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Newsstand: January 26, 2011
Illustration by Jeremy Kai/Torontoist.
If you lived at Wednesday, you’d be home by now! Today, Pride Toronto is a little broker, subway to Vaughan starts to look realer, and subway downtown to be closed this weekend.
Things are probably a little less festive around the Pride Toronto offices these days, as financial statements show the organization ended its fiscal year with a budget deficit of $109,000. While due in part to a loss of funding from the federal Marquee Tourism Events Program, the group also recorded a $100,000 jump in salaries and benefits and $70,000 more in administrative costs. As a result, Pride is now engaged in some Fordish belt-tightening and calling for an end to the glitter train.
Sexy! The National Post notes that the tag line on City Hall press releases has changed from describing Toronto as “one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America” to one “dedicated to delivering customer service excellence.” Basically, we’ve decided to close down the museum and just focus on the coffee shop.
Subways, boo-yah! Contracts have been awarded to two Spanish companies to begin work on elements of the Spadina subway extension. What with Transit City on hold and recent announcements on cuts in bus service, it’s good to see that public transit expansion in the city hasn’t ground to a halt completely.
Although this weekend isn’t looking good. The Yonge subway will be shut down all weekend from Union to Bloor for work on a track crossover that will allow trains to turn around at College (presently they can only turn back at Union or Bloor). Shuttle buses will be in operation or you can get some exercise.
A thirty-year-old man has been charged with defrauding North York seniors in one of the least imaginative grifts ever. Police say that Elman Iakhiiaev accepted upfront payment to clear snow for the winter and then, uh, didn’t.
Mayor Rob Ford may be turning to the beer industry for his next chief of staff. The Star says that Amir Remtulla, one-time executive assistant to Case Ootes and now senior director of government relations for Molson Coors Canada is being considered for the post soon to be vacated by Nick Kouvalis. Unfortunately, the Star already used the word “tapped” in its headline but there’s still lots of opportunity, joke-wise. Maybe Ford wants to “draft” Remtulla onto the team? He’s looking for someone to “head” the new team? Something to do with hops? We could do this all day.
BREAKING NEWS ALERT!!!! Police in Barrie have rescued a kitten with its head stuck in a Beefaroni can, repeat, a Beefaroni can! The kitten is now safe at a shelter where the staff are calling him “Boyardee.”