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Newsstand: September 9, 2011
If you wake up and don’t want to smile, it could take just a little while. Try reading the Newsstand, Friday. It will perk you right up. In today’s news: Toronto police accused of racial profiling (for the zillionth time), the new Port Lands plan could cost big bucks, driver tries to plow through college picket line, and new Aussie blood at the TTC.
A Parkdale man is accusing Toronto police of racial profiling, saying he was tackled, arrested, and strip-searched because he is black. Vaughn Nembhard was walking in his neighbourhood in February when police officers Lukasz Aleksandrowicz and Paul Mohit allegedly stopped him because they believed he was carrying a concealed weapon. Nembhard, who is 35, suffered a stroke more than a decade ago and walks with a limp. He was eventually arrested for assaulting a police officer with his right arm—even though he has not been able to use his right arm since his stroke. He says after he got in the cruiser, the officers offered to let him go if he promised to forget what happened. He chose to go to jail and the charges were later dropped. Nembhard is now taking the case to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
The head of Waterfront Toronto, the multilateral agency that’s been working on Toronto’s Port Lands plan, says the megamall/monorail project could cost taxpayers $270 million. Even though the Ford bros say their plan would be mostly paid for by corporate interests and could be done in 10 years, it turns out—surprise!—that there are some issues they haven’t considered. According to Waterfront Toronto CEO John Campbell, the new plans could set the glacially slow regulatory process back four years, and add $270 million in costs. He says his organization chose the most economical solution for naturalizing the mouth of the Don River. According to estimates Waterfront Toronto received, the new plan endorsed by the executive committee would add $50 million to relocate a hydro substation and $100 million to clean a polluted area north of the Keating Channel. Considering the city is apparently looking to cut gravy (or is that long over?)—what the shit, guy?
It seems a few people are growing testy as the strikes at Ontario’s colleges rage on, but some are dealing with their anger differently than others. A striking Seneca College worker was taken to hospital earlier this week after a frustrated driver attempted to bust through a picket line with his car at the college’s Markham campus. While not quite the same as the smash-up derby that occured at a Brazilian Critical Mass ride, earlier this year, the scene was reminiscent of that kind of car-on-not-car rage. The driver has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
The TTC has hired Andy Byford, a Brit, as its new chief operating officer, a position second-in-command to general manager Gary Webster. Byford, who has family in Canada, comes after an internal TTC restructuring following the sudden departure of general manager of operations Rick Cornacchia earlier this year. It also comes at an interesting time for Webster, who has been at odds with the current municipal regime over this and that for some time.
This article originally referred to Andy Byford as an Australian. He has been working in Australia for the past two years, but is in fact British. We regret the error.