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Find the latest news stories from National Post on the topic Toronto. |
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 Rob Ford wants subways, not streetcars
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 Attempted kidnapping of girl, 9, never happened: policeThe attempted abduction of a nine-year-old girl in the York Mills area didn't happen, police said this morning."Investigators have determined that the information reported to police is unfounded," Toronto police said in a news release.In an earlier release, police had said the girl was playing with a friend outside an Esgore Drive home; when the friend went inside, a man on a bicycle tried to abduct her.
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 Peter Kuitenbrouwer: Post gets action under City Hall
How many Facilities and Real Estate employees does it take to change
a lightbulb? Probably only one, but with a fair amount of prodding.
On April 8, I reported in the National Post about the lamentable
state of the PATH connection from the Sheraton Centre to the front door
of City Hall, which snakes through the parking garage under Nathan
Phillips Square. I noted that, of 42 orange lights in the ceiling
intended to illuminate the PATHway, 32 bulbs were burnt out.
Well, lo and behold, I walked the stretch this morning, a scant 20
days later, and somebody has replaced all the burnt out bulbs. Thanks
for reading, City of Toronto.
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 Subway-mugging case: Rider insists he sounded alarmBy Megan O'Toole, National PostA man who says he witnessed a 79-year-old being robbed on the Bloor-Danforth subway last weekend is disputing reports that no one moved to assist the victim.The case of Yusuf Hizel has renewed debate over the bystander effect, a phenomenon in which a group of people fail to assist someone in need. Toronto Transit Commission staff maintain no emergency alarms were activated, and when the car pulled to a stop at Chester Station, Mr. Hizel himself darted out after his attackers.But Kurt Larcher, 65, says he was sitting in front of Mr. Hizel at the time and moved quickly to press the yellow alarm strip that notifies the subway operator of a problem."I was reading my book and I heard a commotion behind me ... I got up and I saw these two young thugs assaulting this old person," Mr. Larcher recalled."I pressed the strip and the train stopped and they all ran out of the train and disappeared."While the train was stopped at Chester Station, Mr. Larcher said he got out to speak with the subway operator about what had transpired. He described the suspects as two black men in their 20s who spoke with African accents."They were shouting at the old man and he was shouting back at them," Mr. Larcher said. "One of them grabbed him and held him around the chest while the other one was fingering for his wallet. Before anybody could do anything, the whole thing was finished and they all ran out of the open door."He believes the whole incident took place in less than a minute, noting most passengers would likely have been "ready and willing" to help had this gone on any longer.A spokeswoman for the TTC said no alarms were activated in the incident, noting special lights on the door of the affected car would have lit up and all doors would have opened at Chester Station had the yellow bar been pressed.Mr. Larcher does not recall seeing any lights go on, but is certain he hit the bar, raising the possibility that he did not properly activate it.Deputy TTC chairman Joe Mihevc yesterday lamented the "terrible event," but said the alarms were designed to be silent and soundless so as not to alert whoever may be causing trouble.
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 79-year-old subway robbery victim: 'My instinct, fight and chase them. So I chase them' By Megan O'Toole, National PostWearing a crisp blue dress shirt and dark slacks, 79-year-old Yusuf Hizel moves back and forth to a gentle beat. Amid about a dozen people arrayed in lines at a Scarborough recreation centre, he looks content, and perfectly at ease. Mere days after two young men jumped him on the subway to steal his wallet as he rode home from his favourite Saturday night jazz hole, Mr. Hizel is dancing, a small cut on the bridge of his nose the only evidence of a robbery that stirred outrage in the city. None of an estimated two dozen subway passengers moved to help the elderly victim -- though Mr. Hizel himself gave chase, following the suspects when they fled at Chester Station."I am very active," Mr. Hizel explains in a thick Turkish accent, speaking in the sunny parking lot outside his line-dancing lessons. "My instinct, fight and chase them. So I chase them."A former computer technician at the post office before he retired 15 years ago, Mr. Hizel maintains an extremely active life, participating in a variety of musical and sporting events. It is difficult to catch him at home; after his line-dancing lessons, he is going shopping downtown with his wife, and then out to see the Opera Atelier production of Marriage of Figaro at the Elgin Theatre -- opera is another of their passions."He's