Morning Brew: May 2nd, 2008

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Photo: "Spring" by chewie007, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your new stuff morning news roundup for Friday May 2nd, 2008:

Shady people active at the Queen and Bathurst intersection have new eyes watching over them. The troubled street corner has been a hot spot for crime, and police hope that recording the daily goings-on will act as a deterrent. People who aren't shady will also be recorded, and are encouraged to look up and smile in support or scowl in disgust.

New immigrants to Canada and the GTA, and the middle class in general, are struggling more financially these days than previously - and the numbers are shocking. In 1980, the average recent male immigrant and female immigrant made 85% of the average non-immigrant income. By 2005, that dropped to 63% and 56% for male and female immigrants, respectively.

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A new digital projector is giving astronomy enthusiasts in Toronto a new view of the solar system. The freshly refurbished planetarium at the Ontario Science Centre was unveiled yesterday by former Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau. I'm only moderately upset about their failure to include Planet B612 in the mapping.

Residents of south Etobicoke are shocked and dismayed by the approval of a new strip club in their neighbourhood. They shouldn't be at all surprised by the news, since it was reported on Monday that the GTA is facing a chronic shortage of strippers.

A new 12km extension to highway 401 will ease congestion and expedite trade at the Windsor-Detroit international border crossing. The price tag? A whopping $1.6billion. I wonder if we'll still be trucking our garbage to Michigan when the new bridge is completed.

Reader Reviews and Comments

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Not sure about crime - Queen & Bathurst is more of a hot spot for crazy.

Posted by: Adam at May 2, 2008 9:00 AM

Adam -- so true! If anyone should be operating a camera on that corner it should be the ambulance service or social workers. They visit nearly every day to scoop some poor soul up. The cops are (relatively) hardly ever there.

Posted by: Patrick at May 2, 2008 9:51 AM

I believe in camera's on the corners in these dirt bag area's.
I walked past there last summer and some crack head was chasing around woman yelling out "NICE BUM" with a raging hard on. (VISABLE THROUGH HIS TIGHT TRACK PANTS!)

Posted by: apetimberlake [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 2, 2008 10:08 AM

Speaking of dirt bag area's
I live in Mimico and thats pretty close to wher ethe strip club will be opening up.

Hmmm the area is kind of strange to say the least.

The strip club is is in close provimity to the polish Embassy... I guess thats a coincidence?

Posted by: apetimberlake [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 2, 2008 10:16 AM

I doubt there is a Polish Embassy in Toronto, embassies are in the nation's capital, in this case, Ottawa.
Maybe a Polish cultural Centre?

Posted by: Maria at May 2, 2008 10:23 AM

Sorry Polish Consulate

Posted by: apetimberlake [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 2, 2008 10:26 AM

2603 Lakeshore Blvd. West, Toronto, Ontario M8V 1G5

Posted by: apetimberlake [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 2, 2008 10:30 AM

There are constantly police at Queen and Bathurst. For one thing there's generally one posted at the Beer Store.

Posted by: Ben at May 2, 2008 11:00 AM

I thought Queen/Bathurst residents told the cops they didn't want these cameras at a community meeting.

Posted by: Cop Watch at May 2, 2008 11:10 AM

I wonder if those "residents" are the drunkards that sleep on the corner

Posted by: apetimberlake [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 2, 2008 11:23 AM

Re: cameras. Wanting privacy in public spaces is an oxymoron. Of course, anyone who's read blogTO in the past two years is likely aware of my (Ryan C) opinion. I just thought I'd remind you all because I just assume everyone wants to hear what I have to say, AMIRITE?

Re: strip club, at least there's something to do in Etobicoke now.

Re: financial struggles for the middle class. I think I used to be middle class a year or two ago, but it sure doesn't feel like it these days! Though, that's probably to my nursing of a PS3 game purchasing addiction. Boy's gotta have his priorities in check!

Posted by: Ry Tron at May 2, 2008 11:34 AM

I'm surprised the camera thing is even considered news. In a related story, I saw a cop at a Tim Horton's.

Posted by: serotonin at May 2, 2008 11:40 AM

Man, that bridge in Windsor has been the topic of a hot debate for the past decade. I'm glad it's (almost) over... the new stretch of highway still has to pass an environmental assessment.

Continuing the 401 to meet up with the bridge will be nice for people who have to drive Huron Church Road every day (I myself used this commute when I lived back at home, and once got hit by one of the hundreds of transport trucks that travel this city street on a daily basis). It will not be so good for those people who live in the area where the new highway will be built. I guess it's the lesser of a bunch of evils that have been suggested in the past.

Posted by: Kari at May 2, 2008 11:45 AM

Cop Watch:

Just because residents don't want them, doesn't mean the cops will listen. Are there ever any council votes (or anything else that the public might have more of a say in) on the installation of more police cameras?

Posted by: Mark at May 2, 2008 12:54 PM

This jtimberlake character seems to have a taste for visually describing his homosexual notices with the blogto world. And he's calling other human beings "dirtbags". Hmn.

Posted by: SCREWFACE at May 2, 2008 1:30 PM

^^^what are you talking about?

Posted by: apetimberlake [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 2, 2008 1:48 PM

What exactly is a 'homosexual notice'? Are you debating that a clearly aroused guy chasing a woman around the streets is not a dirtbag?

Posted by: Adam at May 2, 2008 1:53 PM

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