Morning Brew: Thomson-Ford war of words could get legal, casino debate delayed, report says no shelter bed shortage, illegal drugs, potholes, and street addresses

Sarah Thomson says she's got no proof Rob Ford was on cocaine the night it's alleged he touched her buttocks and made inappropriate remarks. The former mayoral candidate suggested Ford was on drugs or suffering from some other condition at the fundraising gala because of his disheveled appearance. The mayor had no comment yesterday, but this could get sticky, legally speaking.

City council's casino vote won't happen as soon as expected. Delays preparing a staff report and questions over whether there should be a separate vote on the location of the complex means the item won't land on the agenda until early April. Outstanding information from OLG is to blame, a city spokesman told the Star. Meanwhile, the gaming regulator thinks the vote is too close to call. What say you?

A city staff report says despite the claims of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty there's no shelter bed shortage in Toronto. The document says there are spare beds every night - plus emergency spaces. Only one person complained in 2012 of a lack of space. Toronto has 3,836 beds across 57 locations.

Also in drugs, $4 million shipment of heroin was seized by police at Pearson Airport in February, according to the Canada Border Services Agency. 10.6 kilos of the drug was found in suitcases arriving from Pakistan but so far no arrests have been made. In 2012, the CBSA confiscated heroin worth more than $52.2 million.

Road crews have 11,000 new potholes to fill now the worst of the freeze-thaw cycle has ended, the city says. Holes ranging from small cracks to bike-swallowing craters have emerged thanks to back-to-back storms. The road surface breaks when water freezes inside a crack. Are there any crazy potholes near you?

Finally, ever wanted to know how to tell which side of the street an address on without looking at a map? The cheat sheet for Toronto's streets is online over at Spacing. It also explains how house numbers are assigned. Neat.

Oh, and free vanilla shortbread cookies at St. John's Bakery near Broadview and Queen today if you're in the neighbourhood.

IN BRIEF:

• Woman's body pulled from water near Bathurst, Queen's Quay [CBC]
• Man pulled from Lake Ontario in critical condition [Toronto Star]
• Teen victim sought help at bus stop after altercation [CBC]

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: "CN Shadow" by ScouseNerd/blogTO Flickr pool.