Morning Brew: Council signs off on LRTs, Ford bails on meeting, mayor's list led to appointments, Mr Christie to stop baking, shady sidewalk signs, and riding to Pearson

City council officially approved a light rail transit scheme for Toronto, which includes lines on Eglinton, Sheppard, and Finch, and a revamped Scarborough RT. Though the plan was essentially already in place, it still needed the final, formal approval from the city. A signed master agreement means (though don't put money on it) an end to subway vs. LRT debates.

Rob Ford left yesterday's council meeting to coach his high school football team, the Don Bosco Eagles. The match ended in a fight between the coach of the opposing team and the referees, prompting someone to call the TTC for a private bus ride home for the Eagles. TTC spokesman Brad Ross told The Star that the Commission provides shelter busses in the event of an emergency. Is this an acceptable use of that service?

Almost all of the 26 preferred candidates on Rob Ford's list of candidates for civic board duty were interviewed or given a position, according to The Star. Councillor Mike Layton said a check of the names revealed the candidates contributed more than $11,000 to Rob Ford's 2010 election campaign.

Mr Christie won't be baking up anything sweet in Toronto's west end as of fall next year. The company announced yesterday it's planning to close its Lake Shore Boulevard and Park Lawn Road factory, citing aging infrastructure and changes to the neighbourhood. The factory has been on the site since 1948 and employs 550 people.

Just 41 of the countless a-frame sandwich boards outside Toronto's businesses are actually legal, according to the city's licensing and standards department. Weird, right? The signs are sometimes an obstacle for people with visual impairments and there's likely thousands of them on sidewalks across Toronto.

Think your boss is overbearing? A Bay Street law firm has introduced fingerprint scanning technology to track its employees during the course of a normal work day. Apparently too many three-hour lunch breaks prompted management to set up the system.

Finally, anyone that's stood in a freezing bus shelter waiting for a jerky, uncomfortable ride on the airport bus will have have considered taking just about any other kind of transport. One thing you may not have considered: riding a bike.

IN OTHER NEWS:

• Ontario court gives green light to class action over Via derailment [The Star]
• Deadly day for pedestrians in Toronto and York Region [CBC]

Photo: "Autumn Construction around OCAD pt.2" by GregoryIV in the blogTO Flickr pool.