The South Bayview Bulldog

Well known political scientist Stephen Clarkson has died at 78 in Freiburg, Germany after contracting the pneumonia virus in Portugal followed by incurable sepsis. This is reported by the University of Toronto’s political science department, where Clarkson taught for several decades.  Clarkson’s work focused on areas including the North American Free Trade Agreement and how Canada has been affected by globalization. In 1990, he and then-wife Christina McCall won the Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction for “Trudeau and Our Times.” The second volume of that book won the J.W. Dafoe prize. In 2011, Clarkson was named a member of the Order of Canada. His other books included “The Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics,” “Canada and the Reagan Challenge,” and “Uncle Sam and Us.” He was once married to former governor-general Adrienne Clarkson. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. U of T obituary 

CBC

The Toronto Fire Service was called to the Mecca Halal Meat & Seafood on Overlea Blvd early Monday. There was a fire and the cause is not yet known.

No kidding, and there are a couple of days, like tomorrow (Tuesday) that we would like to leap right over. Some 15 cm of snow is predicted by the Weather Network. It will remain chilly through the week as well.  Be not afraid. Below is an entertaining item about why Leap Year happens including the often forgotten  slightly less than quarter which must be made up by just cheating the clock every God Knows How Many Years.

The annual Fraser Institute ranking of secondary and elementary schools has been published for the 2013-2014 year. It shows, as it does each year, the superior performance of pupils at these schools in South Bayview neighborhoods. The South Bayview Bulldog has broken out the main local schools. The ranking of all 3,037 elementary schools and 676 secondary schools in Toronto may be seen at the link.

High school ratings for this year and last 

North Toronto 8.8   8.7

Earl Haig 8.6  8.4

Lawrence Park 8.4  8.4

Forest Hill 8.4   8.1

Leaside 7.8  8.0

Rosedale Heights School for the Arts 7.7  7.6

Etienne Brule 7.4  7.0

Northern 7.3  7.3

Jarvis  5.0  4.8

East York 4.4   4.4.

Elementary schools 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help  9.8  9.8

Forest Hill  9.8  9.2

Whitney 9.6  8.6

Blythwood 9.5  9.5

John Ross Robertson  8.9   9.4

Bessborough  8.9  8.7

Deer Park  8.7  9.6

Rosedale   8.7  n/a

Maurice Cody  8.4   8.6

St. Anselm  8.4   8.4

Northlea  8.4  7.9

Rolph  8.3   7.7

Bennington Heights 7.6 8.6

Davisville  6.6   n/a

A man accused of being a jet-setting bank robber who flew in and out of Toronto to render his felonies apparently tried to escape from police as he waited for the plane at Heathrow Airport. CTV reports that Jefferey James Shuman feigned chest pains hoping to be taken to a hospital in London. But it was too transparent and he is in custody in York Region tonight after being deported from Switzerland. Shuman — nicknamed “The Vaulter” because he allegedly hopped over counters to rob banks — is arrested alleged to have robbed 21 banks in the GTA as he also lived a less exciting life in the U.S. and Europe. He is both a U.S. and French citizen. Shuman had been sought under an international arrest warrant issued by Canada. He arrived back here on Saturday afternoon. Peel Regional Police said they picked him up from Pearson International Airport and delivered him into the hands of York Regional Police.

East York Town Centre has been in business on its sprawling Overlea Blvd acreage for many years. The Optical Factory store proudly displays a sign that reads Here since 1962. We must be doing something right. But things have changed at EYTC over that time as thousands of South Asian families have flooded into Thorncliffe Park Drive apartments making the neighborhood one of Canada’s busiest new-arrival landing spots. A walk around the Town Centre this weekend revealed that stores like Bentley Leather, the Rockport shoe outlet and many others have moved out. That doesn’t mention the sealed off cavern that used to be occupied by Target and before that Zeller’s. Still, dozens of dress, shoe, rug, kitchenware and furniture stores with no apparent “brand” populate aisles which are only occasionally spotted by empty stores. Fast food places, abound.

