Toronto's budget committee agreed yesterday to restart a paused study into the Gardiner Expressway that could pave the way for part of the aging roadway to be demolished. The environmental assessment was halted at the design phase in 2011 and its $4.1 million remaining budget transferred to other projects. The decision still needs to be cleared by the executive committee and city council, but it's believed it could be six to nine years before any part of the road could be demolished.
If Ford is ultimately removed from office by a panel of Divisional Court Judges some time in the next few weeks, Doug Holyday says he's willing to seek council appointment for the job. In other appeal news, TTC chair and councillor Karen Stintz says she won't support Rob Ford if he decides to pitch a case for appointment. Is she right to do that? How would you feel about Mayor Holyday now or in 2014?
OLG chair Paul Godfrey pulled a Doug Holyday yesterday by suggesting no-one lives in downtown Toronto. The head of Ontario's Lottery and Gaming Commission made the remark while clumsily trying to clarify a comments he made before the National Club on Bay Street that suggested he wouldn't want a casino in his own neighbourhood. Councillor Adam Vaughan called the comment "stupid." Speaking of casino, the first public meeting on the subject is tonight.
A heroic act at St. Clair West station may have saved the life of a man who fell off the platform. Dwight Orchard, a George Brown student, jumped onto the tracks and lifted the man to safety as a train entered the station yesterday afternoon. It's thought the fallen man was intoxicated.
Two barnacled cars were pulled from Lake Ontario near the Port Lands yesterday, the first find for the Toronto police marine unit's new SONAR equipment. One vehicle, a Ford Taurus, was reportedly stolen.
Local director Sarah Polley's documentary Stories We Tell has won best Canadian film from the Toronto Film Critics Association. The movie explores the life of Polley's mother and includes interviews with her family.
Watch out, there's a scammer about. Toronto police say a man in his 40s or 50s is tricking Jewish women on the TTC into handing over cash, telling them he's from Israel and in financial trouble.
Finally, another boring video (haha!) from the TTC. This time the Holey and Moley, two tunnel boring machines working on the Spadina line extension, take a back seat to the segment erector machine that lines the newly-bored tunnels with concrete.
IN BRIEF:
- Case of "kettling" G20 police commander put over for two months [National Post]
- Ford Models closing its Toronto offices [The Star]
- R.A. Dickey aiming for the stars [The Star]
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Photo: "Woodgreen Discount Drugs" by Dominic Bugatto from the blogTO Flickr pool.