Morning Brew: December 10th, 2008

Photo: "Ready in Five Minutes - A Series of Short Cycles" by TorontoStreet, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

"Honey, when I asked you bring home a light-bodied, fresh white to go with the scallops I thought you might choose a Pinot Grigio... but this stuff is just weak!" The LCBO has had to recall about 1500 bottles of what were supposed to contain an Italian wine but instead shipped full of tap water. Bizarre.

There's a developing story that shoppers might want to keep an eye on. The union representing "Green P" city parking employees is threatening to strike on December 20th, which will make last-minute downtown shopping for candy canes and puppies even harder than it already is.

With Toronto planning allocations for the upcoming 2009 capital budget, one city councillor wants to scrap frivolous proposals and focus on the basics. He suggests leveraging some of our assets and then injecting a $900million stimulus package into the plan, so that backlogs in infrastructure repair can be addressed (rather than spending some $40million on a City Hall makeover, for example).


A bystander at a bank robbery in Richmond Hill just couldn't let the masked bandit get away with it. At an opportune moment (as the robber put down his knife to pick up money that was spilling from his bag), the hero got all Hulk Hogan on him and put the crook into a sleeper hold until police arrived. While this isn't what police recommend citizens do in a situation like this, they're certainly pleased that the guy didn't get away.

Speaking of fighters... Canadian boxer Lennox Lewis (who grew up in Kitchener) was named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was quite the boxer in his prime, beating legends Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

The Queen Street West block between Duncan and John will be renamed tomorrow, in honour of the living media legend Moses Znaimer. Check out the fabulous, candid Posted Toronto interview for more on how he feels about "Moses Znaimer Way".

And finally, city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti is sending a couple of local business owners early Christmas cards - letters containing threats of intense harassment if they don't close up shop and leave his ward. You have to commend Mammoliti for his dedication to cleaning up the hood, but Giorgio, is it really within your purview to banish people from your kingdom?

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