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Newsstand: July 1, 2011
Happy Canada Day, Torontoist reader! If you haven’t started drinking yet, you’re a better person than all of us. In the news today: Rob Ford and the Tweet heard around the city, Toronto’s local Canada Day celebrations are in trouble, and TTC naming rights come a step closer to fruition.
After much complaining, heckling, and pointed newspaper editorials, Mayor Rob Ford is finally getting involved in the 2011 Pride events. According to a tweet sent on Thursday, Ford has announced… “Happy Pride #Toronto”? Wait, that’s it? Apparently so, unless the mayor takes NOW Magazine up on its offer to fly him from his cottage to Toronto and back so that he can make the annual parade on Sunday. Even the Toronto Sun, normally a Ford ally, doesn’t seem too impressed by this. Ford followed his message with a link to the 519 Church Street Community Centre’s website, which should bolster the site’s traffic by about three people.
We’ve hypothesized what Toronto’s subway stations might look like with corporate sponsorships in the past, but perhaps the TTC would like to consider hiring Torontoist if it approves new advertising agreement that would give companies the chance to bid on naming rights for subway lines and stations. Addressing a dire need for increased revenue, the agreement would also allow for ad-funded information kiosks, video screens, and other transit accoutrements. And just in case you were worried about this being yet another example of the proliferation of advertising in the city, don’t fret: both Rod and Doug Ford are on board.
Smaller-scale Canada Day celebrations in Toronto’s former municipalities are finding it harder to make ends meet, what with the whole megacity and all. The City’s financial support for the events is diminishing, and event organizers now have to pay for special event and road closure permits. Nobody wants to see tiny midways, fireworks shows, and local epicurean curiosities go away, least of all Councillor Janet Davis (Ward 31, Beaches-East York), who says local Canada Day celebrations should be treated differently from just any event.
Fans of homophobic Jamaican dancehall singer Capleton will now have to trek out to Brampton to see the performer spew hate over surprisingly catchy melodies, after Sound Academy has cancelled his show. The concert drew criticism from gay-rights advocates, who also took their criticisms to the Toronto Police Hate Crime Unit. While bumping hateful performers to Brampton may not solve the problem entirely, it’s a start. Who knows? Next time we might be able to push them as far as Waterloo.