Bell is coming under scrutiny for its recent move to introduce Usage-Based Billing (UBB) to its wholesale customers. One wholesale Internet provider, TekSavvy, is taking a stand; the company is calling on its customers to petition the CRTC to prevent Bell from introducing UBB.

Consider this the first chapter in what will likely be long drawn out battle between the Bell/Telus/Rogers and smaller ISPs across Canada - particularly in Ontario and Quebec. In a letter to its customers, Teksavvy says that if Bell is allowed to introduce UBB, it "would inherently all but remove unlimited Internet services in Ontario/Quebec and potentially cause large increases in internet costs from month to month."

The never-ending bike debate in Toronto and the GTA took another twist this week, with the statistics from Stats Canada's 2001-2006 census report saying commuter bike riding increased by 32% during the five-year period. Adding fuel to the bike-riding fire, Metrolinx said in the coming years it wants to drastically increase the number of commuters who ride bikes to GO stations.

As might be expected, people living downtown were far more likely to take a bike to work than their suburban counterparts. The city provides a map breaking down each area of the city and the percentage of residents who prefer biking to work. For bragging rights--west-enders reign king as bike commuters.

Toronto's landscape is getting a makeover in the wake of the Ontario Superior Court's of Justice recent decision giving the City the right to take down illegal billboards. The announcement came after intense pressure from activist Rami Tabello and his group IllegalSigns.ca.

The fight over illegal signs resulted in the squaring off of IllegalSigns.ca and the 'Out of Home' advertising company Strategic Media. The Court eventually ruled in favor of the City and IllegalSigns.ca, forcing Strategic Media to take down 35 signs. But Strategic Media is far from the only culprit in the illegal signs drama - far from it. Tabello likes to point out that the city is home to hundreds, possibly more than a thousand, illegal signs.

I caught up with Tabello for a better look at the ongoing Illegal Sign drama in Toronto.

The TTC isn't always high on aesthetics. The subway cars are old and battered, some of the buses barely work and the streetcars can look dated. But the TTC can offer aesthetes beauty in other ways. Kieran Huggins has created these visually-stimulating videos of TTC service.

While the videos (embedded below) are interesting simply for their ability to show the futurist-like beauty of a modern transportation service, they also provide a snapshot of how the TTC functions. Notice the build-up and slowdown in service as the city hits the peak rush-hour periods. It almost gives the TTC a human-like quality--like the rush-hour peak pumps adrenaline into the system.

Anyways, if nothing else, we can enjoy the magnitude of our city's transportation infrastructure.

What happens when you mix environmentalism, social justice and community activism with elementary education? You get the Grove Community School (GCS). After two years of preparation, the proposed alternative public elementary school on Gladstone (just north of Queen) has been approved by the Toronto District School Board. The K-6 school is set to open its doors in September of 2009 at the Alexander Muir/Gladstone Avenue Public School.

Toronto's lawmakers are showing an increasing interest in pushing green initiatives. Though far too small and ineffective for some green activists, they are at least a start. As part of the city's green push, it recently launched a pilot program in the Toronto-Danforth ward - the Solar Neighbourhoods project.

The Solar Neighbourhoods project is supported by both the City of Toronto and Toronto Hydro, and it's designed to help residents in the ward purchase and install a solar water heater. In the process, help assessing a home's suitability for solar panels, assistance with installation and a kick in of about $1,000 of rebates will be provided.