Good question. The lids used by Tim Hortons for their coffee cups are made of polystyrene, which is recyclable, but only in what is described by the company as a "limited" number of markets. Of the 3,100-plus Tims outlets in Canada, some 650 have recycling programs, but it’s unclear how many of those recycle lids. On whether the cups should be tossed in the compost bin or recycling box, that’s a more complicated question. The paper used to make Tims’ cups is FSC certified. They’re manufactured using a chlorine-free process. The inks used in the cups are also water-based. So far, so good. The problem: the polyethylene lining, which renders the containers unfit for recycling. But here there are exceptions, too. In Tims stores where there are composting programs, the containers are sometimes collected to be recycled into paper trays. My advice: read recycling directions carefully when you can dispose of your cups at Tims outlets. Otherwise, when in doubt, recycle. –Enzo DiMatteo

The Portlands Energy Centre, as it’s officially known, is jointly operated by Ontario Power Generation and TransCanada Corporation (Yes, the same folks involved in the Keystone pipeline misadventure). The plant uses natural gas to produce electricity and steam for heat. PEC was built to operate during peak demand periods. The joke among critics is that the plant was built primarily to keep air conditioners going during the two weeks of the year that the heat is unbearable. Not quite. The facility is operational about 40 per cent of the time. And accounts for about 25 per cent of central Toronto’s energy needs, most of it for heating office buildings in the core. Daily reports on the plant’s power output can be found here http://reports.ieso.ca/public/GenOutputCapability/PUB_GenOutputCapability_20120103.xml. The plant has long been the subject of controversy. Many locals opposed its construction. But some environmentalists argued the plant was preferable to building new transmission lines to deliver power to Toronto. Others were of the opinion that the $730 million spent building the plant would have been better spent on programs to encourage conservation. PEC is currently looking for residents to serve on its Community Liaison Committee. - Enzo DiMatteo

Tricky question. The short answer: no one really knows. And if the cops do know, they’re not telling. Blame a quirk in police record keeping. Tickets that are issued for parking in bike lanes – as rare as the sight of Albino squirrels in Trinity-Bellwoods park we’re told – have historically been issued as "Stopped in a No Stopping Zone," a category which includes more than just bike lane parking infractions. The Toronto Cyclists Union (TCU) asked the Police Services Board back in 2009 to start collecting data on bike lane parking infractions by issuing tickets specifically for "Obstructing a bike lane." But there seems to have been no movement on that front, according to the TCU. The group’s director of advocacy and operations, Andrea Garcia, says "We haven’t had much luck reaching out to the police. They generally tend to ignore us." – Enzo DiMatteo

How much time do you have? The answer to this question is complicated. A number of factors contributed to Ford’s win, a perfect storm, if you will, aided by a discernible shift to the right in the media’s coverage of city hall, in particular by the Toronto Star. For the last year and then some of the Miller regime, there was no mainstream voice in the media carrying the left-lib message on city politics – and, therefore, no antidote to the manufactured hysteria concerning all things Miller. The phenomenal rise of talk radio as a shaper of public opinion also contributed immensely to the conservative bias in favour of Ford. Among the first people Ford thanked for his victory were his friends at AM640, the station that gave him his own show when he was councillor. The state of the economy cannot be overlooked. It was the sleeper issue in the election, captured nicely in Ford’s Respect for Taxpayers mantra. Ford’s populist touch should be given some credit. Of all those running for mayor, he looked the least like a politician, even though politics has been his whole life. And that gravy train schtick... what voter down on his luck doesn’t like to hear a politician say he’s going to put the boots to those union bastards living the high life? - Enzo DiMatteo.