always on the go," Mr. Hizel's wife, Emine, says with a grin. "[T]hat's why he was able to run after the guys."The couple have been married 44 years, with one daughter and three grandchildren. Despite the trauma of being robbed on Saturday, Mr. Hizel is smiling and reports he is feeling fine."He's back to his normal routine. I'm very impressed," Ms. Hizel says.Still, Mr. Hizel admits the circumstances of Saturday night initially left him feeling "very bad, very shaken, very frustrated" -- particularly by the apparent lack of assistance from his fellow passengers.Around 8:30 p.m. on the Bloor-Danforth line, Mr. Hizel was travelling home from the downtown Grossmans Tavern, where, as part of his Saturday night routine, he enjoyed some jazz.Shortly before the train reached Chester station, two suspects, described as black men in their 20s wearing dark clothing, demanded money from Mr. Hizel; when he refused, the pair grabbed the 79-year-old and took his wallet. "I said I am robbed. Somebody's robbing me. I screamed. They just looked at me. The door opened. They just run out," Mr. Hizel recalls.His wife, who was not there but knows the story by heart, says her husband fought back against the two men, pushing and screaming. "He was angry," Emine Hizel says."Angry I couldn't fight them," Mr. Hizel agrees. "I would like to punch them."When the suspects ran out at Chester Station, Mr. Hizel gave chase -- "screaming stop, stop, give me my wallet," his wife notes -- but the pair escaped. Police later found Mr. Hizel's wallet on the Danforth, devoid of the small amount of cash it contained. Authorities were appealing for witnesses yesterday as the hunt for the two suspects continued. Detective Chris Higgins says police are reviewing security footage from the subway, trying to determine "who's who in the zoo" before releasing photos to the public.Though Mr. Hizel was disappointed no one tried to intervene in the robbery, Ms. Hizel acknowledges it was "a split-second thing.""People probably were shocked as much as he was and couldn't even move or do anything," she says.Asked why he may have been targeted, Mr. Hizel laughs. "I don't know. Wrong time, wrong place."Photo of Yusuf Hizel by Peter J. Thompson, National Post
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 A place to live downtown -- with the kids By Natalie Alcoba, National PostCity councillors today approved new condo towers that include 94 units big enough to house families, as the city hunts for ways to make downtown more child-friendly.Rising out of what is now a parking lot at Richmond and Simcoe streets, the complex also includes retail, restaurants, and an 8,000-square-foot gallery for the Ontario College of Art and Design. The two glass towers, 31 and 41-storeys, look like boxes stacked on top of one another, said Les Klein, lead architect from Quadrangle Architects. "The rest of the city has got this notion of segregated land use planning and what we're trying to do here is integrate all the forms: institutional, cultural, commercial, retail, and residential all on the same sites and create vertical neighbourhood so that they become more sustainable," said Councillor Adam Vaughan, who has been pushing more eclectic developments in his half of Trinity Spadina ward. Mr. Vaughan is hoping to activate sidewalks with a vibrant commercial district, and by encouraging couples to raise their children downtown. Mr. Vaughan is a loud proponent of family housing and has insisted that new developments in his ward design 10% of units as three bedrooms, or large enough that they could be easily converted into them. A proposed policy to require that same quota in all new downtown buildings with more than 100 units is being reviewed by planning staff, after developers voiced concerns they would be forced to build units they couldn't sell. It is set to be discussed at the public works and infrastructure committee meeting in June. "The industry as a whole believes the city shouldn't be dictating product that we believe there isn't a demand for," said Leona Savoie, chair of the Toronto chapter of BILD, the Building, Industry Land Development Association. "It could pretty much be documented all across the board from our membership that typically the larger suites are a very tough sell, especially in certain parts of the city," she said, since three bedrooms go for around $600,000 and that's too expensive for many young families. Mr. Vaughan acknowledged the challenges, and said the city is looking at ways to help keep the costs of building bigger units down, like exempting builders from development charges on common space for kids, or using some of the development fees to offset the cost. The Richmond and Simcoe development, built by Aspen Ridge Homes, has managed to offer a range of suite prices by playing with the size of three bedroom units, from 890 square feet to 1,200, said Mr. Klein, of Quadrangle. "Toronto's view of family housing is pretty conservative and we think there's a segment of our community that wants to live downtown, is prepared to raise families there," said Mr. Klein. "We think it's important in terms of providing an economic basis for a broader range of services."
