The South Bayview Bulldog

The U.S. payday loan company MoneyTree, with offices in Vancouver, has been duped by a simple “CEO phishing” email which ordered an employee to send the CEO all the personal data of some 1,500 MoneyTree employees. Except, the email wasn’t from the CEO. Scammers counting on the instant obedience of employees when the boss barks were rewarded with information with which to steal employee identities galore. One favorite is to make up phony tax returns and claim a huge refund. The CEO email scam has worked with other firms in the U.S. and maybe in Canada. MoneyTree informed employees of the breach of security at the beginning of March.  The real CEO, Dennis Bassford said: “Moneytree was apparently targeted by a scam in which the scammer impersonated me and asked for an emailed copy of certain information about the company’s payroll including team member names, home addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates and (tax) information.”

Butter Studio, the fashionable women’s accessories shop previously at 1653 Bayview, has moved into the south block at 1597 Bayview Ave. next door to the Second Cup. It is the former Bell Jewellers shop. In the merchant shorthand of South Bayview it is often written that the sweetest piece of the street sits between the two chain-operated coffee shops. As a general rule this notion about location is not wrong even through it slides over the reality that businesses frequently make their own sweet spots.

Ayanle Hassan Ali is a 27-year-old Canadian conundrum. He is accused of walking into the armed forces recruiting office on north Yonge Street and  stabbing two soldiers. He is said by his victims and others to have shouted that Allah made him do it. Conundrum?  Ali is Canadian born, has no criminal record, is well-liked by those who know him and who are stunned by the idea that he might do such a thing. It is a situation to give authorities pause. Now it is learned that Ali was employed for four months by an unnamed third-party employer at Pearson airport and that during the four-month period in 2008-9 he had a restricted area identification card. It is not said exactly what that means but presumably he was allowed to go where others were not for security reasons. .

Many South Bayview drivers have found themselves struggling to safely navigate westbound streets today as Daylight Road Glare Time impacts motoring. The scene here is west along Moore where because of today’s rain, the glare was physically dangerous on the eyes. In such situations it may be safest to pull over. Sunglasses are essential as late afternoon arrives.

Canada has grown to a nation of more than 36 million, Statistics Canada announced today. The figure being used is 36,048,500, a number set on January 1, 2016.  The population grew some 62,800 from October 1, 2015 because of the country’s busy storks — there were 95,300 births compared with 67,900 deaths, based on preliminary estimates. Net international migration was 35,400, up 600 from the same quarter in 2014.

Calling his Tiguan SUV effectively unsellable, a German consumer has tried to get the dealership to cancel his purchase of the vehicle. Today a court denied that bid but the man said he will appeal to a higher court.  The court decision says the dealer was not to blame for the Volkswagen emissions scandal. VW admitted in September it had fitted illegal software on up to about 11 million cars worldwide that mitigated emissions during tests but stopped doing so on the road. The plaintiff took legal action against the dealership in Bochum where he bought his Tiguan saying the manipulations by VW had rendered the model unsellable

John Cruickshank

John Cruickshank will be step down as publisher of the Toronto Star in May after six years in that demanding position. Mr.Cruickshank, a well-liked personality has had a long career in journalism in Toronto, coming to the Star from the CBC. The Star announced Wednesday that his responsibilities will be assumed for now by David Holland, who is president and chief executive of Torstar. Cruickshank will remain co-chair of the board of Canadian Press Enterprises as a Torstar director.

Prince Harry has announced that international games for wounded and ill servicemen and women will be played in Toronto in 2017. The Invictus Games were created by the prince in 2014 after he visited the U.S.-based Warrior Games in 2013. Invictus is a Latin word meaning “unconquered”. Telegraph 

The name of the new tenant at 1591 Bayview Ave. is staying confidential for now. And it may be unknown for quite a while. One man who knows is Broker Paul Slavens, who leased the large space that sits between the Second Cup and Badali Fruit. He is quoted as saying that the name of the new tenant may become known “once they start fixturing in June.” Readers can take what they like from this wisp of insight into the timetable of the new arrival on Bayview. Some think it means the firm in question must be very large. How else might it lease and keep a premises like the former TD Bank space for three months without even beginning to “fixture” a  new location.

Very frequently political leaders have to get up and say things that seem elementary to most people. Premier Wynne for example had to tell “student leaders” today that the hopelessly hyped “free tuition” isn’t free and never will be. Tuition for higher education is so expensive sadly that no province or country can afford to give it away. The member for Don Valley West said she had been “worried” about her government pitching a new student grant program providing “free” tuition because, well, it isn’t. Tuition  will  continue to cost most prospective student, barring grants, at least $3,000. Thank you Madam Premier.

RALPH GOODALE

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale wanted everyone to know that it’s important that Canada “needs to be among the best in the world at stopping radicalization.” This after the unsettling behaviour of the man with a knife on a mission from the Almighty or whomever at a recruitment centre in North York. Yes, Mr Goodale, we sort of get that reasoning. Thank you sir for reminding us how it would help if we could keep young men and women from “going rad”. Got any ideas?

Any guesses? It’s apparently about making “developers” include low-cost housing in their “developments.” Would that be three houses or three hundred? Who knows? The Ontario government says it’s about finding nice homes for people who don’t have much money. Some think that’s like pretending houses will be cheaper by a different name. But inclusionary housing is the flavour of the week at City Hall — whatever it means. Metro News