Newsstand: July 14, 2015

It's To Kill A Mockingbird Sequel Day, now with a morally questionable Atticus Finch! In the news: Pan Am traffic might not be that bad, an ad campaign invokes anti-Irish messaging, and a waterfront announcement.

By David Hains • Illustration by Jeremy Kai

You know all that kvetching about Pan Am Games traffic? Well, don’t look now, but it might not be all that bad. Pan Am officials are cautiously optimistic with the initial results, reports the Globe and Mail. While citing the need for additional data before making anything public, we could soon learn how much additional carpooling, working from home, and, yes, even HOV lanes can reduce Toronto’s traffic congestion.

Those LED-advertising trucks are annoying enough, but even more so when they flash messages that invoke anti-Irish sentiment. An ad campaign with the message “Go Home Irish” has been making its way through Toronto, and causing some eyebrows to be raised. The agency behind the ad tells the CBC their website, PleaseLeaveCanada.com, explains how the campaign is meant to encourage Irish emigrants to return home to combat an Irish brain drain of sorts. Of course, no one actually reads the fine print details in these ads, so the ad seems mostly provocative without accomplishing much of anything.

A joint press conference with all three orders of government scheduled for this afternoon could be historic news for Toronto’s waterfront. Waterfront Toronto has long lobbied for funding to re-naturalize the Lower Don River, a process that could cost more than $900 million. The benefits are big, as the project would offer much-needed flood protection, unlock lucrative real estate, and represent the next stage in Waterfront Toronto’s long-term plan for the area. There is no confirmation on what the announcement might be, but Metro notes that earlier this year the Province signed off on the project’s environmental assessment following 10 years of planning.