Sat, 08/23/2008 - 12:48 - 23/08/2008 ©23/08/2008

Photo: zandersaar.

The 2200 bikes, 2 pickups and the house on Queen West which the police had impounded from Igor Kenk are headed to the auction block. Kenk made a deal with the Crown to allow the Crown to keep the proceeds from the sale of the bikes and pickups, with Igor keeping the proceeds from the house after the Crown has taken its legal costs. If Kenk had not made a deal in the government's lawsuit, the Crown could have confiscated all his property under the Civil Remedies Act.

The 50-year-old bike repairman and self-described recycler is in the Toronto (Don) Jail, awaiting trial on almost 80 theft and drug charges. He's also in the midst of an assault trial.

Under the agreement, the province keeps the proceeds from the sale of the bikes, bike parts and his 1998 and 2001 pickup trucks.

But after his building is sold – less deductions for property management and sale costs, and after outstanding hydro, tax and other arrears are paid – the remaining money will be divided thus:

$50,000 for the Crown.

$65,000 for Legal Aid Ontario, to defray the costs of Kenk's criminal defence.

The remainder to be put in trust for Kenk by his lawyer.

Ninety per cent of Kenk's bicycles are worth $20 or less and the whole lot – being temporarily stored in a former high school – would fetch an estimated $50,580 at auction, the Crown says in a court document.

But after subtracting the cost of vendor commissions and of delivering the bikes from storage to the auction site, the net proceeds would be $11,870, the Crown says.

Are we soon to see a flood of used bikes on the market?

The first ghost bike in Mississauga, as far as I know, was installed by ARC this morning at the corner of Riverspray Crescent. and Bloor Street. On November 25, a cyclist was killed on his way home from the beer store. I went along for the ride this morning to pay my respects to the fallen cyclist and document the work of installing a ghost bike. His name has not been released.

News story:

"A male cyclist, 45, has died after being hit by a car in Mississauga on Tuesday evening. The crash happened after 6:30 p.m. at Bloor Street and Runningbrook Drive, between Dixie and Tomken Roads. The cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The intersection was shut down for the investigation. The driver remained at the scene."

Another media report: http://www.mississauga.com/news/article/217373--cyclist-struck-killed

No charges are expected in this incident. This was the 9th cyclist in Ontario to die on a ride.

Some news that isn't worth an entire blog post - the ongoing quest by ex-courier Scott to force ex-employer Toronto to make good roads; non-drivers are now paying 49% of all road construction; and a new Velib contract to keep the wheels rolling:

  • TO city employee bikeshare has barely been used, partly because of the strike, and requires training for any staff person that wishes to use them. Bigger hopes for next season. (TO Star)
  • Ex-courier's appeal - a lawyer, Patrick Brown, feels Scott's case against the city at the Ontario labour board has merit. Despite the title the case hasn't been decided just yet. Will it affect the employee bikeshare program? (TO Star)
  • Just to show how unsafe it is, we have Sloan's new Hit & Run album release, so named because band member Chris Murphy was hit by a careening driver who then took off. Murphy survived with a broken collarbone, a concussion, and now an album name memorializing the macabre occasion.
  • Share of US road construction paid out of user fees drops down to 51%. We can laugh at drivers whenever they claim they "own" the roads. So that means 49% of the road should be split between transit, bikes and pedestrians! Anyone have numbers for Canada? (Streetsblog.org)
  • JCDecaux gets sweeter Velib deal - City of Paris caves in and renegotiates a sweeter deal for JCDecaux, the operator of Velib bikesharing system. 50% of any income over 17 million Euros now goes to JCDecaux. The City will now pay for more of the replacement of damaged bikes. (Bike-sharing blog)