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Morning Brew: Ford won't attend LGBTQ flag-raising, Cllr. Pasternak wants to undo cuts, Ford radio show hits a new low, and Woodbine Live! could go deadpool
Mayor Rob Ford says he won't attend a flag-raising event at city hall designed to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community on the May 17 International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Many thought Ford would attend the event along with Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke as a consolation for skipping the Pride parade later this summer. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam described the event as "gentle" and "welcoming" to the Globe and Mail. And so the movie for this mayoralty continues to be "Do the Wrong Thing."
Councillor James Pasternak is hopeful council will vote to restore cash to High Park Zoo, Far Enough Farm, and a special hardship fund despite the budget committee voting against the measures. Pasternak wants council to use some of the $292-million surplus money to reverse some of the controversial budget cuts made earlier in the year. The budget committee advises council but cannot make decisions on its own.
The Ford's radio show is stupid and offensive and demeans us all, according to Matt Elliott on his Ford for Toronto blog. If you haven't heard, the brothers Ford and their sidekick, Sun Media's David Menzies, spent most of Sunday afternoon making completely inappropriate comments about many of their (former) rivals - including a discussion about why they couldn't ask George Smitherman if he would die from "HIV-leading-to-AIDS" in office. Though most of the insane remarks were made by Menzies, the Fords made no attempt to separate their own opinions from his.
Outside the radio studio, Rob Ford attended a special meeting of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada yesterday in the City Hall rotunda to mark Press Freedom Day, but didn't take any questions. Amazingly, The Star write-up made no mention of the ridiculous irony of the occasion.
Pearson Airport is the worst and the second-best airport in Canada. It's also the sixth best in the world, according to a poll. Yeah, what?
Things aren't looking good for Woodbine Live! - the Rexdale entertainment and retail development we updated a couple of months back. The Star reports tax breaks promised by city council will expire in 2014 unless the development company can meet construction targets - something looking less and less likely every day the construction site sits idle. The location has been touted as a possible venue for a Toronto casino should the project implode completely. Meanwhile, Doug Ford says the project isn't dead yet.
And speaking of the casino, another telephone poll conducted last night and reported on Twitter asked "if the casino created millions of jobs, would you support the idea?" Millions? Really? That's a whole lot of croupiers. Also on the poll: the efficiency of councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Inspired by the idea of Toronto residents in croupier uniforms, city hall writer Matt Elliott brought a little 80s nostalgia to the online dialogue surrounding the casino telephone poll.
@GraphicMatt
Matt ElliottMaybe everybody will work in a casino. It'll be just like that time Biff stole the sports almanac.
29 minutes ago via Echofon · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · powered by @socialditto
IN OTHER NEWS:
- Falling concrete on Gardiner causes infrastructure headaches [The Star]
- Committee sticks to streetcar spending strategy [CTV]
Photo: "Aggregate View" by BruceK in the BlogTO Flickr pool.
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(Well, ok, I think there might be a single such mayor, but that's the guy from Oklahoma City who heads the Republican council on mayors and is so far-right you need peripheral vision just to see him. Not exactly a peer city either. Of the big, normal cities of NA, are there any mayors who pull the stuff RoFo does?)
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/audio-on-demand/mayor-bloombergs-radio-address/
I never though I'd say this... but Rob Form could learn a lesson from Mel Lastman - Mel never met a tourist dollar he didn't like. Smile a big fake grim, and encourage everyone to keep shopping. Even Dubya Bush wasn't dumb enough to miss that one.
This is so EASY for the mayor. It is outside his office! Just show up for 5 minutes, smile, and - voila! Accusations that he's homophobic subside.
Unfortunately, after constantly refusing to show even a token gesture of support, it's pretty hard to not come to the conclusion that he's a bigot.
He worries that if he shows up he'll lose the critical bigot vote.
HIV/AIDS gala - last time I checked this wasn't called the 'gay cancer' anymore and infects many communities.
Flag Raising - outside his window
Parade - whatever
Wong-Tam event - this was suppose to be for him. Pretty amazing olive branch really.. but nope.
So yeah... unless he is at the cottage all of that week what are we suppose to think?! His politics, although not my own, I can deal with. His bigotry shames us all.
“The day serves as a reminder of violations of press freedom that occur in countries around the world, where journalists, editors, publishers are harassed, detained, attacked and killed,” Ford said.
I can't believe Ford said that with a straight face. If I was in the room when he did I would have burst out laughing.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1174856
Am I the only one fed up with Doug always speaking on Rob's behalf?
Correct, but that's already a given.
Even if 50% of people voted (which would be a record turnout) and of those someone won with over half the vote, it's still only about 20% - 30% of the city voting for them.
So yes, someone can easily win by only appealing to angry bigots. Sad that it is.
I miss Mel. He didn't do much as Mayor, but you'd never miss him at an event, or on those Saturday morning CFMT/OMNI cultural TV shows.
No?
It won't be me!
Yeah, those PFLAG moms are the *meanest*.
It may be best for him to stay out of town along with his supporters!
Most ppl want our Toronto back from him et al.
This looks sooooooo bad on our city.
If Ford can't bother to show respect for all taxpayers, including LGBT taxpayers, he shouldn't have run for a job that requires such respect. He's demonstrated more concern for his personal feelings and prejudices than the people who live in the city he ostensibly runs. Would it be acceptable for him to openly snub Caribbean communities, Eastern European communities, or religious communities the way he's treated the LGBT community?
If Ford was a mature person, he would face the possibility of open derision and boos at an event celebrating a community he has previously snubbed. His poor fee-fees should be a lower priority than his job as a servant and representative of everyone in the city. He has been given countless opportunities to demonstrate his fitness as an administrator, as a facilitator, and as a civic leader, and he has consistently failed. His allies keep having to cover for his statements and behaviour. It's frustrating and embarrassing to watch.
I love religious circuses!