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Newsstand: April 9, 2012
It's the long weekend that just keeps on going! Or is it? Are you supposed to be at work today? Better find out. In today's news: city councillors air grievances about the soon-to-be built Air Rail Link; talk about a new subway line (no, not that one, an entirely different one, sorry, Mayor!); Toronto's role in the weekend's double lung transplant; Rob Ford just says no to sports field fees; and shades of socioeconomic inequality at tonight's Jays game.
After a lengthy wait, and years of baffled and disappointed tourists, the express service from Union Station to Toronto Pearson International Airport is slated to open in time for the arrival of the Pan American Games in 2015. But, not everyone is on board with the current plan. City Councillors Frances Nunziata (Ward 11, York South-Weston) and Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), suggest that the two planned stops along the way at Bloor Street and Weston Road are not enough, and recommend adding stops at Liberty Village, the Junction, Carleton Village, Jane Street, Etobicoke North, Woodbine, and Humber. Nunziata also suggests that the line should connect with the Eglinton LRT, and both councillors would like council to reiterate its preference that the airport link be affordable to ride, as well as electric. But Metrolinx, the company responsible for building the rail line, has determined it would not be able to electrify the route by launch date, so it will run using “clean diesel” at the outset. Clean diesel, that must be made by one of those ethical oil companies?
In other transit wish-list news, a group of experts suggest that the current transit strategy should focus on a downtown relief line, a new subway line that would connect to Pape station and head south and then west with stops at Gerrard, Queen East, West Don Lands, the St. Lawrence Market, Union, Rogers Centre, and Spadina. Others suggest going even further, providing a route for commuters in Etobicoke and Scarborough to get downtown without having to go all the way to Yonge Street. But don’t start counting your tokens yet; it’s been more than a century since talk began about a transit line connecting the east end of Toronto with the south end of Yonge, and very little has been done to make the dream a reality.
The 20-year-old Ottawa-area resident who came to Toronto to receive a double lung transplant is recovering in Toronto General Hospital, one of five Canadian hospitals that preform the rare surgery. The recipient, Hélène Campbell, was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable and degenerative lung disease, last summer. After being told that she would need a transplant to survive, she became something of a social media celebrity, catching the interest of Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres. With the help of her family, she’s back at it on Twitter, updating supporters as she slowly recovers. OMG, do you think she’ll say lots of great things about Toronto healthcare? Eek! We’re practically famous, guys! This is totally our moment to shine.
Just in case you didn’t get the memo, Mayor Rob Ford wants to be sure that you know, and that he knows you know, that fees for using sports fields in the city of Toronto will be waived for the year. He discussed this on this week’s The City, which he had to phone in, as he was down at the Beaches Easter Parade. But wait, doesn’t he typically skip parades that fall on long weekends? This is family time, right? Family time that should be spent at the cottage? Maybe that’s only Canada Day, the most familyish weekend that any family could hope for.
We’re not quite sure how to break this to you, but if you’ve purchased cheap seats for tonight’s baseball game, you might find the nosebleed seats a touch dry. Blue Jays officials say a customer can purchase only one beer at a time in the 500-level seats tonight, in one of the security measures intended to cut down on brawls in the upper decks (since apparently Blue Jays fans are becoming more and more like European football fans each day). Don’t worry: given the price of those beers versus the price of those seats, one’s likely all anyone up there can afford, anyway.