Month: January 2021

Donald Trump has conceded the election but didn’t mention his successor Joe Biden by name. Amid mounting calls for his removal from office, Trump finally denounced Wednesday’s violence that left five people dead, including a police officer. In a video released on Thursday evening, the Republican president also promised a smooth and orderly transition of power later this month, although he stopped short of abandoning his claims of fraud. He’s also said he won’t attend the inauguration ceremony, a time-honored custom that acknowledges the importance of democracy.

Canadian prison inmates vaccinated

CTV says that starting Friday, hundreds of federal inmates will begin to receive COVID-19 vaccines as part of a pilot project. Its source is the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO). This interesting act of love and equality has sparked debate among federal and provincial politicians about who is being prioritized in the early stages of the mass vaccination campaign. As part of the initial vaccine rollout, 1,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered to prisons across the country. In all, 600 inmates will receive vaccinations, with each inmate getting the required two doses over a few weeks. The Moderna vaccine will be used for this immunization effort.

Hyundai to build an e-car with Apple?

Hyundai and Apple have announced a partnership to make the Apple car, aka Project Titan. Specifically, it’s said that Hyundai will be leading the battery design for the electric vehicle.

Bell Media has fired seven vice-presidents as the pandemic slashes advertising and cord-cutting by households preferring streaming continues unabated. Revenue was down 16 percent in 2020. The firm is now expected to push harder on behalf of its own streaming service Crave among other strategies. High-ranking executives Mike Cosentino, president of content and programming, and Tracey Pearce, president of distribution and pay, are leaving the company. Other departures include Corrie Coe, senior vice-president of original programming; Nanci MacLean, vice-president of Bell Media Studios; Mark Finney, vice-president of strategic sales; and Paul Solymos, vice-president of content sales and distribution. Kevin Goldstein, vice-president of regulatory affairs, has also been let go. Bell Media is the owner of the CTV Network. Google News search

Mob attacks the US Capitol Wednesday

In what appears to be a constitutional crisis unseen since the US civil war, mobs supporting the continuation of the Trump presidency have vandalized the Capitol building and forced members of the government to hide in their offices. Late Wednesday, Trump issued an appeal to his supporters to go home. Congress later confirmed Joe Biden as president. Trump maintains he defeated Biden and won the election. There is widespread bipartisan opposition to this belief. The ten living former secretaries of defense representing both Republican and Democratic governments have published a letter telling Trump to stand down. They warned military officers that their allegiance was to the constitution, not the president. Vice President Pence has said that his only constitutional option is to approve the Electoral College decision to make Biden president. A republic, if you can keep it.

Metrolinx has announced that as early as Wednesday crews at Mt Pleasant Station will resume the final excavation and chipping works at the Main Entrance site. This work is expected to take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for approximately one week. During this time, nearby properties may experience noise and vibration. Noise and vibration can be expected as well as truck entry and egress from the Main Entrance site on the northwest corner of Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton. No changes to the current traffic configuration and pedestrian routes are expected as a result of this work. Chipping is described elsewhere as the process of removing hard or dried material such as rock or concrete from a surface.

Fire in a home under renovation/Sabina Hooper

Residents near Mortimer and Woodycrest Aves were up early when a two-alarm fire broke out in a home under renovation. The tweet with pictures (below) from Breakfast Television producer Sabina Hooper was sent at (ugh) 3 a.m. Maybe just in time to go to work.

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The City has installed large electric signs at the corner of Bayview Ave. and Moore Ave. to tell drivers when the risky flood-prone Bayview extension is impassable. Shawn Dartsch, Supervisor of Traffic Operations confirmed the purpose of the large oblong signs which face north, west and east. The signs are destined to sit in darkness for most of the time but they should help everyone avoid problems when flash flooding occurs.

Tanya Roberts, known for roles in “That ‘70s Show,” “Charlie’s Angels” and the James Bond franchise, has died at age 65 after collapsing at her home on Christmas Eve. The actress and model died Monday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, her longtime representative, Mike Pingel, confirmed “with a heavy heart” Tuesday afternoon to The Times. According to Pingel, the cause of death was a urinary tract infection, which spread to Roberts‘ kidney, gallbladder, liver and finally her bloodstream. Over the weekend, the actress was reported dead but then reported alive.

WestJet selling planes to Amazon to ship cargo

Amazon has announced the purchase of 11 Boeing 767-300 aircraft including four secured from Calgary-based WestJet. According to the online retailer, the aircraft were purchased from WestJet in March 2020 and will join the Amazon Air fleet this year after the completion of passenger to cargo conversion. Amazon says the other seven planes were purchased from Delta Air Lines.

12,638 diamonds in this ring

It was made by a jeweller in India and is called The Marigold: The Ring of Prosperity.

The Ministry of Health has counted 3,128 new cases on Tuesday for the 24-hour period ending at midnight. It’s a slight drop from the 3,270 cases confirmed the day before. This is the fourth time in the past six days that cases have topped 3,000 but the rise in cases may have paused. The Battle of January is in full tilt. Ontario conducted nearly 35,200 tests in the previous day, which is short of its goal of 50,000 tests per day. The testing backlog stands at 39,805.

Georgia

Looking good at Trace Manes new playground

Councillor Robinson has announced the opening of the new playground at Trace Manes Park. A photo of the recently finished happy-place for kids shows it just before the snow arrived. The renewal of the playground was accomplished with the inspiration and drive of Georgia’s mother, Jillian, and the generous efforts of friends in Leaside and beyond. The old playground was a favorite place for Georgia, 7. May the new one delight children and keep the memory of Georgia fresh.

Meat truck rear-ended by another tractor trailer at bridge abutment

The cleanup was proceeding Tuesday after a terrible rear-end collision between trucks that left one truck driver fighting for his life. It was a complicated sequence explained by 680 News reporter Carl Hantske.

Shareholders in France have voted to merge the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars with the US Fiat/Chrysler firm. Will we soon see fancy Peugeots on Bayview Ave? Then, say hello to a New England cop named Matthew Lima. He’s the kind of guy who digs around in his own pocket to buy groceries for a bereft family of shoplifters. Below that, Point Roberts, Washington falls below the 49 parallel but many of its citizens would like to live in Canada. Finally, some good news stories from 2020 from the CBC. Yes, there were some.