Hamlet It Ain't

Just in case you think municipal politics is too theatrical, have a look at this hammy performance from our mayor pleading his case to get you to sign a petition.

Whatever you think about the issue, I think we can all agree that there should be another petition pleading to keep politicians with the acting abilities of High School Musical from making videos like this.

http://www.toronto.ca/handgunban/handgunban.wmv

Toronto: Canada's Safest City

According to a report released yesterday by Statistics Canada, Toronto is now the safest large metropolitan area in the country.

Statistics Canada figures show all Criminal Code offences in Toronto Census Metropolitan Area were down 11 per cent in 2007. Among urban areas with a population of 500,000+, there were fewer reported crimes per capita in Toronto than Montreal, Vancouver or Ottawa. Winnipeg had the highest crime rate, followed by Edmonton.

According to The Star, "Stuart Green, a spokesperson for Mayor David Miller, said he has not seen the report but it appears to be in line with local statistics."

My sincere apologies to Mayor Miller - I guess I was wrong about his decision to close the legal target pistol clubs in the city. It must have worked.

I Otta Buy Lottery Tickets

Sometimes I scare myself with my predictions about how the city will seriously wrong-foot something. Either that, or our civic leaders are predictably inept.

Two days ago I wrote about a pending decision concerning a proposed Toronto Museum, which in fact is neither an museum nor about Toronto.

Today's Toronto Star confirmed my worst fears and predictions. According to The Star:

The aim is to create a "contemporary, entertainment-oriented visitor experience that will be content-rich and capable of attracting visitors who may have no particular interest in the history of Toronto," according to the business plan.

So it's going to be a fun-nasium, or a learnatorium for people who don't care about Toronto or its history. Saw that coming. So much for all the early cultural artifacts that it was supposed to be home to.

But wait, there's more...

"It isn't the Toronto story," said Councillor Joe Mihevc. "It's the Italian story in Toronto. It's the Ukrainian story in Toronto. It's the black story in Toronto."

See what I mean about it being too easy to predict the idiocies that naturally bubble to the surface? It's not about history - it's about voters.

And of course it is going to be housed at the foot of Bathurst street, that bustling hub of tourists that is so inviting by the lake in February, in the crumbling, structurally unsound malting silos for an amount no one can figure out and no idea where the money will come from.

Who put these people in charge of the city? I know it wasn't me. I didn't vote for a single one of them. Unfortunately it doesn't stop them from spending my money.

Nice Place for A Non-Museum

(except it has no transit, amenities, infrastructure
tourist traffic, and is -30 all winter with a wicked wind
that comes off the lake like the Siberian steppes)