Vaughan-based Cara Operations Inc. owner of Swiss Chalet, has purchased St-Hubert rotisserie chicken restaurants of Quebec for $537 million. Cara gets 117 restaurants mostly in Quebec plus two food manufacturing plants, two distribution centres and a real estate portfolio. Cara says St-Hubert will fit strategically with its business, which includes many restaurant brands including Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s and Milestones. Cara currently has 1,010 franchised and corporate restaurants, including 37 located internationally.

 

Greg Jolink, manager of the Leaside Flames Atom Red team, has written to tell of the excellent example being set by the team with the donation of $1,000 to the Kids Up Front Foundation, a charitable organization that provides access to arts, culture, sport and recreation for children who otherwise do not have the opportunity. A generous gift and a nice way of young men learning the right thing to do. Greg notes the sponsors who made this possible: True North Underpinning, The Source Mens Wear, Monster Mortgage, Mucho Burrito, David Farkouh and Friends, Sport Clips, Integrated Mortgage Planners, Dave Larock and FrameWorth Sports Memorabilia  www.kidsupfronttoronto.com

The Bayview Leaside BIA will hold its Spring Sweep the Street Day on Saturday April 23, 2016 from 9 a.m. to noon. Grant Allardyce of The Source Menswear reminds business owners, residents and volunteers from near and far that they are welcome to help keep Bayview clean and tidy. It is a Bring Your Own Broom affair but judging by the first such event held last fall there is a warm helping of coffee and donuts to be had. The cleanup crew will meet on the northwest corner of Millwood and Bayview. See you there. Questions to info@bayviewleasidebia.com

The inevitable result of deadly attacks on ordinary citizens by terrorists in Europe is being felt in the cancellations of overseas vacation travels. The Peel District School Board has cancelled all trips by its students to Europe out fear for the safety of the kids. Money has been refunded to students for trips they had signed up to take. Four high schools in the board were planning trips to Europe but board spokesperson Carla Pereira says that administrators decided this week to cancel three of the trips. In York Region and at the Toronto and District School board plans remain in place — for now. But in York Region further scheduled meetings may result in cancellations. The TDSB said: “As always, we will continue to monitor the situation and rely on travel advisories issued by the Government of Canada for any developments.” It is a moment of truth for European governments and the travel industry.  The unreported story of cancelled vacations in Canada and the United State will reveal the loss of millions of dollars of business at all levels.

Leaside United Church’s Awesome Sale will hold a special advance (or pre-sale) of furniture on Saturday April 9, 2016. The sale is necessary because, as LUC’s Michele Petick explains, the church has a surplus of pieces and needs to clear them out for the regular awesome sale in May. Who knew? The sale will go from 10  a.m. to 2 p.m. that day. There are said to be great values on more than 100 items including sofas, chairs, tables, hutches, dressers, book cases, lamps and other things.

Among the many memorable scenes and sentiments expressed at the funeral of former mayor Ford at St. James Cathedral Wednesday has been his 10-year-old daughter Stephanie speaking with composure and eloquence: ‘He’s the mayor of heaven now’ she said.  CBC

Reshingling was underway Wednesday on the steeple of St. Anselm’s Catholic Church.

A third location of a crustaceans restaurant known as The Captain’s Boil will open at 1620 Bayview Ave. most recently home to Bite Me. The location has seen many restaurants come and go from this address since the long-running Italian kitchen Trastevere was a neighborhood favorite in the 1990s. Welcome Captain’s Boil and save a lobster for the Bulldog. Other feature dishes: Crawfish, Crab (Dungeness and King) Shrimp, Clams and Mussels. The firm has locations as well at 476 and 5313 Yonge Street.

Parent council at Leaside HS discussed work to rule, effects of LRT,& $12,000 raised by students for MADD.

— Gerri Gershon (@GerriGershon) March 30, 2016

Jian Ghomeshi’s rock-steady defense counsel Marie Henein says women who think of  her as a traitor to her gender are victims of a “fundamental misconception.” The Cairo-born Canadian partner in the firm of Henein Hutchison LLP told Peter Mansbridege “I know what my role is in the justice system.”

An inquest in Whitby is examining response times and efforts made by firefighters to save three teenagers trapped upstairs in a frame house engulfed in flames. Court heard the 911 call in which the screams of the trapped teens left those present in tears and very unnerved. CBC