The South Bayview Bulldog

The life-altering Eglinton Crosstown LRT is changing life in Forest Hill just as it is in Leaside. Terranata Developments wants to build a 15-storey condominium on a site right beside the new LRT station at the corner of Eglinton Ave. W. and Avenue Rd. The station will sit on the space now occupied by Mac’s and the Subway sandwich store. The highrise would take out the time-honoured and much-loved Yitz’s Deli plus two other properties which are now vacant. Together they make up the working name of the project — 346, 350, 352 and 356 Eglinton West. Two of those numbers — 352 and 356 — represent the former Oink Oink. Only Yitz’s is still occupied and doing business. A community meeting Tuesday, November 24, 2015, saw a litany of complaints about the height, location and increase in density that would flow from a 112-unit building. Funny how the world did not see this coming when the TTC said it must have a transit line across Eglinton. Councillor Chrstin Carmichael Greb (Ward 16) has been fielding a lot of complaints. Her office is saying the concept is way too high. Zoning permits as many as seven storeys but, as we have seen on the east of Yonge, that is no restriction in the minds of developers. Pressure is intense to go higher especially at major intersections.  Yitz’s is in place for the forseeable future, according to management. But sooner or later — it might be five years — Yitz will have to move or call it a day.

Organizers at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church are reminding everyone who wants to help with the Community Canned Food Drive that they can be assigned a route to help pick up donations. Just go to the  Church side entrance (opposite Humphries Funeral Home) or to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church at the corner of St. Clair Ave E and Clifton Rd, near Mount Pleasant. Be there by 9.30 a.m. tomorrow. It is a good way for students can earn volunteer hours.

DONATIONS OUTSIDE BY 9.30 A.M.

And you can donate by leaving your canned goods for pickup on the front porch by 9.30 tomorrow. The food drive is an ecumenical effort of local churches: Leaside Presbyterian, Leaside United, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rosedale Presbyterian, Rosedale United, St. Anselm’s, St. Augustine’s, St. Cuthbert’s and Northlea United.

Four brothers pose for picture at Toronto Zoo

Toronto Zoo has released pictures and video of both four white lion cubs and two Giant Pandas as they grow to a larger size. The white lion cubs seem to be growing faster and are shown in video (below) playing and yawning. The zoo said a checkup has confirmed that all four cubs born to four-year-old mother Makali are healthy. They are all male. The cubs were born on Sept. 26 and 27. This is Makali’s first litter of cubs. The Giant Panda cubs of mother Er Shun Zoo are looking much more like pandas now. Video below

This video is extraordinary for the lucky escape of the man in the backhoe who was trying to knock down a smokestack after two attempts with explosives had failed. It is also special for the remarkable point of view offered by the drone which was shooting the work. This was in Avondale Mills, Alabama two days ago.

A herd of Yuletide reindeer (or maybe elk) are gathered at the Davenport Nurseries location at Davisville and Bayview Ave. at the former Garden Court Nursery location.

How many marijuana smokers does it take to cloud up a cafe?  If it is a small cafe or theatre or art gallery maybe not too many. But Ontario — and Toronto –is about to find out as the Government at Queen’s Park makes it okay for medical marijuana users to light up wherever they happen to be. Any way you say it, there is the potential for many people to be breathing marijuana smoke who don’t want to under this rather surprising bit of legislation. It was all revealed Wednesday afternoon by Dipika Damerla, Ontario’s associate health minister. She may have been ambushed but it is notable that the minister, Dr. Hoskins, (St. Paul’s) was absent for this one.

OWNERS CAN SAY NO

At the same scrum, the associate minister said employers, restaurant owners and presumably theatre owners, have the right to overrule any medical marijuana smoking.  The Toronto Star quotes Ms. Damerla  as saying: “As an employer or a restaurant owner you can say ‘there’s no vaping, no smoking of medical marijuana here,” she told reporters.  If a person were to continue smoking “they are breaking the law.” This interpretation of the regulations seems to open the doors to signs outside saying No Smoking — Of Any Kind. The Opposition leaders seemed wary if not alarmed about the impact on the general public. PC leader  Patrick Brown said medical authorization meant that there was not going to be “an overwhelming amount of people” smoking in public. Time will tell if this is true. The potential for medical users to congregate in a cafe where the owner is agreeable seems like a strong possibility.

CAFE OWNERS AS SMOKING COPS

The regulations announced Wednesday will have municipalities scurrying. Unlike the prohibition on tobacco smoking, any potential ban on marijuana smoking seems to now rest with the business owner not with the government. Yes, the police may be called but how willing are countless numbers of such people — chefs and wait staff — to take on the job of policing a ban, even if they wish to see it observed. Business owners,  especially restaurant operators, are frequently very busy and reluctant to tell customers what to do. The Government’s decision today seems to place this task on a group of people who may not wish to be so burdened.

He says things like “stir the pot, tickle the spot and inform”. Much good luck to Mr. Kelly however far this re-invention of his former Councillor self may take him. This is a CBC interview in advance of tonight’s Raptor’s game. All Google leads

A collision at Blythwood Rd. and Bayview Ave right outside Sunnybrook Hospital had travel in a bit of a mess late Wednesday afternoon. Injuries seem slight but car and bus travel was snarled with the 124 Sunnybrook bus turning back at Mildenhall, Dawlish and Lawrence. The 11 Bayview route was detoured along Lawrence, Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton.