Monday, February 13, 2012 — Partly Cloudy -2°C
City

Morning Brew: Ruby Chinese Restaurant Problems, Toronto EMS Problems, George Smitherman's Problem, TTC Bylaw Enforcement Problems

Posted by Jerrold Litwinenko / October 9, 2009

27 Comments

downtown torontoPhoto: "building with sculpture in foreground" by Rick McGrath, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

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

A scathing report by the (scandal-plagued) Ontario Ministry of Health found that bad decisions by Toronto EMS staff may have contributed to the death of James Hearst's death, and could have been prevented. Whether or not any of this is directly related to EMS operating at reduced capacity due to the civic worker strike is... well... the elephant in the room. Here's the timeline of the events that occurred that night.

George Smitherman's Toronto mayoral hopes may be dashed amid calls for his resignation related to lack of oversight in the eHealth scandal, during his tenure as the Minister of Health. Would you run for mayor in a money-starved city when $1-billion in wasted taxpayer money is (loosely or not) attached to your name?

Next week the TTC will be cracking down on riders who violate bylaws. Putting your feet on seats, blocking doorways, smoking, not paying fare, and littering are all ticketable offences that carry fines, which, incidentally, are going up. I don't want to be around when transit police and thugs square off over these kinds of things.

As many as 18 people fell ill (confirmed) and one may have died (to be confirmed) as a result of salmonella poisoning traced back to dining at Ruby Chinese Restaurant in Scarborough between September 12th and 20th. The popular 600-seat restaurant has been shut down by Toronto Public Health pending fixes. Why is it that whenever outbreaks or infestations shut down restaurants, the owners try to pull the wool over the eyes of the public by posting signs stating that they're closed for renovations (see linked CityNews' video)? Is cleaning, pest control, and proper food handling "renovation?"

And a backpack believed to be that of Mariam Makhniashvili, a Toronto teen who has been missing since September 14th, has been found in the Yonge & Eglinton area. Hopefully this provides clues that can lead to her being discovered alive and well.

Discussion

27 Comments

Sort By Oldest First / Newest First

Subscribe

HateTTCcops / October 9, 2009 at 09:01 am
user-pic
One TTC cop tried to fine me because my 19 month old child was standing on a seat (i was holding him tightly) so he could look out the window. His feet were on the chair and that is against the by law. I asked to see his supervisor and he dropped the ticket. Talk about abuse from this wanna be cops.
Reply
DS replying to a comment from HateTTCcops / October 9, 2009 at 09:43 am
user-pic
The rules are the rules. No exceptions are given to self-entitled parents.
Reply
DS replying to a comment from HateTTCcops / October 9, 2009 at 09:43 am
user-pic
I guess self-entitled parents aren't excluded to the rules, eh?
Reply
Transit Rider / October 9, 2009 at 09:49 am
user-pic
Since the TTC struck a deal with McDonalds to open location at some stations, the littering has become rampant on the subway. It is amazing to see people just dropped their crap everywhere and if you say anything, the abuse that comes back is unbelievable (as if it were a right to drop garbage anywhere). Sorry that "HateTTCcops" had a bad experience, but some really ignorant people got it coming.
Reply
Jay Z / October 9, 2009 at 09:51 am
user-pic
Toronto's got a lot of problems but at least a bitch ain't one
Reply
DS replying to a comment from Transit Rider / October 9, 2009 at 09:53 am
user-pic
It's not just McTrash, it's also patty wrappers, free daily news papers, coffee cups, tissue, gum...
Reply
TrashCanMan replying to a comment from DS / October 9, 2009 at 09:58 am
user-pic
Torontonians (i.e. inhabitants of the "Greenest City" in the world) are total pigs when it comes to litter.

Mind you if the city actually collected trash once in a while ...
Reply
oh replying to a comment from DS / October 9, 2009 at 10:13 am
user-pic
clearly your not a parent *rolls eyes*
Reply
Jason / October 9, 2009 at 10:17 am
user-pic
I think the author got their wool metaphors mixed up. The bogus signs about "renovation" might pull the wool over the public's eyes, but they aren't being "fleeced" (i.e. having their money taken).
Reply
Jason / October 9, 2009 at 10:19 am
user-pic
why not just have your child stand on your leg or lap to look out the subway window? (oh, because his shoes are dirty?)
Reply
ExPat replying to a comment from TrashCanMan / October 9, 2009 at 10:27 am
user-pic
Ditto that -- once on the subway I was treated to the sight of some guy with his taco bell spread out on the seat in front of him, stuffing his face . No shame in it either, smacking his lips and slurping salsa like it was his last meal. He got off before me, and of course, he left the remnants of his meal on the seat.

It's not only Toronto though, TrashCanMan -- New York's just as bad. I don't get people who eat on public transit -- it's like eating in a public restroom.
Reply
Ryan L. replying to a comment from ExPat / October 9, 2009 at 10:44 am
user-pic
I'll be honest, I have no qualms about eating on public transit, but I always, -always- clean up after myself. I'd also never eat anything messy and stick to things that are eaten with the hands, such as a burger or sub. I'd also never eat if the bus/subway was crowded in any way. I'd put my food away if I had to stand or if someone were to sit beside me.

