Not surprisingly, the NDP came out the winner in Jack Layton's former Toronto-Danforth riding byelection. Rookie councillor, Craig Scott, a law professor, easily captured almost 60 per cent of the votes, while the Liberals' Grant Gordon came in a distant second. Scott quoted Layton in his victory speech by saying: "We have chosen love, we've chosen hope, we've chosen optimism."

"What if Rob Ford's right?" That's the question Toronto Standard contributor Bert Archer toys with in a provocative column about the mayor's steadfast desire to get a Sheppard subway extension built. Although Archer takes issue with Ford's reasoning, he points out that Toronto's penchant for practicality has undone many grand projects that would have made this city a better place (see here and here). While it's a bit of a stretch to compare plans for Vimy Circle to subway infrastructure, if nothing else the piece places this debate in troubling historical context.

So it's super easyto steal a locked up bike in the city, according to the Star. All it takes is some bravado and a pair of bolt cutters because, apparently, onlookers who witness the crime won't do anything about it. (Don't worry: the reporter didn't actually steal any bikes aside from his own.)

Well, this is intriguing. The Sun has an op-ed piece from none other than TTC Chair (and Rob Ford nemesis) Karen Stintz who writes about the benefits of LRT lines over subways (basically her reasoning is that LRT is a more fiscally responsible choice for taxpayers).

Here's a nice little trip down memory lane from one of the kids who helped design the High Park castle playground back in the late '90s. The park became a symbol of camaderie and community, which makes this weekend's fire all the more tragic.

IN BRIEF:

• Total embarrassment: Leafs lose 8-0 to Bruins
• City's inside workers set to vote on strike mandate
• Top Chef Canada for students

Photo by David Hill in the blogTO Flickr pool