The Bulldog

Was UrbanHens pilot a hot omelette or a dumb cluck idea?

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How do you like your eggs?

The City is inviting feedback on the UrbanHens Pilot Program as the four-year scheme comes to end on March 31. It has allowed registered households in specified areas of Etobicoke Centre, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Parkdale-High Park, Eglinton-Lawrence, Toronto-St. Paul’s, Toronto-Danforth, and Beaches-East York to have up to four hens for the purposes of enjoyment and egg production. The pilot was greatly advanced by two young men from Leaside, Andrew and Matthew Patel, who had chickens in the backyard of their parents’ home at Sutherland Drive and  Southvale Drive. Members of the public can now share their experiences and thoughts on the UrbanHensTO program, including considerations related to public health, nuisance, food security, veterinary care and animal welfare in Toronto. The deadline for feedback is Friday, February 11. A release Friday says a final report on continuation is expected at the March meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee. More information and the online survey is available on the UrbanHensTO Pilot Program webpage.

Friday: Bat-Out-of-Hell sensation Meatloaf dead at age 74

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A durable sensation from the 1970s has died at the age of 74.

Food shortages a concern as supply chain tested

National Post/Peter Thompson

Both the National Post and the Globe and Mail are sounding a warning about possible food shortages because of the vaccine mandate for truckers, the snow obstruction across the eastern US and Canada and food recalls

Mississauga will not change name of Dundas Street

Mississauga Council has voted unanimously not to change the name of Dundas St because of things done, or not done, by Henry Dundas more than 200 years ago. The Mississauga vote looks like a pointed statement aimed at Toronto, where a name change is apparently in the works. To avoid the multi-million dollar cost of such a change, a Toronto Star story suggested the City find someone else by the name of Dundas and name the street after him/her. Mississauga Council hopes to formulate a street naming policy that will “stand the test of time”. That goal might require vision that can see many thousands of years into the future, however.

House arrest for mom who lost grip on son in flooded Grand

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The mother of three-year-old Kaden Young, the Grand River toddler who drowned after she drove around a barrier on a washed-out road in February 2018, has been given a sentence described as house arrest Tuesday. Superior Court Justice Gisele Miller sentenced 38-year-old Michelle Hanson to a two-year conditional sentence, one-year probation and a three-year driving prohibition that will take effect upon the completion of the conditional sentence. The judge agreed with a joint submission by the Crown and Defence. Hanson pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death in November 2021, three-and-a-half years after the tragedy that gripped the community of Grand Valley, west of Orangeville.

Wasaga Beach woman abducted by men who posed as cops

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OPP continue their hunt for Elnaz Hajtamiri, 37, who was abducted from her Wasaga Beach home by three men posing as police officers on January 12. The three men were dressed in police gear and claimed to have a warrant to arrest her. POlice say the suspects claimed to be there to arrest the victim, but when the homeowner became suspicious and tried to call 911, the trio overpowered the owner and abducted Hajtamiri. There has been no hint of motive or suggestion of a ransom demand.

Smokey two-alarm apartment fire on Dunfield at Eglinton

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Smokey fire/pug mom@itskepes

Toronto Fire has extinguished a smokey two-alarm fire near the top of an apartment building on Dunfield Ave just south of Eglinton Ave E. Tuesday morning. So far there are no reports of injury.

OPP says many drivers stranded on 401 for eight hours

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Mayor Tory has said that it will take a week to return some semblance of winter-time normal to the City after Monday’s memorable snowfall. Anywhere from 18 inches to three feet of snow has been reported. OPP report that many drivers trapped on Highway 401 and other local roads spent as much as eight hours there. Toronto closed both the Don Valley Park and the Gardiner Expressway in order to let snowploughs finish their job. Schools remained closed and continue to be closed at least through Tuesday. The Toronto Star recalls that the storm of December 11, 1944, remains the record holder.

Roads, highways at standstill as even plough spins off road

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Struggle to keep moving on Highway 401/MOT camera

Police are reporting that many roads including parts of Highway 401 are at a standstill Monday as drivers try to plough through deep snow. Tweets below from the OPP offer tips. Andrew Collins tweets a shot of a snowplough in a ditch.



Recognize Bayview extension down at Pottery this Monday?

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Bayview Extension at Pottery Rd lights at about 7.45 a.m. Monday

The heavy snowfall overnight has pretty much paralyzed traffic Monday morning. A strange pink glow is seen in the traffic camera shot about 7.45 a.m. from the Bayview extension and Pottery Rd. The snow is forecast to taper off during the day.

Stuck at Broadway and Bayview/Wilmar Kortleever

The capture below from the AccuWeather Canada Radar shows the size of the weather system. Toronto is nearing an exit from the snow as it moves west. It looks like Boston is having an ice storm. That conjures memories of the historic Toronto ice storm of 2013. City News

Projected shot from the AccuWeather Canada Radar