The South Bayview Bulldog

Kevin Page

The former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page has told CBC Radio that the new Liberal finance minister, Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre) is even less transparent on fiscal matters than the Conservative government which preceded the Trudeau majority. Page contradicted the host of the program saying: “I don’t think it is [more transparent]. The documents — they’re not better from a government that promised to be better, more transparent … there’s no more information, perhaps even less information, than what we got from the previous government,” Page said in an interview CBC Radio’s The House. “I don’t think we’ve seen the transparency yet,” he said. Page was a sharp critic of the Conservatives during his time as a spending watchdog. He frequently said the Tory policy lacked clarity around the deficit figure.

$40 MILLION FUDGE FACTOR

Page told The House that the government took the private sector forecast for Canada’s economy in the next fiscal year and then cut an extra $40 billion from the projected growth, something he calls a fiscal “fudge factor.” “It just wasn’t explained. This is a government that wants to be more transparent, more analytical, more evidence-based and he (Morneau) missed an important opportunity to explain to people why the outlook is changing. And I think we’re going to hear, in a few weeks, that they want a big stimulus package,” Page said. Page also said that Mr. Morneau should have released fiscal targets to put Canadians at ease. “We shouldn’t give an unlimited leash to the finance minister. I think that’s never a good idea. I think he missed an opportunity this week to say ‘Yeah the situation has deteriorated … but we’ll not allow the deficit to go above $30 billion, we’ll get back to balance somewhere over the medium term,’ Mr.Page told the radio program.

Victorious East York Bulldogs. Photo courtesy EYB

The minor novice East York Bulldogs are repeat champions of their division and winners of the Don Montgomery Memorial Hockey Tournament in Scarborough. They were undefeated in last weekend’s tournament.

CBC

As expected, sixth place Leaside Wildcats will meet 11th place London Devilettes in a preliminary best-of-five playoff round in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League. Play is set to begin in Leaside with the first two games at Leaside Gardens (labour conditions permitting) on Saturday March 5, and Sunday March 6, 2016. Further action will move to London for games on Friday and (if needed) Saturday. And if that play leaves the teams tied two games to two a fifth match will go Sunday, March 13, 2016 in Leaside. Here is the link showing all the preliminary match ups.

LABOUR NEGOTIATIONS

At post time CUPE Local 79 continues to negotiate although it looks bit as if the City has said there is nothing left to  give. It is not likely there will be a strike but if there is, the home games may move to Mattamy Arena at the Ryerson Sports Centre at Carlton and Church Streets.

The MP for Don Valley West Rob Oliphant has been interviewed by Canadian Press about his role as chair of the parliamentary committee on issues related to the so-called right-to-die. Mr.Oliphant is a United Church minister and has dealt with parishioners and others who are dying. It is an informed article. Canadian Press 

This is a nice little CBC story on the tension as Toronto fans wait and hope for another big season from the Blue Jays. Many wonder whether Jose Bautista should be as cocky in public as he has been. Sooner or later all batters lose it. Might be good to be humble, at least for the bleachers.

Charlene Kalia

Once again Friday evening — for the seventh annual time — Charlene Kalia’s signal fundraising evening Laugh Out Loud in Leaside has entertained local friends and many outside visitors. This year’s LOL was held to support the Regent Park Community Food Centre and Community Food Centres of Canada. In her remarks to the hundreds present at the William Lea Room at Leaside Garden Kalia said it has been important for her “to shine  a light on worthy community causes” as she found them. She told the happy crowd that together they were making an “important impact on hunger and poor health facing many of our communities.”  The benefit always features exciting food for those who attend and last night was no different.

PUBLIC SPIRITED

Among those public-spirited retailers serving to a hungry gang of partiers was Andy Elder of Grilltime at 62 Laird, Drive, De La Mer, whose oyster bar was mobbed, and kept on serving, long after oyster bars normally close. Other well-known names in Leaside: Neal Brothers Foods, the Indian restaurant Pukka, Cup Cakes Leaside, Amsterdam Brewery and Sapsucker Maple Tree Filtered Water. The outpouring of generosity is remarkable among local organizations and businesses. More than 50 donated items to be sold at silent auction. There are traditionally many coveted prizes offered in a live auctions.

LIVE AUCTIONS

This year saw winners to an escape to Fogo  Island, Newfoundland’s vacation hideaway donated by the Shorefast Foundation, a Backyard Barbecue Party for 20 guests offered by Andy Elder, a catered party in the winner’s home with Chef Miheer of O&B’s Cafe Grill in the Bayview Village, Fly Away With Me, an evening at the Nelligan Hotel in Old Montreal plus Air Canada tickets and gift a certificate,  and finally Puttin on the Ritz, a one night stay in a deluxe room at the Ritz Carlton Toronto with breakfast and a gift certificate towards the Spa and Dinner. Yes the good times rolled on at the Lea Room for a wonderful cause.

What are the big races, controversies, and moments that will have everyone talking about the 2016 Oscars come Sunday night? CNN’s Stephanie Elam previews.

The LCBO will emerge from the cocoon of government ownership and start an online store beginning as early as this summer, a notation in the provincial budget has revealed. The details are sketchy but it appears the liquor store  will offer a wide a variety of spirits and wine to be delivered to the home by some form of safe transportation. The government monopoly says it expects to take at least 40,000 orders at the online store in a year of the launch.

A DECADE LATE

This development comes perhaps a decade onto the era of serious online shopping in private industry. A remaining element as yet unembraced by government is the self-serve machine, an important factor in democratizing wine and liquor sales in most parts of the world including the U.S. The government has long studiously avoided even mentioning the self-serve machine possibly because it is heavily opposed by OPSEU, the Ontario  Public Employees Union. CBC

The Toronto Auditor General has revealed that a stunning 600 TTC employees may have participated in an orthotics racket run by a North York businessman. The scheme involved a diagnoses that required certain services which were non-existent which we then charged to a TTC insurance program. The racket was only discovered last year by a tip from an unknown source. So far, as reported here earlier, 12 TTC employees have been fired. The racket may have cost the City more than $5 million. TTC spokesman Brad Ross told CBC News that nine non-union employees and three unionized workers have been let go. Ross added the that even though they’re being investigated, not all of the 600 employees did anything wrong. In her annual report on fraud at the City of Toronto that was released on Friday, Auditor General Beverly Romeo-Beehler revealed that the TTC is continuing to investigate 600 other TTC employees who submitted claims to the company in question  TTC employees get the boot in orthotics  scandal

For those who just can’t get enough of our handsome new prime minister, here he is visiting the Quebec plant of Unbisoft, a French video game develeoper. (Have we got this thing targeted on Millennial City or what)

The windows are papered over and the “for lease” signs are down at 1661 Bayview Ave. It is usually a sign that the place has been taken. This is the premises beside the now vacant Brick store where the pop-up shoe store “Stop N Shop” resided for a while after Gen-Cor Furniture Limited washed out. This is also the former location of Vescada hair salon now across the street under the new name of P and P Hair.