Mayor Tory has announced that two private companies have agreed to donate $200,000 to keep 12 outdoor skating rinks open for another month if the weather stays cold. Green For Life (GFL) which collects the garbage west of Yonge St., and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment will share the cost. Another 17 rinks will be be sustained by the City.This means that 29 outdoors rinks in total will continue to be valuable as long as it stays cold enough. This includes the rink at Hodgson Jr. Public School on Davisville Ave and the Dieppe Park rink on Cosburn Ave. All 29 rinks listed here.
Police social media awareness at LHS assembly
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53 Division crime prevention police officers Alex Li and Timothy Somers were at assembly at Leaside High School today.They spoke about social media awareness. 53 Division FaceBook
Millwood Melt a bit of grilled cheese heaven
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The husband and wife team of Aniko Szocs and Stephen D’Amico have just seen their comfort-food business turn three. The couple traded in their lives as English teachers to follow a simple but rewarding dream. The breakfast and lunch restaurant known as Millwood Melt at 902 Millwod Rd. is well billed as a bright and welcoming place for grilled cheese sandwiches with sides of soup and pickles. In addition to the classic grilled cheese, some flagship variations are the Tuna Kahuna (self-explanatory) Green Machine (avocado, arugula, pesto and Monterrey Jack), Hamelot (smoke ham, caramelized onions, mustard and Swiss) and the Rise and Shine (scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh tomato slices, awesome sauce and melty Cheddar). “We try to keep it simple,” says Aniko. The couple’s simple formula has made a sweet piece of grilled cheese heaven. In addition to the sandwiches you can catch, if you like, some veggie straw chips, pickles (spicy or just dill) a variety of canned drinks, water, coffee and organic shortbread cookies. Aniko and Stephen broke out of hit and miss work in the school system when Aniko’s dad retired from his denture making practice in the same centre unit of the little mall at Millwood Rd. at Randolph Ave. Aniko’s family has been at this location for decades. Not to be outdone, however, Stephen says he has Leaside in his heart.
Teen girls leave Britain to find Jihadi husbands
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Three London schoolgirls have flown to Turkey amid fears they succumbed to the allure of a life as the wife of a Jihadi fighter with the Islamic State terrorist group. Dr Erin Saltman is a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and has looked into why women from the West join Islamic State. Dr Saltman said part of the attraction was “adventure seeking and being part of a romantic journey”, whereas the reality was “quite grim”.
Tasty morality is on the shelves at Whole Foods
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It may be as humdrum as coloured candy or exotic as foie gras. But if you’re shopping at Whole Foods, forget about buying it. Such things are banned from the shelves. The linked story below says that a U.S. study has shown that 54 percent of the food sold at Walmart would be unacceptable at Whole Foods and a startling 97 percent of the soda drinks would not make the cut. The Whole Foods definition of what’s good for you does raise questions about just where this Texas-based firm will find its edge here in South Bayview. It is scheduled to open a store in the 1860 Bayview complex this year. Will prosciutto and pepperoni eaters play ball? Not likely. What about organic? Whole Foods specializes in this field but it remains a somewhat niche category in most stores and many shoppers insist it is just an excuse for charging an extra dollar. Fox News
Grieving citizens pledge $60,000 to Elijah fund
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A City touched by the cruel death of a Elijah Marsh has pledged as much as $60,000 to pay for his funeral and other expenses as of 10 a.m. Friday, February 20, 2015. A family friend told CP24 that the family is aware of the fundraising campaign but had not spoken to the organizer. He has been identified as Justin Kuzich. A makeshift memorial to the child has been forming in the snow bank where he was found outside a home on Bayvcrest Ave about two blocks from his home. Previous
Advertising fluff entertains cat and dog lovers
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Yonge-Eglinton under pressure for mega-towers
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Post City Toronto has a story by Bree Rody-Mantha on the over-sized expectations of a developer for Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave. Josh Matlow, the tireless City Hall warrior of Ward 22 promises a fight against a proposed 68 storey tower to replace the well known building on the southeast corner, familiar to all as One Eglinton. And we may wish him well but it is Yonge Street after all. No one can be surprised that developers will wish to build a “downtown” in midtown, as one might say, just as they built a downtown in North York. Post City Toronto
Fine story on the McMorran home on Southlea
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Anger, grief as Everest trade school shut down
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There is shock, anger and considerable grief among poorer students trying to better themselves at the abrupt closure of Everest College. The college, operated on 14 campuses in Ontario, was told today it is no longer authorized to operate in Ontario. It appears Everest has been on a slippery slope since the U.S. Department of Education began withholding monies. This occurred because Everest in the U.S. had allegedly offered irregular information about career opportunities with certain diplomas. In this CBC report students at an Ottawa campus express heart-rending sorrow at the outcome. On Thursday, the superintendent of private career colleges, the independent regulator that governs schools like Everest and others in the province, said it has suspended the chain’s licence to operate in Ontario as a private college, effective immediately. The office “can propose to revoke a private career college’s registration if [the superintendent] no longer satisfied that it can be expected to be financially responsible in its operation as a private career college, considering its current financial position,” the regulator said in a statement. Toronto Star
Queen’s grants leave to professor in vaccine stink
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Professor Melody Torcolacci won’t be teaching Health 102 at Queen’s University any more according to the university’s provost, Alan Harrison. Ms. Torcolacci has sought and been granted leave from the university. Provost Harrison issued a report in which he said he could not state unequivocally that Torcolacci’s sole intention was to present the case against vaccination but he nonetheless had to say that such a conclusion was reasonable based on the material presented in her slides. It seems like a considerable embarrassment for Queen’s. The Kingston medical officer of health Ian Gemmill had complained about the thrust of Torcolacci’s work in 2011. Nothing came of it. Toronto Star
Aurora Borealis dazzles in skies of England
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The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights have been dazzling stargazers in the skies of Northern England and parts of Scotland. The spectacular sight is caused by the interaction of charged particles and the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere. Photographer Ian Glendinning captured these remarkable pictures in north-east England. The narration here is not as clear as it might be. Northumberland nameplaces are elusive although the show has been good at Holy Stone and well recorded at the Kielder Observatory.