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Weekend Newsstand: July 30, 2011
Saturday! Why didn’t you say you were coming? In the news: No more boozing at Chinatown after hours spot, man spotted with crossbow before G20 catches a break, no new streetcars anytime soon, and, thanks to us, everybody’s pool hopping till they just can’t stop.
Yo, guys, remember that dude who was pulled over right before the G20 with a crossbow and a chainsaw and all kinds of crazy stuff in his roof carrier thing? Well when the cops found him they had a few questions. The courts have now ruled that asking all those questions was a breach of the man’s rights. The judge has agreed that no statements made by the man during his arrest or while he was held at the Eastern Avenue detention centre are admissible, since no attempt was made to find a lawyer for the man.
And remember how we were supposed to get sleek new “European-style” streetcars? Well, that’s been put on hold. When the deal was first struck with Bombardier for the new cars, Mayor David Miller put Toronto on the hook for two thirds of the cost, close to a billion dollars. A billion! Surprise, surprise, the new administration is not so into that idea, so they’ve asked the TTC to look at other ways to get our hands on those babies. Some options include talking Metrolinx into buying them and the City can just lease them, or putting off the purchase beyond the current 2013-2019 timeline. So if you see the new subway cars soon, give ’em a big hug. They may be the only new TTC vehicles you see in your lifetime.
Looks like somebody’s been reading Torontoist. After we published a super awesome and good-looking photo essay about pool hopping, someone called the cops! Not really. Well, kind of. Apparently authorities are concerned about a “wave of pool hopping” lately. City officials say there’s been an unprecedented number of incidents this summer, especially with this summer’s heat wave. But it’s not the heat the City’s putting the heat on. No, instead one City official blames technology for all the pool hopping. Yes, technology.
And if you were hoping to get some after-hours booze after your pool hopping jaunt, you might be out of luck. Police have shut down an after-hours place near Dundas and Spadina after numerous infractions. The place pretended to be a yoga studio, but instead they sold liquor. Kind of the same thing, drinking and yoga. What with the sense of relaxation and getting to know your fellow participants on a different level. You might puke after both. You might wake up the next day feeling sore. But one of those things, drinking versus yoga, is not swallowing poison.