A panel created by the Ontario government and led by former Minister of Education Sean Conway is recommending that every student in the Ontario public school system experience on-the-job training as part of his/her curriculum. The panel calls it “experiential learning”. Premier Wynne has spoken warmly in support of the idea.
A new sign originating with Shoppers Drug Mart in the window of 1860 Bayview Ave now says the drugstore will open in the Spring of 2017. This is the same message that was communicated about Whole Foods from anecdotal sources in the South Bayview Bulldog June 15, 2016. It came from an employee of Whole Foods somewhere in Toronto who asked his superior when the 1860 store might open. The answer was “maybe April 2017.” In the Facebook forum Leaside Community contributor Hailey Eisen made note of the new opening date Sunday. It is the first more or less official — but incomplete — word from the developers, Trinity Inc and/or RioCan, the emerging owner, about the long delay.
PEOPLE DEEPLY PUZZLED
But it is the “Why?” of all this delay that is upsetting people. “Arrrgh!!! Stop playing with me, Whole Foods!!!! For the love of god, are they making their own bespoke drywall or something??” snarls Susan Pratt in a post on the FB bulletin board. In fact, it is clear both by the silence of all the principals, and by the projected delay of a full year, that something serious is going on that none of them want to talk about. It is not unreasonable to conclude that there has been a fairly sharp difference between the property principals and the grocery firm. We do not know what it is, nor do we expect any of the parties to say publicly any time soon. It would certainly be nice if they did. The inside scoop may be leaked by someone inside the organizations at some point.
DIFFICULT TIMES?
Many issues related to Whole Foods are known. In the U.S., it continues to deal with historic complaints about prices. And although people in South Bayview are affluent enough to shop at Whole Foods, there is a body of food buyers who don’t want what they sell. Many foods that may be of doubtful nutrition but are nonetheless enormously popular (like Coca Cola, prosciutto and veal bologna) can’t be found at WF. Keen competitors like Metro, Longo’s, Loblaws, Valumart, Sobey’s and Summerhill Market are stocked to the gunnels with these things. The competition for WF will be no bed of roses. Just some guesses on what is going on.
The CN Tower marked its 40th anniversary Sunday as living memory flooded back into millions of minds about the momentous days which saw it built. For those born after the tower’s completion, the CN Tower may seem like just another local landmark, viewed the same way the Eiffel Tower (1889) was viewed by the millennial generation of the last century. The video is a blast of 1970s bravado that brings back the triumph of this engineering challenge.
John Kiru
The City has taken the lead with the help of major corporate sponsors and Toronto’s business improvement areas in creating an Internet sales resource for small businesses called the Digital Main Street platform. It is supported by powerhouse firms — Rogers, Yellow Pages, Shopify, MasterCard and Google. The inspiration came from John Kiru, executive director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Associations.(TABIA). The program launched June 13 and already has some 600 small businesses participating. Any merchant who has tried to become a webmaster will know how time-consuming and potentially wasteful it can be to try to do business online. Digital Main Street has an online hub, digital service squad dispatched to train local businesses on web strategy, training and workshops to help the city’s small business community market and sell online. The basic services are free to use.
Gabi Grecko is a flaming-haired New York City escort at the center of the NYPD corruption scandal. Her story is part of a huge investigation by federal officials of payoffs and favours also involving Mayor De Blasio’s fundraising.
A young man has died after falling into the water near the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal early Sunday. Emergency services arrived at the scene near Queens Quay and Yonge Street at shortly before 5 a.m. The man, said to be in his 20s, was with friends buying food. It is not clear what if any safety fencing exists at this point.
An incredibly scary thrill slide made of glass has opened on the outside of the 70th floor of the U.S. Bank Tower at 633 West Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles. The Skyslide hurls those stern enough to try it out onto a 45-foot slide 1,000 feet above the street and lands them on a deck-like landing. Think of the people who cannot bring themselves to even stand near the small window of glass floor on the CN Tower’s Observation Deck. The slide is made of clear glass 1 1/4-inch thick and opened Saturday, June 25, with tickets ranging from $8 for children to $48.
The Leaside Leafs Seniors refused to accept defeat Friday when they staged a stunning eight-run comeback in the bottom of the eighth against the Thornhill Reds. They had trailed all through the game in the Greater Toronto Baseball League tilt at Talbot Park but their heroics at the end turned the Reds11-2 lead into a 12-11 Leafs victory. The Reds scored two runs in each of the second and third innings and one in the sixth to lead 5-0. After Leaside scored two in the bottom of the sixth but the Reds launched a barrage of six runs in the seventh to take an apparently unassailable 11-2 lead. Leaside however soldiered on getting two runs in the seventh and eight in the eighth.
Edwin Encarnacion slammed a hit that drove in four home runs in a wild match at Cellular Field in Chicago which saw the White Sox hit no fewer than seven home runs but still lose the game. It finished 10-8. Inside baseball lovers dove for the records to check out this curiosity and found that the Detroit Tigers are the only other team in major league baseball to allow that many homers and still win. They did it against the White Sox on May 28, 1995 and again against Boston on August 8, 2004.
Dr. Harvie Brooks
Dr. Harvie Charles Brooks, a long-time resident of Leaside, has died at the age of 90. Dr. Brooks was a general practitioner in Toronto for 43 years and among other accomplishments was responsible for establishing the live radio broadcasts of Sunday services at Timothy Eaton Church, a program that continues to this day. The family will receive friends at the Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles Newbigging Chapel Monday, June 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. at 1403 Bayview Avenue. A service to celebrate Dr. Brooks life will be held in at Timothy Eaton at 230 St. Clair Avenue West at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28th. Obituary
Braden and sister Molly of Leaside at face painting
COBs captain and RBC popper (giving away the frozen kind)
Maggie from EPI Bread (left) with friends
