Photo: "Toronto - View from the Island" by blogTO Flickr pooler artistpavel.

Your morning news roundup for Wednesday December 12th, 2007:

Ontario's auditor general released his annual report and this one was as (if not more) condemning than usual. Commuter transit service is poor, our driver training program breeds really bad drivers, hazardous waste and hazardous people are loose and unaccounted for in Ontario, our hospitals are not well-equipped to handle major emergencies, and more.

Toronto's capital budget was approved yesterday and the numbers reveal the continued trend of spiraling into debt. Transit and environmental initiatives have been given high priority for 2008, but there still isn't much to go around. It won't be long now before we earn the title "Detroit North".

Carry lots of pocket change today - there's going to be a lot of panhandling going on. Hopefully there won't be any pepper-spraying or handcuffing also going on.

A huge friggin' dinosaur skeleton named Gordo was hiding in the basement of the Royal Ontario Museum, and recently was pieced together for the public to view. Saturday marks the opening of the dino exhibit, and the first opportunity for the public to hang out with Gordo.

Monopolistic Google is pissed off at monopolistic Rogers for using new technology to insert "customer service memos" (i.e. advertising) on third-party web sites. So much for Net Neutrality.