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Weekend Newsstand: September 17, 2011
Don’t tell my heart to go to the casino today, tell it to stop gambling and read the Newsstand! In today’s achy-breaky news: more TTC service cuts on the way, the city budget shortfall may not be as bad as the resulting drama, Billy Ray ready to rock Rama, and some other thing not worth mentioning in this introduction.
In the midst of the ongoing gravy showdown at City Hall, the TTC has endorsed a budget that will cut service on several bus routes starting in January. Considering service on dozens of bus routes was just slashed in May, it’s a drastic step for a transit system at its highest ridership ever. The 2012 budget would also cut 500 jobs—and about half of those getting the boot are expected to hear about it on Monday. Even after the cuts, the TTC—which does not get provincial or federal funding—remains $29 million in the hole.
Meanwhile, some Toronto councillors are saying that the mayor is drastically exaggerating the City’s budget shortfall. Councillors Gord Perks (Ward 14, Parkdale-High Park) and Joe Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Paul’s West) say Ford’s numbers fail to take several sources of revenue into account when he talks about the $774 million shortfall that needs to be balanced. Those include money that’s already been saved, land transfer taxes, tax from new buildings, and Toronto Hydro dividends. But why talk about those numbers when you can rile everyone up into a service-cutting frenzy? Because it feels awesome to destroy things other people love! Effing great!
If one bit of good news has emerged from the shizz show at City Hall, it’s that our city’s latte-sipping downtowners may still be able to get their baby animal fix each spring. The Globe says a deal is in the works to save Riverdale Farm, and you’ve got to know we’re relieved. For how would we know springtime had arrived without the baby goats to tell us?
But enough of that fluff, time for some real news for a change: Billy Ray Cyrus is hitting Casino Rama tonight! Everyone’s favourite creepy dad will be wearing red to show his support for Canada’s troops, and so will many of his fans. (Sidenote: The Toronto Sun wants you to know it started the “Cyrus Virus” back in the day, and also that Billy is its BFF.)
And finally, in what is the opposite of news, some guy crashed a TIFF party a year ago.