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Newsstand: February 2, 2012
Yes, it's Thursday, but more importantly, it's Groundhog Day, the day to reevaluate your life and fix all the things you're doing wrong, lest ye be doomed to repeat them. On that note, some news: Doug Ford wants more business-minded folk on the TTC board, special transit adviser says the private sector will fund most of the Sheppard subway after saying before that it wouldn't, RoFo and DoFo called out by the integrity commissioner, someone finally asks Scarborough for its opinion, and students did what students do.
It’s subways the mayor wants, and it’s subways Rob Ford’s subway adviser is trying to give him. Gordon Chong has changed his tune about “never, ever” being able to get away from government funding for the proposed Sheppard subway line. Once upon a time Chong was, as he puts it, feeling deflated about the plan to fund the new line mainly with private money, but in his upcoming report on the matter, Chong says the line can expect to get about 60 per cent of its funding from the private sector, which is up considerably from Chong’s earlier estimates of ten to 30 per cent. (Provided we have an adult conversation about road tolls.)
Perhaps Chong changed his mind when he heard about Doug Ford’s (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) plans for the TTC: “a complete enema.” The councillor wants a more business-minded transit commission, and so he’s putting a proposal to council soon-ish about adding four or five citizen members to the mix. Meantime, current TTC Chair Karen Stintz says she’s not giving up her post anytime soon, even after her proposal to look, just take a little look-see, at alternatives to the Eglinton underground plan was voted down at Tuesday’s TTC board meeting.
But wait, has anyone (besides the mayor) asked Scarborough what it really thinks about all this? Ah yes, the Star did. The answer, shockingly, is not quite as definitive as the mayor would have us believe.
Both brothers Ford are being scolded by the integrity commissioner in separate incidents. The commissioner is asking council to decide whether Doug Ford should issue a sincere apology to Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler, one of the guys behind the audit requests, after Chaleff-Freudenthaler felt bullied by comments made by Ford. Ford’s response to the integrity commissioner’s report: “You can quote me on this, this is a bunch of horse shit, absolute horse shit.” Noted.
Meantime, brother Rob Ford is being chastised by the integrity commissioner for using his influence as a city councillor to raise funds for his own football charity. The mayor has failed to provide proof that the donations were reimbursed, and now council must demand that he do so.
Students filled Queen’s Park yesterday in what is alternately being called, by people in attendance, a protest and a great big rally to just say thanks to the provincial government. Some students were saying tuition is still too high, while others were just there to thank the Province for the $800 tuition rebate that was popping into their accounts at that moment. Heavy.