Category: Uncategorized

Jan Nguyen of Play Cafe at 1517 Bayview Ave. is mixing it up for one evening later this month with The Vintage Night on Thursday, October 23, 2014. It’s a partnership with Michelle Brickle who used to own the popular east end vintage boutique called Foxy Boutique. Michelle will be showcasing current, designer and retro/vintage clothing and accessories. For her part, Jan is keen to make Play Cafe a home for grown ups as well as kids. She cites the partnership that resulted in Date Night on Bayview earlier in the summer. This was a cross-promotional opportunity for both Play Cafe and local restaurants. After parents dropped off the kids at Play for babysitting services they then leisurely dined at participating restaurants like Satay on the Road, Lemongrass, Amaya, L’Avenue and La Croisse  It is an innovative and enterprising concept. Says Jan:  I’m personally really exciting about this event because it’s again, an opportunity for Play to be seen as more than just a “kid” space. I think having an open mind about sharing the space and offering our venue to those who have great things to sell but might not have a place to sell it at is a win-win for all. We welcome more of these collaborations.”

The Supreme Court of Canada will decide this Fall how many aboriginal jurors is enough to convict where the accused is an aboriginal.  The Government of Ontario is arguing that its a problem without a solution in the face of years of under-representation of aboriginals on juries. The case arises in the 2008 conviction of an aboriginal man by a jury with no aboriginals on it. The appeal court upheld the conviction but put its decision on hold. Until we know the answer, there’s always the evidence.  CP24

More than 150 freshly-tuned and repaired bicycles for teens and tweeners were given away at East York Town Centre today (Sunday, October 5, 2014). It was the third annual Morning Glory Cycling Club and Gears Bike Shop donation of bikes to the families of Thorncliffe Park. It is an event that seems to achieve many excellent goals, not least the delivery of a bicycle into the hands of a youth who might otherwise never have one. But it is also an important liaison between communities. Part of the process requires the new bicycle owners to learn about their vehicles and register them with the police in the event of theft. The kids got a free bicycle lock and helmet as well as the tuned-up two-wheeler. The lineup of teens and families began about noon in the shadow of the Target store at the north end of the centre. There were many police officers both regular and auxiliary to assist but the interaction was mostly social. Many Leasiders were there.  Geoff Kettel, David and Lise Sparrow and others were present.  At shortly after 1 p.m. the first in line was asked to come forward to register. The lucky guy (his name is Sailil) is seen upper left with his choice from the entire inventory of bikes. Two little girls in the centre picture watch apprehensively as their mother records her request for a bike. Everything worked out okay. Bottom row of photos shows a new bicycle owner getting some instruction on how to record the identification of his bike from a volunteer from the Evergreen Brickworks. Also present were members of the Pedal Heads school with a short bicycle course set up to give new riders some lessons. At bottom right is the man who conceived of this program. He is Fraser Chapman, president of the Morning Glory Cycling Club. He is seen with his children (from left) Sadie, Tiggy and Sullivan. Sourcing of the bicycle donations is done through the Gears service which receives bikes from the public and corporations. One firm making a donation was Apex Public Relations.  Tara Benjamin, Agency Administrator of Apex, told The South Bayview Bulldog that her employer put together a collection of 16 bicycles for this year’s event.

If you want to do something that matters — really matters — get yourself and your gang over to the blood donor clinic at Northlea Public School on Rumsey Rd. after school next Tuesday. This local blood clinic is one of the very few in South Bayview. Over the years it has saved and extended the lives of kids like you who have been struck by leukemia. Now you can help others and it costs you nothing except a bit of your time. Bonus! You will rank so high on the playlist of every parent, teacher and classmate who knows you. Please do it. It’s Tuesday, October 7, 2014 between 2 and 8 p.m. at Northlea Public School, 305 Rumsey Rd. just north of Eglinton. Call 1-888-2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) to book an appointment.

Group selfie? Why should the people at Leaside’s Blade Branding be any different? This is the gang taken at Trace Manes Park yesterday (Thursday, October 2, 2014) during the firm’s picnic day. Nice picture and looking outside, compliments on picking yesterday.  Twitter

A Toronto Police Service community safety meeting at North Toronto Collegiate Institute touched on subjects ranging from online dating to bicycles on the sidewalk. The meeting, organized by officers from 53 Division, was called Lane Changes. Some officers conceded to members of the mostly-seniors audience that frequently cyclists seem to ride with a disregard for everyone’s safety on both the road and the sidewalk.  There was a sense of entitlement. Police insisted however that responsible cycling clubs support safe riding habits. The subject opened a split among those present over the apparently unsolvable issue of just where it is safe to ride a bike. One woman cyclist said she would be dead if she did not ride on the sidewalk, something that is not legal in Toronto. Members of the audience challenged her, saying bicycles on the sidewalk were a threat to the lives of both young and old. She could not know where the pedestrians were going to walk, especially when approaching from behind. It was agreed there were a number of complaints about this matter from people on Bayview Ave. Staff Sergeant Mathew Moyer spoke on personal safety subjects. An unexpected line of discussion dealt with staying safe when one dates online. He suggested a woman might like to arrange to meet a blind date at a location other than her home. “Make people earn your trust,” he said. Staff Sgt Moyer also advised both men and women to be careful getting off the subway later in the evening. Her mentioned what he called the buddy system — staying in proximity to another pedestrian as far possible, even if you don’t know him. The division’s commander, Superintendent Scott Gilbert, spoke about car theft and break-ins. He reviewed the stolen car arrests of August and noted that the yellow Porsche stolen here (and known as Yellowbird to police) was found in Romania. Later he was asked whether there are any leads in the theft of six Toyota Highlanders from Leaside driveways in 2009. He did not know of the case but said it is possible those responsible are in custody for other crimes. Inspector Suzanne Walsh, second in command at 53 Division headquarters on Eglinton Ave. W. said that some troublesome intersections with traffic lights in the division were Overlea Blvd and Thorncliffe Park Drive (they actually meet twice) and Yonge St and Eglinton Ave. The meeting was attended by about 125 people. 

It’s about the value of the mud on Astor Ave. as we see how No. 6 has grown in just a couple of months. This home last changed hand on January 1, 2014 for $1,185,000 so you know what the builder has got to find in added value from the sale of the now much-enlarged home. It sits on an unusual lot on the corner of Astor and Southvale Rd.