Donald Trump Friday approved the Keystone XL Pipeline, a project that holds export potential for Canada and the creation of many jobs in both countries. The State Department had previously found that the Keystone was in the US national interest but the then president, Barack Obama, blocked it several times regardless..The 1,180 mile (1,900km) pipeline will carry tar sands oil from Canada to refineries on the Texas coast. While announcing the approval President Trump called it a “great day for American jobs”. “TransCanada will finally be allowed to complete this long overdue project with efficiency and speed,” Mr Trump said in the White House Oval office, joined by TransCanada officials and contractors. Nine years of TransCanada’s pipeline project
The CBC says a “prominent group of lawyer-cyclists” is asking the Ontario government to intervene with the City to add bike lanes and get rid of cars in the re-make of John Street south from the Art Gallery of Ontario down to Front Street. The minister, Charles Sousa, has said that he can’t interfere, which is sensible of him. He has to listen to that other lobby group of “insignificant manual-laborer motorists.” Cyclists want bike lanes on redesigned section of John Street
Canada may be a land of opportunity, but these days you had better not be insensitive. As a matter of fact, your family name better not be insensitive either. Nova Scotia retiree Lorne Grabher (so sorry about the insensitive name) had his personalized license plate pulled because a woman saw it and complained to the government. Grabher was having a coffee at Tim Hortons in December when friends saw the woman taking a picture of the plate. He’s used to his name grabbing a certain amount of attention, so he didn’t think anything of it. A December 9, 2016 letter from Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal informed him he couldn’t keep the plate “GRABHER” as someone had complained.
‘SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE”
“Please be advised that the Office of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles has received a complaint about your personalized plate GRABHER. While I recognize this plate was issued as your last name, the public cannot be expected to know this and can misinterpret it as a socially unacceptable slogan,” wrote Janice Harland, registrar of motor vehicles and director of road safety for the province. So there it is. If someone interprets what you do as socially unacceptable the government will step in. Mr. Grabher bought the plate as a surprise for his father’s recreational vehicle on his 65th birthday. On his father’s death in 1991, the plate passed to Lorne’s son, Troy. When Troy went to Alberta three years ago, he handed it to his dad – and the province got his signed permission to let Lorne put it on his vehicle. The younger Grabher’s Alberta GRABHER plate remains on the road in the Wild Rose province.
COME BY CHANCE?
According to the Halifax Chronicle Herald, Grabher’s first call to the Motor Vehicle Branch didn’t get much sympathy. “I told him Newfoundland has names of public places like Come By Chance and Dildo. His response to me was ‘you’re in Nova Scotia, go by our rules,’” Grabher said. After Grabher sent a letter of complaint, a follow-up expressed a trace of sympathy. “I understand this is a unique family name that you are celebrating however, we must use our established guidelines for all personalized plates and our decision to cancel this plate will be upheld,” Harland wrote.
Posts to the Facebook account of Sunnybrook Dog Park Association are complaining about word that the dog bylaw patrol and even police from 53 Division will be working in Sunnybrook Park near the sports field to ticket or maybe, if the owner is lucky, just issue a warning. The park has an off-leash area but apparently dogs run in the field as well. Member Kerry Lynn posted Thursday afternoon: “Heads up. Just got clarification from my partner. Oh yes bylaw will bring in cops if they are having issues bringing people into compliance. Oh hell yes they will.”
The House of Commons has passed a Liberal backbencher’s motion calling on federal politicians to condemn Islamophobia by sa margin of 201 to 91 Thursday. .The motion, known as M-103, became a matter of acrimonious debate, with opponents painting it as a slippery slope towards limiting freedom of speech and even bringing in Sharia law. The was decided largely on party lines but it split Conservative leadership candidates. Michael Chong voted in favour, while rivals Andrew Scheer, Steven Blaney, Brad Trost, Kellie Leitch, Erin O’Toole and Maxime Bernier voted against.
