Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot says Canada is expected to receive four million doses of the Pfizer C-19 vaccine between January and March and two million doses of Moderna’s vaccine. Of this, Ontario will get 1.6 million of the Pfizer vaccine and 800,000 of the Moderna vaccine for an immediate total of 2.4 million doses. Priority for the vaccine in early availability is unclear. People require two doses of the vaccine 21 days apart. Elliott said the government is working on the logistics of this challenge. The Ontario population is 14.57 million.

No extension of school break

Education Minister Stephen Lecce says an extended winter holiday for school children is “not necessary at this time.” The idea had been floated as a possible way to help reduce the spread of C-19 as case numbers soar in the province. However, Lecce said Wednesday that transmission levels are low in schools and safety measures there are sufficient.

873 of total 1417 cases in Peel, Toronto

Peel Region with 463 cases and Toronto with 410 cases continued to be hotspots in Ontario as the province reported 1,417 new C-19 cases on Wednesday and 32 new deaths. The count continues to range in a worrisome range between 1200 and 1500 in recent days. Provincial labs processed 33,440 specimens in the past 24 hours, generating a positivity rate of 4.5 percent when duplicate tests and errors are taken into account.

What happened at Willowdale home? Photo Global News

37 Norton Ave/Google 2019

The Ontario Fire Marshall is investigating the cause and circumstances of Tuesday morning’s fatal fire at 37 Norton Ave. in Willowdale. Fire service personnel say they faced “horrendous” conditions searching the house and in finally extinguishing the fire. They’ve told reporters that the fire seemed to pop up again even after they had knocked it down. Most disturbing, construction at the home apparently slowed a search. Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop said many people were living at the old home and that “some type of construction” made it difficult for his crews to move around once inside. The dead person, as yet unidentified, was found in a second-floor bedroom.

Organic Garage, the small grocery store chain that promises “healthy” food, is glowingly assessed by the publication eResearch this month. As reported here a number of times since 2017, the firm’s fifth store is scheduled to open in the commercial site now being built at 33 Laird Drive. The progress has been slow and the project has had a low-profile, to say the least. New grocery stores are always of interest and there seems to be a market for those with cute names that suggest healthy and/or fresh food. Sobey’s current thrill Farm Boy is one. Organic Garage says construction underway on Laird store

Canada’s deputy top public health doctor says most Canadians could be vaccinated against C-19 by the end of next year. Yes, people must continue to be careful until they get the brand-name jab. But Dr. Howard Njoo is clearing the fog of the infection that was born in filthy animal markets in China. In recent days, pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna have announced successful trials of their coronavirus vaccines. And there are many other vaccines coming to completion. Canada has made huge orders of them all. That’s why Dr. Njoo is optimistic that approval from Health Canada will soon herald vaccinations for all. And you know what? Don’t worry about people who say they won’t take it. They’ll figure it out sooner or later and in the meantime, you and your family will be safe from the corona life-wrecker.

The City of Toronto has adopted a so-called Traffic Agents program. This innovation sneaked up on many people during the summer of C-19 but Wednesday has seen 16 of these uniformed people doing their best to keep pedestrians and others safe at busy downtown intersections. It’s no particular slight to say that Traffic Agents seem a lot like school guards for grownups. And sadly it seems that there will never be a Traffic Agent handy to help an old lady across Eglinton Ave on a rainy night. But let’s see. News release

Twitter will introduce a tweet that vanishes after 24-hours. The tweet announcing this curious new feature doesn’t really make a stab at explaining it. Many people say they just don’t get it.

There are billions of dollars in profits and God knows what kind of extra leverage for China if Huawei is permitted to be part of the G5 transition in the western world. Erin O’Toole is scolding the Trudeau government to make sure that doesn’t happen. Then, another university-entrance scandal in the US as a businessman bribes a Harvard fencing coach. Below, the burdensome revelations of the Yonge St. van killer’s defense. Lastly, how not to order stuff online during the pandemic.

Councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 15) has made a partial return to public duties more than a year after announcing she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, the Toronto Star reports Monday.  Robinson remotely attended a virtual meeting of the TTC board this day. She is the chair. Robinson called the meeting to order and in brief remarks to board members she announced she was “partially back.” Toronto Star

A long and varied thread has formed at Leaside Community with respect to the tipping policy at the new cookie store on Bayview Ave. Quite a variety of opinions are offered about whether staff should be asking for a tip for a cookie purchase. The owner apparently feels staff are being bullied. Seems rather messy. FB

Large pieces of debris fly through the sky downtown/

Many tweets reveal the peril caused by Sunday’s wind. A kiteboarder apparently tried to ride the waves and was rescued unconscious. ONstorm.

Dog owner hunkers down in furious winds on the Beach

High winds Sunday afternoon have caused power outages in Davisville Village apparently on either side of Cleveland St between Davisville Ave. and Merton St. as well as a large blackout along the Danforth. There is also a small outage in the Beaches where pictures posted by Diane Walton show the fury of the storm on the waterfront. She was caught in the gusts. Outage Map

Sunday afternoon/Diane Walton

Calculated malice of vandals on Rolph Rd. early Sunday

A security camera has recorded four vandals damaging a parked car on Rolph Rd. early Sunday morning. They deface the vehicle by scratching the paint with a key and damaging the tires. Note the reflective shoes on one of them  Born to be stupid. FB