The Ministry of Health reports 165 new COVID-19 cases on Friday for the 24-hour period ending midnight. That’s a slight increase from totals earlier in the weeks, 153 cases on Thursday, 149 on Wednesday and 157 on Tuesday. Only two deaths were reported throughout the province in the past 24 hours, the lowest daily death toll since March 25, when Ontario faced high rates of infection.

Today, Ontario is reporting 165 new cases of #COVID19, a 0.5% increase. Locally, 31 of the province’s 34 public health units—every unit except Toronto, Peel and York—are reporting five or fewer cases, with 14 of them reporting no new cases at all.

— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) July 3, 2020

Best friend Georgia the Beagle/City News

A heartwarming story is told by the owner of a Beagle-mix dog named Georgia in Markham. As ever, man’s best friend alerted her owner to a raging fire next door. York Regional Police officers entered the burning home to rescue four people, carrying out two occupants who are wheelchair-bound.

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal says “NHL insider John Shannon” has told CHED radio in the Alberta capital that it appears as if Toronto and Edmonton will be the league’s playoff hub cities: “It looks like Edmonton and Toronto are the two hub cities,” he is quoted. And on Twitter, says Staples, Shannon says: “All indications pointing to a “Made in Canada” for the hubs. Among other things, the increased virus cases in 36 states, have Edmonton and Toronto has the hub cities for the NHL.”

Approaching Toronto

A Lancaster bomber has thundered over Midtown Toronto Wednesday morning in a tribute to the late Snowbirds Captain Jenn Casey. The Lanc took off from the Warplane Heritage Museum at Port Hope Airport south of Hamilton shortly after eleven and flew down the peninsula to Niagara Falls before heading back across the lake to Toronto. People are posting on Twitter.

Oh my gosh, a Lancaster Bomber flying over Toronto on tv now. Now that brings me to tears. My 19 yr old Uncle died in his Lancaster over Bergen-Op-Zoom and we went there in November to attend the dedication ceremony… 4 Canadian brothers fought for their country. our freedom!!🇨🇦

— shirley (@gibbyretired) July 1, 2020

A resident of Leaside near Rumsey and Millwood Rds. has posted seeing a man scurrying around the backyard and then dashing away without answering her inquiries. The long thread which has developed carries a consensus that this was someone casing the home for a break-in. FB

Toronto says wear a mask when you shop

Toronto Council has voted to make it mandatory for citizens to wear a face mask when they are inside a store or business of any type. On the same day, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be totally out of control in several parts of the US. Many predict that there will soon be more than 100,000 new cases found every day.

Empty airports, empty aircraft

Air Canada will cancel as many as 30 regular routes across Canada including four in Ontario. Gone is service from Toronto to North Bay, Toronto to  Kingston, London to Ottawa and Windsor to Montreal. It’s clear the airline is in a shambles as COVID-19 essentially forbids travel by air. A list of other routes cancelled is seen in the Air Canada release.

Fire in collision repair centre on Champagne Drive near Finch Ave and Dufferin St/Toronto Fire Service

Fire has destroyed a number of cars Tuesday at a collision repair centre on Champagne Drive in North York. Reporter and former police officer Cam Woolley is quoted by Newstalk1010 Radio as saying he thinks the blaze is likely deliberate.

Fire in collision repair centre/Kimberly Fowler Global News

Vladimir Putin is said to be finding lots of support for his plan to become Russia’s president forever. As in China, democracy is just another silly word. Among the tales being told by the former KGB agent to xenophobic loyalists is that the US, UK and other allies conspired with Hitler. No mention apparently of how Stalin happily grabbed half of Poland when the Nazis invaded Warsaw in 1939.

The Ministry of Health reports 157 new COVID-19 infections Tuesday during the 24-hour period ending at midnight. Some 99 of these cases occurred in Toronto, Peel and York Region, 17 were found in Windsor-Essex. Ontario reported 111 cases on Friday, 160 on Saturday, 178 on Sunday and 257 on Monday, with all but 80 of those found in migrant agricultural workers in the Windsor-Essex area. This period saw 23,759 tests completed. Daily summaries

Leaside, Moore Park, Davisville Village give virus a miss

The interactive map maintained by the City tells its own story about where, when and maybe why COVID-19 occurs. It shows local figures. There have been a total of 23 cases in Leaside and Bennington, 24 in Moore Park and Rosedale and 19 in the part of Davisville Village defined as Mt. Pleasant East. Hover your mouse pointer (or cursor) over the neighborhoods to see totals to date. NOTE: The City website forces you to find link at top of its main page. Look for COVID-19 Neighbourhood Maps

A new outbreak of COVID-19 cases in British Columbia has been traced to a Vancouver strip club which was “skirting the rules in some way.” Terrible but it’s hard to suppress a smirk. Then, China is injecting its soldiers with a vaccine that has skipped final testing. It is produced by the military’s research unit and CanSino Biologics, which has a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada. Here at home, Mayor Tory says that he will support a recommendation that would make it mandatory for residents to wear a face mask in all “indoor settings where the public gathers.” Tory says that the bylaw will take effect on July 7, provided that it is approved by Council as it meets Tuesday.

Hands up, it’s the police budget

Toronto City Council has voted in favour of a series of reforms that could alter the future of policing in the city, including the creation of a non-police response team for mental health calls and a mandate to require all officers to have body-worn cameras by 2021. But a motion to cut next years police budget failed. Members Josh Matlow (Ward 12) and Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 13) had called for a 2021 police budget cut of at least 10 percent, redirecting the money toward community services. The motion was defeated by a vote of eight to 16.