The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation suggests that the decline in Ontario home prices isn’t expected to last. CMHC predicts moderate economic growth in the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario generally will provide support for provincial real estate prices in 2018 and 2019. CMHC expects inflation-adjusted home prices in the province will remain relatively stable and close to the levels of last year’s fourth quarter.

Kailyn and mom Jessica Griffin

Mike Love of the Beach Boys

Transplant crusader Helene Campbell

Here are Kailyn and mom Jessica Griffin from Mississippi where Kailyn, 5, is happily recovering from a terrifying ordeal with “tick paralysis.” Another case here. Centre is California boy Mike Love discussing the newly-married sounds of the Beach Boys and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Help me Rhonda! Finally, the irrepressible spirit of Helene Campbell has been honoured as she receives the key to the City of Ottawa, her hometown. Helene is a double lung transplant recipient (at Toronto General) and has gone on to crusade tirelessly on behalf of the transplant cause.

Members of one unit (out of three) forming CUPE Local 3903 at York University voted to approve the school’s latest offer but the national union has overturned the vote. In a strike that is all about issues like “job security” and “permanent tenured employment” the rank and file have been without pay cheques since March. Two of the units did not vote and the CUPE head office says there are unspecified “significant discrepancies” in vote.  They called for an immediate re-vote but local unit members complained that would disenfranchise members who had to arrange their time more carefully. And these people actually have jobs. Canadian Press at CP24

Power has been restored to Davisville, Moore Park and most of Midtown after yesterday’s wind and rain storm caused widespread blackouts. Local outages are stil seen in Rosedale and near East York. The localized outages still represent as many as 2,100 household and businesses. At the height of the outage, about 16,000 Toronto Hydro customers were without power. The City was struck with furious winds and rain during the midafternoon Wednesday. Tree covered Midtown and east side neighborhoods were subject to downed wires. See Toronto Hydro outage map.

Tufts was forced to close

Wires down on Inglewood Dr.

Lights out but ambulancer must scream through at Merton and Mt. Pleasant

Power still on to east side of Bayview

St. Clair West

Torrential afternoon rain flooded gutters

Falling trees and branches created a unique pattern of afternoon power outages in Moore Park and Davisville Village between Bayview and Mt. Pleasant Wednesday. The lights remained on in homes on the north side of Millwood except for a northward blackout bump that closed businesses just north of Millwood on the west side. Tufts Valumart was forced to close. Traffic lights seemed to collapse. They were out on Mt. Pleasant from Soudan Ave. down to Inglewood Drive. That’s eight corners. Homebound traffic was backed up to nearly Jarvis St. Esso gasoline continued to flow at Merton and Mt. Pleasant because the plant has a backup generator. Across the City, as many as 16,000 were without power at the peak of the outage and the traffic light failure was everywhere. The current hydro outage map is here. At 8 p.m. shows two or three localized areas in south Davisville but there is a large downtown blackout bounded by Dupont, Spadina, Bloor St. West and Ossington. There is large blackout in Leslieville and upper Beach south of Gerrard St stretching from lower Carlaw over to nearly Main Street. Power remains on south of Eastern Ave. Below (left) the rains came and (right) traffic lights out at Merton and Mt. Pleasant and ambulance can’t wait.

Demolition for Halo Residences on Yonge, image by UT Forum contributor AlvinofDiaspar

UT Forum contributor AlvinofDiaspar

1955 photo by James Salmon. Toronto Public Library

The historic fire hall tower which for decades topped the St. Charles Tavern on Yonge St. north of College St  is seen with new clarity as demolition continues around it. The tower will moved closer to the street and incorporated into a condominium. Urban Toronto

• Cadillac Fairview announces $800-million office tower in Toronto

Woman carried from home in chair

Home fires have seen the rescue of a woman in a chair on Elvaston Drive near Victoria Park and Eglinton. Another fire on Caddy Dr. near Lawrence and Scarborough Golf Club Rd. has left a man in critical condition. Other videos relate new penalties for distracted driving and the worrisome lack of readiness for legal marijuana. Do we know how to test for it, control edible tidbits that might appeal to children or manage the simple act of growing tons of it in the backyard? Seems not. Finally Nitish Bissonauth on that cowardly and depraved attack on geese.

