South Bayview Bulldog Admin

Pottery Rd across the valley closed this weekend

Pottery Rd. across the Don Valley will close this evening at 8 p.m. for the weekend to permit critical GO Transit rail work  The road will be shut from between Bayview and Broadview Aves. but there will be access to local businesses (Fantasy Farm, Todmorden Mills) from Broadview only. Pottery Rd. is expected to re-open September 2, 2014 at 5 a.m.

Things pretty much the same on South Bayview

The Bulldog likes to believe that everyone does his best and so when the stylish but now soiled trash bins with the foot-pedal action become clogged with rubbish, hey, we assume someone will be along soon to remove it. Work is underway to grind down the stone and cement composition which sits between our trees. We have come to call it Terrazzo 2. Terrazzo 1 you will recall, turned to gravel with the first snow last winter. Let’s see how Terrazzo 2 manages. At the north end, merchants are bemused by the appearance of the plastic flower boxes, six of them, which now look like they are having a convention from the corner of Parkhurst Blvd. down to about Dolly Jewellers at 1699 Bayview. As we say, everyone does his best in this scribblers digest and thus Councillor Parker has produced these very nicely planted boxes on the street, however odd their clustering, and we thank him.  

Cuban “Sunwingy” caper might cost $250,000

This CBC television report is online and wraps up some information about when military fighter planes are summoned to accompany a jetliner home. Cost of the disruption, caused by drunken passengers, is said to be as high as $250,000 altogether. There is a further court appearance in Brampton set for Friday, August 29, 2014. Previous post   

Horror and grief as two die in Missy bike accident

Peel Police are suggesting a motorcycle was speeding in the moments before a terrible accident with a car at Burnhamthorpe Rd. and Westminister Place in Mississauga.  A man and woman riding the bike are dead in the aftermath It happened about 8.30 p.m. according to local media The male rider was  pronounced dead on scene, while his female rider was taken to Mississauga Hospital where she expired. The victims are believed to be in their 20s. CP24 reported the arrival of distraught relatives of the couple. One woman wailed  “That’s my brother.” 

Fine-rolled and premium night at Smokin’ Cigar

Bayview Ave was jumping with Cuban music and dancers Thursday night as Smokin’ Cigar staged its annual thank you party for customers. Once again this mini-street festival embraced stores on either side of the fine cigar emporium at 1540 Bayview. On the north and south respectively The Flower Nook and Sport Clips barber shop let the gathering spill onto their space. Ladies from Sport Clips, the stylish hair cutting place, offered cigar smokers a voucher for a free haircut. Sport Clips seems to have discovered a law of nature that a man’s hair must be cut by a woman. Who knew? As usual, Smokin’ Cigar owner Trae Zammit had arranged for an ice cream truck to park at the curb. Nothing like some ice cream with your Cohiba and nice for kids and parents going by who were not going to be lighting up a cigar this night. Altogether, a premium and fine-rolled evening of gentlemen enjoying their cigars.  Thursday, August 28, 2014

Holt Renfrew closes stores in Ottawa, Quebec City

1910 ad for new Toronto store

Holt Renfrew says it will close its stores in Ottawa and Quebec City at the end of January 2015. The decision is taken in the face of what is expected to be intense new competition across the country from Nordstrom and in Toronto from Saks. The company says the Ottawa store has 72 employees, while the Quebec City store has 85. But is the profound turning of the corner in Canada’s retail history that grips the attention as much as the job losses. Founded in 1837 as a superior fur shop in Quebec City, Holt Renfrew (or Holt’s) has been Canada’s premier clothing store for women for more than a century. Holt Renfrew is focusing expansion plans on its key markets in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. Holts says it will expand and renovate its Bloor St. store in Toronto, including the addition of a new facade. Stores in Vancouver and Calgary will also be updated.

OMB okay for “outrageous” towers on Broadway

Residents north of Eglinton East are venting a lot of steam these days with the decision to permit a twin-towered development at 95-99 Broadway Ave on the corner of Redpath Ave. That location is between Yonge St. and Mt. Pleasant Rd.  The development rises to some 34 storeys with the towers located on a so-called podium, as is architecturally in vogue these days. It is owned by Sentinel (Broadway) Holdings Inc. The final approval was given in recent days by the Ontario Municipal Board, a body that is deeply disliked by municipal councillors.  Josh Matlow (Ward 22) calls the approval “outrageous”. He says the proposal for “two 38-storey (sic) towers on a relatively small site (runs) counter to the tenets of the provincial growth plan, which states that the greatest heights and densities should occur at the intersection of Yonge and Eglinton and then decrease the further away a development is located from that junction. This project will have a density twice that of the Minto development. While there is nothing more that can reasonably be done to fight this development, the experience has furthered my resolve to free Toronto from the OMB.” Urban Toronto 

Operation Yellowbird recovers costly hot cars

Early morning raids numbering perhaps as many as 30 were carried out by Toronto Police today. They have netted what cops call “extremely significant amounts of property”. Police swooped down in widespread locales around dawn –Toronto, York Region and Niagara Region — in what they named Operation Yellowbird.  An expensive yellow porsche was stolen early in the investigation. Police recovered 23 vehicles worth as much as $2 million. It’s alleged those involved in the break-ins stole jewelry, electronics and luxury goods as well as high-value vehicles. Heavily armed tactical officers were involved in the early-morning raids. A news conference is scheduled for Thursday with more information. 

Rob Ford uncouth, inept and maybe electable

Two weeks after its August 8, 2014 poll showing John Tory in the lead for the office of mayor, Forum Research has another poll showing the gap between Tory and Mayor Ford is closing. In early August Tory had 35%, Ford 27% and Chow 25%. Today’s poll reveals Tory with 34%, Ford 31% and Chow with 23%. These results are taken here as evidence there is really nothing the public likes about Mr. Ford except his politics. If the mayor can make the public forget that he is an alcoholic and former drug user, a foul-mouthed man with not-very-nice instincts about women — then he has a chance. Why? Because the other candidates continue to gift Mr. Ford with issues that strike home with taxpayers. The Bulldog noted this week that City Council had decided to pay Councillor Maria Augimeri’s $5,000 legal bill for the libel she carelessly committed against a political opponent. The issue is Ford’s to win votes on.  He will.