Newsstand: November 17, 2014

With the snowfall last night that stuck around after it finished, it's clear: we're in it now. Winter has come. There's nothing for it but to curl up inside with a warm blanket and the news, and wait for spring. Here are today's highlights to get your hibernation started: a closer look at the Toronto Police Service budget recommendations, a senior Toronto police officer's G20 hearing begins, and Conrad Black is selling (part of) his enormous estate.

By Tannara Yelland • Illustration by matthew daley

Metro has a handy breakdown of some important questions you might have about the Toronto police budget (and, of course, the answers to said questions). For instance: while Police Chief Bill Blair’s recommendation of a zero per cent budget increase made headlines last week, that only applies to 11 per cent of the force’s total budget, since salaries make up 89 per cent of the budget. You can also see how much Blair took home in 2013 ($367,719.94) and find out that, since 2008, officers have seen a 21.8 per cent salary increase. The Toronto police force takes up nearly one-ninth of the city’s operational budget—$1.08 billion of a total $9.6 billion.

More than four years after the G20 summit in Toronto led to mass protests and unlawful arrests, kettling, and accusations of civil rights abuses by the police, people are still waiting for officers accused of misconduct to see their day in court. One such officer, and one of only two senior officers to be charged in relation to the summit, is Supt. David (Mark) Fenton. His trial is set to begin Wednesday. Fenton was the major incident commander and faces five charges of unlawful arrest and discreditable conduct due to his order to “kettle” people two times over the tense weekend. Fenton also referred to protesters as “terrorists” several times over the course of the weekend. His trial was supposed to start in November 2012, but was delayed repeatedly. The other senior officer charged, Insp. Gary Meissner, retired before a hearing took place.

Conrad Black has put part of his Bridle Path estate up for sale for $7.2 million. That price will buy 2.8 acres of land beside the remainder of Black’s estate. It’s unclear if a house exists on the lot, though; the Toronto Star reports that the eventual buyer “will also likely have to add at least another $3 to $4 million to build a decent-sized house.” On top of the extravagant pricing, you’d have Black and his wife Barbara Amiel as neighbours, so consider carefully before talking to the bank about a loan.