With one day left for candidates to register for the Toronto general election on October 22, many head-to-head matchups of current Councillors may be seen. Jon Burnside will face Jaye Robinson in Ward 15 (Don Valley West). It will be Josh Matlow vs Joe Mihevc in Ward 12 (St. Paul’s) Mary Fragedakis vs Paula Fletcher in Ward 14 (Toronto-Danforth) Jim Karygiannis vs Norm Kelly in Ward 22 (Scarborough-Agincourt) Michael Ford vs Vincent Cristanti in Ward 1 (Etobicoke North) John Campbell vs Stephen Holyday in Ward 2 (Etobicoke Centre) Georgio Mammoliti vs Anthony Perruzza in Ward 8 (Eglinton-Lawrence) and Gary Crawford vs Michelle Holland-Berardinetti in Ward 20 (Scarborough-Southwest).

FORMER MPPs

Kristyn Wong-Tam will face nine other candidates, most notably George Smitherman, former MPP and Liberal Minister in Ward 13 (Toronto Centre), Denzil Minnan-Wong will face former Liberal cabinet minister David Caplan in Ward 16 (Don Valley East) John Filion will face 13 opponents including former Councillor and Police Board Chair Norm Gardner. Nominations close at 4.30 p.m. Friday, September 21.

Pape and Cosburn

East York residents are invited to have a coffee with a cop in Pape Village on Friday, September 21. Neighbours are welcome to have a friendly chat with police officers from 54 Division from 10 a.m. to noon at the McDonald’s restaurant at 1045 Pape Ave. at Cosburn Avenue. The Coffee with a Cop program aims to give community members an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, and meet local police officers. There is no agenda or speeches. For more information, call Const. Ingrid Hannah at 416-808-5429.

New Dollarama

Food Court shrouded for cleanup

LCBO and others closed

Wild venting from former Dollarama in basement

Doors to the mall of East York Town Centre were open Thursday morning as promised by the management but many stores remained closed as smoke cleanup continues. The problem was created by a fire in the mall’s Thorncliffe Banquet Hall after an event on Sunday, September 9. One store which was busy is the new Dollarama. It is now located on the main floor in part of the former Target space which has been blocked off since 2015. Much of that retail space at the east end of the mall is to be a new 24-hour Dialysis Clinic run by St. Michael’s Hospital. It was expected to open this year. Most of the mall familiar to shoppers is shrouded in white tarps as cleaning goes on. There is no food in the food court although Tim’s remains open through doors onto the parking lot. Food Basics and other businesses with doors to the parking area are open.

Harvest Fair is Saturday

Saturday too

He wanted muffins/Jenny Serwylo

Ken Oppel at Mabel’s Fables

112 Bessborough/Bulldog

112 Bessborough/Google

Saturday will see the 9th Annual Harvest Fair on Mt. Pleasant Rd. It’s always fun. At top right, Michael Garron Hospital’s Kick the Stigma Day is also Saturday. It’s a soccer tournament and festival at Monarch Park Stadium on Coxwell Ave. south of the Danforth. There will be games in three divisions geared towards players of all levels. There will also be a community festival, featuring live music, games, a beer garden, and mix of street food. Below that, Jenny Serwylo snapped this picture of her stare-down with a raccoon Tuesday. He was after the English muffins. The story is told in the Star. Centre right, Ken Oppel, the children’s book writer had a good crowd of kid’s and parents in attendance Wednesday evening for some story telling at Mabel’s Fables, 662 Mt. Pleasant Rd. Mabel’s is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. At bottom, neighbors and others are watching with interest as 112 Bessborough Dr. gets a makeover. It is seen recently on the left showing its original copper roof over the bay window. That’s 112 on the right before work began. Keep watching.

A Leaside woman writes in a FB post Thursday morning that “this just happened.” She says “woke up to a phone call and text shortly after 6 a.m. from someone who had my wallet. Gulp. Apparently it fell out of my bag and she found it on the road next to my car as she was out for her morning run at 5 a.m. She even ran home and came back placing a note on the windshield of my car. Grateful for my amazing neighbour who restored my faith in humanity. Have a fantastic day Gail!” Nice.

Intersection is closed/@PatMorrell_CBC

Chased by police/ @PatMorrell_CBC

Three treated at hospital/@PatMorrell_CBC

A stolen car containing three people, two teen boys and a young woman, was chased through west end streets Wednesday morning. The chase ended when the vehicle plowed into track replacement machinery at the closed intersection of Dundas St. and Lansdowne Ave. about 2.45 a.m. The occupants were treated for minor injuries.

