The South Bayview Bulldog

Here is a wrenching story from CNN about lottery winners who lose it all and in many cases die in the aftermath of being given enormous wealth. This happens everywhere and gives testament again to the truth that poverty is caused not by a lack of money but by human behaviour. Most government lotteries in North America have counselling on how not to lose winnings. But no one can force winners to listen. By the way, the jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing in the U.S. has grown to $1.4 billion, the world’s largest lottery prize.

TORONTO BAKERY SELLS POWERBALL TICKETS

World Class Bakers on St. Clair Ave. West at Humewood Drive is giving away up to 500 Powerball tickets with every purchase of $20 or more Tuesday and Wednesday. Canadians are allowed to buy tickets for the jumbo multi-state lottery, but they are not sold in Canada. Some adventurous people have driven to Buffalo and spent 20 minutes in the U.S. to obtain one. Websites offer to purchase tickets on behalf of Canadians, Powerball cautions people against doing so. The tickets themselves cost US$2. The Powerball draw takes place at 11 p.m. on Wednesday.

Frank McKenna

Frank McKenna says the federal government should require more Syrian refugees to settle in Atlantic Canada, The former New Brunswick premier and now TD Bank deputy chairman says the region badly needs more and younger people. While the efforts to bring Syrian refugees to the country have been successful, the handling of immigration in general has not, says McKenna. “It is not a Canadian success story at present in terms of widespread distribution; 70 per cent of all immigrants now go to the three major cities, and we only get 2.5 per cent of immigrants in Atlantic Canada, so we are not receiving our fair share of immigrants,” he said in an interview Monday. McKenna, a Liberal, is one of the most respected former politicians in Canada.

Engineers are working night and day in the Northern Ontario cold to try to make the fractured Nipigon River Bridge whole again. The excellent CBC report here describes a series of bolts snapping off like so many pretzels. This caused the road bed to leap upward on tension from the cable suspension system. What strength was called for in these bolts and by what engineering firm? The questions abound and the implications are said to range from economic to political, to social and even international. This bridge along the Trans-Canada Highway in northwestern Ontario was hailed as a “monumental” achievement — part of the largest infrastructure investment in the province’s history. “This is obviously a national issue. This area has been identified as being a vulnerable part of the Canadian transportation sector,” Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey said Monday.

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A Hamilton businessman who knows soccer is linking up with the Tiger-Cats ownership to propose a wintertime bubble dome over Tim Hortons Field to facilitate both professional soccer and recreational use by other groups. The bubble would cover only the field, not the stands and would be removed when football season arrived. According to John McGrane, a retired professional and Olympic soccer player, the project would cost $3 million dollars, all of it to be covered by private enterprise. The scheme is to be considered by City Council next month. McGrane does not want to reveal the name of financial supporters yet, especially the “lead investor” to whom he has been talking. Hamilton Spectator 

It was a thrilling day for school kids and the community as they got time off to watch the Maple Leafs make their annual visit to Dieppe Park on Cosburn Ave. Leaf Captain Dion Phaneuf talked about the quality of the ice and the rink itself in the CBC video above. Ahead of the practice, about 40 students from local schools participated in a hockey clinic with Leafs alumnus Darcy Tucker. Fellow alumni Shayne Corson and Curtis Joseph also held an autograph session. Leafs head coach Mike Babcock attended the practice, along with Mayor John Tory and Ward 29 Councillor Mary Fregedakis. The Leafs and SportChek announced at the practice they will donate a new water fill station and additional dressing room storage at Dieppe Park.

Kids from Beatty PS give thumbs up as Leafs unlimber at Dieppe Park

At Dieppe Park for the Leafs outdoor practice pic.twitter.com/onFXiipJyM

— Momin Qureshi (@MominYQureshi) January 11, 2016

A sign is erected at 1398 Bayview Ave. to announce project

A four-apartment building with a unit in the basement is planned for the northwest corner of Merton St. and Bayview Ave. by Garrison Creek Construction according to employees on the site. A large sign was being erected Monday morning (January 11, 2016) to announce this. There are is no City notice but the workers said permits were in order but “not posted.” The present structure is a bungalow that was renovated perhaps 15 years ago to serve as a professional office.

Elizabeth Roy, Lib; Lorne Coe, PC; Niki Lundquist. NDP

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced that the byelection to fill a vacant seat in the riding of Whitby-Oshawa will take place on February, 11, 2016  The recently Conservative riding will be contested by three well-known candidates. The riding was held by Christine Elliott, who unsuccessfully ran for the PC party leadership this year and lost to Patrick Brown. Her late husband, former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, represented the riding federally. The candidates for the byelection are Elizabeth Roy, a former Whitby Councillor for the Liberals, Lorne Coe, a Whitby Councillor the Progressive Conservatives and Labour and human rights lawyer Niki Lundquist the NDP.

Picture by Natalie Hardy posted to Facebook

The newly constructed suspension bridge over the Nipigon River in Northern Ontario has snapped like a pretzel in cold weather about two months after the $106 million structure was opened. A report in the local newspaper says the shift in the bridge, captured by local resident Natalie Hardy above, closes direct traffic across Canada. According to reports, the alternative require vehicles headed west or east to detour through the United States. Westbound traffic from Thunder Bay would have to travel south to the Pigeon River Border crossing and then from Duluth to Sault Ste Marie. It says the Lake Helen First Nation Band is concerned about assisting westbound travellers who will be forced to stop on the east side of the bridge looking for gas and food. The NetNewsLedger says it may be necessary to close roads in order to keep large numbers of people from getting stranded.

$106 million Nipigon bridge under construction