Photo: "golden eye ducks landing in mist" by louise@toronto, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Igor Kenk must have enjoyed his time away from the Don Jail yesterday as he got not only some time out from behind bars but the assault charges against him were stayed by the judge, effectively concluding his court appearance schedule. Perhaps a fitting end to a story that started with fireworks - near endless bike seizures - and has been slowly fizzling (run of the mill plea bargain). No doubt when Kenk is released from jail his life will be dramatically different. When and how he lands on his feet - and I predict he will - could be another interesting chapter.

Will it be the City of Brotherly Love to the rescue? In the TTC's attempt to take its proverbial foot out of its mouth, officials are looking at Philadelphia's transit system - and major customer service improvements that agency has implemented - for help. Any help is welcome in my book.

Speaking of the TTC, Mayor Miller is standing by his man. He endorsed Adam Giambrone as the right man to helm the TTC at this time. That's a position not everybody agrees with, and Giorgio Mammoliti is suggesting this is an issue for the ethics committee. We're only talking about the next 8 months or so as the next mayor will undoubtedly select somebody not-named-Giambrone as TTC chair. Could a new chair really accomplish much more than Giambrone the rest of this term?

And speaking of Adam Giambrone, now a report has surfaced that he won't even run for his council seat, which would end (for the time being, anyway), his municipal political career. Giambrone's inevitable return to the public eye, and what he'll do over the next 8 months - and beyond - are sure to be hot topics.

And back to the TTC for a second. Unlike just about any other city service, the much-maligned transit agency (under the chairmanship of the much-maligned Giambrone) broke even in 2009.

Photo: "Eglinton Drive home from Duplex" by PJMixer, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

There are reports that the troubled Adam Giambrone and partner Sarah McQuarrie have left the country on some kind of vacation, amidst a flurry of news, including George Smitherman calling for his resignation from the TTC. Unlike serial cheater Tiger Woods, Giambrone won't be able to hide out forever, although it would be rather funny if the vacation was to the same Mississippi sex therapy centre Woods is reportedly holed up at. In any case, way to tackle problems head on, Adam, it's that sort of leadership and judgement Torontonians need.

It may not be as salacious as Mr. Giambrone's fall from grace but four City of Vaughn employees are regretting a nearly $1000 lunch with developers. This is not the first time corruption in Vaughan has made the news. It's also not clear what the disciplinary measures are, but I hope part of it is an education on how to tip servers: $100 is not enough on an $850 tab.

Blue Jays fans and Pride participants are getting pushed aside by the G20 summit in June. The unofficial word is that the Metro Toronto Convention Centre will house the G20 which means the security zone will be maximally disruptive. Pride organizers are already planning to push most activities back a week, and although the Jays aren't exactly the biggest ticket draw, the two games affected are against the Phillies, the defending National League champs who also have a long history with the Jays. That, coupled with the games being part of interleague play, means that they'll be among the season's better attendances. Too bad Christie Pitts probably isn't on the list of possible relocation venues.

Photo: "Cherry Beach sunrise" by Grandpaparazzi, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Adam Giambrone may be the most surpsing person to be at the centre of a "sex scandal," but the story surrounding the man who wishes to be mayor is taking an awfully familiar turn as Giambrone admitted to having multiple affairs over the last year. He vows to stay in the race, but will Torontonians push him out of the race like an American politician? Or does the Sun's Mike Strobel have his finger on our collective pulse when he applauds the councillor?

TTC Union boss Bob Kinnear is getting angry and wants what he calls harrasment to stop. He may have a point that we can't keep playing "gotcha" with the operators, collectors and other front-line TTC employees if we want to see real progress made, but even Kinnear has to realize that riders are fed up and finally feel like their voices are being heard. That and taking it out on riders won't win us over. So let's hope Kinnear sent a similarly strong message to his union members, urging them to step it up a notch (or several).

