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Newsstand: June 30, 2011
It’s Thursday but also kind of Friday, so ta-da! In the news: Family is important to Ford, but so is attending events that are important to the people of Toronto; Parkdale is nervous about some new neighbours; all your Eglinton LRT questions answered; and bootleggers busted in Kensington Market.
Just when you thought the whole incendiary “the mayor hates gays” thing was entering a phase of sober second thought, there’s some fresh fuel for the flames. Rob Ford is still contemplating attending Canada Day celebrations on Friday. As a candidate, Ford attended some Canada Day events last year before heading to the cottage, and it seems he’s considering doing that again. You see, family and tradition come first for RoFo, but he’s an understanding guy. He’s the kind of guy who really gets that “Canada Day is an important event for people in Toronto,” according to a spokesman. And he’s the kind of guy who’s willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of his public duty. So at least we know he’s capable of that, which is a start.
Star columnist Joe Fiorito tells the tale of the professional Parkdaleians, the mayor’s press secretary, and the methadone clinic as only Joe Fiorito can. With the old clinic on Niagara Street closing to make way for new condos, the addiction services centre, which also has a food bank, library, and computers for job searching, is settling in among some angry “lawyers, architects, and software engineers.” New neighbours are pissed that no one told them the clinic was coming, and some fear their property values will decrease. Jeez, the way these guys are freaking out, you’d think they live in Forest Hill or something. Such are the charms of Parkdale.
Construction of the Eglinton LRT is set to get underway this summer, and with the construction will surely come questions. Ontario Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne will attempt to answer some of those questions at a public meeting Thursday night at the York Civic Centre. Here’s a fun fact that we hope doesn’t spoil the meeting for you: there will be a maximum of 26 stations on the line.
Moonshine, not just for toothless Appalachian men under railway bridges anymore. A Kensington Market bakery owner has been charged with selling moonshine by the cupful. Authorities were alerted to the problem when aboriginal health centres reported some clients were having violent stomach pains. Police seized four litres of the home brewed booze from La Rosa’s Bakery on Augusta, but they didn’t find any brewing equipment. The case of the muffin moonshiners goes unsolved. For now.