Month: February 2017

Donald Trump addressed the US Congress Tuesday night and his remarks had references to Canada in several spots. The president ventured a surprising (to many in the US) reference to his desire for overall immigration reform. It is something Republicans and Democrats say is needed but the details on how they might collaborate seems to elude them. Trump spoke admiringly of immigration systems in “Canada, Australia and many others” that were based on the merit of the newcomers. Elsewhere, Mr. Trump returned his daughter’s campaign to assist and encourage women entrepreneurs, a scheme in which she enlisted Justin Trudeau. Lastly, Trump spoke again of his plan to see the Keystone XL pipeline constructed. Canadian Press

MP Oliphant sees there is peameal bacon too

Ladies of the kitchen we salute you

Good work men

Leaside United Church people have posted these pictures of Tuesday night’s pancake supper. Looks good.

Frank and Nora, proprietors of Rosie’s Kitchen, the friendly breakfast and lunch spot at 1549 Bayview Ave. will retire at the end of June. The congenial couple has spent the years since their arrival in Canada in 2004 from the Republic of Korea toiling at the making of omelettes, schnitzel, soup and salads. Their warmth and consistency made Rosie’s seem indispensable to the legions of customers who eat there. The couple worked seven days a week until June 2015 when they decided to take it easy, and close the cafe on Mondays, leaving them with a lighter 6 day work week. Now, it seems, we will all have to do without their cheery welcome and wholesome food. They say it is time to put their feet up or perhaps do some travelling.

The death of Candice Rochelle Bobb, 33, and subsequently of her unborn son may well have been caused by a person who was angry because the driver of the car in which Bobb was a passenger made a U-turn in front of him. Call it U-turn rage. The shooting took place on Pittsboro Drive near Finch Ave. in the north west part of the City on May 15, 2016. Bobb was five months pregnant when she was hit by shots inside a vehicle. She and three others were driving home from a basketball game and were dropping off one of the passengers in the area of John Garland Boulevard and Jamestown Crescent when a suspect began shooting at their vehicle.

U-TURN A THREAT?

Her baby, who family members named Kyrie, was delivered via emergency C-section and was transported to an intensive care unit. He died on June 15, exactly one month after the shooting. Detective Sergeant Mike Carbone said prior to the shooting, the driver of the vehicle Bobb was travelling in made a U-turn in front of an apartment complex near Jamestown Crescent. “It may have been something the offender had seen that prompted them to start shooting at the vehicle,” Carbone said. “The U-turn in front of the Jamestown complex could have drawn the attention of the offender as being some type of threat to them.” Either that or angry-man syndrome.

Pancake fashion statement

This is the day to have pancakes at church, whether you plan to starve yourself during Lent or not. As both the devout and merely aware understand, this is the day preceding Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, celebrated in our world by consuming pancakes. In others, especially those where it is called Mardi Gras or some translation thereof, this is a carnival day, and also the last day of “fat eating” or “gorging” before the fasting period of Lent. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about this movable feast.

FAT TUESDAY

The expression “Shrove Tuesday” comes from the word shrive, meaning “absolve”. Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics, who “make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God’s help in dealing with.” Being the last day of the liturgical season historically known as Shrovetide, before the penitential season of Lent, related popular practices, such as indulging in food that one sacrifices for the upcoming forty days, are associated with Shrove Tuesday celebrations, before commencing the fasting and religious obligations associated with Lent. The term Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday”, referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday.

There’s just no telling how these nuts-behind-the-wheel would make out if they were jousting with the moving obstacles of the Crosstown LRT construction along Eglinton. Apparently everyone survived although it is a miracle. The bus is in Peru and the car (or what’s left of it) is in Poland.

