It appears that those who know about the urgent arrival of driverless cars say it’s going to be an awful shock to us when they materialize in showrooms in as soon as four years. It quotes an expert of some sort, Paul Godsmark, as saying we have to “get sub-optimal humans out of the equation.” That’s right Paul. In fact, self driving cars are too good for people. Make people walk and maybe bring the cars coffee. Are we still perimitted to make coffee? Rob Drinkwater
LRT stations and where they may be located
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The location of Eglinton LRT stations across the top of South Bayview continues to be a work in progress, evidently. Still, the estimable Bree Rody-Mantha has winkled out a few details, and we can add some more. The discussion has been underway among transit wonks for years as to where such stations should be located. In 2011, the Urban Toronto forum thread on this subject contained great detail on the so-called “station box” for the stop at Bayview Ave. It was to sit underground across Bayview on the north side, accessible from the Metro lot and from Sunnybrook Plaza. In the current issues of the Post Magazines, Ms Rody-Mantha has learned that the address of 1787 Bayview is mentioned as the location of the stop. That’s the McDonald’s building overlooking Talbot Park. But it may well be that this is merely a stairway entrance on the south sidewalk which will take riders to the platforms underground with the McDonald’s untouched, At Mount Pleasant, it appears the old bank building (inset) , now a Second Cup, will be the site of the LRT station. It’s nice to think that the 1940s centre of local commerce might survive as a train station but that seems a long shot. At Avenue Rd., the Metrolinx authorities were at some pains, Ms Rody-Mantha reports, to deny that the building now housing Oink Oink would have any role in the placement of the station at that street. Whatever the case, it is clear that Metrolinx is not finished the process of settling on locations and as one retailer on the route told Ms Rody-Mantha “they’ve changed their mind three or four times….” In such matters as this, it seems reasonable. The address of 1155 Eglinton Ave. E is given for the Don Mills Station. That number is well east of the Don Valley Parkway on Google maps but Google become inaccurate when there are no buildings to reference. There is apparently no information from Metrolinx for the stations at Laird Drive and the now on-again stop at Leslie Street. As to Laird, the old TD Bank building on the northwest corner (now a Starbucks) would make a graceful station entrance but once again, The Bulldog may be day dreaming. Previous post
100,000 sq ft of green space at Overlea Costco
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The Toronto city staff report on the proposal by Costco to develop the old Coca Cola properties on Overlea Blvd. is now online. The report will be considered by North York Community council on September 10, 2013. As previously reported by The South Bayview Bulldog, Costco wishes to demolish the present buildings dating from 1965. The new structure would be a one-storey, 156,521 square foot store and warehouse. The staff report says, among many other things: “The site design includes 100,331 sq,ft. of landscape area representing approximately 18% of the site area (the buildings occupy 28% and the surface parking lot occupies 54%). Landscaped areas are proposed along the Overlea Boulevard frontage (ranging from a depth of 14 to 20 metres); landscaped islands within the parking lot; within a 3 metre strip along the entire western edge of the site; and within a strip of varying dimension along the Thorncliffe Park Drive frontage. The design of the Overlea Boulevard landscaped frontage would include a large pedestrian seating area in front of the building (and in close proximity to an existing TTC bus service stop) and centred around the relocated Coca-Cola bronze sculpture.” The sculpture is the work of the late Walter Yarwood, one of the so-called Painters 11. These were Canadian artists who formed their relationship in Toronto in 1953. The Costco plan also calls for a four-island, eight pump service station on Thorncliffe Park Dr. and 607 outdoor parking spaces. Staff reports like this one are intended to guide council and usually become the basis for the terms on which permission is given to proceed.
