Morning Brew: Trucker Protest, City of Toronto Open Data Web Site, New CP24 Transit Show, Tenor's Car Torched, Don Mills Coyotes, Phil Kessel Debut
Photo: "Rub my belly" by Daifuku Sensei, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
The morning commute in the Toronto area (which is never fun) may be even less fun than usual, given that a hundred truckers are planning to take to the roads in protest of the ongoing DriveTest strike. The strike has been in effect since August, preventing new truck drivers from getting licensed.
The City of Toronto is opening its data doors, so to speak. In an effort to increase transparency and improve information flow, a web site containing data on public transit, parks and recreation, daycare facilities, and more has been made available for the first time in such an open way. I suspect it won't be long before he public finds creative uses and applications of the data.
CP24 will be launching a new monthly talk show called "On the Rocket"... live from on board a TTC streetcar, with TTC Chair Adam Giambrone fielding rider questions and comments. Providing the public with access to this kind of interaction with a personable official from our loved and loathed transit system is a great idea and should fit the TV format nicely.
Police are investigating a suspicious car fire that happened down at the waterfront on the weekend. A Harbourfront Centre performer's car somehow ended up exploding into flames several metres tall, and a witness says that someone slipped something under a car just moments before the blaze. I'm left wondering if it was random, or what would motivate someone to torch a tenor's ride.
Residents of Don Mills need to keep watchful eyes on their cats and chihuahuas. Coyotes are once again lurking in the neighbourhood, and I suspect they'll be looking for pint-sized snackables.
And while it's unlikely to be anywhere near an instant reversal of fortune, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs may finally get to see recently acquired star forward Phil Kessel on the ice tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Don't hold your breath though.
Comments (17)
The last thing any of us need is to hear MORE from Giambrone.
First, this is electioneering and a breach of the rules. Just like Adam Vaughn's show on City, it gives them an unfair advantage to promote themselves and their views over any potential challengers.
Further, it does not get included in their election expenses which it should.
Second, having a flack like Giambrone fielding comments is never going to deliver the real deal. The hard questions will be quashed or spun. Get a totally independent person.
Better yet, the 'Better Way' would be for TTC and Giambrone to simply read blogs and forums such as this. They will certainly get the comments they should be searching for and not polluting thew airwaves with more meaningless facetime for this mayor hopeful.
At least the truckers won't be in the way of the soldier's motorcade, since they will be travelling along the Highway Of Heroes later today.
Wow, Giambrone decided to do something to raise his profile after publicly musing about a run for mayor?
I'm sure its just a coincidence.
Brad Ross should be doing this show. I'm sick and tired of incumbent politicans getting an inside track on CP24 - it's hard enough to challenge them as it is with their huge war chests.
We've had two large coyotes stalking Rennie Park throughout the summer. They stick down around the pond, but occasionally have been seen scouting the soccer field of the nearby school at dusk. They're not too fearful of the offleash dogs, or humans around.
They're pretty big for coyotes as well. It makes me wonder if they're eating pet food left out, or if someone is intentionally feeding them. And at the same time taming their fear of humans, which is not good.
Since candidates cannot officially declare their candidacy, nor start raising funds until January I don't think this breaks any rules. It may seem shady, but the campaign doesn't officially begin until the new year and if I understand it correctly, that's when the rules take effect.
Adam Giambrone doesn't have a hope of becoming Mayor of TO any time soon. That said...will 'On the Rocket' be live during rush hour?!? Will the show be all about how great Transit City is - even though we all know there's no $$? Will Adam continually have to defend LRTs as opposed to doing something good for the City like building subways? Maybe CP24 should just follow Adam around as he bikes his way into downtown from Scarborough. You don't actually think Councillor Giambrone uses the services of the system he Chairs do you?
More importantly will Giambrone let anyone measure his gigantic head?
And what is the over/under on his head size?
