MB Toronto
Morning Brew: Toronto polled on casino, St. Lawrence market world's best, dealing with info pillars, TDSB, CBC and NFB job cuts, Toronto FC lose and Raptors win
How would you feel about a new casino resort in Toronto? Where should it go? How do you feel about Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam? How about Rob Ford? Those are all vital questions to whoever hired a telephone market research company to poll Toronto homes last night. One question might provide a hint as to a possible location, though none of the options are particularly surprising. Meanwhile, Ontario finance minister Dwight Duncan says a casino referendum could be in the cards.
Who knows if its the clam chowder from Buster's Sea Cove or the peameal bacon sandwiches from Carousel Bakery. Whatever your preference, the St. Lawrence Market is the best food market in the world according to a top 10 list published by National Geographic. New York's Union Square Foodmarket came in second while London's famous Borough Market was ranked tenth.
We already know the City can't kill or redesign the irritating new-style info pillars strewn around town, but there could be some room to move on where the posts are placed. According to Spacing, the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee have come up with a series of placement guidelines that prohibit blocking the flow of pedestrians, protect sight lines and promise to re-install any displaced lock-and-ring bike posts.
The Toronto District School Board plans to cut 200 high-school teaching jobs, 134 office staff and 17 elementary vice principals to cover a projected $109 million budget shortfall. Howard Goodman from the TDSB says the cuts will put the board in line with staff levels at other Ontario schools.
More job losses and program cuts are expected over at the CBC/Radio-Canada to cope with a decrease in funding from the recent provincial budget. Perhaps the most noticeable changes could be at CBC Radio 2, which may carry ads to help plug the cash shortfall. The National Film Board isn't faring well either. Thank you, Stephen Harper.
A small section Bayview Avenue is now open south of King and Queen Streets, allowing drivers and bikers access to developments at Underpass Park, Don River Park and Lawren Harris Square. The Star has a preview of what the map will look like when construction in the new neighbourhood is complete.
OpenFile has dug up an award-winning animated GIF (yes, they have awards for such things) that shows the Raptors mascot rollerskating down a flight of stairs and face-planting onto the court. If you haven't seen it already, it's well worth a watch.
IN OTHER NEWS:
- Toronto FC suffers second-half letdown, loses 6-2 to Santos [The Star]
- Raptors beat Sixers for third straight win [Globe and Mail]
- Woman arrested for assault based on Facebook photo [The Star]
- Suspicious package found outside former home of Byron Sonne [National Post]
- Restaurateur charged after scuffle with alleged thief [CBC]
- TTC won't remove controversial ads [The Star]
"Highway" by John Elmslie in the BlogTO Flickr pool.
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Also ifusion is owned by nick kovalis wife so that mystery is solved. Is campaigning this early in the game legal?
Religious promo is tolerable (if annoying), but the ad that counselled prayer as a response to possible child abuse/neglect is *dangerous*. Kids who are being abused and neglected by their parents need to *tell a human*, not make wishes. Magical thinking won't do shit for real-world problems.
Why on earth would the CBC be shielded from having to compete with private media. I do hope that those spending cuts will be reflected in tax cuts too.
109 million shortfall for TDSB made up for with 200 job cuts?
That 545K a pop, it's good to be a civil servant, isn't it?
Oh, I see the pinkos going for my throat...
As for the St. Lawrence market thing, hey, I think that's great. No doubt the typical Toronto self-loathing thing is tiresome - the funny thing is, even in those cities in which the self-loathing Torontonians are so fond of comparing us to, you'll find tons of people living there who also routinely crap on their "world-class" cities as well. I guess it just reflects people who can't be happy no matter where they are - always looking with envy at what others appear to have. Instead of feeling honoured that our city's market was recognized by such a prestigious publication, instead they spend their time dumping on the results, as if it can't be possible that National Geographic could come to that conclusion.
A sad way to live, if you ask me.
You might want to go back to school yourself mate.
No, my issue is with the folks who simply refuse to believe that anything in this city could be worthy of recognition. And believe me, there are plenty of those both here and elsewhere in Canada. Hell, just read the comments on this board from time to time. After all, its fine to suggest that you would come to a different conclusion than National Geographic, but why not show some civic pride and recognize its an honour nonetheless? That's what I take issue with, with many people in this City. New Yorkers (as an example) can be as self-critical about their city as anyone, but you never doubt their civic pride. Why can't we express more of that here, instead of just immediately dumping on any recognition we get?
My comment wasn't directed at you specifically, but if you felt it was, then maybe you need to consider if in fact you are merely a "critical thinker" as you claim, or if you actually are one of those self-loathing Torontonians I was directing my comments to.
NG is now a hard right piece of crap. It's so right wing it only wipes it's ass with Canadian federal cabinet ministers.
Their TV channel is full of drug war propaganda and prison programs. It sucks harder than Mammoboy at a Frod family feckfest. It couldn't be any more fascist if it stuck Stephen Harper up it's ass and whistled Dixie while wearing lederhosen and pointy white hats.
They wouldn't show your documentary on how to fuck your dog huh?
Have a gander at msn.ca "news" online and you'll get a clue about how much Uncle Sam covets Canada and how much he needs a sellout PM like Harper to tend the 51st state. Blob Frod was Harper's Great Fat Hope until Hiz Lardship showed us all how fat white trash get down with their peeps.
In recovery mode, the con spin meisters are calling in markers. The NG nod is their way of saying: "Hey everybody...look at how great TO is and BTW...we're implying it's a well run city too." Same old pushy journohackism.
@Mark
Hey buddy. Too true. However..they're considering the one where I fuck the dog and the pups all look like your mother.
This is how an alcoholic clownshoe gets elected as Mayor of Porktown. The narrow focus of those who haven't managed to escape being in thrall to the journohackery of mainstream media is evident in that question.
In other words: Beware of Creeps (NG) bearing "gifts"
Are you naive enough to imagine that right wing interests aren't constantly fucking with the mass media message/propaganda delivery service in order to turn minds to mush?
Give your god damn head a shake and travel outside your comfort zone once in a while. Read the Village Voice or Le Figaro. I've been to markets in Asia and South America that kick Toronto markets where the sun don't shine.
Now I'm going to climb on my 24 spd oxygen machine and ride out to Kits. That's right..I live in Vancouver but love Toronto culture. I'm fond of telling friends that while the GVA has half the population of the GTA...it has barely a tenth of the culture.
Wow...there's obviously not much that shames you. You must be the guy that hoses down Hiz Lardship after he's done fisting his executive committee.
Well...that's Boris sorted then. I should just become a flatulent fatty and get plugged into some "reality" TV. Pull up a barrel of dead animals, a gallon of sugar water and a La-Z-Boy and give up on learning anything useful. Why stay fit and healthy when there's so much self loathing willful ignorance to "enjoy"?
Too true.
What do you do for an encore? March a platoon of drunk gasbags into the mayor's pretend subway tunnel?
Why just the other day I saw a large person wearing a tiny mumu...it was so slimming and their bulk didn't make me gag with displeasure at their presence. It helped they they also STFU the whole time their bloated carcass was within earshot.
Not even a squishy jiggle, grunt or fart.