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 Eyewitness: York Mills mother describes attempted kidnapping of girl, 9UPDATE: Police now say the alleged abduction never happened. A man tried to abduct a nine-year-old girl outside a York Mills home, Toronto police said today. Homeowner Carolyn Cole, who was hosting her daughter Jamie's playdate with the girl last night, said the perpetrator seemed to have been watching her home, and knew the precise path needed to avoid the home's surveillance cameras. The two girls returned to school today, relatively unscathed. "I don't think they get the magnitude of it," said Ms. Cole. "They are nine. I don't think they get that when an abduction happens, bad things [can] happen." This is how Ms. Cole describes what happened, as told to the Post's Meghan Potkins:This little girl [Elisa] is my daughter's friend. This was her first trip to my house. We had dinner, we played inside, we did crafts and stuff like that, had a normal day and her dad was to pick her up about 7.About 6:30-ish, we all went out to play. Because I don't know what her dad's rules are, I stayed out there with them. Usually I would let my kids go: Go on your bike. Bye. Have fun. Come back in an hour. This time, because I have this little girl here for the first time, I didn't do that, I was out there with them. They had just come into the garage. My daughter on a bike and Elisa on a scooter. They were inside the garage, which I thought was safe. Then I went inside [the house], I can't even remember what I did. My daughter followed me and she said, "Elisa, just wait here for a sec, I'll be right back," so Elisa stayed there. She was playing with the little buttons on the door, and she heard, "C'mere. C'mere." She turned around and there was a man standing about five feet away from her. He said "C'mere, C'mere, I won't hurt you. I just want to take you to the store." She said "no," and he grabbed her by the wrist and started to pull her. She punched his wrist as hard as she could and he let go then she ran into the house. She started telling my daughter, "A man tried to take me, a man tried to take me," and Jamie, my daughter, was screaming: "Mummy, they tried to steal Elisa."I was like, "What are you talking about? [Jamie said], he came into the garage." And that is when it became real to me.I took off out the front door with both phones in my pocket, calling 911. I was thinking that somehow I would tackle him. Tackle him and bring him down somehow because that person needs to be caught. I can't tell you -- it's so blurry -- how many seconds it took me to run out the front door. [But] there was not a soul to be seen. Nobody. I called 911 immediately and even before I got off the phone with the dispatcher, the police were there. They were [there] super super quick. The response time was amazing. The little girl was amazing for punching and getting out of it. The whole thing went, I guess, as good as it could have gone. I am going to clamp down. I am not letting my daughter out of my sight. I am not a scared person. I wasn't before this. I let my kids run around on their bikes. I certainly didn't think somebody was going to come onto my property, into my garage to grab a kid. It is brazen [and] they are getting more brazen. In order to get [inside the house] without getting caught on the camera and get out without getting caught on the camera, you would have to know where those cameras point ... and it just makes me nervous to think -- if he actually got in and out and did what he did, grabbed Elisa, without the cameras catching him -- was he aware of where the cameras were? Has he been here before? Has he watched my children? It freaks me out. It's not a nice feeling.
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 The data is in -- and we need to get out moreBy Meghan Potkins, National Post Residents of Toronto are among the least active people in Canada, according to a new report released this morning by Get Active Toronto. The report says 57% of Torontonians are inactive during their leisure time -- significantly higher than the 50% average across Canada.While comparison between the provinces show Ontario near the top of the pack for physical activity levels, Torontonians fall behind the provincial and national averages. The data comes from two new reports on the activity levels of children; both studies paint a grim picture, suggesting kids are too sedentary and increasingly overweight.For the fourth year in a row, kids across Canada received a failing grade for their levels of activity, according to the 2010 report card from Active Healthy Kids Canada. The new data suggests 15% of kids ages 2 to five are overweight and more than 6% are obese, which could put them at much higher risk of becoming obese adults. More highlights:Nationwide (from 2010 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth)15: percentage of kids ages 2 to 5 who are overweight, and more than 6% are obese. 36: percentage of two to three-year-olds (and 44% of four to five-year olds) who regularly engage in unorganized sport and physical activity. 12: percentage of children and youth meeting the recommended 90 minutes of physical activity a day. 90: percentage of kids who begin watching TV before the age of two. Toronto (from the Get Active Toronto Report on Physical Activity) 40: percentage of GTA youth, aged 12 to 19 years, who are inactive.53: percentage of girls, aged 12 to 19 years, who are inactive .62: percentage of students in Grades 7 and 8 who say they do not participate weekly in school sports.75: percentage of students in Grades 9 to 12 who say they do not participate weekly in school sports.
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 Markham foodbelt plan suffers setbackBy Megan O'Toole, National Post The proposal to create a designated foodbelt in Markham has suffered a setback, but the fight is still on, says a councillor who has been advocating the plan. At a development committee meeting yesterday, town council voted 7-5 in favour of a staff report to keep 60% of urban expansion within the town's existing urban boundaries and allow 40% to move into the so-called foodbelt, an area north of Major MacKenzie Drive that contains prime farmland. Councillor Erin Shapero has been pushing to freeze development in that region and roll it into the province's protected greenbelt, but the plan has met with opposition from local farmers who argue they face an uphill battle for profitability in the industry. Yesterday's vote paves the way for an official vote in town council on May 11. Ms. Shapero, saying the foodbelt proposal is "still alive," hopes public pressure will spur other councillors to reconsider.
