General Motors will invest $170 million converting the Oshawa assembly plant it had intended to close into a parts production facility and autonomous vehicle test track. GM and labour union Unifor announced May 8 their new agreed-upon plans for the plant. The 60-plus-year-old facility will be transitioned into a parts producer for GM and other auto industry clients; the vehicle assembly stations will go away, and be replaced by machines for stamping aftermarket parts. The facility will also act as a hub for autonomous vehicle (AV) testing, and its redevelopment will see the construction of an AV test track. GM says 300 jobs will be retained with “the potential to grow and generate significant additional jobs in the coming years.” Unfortunately most of the roughly 2,600 hourly workers currently employed in Oshawa assembly will still lose their jobs, though there will be opportunities for them to move to other GM plants in Ontario. Driving

The son of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The name “comes out of nowhere” according to the British media has loses money for those who bet on the popular choice of Alexander. CBC

Here is the National Post account of proceedings Wednesday morning in which a charge of breach of trust against one of Canada’s top sailors was stayed by the federal prosecutor. The matter festers on among supporters of Vice Admiral Mark Norman however (see comments on the story) and the Prime Minister spoke breathlessly about how the decision was entirely independent of political concerns. Government will drop charge against Vice-Admiral Norman

Some light fare for Wednesday morning with the presentation of Meghan and Harry’s new baby. New mom Meghan began with a flourish by stating “I’ve got the two best guys in the world.” Then, Audrey Hepburn would be 90 this month and her son is holding an exhibition related to her personal life in her native Belgium. Below that, Leonardo de Vinci, most famous for the “Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile,” died 500 years ago. He was a genius. Lastly, there’s fun to be had as the Toronto Zoo offers “wild encounters” with certain species.

One inmate dead

String of inmate overdoses

One person is dead in what appears to be a mass accidental drug-use poisoning at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton Tuesday night. Police were called to the jail at the dinner hour on a report that many inmates needed medical attention. Six were taken to hospital, of which one died. All of the inmates involved were confined to the same cellblock. Police apparently know about an “illegal drug” present in the cellblock. It’s unclear how the drug made its way into the jail. In a statement, the province’s Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services would not confirm the overdoses, saying only that six inmates were found in “medical distress” and that staff performed first aid before paramedics arrived. The CBC says that should the coroner find the death was not the result of natural causes, a mandatory inquest is required.

Vice Admiral Norman

Marie Henein

Justin Trudeau

The CBC and other news organizations say federal prosecutors will drop the breach of trust prosecution against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman for fear that details of the trial might blow up on the Liberal government during the coming general election. The decision by the Justice Department seems a signal victory for Norman’s chief counsel, Toronto criminal lawyer Marie Henein, who has hinted that the government was trying to orchestrate a public impression of the case outside the courtroom. For Mr. Trudeau and his party, the retreat cuts their losses in the wake of the smouldering SNC-Lavalin matter. The single breach of trust charge was laid last year. Norman, a former commander of the navy, was accused of leaking cabinet secrets in relation to a $668-million shipbuilding deal to lease a supply vessel. The backdown was telegraphed Tuesday when the Public Prosecution Service of Canada took the unusual step of sending out a notice to the media advising them that they “may wish to attend” court on Wednesday at 10 a.m. The case has also seen the government face allegations of political interference from the Opposition Conservatives.

Stocks fell sharply on Tuesday after a top US trade official indicated that higher tariffs on Chinese goods are coming later this week, disappointing traders who hoped President Donald Trump’s weekend tweet threat was just a negotiation tactic. The Dow was down 470 points, the TSX was off 135. The Toronto drop seems less dramatic than that in New York. What can we hope for in a world where Canada — once adored by both China and the US — is now a pariah to both?

Doors open and dangerous

David Fafinski of Hamilton was on the QEW last Thursday when he recorded this misguided delivery of lumber. OPP are aghast of course. It fairly shouts knock my doors off and defines unsafe. Unfortunately the plate is unreadable. But it must have come from a nearby lumber yard or Home Depot. Language may be offensive. 

A security lapse at Freedom Mobile has exposed customer data. The firm is owned by Shaw Communications of Calgary. The online publication Techcrunch says researchers Noam Rotem and Ran Locar found an Elasticsearch server leaking five million logs containing customer data. The server wasn’t protected with a password, allowing anyone to access the data. Credit card numbers were seen in plain language. Freedom said the data exposed was from customers who had opened or made any changes to their accounts at 17 Freedom Mobile retail locations from March 25 to April 15 and any customers who made changes or opened accounts on April 16.

City meeting at Greenwood College School on Mt. Pleasant Rd. Monday night

An information meeting Monday about a proposed 8-storey mixed-use building at 1410 Bayview Ave south of Balliol St. has heard concerns about the building’s height, traffic, parking, schools and unrented retail space  Like most such meetings, residents struggled with contrary concepts of residential bylaws limiting height and density next to official plans promoting growth, tower living and fewer cars. For many, it’s double talk. Brian Athey, former president of the Leaside Property Owners Association, asked if mid-rise heights of seven and eight storeys specified in the official planning act (OPA 405) exist “as a right” or are they subject to the many provisions in the plan intended to mitigate height.  A sneaky question to expose OPA 405 as a sham on the public? The reply from City planner Alex Teixeira was that OPA 405 is intended “to be read as a whole, so I think everything does apply.”  Make of it what you will. But those present were particularly offended by the idea that the garage at 1410 would have 44 parking spaces for 65 units. The residential bylaw would require 77 spaces for that density. The meeting heard the developer’s planner, Louis Tinker, say that increasing density and better transit has reduced car ownership downtown. City hopes seem to be high for the same thing in Midtown but those present openly scoffed at this idea.

Here’s a shot of the 5 alarm fire raging on at York Memorial Collegiate from the BT Chopper. Eglinton remains closed from Trethewey to Black Creek & Trethewey is closed north of Eglinton as a result. The call for this fire came in at about 3:30 this morning! Updates on @BTtoronto pic.twitter.com/8BeyfgK5Io

— Stephanie Henry (@henrylstephanie) May 7, 2019

The Toronto Fire Service was called back to York Memorial Collegiate Institute on Monday around 3 a.m.. for a fire that erupted in the auditorium. Flames could be seen coming from a second-storey window of the school, fire officials said. It is the second major fire to strike the high school at 2690 Eglinton Ave. West in 24 hours and is being called a completely separate incident. Fire Chief Pegg said the sequence is “very rare.” A sixth alarm was rung Tuesday afternoon and a helicopter is being employed to alert police to changing winds patterns so that the public can be aware of ground smoke patterns.

Five alarm fire on 90th anniversary of school/CBC