South Bayview Bulldog Admin

Air Canada to buy Boeing 737 short haul jets

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Boeing 737 MAX
Air Canada is jumping to a full Boeing fleet for its domestic and short haul service. The national carrier announced today that it will buy 61 of the latest version of the Boeing 737 narrow bodies, a move that will equip it with the same jets as competitor West Jet.  AC may expand this order to a total of 109 of the narrow body 737s as it retires Airbus and Embraer models. The order includes two sizes of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with between 162 and 180 seats in two seating classes. The firm order is valued at US$6.5 billion at list prices, although airlines often discounts. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2017 with two planes and with the firm order to be completed in 2021.  The Boeing 737 MAX uses the CFM International LEAP-18 engines that promise to deliver a 14 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency over the current narrow bodies in service.

Excited politicos to blow billions on “transit”

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The truth at last. It comes in the form of a report from something called the Neptis Foundation, a Toronto-based planning body. It sears both provincial and city politicians for trying to buy votes with billion dollar projects that are unnecessary. Neptis report author Michael Schabas blows away the idea of a Scarborough subway. Get people downtown from the east by electrifying the GO lines and clearing the rails for faster frequent service, he says. Schabas claims the much ballyhooed  Downtown Relief Line is a multi-billion dollar madness that will never pay for itself. The report is in the Toronto Star. It comes on the same day that Premier Wynne’s transit commission, headed by Anne Golden, is expected to recommend  a five-cent a litre gas tax, corporate taxes and a land-value capture (the term just gives one a bad feeling). Maybe they plan to “capture” people and rob them.  Neptis report 

Can Post’s monopoly on delivery of letters

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Andrew Coyne makes the case for Canada Post to give up its monopoly on letter delivery in Canada.  We referred to this senseless barrier to private enterprise yesterday (previous post). Coyne reminds us that the Canada Post Office Corporation Act gives Can Post the “exclusive privilege” to deliver  first-class mail, making it  illegal for anyone but the post office to deliver a letter for less than three times the price of a stamp. Andrew Coyne

593 Soudan Ave (new house) sells for $1,865,000

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The fine new home at 593 Soudan Ave. has been sold.  We have followed the interesting history of this property. The selling price on December 6, 2013 was just $10,000 under the list price of $1,875,000.  Three previous posts

La Croisee brings taste of Burgundy to Bayview

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La Croisee French Restaurant has opened at 1620 Bayview Ave. Chef Adrien Bailleux says he is bringing the tastes of Burgundy to Bayview Ave with a menu featuring authentic dishes from his mother’s village in that province of France. The dishes look appetizing and the prices seem reasonable. A starter of parsley seasoned ham terrine with fresh garden sprouts and confit of onion is $12. An entree of New Burgundy Beef with polenta is $24. The interesting name of this new restaurant with a serene atmosphere is best translated as a happy meeting place of many things. Good luck to La Croisee.   

Christmas sale on gold earrings at Dolly Jewellers

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There is a timely 25% off Christmas Sale at Dolly Jewellers 1699 Bayview Ave on Italian gold earrings. The large selection of earrings has sets sale priced from $99 from now right through to December 24. Take a look.  We’re told many customers have taken a shine to this sale. 

Just give Canada Post to private enterprise

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You say it’s time for the government to admit that it should just get out of the mail business altogether. You fume that if it can’t deliver the mail at least a couple of days a week, it is a useless money wasting anachronism. Yes, they could turn over what’s left of the business to private enterprise. If Revenue Canada needs to send a dunning notice, they could hire a for-profit courier service. Ah but did you know that Canada Post owns the right to deliver mail? That’s right. It’s illegal for FedEx or anyone else to deliver a letter to you. No no. Parcels okay, but not mail. Nor will Canada post permit honest local business people to deliver mail for whatever money they can make at it. That’s owned by Canada Post. Like a jealous boyfriend they say that if they can’t have the mail, no one else is going to have it. Look, just play ball with Canada Post and find your way to a lovely ice-covered community mailbox located God-knows-where. What’s wrong with that?

Door-to-door delivery to end within 5 years

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Canada Post is phasing out door-to-door delivery of regular mail to urban residents and increasing the cost of stamps in a major move to try to reduce significant, regular losses. The Crown corporation announced its plans in a news release today (Wednesday, December 11, 2013) saying urban home delivery will be phased out over the next five years.  It will surprise some that only one-third of all homes continue to receive door-to-door delivery. Rural and condominium-like buildings already have community mailboxes. It seems likely however that condo and apartment dwellers will also find themselves trekking to a large community mail centres along with homeowners, The decision comes with many unanswered questions. Although the community boxes are said to be secure and individualized to each user, there is no information as to how convenient they may be. Residents of lower South Bayview will know how inaccessible is the postal office serving Moore Park and north Rosedale. Fetching undelivered registered mail requires a fight through traffic to Yonge and St. Clair, paid parking and long walks the basement outlet. And how will the elderly cope? Canada Post said it is also planning to scale down its labour force by between 6,000 and 8,000 people, though it maintains it can do so through attrition as about 15,000 employees are scheduled to retire in the coming years.  Gazette  Canada Post news release  Urban dwellers baffled by community boxes.

