The Bulldog

Crazy for Cricket underway Saturday on Overlea

It’s biting cold outside but the auditorium of Valley Park Middle School is warming up Valentine’s night as residents from Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park crowd in to watch tonight’s India-Pakistan match at the 2015 World Cup of Cricket in Australia. These shots were taken about 9 p.m. and there was already a goodly crowd for the game, which was set to start 10.30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Valley Park Go Green Cricket Field Project. It is the second annual Crazy for Cricket Sleepover Event to be held at the Valley Park Middle School (VPMS) at 130 Overlea Blvd. People are encouraged to bring blankets and pillows and stay the night. There is entertainment and food. 

Crazy for Cricket underway Saturday on Overlea

It’s biting cold outside but the auditorium of Valley Park Middle School is warming up Valentine’s night as residents from Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park crowd in to watch tonight’s India-Pakistan match at the 2015 World Cup of Cricket in Australia. These shots were taken about 9 p.m. and there was already a goodly crowd for the game, which was set to start 10.30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Valley Park Go Green Cricket Field Project. It is the second annual Crazy for Cricket Sleepover Event to be held at the Valley Park Middle School (VPMS) at 130 Overlea Blvd. People are encouraged to bring blankets and pillows and stay the night. There is entertainment and food. 

RioCan ponders the departure of Target as tenant

Rio.Can says it’s monitoring the long-term impact of Target’s closure of its Canadian stores. The real estate trust is owner of local properties at Sunnybrook Plaza, 1860 Bayview at Broadway (the new Whole Foods) Rio.Can Centre at Laird Drive and Eglinton Ave. E. as well its huge complex at Yonge and Eglinton. The only Target store locally was at the East York Town Centre owned by Morguard Invesmtent. But Rio.can has Target as a tenant at 26 locations across Ontario and Canada.  The property manager and developer said Friday it’s not sure how other tenants and prospective customers will react to Target’s closure of 133 stores across Canada. “Demand from tenants in the near term is expected to remain steady with continued upward pressure on rental rates within Canada’s major markets. It remains uncertain, however, what the full impact of Target’s announcement to discontinue its operations in Canada will have on rental rates and tenant demand,” the company told Canadian Press said.

Rio.Can ponders the departure of Target as tenant

Rio.Can says it’s monitoring the long-term impact of Target’s closure of its Canadian stores. The real estate trust is owner of local properties at Sunnybrook Plaza, 1860 Bayview at Broadway (the new Whole Foods) Rio.Can Centre at Laird Drive and Eglinton Ave. E. as well its huge complex at Yonge and Eglinton. The only Target store locally was at the East York Town Centre owned by Morguard Invesmtent. But Rio.can has Target as a tenant at 26 locations across Ontario and Canada.  The property manager and developer said Friday it’s not sure how other tenants and prospective customers will react to Target’s closure of 133 stores across Canada. “Demand from tenants in the near term is expected to remain steady with continued upward pressure on rental rates within Canada’s major markets. It remains uncertain, however, what the full impact of Target’s announcement to discontinue its operations in Canada will have on rental rates and tenant demand,” the company told Canadian Press said.

Girl, 14 and 2 adults are new measles cases here

A 14 year-old Niagara Falls girl who had not been vaccinated is the second person in that city to be diagnosed with measles. The girl is related to a woman previously found to have the disease. She had been not been vaccinated either. The two are connected in some way, a break for health authorities in tracking how new cases are spread. In Toronto, two adults have been diagnosed. The vaccination history is not clear in these cases. In total, there are now 11 cases of measles in Ontario. 

Girl, 14 and 2 adults are new measles cases here

A 14 year-old Niagara Falls girl who had not been vaccinated is the second person in that city to be diagnosed with measles. The girl is related to a woman previously found to have the disease. She had been not been vaccinated either. The two are connected in some way, a break for health authorities in tracking how new cases are spread. In Toronto, two adults have been diagnosed. The vaccination history is not clear in these cases. In total, there are now 11 cases of measles in Ontario. 

Crazy for Cricket Sleepover on Overlea tonight

Cricket enthusiasts are invited to gather at the Valley Park Middle School at 130 Overlea Blvd. this evening for the stay-up-all-night watching of the India and Pakistan World Cup match from Australia. See details in  our previous post. And for those who want to know more about cricket, there’s this freshly-released BBC quick-study video. It doesn’t help much but it’s fun. 

Slinging running water at Avenue and Fairlawn

What can you do when a water main breaks? Homeowners everywhere must say a prayer to get through another night without that awful surprise. This one is near the corner of Fairlawn Ave. and Avenue Rd,  north of Lawrence. That fireperson on the left has a futile job. Right, the bubbling source of the problem.

Free skating Saturday, Monday at Leaside arena

There’s free all-ages skating tomorrow, Valentine’s Day and on Monday, February 16, 2015, Family Day. Check the schedule at the Leaside arena 

3 midtown condo buildings still without power

Toronto Hydro and other authorities have restored power to all but three buildings darkened by today’s explosion at the  the Bridgman Transformer Station this morning. Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has sent a notice to this effect. Those needing further information or with problems unreported should call Toronto Hydro at 416-542-8000.

Bus driver not guilty in death on Eglinton East

A TTC bus driver has been found not guilty in the death of a pedestrian at Eglinton Ave. E and Sinnot Road in January, 2013.  Driver Magdalene Angelidis had been charged with careless driving and failing to stop at a red light. Much of the testimony centred on whether Ms. Angelidis should have moved off the intersection after stopping a second time to pick up a passenger who ran behind the bus. The Crown said she could not see the traffic light and therefore should not have moved the bus any further.  She testified that she believed the light was still green for her. In re-starting the crossing, the driver hit Wendy Martella as she crossed, apparently on a green light. Justice of the Peace Lurdes Cruz said Angelidis was consistent in her testimony that she checked her mirrors before moving forward, that she had “lost sight of the (traffic) signal” because of the position of the bus, and thought her light was still green.  

Architect’s proposal for Sunnybrook Plaza site

These images show a proposal for two towers containing residential and commercial units for the site of Sunnybrook Plaza. The South Bayview Bulldog reported on January 14, 2015  that the 1952 plaza was nearing its end. The property is owned by RioCan REIT which has commissioned Turner Fleischer Architects to make these depictions. According to Urban Toronto, the proposed development would feature 13 and 19-storey towers with a combined 426 residential units, made up of 71 one-bedroom, 201 one-bedroom plus dens, 56 two-bedroom and 98 two-bedroom plus dens. Rising to respective heights of 216.5 feet and 164 feet, the two towers would step back from a base building with a predominant height of eight storeys, articulated with stepbacks and setbacks at various heights. The base building would contain residential units on floors 2-8, second floor green roofs flanking a 707 square-metre outdoor amenity area and a 1,014 square-metre indoor amenity space on levels 2 and 3. At ground level 24,929 square feet of commercial retail space would address the Eglinton Avenue and Bayview Avenue frontages. Midway along the Eglinton frontage a sheltered walkway 5.49 metres wide would provide pedestrian access through the building to the north side of the development where vehicular access and the residential lobbies are located. Urban Toronto doesn’t mention parking although there would have to be an underground facility.