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 Anne Mroczkowski to co-host Global Toronto News Hour ?After 32 years of working for CityTV, including 20 years as anchor of its news program, award-winning journalist Anne Mroczkowski joins Global Toronto News Hour. She will co-anchor the 6 p.m. newcast with Leslie Roberts starting June 1. The Hamilton-born media veteran spoke to Melissa Leong about her departure and her new gig.Q What happened on Jan. 18, 2010?There are all kinds of euphemisms for what happened to me and 35 other people but there were cutbacks. They called it a termination but I called it something else. For at least 24 hours, I was incoherent. I gave myself a couple of weeks to recover from that blow. I didn't screw up. I did a good job all those many years and then a big company needed to make a big decision and they made it. I don't take that personally. But still, there is this residual feeling for anyone who has been down-sized.Q What did you do afterward?I've been working since i was 22 and I've never not worked. I took the time to be quiet, to be reflective, to think about where my life has been and where it's going. I think this is a place that a lot of people find themselves in mid-life - it could be marriage, it could be health - where you have to stand still for awhile and think about what is next. I began to see that this was an opportunity for me to really explore some other areas and interest. I had some interest in PR and branding work. I was looking at radio.Q Why did you decide to return to daily broadcast news?I gave this a great deal of thought: Do I want deeply to get back into the cut and thrust of daily news? I thought it out, and I talked about it and I'm sure I bored my friends to tears. When I arrived at the decision, I knew that this was right for me. I wanted to join this team and embrace this new environment and this new culture.I'm in my 50s. I also wanted to make a point about being a woman in mid-life with a lot of experience and a great deal to offer. Hundreds of thousands of men and women have been told in their forties and fifties, all that experience, eh, not so much. To have one employer say what you bring to the table is not what we want any more and have another one say this is exactly what we want, this is exactly what we want to celebrate...This is a vindication.How do you think your CityTV viewers will react to your new locale?I was very gratified with the outpouring of support and affection on the part of the public. I'm extremely hopeful that my viewers, and my fans, if I may call them that, find a way to Leslie and me on the anchor desk at Global Toronto.What can viewers expect from you and Leslie Roberts?I think you're going to see two people who like and respect each other. He's very funny, he's very charming, he's extremely smart. We come from a point of being esteemed competitors and now esteemed colleagues and I'm hoping friends. I have the greatest respect for CityTV but that chapter is finished and I've started a new book.National Post
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 Mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone announces press secretary
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 Where are the bike racks on Bloor Street?Rode my bicycle to the corner of Yonge and Bloor streets today. I have not been there lately. There is a brand-new grey granite expanse of sidewalk in front of The Hudson's Bay Company, on the northeast corner of the street, but something is missing: namely, the big bicycle rack that used to be there. This is doubly surprising because, perhaps in homage to cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard, who died near here in an altercation last year involving the car of former attorney-general Michael Bryant, city fathers have painted white bicycles on the pavement, to indicate that bikes are sharing the curb lane here with cars.
So are we cyclists supposed to just ride through, and not stop? For my part, I found a lone bike post on Yonge Street about a half-block up from the corner, and stored my bike there before getting on the subway. When I returned to the spot this afternoon and unlocked my bike, a cyclist was waiting to lock up. "You answered my prayers," he said, which seems a bit strong for someone just freeing up a place to lock a Godforsaken bike, but that's the state of affairs at the busiest intersection in Toronto.
The only comfort we cyclists can take from this situation is that, no matter how bad it is for bikes, the permanent revolution of construction vehicles on Bloor west of Yonge street renders the area much less hospitable to motorists.
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 Toronto teacher charged with sexual exploitationBy Mary Vallis, National Post A high school teacher at Harbord Collegiate Institute in downtown Toronto has reportedly been charged with sexual explotiation. Timothy Dingwall, a 40-year-old baseball and hockey coach, was charged after allegations came to light involving a 17-year-old female student.A police investigation is still underway, said Kelly Baker of the Toronto District School Board."When the allegations were brought forward, we contacted police," Baker said. "The teacher was put on home assignment, which is part of a board protocol." Decisions about Dingwall's long-term employment will be made once the police investigation is over and the TDSB conducts an internal investigation, Baker said. The school has approximately 1,000 students. Dingwall has already made his first court appearance. He will next appear on June 10.
