It has sneaked up on most of Canada, but there will be a referendum this Friday in the Republic of Ireland on whether to abolish the country’s upper house, the body known as the Seanad, We know it here as the Senate. There is great discontent and dislike of the political class in Ireland following the thumping recession of recent years. There is no sympathy for the largely undemocratic Seanad and it may well be a casualty of bad times. Abolition would save an estimated $50 million in Canadian funds. As in Ottawa, those who feel the Irish Seanad is unnecessary and wasteful point to the exemplary places that have thrown out their upper chambers and are doing just fine, thank you. They would be Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand. It will be one to watch for on Friday.
Alert in Leslieville as man snaps pictures of kids
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A man seen taking pictures of a children in Leslieville is the cause of a general alert in the neighborhood tonight. Toronto police are alerting the public because of the reports. They say he packed up his camera and fled when bystanders noticed he was snapping photos of kids near Queen Street East and Jones Avenue on Tuesday at about 5:10 p.m. The man is white and five-foot-11 to six-foot-one with a medium build. He was wearing beige pants and a green shirt, and he was carrying a brown shoulder bag. In response to the incident, police are reminding parents to be mindful of their surroundings.
Somali-Canadian be-heads four sons in Somalia
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There has been an appalling crime against children committed by a man who is said to be a naturalized Canadian. It happened in Somalia where former Calgary taxi driver Omar Hassan has be-headed his four sons aged 11, 9, 7 and 6. This happened Monday. Sources in Calgary told the Canadian Press that Hassan had returned to Somalia a few weeks go for reasons unknown. Allvoices
Author Tom Clancy dead in Baltimore at age 66
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Tom Clancy, whose complex, adrenaline-fueled military novels made him one of the world’s best-selling and best-known authors, died on Tuesday in a hospital in Baltimore. He was 66. New York Times
Keep eye out for bike stolen off Sutherland Drive
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Pam Haines is asking everyone to be on the lookout for her TREK bike that was stolen out of her garage on Sutherland Drive sometime between September 19 and 23, 2013. It’s a women specific bike (SKYE SL DISC) and had a black rack on it (that may or may not have been removed by now). Pam is asking that you spread the word and try to get this valuable bicycle returned. You can contact the South Bayview Bulldog at news@bayview-news.com
CIBC branch on South Bayview adds an ATM
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The CIBC on South Bayview between Dollarama and Benjamin Moore Paint is closed today for renovations that are said to include another ATM
New Leaside rink to open Sunday, October 5, 2013
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Global News background on the new arena. Global News Part of the events of this Sunday will be the game between the Wildcats and Mississauga Chiefs. That goes at 3.30 p.m. Wildcats
Raging New York bikers called Motor Psychos
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Video taken down
2 held in Egypt are extremists, says Sun News
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Sun News has published and broadcast information about the two Canadians being held in Egypt which paints them, not as innocent tourists caught up in local events, but as militant activists who support the Muslim Brotherhood. The men are Dr. Tarek Lubiani and John Greyson, referred to for many weeks in the media simply as a physician and a filmmaker. The Sun News contention, as detailed by Michael Coren (inset) is that these titles may be correct in a narrow sense, but they provide no context to explain why the two men are being held by the Egyptian Army. Coren says that Dr. Loubiani is an extremist who has disrupted government news conferences in Canada to complain that he is a Palestinian refugee. He is, according to Coren, no such thing. The facts as stated by the Sun are rather remarkable. Mr. Greyson, says Coren, is a “leader of the extremist group called Queers Against Israeli Apartheid.” These previously unheard statements, if true, explain a lot about the difficulty the government is having getting the two men returned home. Sun News.Shiner, Mammoliti leasing bargains at 88 Erskine
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A story by City Hall investigative reporter Zach Dubinsky of the CBC says that Toronto council members David Shiner (Ward 24) and George Mammoliti (Ward 7) are both leasing two-bedroom apartments in a building owned by a subsidiary of Greenwin Property for much less than the market value. The story has good length of detail and is worth a read. The apartment building is located at 88 Erskine Ave. between Yonge St. and Mt. Pleasant Rd. in Ward 22. The subsidiary is Verdiroc Holdings. Below is an extract of Mr Shiner’s voting record in regard to Greenwin relevant to the time he has been in possession of the apartment in question.
In 2005, a year after Shiner became Verdiroc’s tenant, the company sought approval from a city tribunal to nearly double the number of units in a condo it was planning at Sheppard and Bayview avenues. The panel eventually deferred the request in a move marked by procedural irregularities. Shiner, who supported Verdiroc’s application, then brought a motion to have all five members kicked off the panel. The motion was ultimately ruled out of order, but not before landing Shiner and a fellow councillor in the headlines for months. He also cast four votes, over two ensuing council meetings, that helped block city lawyers from trying to fight Verdiroc’s proposal at the Ontario Municipal Board. In 2007, he voted on how to disburse $1 million in city subsidies for low-income renters. City staff had recommended allocating the money to an entire neighbourhood, instead of solely to tenants of a Verdiroc-owned building. Councillors voted 7-1 in favour of the staff plan, with Shiner as the lone dissenter. CBC
Thief on bicycle grabs purse at Broadway-Laird
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An unusual purse snatch has occurred at the corner Broadway Avenue and Laird Drive. A 32 year old woman was approached from behind by a man riding a bicycle. He grabbed the purse from her shoulder and fled heading west on Broadway Avenue. The woman was uninjured in the attack. It is a disturbing incident especially because of the early evening time period. It was ten after seven on Sunday, September 29, 2013. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, white, 20-25 years, 140-150 pounds, medium build, thin eyes, dark brown hair. Anyone on Broadway west of Laird who has video with a street view should tell police.
Farmer fights Ottawa for his family’s heritage
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Maclean’s online tells a story of Trenton area farmer Frank Meyers who has been fighting federal expropriation of his land for more than a decade. It has been in his family for centuries. Read it and see what you think. Maclean’s