Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has been granted bail as she awaits possible extradition to the United States on fraud charges. Justice William Ehrcke made his decision in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Tuesday afternoon. It appears Meng, the chief financial officer of the tech giant, will be monitored by a security team and possibly wear an electronic bracelet to establish her whereabouts pending action by the US.

Michael Kovrig

Happier times

Meng Wanzhou

China has detained a former Canadian diploma, Michael Kovrig in what appears to be a tit for tat retaliation for the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, executive of and heir to the Huewai electronics millions. She begins a third day of a bail hearing in Vancouver Tuesday related to extradition to the US on charges she intentionally violated sanctions on shipping to Iran. Kovrig is now a member of a non-governmental body called the International Crisis Group. It has a varied reputation related to its avowed aim of helping to avoid violent conflicts. Some studies have said it “manufacturers” crises. Andrew Ellis, a former CSIS member is interviewed Tuesday morning by the CBC about this situation.

Tunnel of Glam/BIA

Entrance to tunnel/Teena in Toronto

Located on Wally Crouter Walkway

The Yonge St Clair BIA has installed a unique Tunnel of Glam along Wally Crouter Walkway from Yonge St. to the Alvin Ave. Green P lot. The interior walls are lined with shimmering sequins that permit tunnel-goers to draw impressions in the twinkling little discs (video below). Fun for a fleeting moment or two as you Christmas shop. The blog Teena in Toronto calls it a loud, vibrant, glamorous centerpiece that draws visitors in by playing upon the appeal of all things shiny and sparkling. “With its grand scale and bright colours the installation sits like a gift to all. It is a present which promises new surprises every day, as visitors continually make and remake the interior to their own design,” says Teena. The Tunnel of Glam will be there until December 31. It was designed by Studio F Minus, a Toronto public art and design firm led by Mitchell Chan and Brad Hindson.

https://twitter.com/MikeG_me/status/1067843230434131968

A remarkable insight has a been provided by lawyer Marcus Bornfreund, counsel for one of two boys accused in the death of Riley Driver-Martin, 14, whose body was found in Mississauga’s Meadow Park Friday morning. The accused are Nicholas and Mark Mahabir. They are non-identical fraternal siblings from a set of triplets. The third triplet has not been charged. Bornfreund, representing Nicholas, speculated that the two accused might collaborate in court or, alternatively, engage in a “cutthroat situation where it’s one brother and not the other.”

Instagram photo with Doug Ford and Ron Taverner from 2015.

A photo of Doug Ford and Superintendent Ron Taverner apparently taken in 2015 has become a graphic weapon in social media criticism of Ford and his appointment of Taverner as Commissioner of the OPP. The picture was published five days ago in the Globe and Mail in a column which decried the lack of a “wall” between the Premier and police appointees. Walls to one side, the activity seen in the photo seems quite a bit more compelling. A widespread theme suggesting dirty old men grabbing women is extant. References are made to the superintendent’s shirt. The parties may well believe the activity is innocent and socially permitted. But these days (and in politics too) what is permitted? The photo was apparently found on an Instagram account called theroyalfamily4u, which has now been deleted. There is no information about where it was taken or by whom.

Reports from Vancouver say the bail hearing for Meng Wanzhou has stalled over the Crown’s concerns, and seemingly of the judge as well, about the status of Meng’s husband, Mr. Lui, as a surety for Meng. His “lack of connection to the jurisdiction” is cited in tweets. This seems to  mean that he is not Canadian. Meng will remain in jail until at least Tuesday. Earlier, Meng’s counsel proposed that his client be freed and then monitored by an electronic tracking device and private security firm team which is staffed with a former RCMP officer. The Crown says the Huawei executive has no connection to Canada and is a risk to flee the country. The judge is asking several questions about the suitability of Meng’s husband being her surety. It also appears that the hearing will continue into the afternoon and won’t be finished until 2 p.m. PST., 5 p.m. EST. Twitter

North American markets plunged yet again Monday as the fate of Huawei executive and heir Meng Wanzhou loomed over both Canada and the US. Investors fretted about Chinese threats of “grave” consequences if Wanzhou is not released immediately. She is in custody in Vancouver awaiting extradition to the US on charges of a calculated violation of sanctions on Iran. Toronto was down 153 at noon hour and New York was off more than 400.

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's bail hearing to resume in Canada as Beijing piles pressure https://t.co/DIYhSBQpmP by @amp6 pic.twitter.com/HHEi2vHQdM

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 10, 2018

The Leaside Property Owners Association Annual General Meeting is Monday night in the William Lea Room at Leaside Arena. Councillor Jaye Robinson will attend and speak. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the meeting beginning at 7.30.

Asphalt fill/Bulldog photo

John Spence photo

One-way alternating for Monday/Bulldog photo

Work began Monday on the depression which has been gradually deepening on Moore Ave. just east of Welland Ave at the Mud Creek Beltline Trail crossing. The project appears to be a simple fill project using new asphalt. It is expected to make the drive across Mud Creek smoother but apparently does not address the longstanding instability of the street at this point. Hugh Grant of the Bennington Heights Residents’ Association wrote to Councillor Robinson in October (link below) about the progressive erosion that was eating at the “foundations” of the road causing perennial sinking. Moore Ave. sits on the boundary between Ward 15 (Don Valley West) and Ward 11 (University Rosedale). The Moore Park Residents Association indicates that Councillor Layton of Ward 11 was made aware of the depression also. Letter to Councillor on Moore Ave. instability at Mud Creek

Donna Strickland, of Waterloo University, has accepted the Nobel Prize for Physics Monday in Stockholm. As reported here in October, Ms. Strickland shared the coveted honour with two others.

Headlines that ask Could Elon Musk buy the GM plants slated for closure? seem a bit like hallucinations. That’s especially true of a plant in Canada. More than that, Tesla, which may or may not have a great future, is non-union. The GM plants in are union towns. And there is a lot of bad blood between Musk and the UAW.

CTV is quoting Mal Coven, former owner of the long-since closed BiWay chain of stores, as saying that he intends to make a comeback in 2019. Mr. Coven, 89, helped build the brand into a 250-store chain before it closed in 2001. By then it was owned by Dylex Corporation and it went down with businesses like fashion brand Fairweather in the notorious Dylex bankruptcy. Coven says he will open a 7,500 square foot location called the BiWay $10 Store in August of next year. “BiWay is a legacy brand,” Coven told CTV News. He said he has tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods ready and the backing of investors. He plans to open four more stores by the end of 2020. The stores will stock children’s wear, household furnishings, mens and ladies wear, toys, toiletries and food. Coven, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, grew up in Boston and his late wife Miriam was from Montreal.