Long-=time Pier 1 location at Eglinton Ave. and Laird Drive

Pier 1 Imports is closing all of its stores in Canada, as the home decor retailer begins bankruptcy proceedings in the United States. Locally, the long-time outlet at Eglinton Ave. and Laird drive was slated to be evicted as work began on the large RioCan redevelopment of the corner. According to a brief statement on the company’s website, Pier 1 is pursuing a sale of the company in the U.S. amid the Chapter 11 proceedings. “In connection with this, the Company has made the decision to move forward in the U.S. and close all stores in Canada. We thank our customers in Canada for your continued loyalty and for shopping with us over the years,” the statement read.

Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Suppers!! This year due to renovations at #Leaside United we aren’t hosting our usual pancake supper but you have been warmly welcomed by St. Cuthbert’s Anglican & @NorthleaUnited & other area churches https://t.co/HH9xPkax3C pic.twitter.com/CsTrCLYfAr

— Leaside United Church (@LeasideUnited) February 17, 2020

A boy of 14 has died in the icy waters of Lake Simcoe after he and another person ventured onto the ice at 4 a.m. Sunday on a snowmobile. The companion was rescued and the deceased boy’s body was found Sunday afternoon.

Tony Fernandez has died of a stroke suffered in the hospital where he was being treated for kidney complications. Fernandez was taken off life support last night.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Marc Miller was humiliated by protesters Sunday as he tried to get the train system running again. Recordings acquired by the CBC reveal Indigenous representatives telling Miller to remove all police from the scene of the illegal pickets. It seems probable there was no solution to the long-standing grievances of those protesting. The impasse has prompted the prime minister to cancel the rest of his foreign tour and come home immediately.

Years of mismanagement and shoddy streetcar construction have finally caught up with Bombardier Inc. The Montreal company has sold its transportation division to Paris-based Alstom SA.  The deal, first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, could yield $7 billion US for the Quebec-based firm. Bombardier’s inept execution of contracts with Metrolinx and the TTC have been a scandal. Reports also say Quebec’s pension fund manager, the Caisse de dépôt et placement, will sell its 32.5 percent stake in Bombardier’s train unit to Alstom and buy a minority stake in the combined train company.

Shut down Canada rail blockade/National Post

Resentment appears to be growing as government members follow the prime minister’s lead in linking the continued nationwide paralysis of passenger and freight rail traffic to the vague notion of reconciliation. No right in Canada to commit illegal acts says Scheer.

The Toronto police will not be enforcing parking laws Monday (Family Day) in pay-and-display and metered areas. No tickets will be issued in rush-hour routes or areas with posted signs indicating Monday to Friday regulations. All other areas and parking offenses will continue to be enforced.

The federal government will evacuate Canadians from a quarantined cruise ship, Diamond Princess, which is docked in Yokahama, the government announced late Saturday, citing the “extraordinary circumstances” on board. Ottawa said it has chartered a plane to bring home many of the 255 Canadians on the Diamond Princess, where some 3,500 passengers have been stuck for 10 days amid an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. So far, 355 people have been infected, including 15 from Canada. It’s the biggest concentration of confirmed cases outside of mainland China, the World Health Organization has said — Canadian Press.

Search for boy at Peaco9ck Point resumed Sunday/Jeremy Cohn@JeremyCohnTV

The search has begun early Sunday for a 9-year-old boy who fell through the ice on Lake Erie at Peacock Point near Nanticoke Saturday. He was with another lad who was rescued by a passerby. A girl, 10, who was with the boys ran for help. The three are said to have been playing on ice at the shore. Aircraft from Canada and the US searched for the boy. Peacock Point is a hamlet in Haldimand County.

There was no winning ticket for the $5 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw. However, the guaranteed $1 million prize was won by a ticket holder in British Columbia. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Feb. 19 will be approximately $7 million.

Yonge St. closed by water main break Saturday morning

Water gushes out of ruptured main/CTV video capture

Police have estimated that Yonge St. between Farnham and Woodlawn Aves. should be re-opened by about 11 a.m. Saturday as crews work to fix a water main rupture. The street is already constricted because of on-going sewer work.