MB Toronto
Morning Brew: Rob Ford mingles with comedy greats, more Toronto casino rumblings, saving Postal Station K, Toronto gets a new chief planner, and Jays lose
Mayor Rob Ford took time out of his clearly jam-packed schedule yesterday to meet comedians Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis at the Hockey Hall of Fame and help promote the pair's new movie, The Campaign. Ford's election advice? Hand out as many fridge magnets, bumper stickers and business cards as humanly possible.
Another big name in the gambling industry has thrown its hat into the ring to build a Toronto casino. According to the Globe and Mail, Las Vegas Sands says it's interested in building a casino in the downtown core, close to the waterfront. Where it goes, no-one knows.
A historic postal station at Yonge and Montgomery streets could be in trouble. Canada Post is planning to sell Postal Station K, which is located on the former site of Montgomery's Tavern where William Lyon Mackenzie orchestrated the Upper Canada Rebellion. The art deco structure is the only one in Canada to bear the insignia of King Edward VIII and some local residents are concerned the site could be cleared for condos.
The City of Toronto is expected to hire a new chief planner later today. Jennifer Keesmaat, an award-winning planner and frequent media commentator, will guide the city to make the best development decisions. Keesmaat has done similar work in several other Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Halifax, Regina and Moncton.
GUESS THE STREET:
This week there's a whole street to identify. Bonus points for the name and correct identification of the derelict building in this rather bleak scene.
IN OTHER NEWS:
- Blue Jays bats silenced in Seattle [CBC]
- Harbour cruise killer gets life prison sentence [CBC]
- Lien placed on Saadi Gaddafi's luxury Toronto condo for unpaid fees [National Post]
- Vintage bicycle show: Toronto bike enthusiasts fawn over vintage rides [The Star]
Photo: "TINO8040" by Martinho in the blogTO Flickr pool.
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I hate this type of insecure/stereortypical 'Canadian-ism'. Really? The HHOF? What does that have to do with anything?
It's like the media talking about the dual-citizen American swimmer - just reaching for a Canadian angle. It's silly.
I completely agree about that swimmer thing. She "chose" to swim for America? She grew up there! Of course she would swim for them! That whole story just made me embarrassed for our news channels.
That building looks a little like the big white hostel at Spadina and King, but I'm not really sure.
http://www.toronto.ca/archives/photographs/index.htm
Check "scanned photographs only" when you search otherwise you'll get descriptions of the hard copy in the Archives building at Spadina and Dupont. The Archives are public and the staff are great at helping researchers dig out cool material. Drop by if you're interested!
Read more: http://www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/map/plaque/st-andrews-market-and-playground
"She has worked on downtown plans for Moncton and Regina, on Mississauga’s strategic planning process, and on culture plans for Peterborough and Saskatoon."
This is not a normal moment in Toronto's history. You have literally the least educated, most boorish, most isolationist mayor ever and on top of that you have to please his brother also. Not a lot on Keesmaat's resume indicates familiarity with highways, subways, LRT or streetcars, vitally important factors in planning development in Toronto. Plus the condo industry in this city is a very big elephant, one not exactly present in downtown Moncton. I do like how she is a member of CNU but man does she have her work cut out for her in this bizarre town.
When will the media learn to report 'news' not promotions for private companies, film studios. .. Daniel .. Toronto