Night owl mines gas-bar gold in Europe
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The familiar Mac’s Milk logo with the winking owl is how most of us know the Quebec-based mammoth Alimentation Couche-Tard. Next time you step into the Mac’s at Sunnybrook Plaza or the On-the-run store in the Esso station at Merton and Mt Pleasant, you will be visiting one of the most profitable companies in the country. The name means Night Owl Supply more or less in English. Last year Couche Tard purchased a 2300-location gas bar chain from the Norwegian company StatOil ASA. The oil producer had spun off its retailing business and collected some $2.8 billion for it from Couche Tard. Now the payoff. Yesterday Couche Tard reported that its quarterly profit more than doubled compared with a year ago — $255 million, up from $102.9 million. Couche Tard, already the largest convenience store operator in North America, now has locations similar to the On-the-run grocery and gas outlets in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia.Toronto records six-month $99 million surplus
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Toronto has recorded a $99 million surplus for the six-month period ended June 30, 2013 it has been announced. Projections indicate that the year-end net surplus is anticipated to be $58.544 million. Higher than planned revenues for Toronto Building, mainly from a sustained high volume of permit application intake and lower than planned Ontario Works caseload costs, plus under-spending in salaries and benefits due to unfilled staff vacancies, has resulted in City operations being under-spent by $28.553 million or 3.2 per cent at June 30, 2013. Higher than planned revenue from the Municipal Land Transfer Tax and Third Party Sign Tax also contributed to the net variance.
Premier will oppose fast-track Senate abolition
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Premier Wynne has decided to formally oppose the fast-track plan of the Harper government for abolition of the Senate. The province filed papers with the Supreme Court of Canada this week arguing against the streamlined formula. In the past, the Premier has offered up the notion of the Senate as a body of “sober second thought”. Federal Democracy Minister Pierre Polliviere will appear before the high court justices to argue that Ottawa has the power to shut down the un-elected body using the “7/50 Rule”. That is, the House of Commons would be able to abolish the Senate with the support of any seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population. The Bulldog believes the “second thought” argument offered by the Premier does not hold water. It is not true and is an insult to Canadians who govern themselves in cities and provinces without an un-elected ornamental gallery of party hacks burning up millions of dollars. With respect to the Premier, she would be hard put to cite a single example of jurisdictions that eliminated their upper chambers and had any regret. Nova Scotia, New Zealand, Sweden — they’re doing fine, thanks. How about Ontario? We haven’t heard any nostalgia for the “Executive Council”, abolished in 1838 after the people of Ontario rebelled. The Senate is and always has been simply a device for lubricating the machinery of the party in power. Who on earth is the Premier listening to?
Cigar party dodged sidewalk repairs by hours
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What a difference a few hours makes when you are planning a customer appreciation night. This is the sidewalk outside Smokin’ Cigar this morning (Friday, August 30). Last night, as chronicled in the post below, Smokin’ Cigar had a party on this spot. As disruptive as the sidewalk construction has been, however it seems the crews are making good headway and replacement concrete is being set down very quickly. Looks like they will easily complete the work, which extends from Moore Ave. to Eglinton Ave, by the target date of September 30, 2013.
Smokin’ Cigar holds customer appreciation night
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There was lots of action on South Bayview last night (Thursday, August 29) as Smokin Cigar held its customer appreciation night. Congenial owner Trae (inset upper left with friend) provided a Cohiba-quality show of music and dancing for guests. There was free ice cream from the Sno-Cup truck and that well-known party guy Fred Pierce of Bennington Heights was there with his aquamarine Amphicar CAR H2O. Good fun.