The Toronto and District School Board has cancelled all future school trips to the US pending clarification of the travel ban legislation now being litigated in that country. In a statement posted on its website, the board said trips that have already been planned will be permitted to proceed. TDSB
Four stories of the positive kind. First, in two videos, the epic tale of Estella Westrick and her saucy theft of the Pope’s cap. Hilarious and his Holiness certainly got a guffaw out of it. Estella said (naturally) she had no idea why she did that. See Pope, take cap. You know. Below that, the heartwarming story of a little girl with Down Syndrome who is now a model for a UK fashion chain. Then, meet William of the TPS Mounted Division. At 1600 pounds, he’s a doll too.
Two games ago it was observed that the GTHL Minor Bantam A playoff series between the Leaside Flames and Don Mills Mustangs was hotly-contested. No kidding. Now the points series (six to win everything) is still going after a solid 4-1 victory for the Flames Wednesday. Flames Ethan Angus (a name to remember) scored a hat trick while his teammate Ben Hannah scored one. Max Dizy was in goal for Leaside and McDonald scored for Don Mills. Flames manager Paul Dinelle notes the game was mighty clean with no penalties called on these sportsmanlike 15-and-under lads. Game five will be played Friday at the CanLan-owned Etobicoke Ice Sports 4 complex at 1120 Martingrove Road with the scheduled start at 7.35 p.m. The game must settle the series so in the event of a tie there will 5 on 5 overtime until a goal is scored. Photos below are from game two.
The huge Shoppers Drug Mart empire must be seeking fresh talent all the time but Thursday morning it’s an appeal on Twitter for a pharmacist in East York. Nearby, scuttlebutt along Bayview Ave anticipates the opening of the SDM at 1860 Bayview (and Broadway). Conspiracy theorists had said that Whole Foods was reluctant to open there because snoopers from the Loblaw-owned drug chain would be into everything next door. Not likely and in any case WF will open at 1860 on April 26. It’s rumoured that this Shoppers will be close enough (too close?) to the one in the former Bayview Playhouse at 1601 near Fleming Crescent that perhaps 1601 pharmacist/manger Brian Mok may make a trip or two up the street to help out. Brian Mok
The call above saw as many as 16 people taken to hospital with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning on Wednesday. It happened at the Mandarin buffet in the plaza on Eglinton Avenue East and Birchmount Rd. around 3 p.m. People began to complain of difficulty breathing. TFS found high readings of the deadly odourless gas toward the back of the restaurant.
Liberal insider and party stalwart Greg Sorbara has softened his remarks made Tuesday that he believes Premier Wynne is in grave danger of losing the 2018 election and that he would tell her that it was extremely unlikely she will win. “There’s a whole lot of people in the Ontario Liberal party who think that it’s all over,” Sorbara is quoted as saying to Steve Paikin on TVO. Today, Mr. Sorbara told Mike Crawley of the CBC, on the other hand, that it was possible for the premier to pull out a victory in the next election. CBC
A meeting to show pictures of the work being done at Yonge and Eglinton on the Crosstown LRT was held at North Toronto Collegiate, 17 Broadway Avenue, Wednesday night. It revealed to the many people present that the main station will sit on the south side of Eglinton Ave west of the present Canada Square building. There will be an entrance (or entrances) on the northwest corner inside or outside the Rio.Can building. The exact in and out points on both sides was a little unclear to staff present and perhaps for good reason.
LRT IS UNDER THE SUBWAY
The LRT tunnels have been bored under the Yonge subway (line 1) and must now be excavated to make a concourse and platform complex which will also sit underneath the subway. There are already entrances and although the very accommodating Metrolinx staff present at the show and tell tried to be helpful no one was quite sure how the old and new entrances will be reconciled. But it seems certain they will be.
CIBC ENTRANCE
That work will include the access off the east side of Yonge in the CIBC on the southeast corner. Once inside, passengers will no doubt be able to find their way to the LRT concourse. That corner is numbered 1 Eglnton East and developer Davpart Inc sees a 65 storey tower there. so a new plan for entry into the subway-LRT may prevail. The Eglinton LRT concourse and platform is a daunting job and one can imagine what it will be like working below the subway station as the trains roll through overhead.
