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Newsstand: February 1, 2012
We've happened upon the week's messed-up middle child—it's Wednesday! In today's news: the cost-cutting at city council seemingly doesn't apply to city-council salaries; some movement at the City/union bargaining table; visitor numbers continue to decline at the zoo; and Toronto's most opulent tower is now open.
Who thinks Toronto’s city council deserves a raise? Well, they do. Think so, we mean. And guess what? They’re getting one! Mayor Rob Ford, the City’s esteemed budget cutter and gravy hunter, has, along with city council, budgeted in a 2 per cent pay hike this year. Yes, this year. 2012. The same budget year in which millions of dollars worth of cuts have been made, and property taxes were raised 2.5 per cent. In 2011, city councillors voted to forgo a similar cost-of-living increase in order to set an example for city workers. That does not seem to be the case this year. Nope, not this year, not even at the same time as the City undergoes negotiations for new collective agreements with three local unions. To be fair, not everyone at City Hall is on board. Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday (Ward 3, Etobicoke Centre) and City Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West) are in opposition to taking a raise at this time. That’s right. It’s possible that you find yourself agreeing with Holyday and Mammoliti right now, isn’t it? You’re welcome.
Oh, and speaking of the unions, Mark Ferguson, president of CUPE Local 416, says that some “movement” has been made in the negotiation process. The union, which is the City’s second largest and represents more than 6,000 of Toronto’s garbage workers, street cleaners, paramedics, and other outside workers, has made a number of concessions during the ongoing bargaining process. One such example is a guarantee that the process of reassigning workers will take no more than six days. According to city staff, this typically takes up to a year, and in one case three years. Three years. To change jobs. Yes, six days does sounds much more reasonable. Congratulations on giving in to that very harsh demand.
For the second year in a row, the Toronto Zoo saw a decline in visitors. While 2011’s 5 per cent decrease in visits is an improvement over 2010’s 12 per cent decrease, it is a still an unpleasant trend for one of the City’s major attractions. Poor attendance numbers have been pinned on the weather, the shaky economy, and the high Canadian dollar. That, and the fact that Torontonians seem to prefer dinosaurs and sharks to penguins. Really?! Who doesn’t love penguins? Maybe their movie didn’t come with Spielberg music and special effects, but it had God’s Morgan Freeman’s voice, and that’s pretty awesome! Sigh. It’s all about the tough guys, isn’t it? The nice guys always finish last.
If the zoo doesn’t do it for you, maybe this will. Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, now the country’s second-tallest structure, is open for business. Thinking of making a visit? Are you aware that champagne and caviar are more than just things you can ingest, that they are also colour palettes? Can you identify a porte cochère? Easily picture a three-dimensional cherry-blossom branch crafted from crystals lit with LEDs? See yourself in an 18,000-square-foot, two-level Quartz Crystal Spa? No? Then this might not be the place for you, even with this month’s promotional offer of rooms for the low, low price of just $285–$375.