Morning Brew: Labour Day Parade and Closures, Sheppard LRT, ACC Square, Provincial Spending Restrictions, and a Bear Killed with a Bow and Arrow

Photo: "1245" by trebbble, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

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

For me Labour Day is always the most frustrating of long weekends. Even on beautiful ones like we're having this year, I can't help but be preoccupied with the realization that fall is around the corner. And something about the roar of those jets at the Air Show tends to drive this fact home with a certain authority. But, enjoy it I must, so as not to waste what little remains of the warm weather. Here's a list of what's open and closed today to help you do the same.

Those participating in the annual Labour Day parade will not enjoy the company of Mayor David Miller. Although the CAW is pleased enough with Miller, the Toronto and York Region Labour Council remains upset with his handling of the civic workers strike. Miller will instead address the CAW a half an hour before the parade.

As construction is set to begin on the Sheppard LRT between Don Mills and Meadowvale Rd., residents are still divided on whether it's a good idea. Most, of course, would prefer a subway line to extend the five stops that already exist on the east side of Yonge, but the TTC claims that the population density in the area just doesn't justify such an expenditure. The opposition to this theory and to the project itself has some residents writing to the Federal government and calling for public protests to prevent the groundbreaking.

In other city planning news (though not transit related), Christopher Hume has an interesting article about some possible uses for what's being called ACC Square, the area just west of the York St. entrance to the home of the Leafs and Raptors. In it he suggests making Bremner Blvd. -- the road that basically connects the ACC to the Rogers Centre -- a pedestrian only thoroughfare. It's a nice idea, but I fail to see who would use it other than sports fans attending events at one of the stadiums. After all, it's a bit of a concrete wasteland down there (a point he too makes) with little to attract over and above these venues.

In an effort to prevent future scandals related to public agency spending, Dalton McGuinty's government is tightening restrictions on things like meals, travel and hospitality. While this certainly is a step in the right direction, the Globe article points out that some pretty major agencies aren't included on the list, including the Municipal Property Assessment Corp., the Ontario Securities Commission and the Niagara Parks Commission. I'm not sure exactly what the logic is here, as it seems to me that the same rules should apply across the board.

And though it takes us quite a bit beyond the GTA, I can't resist sharing this story about a man in Hanmer, Ont. who used a bow and arrow to kill a bear that was intruding on his property. Now I know bears can be scary -- and whenever I go 'real' camping they're constantly on my mind -- but a bow and arrow? That's Rambo stuff, isn't it?