news
Newsstand: May 7, 2010
lllustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
Less-than-universally loved councillor Rob Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) spent Wednesday burnishing his integrity credentials at a mayoral debate, and Thursday getting chewed out by Toronto’s integrity commissioner for tainting a public real-estate deal. Ford revealed confidential details of a proposed $750,000 sale on his radio talk show last summer, believing it had already been made official. This marked the fourth time in as many years Ford had violated city council’s code of conduct. But there’s a bright side, as Ford himself pointed out. “[Integrity Commissioner Janet Leipner] also said I haven’t made as many mistakes as I have in the past. So I am improving.” Boys and girls: progress!
Also currently being lived-down by Ford, as we noted yesterday in Extra, Extra, are his 2006 remarks before city council about how AIDS only affects gays, drug addicts, and women who screw bisexual guys. The Ford campaign has refused to discuss the statement—unless you count that little Twitter SNAFU. Rob Ford would really like you not to count that, though.
An Orangeville car salesman may very well be the best, scummiest, negotiator on earth. It seems that, when a woman on disability pension walked into his dealership wanting new tires, he talked her into paying $25,000 too much for a used car. The unbelievably classy incident has resulted in charges, and the dealership could be fined up to $250,000 under consumer protection laws.
And now, here is a 268-kilogram hamburger. The omega patty, successfully barbecued yesterday by Toronto chef Ted Reader, annihilated the previous, pathetic heavyweight grilling record of a mere 84 kilos of hand-shaped beef. Reader also raised $8,500 for a children’s charity—a camp for kids with burns.
A witness to the death of Junior Alexander Manon, the teenager reportedly killed by a heart attack while fleeing police near York University, claims that Manon was injured by police and died after officers “f—– his s— up.” The witness, seventeen-year-old Kevin Faudar, said he saw officers surround and get on top of Manon. Faudar was arrested and then released without charge. The provincial Special Investigations Unit has stepped in to probe the incident, as is normal whenever a civilian death occurs involving police.
In an Ontario riff on conservative Senator Nancy “Shut-The-Fuck-Up” Ruth’s advice to women’s equality advocates, provincial Transport Minister Kathleen Wynne has warned Mayor David Miller that opposition to a scaled-back version of the Transit City light-rail expansion might leave Toronto stuck with nothing at all. The revised plan defers four billion dollars of provincial funding by cutting 22.5 kilometres and twenty-five stops from the transit system—or, in the Star’s words, ensures that “TTC riders will wait longer for shorter lines with fewer stops.”
In case you missed this, the protest zone, or “Designated Speech Area,” for next month’s G20 conference has been moved from Trinity Bellwoods Park, thanks apparently to the efforts of Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone and MP Olivia Chow. The new location hasn’t been set yet (and we don’t think organizers are taking suggestions).
And a conservancy group is leading a movement to make the red-tailed hawk Canada’s national bird. But that’ll just dredge up the age-old stereotype of Canadians who go for the wimpier version of whatever America does. On the other end of the messaging spectrum, runner-up the Canada Goose is (theoretically) nicer, safer, and more neighbourly than a bird of prey. Except that’s just pandering in the opposite direction. And geese are bastards. Enough, already. It’s abundantly clear that the only bird fit for this role is actually a mammal. Let scientists pshaw into the sleeves of their labcoats—it’s time we made bats Canada’s national honourary bird, and declare the ROM’s Bat Cave a national fake park.