Photo: "Mural - DSC 0926 ep" by ericparker, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

George Smitherman has declared that he will be resigning from his post as minister of energy and infrastructure in the provincial cabinet to prepare for his bid to be Toronto's next mayor in 2010. He's either banking on memories being short, forgiveness being widespread, or his own ability to convince the public that his performance through the eHealth spending scandal was acceptable.

Murder in a sushi restaurant kitchen has a particular B-movie-esque plot ring to it, but this weekend it actually happened at one of the most popular sushi joints in Toronto - New Generation in the Annex. A minor dispute turned violent, one chef is dead, and I'm sure some people will have a hard time shaking the visual and eating raw fish any time soon.

Does the 407 Express Toll Route have a billing problem? Is the problem worthy of official investigation? Hundreds of people have come forward to tell their stories to the Toronto Star, many involving massive, interest-accrued bills from disputable road use dating back several years. In some cases, the 407 has issued invoices to the deceased even though the license plate in question hasn't been on the road for some time.

A potential strike by contract teaching staff at the University of Toronto, who collectively do about 3% of the teaching, was averted this weekend and a ratification vote goes to the union on November 16th. Details of the tentative agreement haven't been released, but the core issues were job security and wages.

Urban architecture critic Christopher Hume doesn't like the new LCBO at the corner of King and Spadina, particularly because it's just one-storey at an intersection that should accommodate taller buildings. He writes that the LCBO "has its own way of doing things and fails to see beyond that," and I couldn't agree more on both the (urban sprawl-like) building and (million bottles all the same) product selection fronts.

And this weekend, while I was up in the nation's capital enjoying the 24th annual Ottawa Food and Wine Show, blogTO was busy in Toronto:

• Roger saw some of our lovely historical buildings in Corktown lit up for the first time.
• June Too had brunch at Lola's Commissary, where she was mesmerized and satiated by their indulgent French toast stuffed with cheesecake.
• Claire posted a review of Mount Pleasant's Mogette Bistro, and Orman ate at both My Place - A Canadian Pub and Glow Fresh Grill and Wine Bar.
• Tim filled us in on a number of recent business closures including: Get Real Cafe on Ossington, Blackstone Organic Meats on the Danforth, Six Shooter Records is Leslieville, and Left Feet in Kensington.
• Sarah chatted with Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of Gap Adventures, about Toronto and his adventure company.
• For the brides-to-be, Devon revealed the best bridal shops in the city.
• And Istoica took a look back at the models of Fashion Week 2009, in a Faces of Fashion Week photo essay.