MOTORCYCLE INTO FG WAY GUARDRAIL

A man is in serious condition after his motorcycle hit a guardrail on the eastbound Gardiner Expressway at the noon hour. Police said the man, who is young, was conscious and breathing upon their arrival.

Release from Hamilton police with inset of VW Golf Alltrack by Bulldog

Hamilton Police have released surveillance video from the killing on Sunflower Cres. in Ancaster showing a suspect vehicle which they say is a “light-coloured SUV or crossover-type vehicle.” But a reader of the City News website chimes in that the surveillance picture tells him that the vehicle shown is almost certainly a VW Golf Alltrack. The reader, WD69, says: “You don’t have to be a car expert to know that this is a VW Golf Alltrack in Pure White (a wagon), a very unique car. There aren’t too many around so it should be quite easy to figure out who’s it is… unless it was reported stolen prior to the shooting. This might help rule out any ‘other SUV or crossover-type’ vehicles.” A real estate agent, Albert Iavarone, was ambushed in front of his home. Police say he has mob associates.  Police are probing Iavarone’s “entrepreneurial adventures”

Aubrey Drake Graham is taking legal action after he says an Instagram model he met on tour in 2017 tried to extort money from him on the premise that she was pregnant. Layla Lace and Drake crossed paths during his Boy Meets World tour in England and from the sounds of this story, according to Alissa Heidman in the online publication Narcity.  There is video on the site of Lace on SiriusXM station Shade 45 declaring: “I know who I sleep with unprotected, period. It’s one hundred percent [for] sure [Drake’s child], he knows it.” 

Drake and Layla

Toronto envoy

• Elton John buys vinyl at Sonic Boom on Spadina
• Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber are definitely married: Alec Baldwin

Streetcar derailed in collision with ambulance

A streetcar collided with an ambulance Wednesday on Queen’s Quay in the new multi-lane bike, car, streetcar and pedestrian traffic complex. Some say the street is so confusing it is a virtual no-man’s-land.

Police in Guelph say a woman sat in the rear seat of a car and apparently filmed a child of 8 or 10 years trying to drive the vehicle. It was driven into another car at a skating arena Tuesday. A man sat in the passenger seat as this occurred. Following the collision, the adults took control of the car and left.

Associate Chief Justice Alexnadra Hoy

Justice Edward Belobaba

Premier Ford

Ontario’s Court of Appeal has issued a stay putting a lower court’s ruling striking down Bill 5 on hold. Bill 5, which slashed the size of Toronto council to 25 wards, is now in effect pending appeal.  This decision by the panel of three judges means that City staff will immediately begin preparing for a 25-ward election, to be held on Oct. 22. As tweeted below, the appeal court took issue with Superior Court Judge Edward Belobaba’s finding that freedom of expression was related in some way to the size of municipal wards. The appeal court panel was composed of Associate Chief Justice Alexandra Hoy, Justice Robert Sharpe and Justice Gary Trotter. The judges found that while Toronto City Council candidates had a “reasonable expectation” they would be contesting a 47-ward election, they are not  guaranteed this outcome by the Charter of Rights. They also say that changing rules after campaign began may be unfair, but “unfairness alone does not establish a charter breach.” The appeal court again makes a distinction between fairness and a violation of the constitution. “The question for the courts is not whether Bill 5 is unfair but whether it is unconstitutional. […] [W]e have concluded that there is a strong likelihood that application judge erred in law and that the AG’s appeal to this court will succeed.”

Strong words here from the court of appeal judges, slamming Belobaba's earlier ruling: "It is not in the public interest to permit the impending election to proceed on the basis of a dubious ruling that invalidates legislation duly passed by the Legislature."

— Lauren Pelley (@LaurenPelley) September 19, 2018

Metro Inc, Loblaws and Empire (owner of Sobeys) were weeping tears of apparent sadness Tuesday as they cited rising minimum wages and new trade tariffs at the US-Canada border for increased prices now and in the near future. “Exactly when and how — it’s all about competitive dynamics. Everybody is competitive. Nobody wants to lose any share. So, let’s see how things play out,” said Metro Inc. boss Eric La Fleche. The executives met at Scotiabank’s back-to-school conference in Toronto. National Post