toronto demolition

Morning Brew: Toronto waits on Rob Ford, final casino vote due, man dies attempting BIXI stunt, summer will be normal, ultimate frisbee, and a downtown tilt-shift

We're waiting to find out what Rob Ford's next move will be in the wake of last week's crack smoking allegations. The mayor cancelled his weekly Newstalk 1010 radio show and has so far been silent on accusations he was caught on video smoking the illegal drug, not to mention allegedly making some seriously dubious remarks about Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and the kids he coaches.

A statement - hopefully more than a few lines - is expected today but the Toronto Sun says it won't be a confession. Ford is due to appear later at a special council debate to decide the fate of the proposed downtown casino.

Speaking of which, the debate and vote could put the final nail in the coffin of the "essentially dead" concept. The meeting was cancelled by the mayor last week in the wake of news Toronto wouldn't get the hosting fee it expects from the province. Councillors revived the conversation in the hopes of removing any ambiguity around the city's position.

A man is dead after an apparent stunt on a BIXI bicycle went awry. The incident happened in the early hours of Monday morning in the skateboard portion of Underpass Park; it appears the rider was trying to make a jump when he fell and hit his head on the concrete ground. He wasn't wearing a helmet. It's not clear whether alcohol was a factor.

This summer will most likely be cooler and more balanced than last year's scorcher, according to the latest predictions from meteorologists. The season will likely have hot periods punctuated by cooler, more tolerable stretches. On balance, this summer will likely still be among the warmest recorded in Canada. Scorchio.

Ultimate frisbee is quickly becoming a thing here in Toronto. The city's very own professional team, the Toronto Rush (after the band), played its first home game at Varsity Stadium to a record crowd of 2,293 people earlier this month. The side is part of the American Ultimate Disc League. Amazingly for a Toronto sports team, they're also undefeated so far this year, and it's almost half way through the season. Go, Rush, Go!

Finally, here's a neat tilt shift video by Andrey Savin, a local tech student. Tilt-shift is a camera trick that deceives the eye into thinking it's looking a model using selective focus and a shallow depth of field. "Savin shared the video on Reddit this weekend. Enjoy.

FROM THE LONG WEEKEND:

IN BRIEF:

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Jonathan Castellino/blogTO Flickr pool.


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