Month: March 2018

As usual, friends and good fun marked the Laugh Out Loud in Leaside charitable evening on Friday at the William Lea Room. This year the evening benefited Moorelands Community Services, a children’s charity that works in the neighbouring communities of Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park. Moorelands provides low-income kids with programs and leadership opportunities designed to strengthen their confidence, competence and character and to help them build positive connections with peers and caring adults. The evening generated $42,000 for Moorelands good work.

Police have released the picture of a man who they believe is a seventh victim in the serial killings investigation related to Bruce McArthur. They are asking the members of the public to call 416-808-2021 or any police location in Ontario if they recognize the man seen in the photo. At a news conference Monday morning at police headquarters on College St. the lead officer, Detective Sergeant Hank Idsinga, said he would not reveal where police found the photo. Also at the news conference, it was revealed that the remains of a seventh individual have been found in a planter at the Leaside property at 53 Mallory Cres. A news release says that of the seven sets of human remains, three sets have already been identified as belonging to Andrew Kinsman, Soroush Mahmudi and Skandaraj Navaratnam. Work continues to identify more victims. The release says that through several investigative techniques and community contacts, police have attempted to identify the man whose picture is seen at the above link. Link to live source and in due course video replay of the news conference.

Intent skip leads team to defeat of Quebec Sunday/TSN

Exciting play has been unfolding at the Tim Hortons Brier in Regina where Leaside’s Team Epping, skipped by John Epping, defeated Quebec Sunday. Monday the local team is back on the ice at 3 p.m. against Nunavut. Schedule of play at the Tim Hortons Brier 

Town Tavern at 16 Queen St. E.

The Market Gallery in the St. Lawrence Centre at 95 Front St. East has opened an exhibit called the History of Toronto Jazz Clubs Since 1946. It is on now and runs to June 23. The exhibit is curated by jazz historian Ralph Coram and chronicles the life and times of such places at the Colonial Tavern, the Town Tavern, Bourbon Street and George’s Spaghetti House. They helped establish and define Toronto’s identity as a music City. More information is available at here.

• Best Picture: “The Shape of Water” (WINNER)
• Actress: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (WINNER)
• Actor:Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour” (WINNER)
• Original Song: “Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez (WINNER)
• Original Score:“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat (WINNER)
• Original Screenplay: “Get Out,” Jordan Peele (WINNER)
• Adapted Screenplay: “Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory (WINNER)
• Live Action Short Film: “The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton (WINNER)

Moreno March 4 in Hollywood

Same dress

Best supporting actress of 1962

Red Carpet festivities get going early on Oscar night. This year saw Rita Moreno, best supporting actress in 1962 for her role on West Side Story, wearing the same dress she had on to collect her Oscar that night 56 years ago. Much other chit-chat included here as well.

Youthful exhuberance?

Book Fair image

Further to the mob scene in Hamilton’s Locke St. Saturday night, police say they are checking out just who was at the Anarchist book fair at Westdale Secondary School over the weekend. WSS is a couple of miles from the Locke St business district. The Facebook page for this book fair is amusing to read, even in the light of the damage done by a masked gang of about 30, dressed in black, who smashed windows on the street. They called themselves the Ungovernables. The FB account says it hopes the book fair will appeal to those “interested in anarchist and anti-authoritarian ideas” whether they are long-time believers or new to the chaotic persuasion (our words).

IMPORTANT TO “FIGHT WHERE YOU STAND”

“Our hope is to create a space where people from across Southern Ontario can come together to connect, share resources, discuss their projects, and lay the groundwork for more strength and collaboration.” Hmm. It goes on: “Acknowledging the importance of fighting where you stand, an emphasis will be placed on hosting workshops that are grounded in and relevant to local organizing efforts. We are hoping to bring together radicals and revolutionaries from throughout the region to strengthen existing relationships and build new networks – we want to chat about ways to foster a resilient movement, engage in critical dialogue, and facilitate strategic discussion. We want to think big and make even bigger plans.” Is that an incitement to violence? Just asking. Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath was expressing alarm and concern on Sunday. Anarchy is defined as “lawlessness and a state of disorder” which is not part of the NDP platform, we think. “Ungovernables” vandalize businesses on Hamilton street

A White House trade official has talked of “exemptions” as opposed to “exclusions” as he was questioned about how steel and aluminum tariffs might affect Canada. Peter Navarro referred in one instance to what Canadian Press calls “key industries.” This seems to refer to auto manufacturing. A tariff on steel and aluminum would play havoc on cross-border supply chains that use steel and aluminum. “There’s a difference between exemptions and country exclusions,” Navarro said on CNN. “There’ll be an exemption procedure for particular cases where we need to have exemptions so business can move forward. But at this point in time there would be no country exclusions.” What this means remains unknown until later this week when clarifications are expected.

President for Life?

Millions starved

Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping may not be as certifiably nuts as Mao Tse Tung. You know, back-yard iron smelters and millions dead from starvation. But there seems little doubt Xi is on his way to fashioning a Cult of Personality as China’s new Great Leader that will permit him to do whatever he wants, crazy or otherwise. Problem is, the longer a leader is in place, the crazier he gets.

Athena Gervais

Fckd Up beverage

Couch Tard

Athena Gervais, 14, was found dead Thursday in a stream behind her high school in Laval Quebec after a four-day search for the girl. An autopsy has shown that alcohol may have been a factor in her death. Her family acknowledges that Athena was a frequent drinker of the scandalous corner-store cocktail called Fckd Up. Until this weekend, it was sold at the Couch Tard depanneur chain all across Quebec. Astonishingly, it contains sugar, caffeine and nearly 12 percent alcohol. In the shock of the girl’s death Couch Tard said Friday it will pull Fckd Up off the shelf.  It is legal to sell alcohol drinks in Quebec corner stores but a purchaser has to be 18. It is not very clear just how carefully this is enforced but as in all such things it can be skirted. The maker of the drink is the Geloso Beverage Group, based in Laval.

Ungovernables on Locke St/Photo credit unknown

Damaged stores .

A group of about 30 persons dressed in black and wearing black masks marched down Locke St. in Hamilton’s southwest quadrant Saturday night breaking store windows and otherwise vandalizing shops. Police arrived and the mob fled. They carried a sign calling themselves the Ungovernables. Comments on Twitter suggested that, as in Montreal, this was a protest against vaguely-defined “gentrification.” With as many as 30 people in the group, it seems likely police will be able to make headway in identifying them. Police said they were “looking at” possible links to an Anarchist book fair that was being held at Westdsale Secondary School Saturday. No specific group has been identified but police said they were going to be investigating.

Edgelord anarchists, aka "bored teenagers with no money & jealousy issues" destroy private property while claiming "we are the ungovernables". Colour me shocked. I look forward to seeing "the ungovernables" eating court mandated processed-cheese-slice sandwiches from a jail cell. https://t.co/8JEhwD9l34

— Liberal, Not Lefty (@liberalnotlefty) March 4, 2018

Leaside Jr. Wildcats have won a berth in the quarter finals of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League playoffs by defeating Waterloo Rangers 3-2 Saturday night in K-W.  The winning goal came five minutes into overtime and was scored by Quinn Johnston assisted by Myah Bowal. The best of five preliminary series ended three games to one in favour of the Wildcats. Other preliminary winners are powerhouse Toronto Aeros, Oakville Hornets, Cambridge Rivulettes, Ottawa Lady Sens. Stoney Creek Sabres and the Nepean Wildcats. A deciding game in the series between Etobicoke and Whitby will be played tonight. An erroneous post appeared earlier and the Bulldog apologizes for that.