The South Bayview Bulldog

Facebook has announced emoticon emotion is now officially in place or will be shortly on all platforms including mobile. The new feature went active overnight. To activate, hover over the old familiar “like” icon for a second on the web version of Facebook, and the array of alternate options pops up before you. On mobile, when your app gets the update, holding down for a moment on the “like” button should have the same effect. Consumerist says: For now, Facebook says, any reaction you use will count the same. That is, when it comes to the magic algorithms that decide what actually shows up in your news feed, being “angry” or “sad” will carry the same weight as feeling “love,” “like,” or “wow.” Consumerist 

Bharat Masrani, CEO of Canada Trust TD Bank, received a 10 per cent pay raise last year — that’s about $800,000 to bring him up to a nice $9 million. They say others were laid off to get costs under control. This state of affairs is often known in business as an optical contusion. Canadian Business 

How it feels to win the lottery #lottomax pic.twitter.com/MUmxNCeg9d

— LOTTO MAX (@lottomax) February 24, 2016

Helping family, friends and charitable orgs plus more! #daretodream pic.twitter.com/pSKkfYqasq

— LOTTO MAX (@lottomax) February 24, 2016

It is pay day at the OLG as two Lotto Max winners get cheques for $60 million each on the same day. Joan Patterson, a ranch owner from near Owen Sound, discovered she had won on Christmas Day. John Henry, a grandfather from Mississauga is another $60 million winner. Joan has her act together. She is going to re-fence the ranch, buy a new horse trailer and get a sporty car. Hey Joan, you got it. Clarification: An error originating elsewhere said the $64-million Lotto 6/49 jackpot from the Oct. 17 draw would be awarded today but that ticket is still outstanding. It is not known if the winner is even aware he/she holds such a ticket. .

Joan Patterson, a rancher from the Owen Sound area, came forward on Friday with her winning ticket from Christmas Day.

John Henry, a grandfather from Mississauga, won the other $60 million jackpot.

Our winners arrive! Video 1 of 2. John Henry won $60 Million in the Dec 25 lotto max draw! pic.twitter.com/nYLC9fHh1h

— LOTTO MAX (@lottomax) February 24, 2016

At its worst — if we get the worst — there will be enough snow and then rain to produce a slush field that should melt considerably during the day Thursday. It will be colder — minus 3 — and sunny on Friday then plus 2 on Saturday.  Keep a grip and be not afraid. Live blog

Dalton McGuinty was back outside the office he left in scandal tonight more than three years ago. Near the door to what is now the office of Kathleen Wynne. Mr. McGuinty unveiled an official portrait of himself. Every premier has one, and  the former premier’s  has been rendered by a well-known painter of Ontario prime ministers, Istvan Nyikos of Collingwood. Nyikos has done the portraits  of  former premiers Bill Davis and Mike Harris, among others.  McGuinty conceived and/or approved the disastrously costly election-eve cancellation of two gas plants in 2011. His subsequent biography blamed others for the decision and said the plants were always located in the wrong place. But it was the naked political expediency of the cancellations which, critics say, cost so much money. The figure has been set at $1.1 billion.

Phyllis Ellis

Celebrated Leaside filmmaker and sports personality Phyllis Ellis will see her latest documentary Girl’s Night Out aired Thursday night (February 25, 2016) at 9.p.m. on the CBC. The film was inspired by the book Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston. “I was captivated and deeply impacted by the book,” says Ellis. “It spoke to me as a mother, a woman, and a filmmaker. Everyone has a relationship with alcohol. It’s ubiquitous in our culture and we’re affected by it in different ways.”  Ms. Ellis, a Donald Brittain Award-winning filmmaker is also an active member of the community having served as a judge for the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame in her capacity as a former field hockey Olympian. She is a a member of the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame and an advocate for enhancing opportunities for women in sport.

The news that Starbucks at Laird and Kenrae was closing has touched a nerve in the community. The story is now in many forums with the question of “why?” frequently asked.  Even Starbucks employees are not sure although there seems to be a feeling that Starbucks was over-stored in South Bayview. The location at Eglinton and Laird in the old TD Bank building is probably not as busy as Starbucks would like but as one person said, it an “investment store” ready to pump out thousands of drinks a day when the LRT is finished.

SOCIAL DAY SATURDAY

A small bright note is that the final day, which was said to be Friday, is put over to Sunday and there will a Social Day at the 62 Laird location on Saturday. There is speculation about who or what will move into the spot. Some suggest that even with perhaps two years left on the lease Starbucks will “protect” the nicely positioned store by papering it over and paying the rent. The economics strain the brain. Perhaps they don’t want Tim’s in there. Well, who knows? But it seems certain the premises will certainly be in demand.

 The Toronto Zoo says there will soon be official viewing of the celebrated panda cubs born here last year. That happens Saturday,.March 12, 2016 for parents and others wishing to plan an excursion. In video released today, the mother, Er Shun, is bustling around her cubs, sometimes trying to pick them both up at once. This is quite a chore since they are now 6.859 kg and 5.920 kg. There is also an ongoing contest to name the cubs. CBC video 

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has given a cheque for $5,000 to Interval House, the shelter for women and children. The money was raised through the Leaside Holiday House Tour.

This is the great squad of pee wee teammates which has acquitted itself so well this season. Along the way they also provided much fun for Saturday night hockey fans. They are in first place in their LHA division. The team is in good shape to make it to the championship round. Is the South Bayview Bulldog proud of them?  Count on it. Left to right # 16 Max Boer, # 11 Paul Essam, #2 Charlie Baillie, #5 Ciara Carasole, #3 Derek Poltoranos, # 12 Mathew Rendle. Front is goal tender #6 Silas Laramee. Absent # 9 Oliver Burnett, # 8 Toby Milo, #14 Connor Atkins, #7 Ryan Alexander

Jason Ramsay-Brown

The well-known authority on Toronto ravines, Jason Ramsay-Brown, will speak on Wednesday, February 24, at 2 p.m. at the S. Walter Stewart Library on Memorial Street in  East York. Mr. Ramsay-Brown is the author of Toronto’s Ravines and Urban Forests. The address is sponsored by the East York Historical Society and The Toronto Public Library. The East York Historical Society also meets on the last Tuesday of January, March, May, September and November at 7:30 p.m. with refreshments prior to the meeting and holds several afternoon “Show and Tell“ discussions throughout the year.

Toronto Mayor John Tory met Premier Wynne today and asked her to allow the City to install photo radar speed traps on municipal streets. Such radar speed traps are used in Alberta and Saskatchewan. But they were withdrawn from streets in Toronto by former Premier Mike Harris when he took office in 1995. The program was costly at about 4.5 million but generated more than $19 million in revenue for provincial coffers. That may not be the best reason for installing it. Many challenges have been allowed in Saskatchewan but the program continues. The premier seemed non-committal. This page from the City of Edmonton is informative.