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Newsstand: January 21, 2011
Illustration by Jeremy Kai/Torontoist.
On this day in 1189, Philip II, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart set out on the Third Crusade, considered by critics to be the best of the Crusades. On this day in 2011, Toronto wants its streetcars buried, you want to have dinner with your fave mayoral contenders, and the Fords really, really want an NFL team.
A Léger Marketing poll conducted on January 12 found support among Torontonians for putting Light Rapid Transit lines underground as a compromise between subways and above-ground LRT. While those polled were almost evenly divided in a preference for subway versus the existing LRT plan, a large majority preferred to build light rail underground rather than abandoning Transit City altogether in favour of more expensive subways. An even greater number of respondents thought it would be fun to drive go-karts around the downtown PATH system.
If you’re not busy next Thursday night, tickets are still available for the “Harmony Dinner” that Mike Harris has organized to help put some leading mayoral candidates back in the black after an expensive campaign. Rob Ford, Sarah Thomson, and Rocco Rossi (as well as a debt-free George Smitherman) will party together one more time on January 27 to raise money for remaining campaign debts. Ticket prices range from $250 for meal, entertainment, and table near the bathroom to $2500 for front row seats so close to the stage you can almost touch the magic. Don’t miss your chance to relive the heady days of October 2010 while back-funding the hubris of Toronto’s political elite.
So where is the best place to while away the long cold years between a failed candidacy and shuffleboard in Arizona? Radio, of course, where you get to talk continuously but never have to look anyone in the eye! George Smitherman will flirt with a career shift when he plays guest host on John Tory’s Newstalk 1010 radio show next Monday, January 24. If the gig proves successful it’s expected to lead to a teaming of the two ex-politicos for a gag-filled morning show tentatively called Johnny T and the Smithermeister.
In entertainment news barely related to Toronto, actor Owen Wilson and girlfriend Jade Duell have named their first son Rob Ford. While it’s unlikely the pair were thinking of our mayor when they assigned the moniker, sources say there is a resemblance.
Also on the Ford-watch, the dream of watching gigantic Americans smash into each other right here in the T-Dot is still very much alive at city hall. Councillor Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) told the Sun that bringing an NFL franchise to the city would boost both tourism and job creation, and that the expected one-billion-dollar price tag could be covered by private investors without resorting to public money. Improbable quote of the day: “To be a world class city, at least a North American world class city, we need an NFL team.” You elected them, people.