Newsstand: July 15, 2015

The Ides of July is upon us, which means December's right around the corner. But first, news: the Toronto Wildlife Centre is scrambling to care for ducks hurt in a Mimico Creek oil spill, an interim report by the mayor's housing task force comes out today, and Underpass Park is complete.

By Kelli Korducki • Illustration by Jeremy Kai

Following a Mimico Creek oil spill on Monday night, dozens of ducks are “literally soaked in oil” according to Toronto Wildlife Centre spokesperson Julia Pietrus. By Tuesday afternoon, the Centre had rescued 31 ducks with more en route though, as Pietrus points out, “they’re coming in alive and angry, which is a good sign.” In the meantime, the Toronto Wildlife Centre is accepting donations to help meet the high ducky demand.

An interim report from the mayor’s task force on social housing will be released today, and will show that some $470 million in capital funds will be freed up, over the next year, to help fund sorely needed TCHC housing repairs. Mayor Tory assembled the task force following promises during his mayoral campaign last year to make measurable improvements to TCHC infrastructure and administration.

Finally, following the unveiling of whole bunch of new murals headed by artists Labrona and Troy Lovegates, the urban reclamation project of Underpass Park is complete. And, if we do say so ourselves, it looks amazing.