It may not be Snowmageddon, but Toronto finally got a noticeable amount of snow last night - the first of 2010. Although it wasn't enough for me to need to do more than run the windshield wipers to clear the car, so I'm thinking all the news coverage warning us of snow was just to make sure we didn't feel left out as the east coast got dumped on again.

Photo: "Lights" by jamonation, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

TTC chief general manager Gary Webster adds his voice to the continual damage control efforts of the beleaguered transit agency with a sharply worded message to staff over the weekend. But with a steady stream of "gotcha" photos - distributed widely by the media - TTC staff have responded by creating a mostly private Facebook page, "Toronto Transit Operators against public harassment." The page's purpose is to "fight back" against the "harassment" and to post photos of riders breaking the rules. Is a "work to rule" effort to be expected? With everybody pointing the finger another direction, will the TTC experience finally improve? Inquiring minds want to know.

Matt Galloway has been tapped to take the helm of Metro Morning, starting March 1st. The question of who would fill the host's chair after 15 years under Andy Barrie's watch has been a popular topic since Barrie announced he would retire from the top rated morning show. Galloway got a few minutes of practice after 8:15 this morning, but he's an old hand in the time slot, having filled in many times and serving as the Friday host for months now. No doubt Galloway was the favourite of armchair oddsmakers, but I wondered if the 39 year old who often talks about mornings with his children wanted to commit to 4am wake-ups. This, of course, opens up the question of who will take over Here and Now, the afternoon show often considered synonymous with Matt Galloway. Is Kevin Sylvester ready to switch from CBC utility man and jack of all trades to full time host?

Egads! Racism at Ryerson! A new 118 page report finds a diverse student body with many people from minority groups feeling harassed or otherwise excluded. Senior staff are to undergo special training, more courses on diversity are to be offered and progress will be tracked. I find it hard to believe a university - and a university in downtown Toronto - wouldn't be on the cutting edge of accepting and embracing diversity.

Photo: "Fruit Crates" by John Elmslie, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Toronto Centre residents are seeing red this morning. Liberal red. Perhaps unsurprisingly Glen Murray won yesterday's byelection with 47% of the vote. The NDP's Cathy Crowe garnered 33% of the vote while the PC's Pam Taylor collected 15.4%. While McGuinty and Murray bent over backwards praising each other, Crowe, despite a strong showing, was accusing the Liberals of buying the seat with the last minute $15 million for Toronto Grace Hospital. Guess we'll see what residents think when we all go to the polls soon(ish).

The city lost $600k to fraud last year, thanks to unscrupulous employees. Some were of the relatively pedestrian 'submit false medical bills for reimbursement' variety but over $300k comes from one employee who collected fees from residents to upgrade their water service. Of course that's all a drop in the bucket compared to the over $100 million an auditor found in lost cash.

I've just learned perhaps the easiest and best way to get out of a parking ticket: drive away before the ticket is placed on your car. But if councillors have their way you won't be able to do that for long. Apparently $5 million worth of tickets were canceled due to drivers pulling away, which really just tells me ticket writers don't show much leniency when drivers are near the car.

Photo: "Branchcicles" by Paul Henman, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

The case of Jordan Manners' shooting death is underway. We learned that Manners lay, dying, for 45 minutes in a school hallway, that the shooting was "planned and deliberate," and also that much of the evidence the Crown plans to present will be unpleasant. Of course, I'm not sure in what shooting death case the evidence would be "pleasant."

The Province and the Salvation Army reached an agreement to keep Toronto's Grace Hospital open for business. Was the Health Minister moved by today's by-election in the hospital's riding? Or just by the opportunity patients of Grace have to die in comfort and with dignity?

Speaking of the by-election, the NDP's Cathy Crowe is pushing hard to claim the seat while Glen Murray works just as hard to keep the seat Liberal red. And then there's the PC's Pamela Taylor, running strongest in the riding's north where Rosedale residents lean blue. So if geography rules the race, does that mean Murray has the edge as he's the most competitive from top to bottom of the riding? Or are Toronto Centre voters fed up with the Liberals?