The weather for Sunday’s Pride Parade is set to be near-perfect as long there are sun hats and parasols for those who need them. Prime Minister Trudeau will march in the celebration of LGBTQ culture and freedom as will many other politicians. It seems likely that most will be just enjoying the day but Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam has marked the march with remarks affirming her activist approach to the event. “Pride is political” she announced. That could mean many things including the simple advocacy of LGBTQ rights. But some at City Hall have directed criticism toward the embrace of a spectrum of dissident cadres like Black Lives Matter and the irrational Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. The Ward 27 member reached for a higher tone of “political” when she told CBC News: “The Pride Parade is always political so (Trudeau’s) exactly where he needs to be. It’s a very important symbolic gesture. Toronto Pride pages

Justin Trudeau at Yonge and College – first sitting Prime Minister to march in the @PrideToronto parade @CityNews pic.twitter.com/8esqEW1N4p

— Ginella Massa (@GinellaMassa) July 3, 2016

All roads are expected to be reopened by approximately 7 p.m. The Dundas Street TTC streetcar route will be out of service during this closure. Motorists are advised to consider alternate routes as there will be traffic delays in the area.

Justin Trudeau to march in 2016 pride parade in Vancouver https://t.co/a16AntJHTL From @GlobeBC pic.twitter.com/HFKmyHRAVR

— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) June 30, 2016

So here was are in Yorkville last Monday at 4.15 a.m. inside the jewellery store at 118 Cumberland Ave. It is still dark out because sunrise is nearly 90 minutes away and the burly guy in the photos, whoever he is, is about load up a backpack with stuff and leave. He broke the glass door to get in. The suspect is male, white, 50’s with a goatee, grey hair, black shorts, black jacket, beige Reebok CRSFT (crossfit) baseball cap and a backpack. Any information on this suspect, please contact 53 Division at (416) 808-5300 or Toronto Crime Stoppers 222-TIPS

A man has been treated for injuries of knife wound at Queen Street East and Lee Avenue in the Beach over supper hour Saturday. A tweet (below) from Toronto Police Service Operations (TPS Ops) says the injury is not life-threatening.

STABBING
Lee Ave and Queen St E, police are on scene, single victim, non life threatening injuries. Any info call @TPS55Div 4168085500 ^cb

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) July 2, 2016

Such a great day with great friends #PrideTO pic.twitter.com/b0y7lYjOVz

— Anne Marie Aikins (@AMAprmaven) July 2, 2016

Start of the #dykemarch during #pride @CTVNews pic.twitter.com/KjWIorctKp

— Sean Leathong (@CTVSean) July 2, 2016

The dead and injured in Istanbul are overwhelmingly Muslim. All of them were attacked by three Muslim men from remote parts of Asia purportedly in the name of a world-wide Caliphate. It will never happen, but the slaughter shows that at least some people think it will. Who will stop this barbaric insanity? Turkey’s doubtful foreign policy

.The earliest Toronto could see any job action now will be Thursday as both sides have to provide 72 hours notice. Negotiations continued over the long weekend as a legal strike or lockout position was reached on Saturday. The main issues in the dispute are changes to employee pension plans for new employees and job security.

EARLIER

There will be no strike of postal workers this weekend, as originally planned. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, representing 50,000 workers in the country, said it decided not to file a 72-hour strike notice on Thursday. That means there won’t be any strike action until at least Tuesday, the union said. Canada Post and the union have been in negotiations since December for delivery and plant employees. The Crown corporation tabled new offers but has yet to hear a response from the union, which must issue a 72-hour notice before going on strike.

This is a nice tasting of the fireworks and the atmosphere among the capital’s elegant old structures.

Premier Wynne made an appearance in her riding of Don Valley West to drive home the size and importance of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. It was on the barren little patch of land at Eglinton and Laird where once stood the nameless strip mall of a thousand bagels (and other fast food). This is where the Laird Station will rise and there was a ceremonial groundbreaking with the transportation minister Mr. Del Duca and others on hand.

The East York Canada Day parade preparations took place in damp weather Friday morning at Dieppe  Park on Cosburn Ave. But the 47th annual parade began on time and headed off to Stan Wadlow Park. The day was rainy, then sunny, then rainy, then sunny. The video shows the crowd and some old police cars. Also present was Phillip Wilson of East York with his 1948 Monarch (Mercury) showing a mere 31,000 miles on the odometer. The Monarch, like the lower-end Meteor, was produced by the Ford Motor Company solely for the Canadian market.  East York Canada Day Schedule.

It is undeniably a blessed place. Some might say that the wealth of Canada is still the space, water and minerals found so plentifully. They are the foundation of the many happy lives that are lived here. Greatness? Well, Canada has certainly done great things but it is good to remember that all our memorable efforts in war and peace must be seen through the human eyes of our diverse peoples. Opinions may vary. As flesh and blood Canadians, it may be said that our open and democratic ways have served us well. The pioneer leaders of the few souls who inhabited the colonies in 1867 were lucky to escape being gobbled up by the emerging United States at the end of their Civil War. It is said the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Czar by the Americans earlier in 1867 shocked the Queen and Foreign Office. Canada was forged and declared a Confederation within three months of the American move.

PEACE, ORDER, GOOD GOVERNMENT

Since then we have fought wars and recessions, welcomed immigrants and educated many generations in peace and stability. Who can forget that our founding bywords were “Peace, Order and Good Government.” Some say that’s dull stuff but just ask those who don’t have these things how critical they are. Along the way, Canadian democracy talked Quebec separatism into exhaustion. That was a victory. And it is well to remember that although we nearly all became Americans, it is upon the U.S. that we have relied in modern times for a strong friend against more populated countries which might have wished to poach land from this enormous but sparsely-populated Canada. So far so good. Have a good one.