South Bayview Bulldog Admin

Yonge subway “Rockets” looking like Lemons

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Things are so bad — and so embarrassing — at the TTC that CEO Andy Byford (right) has called a top-level meeting here in Toronto with the boss of Bombardier, the company that manufactured the new so-called rocket trains. Turns out they are far from rockets and the evidence has been building for quite a while. Primarily, they suffer from what appears to be GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) programming in the software operating the doors. Quite frequently, the doors have trouble closing. News reports last summer lovingly heralded the new trains as state-of-the-art machines that would deliver a much-needed upgrade to Toronto’s 60-year-old Yonge line.  Byford has described the vehicles’ performance as “unacceptable”  and effectively summoned the CEO of the subways’ manufacturer, Bombardier, to impress upon the company “the need for substantial improvement in the performance” of the trains. A delegation from the Montreal-based company, including CEO Pierre Beaudoin (left) is expected in Toronto on Friday. The TTC’s latest monthly scorecard shows that trains on the Yonge-University-Spadina line where the Rockets are deployed are on schedule only 92.7 per cent of the time, well below the commission’s reliability target of 96 per cent.

Flaherty says housing market is under control

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Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says we’ve got the housing market under control and he’s not worried about a  collapse. The reason, he says, is that he has helped cool the market with a round of stricter mortgage rules. The finance minister says he is also encouraged that taxpayers are paying down their mortgages and credit cards, and taking on less debt. A soft landing in housing is better than a boom followed by a bust. Overall, the country’s economy advanced slightly by 0.6 per cent, about half the expected growth predicted by the Bank of Canada.

HS teachers to boycott extracurricular activities

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Teachers will be leaving right on time says the OSSTF.  Toronto Sun

Kate’s morning sickness is “a serious matter”

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$450,000 still needed to complete arena funding

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Brooke Biscoe, Chair of the Arena Board has written to say  that, as of December 1, generous donors have raised $3.05 million and so have only about $450,000 left to raise to meet the community fundraising goal of $3.5 million to complete the arena expansion.. Contributions of any amount will be gratefully received and can be made through the East York Foundation or by contacting the arena. If you made your donation in the 2011 tax year, Mr Biscoe asks if you would consider making an additional contribution before the end of 2012. Some naming opportunities are also still available for larger gifts. Inset is a picture of work as seen from the tracks

Buckingham Palace confirms Kate is pregnant

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Kate Middleton is pregnant, Buckingham Palace has confirmed! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby, according to an official statement just released by palace officials, who confirm that Kate Middleton and Prince William, both 30, are adding a royal boy or girl to their mix. The official statement of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy comes after an exhaustive set of baby rumors that have dogged the couple ever since their royal wedding in April 2011:  National Post   Rare morning sickness illness

Coin theft from residence on Sheldrake Blvd

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Toronto Police Service report:   A resident of Sheldrake Boulevard reports that between 1227 hours, September 1, 2012 and 1227 hours, November 21, 2012 a quantity of cash and foreign coins was removed from the residence

Bicycle traffic lights appearing across the U.S.

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Bicycle signals which assist both motorists and cyclists to get around more safely are appearing in many U.S. cities. Places like Austin, Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington are among 126 manicipalities that have installed the lights. It appears the earliest detected advantages of such lights are two. The first is to allow more time for a  bicycle rider to pass through an intersection before the light turns  red. The finer points of this process are not entirely clear from the written material available but the basic purpose seems clear. The second function appears to be to give cyclists a bit of a head start at a light to help them get out ahead of drivers who are turning right.  Again, you would like to see it in operation before trying it. Traffic specialists in jurisdictions using the signals say they are in a research period and expect that over time, the function of the bicycle lights will be written more fully into traffic codes.

Seniors home evacuated over CO fears

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A seniors home at Barberry Place near Bayview and Sheppard Avenue East was evacuated Sunday morning after high carbon monoxide readings. The Hazmat team ushered residents to an area of the building that had a zero reading while they searched for the source. They later discovered the cause — a burnt out motor on the roof that pumps air into the stairwells. Some seniors were treated by EMS with oxygen. Residents in affected units were relocated to parts of the building with a zero reading while officials vented the area.

Long-time Chick n Deli is now Seven44 on Mt Pleasant Rd

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Remember him?
The standby chicken and jazz place on Mt Pleasant known for decades as the Chick n Deli has changed names again. For a while there it was Peoples Chicken. Now new signage announces that the restaurant is called  SEVEN44  It’s an easy guess that this number is the address of the place and is well known to the timeless Chicken (Rooster?) who has been hanging out on the roof since the beginning of chicken time, which is measured in eggs, not hours  (Who writes this silly stuff?)

Half a house is smarter than none on Sutherland

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So here we are on lovely Sutherland Drive north of Parklea Drive where 399 has gone from a whole house (left) to half a house. No doubt we are well on the way to a larger residence with the northerly wall still where it was when the home was built so many years ago. It will be interesting to see where the parking is when the new wider place is finished.  

Deb Matthews endorses Kathleen Wynne

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Don Valley West MPP Kathleen Wynne has gained the endorsement of Health Minister Deb Matthews in her campaign to become leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario.  In a news release, Matthews heaped praise on Wynne.. “Kathleen listens and takes a collaborative approach to tackling tough challenges. She is ready to be Premier on day one.” Wynne’s campaign team posted a YouTube video with a personal endorsement from the Health Minister.