Morning Brew: Rob Ford out of hospital, an Ontario Place conspiracy theory, councillor mulls joint Olympic bid, "Her Majesty" nests in Queen's Park, and lost streets
Rob Ford is out of hospital and "healthy as a horse" according to his brother, councillor Doug Ford. Despite being told to take a few days rest, Mayor Ford says he's doing "everything the doctors told [him] not to do" by going to Taste of the Danforth this weekend. In an interview with AM640, Ford said he welcomed public interest in his health, describing himself as "an open book."
In other Rob Ford news, the mayor says he will forego a planned pay rise for city councillors. Ford's salary is rising to $172,803 from $167,770. Not too shabby at all.
Ontario Place may not have been the loss-making venue the provincial government made it out to be, according to an editorial in The Star. Bob Hepburn, who says he's seen secret documents relating to the park, says Ontario Place was actually about to stage a financial comeback. Was the home of the Cinesphere killed for a casino?
Councillor James Pasternak says Toronto could make a joint bid for the 2024 Olympic Games with Buffalo, NY. If successful, it would be the first games split between two countries. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Buffalo mayor is "intrigued." Sound like a good idea? Do the Olympics seem like the next logical step after the 2015 Pan Am Games?
In a cautionary tale for anyone who takes on city hall, a Toronto doctor has been slapped with a $70,537 legal bill over a failed attempt to dispute a $31 parking ticket. Yikes.
A red-tail hawk nesting near Queen's Park now has an official name. Premier Dalton McGuinty ran a poll on his blog to find a title for the majestic bird and readers opted for "Her Majesty" over "Hawkeye" and "Mama Hawk." Can you come up with something better?
According to Google Maps, there are some major gaps in downtown Toronto's street grid this morning. Spotted by Reddit user BKXBKXB, several holes have appeared in College/Carlton, Dundas, University and "Old" Yonge Street to some users. According to the discussion, Google says the problem isn't easy to remedy and could remain for some time. In 2010, the site briefly renamed Wellesley Street "Lourdes Lane."
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Photo: "If this is Heaven We'll be All Right" by Neil Ta in the blogTO Flickr pool.
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