Farm Boy opening soon at Art Shoppe Lofts and Condominiums

Signs have gone up at 2131 Yonge St where Empire Inc grocery franchise Farm Boy will share the street-level commercial space with a new Staples store. This is the Art Shoppe Lofts and Condominiums between Soudan Ave and Hillsdale Ave. The Sobey’s Urban Fresh location at 710 Mt. Pleasant in the Briton House building has closed. Sobey’s is also owned by Empire Inc and it appears staff will transfer to the new Farm Boy. Speculation among Davisville residents is that the retirement home won’t have a hard time finding a new tenant.

Dramatic photo of the cold front about to swallow Goderich on Lake Huron posted by Mark Robinson, a “storm hunter” for the Weather Network

A mid-October cold front brought gusty rain and hail to communities from Lake Huron to Georgian Bay, Orillia  and northern Simcoe County late Friday. There was a tornado warning, since cancelled, for Barrie, Collingwood, Hillsdale, Midland, Coldwater and Orr Lake. Large hail smacked cars and homes. Listen to the drumming on Nathan Howes car roof. Among the most dramatic scenes occurred in Lake Huron communities such as Goderich (above) where the front appeared like a vision of doom.

Blinking lights at Bayview and Moore blinking again. This is southbound on Bayview about 3.45 p.m./Bulldog

The traffic lights at Bayview Ave. and Moore Ave were blinking red again Friday, bringing traffic to a crawl in all directions. Cars on Moore were backed up to Welland Ave as drivers 850 meters away carefully tried to follow the flashing red protocols. Stop, wait, figure out what that guy turning left is doing, make a timid advance in case you’ve lost track of the dozen or so cars on the corner. Blinking lights. Guild electric made another of their regular visits and had things working again in about two hours.

Daniel Unruh and his neighbours on Thursfield Cres. in north Leaside are holding their breath Friday as Crosslinx engineers check out the extent of the jeopardy to their property following Wednesday’s landslide beside Eglinton Ave. E. Mr Unruh says the LRT construction consortium has roped off backyards where fences are teetering on the edge of a steep cliff caused by the landslide. “We’ve requested (as have our neighbours) all documentation and engineer reports related to the collapse and mitigation going forward to stabilize the hill behind our homes,” says Unruh. “We have noticed the movement of our property sliding down the hill — only a couple of inches — but it is visible. We’re holding our breath that the rain tonight doesn’t make things worse.”

• Metrolinx rips up trees, shafts Thursfield Cres. homeowners
• Landslide brings warning to stay out of yards on Thursfield

Regent Theatre today

When the Belsize/Regent was the Crest

Belsize (later Regent) Theatre/Toronto archives

The heritage-status Regent Theatre at 551 Mt. Pleasant has been put on the market for $7,400,000. It’s a hefty price for the historic old movie house. The place can’t be legally torn down so any new owner has to think of a commercial purpose that fits. The former Bayview Playhouse was rescued twice by owners when it was renovated by Bruno’s Fine Foods and later by Shoppers Drug Mart. Worse things could happen to the Regent and to the Mount Pleasant Village BIA. Listing

Built as the Belsize

The Regent Theatre has had three incarnations. The large “B” in permanent stone on the front of the theatre is a clue that it was built as the Belsize Theatre to match the pleasant residential street beside it. Both were named after fashionable Belsize Park in the London suburb of Camden. Later the Regent had an exciting period as a live entertainment venue when it was known as the Crest.

• Mt. Pleasant, Regent given heritage status by T&EY Council

This CBC report reveals that police were able to confirm the guilt of Calvin Hoover in the death of Christine Jessop because there was a sample of his blood on file from the investigation of his suicide in 2015. Hoover’s name was painstakingly brought to the surface by genetic genealogy work. In most such cases, it then requires police to obtain a sample from the suspect to confirm their suspicions. This is often done surreptitiously by digging around in his garbage.

Big guys gallop along beach/Colin Mcconnell

Here’s another roundup of things seen locally through Bulldog eyes. Colin Mcconnell continues his entertaining Dogs in the Hood series with three of the larger breeds galloping down the beach. They’re too fast for a Bulldog.

Boho bubble is sold at Alaska on Yonge St/Yonge and Roxborough News

Dining Yurt/Amsterdam Barrel House

Above, C-19 dining has never been more fashionable. At left is a “Boho” bubble available from Alaska at 1066 Yonge St. They now go for $1750. At right is a shot of a Mongolian-style yurt posted by Matt Peacock, general manager of the Amsterdam Barrel House on Laird Dr. You and your bubble-gang can sneak into one of these at this local beer hall.

Jollibee for Midtown/Bulldog

Finally, the sign in the window at Yonge St. and Broadway Ave. says there will soon be a Jollibee on this corner. It was previously home to a South Street Burger outlet. Jollibee is a Filipino firm which is typically welcomed each time it opens by mobs of folks who remember the yummy fare from back home.

