The Bulldog

Leaside bowlers dodge rain to raise $1,500 for TNO camps

Gloria Paisley writes to say how 44 pubic-spirited members of the Leaside Lawn Bowling Club dodged the rain and opposing bowls Saturday to raise $1,500 for the summer camps sponsored by the Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office (TNO) supported by the United Way. Nice work and thanks to all for helping this worthy cause that sees kids from Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park occupied in the summer

Greek 101: Scribe Stella settles for mastering her appetite

Pastor Lim in Toronto after release from Pyongyang prison

Toronto pastor Hyeon Soo Lim of the Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto was reunited with his family at Pearson airport Sunday after two years in detention in North Korea. The release came after diplomatic negotiation details of which are not known. “We are proud to be Canadians. One of the things my father shared is that as a Canadian going to North Korea for him was to be able to share the blessing of Canada to those in North Korea,” the pastor’s son said. “To know that Canada has stood for him, stood by him — we are so grateful.”

Ten-second outage in parts of Midtown at 7.35 a.m. Sunday

Clocks and computers will require setting and/or restarting after a ten-second power outage in parts of Midtown Sunday morning. A similar brief outage occurred about six weeks ago. This small blackout was about ten seconds in length, long enough to erase settings on digital clocks and disrupt computers.

“Injection site” tent in Moss Park by anti-addiction activitsts

A little-known group called the Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance has erected a tent in Moss Park to function as a “pop up injection site.”  The members of the group and others are responding to accidental deaths apparently caused by fentanyl in recent days. It isn’t clear whether any amount of fentynal is safe, but the drug has become a lethal element of the street scene. Toronto police have permitted the pop up tent in the interests of educating illegal drug users, at least so far. It is staffed by a registered nurse and overdose prevention trainers. There is a large stock of the anti-overdose medication naxalone. This drug is apparently injected. Among other tasks, the injection site workers will search the park for used needles. The net effect of such activity, good or bad, remains to be seen.

Parkdale tenants claim “victory” over landlord in rent strike

The tenants of a dozen buildings in Parkdale owned by Metcap Living Inc. have ended their rent strike without evictions and in fact are declaring victory over the landlord in the form of a reduction in the proposed rents increases. CBC

Taxes double, wealth vanishes in local tales about money

Paul Panayiotidis says he is close to closing his little bookstore, Eliot’s, at Yonge and Wellesley Streets in the heart of Ward 27. That’s because like many merchants on Yonge, his taxes have doubled in about a year. The levy on his tiny storefront has gone from  $24,000 to $48,000. By 2020, taxes are expected to be $96,000 annually. Perhaps it is not the City’s fault that Panayiotidis is in a flat line of retail, selling books. But much of the skyrocketing cost of business is the responsibility of Toronto Council where the cheery approach is to spend other people’s money and hope for the best. They call it the City’s money, but we know where they come when they want more.

MAN NOW PENNILESS

The Star reports Saturday on Michael (Cash) Pomer. He was a radio sports celebrity (it’s said) and gambling authority for many years. Now the $6 million estate he once possessed is gone —  every cent. The story is decorated with pictures of Mr. Pomer looking quite forlorn. He owned a four-bedroom house with a pool in York Mills and wintered in a two-storey beachfront condo in Palm Beach. He had an island cottage in Parry Sound as well as a ski chalet and a golf club membership. There is much more to read about Mr. Pomer, all of it dispiriting. This story does not try to blame others for his downfall however. In this world where some dream of eliminating poverty (like it were chicken pox) it’s well to remember that poverty is all about individual personal decisions.

Syringe needles to sewing remnants are collected at arena

Ward 26 Environment Day saw brisk business Saturday at Leaside Arena as hundreds of people had a broad range of used, expired and just plain old goods for safe disposal. One potentially hot item was a 40 or 50 year-old Kenmore sewing machine. The many trucks and bins were sponsored by Councillor Burnside through the City’s recycling program. The site was open til 2 p.m.

Leaside bowlers at Canadian National Championships

Events recorded in “Dates to Remember” for August 12

Aug 12 – Ward 26 Community Environment Day
Aug 12 – Man VS Lobster
Aug 12 – Films Under the Stars: Happy Feet
Aug 12 – 21st Century Village Burgess Park

And these guys are at Longo’s

“Taste of the Bed Race” launches Danforth food cornucopia

It’s here again. By noon hour Saturday, the traditional Greek food and world-wide delectables cornucopia will be underway along the Danforth from Broadview to Pape Aves. Yesterday saw the hospital bed dashes that always precede Taste of the Danforth. The event raises money for Michael Garron Hospital. Taste of the Danforth runs until 10 p.m. Sunday.

Complex power failure knocked out service six blocks away

The seemingly odd power failure at two downtown condo buildings has a temporary fix Saturday from a mobile generator which has been employed to provide power to buildings at 126 Simcoe and 21 Nelson Street. It will service the complex until the buildings can be returned to the Toronto Hydro grid. According to the condo management, repairs to that equipment may not be done until Tuesday or even later.

UNUSUAL PROBLEM

Toronto Hydro has said that the failure of power to  the building, about 30 and 15 storeys, is being caused by equipment owned by the condo. The utility has no responsiblity to repair it. This seldom reported upon and perhaps rare event represents evidence of the complex nature of the electrical delivery system in Toronto. Even more curious, it is said that the failure of the equipment on Thursday at Simcoe and Adelaide had a domino effect that shut off power at the  Ripley’s Aquarium. six blocks away on Bremner Blvd. Power there is now restored. .