Morning Brew: TTC insists on relief line, elephants still waiting, city bids for new park, report slams Gardiner, casino threatens CNE, and RoboCop takes a spin

Relieving the overly-stressed Yonge subway line should be the city's top transit priority, according to a new report by the TTC. The result of a $2 million investigation, the document says a relief line along King Street that connects with Dundas West and Pape stations is the best way of covering the projected growth of the city over the next decade or so. We'll have more on this shortly.

In jumbos, the Toronto Zoo says it will make a new decision on the protracted fate of its three African elephants next month, more than a year after the zoo's board voted to send Iringa, Toka and Thika to a Californian sanctuary. The move stalled over concerns about cases of tuberculosis at the Performing Animal Welfare Society near Sacramento.

Provincial land at 11 Wellesley Street could still become an urban park if the city manages to out-bid developers and snap up the 2.1-acre lot. Local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, the champion of the project, says space could still be allocated to a condo tower while still giving the local community much-needed green space. Should the city try to create more parks on downtown land?

From new subway lines to big ridership, the TTC is having a bumper week. The Commission announced yesterday that it hit 510 million transit users between October 3rd 2011 and October 2nd 2012, an all-time high.

Be prepared if you're planning a morning journey on the Gardiner this Saturday. The eastbound collector lanes will be closed for maintenance between 5 am and 1 pm. Good thing too - according to The Star, an outside firm has found numerous issues with the concrete on the elevated secton highway that pose a "significant hazard to public safety." What should the city do to combat these issues?

A casino at Exhibition Place would kill the CNE, according to the president of the Canadian National Exhibition Association. Brian Ashton told the Globe and Mail the Ex could not run next to the "elephant" of a casino. The annual fair has been visiting the Lake Shore Boulevard grounds since 1879.

And finally, here's a brand new video snuck out from the RoboCop shoot downtown by Mike McPhee. In it, the part man, part machine takes a brief spin on his fully-functional motorcycle. It's amazing how flat these shoots feel without explosions and special effects.

IN OTHER NEWS:

• Winter's back! AccuWeather says Toronto, southern Ontario can expect cold, snow [The Star]
• TTC promises to remedy subway vibration [The Star]
• Toronto ombudsman defends trip to Azerbaijan for conference [National Post]

Photo: "Cherry Trees, High Park" by rhyndman in the blogTO Flickr pool.