Newsstand: November 28, 2014

Darwin the Ikea monkey is now nearly triple the weight he was in the heady days of his brush with fame, and the sanctuary housing him is looking for donations to find a larger home for him and his compatriots. In the news: John Tory talks transit, the Hells Angels lose their former clubhouse, and a rogue retirement home continues to run without a licence.

By Tannara Yelland • Illustration via Matthew Daley

John Tory, mayor-elect so close to taking the reins we can all almost taste it, gave a press conference Thursday about the “state of the city,” but especially about the state of transit in the city. Transit was a hot-button issue during the campaign, and one of Tory’s main campaign tenets was his SmartTrack transit plan. Tory said he’s asked the TTC to find out if it can reverse service cuts put in place in 2011 and 2012 that led to overcrowding and depleted service along 104 bus routes. Tory did not restate his commitment to freezing fares, another campaign pledge, but said he is “on the record” about it.

The Hells Angels took their plight to court when an undercover sting led to them losing their Riverdale clubhouse in 2007. Now, the Supreme Court of Canada has decided it won’t hear the Angels’ appeal. The building, located on Eastern Avenue, was originally purchased by the Para-Dice Riders in 1978 and served as a sort of social club from then until 2007. The Para-Dice Riders were absorbed by the Angels in 2000.

Retirement home In Touch was denied a license by the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority in July 2013, but continues to operate. The home has been the subject of an ongoing Toronto Star investigation since 2010, and has been revealed to provide substandard care and food, and to inadequately train its staff. Some critics of the provincial Liberal government point to the fact that In Touch has been publicly flouting the rules for years as a sign that the Retirement Homes Act needs revisiting.