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 City may transform downtown arteries into two-way streets By Natalie Alcoba, National PostToronto is studying the feasibility of turning stretches of downtown's one-way thoroughfares -- Adelaide and Richmond -- into two-way streets.It's an idea that local councillor Adam Vaughan (seen above at an Adelaide Street parking lot) is eager to test out in the hopes of improving car flow and injecting vitality into a strip that operates as a highway among high rises. He'd like to see a pilot project that would convert the mostly four-lane streets into two lanes going in each direction, from University Avenue to Bathurst. "Everyone fears that the cars will go crazy because they won't be able to get into the city quickly," Councillor Vaughan (Trinity Spadina) said yesterday. "The reality is, if you go down there at rush hour, there are no cars on Adelaide whatsoever, so you've got this massive wide street in the downtown that nobody is using. And then when you go to Richmond Street, there are flocks of 20 cars at a time every five minutes but in between ... you can't see a car for 30 or 40 blocks in either direction."Mr. Vaughan said he's got resident and business associations on side, but critics bemoan a proposal they insist will only serve to clog up streets, not relieve them. "We would disapprove of it wholeheartedly," said Jim Bell, CEO of Diamond Taxi. "We have a hard enough time moving through the downtown core," he said, and both Richmond and Adelaide provide precious opportunities for left hand turns. Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Don Valley East), who last week suggested installing dedicated bike lanes on Richmond Street, is also opposed to the idea. "One way streets are more efficient for moving traffic," he said. (His Richmond bike proposal was flatly rejected by councillors.) Gary Welsh, manager of transportation services, said staff were asked last year to
conduct traffic and impact analysis, plus cost estimates to determine
if it's something worth trying. They will report back this year.Mr. Vaughan said the neighbourhood has changed dramatically in recent years, let alone since the mid 1950s when Richmond and Adelaide were turned into one way streets to facilitate evacuation if the Soviet Union dropped a bomb on Toronto. "That was the planning rationale," he said. There was supposed to be an on-ramp to the Gardiner that would have demolished Fort York, and ramps to the Spadina Expressway, he said, but those streets were never built. Now, "a lot of the retail along Richmond and Adelaide is just dead. And if both those streets got converted back to the way they were in the fifties, you might see a revival of the residential and commercial on those streets, plus the pedestrian traffic." He said early reviews of traffic flow indicate it would improve, not hinder, traffic flow "because you wouldn't have to go around the block to turn the corner anymore. You could just turn the corner." It's worth testing to see how and if it works, he said.He has the support of the local residents association -- "the quicker he can get that done, the better," said Donald Rodbard, of the King-Spadina Residents Association -- and urban planners. "Obviously we're hoping he's successful in that," said Les Klein, of Quadrangle Architects and the principal behind the newest proposed condo development on Richmond Street. "The more you can slow traffic down the more opportunity you have for pedestrian traffic." Leona Savoie, Chair of the Toronto Chapter of BILD, Building, Industry Land Development, said the initiative has merit, but achieving meaningful change is more than just painting a solid line down the middle of either street. "We do understand his concerns, it's a pretty sterile environment that caters to cars and cars alone," she said. "The devil will be in the details, to see how the city would design streets that would be conducive to retail uses. It would require huge design changes to attract business," she said, that include thinking about the pedestrian, "If it's not designed right, it could fail." Photo: City Councillor Adam Vaughan. (Peter J. Thompson/National Post)
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 Pills left in Cabbagetown dog parkBy Meghan Housley, National PostDog owners found several pills scattered around a Cabbagetown dog park yesterday. Police collected approximately a half dozen pills for further investigation at Allan Gardens. Const. Tony Vella said no dogs were sickened, but there is concern when suspicious substances are being left out for animals to find. Alda Loughlin, practice manager at the Animal Clinic on Mutual Street, said that if a dog has eaten prescription barbiturates, which affect the central nervous system, it will show signs of stress 40-60 minutes after ingesting the pills. "If it's poison of any sort, dogs show the clinical signs of stress," Ms. Loughlin said. "If they ingest something that might upset them, they usually start throwing up and if it's poison they start foaming at the mouth."She urges dog owners who have witnessed their dogs eating pills to get them to an animal hospital immediately, so the dog's system can be flushed.
