The South Bayview Bulldog

The former Tori and Cates Cupcakes storefront is still for lease. Updated 

An excellent story has appeared in the Beach Mirror by well-known local reporter Joanna Lavoie about a mysterious, pulsating hum that is said to be bothering some east-end residents. It has been named The Leslieville Hum and Ms. Lavoie’s extensive investigation has produced many first-hand accounts of its distracting impact on life in Leslieville, Riverdale and the Beach. No one seems to know where it comes from and the Councillors for Wards 30 and 32 say they have no idea where it originates.

Here is another little insight into life at the Toronto Zoo with this video released to the CBC showing a 2-month-old polar bear cub feeding. She does this six times a day.  At 2.8 kilograms she is quite  a lot of fun to watch.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegan has not disappointed for 2016 — and certainly not in the  realm of things that make you wonder whether you need such creations. The combination clothes washer and drier (in one unit) will warn you somehow if you leave your phone in your clothes. We hate it when that happens. And what about the car that comes with a drone that permits you take a selfie at the wheel?  Ye gods and little fishes. Then there is HDR television. That would be High Dynamic Range. It is said to make television brighter and easier to view, cleaning up dark spots automatically sort of like a colour-adjusted photo.

For a few brief minutes around dinner time Wednesday police and residents were searching for the parents of a 6-year-old who was out on the street at Rolph Rd and Southvale Drive in his karate outfit and bare feet. It did not take long to find his home as police tweeted “all in order” from TPS Operations. Proving again that 6-year-old karate kids can usually find their way home.

There seems to be something for everybody in John Tory’s 2016 traffic congestion program. Along with a lengthy news release on what he is going to do, the mayor issued a map pinpointing what he and traffic planners call hotspot intersections. South Bayview is included courtesy of Mt. Pleasant Rd. and St Clair Ave E. Why it’s on the list of ten hotspot corners when others (like Victoria Park Ave and O’Connor Drive) are not, is unclear. One reason traffic backs up on St. Clair is because during the evening rush it is forbidden to enter Moore Park unless you live there. The people who do know how to sneak in and out down at Inglewood (or Kringlewood) Drive. But how one makes the corner better is anyone’s guess. The mayor has an easy way of speaking. The CBC quoted his honour as declaring that new traffic lights will produce “more green lights when the lights should be green and fewer red lights when the lights shouldn’t be red” Could be good. There is a dizzying amount of information in the City’s news release and much other information in the CBC report.

Premier Wynne (Don Valley West) is appearing in radio ads in the riding of Whitby-Oshwa which hasn’t been called yet. The deadline for the call is imminent however the Premier is stressing things like the end of the use of coal to generate power. The CBC says she raises the spectre that other parties might bring it back. No metion of the debt apparently. CBC

RELEASE — The second best sales result on record for December capped off a record year for TREB MLS® home sales in the GTA. Toronto Real Estate Board President Mark McLean announced that there were 4,945 sales reported in December bringing the 2015 calendar year total to 101,299 – a substantial 9.2 per cent increase compared to 2014 as a whole. Strong annual sales increases were experienced for all major home types last year.

“Home ownership is a quality long-term investment that families can live in while the value increases over time. A relatively strong regional economy in the GTA coupled with low borrowing costs kept a record number of households – first-time buyers and existing homeowners alike – confident in their ability to purchase and pay for a home over the long term,” said Mr. McLean.

“If the market had benefitted from more listings, the 2015 sales total would have been greater. As it stands, we begin 2016 with a substantial amount of pent-up demand,” continued Mr. McLean.

The average selling price for 2015 as a whole was $622,217 – up 9.8 per cent compared to $566,624 in 2014. The MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark Price was up by a similar annual rate of 10 per cent in December. GTA home price growth was driven by the low-rise segments of the market, but condominium apartment price growth was generally well-above the rate of inflation as well through 2015.

CBC reporter John Lancaster updates story of wild shooting incident and what it may mean for the cop who unloaded his gun.