Although Giambrone probably has no chance of becoming Mayor...give him some credit. He's provided the only service increases (yes they happened) in the past 10 years. The Transit City money IS allocated...and in the MoveOntario trust and BuildCanada trust. He lives in Brockton Village...so I don't know why he'd be biking from Scar to dt....and he uses the TTC all the time (We cross paths sometimes once a week on the TTC)
I have to say open data is a great step into the 21st century for the City - overdue but no less appreciated for the delay!
Regarding those service increases to the TTC (the ones in November 2008 I'm assuming you were referring to) were actually "quietly" taken back the following spring (March if I remember correctly).
I noticed on the TTC.ca website that all of the routes that were increased were magically cut back.
Funny thing about that...and no media coverage either.
"On the Rocket" eh? Okay now I wonder if this will be a true measurement of peoples opinions on the transit system or will CP24 have this show watered down with stupid questions or editors cuts? I would be hardpressed to find anybody in this city who rides the subway consistently to find anything good about the transit system.
Giambrone should stand in the corner of King and Shaw any weekday morning at around 8:30 and wait for the Ossington bus northbound. It takes about 15 minutes to show up, and by then there are like 20 people in EACH stop from there to the subway. It's supposed to come every 3 minutes or so. The crowds are ridiculous and it happens 3 or 4 times a week. There is something really wrong with the scheduling, why are so many buses running behind.
City politicians who took campaign contributions from landlords, developers and other businesses in 2006. This was from a newsreport I saved from 2007.
THOSE WHO TAKES LITTLE MONEY
Ward Candidate Landlords/Dev Other Businesses
Mayor David Miller 0.0% 0.0%
1 Suzan Hall 7.8 20.6
4 Gloria Lindsay Luby 12.3 10.5
8 Anthony Perruzza 10.3 5.8
9 Maria Augimeri 13.5 11.4
14 Gord Perks 0.6 0.0
15 Howard Moscoe 6.5 13.9
18 Adam Giambrone 7.8 1.6
19 Joe Pantalone 0.0 0.0
20 Adam Vaughan 0.0 0.0
21 Joe Mihevc 0.0 0.0
22 Michael Walker 0.0 0.0
23 John Filion 6.5 7.0
25 Cliff Jenkins 0.0 0.0
27 Kyle Rae 0.0 0.0
28 Pam McConnell 0.0 0.0
30 Paula Fletcher 0.9 0.0
31 Janet Davis 0.0 0.5
32 Sandra Bussin 0.0 11.1
33 Shelly Carroll 11.1 12.0
35 Adrian Heaps 0.6 2.8
38 Glenn De Baeremaeker 10.4 8.3
40 Norm Kelly 6.2 14.7
41 Chin Lee 1.6 9.8
42 Raymond Cho 0.0 3.2
44 Ron Moeser 0.0 1.4
THOSE WHO TAKES LOTS OF MONEY
2 Rob Ford 32.5 24.2
3 Doug Holiday 24.0 28.3
5 Peter Milczyn 41.7 26.4
6 Mark Grimes 22.6 18.8
7 Giorgio Mammoliti 41.4 26.0
10 Michael Feldman 29.6 16.1
11 Frances Nunziata 39.1 32.9
12 Frank Di Giorgio 39.5 27.5
13 Bill Saundercook 17.5 31.4
16 Karen Stintz 47.0 2.0
17 Cesar Palacio 37.4 2.1
24 David Shiner 25.5 21.3
26 John Parker 25.4 17.4
29 Case Ootes 28.1 30.2
34 Denzil Minnan-Wong 32.5 30.0
36 Brian Ashton 30.4 15.6
37 Michael Thompson 20.0 28.9
39 Mike Del Grande 37.5 10.7
43 Paul Ainslie 27.3 24.0
hahahah the new talk show should be a riot. I hope they have a horrible screening process thus they get ranting lunatics exploiting their moment in the spotlight to complain about anything. should be entertaining.
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