Four people were taken to hospital Monday afternoon during the thunder and lightning storms that are rumbling across the City. The call came in from 360 Morningside Ave.about 3.20 p.m. Global News says the victims are conscious in hospital. A witness seen on CP24 said three adults and a child had been picnicking in Morningside Park and had huddled near or under a tree to escape the rain. Lighting struck the tree with some of the voltage impacting those under underneath it. Basic safety advice in lightning storms is to stay away from trees but not everyone knows this important information. There was apparently a second bolt which is believed to have struck an EMS vehicle but no one was hurt. Photo courtesy of  Global News via Twitter. 
HAIL IN BARRIE
North of Toronto in places like Barrie there were nasty hail stones falling on peoples heads. Twitter pictures are graphic 

Even the most casual of food shoppers will have noticed that the magic high summer moment when Ontario peaches hit the market has arrived. The splendid sweet and juicy bounty is on sale pretty much everywhere. So great for any kind of eating. Cut ’em up in wedges and gobble them down with your morning coffee. Or whatever. It gives a whole new meaning to buying produce locally. Of course the peach tradition runs deep in Ontario. This week sees the beginning of the annual peach festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Next weekend (August 9-10) NOTL’s Queen Street will be closed off through the heritage district so visitors can stroll the many farm stands. There will be peaches of course but also  pies, jams, jellies, ice cream, drinks and more. Five bands will perform: The Toronto All Star Band, David Hoy, St. Catharines Pipe Band, Fort George Fife and Drum Corps and Ceol Cara. Saturday’s events run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Queen Street from Victoria to King streets. The evening celebration kicks off at 6 p.m. with live salsa music, wineries, breweries and tasty delights from the Signature Kitchens of Niagara-on-the-Lake. That event runs until 10 p.m. On Sunday, the fun continues at St. Vincent de Paul Church on Picton Street. Running from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. there will be face painting, crafts, balloon animals, live entertainment, barbecued fare. And peaches. In the evening, the Shades of Summer celebration returns with a large dinner party on Queen Street. There will be tables and chairs set up in advance with live music, gourmet picnic boxes available for purchase and more. Tables of eight are $240. For more information, contact the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber at 905-468-1950 —  with The Spectator

The Thorncliffe Park Tenants had a wonderful day for their Meet and Greet BBQ today (Sunday, august 3, 2014) and as predicted, many candidates were there looking for votes.  For reasons not explained, Mayor Ford did not attend, even though he had been expected. John Tory, Olivia Chow, Karen Stintz and David Soknacki and Ari Goldkind were there. We know this because of the work of Leaside gadfly Rudy Limeback (rudy.ca)  Click the image below to go to his Twitter assessment of the day. Rudy is quite taken with one of the many candidates running, Morgan Baskin, noting the old truth that youth matters.  (Yes, but do they vote?) Candidates like John Tory were happy to have their pictures taken with local residents and to reinforce their multicultural credentials. (See link below). The topic of the day was the proposed five-per cent hydro increase, put forward by Toronto Hydro to the Ontario Energy Board last week. Other issues relating to Thorncliffe have been living underground during this campaign. The proposed Costco store is seldom mentioned by politicians because it is polarizing, especially on the west side of the tracks. In Thorncliffe Park itself, the Costco plan is wildly popular. It remains quietly before City Staff and that seems to be where almost everyone wants it to remain.   Twitter search Thorncliffe BBQ