Since the day I saw the planned architectural renovations to the Art Gallery of Ontario in a newspaper several years back, I knew that I would finally have a chance to answer the aesthetic dilemma that had been haunting me since the erection of the adjacent Tabletop building. And so, one quiet night well into the later phase of construction, we made our silent ascent.

Out of the hundreds of things that happen every year around Halloween in Toronto, my favourite attractions have been, and always will be, haunted houses. No two are ever the same, and they never fail to entertain. Even though I absolutely hate it when people jump out at me, the anticipation is always the worst and I end up laughing at myself. Or swearing under my breath. It varies.

After working at a haunted house last year, I've become slightly infatuated with the whole idea, and think they're far too underrated. This year there's quite a few major haunts I plan to check out over the next month.

Whack the PM is a non-partisan and spectacularly satirical election website that lets you beat the crap out of the party leaders in an effort to predict the next Prime Minister of Canada. In this game where winning means you'll lose, candidates are hoping to come out unscathed after participants answer hot topic questions by whacking a party leader on the head.

And while Corina took a look at some more substantive or serious election websites, this one is irreverent and loads of fun. Whack the PM also happens to be 2 for 2 in election prediction: in 2004 and 2006 it knew the results before the ballots were counted.

Plus this will likely be the first - and last - time you see any of the candidates rubbing shoulders in a single hot tub.

Photo: "big dreams" by gp0256, member of the blogTO Flickr pool. ~ See it bigger ~.

What's happening in the GTA:

Unknown vandals have been trying to mess with the upcoming federal election by harassing Liberal supporters with phone calls, property destruction, and by cutting their car brake lines. Now it's being reported that Liberal candidates homes have been targeted. Somebody please catch the culprit so we can take turns tar and feathering him/her/them on our way to voting stations next Tuesday.

Last night the Leafs managed to kick off the season by beating the reigning Stanley Cup champs in Detroit. But the bigger story was the announcement of the finalists in the CBC's new Hockey Night in Canada theme. A 13-year old from Toronto has made the cut. Go Robert Go!

The only thing worse than seeing your baby's stroller hit by a car is being accused of being at fault for a car hitting your baby's stroller. This will end up being one serious lesson learned regardless of the outcome in her trial. The child suffered very minor injuries.

Photo: "Time to haul ass." by cl-s, member of the blogTO Flickr pool. ~ See it bigger ~.

What's happening in the GTA:

Say goodbye to fresh, local peaches and cream cobs, and say hello to frozen nibblets shipped in from Timbuktu. Urban sprawl is quickly depleting arable farm lands surrounding Canada's largest city, at a time when people are aiming to eat more local. You know what they say about hindsight...

A report by a think tank (that largely opposes our involvement in Afghanistan) claims that the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan will cost the federal government $28billion by 2011 - a heck of a lot more that what Harper's Conservatives have estimated. Another report comes in at $22billion. Will this be money well spent during a looming global recession?

Listeria is proving to be one resilient microorganism at Maple Leaf's Toronto plant. Ongoing screening has found that 4 of 5000 products tested positive for Listeria. None of the affected product was shipped. The news comes shortly after we learned that the CFIA sat on their hands with lips sealed for several days before going public on the first major outbreak.

TTC bus and streetcar shelters finally got a facelift today.

About to get on the Queen streetcar just east of Landsdowne, I noticed a maintenance crew busily working at the spot previously occupied by a bus shelter that had been noticeably absent in recent weeks.

The new bus shelters are an extension of the TTC Next Train Arrival program announced last month that will bring us information such as when the next TTC vehicle is to arrive to the streets of Toronto. The displays on the new shelters will also feed us information on delays, helping us make decisions like "Should I wait for the next vehicle, take a cab or walk instead?"