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 A marathon in the spring, another in the fall starting in 2011
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 Alleged Yonge Street shooter was angry he couldn't get into strip club's VIP area for free, jury toldBy Megan O'Toole, National PostNew details emerged in court today about a dispute inside the Brass Rail strip club that ended in the fatal shooting of a bystander on Yonge Street two years ago.Edward Paredes and Awet Zekarias, jointly charged with second-degree murder in John O'Keefe's death, were in the club less than an hour before being physically ejected on the early morning of Jan. 12, 2008.Erik Zvanitajs, working as the club's general manager at the time, said the accused disobeyed club rules and were unco-operative when asked to leave.At two separate times, Mr. Paredes attempted to access VIP areas of the club without paying the mandatory cover charge, Mr. Zvanitajs testified. In one clip of security footage shown in court, Mr. Paredes can be seen speaking with a doorman in front of an upper-level VIP area before returning to the main floor.On his way down, Mr. Paredes -- who, the jury has heard, was secretly carrying a 9-millimetre handgun in the waistband of his baggy pants -- announced to his friends that "gangsters don't pay," and referred to himself as the "mac daddy," Mr. Zvanitajs testified.Minutes later, security footage shows Mr. Paredes, in light-coloured clothes and wearing a white baseball cap, loitering in the back of the club. A security guard passes by him to enter another VIP section."Mr. Paredes is behind him," Mr. Zvanitajs pointed out. "He tries to follow him."Again, Mr. Paredes is turned away, uttering expletives as he returns to the main portion of the bar, the witness testified."I had the impression of somebody who didn't want to obey our rules... Upon being told that he had to pay [extra for the VIP room], he wasn't happy about it," Mr. Zvanitajs said.After that encounter, Mr. Zvanitajs said he asked security staff to keep an eye on Mr. Paredes, but did not give it another thought until a short time later, when a waitress approached to complain two patrons in her section, Mr. Paredes and Mr. Zekarias, were refusing to buy drinks. The club's policy, the jury has heard, is that all patrons must purchase drinks in order to be allowed to stay and watch the exotic dancers. "[The waitress] said she was very frustrated with them," Mr. Zvanitajs testified, noting the waitress said the two young men "waved her off" when she requested they buy drinks. She said the men also refused to move to a smaller table to make room for a larger group, Mr. Zvanitajs told the jury.As general manager, he approached the men to explain they were acting inappropriately, but was similarly dismissed, the witness said."Neither one of them acknowledged me... They were looking beyond me," Mr. Zvanitajs testified. He said he then ordered the pair out, but Mr. Paredes resisted, asking why they had to leave."I was beginning to get frustrated at the total lack of compliance," Mr. Zvanitajs said, noting at that point, he requested that security staff physically remove the two men.Footage shows the two men being pushed out the door, one after the other -- Mr. Zekarias shoved so hard he falls on his back on Yonge Street.Minutes after the ejection, Mr. Paredes has admitted, he fired his gun. But the bullet hit an unintended target: Mr. O'Keefe, a 42-year-old father who simply happened to be walking by.The trial continues.
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 G8/G20: Gearing up for the biggest security event in Canadian historyNatalie Alcoba, National PostThe G8 and G20 summits this summer will be the largest security event in Canadian history, officials said today. The federal government announced last week it would host the G20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre June 26-27, despite the city's expressed wishes that it be at Exhibition Place. It will be preceded by the G8 in Huntsville, Ont.In the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, a three-metre concrete and wire fence encased a security zone around the meeting site, which included parliamentary and residential buildings. A blueprint of Toronto's security perimeter has not been divulged, but there is already a glimpse of the force being amassed to protect those coming to and living in Toronto: the federal government's "Integrated Security Unit" will include Toronto police, RCMP, the OPP, the Canadian Forces and Peel Region Police."Collaborative efforts required across law enforcement and security professionals to safely carry out these summits will result in the largest security event in Canadian history," said a report presented to city council yesterday."There will be security, there will be disruptions," Mayor David Miller told councillors yesterday, adding he understands local concerns about how it will all unfold. "I urge you to rise above those concerns... and think of the opportunity this city has this summer when we host the world."Councillors discussed matters related to cost in private yesterday. The federal government is expected to fund virtually all security costs (in the event items like police radios are purchased, and kept by the city, there will be a cost-sharing).Economic development officials could not yet provide an estimate on how much money the summit will inject in the city, but there was "strong agreement" an event that brings dignitaries, business entourages and more than 3,000 journalists from around the world will be a good thing."It is probably the largest opportunity we'll have for a long time to market this city to the world and its a terrific occasion to get the visibility we need and deserve," said Michael Williams, general manager of economic development. He said he has spoken to officials in Pittsburgh, who described their turn hosting the G20 as "terrific."But some councillors expressed concerns about being able to recoup all the costs. Adam Vaughan, in whose ward (Trinity-Spadina) the meeting will be held, won support to ask the federal government post a bond up front to cover the costs of potential damage done to public and private property during the summit, and another that would be used to compensate businesses that may lose business because of the event."We have assurances from Ottawa that they will pay all of our additional costs for security," Mr. Miller told reporters. And Toronto has learned from oversights by cities hosting other such events: "We're getting it in writing."National Postnalcoba@nationalpost.com
