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Newsstand: June 28, 2011
Tuesday’s back, and leaving a real “day and a half after eating a whole thing of Sour Patch Kids” feeling in our mouths. To the news: Rob Ford continues to deflect Pride questions, SummerWorks makes it work, good money goes to good causes, and a campaign finance audit with flair.
In his ongoing effort to dodge any Pride-related events by invoking the corny Canadian clichés clause in his employment contract, the mayor missed out on the official proclamation of Pride Week and raising of the Pride flag at Nathan Phillips Square on Monday because he was having a private meeting and tour of the Air Canada Centre with Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke. Burke has been a vocal supporter of Pride since his son came out shortly before being killed in a car accident in February 2010. When asked if the meeting with Burke has changed Ford’s decision not to march in the parade or participate at all in the 10-day festival, Ford non-answered, “One day at a time.”
Despite the valiant efforts of Sun Media to block it, the SummerWorks theatre and art festival will see the light come August. Festival organizers recently revealed that they would not be receiving federal funding from Heritage Canada—after doing just that for the past five festivals—which may or may not have something to do with Sun drumming up controversy over taxpayer money going to fund “pro-terrorist” plays like Homegrown. But thanks to support from the artists and audiences of SummerWorks (and slightly higher ticket prices), the shows will go on. And thank goodness, because without this festival there would be no Flashpoint, according to a supportive tweet from the TV show’s creator. And without Flashpoint we would have nothing to get excited about for two seconds when we see production trailers on the street before realizing it’s just another episode of Flashpoint.
It’s a good day for good people doing good work. The United Way and the Pathways to Education program both announced funding increases recently. The United Way is investing a record $78.7 million in Toronto-area member agencies after a recessionary freeze on such one-time grants. And premier Dalton McGuinty announced the extra funding for Pathways to Education, a program to help at-risk kids graduate from high school, at a pre-graduation event in Regent Park on Monday. Sounds good.
And in a weird new version of municipal election campaign finance audits, Oshawa councillor Amy England is being blasted for the CosmoTV-provided makeover that turned her from a “snaggle-toothed” candidate to a winner with a “Hollywood smile” (description courtesy of the Star). English says she doesn’t consider the cost of the products and treatments the show gave her as a campaign expense, but some angry opponents think otherwise. Wonder if her bedside astrologer saw this one coming.