Ford asks court to make Magder pay the bill

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Rob Ford is asking a court to make Paul Magder pay $116,000 plus HST in costs for the failed attempt to kick Ford out of office. Mr. Magder (left, with his lawyer Clay Ruby behind him) launched the action last year. Now Mayor Ford and his lawyer, Alan Lenczner have submitted Mr. Lenczner’s bill to Divisional Court saying: “Paul Magder understood even before the inception of his application that, if he was successful, his lawyers would receive costs from Ford which they would keep in their entirety,” Lenczner states. “He also understood that, if he was unsuccessful, he would have to indemnify Rob Ford for his costs on a partial indemnity basis but not be required to pay his own lawyers.”  (Mr. Ruby acted on a pro bono basis). The costs are said to include $107,070 in hourly fees and $8,974 to prepare for the case.  

Wynne says no inquiry into gas plant cancellations

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Premier Wynne, speaking in Ottawa, has said the government will not call a public inquiry into the cancellation of gas energy plants during the last election campaign. Instead, the premier intimated that the plants might have been cancelled earlier because all parties had agreed they were not being built in the right place. South Bayview Baloney Detectors should be turned on until further notice.  

Duffy to pay back expenses on Ottawa home

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Senator Mike Duffy says he’s going to pay back the living expenses he’s claimed for his Ottawa home. In an interview with CBC News, Duffy said the issue has become a “major distraction” from the work he’s trying to do for Prince Edward Island, the province he represents in the Senate. CBC

Teachers return to extracurricular activity

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The Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) has told teachers they should return to the practice of participating in extracurricular activities at Ontario high schools. Parent and students wishing to read the decision may check the OSSTF website. President  Ken Coran said in a prepared statement that he hoped “this sign of good will” will “prompt the government to have genuine discussions that can lead to a fair resolution to this current impasse.” Teachers’ unions across the province were outraged when the Liberal government of former premier Dalton McGuinty imposed a contract. As weeks went by however, teachers have come under increasing criticism for failing to participate in extra activities, and in fact, many  began to resume these functions. 

Long-running Coxwell sewer bypass finished

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The long-running re-build of the Coxwell Sanitary Trunk Sewer (CSTS) bypass is completed. For residents in the area and all those who travel O’Çonnor Drive into and out of Leaside the unsightly main access to this project at Coxwell and O’Connor has become part of the landscape. The original  sewer was built in the late 1950s and has been serving about 750,000 residents of  central Toronto. It carries some 400 million litres of waste water a day to the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant. In 2008, an assessment of the CSTS determined that a 60-metre section located near Coxwell and O’Connor was damaged and needed to be repaired or replaced. After significant technical analysis, it was determined that building a bypass around the damaged section was the best solution. Construction began in 2010 and the original trunk sewer was continuously monitored and in full operation during the entire construction period.

Defeat the government or get on with business

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The Opposition at Queen’s Park should have the courage to force an election or shut up about the energy plant cancellations. A royal commission will tell us nothing and add millions to the outrageous cost the public already has to pay for these sleazy  and unconscionable cancellations. We know exactly what happened. It unfolded in front of our eyes during the election campaign. Defeat the government and force an election but don’t waste money on a royal commission. 

Sky Zone to open at 45 Esandar Drive

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A new high-activity space for tween, teens and their young parents will open Friday, March 1, 2013 at 45 Esandar Drive around the corner from Leaside Village. It’s called Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park.  Sky Zone is a  franchise chain which is operating in Mississauga, plans an opening soon in Ottawa and has some 40 locations across the U.S.  Sky Zone is said to offer a wide variety of physical activities atop its giant trampolines and, the company says  “is the next dimension in sport, fitness and fun.”  Activities include 3D Dodgeball,  a deep foam pit and Sky Slam, “the ultimate basketball court”.  Could be fun but everyone should probably have the Five Guys monsters after that kind of workout. Here’s the Sky Zone site. 

Police release video in Tyson Bailey case

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Toronto police are pressing their investigation into the shooting of 15-year-old Tyson Bailey a month ago. The want to know the identity of the last person seen in this video as Baily, a friend and the unidentified person enter Bailey’s apartment building at 605 Whiteside Place. Bailey was shot in the stairwell on the 13th floor of the building in Regent Park back on January 18th. He was 15 years old. Detectives say the police arrived so quickly at the scene they think the killer could not have escaped the building before they arrived. It’s possible he lives in the same building, but they aren’t sure. 

New papers on Project Vapour enrage opposition

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The Wynne government has released dozens more documents today related to the decision to close the two gas-fired energy plants during the last election campaign at enormous cost to the public. The appearance of the documents has enraged the opposition and seems likely to further the inclination of the parties to seek an election.  The Progressive Conservatives in particular are targeting Premier Wynne, claiming she was well aware of and participated in the decisions to cancel the plants in Oakville and Mississauga. The PCers have released a television ad claiming newly released documents show Wynne was briefed on the move, which was given the sinister name of Project Vapour.  For vapour, it was expensive. The decision is estimated to have cost  taxpayers at least $230 million. Wynne was Liberal campaign co-chair in 2011. The Conservatives have several times as much as said they think the Premier is lying, without actually using the word. 

Mid-afternoon mugging in Bloor-Yonge subway

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Toronto Police Service report:  A 16 year old male reports that on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at approximately 1430 hours, he was on the platform in a subway station in the area of Yonge Street and Bloor Street East, when he was approached from behind by three male suspects. The suspects punched the victim and removed a cellular phone from his person. The suspects then fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victim was transported to a hospital by Toronto EMS. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, white, 18 to 20, 5’6”, 141 to 161 pounds, medium build, short dark brown hair. Suspect #2: Male, white, 18 to 20 years, 5’8” to 6’. Suspect #3: Male, white, 18 to 20 years.

4 people shot in Whitby apartment complex

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Four men are hit by gunfire in an incident in the White Oaks apartment complex, one man, has been airlifted to St Michaels Hospital in Toronto.  CBC

NSS wins United Way Spirit Award for 2012

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Northern Secondary School has once again received the United Way Spirit Award for exceptional fund raising in the 2012 campaign. Northern, the historic and rather Gothic-looking high school at Mt Pleasant Rd and Broadway Ave. is always a busy place. This summer it was used to shoot scenes for the re-make of the movie Carrie, which has yet to be released. But the energetic United Way committee (inset) at Northern had even bigger things in mind as they drove their campaign to a remarkable $33,000 bonanza for the Toronto UW. This marks the second time in two years that Northern spirit has copped the Spirit award, and its the 10th time since 1996.  Northern has a long record of good work in this regard, It also  earned the distinction of making the best overall contribution to the United Way six times between 1979 and 1984. Northern principal Ron Felsen is rightly proud.  He is quoted by MSN News Canada as follows: “Our United Way campaign has become a part of the fabric of this school. It’s become a Northern tradition.” The key to the school’s success is having a student-run committee devoted purely to holding events and drumming up school spirit for the United Way campaign. A full week is dedicated to raising funds. Every home room class also undertakes its own project to raise funds. “It isn’t a one-day campaign; we don’t just do a bake sale and move on,” Felsen said. “The committee has as much of a presence in our school as student council or the athletic council.”  Felsen would seem to be a leader among principals. This year he participated (as the target) in a student pie-throwing contest to help raise funds.