news
Newsstand: September 7, 2011
If Wednesday’s news arrives, but no one’s there to read it, does any of it really matter? Don't risk it! In today’s news: Only 10 years of waterfront wrangling to go, e-bikes get short shrift on a popular trail, Rogers wants to become a bank, and people on tubes don't like Rob Ford.
You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again: The waterfront needs a Ferris wheel and a mall, stat! In the latest installment in the move to completely change the waterfront plan, the mayor and his brohim have unveiled drawings of their vision for the Portlands and surrounding area. They say it would take 10 years to complete, even though the standard for a revitalization on this scale is usually decades longer. Fords possess magical powers, though, you just have to belieeeeeve.
Score one for the valiant bike riders, who cross the city but by the power of their own pumping legs. The Martin Goodman Trail, which runs along the city’s waterfront, has banned e-bikes. Resembling low-powered scooters, with rarely-used pedals sticking out the sides, the powered machines are the ire of many a cyclist. The treasurer of the Toronto Electric Riders Association says the ban is inconsistent with a shift to greener ways of travel. Torontoist encourages him to amp up his enviro-love to the next level and ride a bicycle.
Rogers customers thrilled with the company’s cellphone service may soon be able to take their brand loyalty all the way to the bank. The company has filed an application to try to become a national bank headquartered in Toronto, focusing on credit and charge card services. While they say they have no plans to become a full-service, deposit-taking bank, they could be aiming at the emerging mobile money-transfer market. All we know is that we’d trust Rogers to be fair and just with our credit. For sure.
And, in news that isn’t so much news and is unsurprising to anyone who’s looked at the Twitter-tubes, it seems that Mayor Rob Ford isn’t so popular on the Internet. Toronto’s Social Media Group looked at 42,591 tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media messages mentioning the mayor in the last 10 months and found a majority of them were negative. Interestingly, his highest blip of positive comments came in June, the month he refused to attend any Pride events. While all of this is likely to be just another indicator that only so-called communists use social media, it’s also possible that the cocks of civic opinion are coming home to roost.