Toronto Police were warmly welcomed as participants in the annual Sikh festival day marched Khalasa parade along the lakeshore Sunday. Photos courtesy Toronto Police Service

The future of Laird Drive and the south side of Eglinton over to Brentcliffe was discussed at a meeting of the City of Toronto’s Laird in Focus project Monday night in the Lea Room at Leaside Arena. Many Leasiders (and others who patronize the businesses there) may be heard to ask “What wrong with it now?” Sadly our preference for the quite functional (and far from gentrified) business districts represented here will not forestall change. The future is pressure. There’s enormous money to be made now that there’s going to be a rapid transit line along Eglinton. The City’s ceaseless planning is at work. And perhaps the outcome will please everyone. This meeting, which seems to have been lightly attended, was a chance to hear and comment on what might be done. The project is described here.

All buildings around Scotia Plaza being evacuated as smoke continues to billow out from underground vent @CityNews pic.twitter.com/bkfQfzmS6J

— Amanda Ferguson (@ByAmandaFergie) May 1, 2017

We keep hearing explosions now that we've been pushed back @CityNews pic.twitter.com/KiQ49w8vQ0

— Amanda Ferguson (@ByAmandaFergie) May 1, 2017

King St. remains closed through much of downtown Tuesday morning as hydro, fire and police crews face what appears to a complicated, and perhaps a long job, of cleaning up and repairing damage done in the suppertime fire Monday. One report says Toronto Hydro workers were driven out of the underground vault overnight by an unexpected resurgence of smoke.

Hydro pumping water and drying equipment before repairs in vault

A loud explosion can be heard in this video from a witness on the scene in downtown Toronto https://t.co/jhAQnZ1c9k pic.twitter.com/IFvX5pHiLo

— CBC News (@CBCNews) May 1, 2017

Hydro crews worked Monday night to assess and repair damage done at an underground vault outside Scotia Plaza on King Street West following a late afternoon series of explosions and fire. Brown acrid smoke and frightening explosions shot out of sidewalk grates (see video) as pedestrians ran for safety. Power was down to two buildings on King and Wellington. The Royal Bank Building was evacuated, streetcars re-routed, the subway bypassed King Station and King Street was closed from Church to west of Bay. Police wore surgical masks to try to protect against the smoke.

Monday’s thundering rain is creeping away to the east after dropping a lot water and creating local flooding. The forecast is a bit uncertain but it appears there will some light rain overnight and tomorrow. In the City of Clarington to the east of Toronto, residents living along Cedar Crest Beach in Bowmanville are filling sand bags to stave off high lake levels.

The Duchess of Cambridge (mom) posts a new picture of Princess Charlotte ahead of her second birthday. Then Aeroflot, the Russian carrier, had some mayhem in the sky when clear air turbulence struck. Next, Mark Zuckerberg drops in on a family dinner Sunday. Apparently he wanted to find out why this family of normally Democratic voters went for Trump in 2016. Speaking of whom, the Donald is such a wild card. He has said today that he could be “honoured” (really?) to sit down with Kim Jong-un.

It looks like Mayor Tory touched a nerve when he invited PC leader Patrick Brown to join him at City Hall for coffee and a talk about money. It apparently prompted transportation minister Steven Del Duca to whiz down to the Toronto Clam Shell and hold an impromptu news conference in which he accused the mayor of whining about money. The minister said Tory “crosses a line” by harping on provincial funding for transit and other municipal needs. Why not just not place road tolls on the DVP? (On no wait, that’s not allowed). During a joint news conference with Brown, Tory said the provincial government needs to “be at the table with money in hand” for projects such as the downtown relief line, the Scarborough East LRT and waterfront transit. Brown agreed of course. He said that under a PC government the City would have a partner it could rely on.

Sandman Luc Beaudoin

Can’t sleep? This sounds like a lot of work but then it doesn’t matter if you drift off with the job unfinished. BC professor Luc Beaudoin says think of a word like “Bird” and then try to make a list of words starting with each letter of the word. Of course, you won’t get beyond B unless there’s something seriously clinical about your persistent waking state. For those who can drop off in an (um) wink with a deep breath or too, none of this is necessary.  CBC

The impromptu but apparently heartfelt rendering of the US National;Anthem by Edmonton fans Sunday continues to make headlines across Canada and the US. There are 18 stories about it on Google News Monday with headlines like these:

• Go, Canada: Edmonton Oilers fans sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ after mic malfunctions
• Mic issues in Edmonton led to the most incredible crowd-led rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
• All Leads 

Earlier: Classy Oilers fans sing Star Spangled Banner with gusto

Police asking help in identifying a man who verbally abused and threatened passengers on a streetcar at approximately 4:35 p.m. He engaged two men, strangers to him,:in conversation  on the Dundas Streetcar near University Avenue.  He quickly became hostile making threats towards the woman  The women reported the threats to the driver and got off the streetcar  The man also exited the streetcar and was last seen fleeing southbound on University Avenue  He is described as 5’10, with a medium build, shaved hair, wearing a black hooded jacket, black athletic pants with a white horizontal stripe, white t-shirt with black writing, black framed sunglasses, and a black baseball hat, with a red, green and gold logo. He was also carrying a beige backpack and a brown paper bag. He is seen below.

A rent strike starting May 1 by Parkdale tenants of MetCap Management is no doubt being watched carefully in Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park and other high rental neighbourhoods across the City. MetCap has threatened to evict tenants if they don’t pay their rent, including the increase. As issue are increases in rent justified by so-called Above Guideline Increase (AGI). These are rent increases for authorized improvements which permit a landlord to raise rents above the rent control guidelines in order to cover the cost. Many tenants see AGI applications as a pretext to raise rents. MetCap manages 19 apartment buildings in Parkdale and five are facing rent increases. Tenants are demanding MetCap withdraw all pending AGI applications in Parkdale, stop the practice of applying for AGIs in Parkdale and resolve all outstanding maintenance issues. Tenant rent strike threat against MetCap could boomerang