When it comes to Pride funding, it seems that City Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti is finally waving a white, albeit not rainbow, flag. Despite his best efforts to withhold the $130,000 in grant money that's promised to the popular parade (he claimed he had video evidence that QUAIA members were present at the Dyke March), Mammoliti concedes the organization will likely receive its money anyway. At least until he figures out the definition of "political messaging," so he can proceed to stop any local artistic or community endeavour that has such a slant.

Works by the Group of Seven were among those stolen from a Toronto art gallery early Monday morning. In total, the thieves lifted 11 paintings worth a total of $387,000. Police couldn't confirm how many people were involved in the heist, nor do they know if the thieves were just your run-of-the-mill criminals who merely understood its value, or a more sophisticated kind of criminal - you know, like Catherine Zeta-Jones in that movie with Sean Connery.

There goes that Facebook again, helping people get together to bug our mayor. A new Facebook group is asking cyclist advocates to bombard Rob Ford's phone lines in an effort to save the Jarvis bike lanes as well as promote protected bike lanes before city council begins debating a new cycling plan this week. Somehow I think this is going to backfire.

First there was an apology from TTC Chair Karen Stintz, and now comes a flat-out denial from TTC union leader Bob Kinnear over that public urination charge. Kinnear called the accusation a "complete fabrication" and even went so far as saying that Stintz was "duped" by the media for making her public apology yesterday. In response, Stintz claimed she first heard about the urination from TTC managers - not the media. Okay, who else can't wait until the word "urination" is never uttered in the news ever, ever again.

IN BRIEF:

• Stars expected at city's Harry Potter premiere tonight
• DVP closed Thursday night
• Bautista places sixth in Home Run Derby

Photo by Alisdair Jones in the blogTO Flickr pool.