Looks like that pedestrian tunnel to the city's Island airport is happening sooner than expected. Yesterday, council approved a deal to build the tunnel, and once the federal government signs off on the $60-million project - which it's expected to do in the fall - it's probably only a matter of time until they break ground. Councillor Adam Vaughan was disappointed with the vote, arguing there were still unanswered issues for local residents, like the taxi congestion issue outside the airport ferry dock.

The Globe and Mail has a intriguing feature on the new trend of "pop-ups" in urban planning. Usually reserved for cafes and retail spaces, now "pop-ups" are being used as a way to explore new ideas without much cost to the taxpayer - that is, until the "pop-up" becomes permanent, which according to this article, it usually does. In Toronto's case, they highlight city councillor's Kristyn Wong-Tam's proposal to revamp Yonge between Dundas and Gerrard.

Have you been tatted and pierced at one of the New York New York parlours in the city? If so, Toronto Public Health wants you to get tested for a slew of airborne diseases since a recent inspection found inadequate infection control practices.

As Toronto is preparing for possible lay-offs, the province is just getting started. Yesterday, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said its members have received 274 layoff notices, and there's more where those pink slips came from: it's expected that 1,900 jobs will be eliminated between now and March 2012. According to OPSEU, it's the biggest wave of public job losses in the province since Mike Harris. Apparently public programs won't be affected, but I'm not sure the same can be said about McGuinty's chance of being reelected.

This could be Toronto's driest summer on record. So far, we've only received six millimetres of rain, when usually by now we would have received about fifty-one. Makes you feel kind of silly for complaining about all the rain we were getting just a couple of months ago, doesn't it?

IN BRIEF:

• Parkette to be named after slain officer Ryan Russell
• Jays slam Yankees without Bautista
• 24-hour video game marathon to raise money for children's hospitals

Photo by enedkl in the blogTO Flickr pool.