The sale of shark fin products is one step closer to being banned in Toronto. Yesterday, the city's licensing and standards committee unanimously voted to approve a bylaw which would ban the sale of the controversial product. Some critics say the ban will be hard to enforce, but based on a little informal polling we did yesterday, there appears to be huge public support for this decision.

This looks bad. Just as the Pan Am Games are about to kick off in Mexico, Rob Ford and Dalton McGuinty, who are expected to act as emissaries for the Toronto 2015 games, aren't even sure they'll show up. In Pan Am tradition, the mayor of the current host city is supposed to pass the flag to the mayor of the next host city. According to Ford's press secretary, he has not confirmed his attendance. No word on McGuinty's excuse.

The death of a Danforth neighbourhood legend has raised questions about the stories he used to share, mainly those surrounding his days in the war. Robert Roy Murray apparently often spoke of blowing up bridges on D-Day, but since his death last week, conflicting reports of his stories has led to a fact-checking mission to see if he's owed a veteran's send-off.

Artist Shary Boyle had some insightful things to say about the nature of this city at the Walrus-organized Toronto Symposium a couple days ago, which have now been made available online. Her remarks criticize Toronto for a lack of civic confidence, but note that the city is blessed with loads of potential. "Toronto is an adolescent, relative to the sometimes rigid and ripely developed character of the Old World. We are a city waiting to happen. We are potential. There is so much room for innovation, but like insecure tweens we are afraid to make the first move. We aren't sophisticated or experienced enough to be bold. We are awkward and gangly and have bad proportions."

Sounds about right, no?

IN BRIEF:

• So who really won the War of 1812?
• Zoo struggles to save premature polar bear cubs
• Adam Giambrone on the Liberal minority and Toronto

Photo by James Anok in the blogTO Flickr pool