The Bulldog

Your candidates for Toronto mayor as of 2 p.m.

Say hello to your new mayoral slate. And get ready for a brutal six-week campaign charged with some campaign chemistry seldom seen in Toronto politics. Can John Tory continue to be seen as the only acceptable choice for mayor? Will his sober and friendly approach to politics win enough hearts and minds? As of this week, he stood at 40 percent in public support. But with Rob Ford out of the race, and sick into the bargain, will his brother, Doug, launch furious in-fighting to change that. Will he, of all things, extract a sympathy vote because of his brother’s illness? Will Olivia Chow stay in the race? In what seems an unlikely inversion of sentiment, the John Tory campaign may not want her out. Sure, she is not likely to win, but at the least she will draw fire if she is in the race. The chemical cocktail may put electors flat on their backs. The polling has already begun 

Doug Ford will run for mayor in brother’s place

Dramatic moments at the City Hall nominations office as Jeff Silverstein, the mayor’s assistant, withdraws the mayor’s name from the ballot and adds the name of Mr. Ford’s brother, Doug. All this with less than an hour to remain before the deadline to file, It is also confirmed that Rob Ford will run for council in Etobicoke Ward 2. It is a ward the Rob Ford held for years and seems like a certainty for him to win again, notwithstanding his illness. Silverstein was saying only “We will be making a statement later today.” 

Sobey’s event hints at grocery store competition

You don’t have to look hard to see the intense grocery store competition in South Bayview. It has been chronicled here before and this morning at a chilly 8 a.m. ceremony MP John Carmichael and John Parker (Ward 26) participated in the ribbon cutting at Sobey’s in the SmartCentre on Laird Drive. The store was having its Grand Opening. It follows by less than a week the Grand Opening of the refurbished Metro at Bayview Ave. and Eglinton Ave. E.  Both these food mammoths, as well as Loblaws, Valu mart, Longo’s and a gaggle of smaller operators have their eyes on the furious work going on at 1860 Bayview Ave at Broadway Ave. It is here that Whole Foods will open next year. Whole Foods Market, Inc is a dynamic Austin, Texas-based firm with stores in the US, Canada, and the UK.  It specializes in all-natural and organic foods. Some think the strategy is more directed toward the installation of its own brands. This is a growing phenomenon particularly at Loblaws. It is now necessary to visit independent operators to buy well-known brand names like Silk soy milk. In the case of Whole Foods, brand names like Coca Cola and Becel are missing from the shelves.

Death of man near Bayview-Hwy. 401 a homicide

Toronto Police continue to investigate the death of a 22-year-old man found dead behind an apartment building on Upper Canada Drive near Highway 401 and Bayview Ave.  They were called early yesterday (Thursday, September 11, 2014) to the scene. So far they have stated no cause of death. The death is considered a homicide however. 

Noah Ritter brings his “word act” to Ellen show

Ellen DeGeneris has interviewed the young Noah Ritter on her program. Noah rocketed to viral-video fame a couple of weeks ago when he was fresh off a midway ride at a country fair in Ohio. It is amusing to watch Noah because he is very bright. Some might feel a little uncomfortable that this youngster’s view of himself is being a little distorted by all the attention. Call a doctor.

Nomination Day 2014 dawns over South Bayview

Nomination day dawns over South Bayview today (Friday September 12, 2014) with what looks like safe races for the sitting councillors in Wards 22 and 25. Both Josh Matlow (22) and Jaye Robinson (25) have what appear to be unassailable positions. Mr. Matlow is known for an energetic stewardship of his ward in which few issues do not deserve his personal attention. In Ward 16, there is what appears to be a wide-open race in which 15 candidates will try to take the district now held by Karen Stintz. In Ward 26, two-time incumbent John Parker will try to hold off a second challenge from Jon Burnside, the candidate who came within 400 votes of winning in 2010.  Parker is also challenged by David Sparrow. In 2010, the vote was split three ways between Mr. Parker, Mr Burnside and a third candidate, Mohamed Dhanani, who is not running this time. In Ward 27 , Kristyn Wong-Tam will face a field of ten candidates as she attempts to nail down a second term. In 2010, she squeaked through with merely 28 percent of the vote in a field of 15 candidates. For many people who live in parts of Rosedale, Moore Park and Summerhill, Ms Wong-Tam’s tenure represents the embodiment of a cultural canyon dividing the ward. Many ratepayers question her judgement as seen in efforts to rezone a lot on Molson Street against fierce local resistance. The councillor also spearheads Open Streets, a project seen by some as illusory. In 2010, Ken Chan, a former policeman came within 450 votes in the large field. Both Ms Wong-Tam and Mr. Chan were declared LGBT candidates.

