even though the companies reportedly made over a million dollars a year in profit, the family lives in subsidized housing and some members were reportedly collecting welfare.
Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin got a taste of his own medicine yesterday when quizzed on expense reports obtained by the Globe and Mail. Items charged to the taxpayer include not only deodorant and bodywash, but a television and HD box for his home office. Now, before you fail to work up the requisite indignation and start saying things like, “I’m willing to pay a little extra for a well-informed ombudsman who smells like a spring morning,” consider that under the Ombudsman Act, Marin gets to determine his own rules on expenses. That’s right, not only does he get a free ride on deodorant, he has his own Act. What about a Torontoist Act, Government of Ontario? Yeah, we didn’t think so.
Toronto City Council is preparing to release a secret twenty-five-page booklet detailing who in the city is exempt from paying parking fines. Lucky exemptees are notified of their status by magic owl.
Not sick of the G20 yet? More details on G20 security preparations were released yesterday. Not only will the CN Tower be closed, but some downtown office buildings are stockpiling food, and business people are being advised by the RCMP to dress down to avoid being targeted by protesters who hate Harry Rosen. Some homeless people are also being moved out of the downtown area by police and shelter officials. John Clarke of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty said, “It is not surprising that they are moving people,” which sounds uncharacteristically reasonable, but only because it’s taken out of context.
Bad news if you like looking at Queen’s Park from a southwesterly direction and pretending it’s the 19th century—you’re going to have to imagine a lot harder in the future. The Liberal government has declined to contest an Ontario Municipal Board ruling that will allow developers to build condo towers on the northeast corner of Bloor Street and Avenue Road. Opponents of the ruling say it will clutter up the skyline and ruin the iconic view of Queen’s Park, while those in favour point out that at least it’s not a big exploding crystal thing barfing out of the side of the building.