Morning Brew: kite flying ban, "Mink Mile" upgrades near complete, traffic signals may slow new waterfront streetcar, G20 compensation expanded, metal in cookies, stabbing at outdoor film screening, Toronto Star denies Rob Ford wiki edit

Kite flying has been banned at Milliken Park near McCowan & Steeles after string left behind following kite fights has become problematic for wildlife. Rather than banning kite fighting, kite flying in general has been banned simply because it would be too difficult to enforce just the one form of the activity. The City took the measures after residents complained of several wild animals and pets being harmed and city employees also have had to cope with the string tangling up their maintenance equipment. It's too bad kite fighters couldn't clean up after themselves.

Extra manpower has been brought in and rather than being complete in December, the $25-million street-level upgrades to Bloor Street's "Mink Mile" will be finished by late October. It's been more than two years of construction and delays, but in the fullness of time we'll be able to stroll in Yorkville and window shop along the widened, granite pedestrian walk, enhanced with greenery.

Putting two-way TTC streetcar service beside two-way car traffic (rather than mixing them or using dedicated transit lanes sandwiched between car traffic) is a novel idea. But the TTC's plans for a new East Bayfront rapid streetcar service along the waterfront (to run from Union Station, down to the lake, then east) is at risk of being not so rapid at all if it's going to be hampered by so many traffic signals.

The federal government has broadened the boundaries for G20 compensation for lost revenues to include select "External Affected Areas" such as business strips along Queen Street and Yonge Street, and the area near the temporary Eastern Avenue detention centre. The government will not, however, compensate for the damages caused by vandalism. Previously, only businesses within the security zone qualified for compensation.

Loblaws is recalling in-store bakery President's Choice branded "Chocolate Chunk" cookies because in addition to containing morsels of sweet, melty goodness, they may also contain small shards of not-so-delicious metal.

It was supposed to be a free, public film screening at Yonge-Dundas Square where "Director Spike Lee [took] us into the world of a bank robbery gone wrong." Instead the event was marred by a dispute that led to the stabbing of a woman.

There was high drama in the mayoral race yesterday. A link to candidate Rob Ford's blog on the official Wikipedia page was edited by someone and instead of pointing to an actual Rob Ford blog, it pointed to a fake satire site (which has since been taken offline after a cease and desist was threatened). The kicker is that the a trace of the IP revealed that the edit came from a computer within the Torstar family of publications. The Toronto Star is denying that it was them, but revealed that it may have been someone at one of their many subsidiary media companies (such as Sing Tao or Metro). Either way, it's probably not something that any journalist should be doing.

And a curious find in the blogTO Flickr pool reveals what appears to be a jumping manhole cover. Weird!

Photo: "Go Fly a Kite" by Neil Ta | I am Bidong, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.