news
Newsstand: July 16, 2012
You thought it wouldn't happen, but it did. Monday's back, and with it, some news: a tragic death at the Molson Amphitheatre; some stomach-turning news about hot dog carts; the Mayor gains a new backer; the City gains a new fire chief; what families really think about living in Toronto; and what we all like to talk about most...the weather!
Tragedy struck again at one of Toronto’s outdoor concert venues. A 19-year-old woman, who was found unconscious near the stage at the Molson Amphitheatre on Sunday afternoon, has died. While EMS workers attempted to revive her at the scene of the Vans Warped Tour, she was rushed to Toronto Western Hospital without vital signs and eventually pronounced dead. There is no confirmation yet on the cause of death, though foul play in not suspected.
Hot dog hawker Elisaveta Moskova is at the centre of a Toronto Star investigation into the sanitariness of Toronto’s hot dog carts. The Star found that while the City recently tried to shut Moskova’s fleet down due to multiple health and safety violations—including a cart strewn with mouse droppings and dead rodents—Toronto’s civilian licensing tribunal has given her another chance. While the rodent-infested cart, described as a “horrific health situation,” was shuttered, Moskova’s license was simply suspended but not cancelled. Other violations uncovered included a lack of running water, the absence of a place for operators to thoroughly wash their hands, condiments left exposed at unattended carts, a lack of thermometers to measure temperature, and hot dogs found defrosting in a white plastic garbage bag. Lunch, anyone?
Ralph Lean, a well-known political fundraiser, lawyer, and long-time Tory, will back Mayor Rob Ford in 2014. Lean, who has chaired or co-chaired fundraising teams for Toronto mayoralty candidates since 1980, helped candidate George Smitherman bring in more than $2.17 million in 2010, which was more than twice the $1.08 million Mr. Ford’s campaign raised. We all know how that ended, so let’s not call Lean the kingmaker just yet.
Toronto’s new fire chief is focused on more than just putting out fires. James William Sales will take over on August 20, and will turn his attention toward improving public service, including response times, which currently sit at 4.7 minutes. There is also a possibility of the harmonization of medical responders; the department is under Sales’ command as City Council is considering an EMS–fire department merger. Just think of the possibilities! That could make for one heck of a calendar.
Contrary to what Toronto’s own deputy mayor believes, more families than ever do want to live downtown, and most of those who live in suburbs want their neighbourhoods to be more walkable and better connected to transit, according to a new report prepared by the Pembina Institute and the Royal Bank. The researchers found that an overwhelming majority of GTA residents would rather live in a city or a suburb with city-like attributes. We’ll just go ahead and assume that someone will leave a copy of this on Doug Holyday’s desk today.
Lightning struck a GTA-area rib festival this weekend, injuring 17 people in a tent at the Whitby Ribfest. Nobody was reported to be seriously hurt, but at least one child was treated by EMS workers. Storms wreaked havoc in other parts of the GTA as well: the Don Valley Parkway’s on-ramp at Bayview and Bloor was closed due to flooding, and high water levels across the city caused numerous traffic hiccups and TTC slow-downs.
If the heat has been getting you down, we have some bad news—yesterday’s rainy reprieve did little to squash the cycle of sweltering heat. A high of 33 C is expected today, and tomorrow’s temperatures may climb as high 37 C. Happy sweating!