Rob Ford is backing off his campaign promise of hiring 50 more police officers because Police Chief Bill Blair isn't asking for any. The mayor also promised no "major service cuts" in a budget that's designed to help shrink city spending, but those are indeed coming, says City Manager Joe Pennachetti. With the sudden but perhaps inevitable flip-flop, can we expect more of the same from Ford in 2011? Time will tell.

The frustrated residents of the 200 Wellesley Street E. fire have been asked to make a choice: take the $4,000 to $10,000 in compensation offered by Toronto Community Housing, or wait for a class action suit that could net about $25,000 per one-bedroom apartment. Once legal fees are paid out, residents could see an estimated $17,000 for a one-bedroom unit, lawyer Brian Shell revealed at a meeting Tuesday night.Tenant Beverly White said she won't take the compensation. "That's a ridiculous amount of money. That's an insult," she said. "The class action is the way to go." After all they've been through, I'd have to agree.

There goes "Anonymous" doing good deeds again. Salvation Army officials in Richmond Hill were astonished by a donation made to their Christmas kettle campaign. An anonymous donor dropped a solid gold coin worth $1,400 into the kettle -- yes, a coin. The gold coin was wrapped in a $50 bill and a note that explained the donor was saving the coin for retirement, but realized he had more than he needs. If he's got a piggy bank filled with more of those coins, I'd say so.

The National Post tells you everything you need to know about the complicated issue of heritage sites in Toronto. Natalie Alcoba takes a look at heritage designations for old buildings, a topic that surged to the forefront after a downtown structure sat vacant and in disrepair for months at Yonge and Gould streets until burning to the ground Monday.

IN BRIEF:

• Not so fast: Lotto Max payout delayed
• Roberto Alomar to be inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame?
• Coffee spill prompts emergency landing at Pearson

Photo by swilton in the blogTO Flickr pool.