Carol Wrigley has posted pictures to the Leaside Chit Chat Facebook page of the 40th anniversary (class of 88?) Leaside High School Reunion gathering over the weekend. She thanks Mike and Simon for helping to put the event together at the Amsterdamn Barrel House. Steve Young came all the way from Vancouver to attend. School spirit. Stand faithfully one and all.
Mayor Tory took a stroll along Bayview Ave. Saturday and had this talk with a tiny constituent. It was a very nice Apple Fest Day. Upper right, Mark Jordan was along with daughters Sarah and Claire Sunday at Longo’s. They set up in the familiar corner of the store where the pizza is made. Yum. Mark reports they sold out of Longo’s Neighbour-In-Need Bags in aid of the Daily Bread Food Bank Drive. Below that, glorious gourds abounded at Summerhill Market Monday as that pumpkin time of year approaches. At bottom right a reminder of the Leaside Property Owners Association all-candidates meeting Tuesday night at Leaside Arena. At bottom left, get ready for the Leaside Block Party on Saturday, October 13.
A Lawrence Park resident, Tamara Gottlieb, has told Post City that her garage was ransacked and bicycles and scooters stolen over the dinner hour on Saturday, September 8. The door had been left open after a day of play and gardening. The garage was unattended for about 30 minutes. A check of a neighbour’s surveillance video revealed two boys checking out the garage and then returning moments later with seven or eight others. The neighbor said she had been menaced by the boys as this occurred. There are apparently many witnesses to the boys riding about on the stolen bikes and scooters. Through witnesses and other videos the boy were traced to the McDonald’s at Avenue Road and Roe Avenue. Witnesses there recognized descriptions of the boys and identified two of the scooters that were stolen from Gottlieb’s garage by their sparkly aqua-blue hue. The story does not say if police were called but the entire matter is within 53 Division.
Everyone is a genius Monday morning. Donald Trump had typically smarmy words of compliment for Justin Trudeau. There are some pundits saying that this silly old NAFTA worry wasn’t even a real issue. Uh-huh. We note that Trump didn’t promise Monday not to apply arbitrary tariffs against steel and aluminum. He only mumbled that he didn’t think it would be necessary. Then there’s the name. Four consanents followed by a vowel. If this were a souffle it would come out of the oven tasting like a flat tire. How about UMCANA?
Peter Nygard, Canadian fashion phenomenon and curious macho man, has had his luxurious Caribbean estate seized by the Supreme Court of the Bahamas. It is the latest step in a 25-year battle with his neighbors and the island government over a relentless pursuit of a larger beach through dredging. Here is one of many videos attacking Nygard. The face at centre is a Russian store clerk as he speaks lovingly about Vladimir Putin and the inspiring 2019 calendar just on sale featuring the former KGB agent. Yes sir Mr. Putin sir. Lastly on the right is Samantha Markle in a British television interview as she speaks sadly of her efforts to apologize to Meghan. Another clip here.
The affluent neighborhoods of Moore Park, Rosedale, Deer Park and Summerhill may yet again find themselves outvoted, this time in the municipal election. These areas are now part of Toronto Ward 11, known better as the federal riding of University-Rosedale. U-R, as it known, stretches from the streets of Governor’s Road on the east, across Moore Park and then down and west all the way to Ossington Ave. There are eight candidates declared in the riding, most notably incumbent Mike Layton from the old Ward 19 and proudly endorsed by the Toronto and District Labour Council. He is very likely to be strongly supported by voters in U-R living in the densely populated neighborhoods west of Spadina.
DEBATE SET FOR OCTOBER 3
Otherwise, candidate Nicki Ward is working hard to achieve a profile. She will be one of three candidates invited to a debate October 3 at Rosedale United Church. Also present will be Mr. Layton and candidate Marc Cormier. Many in the east half of U-R had looked forward to being part of the unborn Ward 34, which paired it with the Danforth. That was not to be when the number of wards shrunk from 47 to 25. In previous elections, Moore Park and Rosedale were part of the long ward stretching south to the lake. The Councillor, Kristyn Wong-Tam, had (and has) many friends in the north end, but it was not her natural constituency. And so it seems possible the winner in this election will once again rely on neighborhoods outside of South Bayview for a victory.
The five candidates for Councillor in Ward 15 (Don Valley West) are invited, and expected to be present, at the Leaside Property Owners candidates debate at 7:30 p.m Tuesday (October 2). It will be held in the William Lea Room at Leaside Arena. Interest will be high in hearing the incumbent candidates, Jon Burnside and Jaye Robinson. Others running are Tanweer Khan, Minh Le and Nikola Streker. The LPOA debate format requires questions to be asked in writing. The moderator culls them to avoid repetition. This format also prevents members of the audience from making a speech. It has been known to happen. Wilmar Kortleever writes to remind us that there will also be opportunity to meet the candidates for school board trustee, including Leaside resident and parent, Rachel Chernos Lin.
Lyn Malion writes to The Bulldog, and in Leaside Chit Chat, that a wallet was found last Sunday at the corn roast at Trace Manes. She reports that it is blue, has a chain, cash and a boy’s name inside it. The first name starts with N. She adds: “If you know the boy who lost it or the parents of the boy please dm me so that I can put you in touch with the very lovely lady who found it. I am posting this on her behalf.”
Kailyn Pollard, 29, forgot her one-year-old daughter as she went to work, leaving the child in the back seat in the hot fall weather of Seminole, Florida. It is not the first time distracted adults have done this. The girl was dead when found. At the centre is Matthew Braga of the CBC. He offers a whirlwind of insider dope on how or why we should be concerned that Facebook has been breached. Keep in mind that the problem is you. Using Facebook is like wearing a sign on your back that says “Cash in pocket.” Then at the right, Hezron Springer with a kissy kissy report from the BBC which could have been written by British chicken farmers. But that’s okay because like Springer, the Bulldog is quite partial to cooked chicken of all kinds.
Sharon L. Beckstead, the musical director of Leaside United Church, has been honoured with the Member of Parliament Citizenship Medal at a social evening Friday at the church. Ms. Beckstead has retired from 25 years of service to church and its choirs. Sunday she was honoured at the morning service, which was conducted by MP Rob Oliphant. Sharon Beckstead has been the Music Director at LUC since 1993. She has overseen and conducted the Chancel Choir and Junior Choir continuously. She is past president of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, completing her six-year term in 2004. In addition to her church duties she has taught piano and organ privately and is Manager, Member Services for the Canadian Snowbird Association.
City-wide Nuit Blanche, seen above on Bay St. and the Scarborough Town Centre was a reliable stay up late and dance yourself silly event. All seems to have gone well. One Nuit hashtag that has lots of pictures and videos is here.
No winning ticket was sold for the $33 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw. The guaranteed $1 million prize was claimed by a ticket holder on the Prairies. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Oct. 3 will be approximately $40 million.
