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

This week's entry in what appears to be an ongoing investigative journalism feature in the Saturday Star examines Toronto's black market in human eggs. Unlike the States, Canada has banned the sale of such eggs, leaving would-be parents with fertility problems to rely on the limited supply provided by altruistic donors. Or Craigslist. There is, of course, a host of problems associated with the unregulated sale of of such a sensitive "product" (which can cost up to $10 000), but those desperate to conceive have few other options within the current system.

Yesterday saw the opening of the York University BRT, which uses the hydro corridor north of Finch to shuttle passengers between Dufferin and Keele streets away from traffic. Although it's estimated that the BRT, which also uses dedicated lanes on campus and a special exit ramp from Downsview station, will shave up to 14 minutes off the previous trip time, I'm pretty sure this'll only be true during the height of rush hour. Having had a chance to ride it yesterday, I have to say that at 3 p.m. it wasn't more than a couple of minutes faster than normal. Maybe it was my bus driver, who was plodding along at a painful pace.

The Cameron House, a staple of the Queen West arts scene, is up for sale. Owners Cindy Matthews, Paul Sannella and Anne-Marie Ferraro hope they can find a buyer sympathetic to the role the Cameron has played in helping local artists and musicians gain both a sense of community and exposure. As their listing reads, "the hippest neighbourhood in the city awaits your style and imagination." That sounds a lot like a condo ad, and I have my suspicions that that's exactly what might eventually replace the arts hub.

Built by De Havilland of Canada in the final years of the war, the two massive airplane hangars were once located among farms, miles away from Toronto's city limits, but today they're near the intersection of Dufferin and Sheppard streets, just north of the 401 and west of the Allen Expressway, just across the street from the Downsview terminus of the Spadina subway line. They're hard to miss, and it's no surprise that they caught the attention of Paul Oberman, a property developer notable for his willingness to take on and restore heritage properties.

I don't watch a lot of Citytv programming but when I do I inevitably get nailed with a Cashman commercial. You know, the one with the dancing girls, club beats and aging Russell "Cashman" Oliver wanting to trade cash for my used gold and jewellery. His ads have been running for years and actually have garnered him a fair amount of publicity including an interview on CBC last year when DC Comics sued him for one that had a Superman theme.

His ads keep appearing which means they must be successful enough for him to keep paying his bills. When Terry O'Reilly, famed ad man on CBC Radio's the Age of Persuasion spoke at Marketing Week in Toronto last week I fugured he'd be the perfect person to ask about them. Keep reading for our Q&A in which we discuss these ads plus other salient Toronto advertising related topics like marketing the city, ad creep and the influx of illegal advertising.

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

In their awful week, the TTC tried to ensure all blame for the Yonge Street subway shutdown was placed with Enbridge and their contractor, but now Enbridge is pushing back, saying the City of Toronto authorized the work. But the transit agency can't just focus there, they're also getting questions about why collectors let customers pay their fare without informing them they couldn't get on a train or get as far as they needed. Basically, the week just gets worse for the Red Rocket.

Councillor Joe Mihevc wants us to talk about issues, not just who's running for mayor next year, and is even having a public meeting next week to figure out which issues are on peoples' minds. He went so far as to set up a Setting the Agenda 2010 website so we can all discuss. Seems a laudable goal, but will people participate?

The American school of before-Christmas sales and discounts seems to be migrating north in the face of the sad worldwide economy. Look for Sears and Wal-Mart to start a big head-to-head price war: Sears is offering Boxing Day prices all weekend while Wal-Mart has a price reduction strategy that will see 18,000 prices drop in November. Small, independent retailers won't like this news, but none of the Canadian retailers will be happy if Canadians head to the U.S. for American Thanksgiving next week with such strong Canadian currency in hand to take advantage of the traditionally deep discounts.

Kinnear is thus worried that it threatens the safety of his local 113 members, who already suffer increased instances of physical abuse in the wake of fare hike announcements. "It will provoke active animosity in some unbalanced passengers and lead to more assaults. We've been down this road too many times before to let this pass," he reasons.

But is it really that bad? And does it actually lay the blame for the fare increase on the TTC's streetcar operators and other highly visible staff?

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

It would seem that a private Enbridge contractor cut away a bit too much of the Jackes Avenue bridge, right over TTC tracks, forcing the recently-beleaguered transit agency to shut down rush hour Yonge line service between Bloor and Eglinton. The TTC came on strong to pass the buck and even the Mayor tried to keep the blame away from Giambrone & Co. That service resumed around 8:30pm last night might appease some riders, but it doesn't change that this just ain't the TTC's week.

Don't expect any public hearings on the proposed HST. Premier McGuinty made it clear yesterday that he considers the 2011 provincial election to be the chance for constituents to weigh in on the weighty tax. Not sure if that's the Premier being silly, strategic or just laying down the gauntlet.

Police nabbed a 21-year-old and a 15-year-old accomplice in Malton yesterday, on charges for the murder of George Kalogerakis. Now three more suspects are sought after a shooting - fatal for Alex Rundle - in Etobicoke last evening. Maybe I was blinded by the summer sun, but after what seemed like a lot of early 2009 shootings violent crime seemed to get better... until the last few weeks.