Tenants are evicted — let the lease inquiries begin
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Having evicted the tenants from the property known as the Talbot apartments on Bayview Ave., the management company has now posted signs inviting leasing inquiries. The last two tenants of the 1939 buildings struck a deal with the Manitoba government-owned company that has been trying to evict them. As readers of The South Bayview Bulldog will know, the holding company, ADMNS Kelvingrove, told all tenants in April that they had to get out so it could renovate the apartments. As posted earlier, this action seemed at the time — and it still seems — like a device to get long-time tenants paying lower rents out of the units so that they could be upgraded for new better-heeled tenants. The management company employed by ADMNS Kelvingrove, HPI Realty Management, 21 St.Clair East, is inviting leasing inquiries. HPI, which also is known as High Peak, boasts on its website that it is known for a “pragmatic approach to problem solving.” No doubt. It’s an approach deeply appreciated we daresay by its ultimate superior in this matter, the Civil Service Superannuation Board of Manitoba, a pension fund ultimately answerable to the NDP government of the province.Bicycle central has its own special issues
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It’s not likely that South Bayview will ever become the same kind of “bike central” that now occupies the intersection of Sherbourne and Carlton Sts. at the northeast corner of Allan Gardens. For one thing, bicycle lanes like those now operating on Sherbourne eliminate all parking. Not too much need for parking there but you may have read how the so-called restricted bike lanes, like the ones on Sherbourne, are set to be installed on Harbord St. Businesses there are seriously concerned. In the composite picture you can see how the designers of the lanes have tried to reconcile TTC loading and unloading. Passengers have to cross the active bike lane. We assume the bikes are supposed to stop for pedestrians but this may be uncharted water. The yellow section of sidewalk is dimpled plastic like the kind used to trim the edges of the Yonge subway platform. In the side pictures (top) a man steps off the bus into the bike lane. He may or may not have looked to see if a bike was coming. Lower picture shows the west side of Sherbourne where roughly piled and locked up bikes await the return of their owners Several bike racks on the street looked like this.
Hey, we didn’t create the list of livable cities
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There’s nothing like a list of rankings in which Toronto has a stake to start the twaddle rolling in the Queen City. After the Englishmen at the Economist magazine ranked English-speaking cities first, third, fourth (Toronto) and fifth among 140 livable cities, the experts were un-caged to comment. In Toronto the tedious Christopher Hume was moaning about everything from transit to affordability to the apparently multiplying number of “priority neighborhoods” Okay, but do people who live in such places even know they are cast in this unsavoury light? The Anglo prejudices of those chappies at the Economist notwithstanding, Toronto is a nice place because of the people who founded it, and whose polite and tolerant culture prevails for the most part to this day. All are welcome and somehow those who came later really get that, because they like it here. It’s common knowledge in the affluent realms of Beijing that you send your precious sons and daughters to Toronto not Chicago. Perhaps it is a low blow to point out that Damascus (for heavens sake) was last on the list and Mogadishu somehow or other got left out. Hey, we didn’t compile the list. Previous post
Kim’s former girlfriend executed says report
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A bloody series of executions in North Korea is being reported by papers in South Korea and Hong Kong. One of the dead is said to be the former girlfriend of the little dictator Kim Jung un. The executed were members of three of North Korea’s most popular music bands, the Unhasu Orchestra, the Wangjaesan Light Music Band and the Moranbong Band. The slaughter of the singer, Hyon Song Wol (left) was supposedly triggered by the making of a pornographic video of band members which some of them were said to be selling. Analysts in Japan say however that regardless of whether such a video exists, it cannot be the reason for such a harsh reaction. Some think that there is a scent of politics or revenge in the air. Kim Jung un’s wife, Ri Sol ju (right) used to be a singer in the Unhasu Orchestra. So far as anyone knows, she is doing fine. An expert on North Korean affairs believes the reported machine-gun executions were done for “political reasons.” “If these people had only made pornographic videos, then it is simply not believable that their punishment was execution,” Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo’s Waseda University and an authority on North Korean affairs, told The Daily Telegraph. “They could have been made to disappear into the prison system there instead. “There is a political reason behind this,” he said, suggesting that the groups may have been leaning towards a rival faction in Pyongyang’s shadowy political world. “Or, as Kim’s wife once belonged to the same group, it is possible that these executions are more about Kim’s wife,” Professor Shigemura added. The nickname Kim Jung Unstable is there for reason, it seems.