Mastermind Toys has announced the imminent opening of three more stores and is saying it will open seven more by the end of the year. The three opening soon are in Hamilton, Edmonton and Saskatoon. That will make the total 70 stores in eight provinces. Mastermind says it has 1,300 employees. The firm is 30 years old and since 2011 has been on an expansion  program which has seen the opening of 53 stores.

FOUNDER OF TOYS “R” US DEAD

Charles P. Lazarus, the World War II veteran who founded Toys “R” Us six decades ago has died at age 94. His death comes a week after the chain announced it was going out of business in the US.

Mt. Pleasant and Hillsdale/Bulldog

Yonge and Orchard View/Google

The Royal Bank will close its branch at the corner of Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Hillsdale Ave. in July, the bank has confirmed. This closure along with the shuttering of the Royal branch on Eglinton West west of Duncannon Dr. leaves RBC branches at Bayview and Belsize,  Wicksteed and Laird and at Yonge and Orchard View Blvd., across the street from the Yonge-Eglinton Centre. The Royal says accounts from Mt. Pleasant will be consolidated at the Yonge St. branch. The closure leaves Meridian Credit Union at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Soudan Ave. as the only financial institution left in the BIA strip from Davisville to Eglinton. Which brave bank will start closing branches to be “digital”

The federal Competition Bureau alleges in court documents that Torstar Corp. and Postmedia Network Canada Corp. conspired in their 2017 newspaper transaction, which was followed by the closure of dozens of mostly community publications. So far, no charges are laid and the companies deny they did anything illegal. Toronto Star

• Postmedia, Torstar swap small newspapers, close most

Karen Stintz/Wikipedia

Actually, the streetar is the tipoff/City of Toronto

Learning about Nowruz/photo DPS

Karen Sintz, the popular three-term Councillor for Ward 16 from 2002 to 2014, continues to keep her name in front of the public. She has again written about the need for parkland at the corner of that present-day disaster zone known as Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave. Stintz resigned to run for mayor in 2014 but pulled out in the face of the onslaught from John Tory, Rob Ford and Olivia Chow. Money was also an issue. Christin Carmichael Greb won the ward in 2014 with merely 17 percent of the vote. Ranked ballots anyone? Upper right, we see 1970s Queen St. E. at Baseball Place. It is the site of the City’s first baseball stadium, Sunlight Park. But Google Sidewalk Labs thinks this is a picture taken at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the farm town of St. Mary’s. Brendan @Dovercourter is not amused and has many other examples of Google map making gone haywire. Below that, kids at Davisville Public School learn about the Persian New Year and a reminder of the Third Annual Easter in the Village event on Mt. Pleasant March 31. Lower left, Carol Burtin Fripp will receive the Agnes  Macphail Award Saturday night and Andy Elder’s Just “B” Cause charity evening is set for March 29.

• Mid-week reminders on school meeting, honouring Emmy
• Paul Oliver at Garden Society on attracting summer birds
• K-Gelato franchise Milkcow to open on Yonge by Blythwood

The US has backed down on a demand that a re-negotiated NAFTA contain a requirement that 50 percent of parts made in cars here in Canada come from the US. It was a staggering expectation and the auto unions say it would have put carmakers out of business in Canada. Some say the Ontario economy stands on two legs. One foot is in Oakville and the other in Oshawa. Then, video of the accident in which an Uber self-driving car hits a woman walking her bike on a dark, dark roadway. Some are saying that it may not be possible to stop a car in time — even a super-smart car — when something like that happens. Below, it’s embarrassing when two police cars collide on their way to a call. The question is, what happened in Peel Region early Wednesday? Pam Seatle of City News is asking the question. Finally, if you want something to dislike, try the third-world problem called Boko Haram. Ugh.

The Mayor has declared that downtown street repairs (a category covering a lot of ground) will be done at night rather than during the day. Here is the City News coverage of that.

