What’s in the suitcase?

CBC — A confidential document sent to the Liberal Party of Canada in 2016, and obtained by CBC/Radio-Canada, reveals how top officials at the embattled engineering firm SNC-Lavalin were named in a scheme to illegally influence Canadian elections. The list of names, compiled in 2016 by federal investigators probing political party donations and leaked to CBC’s The Fifth Estate and Radio-Canada’s Enquête, raises new questions about an agreement by the Commissioner of Canada Elections not to prosecute the company.

ELECTIONS CANADA KEPT DONATIONS SECRET

The federal Liberals were sent the list in a letter marked “confidential” from the Commissioner of Canada Elections — the investigative branch of Elections Canada — on Aug. 5, 2016. But for nearly three years, neither Elections Canada nor the Liberal Party shared that information publicly. The investigation reveals that over a period of more than five years between 2004 and 2009, 18 former SNC-Lavalin employees, directors and some spouses contributed nearly $110,000 to the federal Liberals, including to four party leadership campaigns and four riding associations in Quebec. According to the letter, the investigation found that SNC-Lavalin reimbursed all of those individual donations — a practice forbidden under the Canada Elections Act. CBC

Oprah Winfrey will appear for one night at Scotiabank Arena Friday, June 14, as part of a cross-Canada speaking tour. The enormously successful former television show host and role model to millions is one of very few people who could presume to fill a hall as big as the Scotiabank. In recent years, Ms. Winfrey has spent most of her time as an inspirational speaker. This tour is called Your Path Made Clear. An example of Winfrey’s professional style and impact is seen in this video. Other dates on the tour are Montreal June 16, Calgary June 19, Edmonton June 20 and Vancouver June 24. Tickets for all dates will go on sale Friday, May 3, at 10 a.m.

Annual General Meetings for SERRA and Moore Park residents are scheduled for Tuesday night.

The capacity of humans to behave like growling canines has been the subject of stories before here at The Bulldog. Make what you like of the TPS notice that a man, 29, was walking eastbound on Donora Dr and another man was walking westbound. The men had an argument causing one to produce a firearm and shoot the other several times. This occurred Sunday evening east of Victoria Park. It’s not stated if the two men had ever met. The shooter is on the run. He’s described as white, between 25 and 30, approximately 5’8″ to 5’10”, wearing all dark clothing. Police ask anyone who has information to contact them. Man shot several times in East York near Victoria Park Ave.

Does Russia want Canada’s Arctic?

Whole hog for Huawei?

Too late to save Lord Stanley

Countries like Russia, China, Venezuela, Iran and apparently others are all suspected of a desire to somehow meddle in Canada’s general election this fall. The issue is maddening because no one can say the clear purpose of such efforts. Below is an interview with two eminent men visiting Canada to warn us of such efforts. They are Anders Rasmussen, a former secretary-general of NATO and Michael Chertoff, a former secretary of Homeland Security in the US. Both men are quite concerned but neither has detail. There’s a suggestion that such meddling could somehow hijack the Facebook and Twitter accounts of Canadians.

ELECT A SLEEPER SPY?

If so, what might the Russians secretly try to do? Lay the groundwork for stealing the  Arctic? Elect Russian sleeper spies? Trudeau or Scheer? Will China try to make us go whole-hog for Huawei or simply annex BC?  You may be sure that Albertans suspect the Venezuelans of spreading nasty stories about Canadian crude oil. In fact, US lobbyists have a huge influence on pipeline politics here. The Iranians? Do they want the Stanley Cup? We’ve already lost it.

City News speaks to the owner of 417 Sutherland on the corner of Eglinton, one of a number of homes near the Laird LRT Station site where vibration from construction goes on 24 hours a day. How about this. It seems at least possible that all these homes, just like some along the Line 2 subway, will hear the passing of trains when the Crosslinx is finished.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada says it will start building the Lexus NX SUV in its Cambridge plant starting in 2022. The plant will produce both a standard and hybrid version of the vehicle to supply the North American market. Toyota will add capacity at the plant after announcing in March that it would shift production of the hybrid RAV4 SUV in Cambridge to its plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. Last year, the company committed to invest $1.4 billion in its Cambridge and Woodstock plants. The federal government committed $110 million to support the investment — CP

A genuinely alarming attack by several teenagers on a home on Eglinton Ave. between Rumsey Rd. and Sutherland Drive has been reported to police. It is also the subject of a post on Leaside Community.  The post is written by a man who says he has the homeowner’s permission to write about this harrowing occurrence which apparently happened Saturday night. He writes as follows: “Last night at about 10 p.m. 10 to 12 male teenagers about 16 to 18 years old, wearing typical sports clothing, were trying to break into the (homeowner’s) SUV. He chased them away.”

RINGLEADERS HAD SHAVED HEADS

“He said the ringleaders were two boys with shaved heads, not tall, who looked like they could be brothers (not to say they are) At 11:30 they returned. Threw a rock through the rear window of the SUV and at a rear door panel leaving a large dent. They then threw a rock through one of the side panels of the 3 panel front window of their semi-detached. By the time he got outside they were rounding the corner from Eglinton to south on Rumsey. He has reported to police and said he would recognize 3 or 4 of them if he saw them again.”

Speaker of the House, more or less

It’s not unknown for spectators in the gallery of the Legislature to interrupt the proceedings. Sometimes it’s just name-calling but this high school student, apparently one of a number present Monday, wanted to demand faster action on the environment. She was escorted out. The City News tweeted video seen here will be good for Civics class too.

Avengers: Endgame has made box office history by surpassing $1 billion US globally at the box office during its opening weekend. That’s in a span of merely five days. The final film in the blockbuster franchise, which sees superheroes such as Captain America, Iron Man and Thor reunite for one last battle to save the universe together, has reached an estimated $1.2 billion worldwide so far. CBC

• WestJet suspends some routes due to Boeing 737 Max grounding
• Tim Hortons parent misses profit expectations as coffee shop sales fall
• Is the celery juice craze driving up the price at the supermarket?
• Hamburglar strikes again, feasts on $2,000 in meals using customer’s McDonald’s app

Showy Tesla pickup rendering

Tesla has released a rendering of a showy-looking “cyberpunk” pickup truck with not much indication of why. The firm has promised to build a pickup in the past but no such undertaking seems at hand. Teslati

Troops fill sandbags

Warning

Reporter Natividad

Army truck stuck in mud at Bass Rock Park Sunday

Flooding not over, says mayor

The Canadian Armed Forces are in Bracebridge Sunday to try to stem the damage of the flooding Muskoka River. City News reporter Erica Natividad is in the town known as the Heart of Muskoka reporting and taking the photos seen in this gallery. Mayor Graydon Smith says a total of 60 reservists from Toronto are being deployed with 30 already in the area assisting with sandbagging and delivery efforts and another 30 on the way. Smith says 27,000 sandbags have been distributed up to this point. “This flood event is not over yet, sadly,” said Mr. Smith.

MAYOR ANGRY AT JET SKIS, TOURIST BOAT

The mayor denounced people on jet skis and a boat at the mouth of the river “touring around” on Saturday. “First of all its very dangerous for them to be doing it due to the massive amount of debris in the water and how fast the water is moving,” explained Smith. “Second of all, there are people down there actively trying to sandbag their properties and then they had to deal with this wake off these watercraft that were going through there.”