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Newsstand: January 30, 2012
Even though it might be the warmest winter ever, today's (traditionally) the coldest day of the year, AND it's Monday, so what does that mean? It means you might consider crawling back into bed and hiding under the covers today. But not before a little news: transit updates for LRT trackers and GTA riders alike; the Real Jerk is fighting back; and coyotes, so many coyotes.
If you hear former mayor David Miller cackling wildly and rubbing his hands together with glee today, it may be because of this little tidbit. Legal experts have found that Mayor Rob Ford did not actually have the authority to cancel Transit City without city council’s approval. Mostly because he’s just one person (not counting Doug), and has just one vote. That’s right, it’s not a dictatorship. Oops. In opposition to the original transit plan, which called for the Eglinton LRT line to be only partially buried, Ford instead insists that the entire line should be underground, which raises the cost of the project and has led critics to question if that is the most practical option. Among those critics is TTC chair Karen Stintz who prefers the original plan and agrees that only the busiest section of the line belongs underground. Looks like Transit City might not as “over” as our dear leader had thought, and we’ll have further details once the legal opinion itself is released this morning at 11 a.m. Stay tuned!
Now for that other transit news we’ve all been waiting for, and it’s good news for the 40,000+ commuters who use York Region transit everyday. It’s back! Well, almost. Starting this weekend, service will be gradually restored over the next several weeks. After a strike that stretched on for three months, Miller Transit workers ratified a five-year deal this weekend that includes annual wage increases and benefits. Transit riders will be privy to a month of free service following the strike that started on October 24, 2011. Also happening in the GTA: a bunch of taxi drivers spotted quietly weeping.
The Real Jerk certainly doesn’t let anyone jerk them around. As we told you earlier this month, some jerks were trying to evict the 24-year-old restaurant, but instead of going down without a fight they’ve hired legal help to apply for an injunction to delay the eviction from their Queen and Broadview location. Business has been booming at the Real Jerk as of late, so it looks like sometimes a little bad news is all it takes to give Torontonians a jerk and get them out for some good jerk chicken. Aren’t you so happy to hear this news that now you want to go jerk…never mind. Now it’s gone too far.
Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf coyote? For those who are, February might be a particularly frightening month as with it comes mating season. Toronto is home to approximately 150 pairs of breeding coyotes, which means that by April there will be more than 1,000 of these canines roaming the streets. So if you are a road runner, look out! As for the rest of us, the Toronto Star says it’s time we start learning to live with them, and need to better understand their Wile E. super-genius behaviour, as they aren’t moving out anytime soon.