Extra, Extra: Losing Lanes, Removing Plants, and Taking Issue with Degrassi

By Meg Campbell

Every weekday’s end, Extra, Extra collects just about everything you ought to care about or ought not miss.

• The above video by mrtini and members of the Toronto Cyclist Union shows Scarborough cyclists talking about the Pharmacy Avenue bike lane and the request that Councillor Michelle Berardinetti (Ward 35, Scarborough Southwest) made to the City to remove it. Ward 35 residents voted in Berardinetti last fall, replacing Adrian Heaps, who in his four years as councillor and chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee strongly advocated for better cycling infrastructure in Toronto.
• Peeved about the Public Works Committee’s decision yesterday in favour of removing the Jarvis Street bike lane? Miroslav Wagner has created a petition called “Protect Bike Lanes on Jarvis“ to be presented to City Council, who vote on removing the lane on July 12 or 13.
• Some people just don’t get that something being in a space that belongs to the public doesn’t make it theirs, per se.The Junction Triangle blog posted about an alleged theft of plants from the West Toronto Railpath. An anonymous Junction resident claims to have seen someone digging up and potting three plants and leaving with them. When the resident confronted the man and his female companion, he said the plants,—which were selected and planted by local volunteers—would “grow back.”
• It might not be swimming weather today, but soon enough we’ll be scrambling to find a place to cool off. And, preferably, those waters will be clean and safe. To aid us in our search, the good people at Ontario Waterkeepers created a Swim Guide App so you can “find your closest beaches, know at a glance which ones are safe for swimming, and share your love of beaches with your friends.”
• The Florida Family Association, whose mission is to “educate people on what they can do to defend, protect and promote traditional, biblical values,” has had enough of Degrassi: The Next Generation and, according to the Huffington Post, is boycotting any company that runs ads during the show. According to the FFA’s founder, David Canton, the Toronto-based show’s frank and realistic depictions of LGBT issues facing highschoolers “licentiously appealed to the prurient nature of teenagers.”
• Finally, on a much more positive note, the Toronto District School Board announced the winners of it First Annual Director’s Gay-Straight Alliance Awards yesterday, which honours outstanding groups who aim to make their schools safer and more welcoming for all students, regardless of sexual orientation. The winners, who will each receive a $1,000 prize, are: RH King Academy’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute’s Panther Pride Queer-Straight Alliance, and Emery Collegiate Institute’s Gay-Straight Alliance. Congrats, kids!

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