Newsstand: March 20, 2015

In the news this morning the TTC driver who struck and killed Amaria Diljohn has turned himself in, Toronto police may have reached a deal on a new contract, and a woman's home was destroyed in a community housing building with faulty fire-fighting equipment.

By Tannara Yelland • Illustration by Matthew Daley

The driver of the TTC bus that struck and killed 14-year-old Amaria Diljohn in December has turned himself in. Dhanbir Shergill, 28, has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident. He is scheduled to appear in court today.

The Toronto police officers’ union may have wrapped up negotiations with the Toronto Police Services Board; the two organizations have reached a tentative deal on a contract, the details of which won’t be known until late April. Board chair Alok Mukherjee said he’s “personally happy” with the results. In December, Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack demanded Mukherjee resign because of a Facebook post he shared that was critical of the slew of apparently race-based killings committed by American police in recent years, but Mukherjee remained in his position. Mayor John Tory has joined the board in order to facilitate relations between the board and the union, he says. McCormack said Tory’s presence did not change the bargaining process.

Teresa Zasada, who lives in a Toronto Community Housing building in Scarborough, has grown worried about the safety of TCH buildings following a recent fire in her apartment. Both the extinguisher and the hose on her floor failed to work, and Zasada’s apartment was gutted by the fire. Mike McCoy of Toronto Fire Services said the malfunctioning hardware is “not typical” in his experience, but Zasada is left with $80,000 in damages and no insurance. Meanwhile, TCH has promised to investigate, but is, at least for now, laying the blame at the feet of the TFS.