Metrolinx interest in Sumitomo trains now official

Metrolinx has issued a statement confirming its interest in piggybacking on a pending order in California for Sumitomo Corp. of America trains that could run on the Toronto air-rail link. The Sumitomo bid was reportedly about $22 million lower than the lowest among five competing bids.

GO Transit president Gary McNeil, who has been leading the ARL project until a full-time executive can be hired, probably in January, said that companies such as Bombardier and Siemens also manufacture this type of equipment. But nobody makes it in Canada.

At the Metrolinx board meeting Tuesday, McNeil restated his earlier comments to The Toronto Star that locomotives are exempt from Ontario's recent 25 per cent Canadian content requirements.

But the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) agency that is poised to buy 18 of the cars for about $57 million, apparently won't make a final decision until December after several SMART board members missed the agency's November meeting, according to a report last week by the Marin Independent Journal.

 

Mayoral debt fundraiser tentatively set for Jan. 27

Organizers of a "unity dinner" aimed at paying off some or all of the campaign debts of mayor-elect Rob Ford and his main rivals are eyeing Thursday Jan. 27 for the event. Tickets could go on sale as early as this week.

But the idea of one big event with proceeds being split between the participants (confirmed interest has come from Ford, Rocco Rossi, Sarah Thomson and Giorgio Mammoliti, with George Smitherman essentially debt-free and Joe Pantalone not interested) is proving problematic.

One of the politicos involved tells The Goods that election rules provide for donors to get partial rebates from the city only on donations toward a particular candidate. That means, the politico said, there will be "a somewhat complicated means of selling tickets as each purchase/donation must support one candidate only (ie you can't sell one ticket on behalf of a group of candidates and pool the money) but there is a goal of addressing several deficits."

Lawyers have been consulted (no shortage of them among this crowd) and it is all being sorted, we're told.

Ford ran up the biggest debt -- about $650,0000 -- but as the winner has by far the biggest drawing power. Thomson’s debt is about $100,000; Rossi owes about $40,000. Giorgio Mammoliti’s debt is unknown.

No venue is booked yet. Don't expect a star-studded gala with high-priced entertainment. We're told a fairly traditional fundraising dinner is all that's planned at the moment.

Movers-and-shakers involved include: Doug Ford, John Tory, Ralph Lean, Andy Pringle, David Peterson and Mike Harris.

 

 

TTC takes a bath and comes up looking like $1 million

You won't need sunglasses to protect your eyes from the dazzling tiles and ceiling slats, but if the subway looks a little brighter lately, it's not your imagination or another break in the tunnel.

The TTC is on a cleaning binge attempting to muck out all 69 stations by the end of the year with the help of some temporary workers.

"We're getting into the nooks and crannies as best we can," said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.

Cleanliness plays into customer service, said outgoing TTC vice-chair Joe Mihevc.

The TTC has hired 32 temporary workers, who operate in teams of four or five, cleaning mostly the exterior of the stations in the afternoon and moving inside after the evening rush.

The $1 million bath is money that's in the budget, said Ross.

"Customers are actually coming up to our crews and saying, 'This looks great,'" he said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OpenFile's Toronto Poppy map lets you see where the fallen lived

OpenFile.ca has a great Remembrance Day package that includes a fascinating Google map with little poppies marking the home addresses of Canadian soldiers who died in the Second World War. The map was made by Google Maps whiz Patrick Cain.

Click on the poppies and you learn the soldiers' names, addresses and, usually, where they died and something about the circumstances.

Few things bring home the unbelievable sacrifice of a soldier, for themselves and all those who care for them, than a line of poppies on your little street. Clicking on each one makes you imagine the grief that  engulfed the homes you walk past every day.

To my long-ago neighbours Warrant Officer Norman Gordon Marler and Flying Officer Edmund Bruce Carleton, and their families, thanks so much. And thanks to a 21st century map, you haven't been forgotten.

 

Nathan Phillips Christmas tree run over by the gravy train?

Toronto's traditionally towering tannenbaum is a little less towering this year, and a little less twinkly, and shoved to the side of Nathan Phillips Square.

But don't blame the penny-pinching mayor-elect. In fact, he might blame the gravy train.

City staff say the tree being decorated this week came from Weller Tree Service in Keswick, as all Nathan Phillips Square trees have for more than 40 years. But this one is about 11 metres tall, compared to the usual 19. That means a bunch of decorations are being left in the box.

And instead of dominating the centre of the square, the 2010 tree is near the northeast corner, almost leaning against the walkway to City Hall's green roof.

The changes are necessary because of the redevelopment of Nathan Phillips Square, which Rob Ford criticized as wasteful spending during the mayoral campaign. He has, however, said he won't stop the now-well-underway project. The square is so torn up for the revamp that it's impossible to have the usual giant in its centre.

Oh well. What's Christmas without gravy?

"Britain's Got Talent" winner does TTC "flash opera"

  

Paul Potts, a "pop opera tenor" who won the Britain's Got Talent contest in 2007, surprised TTC riders at Union Station with a busker-like (except for the tux) rendition on "What A Wonderful World" last Friday.

The small crowd quickly grows, with many of the commuters whipping out camera phones. It's clear many do not know who Potts is, and are just enjoying the unexpected spectacle. "Well done, what's your name again?" asks one after Potts finishes to loud applause, hearty congratulations and requests for photos.

Enjoy the sustained high note at 2:45 on "I love you."

Toronto election's "rebel mayor" revealed

The subculture of Toronto election watchers in the #voteTO Twitter group has had lots of fun trying to discern the identity of #rebelmayor.

