The Toronto and East York sky on Thursday morning was dramatic and foreboding for the day’s weather. We are told to expect 5 to 10 cm of rain with a bit of snow overnight Friday. It will be sloppy on Friday as well. But it appears temperatures will stay at or above zero.  Photo: @marcusvichert, Twitter

CHEAP STUDENT RAIL PASSES SOLD OUT

Via Rail said early Thursday that all available $150 youth passes for unlimited travel across Canada in July had been sold out after the sales were derailed on Wednesday due to high demand on its website. The Canada 150 Youth Pass is intended to coincide with celebrations marking the country’s sesquicentennial. They went on sale Tuesday. The company said, however, that sales were temporarily suspended “due to high demand” and technical difficulties with its online booking engine.

The Premier will host a reception at the William Lea Room at Leaside Arena to toast and thank a lifelong arena volunteer George Turrell for his work. It’s Wednesday, April 5, 2017 between 6 and 8 p.m.Garden president Ray White tweeted: “Big night planned for Leaside Gardens Legend ~ George Turrell — April 5th. He’s been yelling at me since 1961. Well deserved recognition.”

Toronto Council has directed staff to begin inspecting thousands of apartment buildings — including those in Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park — as part of an attempt to police bad landlords. The vote was 41-1 in favour of creating regulations which will require landlords to register each year with the city and to pay an annual fee. They will also be required to make a plan for tracking tenant requests, handling waste and dealing with pests. Landlords who fail to comply will be issued violation notices and face fines up to $100,000 under the new regulations. Premier has consultation meeting with Thorncliffe tenants

Urban Toronto tells of applications to build two developments that would replace everything on the east side of Yonge from St.Clair down to Pleasant Blvd.

COLLISION
Davenport Rd and Avenue Rd, report of a cyclist struck, no info on injuries #554290 ^cb

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) March 29, 2017

Prime Minister Theresa May formally began Britain’s divorce from the European Union on Wednesday, saying there was “no turning back” from a decision pitching her country into two years of “messy” negotiations. Nine months after Britons voted to leave, May notified EU Council President Donald Tusk in a letter that Britain was quitting the bloc it joined in 1973. “The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union,” May later told parliament in London. “This is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back.”

The Scarborough one-stop subway will proceed to construction along with the McCowan bus station following eight hours of debate at City Council Tuesday. The windy session seemed to cover ground previously well trod. In the end, arguments like “the City can’t wait” and “in thirty years no one will care” prevailed over what seems to many to be simple common sense. A better system by LRT for less money. How much of the support in Scarborough is based purely on politics? We can only guess. There are ten wards there and only Paul Ainslie was opposed to the subway. There is deep resentment against Toronto which seems to grow more bitter with each kilometre east. When Councillor Glen De Baeremaeker baited residents at a panel meeting Monday about downtown perceptions of “Scarberia” he might just as well have said “and Toronto is where the hated rich people live.” The split in votes saw an interesting collection opposed: Josh Matlow (Ward 22) and Jayne Robinson (Ward 25) quite different politically but hard-headed about money. Odd bedfellows Mike Layton and Giorgio Mammoliti sided together.

Result: Carried	Majority Required – EX23.1 – Balance of Executive Committee Item EX23.1 as amended
Yes: 26	Ana Bailão, Jon Burnside, John Campbell, Christin Carmichael Greb, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Vincent Crisanti, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Justin J. Di Ciano, Frank Di Giorgio, Michael Ford, Mark Grimes, Michelle Holland, Stephen Holyday, Jim Karygiannis, Norman Kelly, Chin Lee, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, James Pasternak, Neethan Shan, David Shiner, Michael Thompson, John Tory
No: 18	Paul Ainslie, Maria Augimeri, Shelley Carroll, Joe Cressy, Janet Davis, Sarah Doucette, John Filion, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Giorgio Mammoliti, Josh Matlow, Pam McConnell, Joe Mihevc, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson, Kristyn Wong-Tam
Absent: 1	Ron Moeser

Flames leap sky-high as homes under construction in Brampton catch fire https://t.co/TvaZW9cdKm pic.twitter.com/PErG4WT6PI

— CBC Toronto (@CBCToronto) March 29, 2017

An indigenous peoples restaurant known as Kū-kŭm will open shortly at 581 Mount Pleasant Rd. in the former Mogette Bistro. The Chef, Joseph Shawana, a native of Manitoulin Island, will preside. It is said Kū-kŭm will offer a roasted rack of elk, poached pike, braised venison, smoked whitefish pate, pine needle and citrus sorbet and purple beet root ice cream. Could be good.

The Sherwood Park Residents’ Association is asking for submissions to name the laneway beside the Bayview Car Wash.  It runs from Roehampton to Glazebrook. The purpose is to make it easier and safer for emergency and official services to find it. As Ben Daube, president of the residents’ association says, it is a lot easier to find a street that has a name. We’re thinking maybe Turtle Wax Lane would commemorate the many decades of vehicle cleaning done here and entertain passersby. Very much in the spirit of Penny Lane.