Doug Putnam

Geek Games among the music

Music consumers may well be tantalized by the imminent opening (April) of Sunrise Records across Canada. But the Ancaster-based firm seems to be playing a careful game even as it takes over leases for 70 HMV locations in the country’s malls. A news release as to where the stores might be located is light in details — Burnaby, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Square One in Mississauga, St Bruno, Quebec and the West Edmonton Mall. The news release says other locations will be known when “more details are finalized.” A clue to the retailer’s strategy may be gained by checking the location of its nine current stores. Only one is in Toronto and that’s at Cloverdale Mall in Etobicoke. Sunrise president Doug Putnam has made it a point to say all his stores make money. Perhaps the rent in places like the Cloverdale Mall is part of that plan for the youthful businessman. He is also the head of a long-time family firm, Everest Toys. It shares offices with Sunrise Records at 65 Bittern Street off Hwy 53 on the road to Brantford. So the question seems quite open as to whether consumers will see a Sunrise Record store in expensive-to-rent downtown or midtown Toronto.

The Financial Post reports the two big banks have improved earnings for the fiscal first quarter.

Randy Lennox

Mary Ann Turcke

Mary Ann Turcke is off to the NFL. The engineer and Bell Media overseer (CTV and the rest) will become the head of digital media for the football league. Randy Lennox takes over at Bell Media. Many will ask if Turcke’s move involves a way to help her former boss, now an important customer, play Canadian commercials during the Super Bowl. Turcke assumed the top job at Bell Media when Kevin Crull stressed out and tried to censor criticism of Bell by the federal broadcast regulator, the CRTC, in 2015. The NFL and Bell Media, a division of Montreal-based telecommunications giant BCE Inc., have tried to fight a regulatory ruling that barred Bell from substituting its own television signal and Canadian ads over the U.S. signal during the Super Bowl.

Proposal for Park East

“Tower” slide and water table

Park West

“Log Jam” and water table

Engaged meeting

A meeting of residents was fully engaged Monday evening at Manor Road United Church in a discussion of proposals for the two new parks to be created on Manor Road  The meeting was convened by Josh Matlow (Ward 22) and lasted about two hours.  It heard from and saw the work of landscape consultants Lori Philp and Shira Davis of the firm of Victor Ford and Associates Inc. The parks, located at 196 and 240 Manor, will be themed and equipped in “park west” as a passive green space for adults and at “park east” a place for children.

QUESTIONS BROAD AND NARROW

Those present asked many questions and offered suggestions broad in scope and narrow in detail. These included dogs (no off-leash runs) water (available from an installed main at 240 but not at 196) the style of benches and play structures  (in process)  flowers (perennials) trees and shrubs (yes) and fences (where needed for children). Someone suggested a bocci pitch at 196. A lively discussion was had on play structures at 240 Manor. Conventional playground equipment such as swings and see-saws have been set aside for communal climbing “jams”. One of these is a so-called Log Jam (see above) and another called a Log Tower and slide. Something named a water table in planned. It permits children to pump water onto a wooden table and play with it as it runs off.

PUBLIC-SPIRITED CHURCH

The budget for both parks is $700,000. In a closing note Mr. Matlow dealt with the need to name the parks in a way suitable to the public-spirited collaboration of the church in the plan to build the park at 240. The name Manor Road United Church Park seems inevitable. It has occupied this corner for nearly a century. Further meetings are planned.

It was a sold-out event again Friday night at Charlene Kalia’s benefit Laugh Out Loud in Leaside.. The event cleared all the tickets in record time in its eighth year. Some 200 guests enjoyed an evening of food comedy and music while supporting the Maddie project. The Maddie Project is a community effort in support of youth struggling with depression and other mental health related concerns.  Maddie’s Dad Chris Coultier thanked the guests for being there and Gwenyth Richardson. There was a live and silent auction as well as yuk yuck’s comedy followed by live music by The Indecision Band who had the  crowd up and dancing. Sponsors and contributors included Lexus On The Park, Neal Brothers Foods, Grill Time, De La Mer Fish Market, Chestnut Park Real Estate, Everlasting Moments Video and Photography, Amsterdam Brewery, RBC and Accurate Printing. Paul Constable was the MC (aka Canadian Tire Man).