Month: September 2013

Cash, property forfeited to “Accountability Unit”

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Toronto police say they have seized, and in some cases caused forfeiture, of millions of dollars in cash and property. At a news conference to explain the role of the Financial Crimes Unit they discussed incidents in which this occurred. The Asset Forfeiture Unit has had a number of successes including the seizure of $2.1 million citizens called police about suspicious men in a condominium complex in Etobicoke. In August, a seizure in excess of $500,000 in Canadian currency resulted after hotel staff called in two suspicious bags they found in a hotel room. It was also explained that the police monitor club and bar owners and landlords of places where crime occurs with a view to seeking public redress in the form of property seizure. A perpetual problem property is an address which has utilized a significant amount of police resources.Examples of problem properties include marijuana grow-operations, crack houses, booze cans, and after-hours clubs. 

“Driver applied brakes but too late” say women

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“Driver tried to stop”

Two women passengers on the OC Transpo bus  that collided with a VIA train Wednesday say that driver Dave Woodard did respond to the cries from passengers telling him to stop. But he did so too late. This information, aired on CP24,  has been unreported by the media and is being transmitted even now quite incidentally. Previously aired information about the seconds before the collision have come from motorists and train passengers who seemed to suggest that the bus slammed into the train without slowing. If Woodard did in fact apply the brakes in a futile attempt to avoid the crash it would tend to suggest that he had been distracted or asleep in the moments before he heard the passengers shouting at him, not disabled or unconscious as some have speculated. 

Anne Golden panel of 13 to consider transit funds

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Anne Golden

Premier Wynne has more or less passed the ball (at least publicly) on how to pay for the subway century to a panel of 13 like-minded people. It will be chaired by Anne Golden of Ryerson University. Ms. Golden is a greatly-honoured academic and member of the Liberal Party. She led the United Way of Toronto for many years. The political sensitivity of Ms. Wynne’s decision may be clear to some by the simple reality that the Premier did not herself just say what she’s going to do. At a news conference today at Queen’s Park she did however exhort voters to embrace her own mind-set. “This is a culture shift for this region, it’s a culture shift for the North American context, that people think not in terms of the automobile, they think about transit,” she said. “So we need to make sure that we make the fairest choices possible.”  Did you get that?  There will be taxes coming. 

Grilltime on Laird adds packaged specialties

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Korean short ribs. Yum.
Andy Elder has added a nice angle to his choice-meat shop Grilltime at 62 Laird Drive opposite the Telus building. Visitors will now find additional refrigerator cases with some favorite marinated delights. Among the most popular, we’re saying, is the de-boned chicken marinated in the package. They aren’t too readily available in our neighborhood but Andy has them at a very good price. Another mouth-watering packaged meat is the marinated Korean short ribs. They broil up in just minutes and The Bulldog will be going back for seconds. Just as an aside, Grilltime is approaching a five-year anniversary at the Laird location. It’s easily found sitting between the Starbucks and Kenrae Rd. Grilltime is open Tuesday to Friday 10 to 7, Saturday and Sunday 11 to 6. (416) 467-4745.

Work speeding ahead at Millwood and Rumsey

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Towns of Rumsey

Things are speeding ahead at the little development at the corner of Millwood and Rumsey Rds to build five town homes. Homeowners nearby should be pleased that the long forlorn property is finally going to look like it belongs in their neighborhood. The project is owned by South Hills Homes which took over from Castleton Homes as things began to get tough for the latter firm. There have been rumblings that the widely respected Castleton was having trouble. Until very recently, Castleton Homes had literally dozens of projects going in Leaside. It’s owner, home-town lad Tony Paglialunga, was quite literally king of home-building in Leaside. Many will be saddened by the difficulties his firm has faced.

Couple feared lost on New Zealand vacation

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Connor Hayes and JoannaLam

Friends in Canada and police in New Zealand fear that a young couple from Ottawa have been lost after their rental van was swept off the road by a landslide in a rugged part of the country’s South Island. Today more parts of the wrecked van were washed ashore more than 50 km from where it left the road, the New Zealand Herald reported. Joanna Lam, 24, and her boyfriend Connor Hayes, 25, have not been seen since Sept. 10 while they were travelling on the island. Police have already found the van’s real wheels and chassis at the bottom of a gorge, but haven’t located the body or engine of the vehicle. The fuel pump was found 7 km north of the mouth of the Haast River, the Herald reported. Early Wednesday morning, New Zealand time, 16 volunteers and police officers set out to scour the river and below the gorge. There are two boats in the river and a helicopter is searching from the air. Friends in Ottawa became concerned when Ms. Lam failed to appear for work in Ottawa at a job she had recently obtained

Confusion in charge at Porter Airlines

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Confusion seems to be in charge at Porter Airlines tonight as the company has had to cancel dozens of flights in and out of Billy Bishop airport. The cause appears to be a computer collapse of some type in Minneapolis. The unusual geography of this breakdown is unexplained by the airline but it appears that other carriers may be effected. There may be a mutual booking system service supplied by the same company but that has not been confirmed. Passengers seem to be utterly on their own as far as re-booking, refunds or any other functional service to help them move on. Most are heading home, to hotels or to Pearson Airport for a night trying to find alternative transport. The breakdown has stranded Porter flights originating in destination cities is all over central Canada and nearby parts of the U.S. They are unable to load and take off. It is not clear whether ground control and air traffic control facilities are operational. Officials say they don’t know how long it will take to fix the issue. Pearson officials say flights at their airport have not been affected.

City nixes condo sign 5 times the legal size

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Bulldog April 17, 2013

In his monthly letter to constituents Josh Matlow (Ward 22) describes how the large sign we photographed last April became no more. It’s cool mistress promised an “evolution in modern condo living”  (Stop snickering, it means lady). For $199,000 sometime, if approved, and built, you would be evolutionized on the exciting Eglinton LRT.  What a thrill. Or, maybe you would rather live over a candy store. In any case, Mr. Matlow’s chagrin is understandable and he is on a private war against condo signs promising the world, especially when the buildings haven’t been approved. This sign went down after the Toronto Sign Variance Committee met to discuss what is called a first party sign proposal for the monumental message at 2221 Yonge St  just south of Eglinton Ave. Approval was sought for the sign, a full 524 square metres in size. The maximum is 100 square metres. So it had to come down.

Rink Two wants to hear why you’re excited!

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The opening day of “Rink Two” is set for Saturday, October 5, 2013 and the management of the Leaside Arena want to hear from you.  The Facebook page says “Tell us why you are excited about the new rink…” Winner to be announced October 4th @ 12pm! Please share this with friends, teammates and neighbors and “like us” to get all the latest news.