Month: September 2016

The Blue Jays vs Angels game was delayed nearly 15 minutes Sunday when bees made a sneak attack on the ball diamond during the third period. Edwin Encarnacion swatted at them as they descended on his territory. But he quickly abandoned his post. Plate umpire CB Bucknor called time as everyone moved toward the left side of the field. Several players went back to their dugouts as the swarm remained in the outfield. The outfielders sought refuge in the bullpen behind left field and fans began exiting or seeking shelter in higher seats. As to the game, the curse is well fixed on the Blue Jays as they lost 4-0 to the Angels and fell even further back in the AL East.

 

A Divisional Court has overturned a decision by the Ontario Municipal Board arbitrarily stating the value of parkland required for huge residential buildings. Richmond Hill town council won the action in a precedent, which if upheld, offers hope for many cities which believe they are being developed by bureaucrats at Queen’s Park. CBC

The impressive looking townhouses nearing completion on Thurloe Ave west of Mt. Pleasant are seen in photos below. These are the structures that replaced Glebe Presbyterian Church. The six three-storey homes sit over a common underground garage with the entrance off of Belsize Drive to the south. There is also a clearly detached home (below) which appears to be as good as finished.

The Annual Leaside Rotary Club Corn Roast was well-attended Sunday afternoon. Tickets to the raffle were still three for $12 — a bargain even if you don’t win. The legions of children crowding Trace Manes Park were in good spirits — and why not — with the array of bouncy, slide and wheeled concessions to occupy them. Then, as democracy pretty much requires, politicians from the three levels of government were present mostly with tents to announce themselves. Rob Oliphant, MP for Don Valley West, might include an instructional segment on corn roasts in his seminars this fall about the will of the people. Premier Wynne was present and tweeted that she had run into her friend Rob Oliphant. Remarkable coincidence. In the tweet below, the Premier could well get out-ranked by those good-looking kids. Nice shot. Councillor Jon Burnside’s Ward 26 tent had a lineup. Was that about cotton candy? Well done to the Rotarians who organize this fine event each year and to the many sponsors. Thanks.

Young Leasiders with @Kathleen_Wynne at the Corn Roast in Leaside this Sunday! pic.twitter.com/kQA2yHgaVH

— Leaside Matters (@LeasideMatters) September 21, 2015

Ontario Premier Wynne is participating in the 36th Annual Terry Fox Run in Toronto on Sunday. The event began in Wilket Creek Park in the Leslie Street and Eglinton Avenue East area. It is one of several being held across Ontario today.

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A traveller from Cuba to Toronto on WestJet airlines smuggled four iguanas into the country. He was caught at customs but two of the creatures had already escaped his bags and were loose in the hold of the plane. As a result, the aircraft was delayed from taking off on another flight, this one to Vancouver. Apart from anything else, it seems iguanas are capable of chewing through or damaging wires. The plane was fumigated, the animals found and wires checked before taking off again.

At least 29 people have been injured in an explosion in New York, the fire department says. CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz reports. Authorities say the cause was a so-called improvised explosive device or IED. And at 11.24 p.m. EDT CNN is reporting that the NYPD Special Operations Division says a possible secondary device has been located.

https://twitter.com/ILNewsFlash/status/777316773892849664

The 23rd Annual Leaside Rotary Community Corn Roast looks like it will catch a break in the weather with temperatures forecast in the mid-20s and little chance of rain. The cooking, eating and game playing begins at noon at Trace Manes Park, Millwood Road and McRae Drive. There will be fresh corn on the cob, hot dogs, deserts and drinks, live music, kids games, motor scooters, trampolines, an obstacle course, bouncy castles and inflatable slides. See you there.

The 2016 harvest moon was muted in many places but the Weather Network has supplied a nice montage from viewers mostly in Canada’s Maritimes.

COBS Cares Weekend was busy Saturday at the COBS at 1539 Bayview with local owner Fiona Boylan, broadcasts to air from CHUM-FM’s Meredith Shaw and a face painting table contributed by Bamboo Bay owner and teacher Carrie Laureola. Those seen in the photo above are Karen Frost, of the Breakfast Club, with Akil Delfish, Meredith Shaw and Alexa Lewis of CHUM-FM. COBS partnered with the Breakfast Club of Canada for the third year over the Friday-Sunday weekend to give $1 from every COBS Bread sandwich loaf sold across Canada to the Club. Last year’s campaign raised $75,000 and this year’s goal is $100,000. Learn more about the COBS Cares Weekend with Breakfast the Club of Canada. The weekend continues Sunday.

The TTC is set to back off on the immediate introduction of the Presto card reader system in  order to save $16 million and thus meet budget restrictions set by City Council. Originally, the TTC planned to spend $30 million to have the Presto system fully in place by the middle of 2017, but delays are expected to push that back further into next year, the report said. With that delay the TTC would only need to spend $14 million for the Presto program next year, a reduction of $16 million. Just like running a household budget.

 

Canadian Press is saying Saturday that two tickets were sold for the $60 million Lotto Max jackpot. Tickets in Toronto and Kitchener should net their owners a tidy $30 million each. Five of the 22 MaxMillion prizes of a million dollars each were also won — two went to ticket holders in Ontario, one in Quebec, one in the Prairies and one in the Atlantic provinces.