Here comes the ho-ho-ho snow South Bayview

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Fun on Inglewood

Here it comes South Bayview. There will be snow and lots of it this weekend and these parading Santas on Inglewood Drive seem ready for it. At least five neighbors along the street decided to get the big blow-up St. Nicks from Canadian Tire. More fun than snow for sure. The Weather Channel says as much as 10 cm on Saturday, but others say maybe 15 cm. We have had wonderful weather so far this season, whatever you may think to the contrary. The normal daytime high for Toronto in December is 2 C. The normal low is -5 C. Temperatures across southern Ontario over the next few days will continue to be below average with highs near -6 C until Friday. And that’s when things start to get snowy. If you’re a skier or enjoy the snowy outdoors, however, you’ll enjoy what’s coming. North of the GTA, in cottage country, snow squalls have persisted since the weekend. Areas like Bracebridge could see more than 40 cm of accumulation by Thursday. Further south, in Toronto, the snow will start on Friday.

Northlea’s Jake named “favourite crossing guard”

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Jake Apacible

Jake Apacible has been chosen one of Canada’s most popular crossing guards in a national contest which ended in November. Mr Apacible is the long-standing and much-loved guide at  Northlea Elementary and Middle School at 305 Rumsey Road. The crossing guard appeared today on CP24 with two pupils from Northlea. He is said to be a consistently cheerful and caring guard who travels from his home in Markham every day on time and without fail. Jake receives $500 for his win. The contest is run by FedEx Express Canada and Parachute to help recognize the contributions of special crossing guards in Canada. Students, teachers and parents across the country are invited to nominate their favourite guards during “Canada’s Favourite Crossing Guard Contest”. The contest winner’s school also wins $500. The news was announced on the school’s website by Sarah Dawson and Wilmar Kortleever, representatives of the Northlea School Council and Northlea Home and School Association:  “When informed yesterday about the designation, Jake expressed honour and delight. Modest as ever, he immediately shared his accomplishment with family, his coordinator at the Toronto Police Service, and indeed the entire school: ‘I really feel that I am a part of the Northlea community’, said Jake, who for 10+ years has traveled all the way from (Markham) every day to assist our children.” Typically, three winners are named but this year’s judging panel was so impressed with their top four choices that four have been named. The other winners are in Winnipeg, St John’s, Newfoundland and Whitehorse, Yukon.

OPG fires three top executives for overspending

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The rich and creamy gravy train at the government power authority ran smack off the tracks today when three top executives were fired from the their cushy positions. The Ontario Power Generation was directed by the Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli to dismiss two vice presidents, internal audit and strategic initiatives, and the corporation’s chief financial officer. The action came on the same day that the provincial auditor, Bonnie Lysyk, released a report that condemned the OPG for a system of remuneration that is five times richer than the rest of the public sericie in Ontario. Compensation packages at OPG are “significantly more generous” than for comparable positions in the civil service, and have a financial impact on the cost of electricity.  Lysyk concluded citizens pay much more than they should for electricity because 62 percent of OPG staff make more than $100,000. Ms. Lysyk scores the OPG as a top-heavy bureaucracy of executives one of whom is said to have billed $392,000 in moving expenses. Talk about the careless use of other Peoples Money. The top five OPG executives would be eligible for annual pensions of up to $760,000 when they retire. Lysyk also found that OPG is rife with nepotism. The auditor discovered about 12 per cent of OPG employees — or 1,400 staffers — reside at 700 addresses “indicating that they were most likely family members.”  

Postal deadlines looming for Christmas delivery

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The deadline for sending parcels within Canada by Regular Parcel Post the is end of tomorrow (Wednesday, December 11. 2013).  Other mailing deadlines to get presents in the mail in time for Christmas are listed here.

Holiday cards:
Dec. 19 for local delivery
Dec. 18 for delivery in the same province
Dec. 17 for delivery to another province
Holiday cards to the U.S.:
Dec. 13 for delivery to any U.S. state
Holiday packages within Canada:
Dec. 23 with Priority shipping
Dec. 20 with Xpresspost shipping
Dec. 11 with regular parcel shipping
Holiday packages to the U.S.
Dec. 20 with Priority shipping
Dec. 17 with Xpresspost shipping
Dec. 10 with regular parcel shipping