Kuumba kicks
Tristan Robinson leads a hip-hop dance workshop at Harbourfront’s festival of black culture on Saturday, February 2. See a list of upcoming Black History Month events.
City Hall Watch
Mayor Rob Ford’s Executive has elected Councillor Frank Di Giorgio the new chair of the Budget Committee. Arguably the least lucid member of city council, the Ward 12 (York South-Weston) rep is the man who once argued against re-establishing the city’s Disability Issues Committee because he felt its mandate didn’t jibe with the new mayor’s focus on “core services.” In 2010, he nearly hired former Metro councillor Mario Gentile – whose own political career ended when he was jailed for corruption – to do constituency work for him. (Media scrutiny caused Gentile to decline the job.) And in 1988, Di Giorgio chaired the committee that voted to prohibit the distribution of NOW Magazine at North York’s civic facilities – not because he had a problem with NOW, but because others might. “It is our opinion,” he said at the time, “that this paper would probably be distasteful to people across North York.”
Spotted
WHAT Day of Action against GE-Hitachi’s uranium pellet processing plant.
WHEN Sunday, February 3, on the tracks south of the facility at Lansdowne and Dupont.
WHY To support growing neighbourhood opposition to the plant’s operations.
Photo by Nicky Young
Ford Audit
For a guy who fancies himself a crack businessman, Mayor Rob Ford has some ‘splainin’ to do about his campaign expenses after a forensic audit released Friday, February 1, revealed he overspent during the 2010 campaign by $40K. Among the more interesting parts of the audit are the names of fundraisers, including big-bucks developer Mario Cortellucci and AM640 radio host John Oakley. Read Ben Spurr’s story.
Photo by Martin Reis
Cityscape
Rethinking Ontario Place
An alternate vision for Ontario Place, this one without condos (take that, John Tory), was released at Innis Town Hall Monday night (February 4). It encourages the province to think big, and forget about putting a casino next door at Exhibition Place. The project group, which comprises some three dozen architects, designers and creative thinkers, is proposing to divide the park into three zones: one for business, research and exhibitions, one for arts, culture and sports, and one that returns the land to its natural state. Said urban planner Ken Greenberg: “If we can’t afford to do it right, let’s wait until we can.”
rethinkingontarioplace.com
Tim Bits
The post-Ontario Liberal convention poll numbers are in, and it doesn’t look good for PC leader Tim Hudak. The more the would-be premier tacks right, the more he falls out of favour with Ontarians.
Eighteen
Per cent Voters who think Hudak would make the best premier. That’s 6 points behind newly minted Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne.
Fifteen
Per cent Voters who characterized their view of the PC leader as “very unfavourable” – by miles the worst results of the three party leaders.
Fifty nine
Per cent Hudak’s approval rating among his own party members, almost 20 points less than his post-election approval among PCs, according to a January 24 Forum Research poll.
Twenty nine
Per cent PC supporters who agree with Hudak that eHealth Ontario should be scrapped.
Thirty six
Per cent PC supporters who don’t want an election now.
Sixty two
Per cent NDP supporters who favour forming a coalition government with the Liberals if Hudak is elected with a minority government.
Sources: Innovative Research Group Inc., Forum Research Inc.