GRASS ROOTS OF BUSINESS

It is a testament to the grass-roots of private business. And there are new places that seem to fit well at EYTC. Ichiban Living is a beehive of a general wares store (not unlike Dollarama) with aisles so narrow customers pass sideways. Ichiban means Number One and it seems to be a Japanese under-the-radar phenomenon which is growing fast. Speaking of Dollarama, it is a veteran resident of EYTC (in the basement if you please) and apparently the only such business down there. These endeavors are flashing reminders of the state of  things as is the Money Mart.  It may be the only one to be found between Millwood Rd and Yonge Street. East York Town Centre is owned by Morguard Investments Corporation, a reit not unlike RioCan but with less prestigious properties. Morguard is big enough  to have “landlord influence” among valuable tenants like the banks (TD, Scotia, Shoppers Drug Mart, Rogers, Bell and Tim Hortons are here).  It is of interest to know that Morguard owns and manages the upscale Leaside Towers on Overlea, Rideau Towers 1, 2, 3 & 4 on Thorncliffe Park Drive and the Leaside Corporate Centre office building on Overlea Boulevard.

FOOD BASICS

At the under-renovation Food Basics (owned by Metro) the place is frankly, a mess. But Sunday morning it was crowded with local clients. Among the hundreds dressed in various colourful styles of traditional Pakistani and Middle Eastern dress. The mind turns to what the owners of this under-performing shopping mall might wish for themselves. The word Costco comes to mind. The construction of this store would pull hundreds of thousands of people to the stoplight outside EYTC. These are consumers who have seldom, if ever set eyes on Thorncliffe Park. Right now, the Costco proposal is in limbo, destined to be heard at the Ontario Municipal Board at an unstated date. Two businesses have taken the matter there. They are Iqbal Halal Food, the largest Asian grocery store in Ontario, located down near the south intersection of Overlea and Thorncliffe Park and the Heritage Funeral Home. Iqbal may well be concerned that its business will be undercut by Costco.

School teacher Neil Bantleman has turned himself in to Indonesian custody after the country’s supreme court overturned his acquittal on charges that he and an Indonesian teacher allegedly abused three children. His wife has told the CBC their  family’s hope now hangs on a judicial review of the trial which is said to have seen much doubtful evidence. Bantleman, from Burlington, and Ferdinant Tjiong, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison last April. Both appealed to the country’s High Court which acquitted them in August. Those acquittals were overturned on Wednesday.

Many people do it. They rankle when Starbucks wants to put their name on the cup. It may make some feel at home but others think it is silly. Many a John Henry has made the poor barista spell out Herkimer or similar unlikely name. (No offense to any Herkimer). Just over a week ago, Jen Nubian of Atlanta decided it would be funny to tell the Starbucks barista that her name was Beyoncé. But, she quickly realised she was messing with the wrong barista. The female staff member’s brilliant comeback is seen above. Nubian says she was absolutely put in her place.

Union representatives for the City’s 23,000 inside workers (CUPE Local 79) have walked away from the bargaining table after receiving a final offer from the municipality. But it isn’t clear how far away they have gone. Mayor Tory (above left) says the union has dismissed the idea of a mediator but CUPE says it hasn’t. That’s Union President Tim Macguire (right). The final offer placed on the table Saturday was intended by the City said to address workplace conditions and job security which the union has made an issue. The state of these negotiations have all the signs of last-minute posturing on the part of CUPE. A “final offer” in such negotiations is normally taken to mean the union must decide whether to accept or go on strike. Local 79 seems to playing for time Sunday morning. It is hard for most people, knowing the high quality jobs of most of these employees, to imagine CUPE would take workers out on a stoppage. But who knows.

BEST TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Mayor John Tory spoke Sunday urging the union to return to the table and reminding them they have the “best terms and conditions of employment available in either the private or the public sectors anywhere in the province”.  Tory said shortly after the city tabled a new offer to the union, which represents more than 20,000 inside municipal workers, the union shut down the proposal. “Without warning or explanation, CUPE Local 79 released the province’s lead mediator, who has been working with our group, the two sides, for the past eight days,” Tory said.

Simcoe Street is closed Saturday night from Bremner Boulevard to Front Street because of the falling ice, TPS posts say. No one has been hurt but some of the ice is large enough to injure. The falling ice was first noticed at around 9:45 p.m. Police said it may have come from the CN Tower.