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Newsstand: January 25, 2012
Before heading out to fill up on haggis and Scottish brew, it's best you find out what's going on in our neck o' the woods. Wednesday's news: a new transit plan gains street-level traction; backyard chickens may be here to stay (or not); paramedics rally at City Hall; Viva buses may be back on the roads soon; and some friendly competition from our friends on the west coast.
Don’t tell the mayor, but it looks like Transit City, or something very much resembling it, may have crept back into our lives. A new transit proposal from TTC chair Karen Stintz is gaining support among city council’s so called “mushy middle.” The plan, which does not line-up with Mayor Rob Ford’s transit-should-be-underground-so-we-can-pretend-it-doesn’t-exist-because-streets-are-for-cars vision, would see part of the Eglinton LRT line built above ground and using the money saved to extend the Sheppard subway one stop to Victoria Park Avenue and add bus service along Finch Avenue. Stintz hopes to bring a revised plan before council, with the mayor’s (ahem, oh really? Hahaha!) support. And you thought it was only US politicians who go rogue?
The city’s backyard chicken farmers will soon know whether or not their birds will have to fly the coop. The licensing and standards committee will vote today on a report outlining a strategy that could allow residents to keep backyard hens. However, it is by no means a shoo-in for keepers of urban fowl as the committee’s chair, Cesar Palacio (Ward 17, Davenport), is not in favour, claiming, according to the Toronto Star, that there isn’t an “appetite” for backyard chickens (too easy). Meanwhile, in Brampton, four pythons, two lizards, two birds, fish and a rabbit were rescued from a townhouse fire. From someone’s home. Inside. Because those kind of pets are allowed. Got it? Good.
Approximately 250 Toronto paramedics rallied at City Hall yesterday with a demand to receive essential-service designation. According to the group, the looming strike could reduce their workforce by 15 per cent and affect their response time. This comes at a time when the focus is already on emergency response workers, and their ability to react during a city strike, as an inquest into James Hearst’s death is underway. Meanwhile, over at ORNGE, there are 18 people who are likely wishing that their jobs fell under this designation.
In a sentence that may be hard to make out for a group who’ve grown so used to discontent, good news GTA commuters! After a three-month strike, a tentative deal has been reached by Veolia Transportation and ATU Local 113. A ratification vote is set for Thursday and if all goes well, Viva bus service could start up soon. The union is suggesting that transit workers take the deal, so it is looking promising.
Look out Bymark burger, your overpriced opulence has been overshadowed by…a hot dog. A Vancouver restaurant has on offer a $100 wiener infused with cognac and topped with oil-seared Kobe beef, lobster meat, and a picante sauce. Yum?