Month: September 2013

Toddler climbed onto chair on Thorncliffe balcony

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The toddler who fell seven storeys last night from a balcony at 43 Thorncliffe Park Drive remains in hospital with serious injuries. The boy is about 17 months. Police said he had climbed onto a chair before toppling over the balcony railing.  It is a common enough challenge for parents trying to make a home kid-proof but not always easy to accomplish. 

Couric forwards Toronto cop’s message to kids

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Chris Boddy         Katie Couric

It was a nice thing to do and pretty smart public relations too. When Katie Couric, or one of her many staff, saw Toronto Staff Sergeant Chris Boddy’s first day of school tweet, the little message was on its way to nearly 900,000 twitter followers of the TV celebrity. Boddy had sent a simple heartfelt message to kids to do the decent thing. He said: “Dear Students, if you see a kid eating alone in the cafe, say hello and join him/her. #thatisnice”   That message was retweeted by Couric to her 898,917 followers the same day and has since gotten more than 1,500 retweets, Staff sgt. Boddy told CityNews he first noticed Couric’s handle appearing on his Twitter feed on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Boddy tweeted to his 9,255 followers, “Thanks SO much everyone for the 1500+ [retweets] of yesterday’s ‘#thatisnice’ back to school tweet!”

Murray says he will drive tracks east by himself

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Transportation Minister Glen Murray’s odd series of excited and indignant news conferences in recent days has culminated in his announcement today that the Ontario Government will go it alone to build a shorter, two-station subway to Scarborough. Whether the people of Scarborough are as fed up about this issue as the minister says, is an open question. It’s frankly doubtful, in our view, that this is the last word on the funding and routing of the subway.   680 News  Mayor Ford’s statement

Whole Foods will face bristling competition

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Bree Rody-Mantha writing online in PostCity.com reviews the arrival sometime in 2015 of Whole Foods in the little commercial complex yet-to-be-built at 1860 Bayview Ave corner of Broadway Ave. This is the former site of Rumble and later Brennan Pontiac. The article is worth a read for the opinion offered by Stan Janecek, the owner of White House Meats  at 1523 Bayview.  The issue for many is just how hurtful yet another grocery anchor will be to business along South Bayview. Mr. Janecek seems to think that it will be a battle of the big guys (our term). Ms Rody-Mantha mentions Loblaws, Metro, Sobey’s Valu mart  and Longo’s. She might have added Summerhill Market in both Rosedale and at 1054 Mt. Pleasant Rd. in Sherwood Park. Many families remember mom and dad shopping at the Mt Pleasant location when it was Bilton’s. Summerhill Market will be no slouch in defending its well-heeled clientele. What they prepare and stock is top notch and there’s no worrisome doubt about brand names. Whole Foods is finicky. The firm has a reputation for refusing to carry things like Coca Cola and other items apparently for dietetic reasons that aren’t always clear. In any case, it is commonly said that South Bayview, as nice as it is, cannot support a full-up grocery store which has no parking lot. Unlike most of the things one can purchase here, groceries are heavy. That was the lesson of the public-spirited effort by Bruno’s to plant his business in the old Bayview Playhouse. And those who followed  Bruno’s at the playhouse location did not pursue an aggressive policy of carry-to-your-car for customers. As we know, the playhouse is now a Shoppers Drug Mart.  Carry-to-your-car  is a lesson that Summerhill seems to have learned.  Bree Rody-Mantha  

PM’s book on hockey for sale in November

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Book publisher Simon and Schuster has released the front cover and title of the Prime Minister’s forthcoming book on the history of hockey. In it, Mr. Harper profiles the evolution of the “forgotten” era of the amateur game into the phenomenon of professional hockey. The book is titled  A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and the Rise of Professional Hockey. It will be released November 5  according to S and S. Stephen Harper’s fascination with and love of hockey was formed, as it is with most Canadian young men, when he played the game as a boy. In this case, his earliest years in that regard were with the Leaside Lions.

Hoping for new toilets at Trace Manes field house

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The Community Centre at Trace Manes Park will be closed this fall for a minimum of two months beginning September 30, 2013. Sadly, tennis players will lose the use of the versatile 1967 building for part of the season but probably hardy racqueteers will carry on until the snow flies anyway. And two months is an optimistic estimate from staff today (Wednesday September 4, 2013) who feel that if things are done quickly there might be a chance of a Yule season bridge game in the handy and well-used field house. But the first order of business, say staff, are things like new windows and “environmental”  items. How like Toronto. Well, it’s all good but we have observed that the washrooms are  looking a little “green” as well, if you catch our meaning. So far no guarantee of new porcelain. The wish list is long. Let’s hope for some new plumbing fixtures for Christmas.

Nearly edible! Android OS to be called Kit Kat

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In what may be a master-stroke of catchy branding, Google’s Android has decided to call the latest version of its operating system — Android 4.4 — Kit Kat, after the Nestle’s candy bar. And when you think about it, yeah, there’s something for both companies in this unexpected naming. As part of the appeal to youthful phone cultists Nestle’s will produce 50 million specially branded chocolate bars and distribute them to 19 markets, including the U.S, U.K, Canada and the Middle East. When you buy the bar, you will be able to enter to win Google prizes, including the Nexus 7 tablet. According to Nestle’s press release, they will also make a limited number of robot-shaped bars. Just like a real-life Willy Wonka.

TPS report break-ins on Ridgefield and Parkhurst

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Toronto Police Service reports break-ins on Ridgefield Road and Parkhurst Blvd.  On Ridgefield, in the Bayview Ave. and Blythwood Rd. area, a resident reports that between 1 p.m. on Monday, August 19, 2013 and 2 a.m, on Sunday, September 1, 2013, entry was gained into the premises by forcing a window. Removed was a camera, a quantity of jewellery, clothing and purses. On Parkhurst, it’s reported that between 11a.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2013 and 4.30 p.m. on Sunday, September 1, 2013 entry was gained into the premises by unknown means. Removed was a quantity of jewellery, a computer and artwork.

That was the August that was in South Bayview

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Did you know that in August that the plans for a Costco on Overlea Boulevard have been published in The South Bayview Bulldog? It’s the only place you will find them. Would you have been intrigued to see how South Bayview local councillors voted on the burning issue of whether there should have been a byelection to replace Doug Holyday? The results might surprise you. How about being tipped off to the break-ins on Rumsey and Airdrie Rds, or the arrival of the new trees on the east side of Bayview, or Councillor Matlow’s war against signs selling unapproved condominiums? If you checked the South Bayview Bulldog every day, it was all there. We told you about the quirky way Toronto Life looks at Leaside and Davisville Village, about the arrival of the new stationery shop, Essance du Papier at the former Country Store location and about the alarming crash of a car through the front window of the Pharma Plus at the Sunnybrook Plaza with injuries. When we say that there was even much more, you just have to know that we are not kidding you. It’s why so many people say, “Better check the Bulldog”

Unused bikes needed for kids of Thorncliffe Park

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On Sunday, September 22, 2013 from 1 until 4 p.m. there will a very public spirited collection of used bicycles for the kids of Thorncliffe Park. It will take place in the parking lot of the East York Town Centre on Overlea Blvd. This important initiative is being made by the Morning Glory Cycling Club and the cycling service Gears. Notices sent out this week to indicate that used bikes may also be dropped off at any one of Gears three locations. Morning Glory points out that Thorncliffe Park is home to more than 30,000 people and that nearly 25 percent of them are under the age of 14. The goal is to find 100 bicycles for these children. They don’t have to be in perfect working condition because Gears will tune them as a public service.