2 Alarm Fire – @Toronto_Fire is on scene of a fire on Wiltshire Ave near Davenport Rd. The blaze has caused heavy damage to a semi-detached house. Minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/WuZjjAmGSf

— Tony Smyth (@LateNightCam) March 27, 2018

An early morning blaze has caused “extensive damage” to a home near the Junction, Toronto Fire Services said Tuesday. Firefighters arrived at the scene on Wiltshire Avenue, near Davenport Road and Symington Avenue, at 4:23 a.m. Everyone in the home made it out safely and no one was hurt, Stephan Powell, district chief for Toronto Fire Services said. Crews were still at the scene trying to extinguish the fire at 7 a.m — CBC

TDSB Superintendent Ian Allison speaks to gathering

Good crowd

Cody school vice principal Adelia Vala and principal Robert Nigro

A meeting of Toronto District School Board officials at Hodgson Public School Monday night heard about “stop gap” plans to siphon students away from badly crowded Eglinton Public School. This summer two new classrooms will be built by methods known as “internal retrofits” of other space. And in 2019, the board proposes to send children in the Eglinton catchment east of Mt. Pleasant over to Maurice Cody instead. Cody school is close to capacity but officials feel sure they will not exceed 100 percent. The boundary shift was planned for 2022 but has been moved up in the face of the high-rise frenzy north of Eglinton. It is induced by the Crosstown LRT, a phenomenon seen right along the street, one that has many in Leaside weeping at the earthquake which is rocking their quiet world.

BANNOCKBURN SCHOOL

Longer term, the TDSB is putting its faith in the return of Bannockburn School from a private tenant in 2019. The school is off north Avenue Rd. There are, as officials made clear, a minimum of 300 spaces at Bannockburn. It is a long way from Eglinton and Mt. Pleasant but the scheme is to “domino” waves of students north through other north-end schools with the flow running towards Bannockburn. The plan will decrease the Eglinton school catchment north of Eglinton Ave. and lower the school’s population.

LINDSEY WALTON

Much of this is not enough for two Eglinton moms, Lindsey Walton and Michelle Fullerton. They call it a matter of fairness. Walton spoke to the meeting about the disproportionate overcapacity at Eglinton (probably 113 percent). The solution for 2018 of two additional classrooms is too little and too late. Eglinton PS is a postage stamp as TDSB schools go, maybe 1.6 acres compared to as much as five acres at Northlea Elementary and Middle School. The school yard is concrete with no turf  and is used for parking on weekends. What the women call “catchment by income” is about low-income households. It is an issue  that seems hard to fix.  Walton says the TDSB should immediately rezone more of the Eglinton Junior catchment to the neighboring affluent schools that have more square footage. It’s a tricky job and quite possibly political dynamite. Foreign-born children represent 50 percent of the school’s student population.

CHILD CARE SPACES

Finally, Walton and Fullerton want a child-care enrolment of 63 children under four at Eglinton to find another home. It is, as they say, “valuable real estate”  The TDSB could give them notice June 15 of this year and they would have to relocate for fall of 2019 but there are no such plans. Walton clearly feels stonewalled by the board on current capacity. She  notes the imminent arrival of  seven kindergarten classes for 2018 with 30 or more kids. The ministry’s hard cap is 32. The meeting was addressed by a number of TDSB personnel led by Superintendent Ian Allison. Ward 11 Trustee Shelley Laskin spoke as well. The principal and vice principal of Cody school, Robert Nigro and Adelia Vala were present as was Ward 22 Councillor Josh Matlow.

Try cooking dinner with just two hours of electricity a day maybe, running water for two hours every other day and no natural gas period. Toilet paper, medicine and mayonnaise? Don’t be silly. Then a peek back home where anonymous anti-Doug Ford types are making their own amateur posters downtown. Below that, the US, Canada and Europe have made the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats since the end of the Cold War nearly 30 years ago. Finally, looser drone legislation may be coming. Many say it can save lives but not, of course, if one goes into a jet engine of a flight landing at Pearson. Be careful.

