Just when you thought football had stopped being a source of controversy for Rob Ford, a member of the mayor's staff - a city employee - goes and performs admin for Ford's football charity, apparently on the taxpayer's dollar. The aide in question has attended football practices using a city car and is occasionally listed as an assistant coach with Rob Ford. Is using a city employee to assist your football charity gravy?
Also in unexpected behaviour, coun. Doug Ford says his brother will attend this year's Pride flag-raising ceremony. Ford made the comments to a Ryerson U law class attended by the city's only openly-gay councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. So far there's been no official confirmation from the mayor. Do you think Ford should attend?
Yesterday's meeting between Rob Ford and Premier Kathleen Wynne was "productive," according to the mayor. Ford met with Wynne to discuss transit issues - likely tolls and taxes, which the mayor says he's against - and the location of a planned Toronto casino. Wynne says she will try and implement new ways of paying for transit in the GTA.
7,123 - that's the number of city employees on the province's 2012 Sunshine List. Released yesterday, the document details every government employee who earned over $100,000 that year. Half of the those on the list were employed by the police service, and 1,395 came from the TTC - 22 were ticket collectors. Part of the reason why the list is 30% longer than in 2012 is down to inflation.
22% of drivers hit with parking tickets in 2012 were able to avoid paying the fine, according to new stats from the City of Toronto. 2,761,802 tickets were handed out, down 2.5% from 2011. The drop in ticket revenue is being attributed to a workplace shuffle that's seen more parking enforcement staff put on other traffic duties. Should Toronto be more strict with tickets?
The new-look Mount Dennis library has just opened, and it's looking pretty slick. The Toronto Star's Christopher Hume discusses the opening and the impact it will likely have on the neighbourhood now the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT is also under construction.
Two of Toronto's oldest streetcars will make an appearance at this weekend's Toronto Beaches Lions Easter Parade. A PCC and Peter Witt streetcars, which are maintained at the TTC's Hillcrest facility and used for special occasions, will travel from the Neville Loop to Woodbine Avenue. At one time, the TTC owned the largest fleet of PCC streetcars in the world, running 745 of the vehicles.
IN BRIEF:
- Man, 22, dies from injuries after King Street shooting [CTV News]
- Ex-TTC boss gets house arrest for foster daughter sex [Toronto Star]
- Toronto teacher faces 42 sex-related charges [CBC]
- Joffrey Lupul, Leafs rally to overcome Hurricanes' charge [CBC]
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: "Easter Spirit" by cookedphotos/blogTO Flickr pool.