The Toronto Police Service Board has extended the interim appointment of Chief James Ramer to December 2022. The board issued a glowing review of Ramer’s work so far. He is a U of T graduate in history and business who joined the service in 1980. His age is not given. Ramer was appointed Interim Chief last year when former chief Mark Saunders retired. He appears to have performed in a dynamic and thoughtful way to his new duties. The extension was met with approval by Mayor Tory.

“Trusted and established leadership at the police service is always important but I believe it is crucial for our city right now as we emerge from the global pandemic and our city continues to reopen,” he said. “I am confident that Chief Ramer can provide that needed stability and will be ready to help the next chief transition into the role and protect the policing progress that is being made.”

The Don Valley Parkway is closed all weekend for maintenance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdAdIRNsY

Wow! Hang by your fingertips for 14 minutes as Canada and Sweden exchange penalty kicks with the gritty Canuk women finally taking gold.

The City of Toronto has announced Friday that the annual closure of the Don Valley Parkway will take place this Saturday and Sunday, the same weekend Bayview Ave is closed on Saturday for a crane removal. The annual maintenance of the DVP will occur from Friday at 11 p.m. until Monday at 5 a.m. The closure will include the entire expressway from Highway 401 to the Fred Gardiner Expressway. Bayview closed from Soudan to Eglinton all day Saturday

Oh yes, Line 1 is closed too

The Yonge subway will be closed this weekend from Finch to St. Clair for LRT work at Eglinton. That will be a nuisance for some but as jaded newshounds have been known to snipe: “It would be news if it were open”.

Penny Oleksiak is home from Tokyo and has told Breakfast Television that she finds it “weird” to be Canada’s most decorated Olympian. Well, that’s Monarch Park Collegiate’s most famous graduate for you. Now 21, Penny’s modest ways are more than becoming for this young woman who has accomplished so much for her country in such a short time. Great work Penny, and thanks.

Plan your Saturday shopping carefully. Metrolinx has warned that Bayview Ave will be closed between Soudan Ave and Eglinton Ave all day Saturday and into Sunday to let crews remove a tower crane used for the construction of the Leaside Station Main Entrance. The road closure will be implemented on Saturday August 7, 2021 at approximately 4 a.m. and will remain in place through to the morning of Sunday August 8, 2021. The closure has implications for the business district to the south has drivers try to find their way.

Buses running but diverted, police on duty

During this work, no through traffic will be permitted on Bayview between Soudan and Eglinton. Bayview will remain open north of Soudan Avenue for local traffic only. Traffic control personnel and police will be present, while this work takes place. Significant traffic, pedestrian, and TTC changes will be in effect. See further details on pedestrian traffic and buses at the release

Congestion likely on Mt. Pleasant, side streets

The knock-on effect of closing Bayview is very likely to be congestion on Mt. Pleasant and on side streets such as Hanna Ave, Banff Rd and many others.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath has reversed herself on the need for Ontario school teachers to get vaccinated. She took a lot of heat from her own members (see below) for saying teachers could refuse as a matter of their human rights. Of course, there’s that other little rights matter called kids getting sick and dying. It’s clouded in the murk of history but some recall 1950s kids getting jabbed for the deadly and crippling curse of polio without mom and dad even being asked. Meanwhile, the Ontario government has all but said teachers must be vaccinated but not quite. Oddly, teachers’ unions are in a tizzy about it. Calm down. Kids unvaccinated for childhood diseases must leave class. Teachers have the same right to leave. It’s called unemployment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cdNn_E3hfY

An Ontario athlete, Damian Warner, has won gold and set an Olympic record in the decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics. Warner ended the 10-discipline event with a fifth-place finish in the 1,500 metres and became the first Canadian to win gold in the decathlon. Warner, 31, is from London, Ontario. He shattered the Olympic record with 9,018 points. The previous Olympic record was 8,893 points, shared between Ashton Eaton of the United States (2016) and Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic (2004).

Bill Gates has told CNN that his now finalized divorce from his former wife Melinda is a great source of personal sadness. He also said his meetings with sex offender Jeffery Epstein were a big mistake. CNN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa_IJt4SQ7E