The South Bayview Bulldog

Montreal doctor Fatima Fakkar and friends/Twitter

Montreal physician and university professor Fatima Fakkar has posted pictures of herself and some friends dressed in colourful Afghan dress as a celebration of their Canadian freedom. This as the new Taliban government continues to isolate women and restrict freedoms ranging from dress to travel.

Broadway shows begin rehearsals after 18-month shutdown

What better than a flight to New York and a couple of shows? Sadly, it still seems like an unattainable dream. Soon maybe.

Goats and Walleye all in a day’s work for OPP

Temporary arrest near Qunite

Overfishing alleged near Renfrew

It isn’t all traffic accidents for the men and women of the OPP. This week they rounded up a goat romping along a road north of Belleville. His fellow escapee knew enough to get home by himself. 680 News comedian Carl Hantske asked if they were charged with making a ewe turn. Then there’s illegal fishing on one of the many lakes of Greater Madawaska Township. Here we see some of the 32 fish seized from three fishermen by officers. They were instructed to add $50 to the fine for each fish exceeding the quota. That might add up to $1,000. Officers released the live fish and offered the remaining fish to anglers that weren’t in excess of their limits.

Chicken has risen 8.4 percent in a year

Statistics Canada says the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.1 percent on a year-over-year basis in August, more than the 3.9 that was expected. Some stunning year-over-year increases include chicken at 8.4 percent and pork at 9.3 percent. Overall, food prices are up nearly 7 percent. This year has seen a widespread resurgence in many products. Getting around is now particularly costly. Gasoline prices were up 32.5 percent compared to 2020 due to lower production than pre-pandemic. As restrictions eased and people started taking more trips, the traveller accommodation price index rose 19.3 percent. Real estate also moved even higher. The homeowners’ replacement cost index, which is based on new homes, was up 14.3 percent, the largest increase since 1987. It’s also the fourth straight month of double-digit growth.

Estimates run from “dozens” to less than 50/City News

The demonstration Monday outside Toronto General Hospital drew a relative few people. Estimates ranged from “dozens” to less than 50. At that, demonstrators were a mixed group ranging from those fighting a requirement to be vaccinated to keep working to those simply opposed to vaccines. Prominent among the protesters were members of something called Canadian Frontline Nurses. The website features nurses who seem to deal in “holistic” care and “natural healing”.

CP gets upper hand in battle to win Kansas City Southern

There’s been yet another twist in the knock-down battle between Canadian rail giants CN and CP to win possession of the sweet US rail company, Kansas City Southern. Early Monday it is reported that the KCS board has ruled that a takeover offer from Candian Pacific Railway Ltd. is a superior proposal to its agreement with Canadian National Railway Co. It had appeared that CN has locked up the KCS deal potentially making it the most powerful rail firm in North America.  Now the US railway says it plans to terminate its deal with CN and sign a definitive agreement with CP Rail which has made a proposal valued at about US$31 billion including debt.

Five days to better the deal

But CN still has five business days to make changes to its offer to win back the support of the KCS board. CN’s offer is valued at about US$33.6 billion including debt, but the U.S. Surface Transportation Board dealt it a setback last month when it rejected CN’s plan to use a voting trust to complete the deal, something it approved for CP Rail. The trust would allow KCS shareholders to be paid before the U.S. regulator completes its review of the proposed takeover. CP Rail had signed a deal in March to buy KCS, but CN topped that offer and secured support from the KCS board for its proposal in May. Canadian Press

2019 debate when things were more fun/Bulldog

The Don Valley West federal election debate is tonight (Monday, September 13), from 7 to 9 p.m. and will be held virtually on Zoom. To attend, register online if you haven’t done so. The Leaside Residents Association adds an important update: the NDP and PPC candidates have withdrawn from the debate, and the Green Party candidate has not confirmed. The two confirmed participants are Rob Oliphant (Liberal) and Yvonne Robertson (Conservative). Here’s a look back at the in-person debate of 2019: Public wall-to-wall to hear LPOA’s Don Valley West debate

Leaside Mart on McRae at Sutherland/Google

A long-time local food and convenience store, Leaside Mart at 223 McRae Drive, has been hit by a nasty robbery and vandalism incident. Reports say the perpetrators pulled up in front of the store about 3.30 a.m. Windows were smashed and goods disturbed and possibly stolen. FB

Leylah Fernandez

Denied the US Open championship trophy, Leylah Fernandez decided to make off with the spotlight instead. Visibly exhausted, her face both beaming and wet with tears, the 19-year-old Montreal native — bested in Saturday’s women’s final in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, by an even younger British tennis darling — refused to say goodbye to Flushing Meadows. Rather: until next time.

Reaction to the fake signage claiming that an 88 storey building had been proposed for the centre of Oriole Park seems to range from anger to a sympathetic nod. Of course, no one wants a tower like this in the park.

CTV commentator Evan Solomon assesses Thursday’s English-language leaders’ debate.

Cooked batteries on QEW/OPP

This load of car batteries was destroyed in a fire on the QEW at Fairview St. in Burlington early Thursday. The cleanup is tricky because of the chemical content of the batteries. There’s no indication offered on just how this fire started.

Federal leaders debate is Thursday night/CBC

As befits the age, tonight’s English-language debate ahead of the September 20 vote will be seen on YouTube and various apps as well as TV. You can listen to our political leaders slug it out with earplugs as you pub crawl if you like. See the CBC story on access and check out a translation of the French language debate last night.

Fake it to make it or simple fraud?

She is Elizabeth Holmes — smart, beautiful, and say federal prosecutors, one of the most notorious frauds in US business history.

The fall of the Novotel Hotel — superb service to shameful slum

Outside former Novatel Hotel/CTV

Downtown residents are raging over the conversion of the Novotel Hotel into a homeless shelter. Sounds like a familiar complaint.

SERRA, the South Eglinton Ratepayers and Residents Association has announced a candidates’ meeting for the riding of Don Valley West on Monday, September 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. The event has been organized by the Federation of North Toronto Residents Association (FoNTRA) with eight local residents associations joining together to provide sponsorship. Many Leasiders tend to think of DVW as a local preserve but the large constituency stretches all the way to Mt. Pleasant, Yonge and the 401. News release PDF.