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Newsstand: June 2, 2013
Welcome to June! In the news: Ford will likely skip Pride again, the OLG pays out to track owners, soil to be tested for uranium in west Toronto, and the Dufferin Bridge will shut down temporarily.
Mayor Rob Ford told Maurie Sherman of KISS 92.5 FM on Saturday that, once again, he’ll stick with his family’s tradition of going to the cottage over Canada Day weekend, rather than attend the Pride parade. “Like I’ve always said, if it lands on the same weekend when I take my family up north, unfortunately, my family comes first,” Ford told a caller. The parade falls on Sunday, June 30 this year.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is giving $81 million to horse-racing tracks to compensate for cutting a slots revenue-sharing program last year. The funds will go to tracks that spent money on expansions before OLG made its unexpected move. The Georgian Downs track north of Toronto will get $31.5 million.
Soil samples around the GE Hitachi uranium progesssing plant in the city’s west end will be tested for contamination. “The sampling and testing is being done in response to concerns expressed by the community and the request for soil testing made by Toronto’s medical officer of health,” said ministry spokesperson Kate Jordan in an email to the Toronto Star.
The Dufferin Bridge will be closed to vehicles for 18 months, starting on June 12. It was set to be replaced in 2016, but the City decided to make repairs early following a recent inspection, which raised safety concerns. The bridge will still be usable for pedestrians and cyclists.