On a recent journey back to the site, however, I realized that although much hollowed (even since my last visit), substantial portions of the space remain standing. The sense of scale in this building is almost unfathomable, and always leaves me in awe. I have spoken to many of the workers (whether plant or demolition), and they all seem to agree on this point: no matter how many times one returns, it is a perennial shock to bear witness to its mass.

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

Step right up, get your shot! Starting today, Toronto Public Health will be happy to stick a needle full of H1N1 vaccine into anybody who wants it. Rob Roberts visited a flu clinic and found that with 20 needle stations only 8 were in use, so it's not surprising everybody can go now. But with so few deaths related to H1N1 (198 across Canada at last count), will all that many people bother?

The TTC isn't winning any friends lately, not after the commission passed fare hikes to start January 3rd, even though those hikes were less than anticipated. Cash fares and tokens (if, that is, you can actually get tokens) will go up 25 cents (making a cash fare $3) and the monthly pass will jump from $109 to an astounding $121 (Jerrold's got all the details). Todd Harrison has a way of getting $100 Metropasses, but advises it may already be too late. Given yesterday's comments (here and here), I'm thinking more complaining will, understandably, be the order of the day.

Have police sniffed out a drug lab in a fancy Woburn Ave duplex, near Avenue Rd and Lawrence Ave? Neighbours reported an odd smell last night and drug squad officers have found "suspicious chemicals." Maybe the really swanky duplexes have better ventilation.

Adult cash fare will rise to $3 (from $2.75), but the adult Metropass will not jump to $126 as previously recommended, instead settling at $121 (up from $109). Tokens will rise to $2.50 (up from $2.25), and weekly passes will rise to $36 (up from $32.25).

What's not entirely clear is how much loyal rider rage will increase (up from already too high). Or how much harder it will get to buy tokens before the hike (it's become a real pain).

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

The TTC has taken strict measures to prevent fare token hoarding, but don't expect the lineups to buy tokens to dwindle because the TTC has no plans to increase staff selling tokens. With the TTC Commission set to approve the fare hike later today it's safe to say the lineups will be worse, if stations even have tokens at all. If the TTC doesn't like its fare system - and gosh knows riders aren't in love with the fare system - why not (finally) change to a modern fare-paying system?

The opportunity to pay 13% sales tax crept closer to reality yesterday, as Ontario Liberals introduced their HST bill legislation. The move, intended to increase provincial coffers, is unpopular with just about everybody except the Liberals. In fact, it's the NDP who may be speaking most loudly against the bill, which tells me that there must be better ways to get money into the province's hands.

The A La Cart program - bringing ethnic flavours to select streets - has been mired in problems that most of us would call predictable. But Toronto Public Health has now admitted many changes are necessary, and has made a number of them, including passing control of the food carts to the economic development department. More carts are authorized, but we'll just have to wait and see if the folks selling pad thai or biriyani can come back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Meteor activity will be visible between midnight and dawn on November 17th and in a diminished capacity early tomorrow evening. Of these times, the best bet for increased activity is around 4 a.m. EST. With ideal viewing conditions expected, between 20 and 30 meteors an hour may light up North American skies.

But where exactly should you look?

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

Just how sketchy has the Annex become? It's certainly seen a shift toward being a destination for cheap eats and booze, and along with that has come dirtiness, drunkenness, and violence. In an interesting roundup of opinions, Adam Vaughan takes a jab at the 905 mentality, local shop owners talk about the rapid fall, and chicken wings take some of the blame.

Police in East York responding to an armed mugging of a fast food chicken delivery guy discovered a loaded gun that is believed to have been stolen from the Detroit Police some time ago.

Toronto-area drivers that suddenly get questionable 407 ETR bills (in the tune of hundreds or even thousands of dollars, mostly accrued interest) shouldn't rely on the provincial government to do much about it. According to Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, the 407 "is responsible for establishing its own business practices," and he's "not aware of anything" Queen's Park can do to change it. So what's to stop them from simply holding onto unpaid invoices, sending out notification after waiting for heaps interest to accrue, and then seeking payment?

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

Both the Star and the Globe have prominent features on upcoming mayoral candidate George Smitherman. It's interesting to note the different approaches the writers take in alternately describing Smitherman as a "big bully" and a "tamer, gentler George." Despite these differences, they both paint the man as confident and hard working. It looks like it's going to be one hell of a battle between him and John Tory in next year's election.

University students might just get a break on their transportation costs. Of the proposals to be tabled at the TTC's next meeting, one that's getting some traction is the expansion of the student metropass to apply to university level students in addition to current high school users. Amen. I've thought they should do this for years. After all, it's really only by university that a large number of students are actually paying for their pass anyway.

The next phase of H1N1 vaccinations are set to go for Monday, as Toronto's top medical officer, Dr. Arlene King, reports that school-age children and Seniors are now on the priority list for the flu-shot. That's good news, but I wonder why it's only being made available at vaccination clinics and doctor's offices. Wouldn't it make sense to have nurses administer the vaccine at schools, thereby saving parents loads of time and hassle?

Skip ahead 22 years to this past weekend, when what began as a short-cut between between two abandoned buildings in Toronto's Junction turned into an auspicious detour that revealed some very impressive, very large construction equipment near the railway line.