This is interesting. As most know, Toronto's budget process is just starting, so the National Post asked all 44 city councillors how they would balance the budget. Twenty-two of them actually answered. Some of their responses: Doug Holyday is for wage negotiation, Gord Perks advises not to panic, Mike Layton wants to know "real numbers," Adam Vaughan recommends getting rid of the OMB, and Mike del Grande says he's "looking for efficiencies."

This isn't really surprising since we now know Toronto has more condos than office space, but apparently there are bidding wars galore when it comes to securing a downtown condo rental. Yes, rentals! In fact, condo rentals are just as hot as Toronto's resale housing market.

You know when Toronto really was a bike town? Forget the '70s, try the '90s - the 1890s, that is. The Toronto Standard tell us that back then, cycling was the preferred method of transportation (forget the fact that there weren't too many cars on the road). And it seems political issues surrounding cycling haven't changed from those days. Torontonians were concerned with cyclists known as 'scorchers' - you know, the ones who don't obey the rules of the road.

In less cheery cycling news, reader Martin Reis informs us that the City of Toronto has begun work on the removal of the Pharmacy bike lane, which council voted to scrap earlier this year.

Union Station is in the midst of a a massive makeover due to be be completed in 2015. Check out the 3-D "fly-through" above to see what it'll look like when it's all said and done.

So it seems there's finally a chink in iron-clad Hazel McCallion's armour. A judicial inquiry has concluded the Mississauga mayor had a "real and apparent" conflict of interest from her role in the failed hotel-convention development deal in which her son was an investor. Seems that Hazel failed to disclose her family connection to the venture, which is required under Ontario law. But will Hazel resign? Yeah, not going to happen.

Well, here's one way of winning voters' hearts: through their stomach. The Grid has unveiled PC Leader Tim Hudak's rib and chili recipe. But what about Dalton McGuinty's nacho recipe?

IN BRIEF:

• John Lorinc says urban agenda is at stake at provincial polls
• Two rookies make Leafs final cut
• Police Chief fires back (again) in budget showdown

Photo by Keith.ca in the blogTO Flickr pool (follow link for uncropped version)