Two men are dead after a hydraulic scaffold collapsed at a construction site in the Bloor and Keele Street area. The equipment is used to hoist workers and materials up the vertical face of a building.

Investigators are working all out in Germany to try to nail down what on earth was on the mind of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz when he apparently crashed that Germanwings jetliner on purpose. It seems like a difficult task and what has been learned is thin. There is talk that he was subject to depression from time to time but there isn’t a single friend or acquaintance who will say that. Experts seem satisfied with the evidence from the aircraft equipment that Lubitz purposely sent the plane into its fatal descent. Did he know it? They seem to feel he must have. Latest BBC report of today (Friday March 27, 2015).

There are reports in the media that the Filipino fast food firm Jollibee is getting ready to open in Toronto. Jollibee is little known in North America outside Filipino neighbourhoods but it is an enormous company with as many as 2,800 outlets worldwide, 800 in its native Philippines. It serves a transitional cuisine of Spam sandwiches and hamburgers topped with pineapple as well as native fries. Spam is the World War II staple which was introduced to the Philippines by the US Army. The word is an acronym for Spiced Ham and continues to be a popular food there. According to media, there is no opening date set for a Toronto store but its arrival is much anticipated. For many, having Jollibee at their doorstep “would be like going back to home,” Tess Cusipag said. She is editor and publisher of Balita, a Filipino-Canadian newspaper. There are a number of Filipino enclaves in Toronto, including Thorncliffe Park.

This weekend will see what is being called a massive contents sale of a collectors/hoarders house in Leaside. The sale is organized by Sorel Contents Solutions and will take place at 30 Rumsey Road. The home sits just south of Bessborough Drive. The company’s release provides a long list of interesting items for sale. As the information says, they include but are not limited to a huge selection of antique furniture, including: dining table and chairs, mirrored sideboard, multiple secretary desks, bedroom furniture, magazine racks, solid oak grandfather clock and other clocks, cedar and shipping trunks, sewing stand, stools, tea wagon, chairs and all kinds of accent furniture! Mirrors, pictures, paintings, prints and lamps! A stunning Queen Anne highboy, beautiful lingerie chest and vintage hand-made carpets! Some china, crystal, Canadian pottery, sterling and silver plate! Musical instruments, including: guitar, violin and bow, bugle, mandolin and tambourine! All kinds of collectibles and memorabilia relating to trains, planes, automobiles and boats, including: model jet fighters, vintage motorcycle helmets, toy cars, yachting flags, navigation charts and train set! All kinds of vintage games, including Meccano items! A big selection of other collectibles, including: various vintage tins, a percussion rifle, fencing sword, vintage surveyors equipment, vintage radios, typewriter, opera glasses, binoculars, cameras, bronze bookends, knives, marbles, bed warmers and to many others to list! A selection of costume and other jewelry! All appliances including: like new LG fridge, LG bar fridge, Frigidaire chest freezer and Maytag washer and dryer! Electric fireplace! Vintage children’s and other books! Bedding and linens! Chinese items! A massive selection of house ware, tableware, kitchen items! A selection of hand and power tools, including: Milwaukee drill press, Milwaukee band saw and vintage Beaver power planer and other vintage tools like planes, levels and hand drills! Garage and garden items: including, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, rakes, shovels, ladders, hose etc. Vintage bike, boat anchors, vintage 1973 Johnson 3hp motor and fiberglass canoe. It is a fascinating collection and buyers are advised to arrived early. and everything is sold on as is, no money back basis.  It runs Saturday,  March 28, 2015 from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday, March 29, 2015  from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The garage portion of the sale will begin at 7:30 am; the actual sale will begin at 8:00 am. Release 

Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli has announced what has to called a complicated series of reductions and increases in Ontario hydro rates. His best bet it seems from all of this is that homeowners will pay as much as $120 moire a year for power. This results largely from the Liberal government’s decision to eliminate the Clean Energy Benefit, which provided an average monthly reduction of $17 a month. “We are expecting (hydro) to go up less than $10 a month,” Mr. Chiarelli acknowledged to reporters after announcing two other moves to cut costs for customers, the elimination of a debt retirement charge and a new program to cut prices for low-income families.  Chiarelli said the proposed Ontario Electricity Support Program will slash the monthly electricity rate for a low-income family by $20 to $50 a month. Under the plan, a family of four with an annual income of less than $28,000 would be eligible for a $38 monthly ‎credit for a total of $456 per year. “It a shell game,” said Tory energy critic John Yakabuski.“No one is arguing that low-income families don’t need a break but what this government doesn’t understand is that the cost of electricity is becoming unaffordable for everyone,” Yakabuski said.

Loblaws has announced that its Joe Fresh brand will partner with Montreal-based Aldo Group to make a line of  women’s, men’s and kids’ footwear. The Joe Fresh ALDO products will appear in Loblaws in the spring of 2016.

The horrifying turn of events in the Germanwings air disaster has left airline authorities speechless. The president of Lufthansa, owner of the discount airline, said he was stunned by the idea that a co-pilot would purposely crash an aircraft full of passengers. Nonetheless, evidence from the cockpit recorder suggests this is exactly what happened. But there is nothing in the background of Andrea Lubitz, 28, to support this insane turn in his behaviour. It will no doubt be part of the investigation to learn as much about this young man’s psychiatric state as possible.