Despite what you might think of our city's police force, cutting back cops is usually any city's last-end resort and it seems Toronto may have reached it. According to a report yesterday, Chief Bill Blair has determined that 750 officers and 400 civilians must be let go in order to meet the city's required budgetary demands. Because the document is confidential, the numbers cannot be confirmed. Though the city is asking all departments to cut back 10 per cent, the mayor has been quoted as saying that cutting police is the last thing he wants to do. Laying off Toronto cops would be a first for the city. Their union boss says Toronto police officers have never received a pink slip before.

Leave it to Margaret Atwood to use a French literature analogy to describe Rob and Doug Ford's cost-cutting. Saying they are "swiftly approaching the 'let them eat cake' stage," the famous author took to her Twitter account to pass along a link to petition the possible closing of local libraries. Thanks to Atwood, the petition already has 23,000 signatures. In a letter to the Globe and Mail, she also coined a couple of cool (and apropos) nicknames for the brothers: TwinMayor (for Doug) and The FordMayor(s) (for referring to them in tandem). Atwood says, "This isn't about me. This is about what sort of city the people of Toronto want to live in."

Talking on a cell phone and giving the finger? Well, that's pretty normal behaviour in rush hour traffic, but not when it's from your city's mayor. Right? Anyway, Rob Ford is being accused of flipping off a woman and her child when they caught him talking on his cell phone while driving on Friday. The incident allegedly happened after the woman told him to get off the cell phone and her daughter gave him a thumbs down. The mayor's office wouldn't comment on or confirm the story. Either way, kudos to the little girl.

Apparently Whole Foods isn't quite so wholesome. That's according to a former Toronto employee of the grocery store, whose lengthy (and dramatic) letter of resignation went viral on Friday. Calling it a "faux hippy Walmart", the ex-team member claims the "eco-conscious" store doesn't recycle, wastes food, and plays way too much Nickleback — which would make anyone go a little crazy.

IN BRIEF:

• Group protests prayers in schools
• Food prices are up
• CFL investigating helmet-to-helmet hits

Photo by [Schemering] in the blogTO Flickr pool.