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Newsstand: March 5, 2015
Rob Ford is at least $23,000 richer thanks to his recent online auctions of “memorabilia.” One collector warns that the buyers are unlikely to see a profit from their investment, so here is hoping the person who spent over $16,000 on Ford’s NFL tie really does have that kind of scratch to burn. In the news: A TTC bus driver decides to skip four stops along Lawrence Avenue West for unknown reasons, a dog is hit by a TTC bus in Leaside, the ROM has a new interim director, and a fire at the Grand Hotel.
A shouting match between a commuter and Toronto Transit Commission bus driver was caught on camera on Tuesday night. Passengers on the 59 Maple Leaf bus claim it was 20 minutes late during the height of power outages in the area that evening. When the bus finally arrived, the driver refused to make scheduled stops along Lawrence Avenue West and offered no reason for the route change. The video captures an escalating argument between the driver and a woman who questioned why the driver was rerouting. The bus was eventually stopped at Dufferin Street, leaving many passengers to backtrack to their intended destinations. TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said that TTC buses are diverted or rerouted only at the instruction of TTC communications. While an investigation has been launched, TTC transit control has already confirmed that there is no record of the driver being told to reroute.
The TTC is also investigating reports that a dog was struck and killed by a bus in Leaside near Millwood Road and McRae Drive on Monday morning. According to a witness, an elderly woman was walking her dog when it was hit by the bus. The driver did not stop, leaving the pet owner hysterical. TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said that the accident was very sad, and that so far the transit commission has been unable to track down the bus and driver involved in the accident.
The Royal Ontario Museum has named Mark Engstrom as interim director and CEO, according to an internal appointment memo circulated to staff last week. Engstrom succeeds current CEO Janet Carding, who announced last fall that at the end of March she would leave the post that she had held since 2010. Engstrom has been with the ROM for 27 years and currently serves as deputy director of collections and research. While the search for a new director and CEO has already begun, it is expected that Engstrom will remain in this interim role until the end of the year or possibly into the beginning of 2016.
A fire broke out at the Grand Hotel on Wednesday night, forcing the part of Jarvis Street near Shuter Street be temporarily closed as fire crews contained the blaze that appeared to be coming from the building’s neon signage. The road has since reopened, but pedestrians are still being directed away from the area due to the risk of falling debris.