There is widespread skepticism Wednesday about what Donald Trump gave away to Kim Jong-un this week in Singapore. The little dictator should be hoping that his media portrayal of Trump as a sucker doesn’t take a nasty Justin Trudeau turn. Trump’s spiteful attack on Canada was inspired because Trudeau “made Trump look weak.” Oh dear. Links here may (or may not) enlighten us on what really happened in Singapore.

• North Korea media depict Kim’s strength over Trump in summit
• Donald Trump admits he’ll find ‘some kind of an excuse’ if he’s wrong about North Korea’s Kim Jong Un
• Opinion | Kim Jong Un pulls off a magic trick
• Michael Goodwin: Trump-Kim summit brings out the cynics (when we should be looking forward with hope)

Dwight Ball

US jetliners at Gander Airport on 911

The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador has invoked the historic act of friendship and refuge extended by his province when US aircraft sought a safe haven in the midst of the 911 crisis. Some 7,000 airline passengers were taken in by Gander residents. The kindness inspired the hit musical play “Come From Away”.  Ball finds the event significant in the Trump view that Canada is a security threat to the US. Dwight Ball offers Donald Trump tickets to “Come from Away”

A hit and run driver in a Dodge Ram truck is seen fleeing a fatal accident at Dufferin St. and Briar Hill Ave Monday. Police are requesting the public to contact police if they have any security camera footage recorded on Monday, June 11, 2018, from the following streets: Stayner Avenue, Locksley Avenue, Risa Boulevard, Times Road and Briar Hill Avenue

The FIFA World Congress in Moscow has voted by a score of 134 to 65 to accept the United bid of Canada, the US and Mexico for the World Cup tournament in 2026. This is the first time the World Cup tournament has been awarded by a vote of member countries, rather than FIFA executives. The 2026 World Cup will also be the first to feature 48 teams. Sadly, the FIFA selection process in previous years appears to have been subject to serious graft.  The United bid was judged to be the better option (over Morocco) after a review by FIFA’s technical committee. The tandem of Canada, the US and Mexico scored a 4.0 out of 5 on their rating scale, while Morocco received a score of 2.7, and the bid was judged to be “high risk” in the categories of stadiums, accommodation, and transportation. Canada is expected to host 10 of the 80 total matches, with specific host cities still yet to be decided. All matches from the quarter-finals onward will be hosted in the US, however. Three stadiums across Canada will play host to group stage games — most likely BMO Field in Toronto, Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, and the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

MAYOR AT BMO FIELD WEDNESDAY

Mayor Tory will be joined by Toronto FC President Bill Manning and John Herdman, Canada’s Men’s National Team Head Coach Wednesday at 10 a.m. at BMO Field to discuss the successful bid. ,

Lori Brendal, president of the LLBC, Mary Lou Richards and Kathy Larking of the Cosburn Lawn Bowling Club and Lan Tran of the Agincourt Lawn Bowling Club/Gloria Paisley

Tanya Wiles-Bell

Flowers from Davenport

Man vs Lobster

Bob Rumball car wash

Corvette in window of Bonnie Byford Real Estate

Hey there, these ladies just took silver in the Ontario Open Fours Competition held at the Leaside Lawn Bowling Club June 1 to 3. They are (l to r) Lori Brendal, president of the LLBC, Mary Lou Richards and Kathy Larking of the Cosburn Lawn Bowling Club and Lan Tran of the Agincourt Lawn Bowling Club. They will now fly to Regina to play in the national championship. Go Team Brendal. To the right, don’t forget the reception for Tanya-Wiles-Bell at Leaside United Church Wednesday. It’s from 7 to 9 p.m. at the church at Millwood and McRae. Below Tanya are exquisite flowers from the Davenport Garden Centre at Bayview and Millwood where our friend Carla Rose is waiting to help. At the right is a reminder outside McSorley’s about the annual Man vs Lobster tussle on Saturday, June 30. Don’t forget, man always wins. Down below, some car news. The charity car wash for the Bob Rumball Centre for Excellence for the Deaf is on agaIn Thursday. Get in there. And at the right, this is top down weather for real and make believe as we offer a peek at a miniature Corvette (circa 1960) in the window of Bonnie Byford Real Estate at 1536 Bayview Ave. Below that is a fine-looking MG TF (circa 1953-55) seen on Bayview outside Tufts’ Valumart.