The GoodLife Marathon and Walk is underway in Toronto and it is a decidedly damp occasion for the thousands participating. Rain is forecast all day. There are many road closures. Yonge is closed between Finch and Davenport, a decision with effectively cuts the City in half for those using cars. There will also be lane restrictions in a perimeter but perhaps not solely including Bayview Avenue, South Kingsway, Lake Shore Boulevard and Finch Avenue. Road closures from Hell
Photos released to mark Princess Charlotte’s first birthday
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New photographs of Princess Charlotte are released by her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, to mark her first birthday. Report by Conor Mcnally.
Street robberies occurring in west central downtown
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Five street robberies have occurred on streets in west central downtown in the past two weeks and police want to put a stop to it. They say two men, at least one armed with a firearm, robbed victims in the area bounded by Harbord Street to the north, Spadina Avenue to the east, Queen Street West to the south, and Markham Street to the west Personal items of various types and cash were taken. The robberies occurred between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m. The men are black and the first is of light complexion, 20-25 years of age, 5’11”, with a thin build, and wearing dark clothing. The second is 20-25 years of age, 5’8”, wearing dark clothing.
New banner shouts of anchor tenants at 1860 Bayview
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A new banner sign on the east wall of the commercial and retail development at 1860 Bayview Ave. states clearly that Whole Foods, Shoppers Drug Mart and the TD Bank will be “coming soon” to the location. There is no date or season given. The sign was put up Monday after the removal of a sign that mentioned only Whole Foods and Shoppers. The new banner also shows the logo of RioCan, the huge REIT which owns Sunnybrook Plaza and has its headquarters in the Yonge Eglinton Centre. RioCan is in the process of buying 1860 Bayview from developer Trinity. The South Bayview Bulldog reported in March that the Whole Foods store and Shoppers Drug Mart had been delayed to at least the fall. This information was offered by the developer’s leasing office in response to our inquiry.
TRINITY
The developer, Trinity Development Group, has said throughout the construction of 1860 Bayview that it would open in “Spring 2016.” In a technical sense, this is correct because the largely empty site has the doors unlocked and it is possible to drive through the upper level of the garage. A workman posting signs Saturday said he did not think the lower level of public parking was open. But none of the anchor tenants is open or even visible. No work on these large spaces is evident. The banner which hung on the east wall of the site saying that Whole Foods and Shoppers would open soon was noticed by residents who watch the site.
QUESTIONS
The apparent delay in the arrival of anchor tenants and the absence of activity has generated questions. Some people have claimed they have heard that Whole Foods had re-thought its decision to open here. But none of this has a source or authority to it. Still, the delay, as seen by residents, is unexplained. It is useful to note that the Whole Foods site in the U.S. shows a “Canada” heading under which stores in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario —Toronto (Bayview) — are mentioned in a single line of type. RioCan on track to acquire 1860 Bayview
Maple Leafs win 1st overall-pick in NHL lottery draft
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Excitement runs high among fans as the name Austin Matthews flies across the nation. Such giddiness might be hard to reckon coming out of low-key announcements like sports drafts. But hope spring eternal for a winning season and as the linked CBC story recalls, this is the first time the Leafs have drawn first since the 1985 selection of Wendell Clark. Really. CBC
St. Anselm Church Spring Fling Craft Sale tomorrow
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Watch flood lift culverts out of road and wash them away
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This is graphic video of culverts being lifted up out of the road bed and washed aside by flood waters near Linedale Texas about 100 km from Dallas. The authentic Texas commentary that goes with it is entertaining too.
Saturday surprise at Tim Hortons in Leaside Centre
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This car got away from someone in the Leaside Village at 85 Laird Drive Saturday morning and ploughed through a window at Tim’s. A man sitting at a corner table (below) where the car struck was showered with glass and shaken but otherwise unhurt. Best guessing is that the driver thought the vehicle was in reverse.
Scent of Peek Frean cookies wafted west into Leaside
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Or so says inveterate local explorer and outdoorsman Rudy Limeback in this Friday tweet.
#dlws a rare wind from the east, and i smell the Peek Freans cookie factory at O'Connor & Bermondsey, all the way over here in #Leaside
— Rudy Limeback (@rudydotca) April 29, 2016
Fine weather draws large crowd to St. Cuthbert’s Fair
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St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church Spring Fair drew several hundred people Saturday and saw many sales among the count;ess personal, household and baked goods on sale. Lorna Krawchuk, whose many duties include keeping a count of those waiting for the doors to open at 11 a.m. recorded 200 fair-goers waiting this year. Many more came later. Through the doors of Lamb Hall onto St. Cuthbert’s Green, a two-barbecue- cooker lunch was well patronized. Tasty sausages on buns were sold for a mere $2.50 each. The pleasant weather, as seen in the video above, saw many people sitting at tables or on the grass as an energetic collection of children played. The Green is a nicely sheltered retreat. It is hidden behind the old stone wall that separates it from the traffic of Bayview Ave. Like St.Cuthbert’s itself, the Green is celebrating 125 years in 2016.
Bombardier boss vows to fix problem “on the train side”
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Alain Bellemare
Bombardier’s CEO Alain Bellemare is vowing to “fix the problem” on what he called “the train side” during a company news conference Friday. Many will wonder frankly if Mr. Bellemare truly knows what “the problem” is. The amount of time lost in the exquisite non-performance of his company might easily suggest that no one at Bombardier has a clue. Toronto’s streetcars are years late. Years. For Mr. Bellemare to say he will get “the problem” fixed without even pretending to explain it is feckless.
LEASIDE: Man clinging to car seriously hurt when he falls
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There has been a strange incident in the heart of Leaside where a man believed to be about 22 has been seriously injured when he fell off a vehicle from which he was hanging during an argument with his mother. It happened on Millwood Road west of McRae Drive, according to cops. They say they were called to the scene around 8:15 p.m. Friday night on reports that a man appeared to be car surfing. But the “car surfing” was more desperate than mere dangerous play. Police said that the man’s mother was “quite upset.”
WITNESSED BY MICHELLE DUBE
Witness Michelle Dube
It appears from reports that CTV Toronto news anchor Michelle Dube witnessed the incident. She says a jeep was heading westbound on Millwood Road near McRae Drive with a young man hanging off of the passenger side. Ms Dube said he fell off of the vehicle onto the sidewalk and was bloodied and bruised by the fall. The vehicle sped off but returned to the scene. A police constable identified as Allyson Douglas-Cook said it appear the injured man was in a dispute with his mother in the jeep and hung off the side of the vehicle during the dispute. Photographs taken by the South Bayview Bulldog suggest the man fell to the ground opposite Leaside United Church. He is at Sunnybrook Hospital for treatment. Millwood Road is closed from McRae to Hanna Rd for accident reconstruction.
