Specially-built for Tim Horton’s

Tim Horton’s has “slowed down” a decision to open at the Metro grocery-Beer Store complex at Bayview Ave. and Roehampton Ave. The newly constructed premises, clearly designed and painted to Tim’s colour scheme, now bears a For Lease sign. Agent John Amos said it is possible the deal may go through but it is uncertain.  He said the landlord was making sure that he had a  tenant ready to go if the coffee chain decides to opt out. It is a surprising move for the aggressive firm although it was noted here that it already has an outlet just up the street in the Imperial Oil On-the-Run at Bayview and Broadway Ave. The Metro arrangement was made before Tim Horton merged with Burger King. It is said the decision-making process is slower now. At the Metro store Saturday morning, there was a slightly more final spin on the empty store. “They pulled out,” said a senior employee of Metro. He speculated Horton’s may wish to locate in the 1860 Bayview shopping complex now underway. It might be that similar specialty firms, including Starbucks, might be lined up to open in a spot near the Whole Foods But who knows. Whole Foods has long owned its own coffee company, Allegro, which it promotes as a thoroughly healthy drink.

Just a few years into the life of the classical steel fences marking the edge of the cemetery on Bayview Ave it appears that much of the metal is badly rusted. Large parts of the fence have been taken out and presumably are to be replaced or re-finished. The parts that remain, (inset) show what can happen in Canadian weather. The length of fence along Bayview has been in place longer than that on Moore Ave, which was installed in the winter of 2012

It could have happened anywhere but this is Victoria Park Ave at Sheppard Ave during the rush hour Friday night. Gale force winds whipped the area overturning trucks north of Toronto and stranding a wind surfer on the lake. He was rescued by the Harbour Police unhurt. The poles are write-offs however and it may take a while for them to be replaced. About 1,000 customers are said to be without power and Victoria Park is closed for a short distance.

The winning design for Jack Layton ferry terminal has been revealed. It is the work of KPMB Architects (Toronto), West 8 (Rotterdam), and Greenberg Consultants (Toronto). The design won 1,200 responses to an online consultation although the final decision belonged to the selection committee. The new terminal is part of a plan that also includes a wave deck, an indoor/outdoor market, and a publicly accessible green roof.  The ferry terminal will be a subject of passing interest to most people but is revealed the life and breath of some in the sharp comments set down under the news at BlogTO. There is much dislike of the green (grass) roof. They don’t last apparently. One reader is ecstatic: “Called it!” he exults. “I knew this would be the one! Now, to see if the execution ends up nearly as nice as the renderings” For sure, friend. Another declares: “We have lefties who want a spacewing roof and green roofs everywhere. Have you seen Leslie Barns? LOL” No, sorry. Here’s another: “The design is appropriate to the area and the nearby parkland, and the undulating roof keeps with the theme already established by the numerous wavedecks at points west of Harbourfront Centre. Of course the pillars will be much thicker, the green room either fenced off or inaccessible and crowds and ferry lapdog (sic) times aren’t going to get much better than they are today.” A cynical note from Nathan Phillips: “I can’t wait to see how the bureaucrats at the City start adding their little pieces of dross to the project. Jack Layton Terminal won’t look like this when it is finished.”  Someone wants to know  “Why does Ford Nation read BlogTo?” Tough question. But much anxiety attends that green roof: “You don’t need Home Depot style roofs. And you don’t need green roofs either. As per former US Energy Secretary Steven Chu white roofs offer similar cooling effects, and with no added weight to the roof, and without the idiocy of placing moisture on a roof.” Hey, nuff said.

This report by CBC’s Joanna Wagstaffe surveys the measures that may be necessary to ensure there is water for all residents. It will be mean less water for everyone but it could bring an end to lucrative agriculture in places like the Imperial Valley. It is from such places that we see the wonderful plums and other fruit.  The economic impact on California would be staggering. It is crisis that has been a while in the making. Cities like Los Angeles are naturally arid places made possible by water from the Colorado River stored in the artificial Lake Meade. That’s disappearing too.  A time may be come when the state simply can’t support as many people as it does now.