Stories in the media appear to be fuelling distrust of Facebook related to “harvesting” and “mining” of information published by users. It seems to be widely believed that this information, in all or some of its forms, has been used by a voter-profiling company to manipulate the political views of millions of people in North America and the United Kingdom. But the deductive process has gone straight from the simple claim that this peril has occurred to furious declarations that it is all true and mortally dangerous too. The parts where we get to examine what information was mined, how it was used, how it influenced anybody and what impact it had on behaviour are absent. The media have mined Facebook for years, using information and pictures that in another age would not have been so easily available, or not at all. The Canadian Press story here is an example of the expression of fear. This is no brief for Facebook. It’s done some stupid and disagreeable things. But it is correct that the information placed  there by people was done freely. It is also true that the claim that this information was used in a way that manipulated populations to do things that they would not have done otherwise, is entirely unproven.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has suggests that Vladimir Putin will use the World Cup this summer much the same way Adolph Hitler used the 1936 Olympics. Strong words. Then, a late report from Austin where police are rummaging through the home of the serial bomber Mark Anthony Conditt. Also see here.  Then, CNN interviews Kylie Morris, some type of expert on the Internet. It is hard to wrap the mind around just how Facebook data was used to win an election, but who knows. Is there a bit of detail anywhere? Can’t find it. Finally, Sex In The City star Cynthia Nixon really is running against the New York Governor. Very amusing as other candidates call her totally unqualified.

A great weight will be lifted off the minds of Canadians everywhere as the CBC reports that Service Canada employees who interact with the public will avoid terms like Mr., Mrs., father and mother. They will instead use gender-neutral terms in their place. What a relief. As for Sidney Poitier, he’s in a class of his own. CBC

• Optimism returns to NAFTA talks as U.S. reportedly makes key concession on autos
• Poll Tracker: Federal poll averages and seat projections

Mark Anthony Conditt, 24

Seen shipping a bomb

Authorities in Austin, Texas say that the serial bomber who has been terrorizing the City for two weeks is dead. He is Mark Anthony Conditt, 24. Police say he was being trailed by officers when he stopped his vehicle and set off a bomb, killing himself. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Austin television station KXAN that Conditt was unemployed and that he had been observed making some purchases while wearing a disguise that included a blond wig and gloves. Pflugerville Mayor Victor Gonzales told the AP that the bombing suspect lived in his city, which is a suburb of Austin not far from the site of the first of four bombings Authorities reiterated their previous warnings for residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious packages or devices. FBI agent Chris Combs, head of the agency’s San Antonio office, says, “We are concerned that there may be other packages that are still out there.” With CBC

Photo TDSB

Emmy Duff/Family

Bamboo Bay summer camp

The South Bayview Bulletin Board offers a reminder from these kids (upper left) that the Toronto and District School Board will hold a meeting Monday, March 26 at Hodgson Middle School to consult parents. TDSB is pondering a move to redirect part of the enrollment at Eglinton Jr. Public School at Eglinton and Mt. Pleasant over to Maurice Cody Public School on Belsize Drive. TDSB link here.  At upper right, a reminder to honour the memory of the late Emmy Duff. The courageous battle of this young woman from Leaside will surely be enough to persuade you to give blood Wednesday, April 4 at the Northlea Elementary and Middle School. Call 1-888-236-6283 to book an appointment or visit Blood.ca.  Centre left, Andy Elder’s fun evening of Burgers, Butter Tarts, Beer, Band and Bingo is set for March 29 at the Amsterdam Brewery at 45 Esandar Dr. Call 416-467-4745 or inquire at admin@grilltime.ca. Donations of gently-used clothing to New Circles Prom Drive would be appreciated. Below that reminders about of the Leaside Rotary recycling Day and the annual book sale this Saturday at Leaside Presbyterian Church. To the right, it will soon be summer and the Bamboo Bay Art and Lego Summer Camp will be a godsend. Don’t miss out. Finally, check this link to help the Girl Guides to sweeten the neighbourhood a little with vanilla and chocolate cookies.

The TTC board has approved a newly-created “U Pass” for students at eight local universities. It will permit students at eight Toronto universities to ride at a cut rate. They will be charged $280 a semester, or $70 a month, apparently as part of their tuition.  The TTC board met Tuesday to discuss a staff report that recommended the scheme. Students will not be able to opt-out of the program. OCAD University, Ryerson University, University of Toronto, York University, Centennial College, George Brown College, Humber College, and Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology were named in the staff report as the stakeholders the TTC board consulted when designing this program.