Costco will open a business centre in Canada in March, with an official ground breaking ceremony taking place in Toronto on Wednesday. Experts warn that the store opening could disrupt the business of traditional office and restaurant supply distributors. Costco Business Centre may draw on corner store operators and consumers – the wholesaler sells bulk grocery items, office furniture and supplies, professional cooking equipment and cleaning products. There is also some concern of overlap between the company’s two businesses, as 80 percent of the business centre’s merchandise consists of items not sold in its warehouses. Costco’s business centres open at 7 am (three hours before warehouse stores generally open in Canada) and shuts at 6pm throughout the week and 4 pm on Saturday. The move targets small restaurants, business and convenience store owners who buy from Costco because they aren’t big enough to do business with a company like Unilever, and for office supply companies whose business models are based on higher margins.

The Christmas window of Bonnie Byford Real Estate catches the spirit of the season quite nicely. It includes the well-known doll’s house that has graced the Byford window at 1536 Bayview Ave. at the holidays for decades. There is video of the animated skaters so take a look.

Health Canada says it has had ten reported cases of blades on Cuisinart food processors breaking off and leaving bits of metal in the food. It’s caused when bolts shear off from metal fatigue. Some users have had their mouths cut. The maker, Conair, has recalled 300,000 of the machines identified by these model numbers: CFP-11, DFP-7, DFP-11, DFP-14, DLC-5, DLC-7, DLC-8, DLC-10, DLC-XP, DLC-2007, DLC-2009, DLC-2011, DLC-2014, EV-7, EV-10, EV-11, and MP-14.

Units like this

Bolts break over time

To paraphrase Hemingway, ask not to whom the toll will be billed, it’s on your tab buddy. City Council voted 32-9 Tuesday night in favour of asking getting provincial approval for the charge to use the DVP and Gardiner Expressway. Council also voted for a tax on hotels and short-term accommodations. It was an all-day discussion both civil and rancorous.  The prospective $2 toll is estimated to raise $166 million annually while one set at $3.90 would raise $272-million and a $5.20 toll would bring in $336-million, over and above the costs of maintaining the two expressways. Would they dare?

The Canadian actor, songwriter, game and talk show host was a native of Kirkland Lake. Wikipedia.

Two firefighter colleagues, a man and a woman, lay on their stomachs and grabbed the legs of a stranded doe on a frozen reservoir about 40 km from Newark, New Jersey. Then 15 of their partners on the shore hauled the two (and the deer) across the ice with cables attached to their safety belts. The rescue took about ten minutes. The deer was tired and sat for a few moments after its rescue. Then it got up and bounded into the woods.

At noon hour last Sunday some guy was making it his job to steal from an elderly man as he worshiped at St. Michael’s Cathedral. His picture is below and police have a warrant charging him with theft of a briefcase which apparently contained valuables and cash under $5,000. The victim was 79. The perpetrator is described as 20 to 30 years old, 5’10”, 150 lbs., light complexion, a shaved head with noticeable patches of dry skin or alopecia. At the time of the offence, he was wearing a red winter parka with a fur-lined hood, light-coloured high-cuffed pants, and dark shoes with light-coloured soles.

Know him? Call Toronto police at (416) 808 5100

Beamed from 1899 tower

New LED lights

A $3-million upgrade to lighting at Niagara Falls has produced a light show that is more entertaining, less costly and longer lasting than anything previously employed. Some 1,400 LED lights are newly in place, the first upgrade in lighting the falls in 20 years. Mixed together, the separate red, green, blue and white LED units can illuminate the waterfalls against the night sky in endless combinations that range from subtle hues to deeply saturated colours. The lights are installed on the upper level of the 1899 building known as “Illumination Tower.” A worthy job for a venerable part of Niagara history.

You may say what you like about Dollarama, but the people have spoken. Opening day at the new dollar store on Mt. Pleasant was a beep-beep-beep kind of the cash experience. Listen to the code reader go.

We always wish to be careful with such reports, but a post on the Sunnybrook Dog Park Association Facebook page today says that a coyote was seen at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Roxborough East side heading up David Balfour Ravine. Yes, that’s open country. The poster says the sighting occurred at 12:45 Tuesday.

According to the City of Toronto’s Coyotes webpage: “Coyotes have become a natural part of the urban landscape in Toronto and are an important part of the ecosystem as they control rodent and rabbit populations. They thrive in urban areas because of the abundance of food and shelter available to them. However, residents should always exercise caution around coyotes.

Remember: Coyotes are naturally timid animals and will flee when confronted with aggression.

• Be Big: stand up and raise your arms in the air. Appear as large and threatening as possible
• Be Loud: stomp your feet, clap your hands, and yell “Go Away Coyote” to alert people nearby
• Be Threatening: throw a tennis ball or a small pebble or stick at the coyote, but only to show the coyote who is boss – not to injure!

Most importantly: NEVER RUN AWAY FROM A COTE. Like dogs, coyotes may give chase if you run. If you see a coyote, continue to exaggerate the techniques listed above. Avoid turning your back, maintain eye contact and slowly back away toward an area of increased activity.These actions teach coyotes to be afraid of humans and will help to minimize conflicts.

If you see a coyote doing the following, call 311:

• approaching dogs or people
• exploring a home or building far from a large park or open area
• limping or staggering or with paralyzed hind legs
• acting confused around non-living objects
• biting pets

You should also call 311 if you find an abandoned pup or an injured or sick coyote. When injured, wild animals are frightened and in pain. Always remember: do not handle coyotes!”