Month: April 2017

Ontario Superior Court Justice Glenn Hainey has granted an injunction to stop Metrolinx from promptly cancelling its $770 million contract with Bombardier for light-rail vehicles to run the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. Based on news coverage, Judge Hainey’s reasoning seemed to have less to do with whether Bombardier deserves to be bounced and more to do with whether Metrolinx was trying to gain bargaining leverage over the Quebec firm. He said he wasn’t persuaded that Metrolinx “intends to terminate the contract for default” and rather has been led to believe that the company is “using the threat of termination for negotiating purposes.” Hainey also said that the “evidence falls short” of establishing that there is an alternate supplier who could deliver the vehicles by the 2018 deadline set out in the contract with Bombardier.

This work will go on all summer and fall. City of Toronto

Members of the TPS employee group known as LBGTQ Internal Support Network are demanding Toronto cancel the $260,000 cash gift to Pride Toronto for its annual parade and festivities. They put it in writing to Mayor Tory and had it delivered Wednesday by the police union president Mike McCormick. The letter says it is “unacceptable” for Toronto to sponsor this year’s Pride event when the Toronto Police Service has been excluded from participating. The letter says “we, as city employees, would feel completely devalued and unsupported by our employer should they fund this event at this time.” There is already a movement at City Council led by Councilor Jon Burnside to de-fund Pride until it rescinds the ban which was instigated by Black Lives Matters.

Loblaw is selling its 213 gasoline stations across Canada of which there appear to five the Toronto area. The price is $540 million to Brookfield Business Partners and its partners. Toronto-based Brookfield will rebrand the stations to Mobil but they will continue to use the PC Plus loyalty program offered by Loblaw. The proposed deal is expected to occur in this year’s third quarter. Loblaw gas station are shown on Victoria Park (Musgrove Ave) Weston Road, the Bayview Village Shopping Centre and a couple in Mississauga.

Toronto Toronah/Youtube

Due to small fire on roof last night & resulting smoke on upper floors, classes cancelled at Marc Garneau CI today. Daycare remains open.

— Toronto District School Board (@tdsb) April 19, 2017

See also: Marc Garneau CI closed Wednesday because of roof fire

The Toronto Police Service has posted a survey on its news site and is asking the public to provide advice on the image and colour of new cars. It seems like a radical break with the past and a plan to avoid after-the-fact criticism of any new colour-scheme. It says Toronto Police have more than 700 cars used for frontline policing and notes the current design — white with red and blue stripes — has been around since the mid-80’s. It declares that it’s time for a change. Some may not agree but in any case TPS is setting a deadline of May 9, 2017 for the public to submit an opinion here.

City Councillor Ron Moeser (Ward 44) has died at the age of 74 from the complications of lymphoma. Moeser had announced his illness last March. During the last city council meeting, councillors were told their Ward 44 colleague was fighting for his life. Mayor John Tory issued a news release Tuesday saying Moeser’s death will be met with great sadness at city hall. CBC

School trustee Gerri Gershon is tweeting Wednesday that Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute will be closed for because of last night’s fire on the roof of the school. The two-alarm blaze may have been caused by construction on the roof although the site was vacant. As many as 20 trucks were called to the Flemingdon Park high school  Both Overlea and Don Mills are said to be fully open again Tuesday night.

Ministers Morneau and Sousa and Mayor Tory meeting to discuss housing affoidablity

Here's what Morneau, Sousa and Tory have agreed to do on housing. I'm told much more coming from province in next wk pic.twitter.com/fnrjT1ddti

— Mike Crawley (@CBCQueensPark) April 18, 2017

A man riding a bicycle has been struck and critically hurt at the wide commercial intersection of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West about 3 p.m. Tuesday. The cyclist is said to be in his 50s. He is at Sunnybrook Hospital. Bathurst and Shepard is five lanes (including a left turn lane) in all directions

Google

Police working on the fatal accident Friday in which a streetcar struck a man on Spadina Avenue at Sullivan Street say the pedestrian walked around a safety barrier and into the path of the tram. They have no explanation for this.