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Newsstand: July 26, 2011
Tuesday? You don’t say! That’s a horse of a different news. Today: Colin Farrell is trying to make you late for work, we haven’t seen the last of KPMG, Riding the Rocket and regionalized variations of that slogan more popular than ever, and Rob Ford’s novelty license plate.
Just accept it. You’re going to be late for work, and it’s all Colin Farrell’s fault. Production of Farrell’s version of Arnold Schwarzenegger classic Total Recall has shut down Lake Shore Blvd. from Jarvis to Parliament all day yesterday and again today. The $200-million shoot is the most expensive production the city’s ever hosted, so maybe that’s why Farrell and the gang are allowed to close a major street for two week days instead of lurking on side streets or holding off until the weekend like a Being Erica or Rookie Blue.
Turns out there is one position at City Hall that still offers a sense of job security: KPMG consultant. You might remember KPMG from such memorable service reviews as the core services review, also known as “that time great gravy hunters went forth to vanquish the brown runny stuff, but instead came back with a bunch of shitty suggestions.” We are now entering phase two of the Never-Ending Review, the service efficiency review, in which KPMG will examine facilities management and real estate functions, some other consultancy group you’ve never heard of will look at fleet management, and City staff hope to have five or six more agreements with consulting firms by the end of July for more reviews. The reports should be done by the fall, but don’t expect to know the results or anything unless council approval is needed to implement the suggestions.
Looks like Torontonians love riding the rocket more than ever these days, as transit use was up 2.1 per cent in 2010. That’s about 13 million more trips than before. In fact, public transit use is up 4.1 per cent across the whole country, which is nice to see if you’re a fan of that sort of thing. Fans of that sort of thing are hoping this evidence of increasing demand will translate into increased funding to update and maintain public transit service throughout Canada.
And file this under “really convenient narratives for people who don’t support Rob Ford’s ideologies and relentless pursuit of smaller government at any cost.” Allegedly, the mayor gave the finger to a mom and her six-year-old daughter after they caught him talking on his cell phone while driving. The mom, an artist and designer who is admittedly no fan of RoFo, says she spotted the beige minivan with the ROBFORD license plate at Dundas and Spadina on Friday night.