Davisville home of L. B. Pearson’s infancy will be not saved
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Lester Pearson
1984 Yonge St.
The little-known home on Yonge St north of Davisville Ave. where Lester Bowles Pearson spent the first three years of his life will not be given heritage status by the City. The rather anonymous looking structure at 1984 Yonge will be torn down as part of Yonge redevelopment. Pearson was prime minister from 1963 to 1968 and was widely known as “Mike”. CBC Wikipedia
“Two kids playing” badly hurt in 4.5m fall from 2nd storey
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Two little girls aged about two and three fell two storeys from the second floor of a Scarborough home Monday night. It appears to be misadventure in a home with open windows and no air conditioning. Police said they think it is a case of two kids romping on a bed and getting too close to the window.The younger girl is said to have hit her head and is more seriously hurt. Police said the CAS has been notified.
Tim’s owner squeezing life out of franchisees lawsuit claims
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The CBC says a Toronto Tim Hortons franchisee with two locations has launched a $500-million class-action lawsuit against the parent company for mismanagement of the brand. It accuses Restaurant Brands International of squeezing franchise operators so hard it is a challenge for them to stay in business. The complaint joins widely reported dissatisfaction with the nickel and dime state of Tm Hortons service since RBI took over. The CBC says there’s a “group” of franchisees but then notes the $500,000 action is brought by 1523428 Ontario Inc. owner of two Tim Hortons. It must be certified as a class-action
AD FUND
“Since its acquisition,” the statement of claim reads, “[Restaurant Brands] has used various strategies to extract more money out of the Tim Hortons franchise system at the expense of franchisees.” A serious sore point is the so-called ad fund which was set up and made mandatory for franchisees. They have contributed some $700,00 so far with little say over how the money is spent.
Gord Downie gets Canada medal and Rubik’s cube wizard
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Gord Downie, terminally ill with brain cancer, has been awarded the Order of Canada in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. At this same event the Governor General apologized for saying that Canada is a nation of immigrants, including aboriginal people. It is not clear just who was offended because history seems to suggest that aboriginal people migrated to North America from Asia. Perhaps it’s the nuanced definition of immigrant or sensitivity. In Toronto, young Ben Kyle has solved the Pyraminx, also known as the triangle Rubik’s Cube, in a record-setting 1.28 seconds Ben, 13, was at the World Cube Association tournament on the weekend. Below that, New Zealand has won three races in a row to put a near lock on the America’s Cup. The defending champions, the US, has a week to shape up and make a comeback. And finally, the gay man photographed with the Trumps in the Oval Office had a giggle we must think by producing a fan and giving it a wave or two in an official photo.
Dalhousie U is guessing at increase in price of beef and pork
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The writers of an annual food price report from Dalhousie University in Halifax say they think meat prices will rise as much as seven to nine percent because of a shortage of cattle and hogs. The Canadian Press story does not say what caused a shortage of animals great enough to sustain increases of this amount. The mid-year update suggests that dairy products, eggs, baked goods and cereals are expected to drop between one and three per cent. They were expected to remain flat or rise up to two per cent.
Woman jailed seven years for spiriting child away to China
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A woman who spirited her daughter away to China to deny access to her ex husband has been found guilty on appeal and will serve a seven year sentence for kidnapping and obstruction, the Ontario Court of Appeal has decided. Ontario’s top court found that Chun Mei Li has waged a seven-year campaign of deceit and lies in her effort to keep her daughter in China. “The trial judge found that the harm caused by Ms. Li’s actions, when combined with her very high degree of moral blameworthiness, warranted a sentence that was more severe than in comparable cases,” the Appeal Court said. Toronto Sun
Timeless flashback asks how to pick the real Constable Hall?
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It was August 2013 and a genial policeman was helping people through the bomb-damage mess of sidewalk reconstruction on South Bayview. The Bulldog wrote this:
The west side of Bayview Ave is still a mess with sidewalk repairs but hapless pedestrians can at least take a moment to talk with Constable John Hall (left) who is safely getting people on their way. There would be no trouble picking the real PC Hall if he were in a lineup with Hulk Hogan. But, the Toronto copper does have one of the better Hogan style mustaches we’ve seen. Of course, PC Hall has to keep his face hair more conservative than the flamboyant wrestler showman. Say hello to the affable PC John and tell him you admire his HH mustache.
Longo’s service in the rain a headliner for Monday medley
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David Bryant and friends
Alleged break-in?
Longo’s service in the rain
Every grocery store in the country take notice of this splendid service from Longo’s at their Leaside Village store. Kate Young posted a picture of the manager and a few staff carrying umbrellas for customers. Love it. Upper left, here is Leaside’s David Bryant and friends preparing for the Victoria Day sky fire show. It was highly entertaining. Now Dave is asking for help to put on a proper display for July 1. He writes: “I have compiled my list of effects to light up the sky and this will be my most intense show ever. But I need your help. My shopping cart comes to a whopping $5200 pre-discount, I will receive a 50% off my order from my supplier Victory Fireworks. All donations are used towards the cost of the event, if a get more than enough contributions to cover the cost I will buy more. If you are interested in contributing to the show please contact me via call/text/email.” And finally, Meagan Rènah Harris posted some pictures of kids outside the Leaside Mart early in the morning at McRae Dr. at Sutherland Dr. She says there were five of them and that there was an attempted break-in. Leaside Community
Moscow threats target US planes but military still talking
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Fears of fighting between Russia and the US in the middle east flared when Moscow said it will “target” fighter planes seen west of the Euphrates River. This is apparently an agreed-to boundary between the countries as they try to finish off ISIS. The issue was heightened yesterday when the US shot down a Syrian jet because it had dropped bombs near Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) fighters. SDF forces are backed by the US-led coalition fighting ISIS.
Don Valley West PC voting called “squeaker” by members
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The victory of energy consultant Jon W. Kieran as the Progressive Conservative standard-bearer in the next Ontario general election was a tight one according to some people in the large crowd present Sunday evening. The vote is not recorded but whatever its precise nature the winning margin is believed to have been close. Voting was by ranked balloting which gave members a second choice. It is estimated that as many as 1,000 people crowded the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre on Garamond Court in Don Mills to choose a candidate to run against Premier Kathleen Wynne. Mr. Kieran told the South Bayview Bulldog Monday morning that the size of the crowd would suggest a desire for change. He thanked members and the other candidates. They were Dean Baxendale, Jeff Silverstein and an East York Town Centre businessman Tanweer Khan. Mr. Kieran was particularly appreciative of Mr. Khan’s concerns. We’ve got to lift all boats,” Kieran said as an expression of party policy on the economy. Some members suggested Mr. Khan’s candidacy came as a surprise to them. The other candidates have been campaigning since the beginning of the year. There were many new members enrolled as part of the Khan campaign. CORRECTION: An earlier post said that Mr. Khan had not spoken at the meeting when in fact he did. The error was caused by misinformation from some of those present. The South Bayview Bulldog apologizes to Mr. Khan for the incorrect information.
Other News
Fob-copying and just who can get into your condo lobby
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CBC writer John Lancaster tells of a businessman who will copy electronic key fobs for condo buildings for $35 no questions asked. The practice, says Lancaster, seems entirely at odds with the practice of most condominium boards to keep tight control over access to lobbies and other common areas of their home buildings. The concern is aggravated by the Airbnb phenomenon. The quickie rental service in which people come and go from places is feeding demand for such access. CBC Kijiji