Today, he has revealed himself as Spacing editor and Eye Magazine columnist Shawn Micallef.

Roger Ebert tweets about Rob Ford, asks "Toronto?"

Roger Ebert is one of the great American movie critics, but he is also a keen social critic who uses his facility with words to jab from the left.

He once summed up George W. Bush's interest in foreign affairs thus: "Why go to Australia when you have the Outback Steakhouse right here at home?"

Ebert, a big fan of Toronto and its film festival, tweeted this Wednesday night:

"Meanwhile, Toronto elects a mayor who doesn't believe in public transit, arts funding, environment or homosexuality. Toronto?"

Pithy but not quite fair. Ford's transit plan expands the subway system. He has argued in favour of reduced arts funding but didn't campaign on wiping it out. He admits little knowledge of, or interest in, environmental issues. He has put his foot in his mouth describing AIDS victims, and says he believes in "traditional marriage", but there's no evidence he doesn't believe in homosexuality.

Ebert then tweeted again with a link to his Chicago Sun-Times blog, which has the infamous YouTube video of Ford at council in 2007 and the headline: "Bike riders are askin' for it". In the video, during capital budget deliberations about bike lanes, Ford says cyclists are "swimming with the sharks" and "My heart bleeds for 'em when I heard someone gets killed but it's their own fault at the end of the day."

Ridicule, yes, but at least it's world-class ridicule.

This just in from giant panda HQ:

Since Sunday much ink has been spilled over the possibility of a pair of giant pandas visiting Toronto. Conflicting information has emerged, however, from the federal government, members of the zoo board and the zoo CEO over details including how long they would stay, costs associated with their visit and how many visitors they would draw.

On Wednesday, Dr. Ming Tat Cheung, chair of the Toronto Zoo's panda acquisition task force, tried to set the record straight:

There has been a lot of speculation and reports about giant pandas coming to Canada in the media recently. I, as the Chairman of the Toronto Zoo’s Panda Acquisition Task Force, attended the meeting where the consortium of Toronto, Calgary and Granby Zoo represented by their respective CEO of each zoo in Beijing. We met with the Secretary General of the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG) Madam Hu ZhongPing on July 13. I would like to help clarify some of the confusion raised in the public.

The proposed agreement is for 5 years for each zoo. It is agreed by all three zoos that Toronto will go first so as to meet our goal of hosting the pandas during the Pan Am Game in 2015. A Letter of Intent (not the agreement) was signed by the Secretary General and the CEO of the three Canadian zoos.

The Consortium had originally proposed to have the pandas here by 2014. But the Chinese has already picked a male panda from Chongqing Zoo by the name of “Er Shun” for Canada. The female panda has not been named will come from Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base. The Chinese would like to see the pandas in Canada by early 2012.

A draft agreement by the Chinese was given to the CEO of the three zoos. They are going to study the agreement and make necessary amendments before sending back to the Chinese authorities for final acceptance. At this point, nothing legal has been signed. The amount to be donated to the Panda Conservation Funds and the time of arrival of the pandas are the two main issues to be negotiated.

It should be reminded that the real window of opportunity for getting pandas from China to Canada occurred when the Prime Minister Harper decided to visit China in December of last year. The Chinese consider panda a national treasure and will only export to countries with good relationship with China. Also, the transfer can only take place with the blessings from the heads of both countries. The expression of interest of our Prime Minister of getting pandas to Canada during the visit of China’s President Hu Jiangtao in June and the blessing from the President Hu during the then Governor General Michaelle Jean’s visit to China in July helped to seal the deal for this exchange. We are really happy to see the rapid progress of this project in a relatively short time.

There will be discussion on how to raise the necessary funds by the fundraising committee of each zoo.

Dr. Ming Tat Cheung

Chair,

Panda Acquisition Task Force of Toronto Zoo.

November 3, 2010

 

Jackie DeSouza is the City of Toronto's new communicator-in-chief

 Back in June, Kevin Sack, the voice of City Hall during two garbage strikes, the great blackout of '09 and countless other crises over the past 11 years, decamped to 407 ETR, the toll highway company, as vice-president of communications.

While there was hot internal competition for his job, the city is replacing him with Jackie DeSouza, most recently of Mount Sinai Hospital, Team Canada at the Commonwealth Games and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

She takes the reins two weeks before Rob Ford officially becomes mayor. Best of luck!

Here's the announcement that went to city staff from the city manager:

I am very pleased to welcome Jackie DeSouza as the City's new Director of Strategic Communications, beginning November 15, 2010.

Jackie brings impressive skills and experience to the role. After graduating with a degree in Journalism from Ryerson University, she began her career as a journalist, moved on to publishing and then communications consulting. Subsequently, Jackie served in several progressively responsible communications positions at several Ontario Ministries, including Cabinet office, Ministry of Citizenship Culture and Recreation and the Ministry of Solicitor General and Correctional Services.  Jackie then spent six years as Director of Communications for the Canadian Olympic Committee. During her time there, she led the creation and implementation of communications strategies for three Olympic and two Pan American games.   

Most recently she was Senior Director, Communications and Marketing (Acting) at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she led a full-service team providing leadership and expertise in strategic planning, media relations, issues management, advertising and marketing. In September, Jackie also served in a voluntary capacity as communications lead for Team Canada at the Commonwealth Games, providing clear-headed leadership and advice to Canadian officials and serving as media spokesperson in challenging circumstances.

I am confident Jackie will make a valuable contributor to the City and I know you will assist her in any way possible. Please join me in making her welcome.

Joe Pennachetti