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Newsstand: March 8, 2012
Is it taco night or what? In lieu of shredded lettuce and zesty salsa, some Thursday-flavoured news: a woman deters possible kidnapping in Parkdale, Doug Ford's not sure what his job is, high fees threaten city sports leagues, an unclaimed pig, and some transit news.
There are those of us who think the world actually believes that the book we’ve been pretending to read just got really interesting at the exact moment the guy with crutches drops one of his grocery bags, and there are those of us who aren’t such assholes. Robin North is not an asshole. Not that this story is comparable to dropped grocery bags, but: Tuesday evening in Parkdale, North saw a grown man grab a kid by the hood and try to pull the young boy away, down the sidewalk, kicking and screaming, and she knew that was not okay. So North yelled out and approached the man, ultimately scaring him off. She also called the cops, and the man was soon arrested and charged with assault and attempted abduction. Now North says she’s no hero, but no one believes her.
Finally decided 2012 is the year? Your year? That this is the summer you’ll finally sign up for an intramural baseball league? Well, get ready to pay up. Sports leagues are just finding out that the 2012 budget includes new, higher fees for things like field rentals, and it’s too late to get the extra cash from players. In some cases the extra fees could amount to an extra $100 charge per player. But city council is trying to ease the financial burden on sports leagues. How? They don’t really know yet. But they know they want to know, and so council voted unanimously to get a staff report on the issue, and maybe offer flexible payment plans.
Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) responded to critics on Wednesday, who say he needs to tone it down and that maybe he’s a bad influence on his brother, the mayor of this city. The councillor took to the airwaves (but not his own show) to defend himself and his style, saying, No, he will not act more like a politician because, in his words, “I’m sorry, I’m a businessman, I’m not a politician.” Ohhhh! So that’s the problem: No one told DoFo what his job was. Bombast solved.
Sometimes city dwellers get a feeling. A feeling that they’re missing out on something, some fulfillment that only comes from a connection to the land. Some pastoral part of their soul wants to see melon and orange sunsets over wide open fields and breathe fresh country air. Ah yes, the country. Where pigs are commonly kept as pets, and sometimes those pigs go missing, and sometimes other pigs drink Smirnoff Ice.
And some transit news, because what would a day be without transit news? Money from the sale of a City-owned Yorkville parking garage will go towards transit repairs. As is customary, not everyone is happy with the arrangement.