Toronto Fire extinguished a two-alarm fire in the kitchen of a penthouse apartment on Eglinton Ave. near Redpath Ave. Wednesday. There were no injuries. The high-populated midtown spectacle was well recorded on many cell phones.

34 Eglinton East: Detour westbound via Banff Rd and Roehampton Ave due to a fire.https://t.co/Tgsf8hdvZ2

— TTC Service Alerts (@TTCnotices) October 21, 2020

51 Leslie, 54 Lawrence East and 56 Leaside: Regular service has resumed between Redpath Ave and Banff Rd.

— TTC Service Alerts (@TTCnotices) October 21, 2020

34 Eglinton East, 51 Leslie, 54 Lawrence East and 56 Leaside: Regular service has resumed between Redpath Ave and Banff Rd.https://t.co/F1Sjctv8sM

— TTC Service Alerts (@TTCnotices) October 21, 2020

Pleasant interior of Starbucks at 878 Eglinton Ave. E.

Wilmar Korleever has posted to Leaside Community that Starbucks at 878 Eglinton East at Laird Drive will close permanently. A sign in the shop’s window says the last day will be Sunday, October 25.  Starbucks moved into the elegant 1940s former TD Bank building in 2012. Many thought the company was getting a jump on prosperous days to come when the LRT is finished. The interior continues to hold the former bank vault and employees joked about storing coffee there. Starbucks closed another location at Laird and Kenrae Rd. in 2016. In recent years, Starbucks has moved into franchise coffee bars like those in Longo’s on Laird and the Loblaws on Redway Rd. In Leaside, busy shops at 1543 Bayview and in the SmartCentre on Wicksteed Ave remain. FB

• Have guitar, will sing on Friday at Eg and Laird Starbucks

Three teens, all 19, four minors between 14 and 16 and a man of 40 were scooped up in a 2 a.m. raid in Don Mills Wednesday. But the surprise raid didn’t prevent occupants of the location at the Donway and Lawrence Ave East from firing “multiple rounds of gunfire” at the cops. Release

Landslide threatens properties on Thursfield Cres

A large landslide behind homes on Thursfield Cres. Tuesday has brought a warning from Metrolinx for homeowners to stay out of their backyards until damage has been assessed. One resident, Daniel Unruh, has sent pictures that show the seriousness of the fall. Metrolinx says an investigation is underway into the collapse. The work is part of LRT construction that requires a retaining wall on the much widened Eglinton Ave. where trains will exit the underground portion of the transit line. An appeal from the owner of 99 Thursfield has been issued as follows:

Metrolinx, MPP Kathleen Wynne, Mayor Tory and Councillor Robinson,

I would like to bring to your attention the massive amount of soil that has slid away on the excavation site behind our entire backyard (#99) and a portion of 97 Thursfield as a result of the Eglinton Crosstown. I have concerns that the construction for this project is not being carried out in accordance with Ontario Provincial Standards and Guidelines. Please provide your plan to rectify the situation for the duration of construction and to ensure stability of the slope for our homes post-construction.

Metrolinx Team, I am hoping you can address each of my four main concerns:
The current excavated slope does not comply with standards that we had received from Metrolinx on April 7 indicating that the slope should be 1H:1V (45°). It is easy to see that the slope is nowhere near 45°. It is practically a sheer cliff from our back fence.

Question: Does the temporary slope that will be created during construction (ie when the existing earth is removed/cut back and prior to the wall being built and the backfill placed) conform to the recommendations of a qualified Geotechnical Consultant? And will the temporary slope be stable during construction?
Response: The slope of the excavation is at 1H:1V (45°). This slope is stable and it has been signed-off by geotechnical and structural engineers. During the construction of the wall, the slope will also be monitored. The slope excavation will be in accordance with the Occupational Health & Safety Act and Regulations and the Ontario Provincial Standards guidelines.

Negligence re: the safety of Thursfield Residents. We were only advised at 6:30 p.m. that we should not enter our backyard until a safety assessment has taken place. We should have been notified immediately at the time of occurrence (sometime in the afternoon). My young child enjoys running around outdoors and it chills me to think that something could have happened to him.

Ongoing safety and stability of our property: The complete removal of mature trees behind our homes from 97 to 101 Thursfield has led to the loss of tree roots that had been keeping the slope stable for so many years. We had continually raised concerns around the stability of the excavation site, during & after construction. However, I believe this incident highlights further the need to revive the network of tree roots behind our fences in order to ensure long-term soil stability. Please advise on final restoration plans.

• Metrolinx rips up trees, shafts Thursfield Cres. homeowners

This slideshow requires JavaScript.