Kirk Woodman, a Canadian man who was kidnapped from a mining company site in Burkina Faso Wednesday, has been found dead. West Africa’s Sahel region has seen a number of abductions of foreigners in recent years by extremists linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State organization. Burkina Faso recently declared a state of emergency in the region as attacks by Islamic extremists increased, especially along the border with Niger and Mali.
A 49-year-old man from Barrie and a woman, 60, were drivers of cars that collided on the Allen Road northbound ramp to Highway 401 westbound Wednesday night. The man is gravely injured say OPP. The woman has what are said to be serious injuries.
Cynthia Mulligan of City News has snared PC polling information from the days counting down to the June election that put the Doug Ford Tories in power. It cites NDP miscalculation and radical promises for incinerating Andrea Horwath’s soaring poll numbers. As one source says: “The voters looked.” But not in Toronto. Big Smoke voters painted the town Orange. How different is “NDP Toronto” from the rest of Ontario? Plenty.
The Midtown Yonge BIA has undertaken to return the memorable Robert Sprachman sculpture known as Iron Horse to the Beltline overpass above Yonge St. south of Davisville Ave. At a meeting Wednesday the sculptor recalled the first incarnation of this work in 1994. It depicts 12 stallions at full gallop and evokes the 19th century culture of the steam engine as an iron horse. The work was intended to be permanent but when the City asked Sprachman for $50,000 to maintain the work the artist decided in 1996 to sell the horses individually. The new work, Iron Horse 2019, will be manufactured locally of recycled plastic to recreate the original. This time around, Midtown Yonge and the Toronto BIA Office will share responsiblity for the Iron Horse. It is hoped to have it in place by June
Northlea Elementary and Middle School has won the junior division (Grades 5 and 6) of the Leaside Cup Tournament Wednesday at Leaside Arena. The score was 2-0, with one marker coming from a shot into an empty net in the final moments of the game. Thursday sees play in the senior division (Grades 7 and 8) with a team from Bishop Strachan School joining the play in this mixed boys and girls tourney. Others contesting Thursday’s cup are Bessborough, Northlea, Forest Hill, Glen Ames and Cosburn.
A tournament well played. Great sportsmanship & determination. Congrats 5/6 on winning the #LeasideCup! @NorthleaTDSB @NorthleatdsbA @VPSanderstdsb @Eh_to_Z pic.twitter.com/OTIEyHSWDd
— Mme Kaziev (@MmeKaziev) January 16, 2019
Gripping images on this Wednesday Video Wheel of a toddler rolling out of the family car as it turns a corner in Minnesota. Lucky the child was in the seat but now mom is in trouble because it was not secured inside. Then, a complaint from Yul Brenner (a YouTube nom-de-video?) about posties who just slap a notice on the door without making any effort to see if someone is home. Saves a lot of back-breaking labour. This video is timed to start where the guy gets caught. Below that, the new laceless basketball sneaker from Nike is on display tonight as the Raptors meet the Celtics. But can it score a basket? Finally, there’s a petition to bring home the oldest TTC tram from Ottawa’s Museum of Science and Technology.
An average of 58 percent of Canadians think it’s a crisis that a country some 5,000 km wide can’t seem to build pipelines. A study from Angus Reid Institute asked the question. Reid surveyed 4,024 Canadian adults between Dec. 21 and Jan. 3, to gauge national feeling. But responses varied widely though across the provinces, with a high of 87 per cent of Albertans polled calling it a crisis while, at the low end, only 40 per cent of Quebecers had a similar sentiment. Results from the rest of the country were more evenly divided, with 61 per cent calling the issue a crisis in Ontario, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces, while Saskatchewan polled at 74 per cent, and B.C. was close to deadlocked with a slight edge toward “crisis” with 53 per cent. The simmering issues of indigenous “ownership” of land and the import of oil from Saudi Arabia to fill the need in the Maritimes are pipeline related. Many call it a scandal.
In a world of strife and trouble, Gillette has launched a campaign which apparently is supposed to make things better. But the notion of toxic masculinity as a mainstream mans’ problem is proving (um) poisonous. Then, a crushing defeat for the UK Conservative government of Theresa May as MPs overwhelmingly defeat her Brexit plan. Fear stalks the British Isles over what an unplanned leave from the EU will mean. Below that, there has been a terrorist attack at a hotel in Nigeria and the images are quite shocking. Lastly, the passing of Carol Channing at age 97 recalls her timeless performance as Dolly.
Wednesday and Thursday will see the third annual Leaside Cup Hockey Tournament at Leaside Arena. It is a co-ed competition of local elementary kids in two divisions — Grades 5 and 6 and Grades 6 and 7. Leaside Cup was conceived by parents who wanted to “level the hockey playing field” so that kids from around home were playing each other, not those from “elite hockey schools.” Check the schedules above and try to take in a game. It should be a lively time at the arena.
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun has been interviewed by the CBC the day after she arrived in Canada as a refugee. She says her mother and brother have beaten her to bleeding. She seems a thoughtful and sober young woman. “In the end, it is me who is living this life,” she said. January 15: A later statement is read to media.
Manor Road United Church will welcome the Rev. Dr. John Joseph Mastandrea to his new ministry on May 1. Rev Mastandrea has led the congregation at Metropolitan United Church at Queen and Church Sts.since 2000. He is also police chaplain at 51 Division. His dad was a police officer. Rev. John Joseph will replace the Rev. Roberta Howey who has been filling in after the retirement in June of MRU’s Rev. Debra Schneider. She had served for 12 years. Upper right is the Leaside Curling Club team of Jan Carwardine, Louise Germain, Judy MacLellan and Sandra Thain. They’ve just won the Ontario Masters Women’s Curling Championship. The team will go on to represent Ontario at the Canadian Masters Curling Championship being held April 1 to 7 in Saskatoon.Go ladies. Below that a reminder of St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church Potluck Dinner coming up on January 26. At bottom a lovely flash of colour from the Genus Hypericum seen at Longo’s and a shot of the flooding we told you about Sunday at Bayview and Davisville as recorded by Michael Shearer on Twitter.
