The BBC has spun off some semi-psychiatric insights about Donald Trump and Vladmir Putin as they met face-to-face, man-to-man for the first time in Germany where they are attending the G20. The meeting followed Trump’s speech Thursday about defending Western civilization. Some gave him good marks. Interesting stuff about who got the upper handshake. Friday, a seeming meeting of minds about cleaning up ISIS for good and keeping out of each other’s way in the middle east.

New CIBC at 1820 Bayview

Instabuggy

Fiat food delivery

Andy Elder meeting Bomber

The new CIBC will open Monday July 10 at 1820 Bayview Ave north of Roehampton (parking in the rear) and the manager, Elaine Dandy, wants to see you. (Yes, her dad’s name was Jim). The new branch also marks the end of a CIBC (and before that Commerce bank) in Sunnybrook Plaza. The Commerce opened in Sunnyrook in 1951. Meanwhile the Instabuggy Fiat was seen in the parking lot of Summerhill Market, one of the specialized grocers that the firm likes to use. Instabuggy is the now three-year-old invention of Thornhill father of three Julian Gleizer. Finally, Andy Elder and the Bald Eagle at Trae Zammit’s cigar promotion at Smokin’ Cigar at 1540 Bayview Ave. Andy, specialty meat shop owner and caterer, was grilling some goodies when eagle keeper and birdman Dan Franklin invited Elder to say hello. The bird is named Bomber..

York Regional Police report the death of a boy, 6, after his bicycle hit a moving van operated by Two Men and a Truck on a residential street in Richmond Hill. It happened at Taylor Mills Drive South and Newkirk Road around noon. Police are asking any witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to come forward.

Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell

Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell (Ward 28) has died at the age of 71 Friday. Mayor Tory spoke at City Council: “It is with a heavy heart that I extend deepest condolences on behalf of Toronto City Council to Pam’s husband Jim, their daughters Heather Ann and Madelyn, grandchildren and all members of her family. Pam was a wonderful advocate for Toronto’s most vulnerable residents. She spent much of her career advocating for social justice, education and literacy and poverty reduction. I respected the empathy, passion and common sense she brought to her role. She will be missed immensely but her work has ensured that this city is a stronger and fairer place.”

SCHOOL TRUSTEE FIRST

Deputy Mayor McConnell was a school teacher before becoming a school trustee in 1982. In 1994, she became a City councillor and spent many hours working with residents and groups to build healthy communities for all Torontonians. The present term marked her seventh at Council. She served as Deputy Mayor, South and was selected by Mayor Tory in 2015 as the champion of the City’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. She also served as a member of the Government Management Committee, the Affordable Housing Committee, and the Toronto and East York Community Council as well as several other boards, committees and Business Improvement Areas.

Jennifer Smith awarding medals at 2015 March Madness

Jennifer Smith, president of the Leaside Wildcats Association, has been nominated as an Urban Hero by the Mirror newspaper group. To vote  March Madness: She presides over girls hockey marathon

City Council has voted 35 to 4 to kick motor cars off King St at every intersection between Jarvis St. and Bathurst St in a year-long pilot designed to speed streetcars on their way. Drivers will be required to turn right at every intersection. As many as 180 parking spaces will be removed as well. The pilot project is expected to cost $1.5 million.

Queen Street between Yonge Street‎ and Bay Street will be closed from 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 7 until 5 a.m. Monday, July 10 for the installation of a new pedestrian bridge at the Hudson Bay Company building. There will also be no access to James Street during this period. Eastbound traffic on Queen Street will be diverted at Bay Street and westbound traffic on Queen Street will be diverted at Yonge Street.

Bowling in the Deep were inspired by Adele

Lawn Ballers in from the Danforth

They See Us Rollin came to play

Sustenance

Bowling Stones raised $2430

The first of four charity nights at Leaside Lawn Bowling Club was held Thursday. It kicked off the Lawn Summer Nights series in Leaside, a national fundraising program to aid in the research of Cystic Fibrosis. The inventive costumes and team names kept up a madcap tradition for LSN. The Real Bowlwives of Leaside fielded a team as did an old favorite Guacabowly. The remaining events are set for July 13, 20 and 27.

What’s a sign worth

Show me the green

City Council has voted to suspend the entire Toronto Parking Authority board after it was revealed TPA came perilously to paying $2.5 million too much for a piece of land to be used for parking. There are protestations that no wrong doing is known, and there may be none. But the circumstances as set out at Council are certainly worrisome. The TPA got advice from someone on the value of the parcel at Finch Ave and Arrow Road who is a consultant employed by a sign company (unnamed). There is a sign on the land. The value of the deal seems to have been reduced to what the sign might be worth to the sign company and thus the owner of the land. The consultant said $4.5 million. Councillor John Filion heard this and thought it was baloney. He told the City Auditor Beverly Romeo-Beehler who blew the whistle. It gives new meaning to the term Green P. The investigation continues.

Volvo Cars has announced that every Volvo it makes in 2019 will be fully electric or hybrid, marking what it says is the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine (ICE) and placing electrification at the core of Volvo’s business. It’s an interesting gambit. Volvo is small enough that its Chinese owners, Geely Holdings, would probably like a little more attention.

Toronto Centre Rosedale (Ward 28) Councillor Pam McConnell is “gravely ill” and is “fighting as hard as she can” in hospital from an offically undisclosed illness. Mayor Tory announced this news Thursday saying the illness is related to her lungs but is not lung cancer.

The number of homes sold in June in the Greater Toronto Area dropped an eye-popping 37.3 per cent compared with a year ago, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. The decline in sales reflects the surcharge placed on sales to foreign speculators which was introduced by the Ontario government in April.  Figures also show that the average sale price of homes in the GTA has fallen in response to the drop in sales from a high of more than $920,000 in April to about $794,000 in June. That number still left the price of a home 6.3 percent higher than it was in June of 2016. Housing stock on the market grew in the face of the two-month decline in sales. It was up year over year to 19,614 or an increase of 15.9 per cent.