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 George Brown College bringing its bustle to the waterfront There have been a lot of condos built on the lake shore over the past couple of decades, but this may be the first purpose-built facility coming to Toronto's waterfront at which citizens will be able to (inexpensively) get their teeth cleaned.The dental hygiene clinic is just a small part of a big, glittering, $100-million Waterfront Campus for which contractors hired by George Brown College began this month digging out the soggy fill at the foot of Sherbourne Street, south of Queens Quay. The campus is set for completion in fall 2011."It's finally animating the waterfront, taking 5,000 students down there," says Anne Sado, president of George Brown. "We will operate the campus seven days a week, because of continuing education."George Brown, using a style similar to Ryerson University, has in the past few years expanded its campus on King Street east of Jarvis with buildings that invite and welcome the public, and blur the line between the campus and the community -- a pattern the school plans to continue at its new campus, which will house school's burgeoning school of health sciences.George Brown, with 22,000 full time students and 68,000 in continuing education, has grown quickly. The other day Ms. Sado met me for lunch at The Chef's House to tell me a bit about her college's future.George Brown has for years operated a restaurant as part of its renowned cooking school; the restaurant formerly was tucked away in one of the school's buildings, down a hall and up a flight of stairs. A few years ago Ms. Sado noticed the former Pasquale Bros. grocery store building on King and Frederick street was for sale; George Brown snapped it up, sand-blasted the place within an inch of its life, exposed the wrought-iron posts and, in the fall of 2008, opened a high-end eatery in the space.At The Chef's House, three-course gourmet lunch costs $22, and you get to watch the cooks prepare your meal on flat-screen TVs affixed to the walls. Bethune, our waiter, was a perfect gentleman, and I can safely recommend the red beet, celeriac and pear salad with goat cheese dressing (the tiny oregano buds were a particularly inspiring detail) as well as the apple frangipane tart with cheddar cheese ice cream.The restaurant bustled with patrons (the public is welcome) as did King Street around George Brown. One can see why -- in seeking to animate the shore -- John Campbell, the head of Waterfront Toronto, called Ms. Sado.George Brown is a good fit; the existing St. James campus is just a 10-minute walk up Sherbourne Street from the new facilities. Plus George Brown is bursting at the seams."We need the space," Ms. Sado says. "This will allow us to consolidate and create an environment for interprofessional education." Ms. Sado, also chair of the board at Trillium Health Centre, a Mississauga hospital, believes in training health professionals as an interdependent, patient-focused team. "It will be an open, vibrant learning environment with lots of light," she promises.George Brown, using $61.5-million in provincial money, $30-million from Ottawa, and its own money plus fundraising dollars, plans two buildings totalling half a million square feet, on land the school will lease from the City of Toronto.The first college building, closest to Lake Ontario, will house nursing, dental, health and wellness, gerontology and other programs.
The school wants to talk to the city about teaming up to design the second building, which will house a gym -- open to the public evenings and weekends -- along with, potentially, a community centre. A street, known right now as Dockside Drive, will bisect the two buildings, east-west.The city is at present building Sherbourne Park along the east side of the new George Brown campus, and Brian Stock, a college spokesman, has a dreamy vision of how the future might look."Imagine if you're skating at the park, and then you go across to our food court for a hot chocolate," he says.
Either that, or a nice teeth cleaning.
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 City managers want what the other guys got
Just before unionized employees of the city walked off the job last summer, City Council voted to freeze the salaries of non-union employees, in order to save money. Still, city management did okay during the strike, since many of them worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for 39 days, to keep some essential services open, such as garbage dump sites, parks and water filtration plants, and got well-paid for those efforts. But, looked at another way, they got royally screwed: The guys who walked out got a raise (1.75% in 2009, 2% in 2010, 2.25% in 2011) and got to keep their sick bank, whereas those who stayed at work have their salaries frozen in 2009, and got just a 1% raise in 2010. (They also cannot continue accumulating sick days to cash out when they retire, as unionized workers who started with the city before the strike were allowed to do).
Now, Councillor Karen Stintz wants to change all that. She will present a motion at City Council next week proposing that the city sign a "Framework Agreement with non-unionized employees regarding all terms and conditions of employment, gvien their strong committment to the city." She says in her motion, that, "In light of the settlement reached with the city's unionized employees, there is a justifiably strong sentiment amongst non-unionized employees that they have not been treated consistently, fairly and equitably."
Richard Majkot, executive director of the wonkily-named City of Toronto Administrative Professional, Supervisory Association, dropped by the press gallery today to make the case for a framework agreement. He refused to reveal his group's number of members; the city employs 3,900 non-union employees, but membership in COTAPSA is voluntary. Asked whether his members would consider job action if Council blows them off, he said, "Let's wait and see what happens at Council next week."
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 On the town with Lauren Segal By Melissa Leong, National PostInside a designer's studio in York
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 Man turns himself in after motorist killed in roadside hit-and-runBy Meghan Housley, National PostA man has turned himself in for last night's fatal hit and run in Whitchurch-Stouffville.A 34-year-old Richmond Hill man was hit by a van as he called for assistance after his BMW left Stouffville Road, east of Yonge Street, and into a ravine around 10 p.m. He and his female passenger, 30, left the vehicle unhurt and made their way back to the road. They called family and friends from the gravel shoulder.Another vehicle, travelling eastbound on Stouffville Road, then struck the man. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene. His female passenger was not injured.Investigators from York Regional Police found debris that indicates that the hit-and-run vehicle is a possible a 2001-2005 Chevrolet Venture van. The van would show severe damage to the front passenger corner and windshield, police said.Const. Rebecca Boyd said a man had turned himself in to a Toronto Police station this morning and York Regional Police were picking him up to continue their investigation.