Ward 22 Khan, Sarfraz; Matlow, Josh; Murphy, Bob; O’Shaughnessy, James.
Ward 26 Burnside, Jon; Parker, John; Popov, Dimitre; Sparrow, David; Vania, Wasim; Velshi, Ishrath
Ward 27 Ahmed, Kamal; Byford, David; DAmours, Alain; Dichter, Benjamin; Humfryes, Susan; Lawrence, Robin; McIver, Megan; Stone, Jordan; Wolvin, Rob; Wong-Tam, Kristyn.
Ward 25 Diep, Kim; Friedman, Richard; Hostler, Tanya; Robinson, Jaye; Streker, Nikola.
Ward 16 Boutros, Jean-Pierre; Cannella, John; Carmichael Greb; Coll, Michael; Conacher, Sean; Darby, Charm; Gallezot, Thomas; Heaney, Gary; Levitan, Steven; Mills, Terry; Spence Paul; Tanel, Adam; Vukosavljev, Peter; Williams, Bob; Youssefi, Dyanoosh.

Doctor’s orders as Zane Cohen shushes media

Dr.Zane Cohen
Reporters are chuckling, and possibly smarting, from their meeting with Dr. Zane Cohen, the colorectal expert who is treating Rob Ford. On Twitter tonight Dr. Cohen is portrayed as an A Type practitioner who was not going to brook any media rowdiness at his news conference. Reporter comments include these:  “No speculation whatsoever and no shouting allowed. Impressive.” Another: “Dr. Zane Cohen takes control of this presser. Shushing reporters, demanding questions come one at a time.” Sun scribbler and Twitter boss-operator Don Peat said simply “Shhh! Who’s next?”  And finally Dexter the Dog has asked in a tweet: “Is there a Zane Cohen parody act yet? Envisioning a combo of Chuck Norris, Edward Scissorhands, and John Houseman in Paper Chase.” Excellent Dexter.   

“Results of Ford biopsy will take about a week”

Doctors at  Mount Sinai Hospital have conducted a biopsy on the tumour in Mayor’s Ford’s abdomen. But it will take about a week for them to analyse the results and make a firm diagnosis. Colorectal expert Dr. Zane Cohen told the media Thursday evening that there was very little he could tell them.  “Today we did a CT scan and biopsy of the mass in the abdomen,” he said. “We also did a CT scan of the chest and an ultrasound examination.”   Mr. Ford will undergo an MRI on Friday and a team of medical experts will meet to “decide the next steps.” “He is resting comfortably,” Dr. Cohen said. “He has some pain. We are giving him some pain medication for that. He is surrounded by family members and that’s about it. Not much more than what you heard last night. We are still in a holding pattern.”

Apple wristwatch facing widespread ridicule

The not-quite-ready for the public Apple wristwatch is drawing ridicule across North America. People profess to see no need for it, especially at those Apple prices. At the right, a Twitter wag produced his own Apple watch. The video (left) is an easy going send up of the new watch. There may be a naughty word of two in there so be warned.

Mayor Rob Ford moved to Mount Sinai Hospital

Mayor Ford was transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital from Humber River Hospital about 1 p.m. today (Thursday, September 11, 2014). Following the mayor’s reported illness, it seemed certain he would be transferred to a downtown hospital.  Mont Sinai is a world-renowned centre for the practice of internal medicine. As reported earlier, doctors say they have found a “not small” tumour in mayor’s lower left abdomen. The challenge of diagnosis awaits the very best medical minds. With word of a news conference this evening, it appears that doctors may know by now whether the tumour is malignant. Meanwhile, tomorrow is nomination day for the general election. Candidates must act by 2 p.m. Friday, September 12, 2014 if they wish to withdraw or enter a name. If the mayor’s name is not withdrawn, he will appear on the ballot.  Quite apart from whether he is well enough to return to the campaign, His presence on the ballot will attract votes. There has been a notable idea or two from the media about the mayor’s illness. One columnist said the campaign should be temporarily suspended.  Most people seem to have rejected this idea.  The most elemental exercise of democracy — an election — is seldom altered by the illness of political leaders, however sad such things may be.  Robyn Doolittle of the Toronto Star seemed to think that the mayor’s illness made it “difficult” for other candidates to pursue their campaigns. This also seems a little curious. The other candidates owe Mr. Ford their best wishes, not a blackout on the issues.