What it comes down to is time. When you spend 3 hours of your day commuting (yeah, it sucks), eating on transit is an efficient use of time. Your meal schedule is already screwed up by the long commute, forcing you to have huge gaps between meals.
Reply
parkdalian / October 9, 2009 at 10:47 am
user-pic
Message to the Government:

Help Ryerson FUND Maple Leaf Gardens!!!! (*please don't let it be turned into a grocery store!)

:)
Reply
Jerrold replying to a comment from Jason / October 9, 2009 at 10:48 am
user-pic
It's been a rough morning. Thanks for pointing that out. Fixed! :)
Reply
Dave / October 9, 2009 at 11:14 am
user-pic
While I am all for reducing litter, I really don't see how anyone is victimized by it and therefore see no real need for a victim impact fee.

Also, for a time strapped society, I don't really see anything wrong with some discrete eating on transit. Transit is much slower than driving (with a few exceptions) that you simply have to recover the time some how. As long as you don't leave a mess behind, what's the problem?

Reply
cocoa / October 9, 2009 at 11:37 am
user-pic
I take a twenty-minute subway ride twice a day and I very rarely see anyone eating, putting their feet up, littering or blocking doorways. I know this is anecdotal, but I just wanted to balance out the stories of people being obnoxious...I really don't think that's the norm in Toronto. The most egregious things I come across are people blocking the escalators and people sitting on the outside seat to avoid sitting next to someone.
Reply
Jonathan replying to a comment from cocoa / October 9, 2009 at 12:01 pm
user-pic
It's a time and vehicle issue. At peak periods you won't see many people with feet on the seats, because they are full. It is common on weekends and late evenings, especially in the backs of new model buses and streetcars, which have the layout coducive to putting your feet up.
Reply
Brad Ross / October 9, 2009 at 12:04 pm
user-pic
With respect to litter, every subway station now has garbage cans on each platform. There's no excuse for littering. Add to that, the problem of track level fires due to blowing debris. While the fires are often minor and put themselves out, they still cause delays. And, of course, the very real possibility of one of these fires becoming serious. So, if you're caught littering, you will be fined.

The additional infractions in the revised bylaw, such as feet on seats, were added as a direct result of passenger feedback and complaint. Yes, the TTC does listen to its customers.

Finally, the surcharge is a provincially-mandated fee that comes with all tickets, not just those issued by the TTC.
Reply
seriously? / October 9, 2009 at 12:11 pm
user-pic
lets not forget the biohazard waste: phlegm, ear wax, nail clippings, snot and boogers, dandruff, H1N1, and AIDS. most people are fucking pigs.
Reply
Misanthrope / October 9, 2009 at 12:15 pm
user-pic
The general public is the worst thing about "public transit" and there's no goddamn way I'd eat anything on those cattle cars.
Reply
Robin / October 9, 2009 at 12:39 pm
user-pic
Eating in public is trashy.
Reply
Dirty / October 9, 2009 at 01:12 pm
user-pic
Not to mention unhygenic. You’ve been touching germ-infested poles, turnstiles, and hand rails and now you're going to chow down on a hot dog? Don't be so low-rent -- eat when you get home.
Reply
ayl / October 9, 2009 at 02:18 pm
user-pic
The TTC should start rules of absolutely no eating or drinking or chewing gum on the subway. That would keep it clean. Unrealistic, but many countries with extremely clean subway systems have this rule already.
Reply
badbhoy replying to a comment from ayl / October 9, 2009 at 03:46 pm
user-pic
While we're at it forget about those piddly fines. You should be caned if you break the rules.
Reply
196Brocketeer replying to a comment from Brad Ross / October 9, 2009 at 06:25 pm
user-pic
Mr. Ross,

Hate to break it to you, but not all stations have bins on the platforms. For some bizarre reason, very busy stations such as Eglinton, Sheppard, York Mills and Finch do *not* have platform-level bins (unless they've been put in during the three weeks since I've taken the subway). The result is atrocious litter and more and more debris being thrown onto the tracks and under the platform edges.

I'm also wondering why trains can't be swept when they reach terminal stations like Finch and Downsview. By around eight in the evening, most trains I've been on are always strewn with litter.
Reply
Dan replying to a comment from 196Brocketeer / October 11, 2009 at 04:01 pm
user-pic
York Mills and Lawrence do have platform level garbage but there are only 1-2 per station. Eglington has garbage cans on the main level at every set of stairs leading to track level.

If you bring something onto the subway it should leave with you. If your cant get rid of it within the station there are garbage cans outside of every station as far as I can recall.
Reply
Joey / October 12, 2009 at 04:04 am
user-pic
Eating in public is trashy and low-rent? Go back to Rosedale you pretentious tools. The next time you go out to eat in one of your 200/person restaurants just remember that you're (gasp!) eating in public.
Reply

Add a Comment
Other Cities: Vancouver – Montreal