Manulife Centre has posted a “late 2019” date on its 55 Bloor West blog for the opening of the new Italy is Eataly restaurant and walk-about. The much-anticipated arrival had fallen out of the headlines since it was announced in 2017. Now it seems Eataly will make the promised 2019 opening but just.
Urban Toronto updates the progress on the Art Shoppe Condo at Yonge St. between Soudan and Hillsdale Aves. There will be 623 new homes in the 28 and 12-storey towers as well as retail and improved public space to the area upon completion. As the website says, high-rise “towers extend in all four cardinal directions from Midtown Toronto’s Yonge and Eglinton intersection, forming a cross of density hugging the major thoroughfares.”
Newly-posted at Leaside Community is Alice, 19, who has gotten away from her home near Brentcliffe Rd. and Broadway Ave. The owner says “we believe she got out last night around 11 p.m. via a caregiver. She is skinny, agile and loves treats. Please call (416) 875-0934 or leave a message if you have seen her.
The snow-laden winter of 2019 has produced runoff that has refilled Lake Leaside, the large in-limbo construction site belonging to the SmartCentre. This area is east of Laird Drive between Vanderhoof and Wicksteed Aves. Excavation began there in 2015 when prospects seemed good for an expansion of the commercial centre, including a new Walmart. In 2017, it took until August to drain the lake. Fencing required repair and was considerably improved although the state at present is unknown. Lake Leaside archive.
Doug Radford of Leaside will be hosting excited fans again Wednesday at his backyard Leaf Shack as the Toronto Maple Leafs try to win Game 4 of their playoff series against the Boston Bruins. As many as 90 local friends and fans crowded into the Radford tarpaulin-roofed shack last Saturday. The family served Johnny Toronto peameal bacon sandwiches. We’re not sure what if anything but hockey is on the menu for this game. The Leafs have a 2-1 series lead thanks in part to Mitch Marner blocking two shots in the dying minutes of Game 3. Auston Matthews also had a goal and an assist for his first points of the playoffs. The Leafs downed the Bruins 4-1 in the series opener at TD Garden before falling by the same score in Game 2 on a night where Boston dominated, especially on the physical side.
The Conservative victory in Alberta brings the number of provinces opposing the carbon tax to five. It seems likely that the carbon issue will bulk large in summer previews to Canada’s federal election in the fall. So likely will the committment of the UCP government to build pipelines. NDP leader Rachel Notely took the defeat gracefully and wished Premier-elect Jason Kenney good luck.
Police will hold a joint public meeting with leaders of the Chinatown BIA Wednesday at 10 a.m. to launch what they are calling Project Blue Hog, a blitz to clean up crime and various nuisance activity in the Kensington area. This will occur at Dundas St and Huron St where Insp. Matt Moyer and business leaders will speak about the ten-week project to address local disorder issues related to auto theft, shoplifting, panhandling, public intoxication, drugs and other related problems. It seems the often rough condition of streets in the area, and the presence of crime, are a concern to the BIA. In addition, police will conduct workshops and presentations to raise awareness for seniors in the area of Chinatown. These Seniors Safety Campaign workshops will be conducted in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. This will provide information against such fraudulent scams as the Canada Revenue Agency telemarketing scam, identity theft and Power of Attorney abuse. Other community advisories.
The much-admired three-storey home at the corner of Heath St. and Hudson Dr. in Moore Park has been listed by the owner for $3,250,000. It sits opposite the ravine entrance to the footbridge between Moore Park and Bennington Heights. Listing
It’s nearly Easter and there are fun things to do. Upper left, the Beaches Lions will once again stage their long-standing Easter Parade on Queen St. East. At upper right, these pixies from the Turning Pointe Academy of Dance on Vanderhoof Ave. wish you a happy weekend. Centre right, the sign is up at 1596 Bayview where The Flower Patch is set to open. At lower left some cheerful mini-carnations from Longo’s. And don’t forget the Appletree Market Easter Egg Hunt in the Park event this Saturday. Happy Easter all.
The video shows the Jeep Cherokee of a Toronto man, Leo Coronel, as it slowly started to roll after he left it in park. The motor running, he says, because he was unable to turn it off. The video was recorded by a surveillance camera at V-Tech Auto on Lawrence Ave. W where Mr. Coronel went to try to get the problem fixed. John Lancaster CBC
The first of the TTC’s zero emission electric buses was delivered Monday from manufacturer New Flyer Group in Winnipeg. The bus will undergo testing for the next few weeks before entering regular service later this spring. Unlike some electric buses that are recharged along the route, the New Flyer will be charged during overnight or out-of-service time periods. It has no tailpipe emissions and in Ontario, the electricity used to charge it is nuclear and free of greenhouse gas emissions. The bus is one of 60 that will be incorporated into the TTC’s fleet. Many dreamers wonder if electric buses, truly a 21st Century vehicle, will ever replace the 19th Century streetcar on Toronto thoroughfares.
A collision between a car and a van at Bayview Ave and the crossing of Parkhurst Blvd/Soudan Ave Monday afternoon has generated much comment on Leaside Community Facebook. The accident does not appear to have been serious. The dangerous intersection has been studied several times. Many postings on this occasion say the corner needs traffic lights. They seem unaware of the considerable opposition to lights. Former Councilllor Jon Burnside made it clear that there was strong opposition on Parkhurst. They fear lights will make the street even busier. No one knows if this is true. The remarks Tuesday at FB do not talk much about the LRT elephant in the room. People the length of Eglinton Ave. are enduring a once-in-lifetime, five-year construction horror which one day will be finished. There seems to be no question that all residential streets will be much safer when the Crosslinx is finished.
