On Tuesday and Wednesday City Council will debate a garbage privatization plan that backers claim will save taxpayers $8 million a year. Groups such as the Toronto Environmental Alliance have argued the savings would be lower than advertised but the public works committee last month voted in favour of the idea of contracting out curbside garbage and recycling collection from Etobicoke’s east border to Yonge Street. As is often the case, the “cost” as opposed to the “saving” of a propsition like this is clouded by political smoke. Do estimates include, for example, the cost of your time disposing of your garbage when there is a work stoppage?

There will be a period of overlap between the opening of the new Shoppers Drug Mart and the closing of the old one. The opening will take place on Thursday, May 26, 2011 and the closing of the old store will occur a few days after that.

Charlene Kalia, chair of the Leaside Arena Expansion Fundraising Committee, writes to remind us that a group of volunteers will be at various locations such as Valumart, Metro and around the east block of South Bayview this weekend handing out information on how to donate to the arena expansion. As she notes, “This is crunch time so we really need to spread the word.”

South Bayview is a wonderfully safe street but the “removal”of a dog from outside a City Loblaws should give dog owners pause. The owner tied up her Shih Tzu Maltese at a St. Clair Ave. West supermarket and went inside to shop. Security cameras caught a man who stopped to pet the dog, then picked it up and walked away. The dog has since been recovered after someomne phoned in a tip about a noisy dog. It’s a lot of heartache to lose a dog but they are expensive to replace as well. Many shops permit dogs but those selling and serving food do not. One or two other shops also forbid dogs although most dry goods stores are okay with the dog on a leash..