news
Newsstand: June 1, 2010
lllustration by Clayton Hanmer/Torontoist.
While a new Angus Reid poll delivers no surprises in the rankings of the main parties—Conservatives at 35%, Liberals at 27%, and NDP at 19%—there are interesting results around the popularity of the leaders. The survey found that while a Liberal-NDP coalition under Michael Ignatieff would come in second to the Conservatives, with Jack Layton as PM-designate, they would win enough seats to form a government. The difference is attributed to the fact that while Layton is popular in Quebec, Quebecers typically will not vote NDP because there’s no perceived chance of that party winning an election. The poll also found that the same Liberal-NDP alliance would achieve power if led by a puppy with big eyes, and that any party would score a sizable majority with Lady Gaga at the helm.
Ask not for whom the road tolls, it tolls for thee…Ontario’s environmental commissioner Gord Miller recommends in his annual Greenhouse Gas Report that road tolls be examined as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the province. Miller notes that Ontario is already likely to miss its GHG reduction targets for 2014 and 2020 at a time when scientific bodies are suggesting that we need to do more to reduce emissions. The report, which was submitted to the Ontario legislature yesterday, makes a number of other recommendations that are less headline-worthy but will also be ignored.
Joe Pantalone (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) is rocking the techno-hipster vote, saying that, if elected, he’ll introduce internet and mobile voting, as well as live webcasts of City Council meetings, online permit requests, and an enhanced 311 service. He will also push the province to allow some permanent residents to vote in municipal elections. In his “Plan for Civic Values”, Pantalone proposes the changes as a move toward a government that’s “accountable, flexible, and accessible” (and probably, although not specifically noted, scalable, modular, and fully integrated).
The Star says “speculation is rampant” at City Hall that John Tory is being wooed to jump back into the mayoralty race. Tory lost his last bid to be mayor to David Miller in 2003, and was dropped as provincial Conservative leader in 2009 after he failed to gain a seat in the legislature, let alone form a government.
Needles have been found in three packages of Piller’s Polish sausage sold to the Toronto area over the last month, leading police to issue a warning to consumers to examine all food packaging for signs of tampering. Because no one wants to get a needle in their sausage.
The Canadian Automobile Association South Central Ontario branch now offers a roadside bicycle assistance program to complement its traditional services for motorists. The Bike Assist program offers members free repairs within its coverage area (although curiously, they don’t fix flats) and will even take you and your broken bike home—up to ten kilometres if you have basic membership, 200 kilometres with a plus membership, and 320 kilometres for premium members. They do request that cyclists not call for pick-up if they’re just bored.
Misleading headline of the week, from the National Post: “Firefighters facing ‘a real monster,’ Quebec official says.”