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 Standing Engagement: Kids Cook to Care By Alison Broverman, National PostHow do you raise an empathetic kid who knows his or her way around a kitchen? That's a question moms Jill Lewis and Julie Levin answered for themselves last spring when they started Kids Cook to Care, a program that involves children and professional chefs in the preparation of a meal for the homeless.Lewis and Levin started the program shortly after Lewis moved with her family to Toronto from New York City. In New York, Lewis and her children had volunteered in a soup kitchen, cooking for and feeding the homeless, but Lewis found few similar options here. "Volunteer opportunities for kids are limited," she explains. "And a lot of the options available don't lxet kids get as directly involved. But it's really good for the kids to see the benefit of the work they do."So Lewis and Levin started their own organization, though they are still on the lookout for a permanent venue where kids can help with both meal preparation and serving. "When we did this back in New York, the kids always fought over who got to serve," Lewis says. "The immediate connection with the people they are helping means a lot to them." In the meantime, Lewis and Levin have paired up with St. Olave's Anglican Church, a parish in Toronto's west end that is known for the "Hunger Patrol" food truck it sends out around the city every Saturday, serving soup. One Saturday a month, any culinarily and community-minded family can show up for both a cooking lesson and an opportunity to help feed some of Toronto's hungry population. Each month, a different Toronto chef plans a meal and breaks the preparation down into kid-friendly tasks. The kids help prepare the meal, which is then distributed by church staff in the Hunger Patrol truck. At the most recent event, chef Ezra Title is cooking up a French minestrone soup, with big chunks of toasted, buttery baguette for dunking. In a large room next to the kitchen in the church basement, several long tables are set up, each one ready with a different ingredient. There is a large basket full of kale on one, and several bags of baguettes on another. As the children enter, they eye the ingredients dubiously -- they're more interested in turning latex gloves (available at each table for extra hygiene) into balloons. ("Like my hand? Like my hand?" shrieks one nine-year-old with a glove-balloon tucked into the cuff of her sleeve.) But when Title greets his young helpers and explains the purpose of each table, they focus enthusiastically on the tasks at hand. Kale leaves need to be torn from their stems, pre-cooked chicken needs to be shredded into bite-size pieces, and the baguettes need to be torn apart and toasted. One quick group trek to the sink to wash hands, and within 15 minutes, the dozen or so previously rambunctious kids have miraculously turned into industrious kitchen workers, stripping kale leaves, ripping up bread, and wrapping up fresh herbs into little bouquets garnis. Even the chef is impressed. "Are you guys looking for jobs?" Title asks. "Because I'm hiring!"The pint-sized cooks aren't amused: "No way," says a disdainful 10-year-old, looking up from his little pile of shredded chicken. "I already have enough homework."The next Kids Cook to Care event takes place on Feb. 27 at St. Olave's Anglican Church (360 Windermere Ave.), with chef Chris McDonald of Cava restaurant. To register or for more information, e-mail kidscooktocare@hotmail.com.[Ten-year-old Henry, left, William, 10, and Jack, 10, stir soup being prepared for those in need in the neighbourhood at St. Olave's Anglican Church in Toronto. Photo by Merle Robillard for National Post.]
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 Businessman pushes anew for made-in-Toronto bike share schemeBy Nicole McIsaac, National PostA Toronto businessman is calling on city hall to re-open the bidding process for a city bike-sharing program, after the city's negotiations with a Montreal-based program ran aground.Matias Marin, chief executive of Public Nature Corporation, said this week his firm had submitted an expression of interest in running a public bike-sharing program last year, but were disqualified. Instead, the city entered negotiations with Bixi, the Montreal-based bike sharing program, but talks have faltered because Bixi wants financial backing from city hall; council had made self-sustainability a condition of any program."At this point in time we can't seem to operate a public bike system at no cost to the city, which is contrary to what council proposed," Gary Welsh, Toronto's transportation services manager, told the National Post this week.In an interview, Mr. Marin said Public Nature's previous proposal wasn't properly considered by the city, and hopes that now that talks are breaking down, the city will turn to other options."Effectively they're asking to change the whole dynamic that was originally agreed upon, and it goes against the stipulations," he said. Public Nature is developing a bike sharing program called EH-to-be, which aims to be a private venture, backed by investors and run and operated by their own staff, the only way to keep it at no cost to the city, said Mr. Mearn.In a letter to the city, dated June 22, 2009, after they were initially declined, Mr. Marin wrote, "Moving forward without a competitive bidding process would, at least in our view, be highly irresponsible on the part of the city and possibly contrary to its well-established protocols with respect to the tendering process."Mr. Marin said his firm was disqualified because it had no operations manager, a qualification he said it could have met given a chance.Bixi could not be reached for comment.
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