Margaret Alice Hurst has died over the weekend with her family by her side. She and her husband George have been pillars of Leaside for 50 years from their home on McRae Dr. Friends and admirers may pay their respects on Thursday, March 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles–Newbigging Chapel at Bayview Ave.and St. Cuthbert’s Rd.  A Memorial Service will be held in Leaside United Church, 822 Millwood Road, Toronto on Saturday, March 31st at 2 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Alice’s name may be made to the Brain Sciences program at the Sunnybrook Foundation. Obituary

It was launched in February 2004 by a kid named Mark Zuckerberg and it was called Facebook. He invited anybody to make his/her own webpage really easily and plug in all sorts of information at their choice from their date of birth to pictures of the children. Who you loved, where you were going on vacation and how much you make a year. Now Facebook is used by 57 percent of Canadians every day and the Angus Reid Institute says as many as 73 percent say they will make at least some change to how they use the social media platform in the wake of a data mining scandal. That’s “data mining scandal” for anyone who hasn’t checked in since last week. What’s a data mining scandal?  It seems to be a lot like the contortions of businesses seeking your information since the day of the door-to-door survey.

WHO CHECKS THEIR CREDIT SCORE

A successful example of data gathering is the 21 Century phenomenon called the Credit Score. It is a bit of nonsense invented to get people to give over their personal information. Don’t ask where it’s sold. But back to Facebook. Angus Reid also says the survey found that one in 10 say they plan to abandon the platform, at least temporarily. Zuckerberg has apologized and outlined steps to protect user data in light of the scandal involving the Trump-connected data-mining firm. But such hopes seem vain. Protecting stuff out on a public highway called the Internet will be a challenge.

Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has received the Ontario Age-Friendly Community Recognition Award Monday, as he tweeted, “on behalf of the People of Toronto and their City Council” from the Minister of Seniors Affairs Dipika Damerla.

Ontario Justice Anne London-Weinsten has found Toronto policeman Vincenzo Bonazza not guilty of rape in an incident ten years ago because she could be sure about consent. “I have found at times the complainant would substitute what must have happened versus a recollected memory,” the judge told court on Monday. The complainant met Bonazza in 2008 when he was on duty in her neighborhood. He was invited to her apartment where she said he raped her. Bonnaza said it was consensual. The woman told Judge London-Weinstein that she did not report the incident at the time because she was afraid no one would believe her. She later became a member of the Toronto Police Service herself and decided to make a complaint.

Senior Wildcats BB team

Leaside Sr. Wildcat teams won gold in all three divisions of the senior women’s competitive tournament called the Golden Blades on Sunday. They are the Senior AA, Senior BB (at top) and Senior C team (below). At post time, the Senior AA ladies are being shy although a picture will be coming. As Wildcats president Jennifer Smith says it was a crazy day. The Golden Blades event is played at the Scotiabank Pond, a four-pad arena at Buckingham Arena in North York.

Senior Wilcats C team

A meeting for parents is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Hodgson Middle School to discuss the proposed change of boundaries between Eglinton Public School and Maurice Cody Public School. The plan is to direct as many as 40 students to Cody. Eglinton PS is crowded mainly it seems because of the high-rise development frenzy inspired by the transit hub being created at Yonge St. and Eglinton. Hodgson is at 282 Davisville Ave, east of Mt. Pleasant.

Police say a suspected impaired driver damaged 11 vehicles after crashing into a car dealership. One vehicle rolled over while another was left up in the air. Rogers Rd and Old Weston Rd area. The driver was transported by EMS. pic.twitter.com/6EHvVE2ivj

— Tony Smyth (@LateNightCam) March 26, 2018

Passengers huddle, many on cells, near tarmac at Dulles Airport

AC flight 7618 after emergency landing

Everyone is safe after an Air Canada Express flight from Toronto to Washington made an expedited landing at Dulles airport rather than its intended destination of Reagan International in the US capital.  The time between the two is not great but the captain was taking no chances over what is said to be either smoke, or a burning smell, in the cockpit. Sky Regional, which operates Air Canada Express, says 63 passengers and four crew members were unharmed after exiting the plane on the tarmac at Dulles. The aircraft is believed to be a Brazilian-made Embraer 175.

Elected notables on Danforth/ Catrina@catrinak

Peter Papas and Mayor Tory/Peter Papas

Doug Ford at work/Doug Ford

History recalled/Sergio Mourato @OMNITVSergio

Flags in wind/Catrina‏@catrinak

Campaigning for dinner/Bill Manolakos@bmanolakos

This 197th anniversary of Greek Independence was celebrated on the Danforth with bright sunshine Sunday. Notables from Premier Wynne to Mary Fragedakis took pride of place to march abreast with other elected officials. The parade’s eternal subtext is electioneering. Nothing wrong with that. Mayor Tory was snapped with Peter Papas and Doug Ford greeted kids and parents. Down below, floats told Greek history and flags flapped in the wind. That four-legged fellow in the blue and white shirt was working up an appetite for dinner after the parade.