Court documents possibly linking recent police raids and Mayor Rob Ford must be released to media lawyers before 27 Aug, a judge has ruled. The documents, which could reveal whether the controversy surrounding the alleged crack tape was the impetus for Operation Traveller, will be released with sensitive information redacted. Do you agree with the court's decision?
Metrolinx says Toronto can have a Scarborough subway but only if the city and TTC do it themselves. The provincial transit agency has a signed agreement with the city to replace the aging RT with light rail but there's been talk of changing that plan recently. The news comes as tensions on the project seem to be reaching new highs.
Walking and cycling is on the rise in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, and Vancouver but nationwide the use of a bike or human locomotion to get from A to B is on the decline, according to new figures from Statistics Canada. Though Toronto does OK, the West coast is still the country's cycling capital, it seems. Toronto also ranked highly in public transit use.
Having a few sneaky tins in Trinity-Bellwoods Park is going to get a whole lot harder in future - cops are planning to crack down on outdoor alcohol consumption in the area. A rise in complaints has lead police to devise a plan to keep drinking in check, which means more patrols and more $125 tickets. Kensington Market is also a target for "Operation Green Glasses." Is fining outdoor drinkers a waste of time?
Noticing a smoggy haze lingering over the city? Blame wildfires in Northern Quebec.
A new report says Toronto should consider opening safe injection sites for drug users inside existing healthcare centres in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths. Toronto Public Health says a similar program in Vancouver and other cities around the world has been effective at cutting drug-related deaths. 900 people died of accidental overdoses between 2002 and 2010.
One unexpected consequence from the ongoing Rob Ford saga is a new genre of city hall fanfiction, according to the Atlantic Cities. The new issue of local mag Little Brother includes 11 short stories that explore the allegations of crack cocaine use and its aftermath in Toronto. In one alternate reality, Doug Ford is a whizz with robotics and creates ROB - short for ROBot - a giant, bug-ridden android he must guard at all times.
Finally, Yelp's new keyword search function allows users to find restaurant, bar, and other reviews that mention certain words. Selecting "hipster" (for example) highlights, well, exactly where you would expect. Searching for "cheap" hits Chinatown and Yonge Street south of Bloor. Try it out.
IN BRIEF:
- Marijuana, cocaine seized at Pearson in June [Toronto Star]
- Ashbridges Bay stabbing leaves teen in hospital [Toronto Star]
- Miguel Cabrera, Tigers snap Blue Jays' 7-game home win streak [CBC]
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: oliver.hathaway/blogTO Flickr pool.