Court proceedings in the $6-million defamation lawsuit against Rob Ford came to a close yesterday with the lawyer representing George Foulidis, the owner of the Boardwalk Restaurant and Tuggs Inc., telling the court that the mayor didn't have the right to "fabricat(e) criminal allegations." Foulidis is taking action against Ford over allegedly defamatory comments he made during the 2010 mayoral election. The judge will now take roughly two months to rule on the case.
In other Ford news, here's a hilarious animated GIF of the mayor attempting to throw a football on a temporary artificial field in Nathan Phillips Square. I guess those who can't, coach. Video of Ford arriving at court this week is also begging for the same treatment.
Looks like the mayor has burned an important bridge this week. The Toronto Sun, traditionally a loyal ally, says Ford turned on "the little paper that grew him into a big deal." Could this mean less support for Ford in future?
The Salvation Army is reeling this morning after the discovery of a gigantic theft of toys, food and other donations over a two-year period from its Railside Drive warehouse in Toronto. The charity has fired the executive director of the warehouse over the roughly $2 million in missing merchandise.
Another concerned company is trying to kill Toronto's bag ban. The Canadian Plastic Bag Association - who I bet are a real barrel of laughs - say the ban was unlawful and passed in bad faith. At last week's public works meeting, councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong urged groups to sue the city to overturn the decision. The Ontario Convenience Stores Association is also taking legal action against the city over the ban. Should elected officials be inviting legal challenges?
Most Torontonians are ready - or think they're ready - for a natural disaster like a hurricane, flood, or fire, according to a poll published in the Toronto Star. The research found people with lower incomes believed they were less prepared. We're also ready for big snow this winter too, apparently.
Timelapse videos are totally de rigueur right now, but that doesn't mean they are any less fun to watch. Here's a new video from The Varsity at U of T showing the campus at night.
Varsity Feature: Night Time Lapse from The Varsity on Vimeo.
IN OTHER NEWS:
- Teen attacked repeatedly on separate subway rides [CP24]
- When disaster strikes, highrise neighbourhoods are a challenge for first responders [The Star]
- Stamps' horse may miss Grey Cup [CBC]
Photo: "Untitled" by asianz in the blogTO Flickr pool.