The South Bayview Bulldog

The new transportation minister, Marc Garneau, has made it clear that there will be no expansion of the Toronto Island (Billy Bishop) Airport to accommodate jets. The minister had seemed to deviate from a firm promise made by the Liberals during their election campaign by saying he was still thinking about expansion. Late yesterday he tweeted that the government’s position is the same as stated. “As the new Minister of Transport, I have been enjoying learning about my files, including re: Toronto Island Airport,” Mr. Garneau said. “I confirm that GoC position is the same as LPC (Liberal Party) commitment: we will not re-open tripartite agreement for YTZ.”

IS THIS THE END?

The news will please many in South Bayview where passenger aircraft noise from Porter Airline flights has been a regular feature since the company began service. It seems unlikely to end the issue in the long term however. At City Hall, resistance to the jet scheme has been very uncertain. The mayor took the position that he would not vote on the question because of his son’s employment. It effectively  removed — or so it seemed — important leadership. The issue, as put forward by former mayors Crombie, Sewell and Eggleton in a joint statement, is that the inevitable outcome of permitting jets on the island will be justifiable demands from commuter carriers in eastern Canada and the U.S. for equal access. And thus a much larger, noisier airport

BOMBARDIER

The politics of Quebec will never go away. The Liberals will not  be indifferent to the Bombardier factor in that province. The Bombardier streetcar plant is in Ontario. But where are the streetcars? And speaking of uncertainty, it does not require a very long memory to recall that Robert Deluce, head of Porter Airlines, pledged for many years that he would never ask to put jets at the airport. But then he did.

The Leaside Sports Hall of Fame will induct five new members next week  Left to right they are George Armstrong, Arthur (Laurie) Irwin, Pat (Watt) Friesen, Annie Fahlenbock and Norm (Charlie) Ahier. George Armstrong was the Captain of the 1967 Stanley Cup-winning Maple Leafs. Armstrong, who has lived in Leaside since 1960, will be honoured along with Laurie Irwin in the sport of basketball, Pat Friesen, a talented multi-sport athlete, Annie Fahlenbock for contributions to women’s hockey and Charlie Ahier for his contributions to baseball. The 2015 induction ceremony will be held on Friday November 20, at Leaside Memorial Gardens Arena. Tickets are available here, from any of Leaside’s sports associations or at the arena.

Loblaws has closed its Chinese-themed T&T supermarket store at 5661 Steeles Ave. E. The closing appears to be part of a contraction of locations announced earlier of stores that were not making a lot of money. Loblaws continues to operate several other T&T locations in Toronto including one in the Promenade Mall in Markham not far from the store that closed. Loblaws bought the national chain of Chinese supermarkets from the founder in 2009 for $225,000,000 in cash and  preferred stock. Today in many Loblaws stores, like the one at 301 Moore Ave., certain T&T branded products can be found. Loblaws said in July that it planned to close 52 of its unprofitable stores across the country over 2015-2016.

These kids in New York had their game cancelled when a hockey big shot landed his helicopter on their field.

It may be not everybody’s cup of tea, but Daryl Marritt says he is unburdened by debt and worry as a result of frugal lifestyle. CBC Toronto 

Readers will be eager to know — we hope — that Otto the English Bulldog has travelled through the longest tunnel of human legs of any dog skateboarder. That would be 30 people and this was achieved in Lima, Peru on November 8, 2015. If by some strange chance you are not interested, please be a good sport and indulge us for this one post. Thank you.

Dining room table and chairs on display in Lea Room

The William Lea Room in the Leaside Arena is the scene until Sunday afternoon of a sale of Mission style furniture made by Stickely, the foremost name in this field. Mt. Pleasant Road merchants Ilona and Jim Sublett of Manderley Fine Furniture have trucked in a large variety of pieces from the Stickley factory near Syracuse, New York. The show runs daily and in the evenings up to and including Sunday, November 15, 2015.

Interesting CBC report on studies at the U of T and in British Columbia which show that gender is the single-most important factor when it comes to safe cycling.

Friends and admirers of Kenneth W. Reucassel wait to pay respects

Ken Reucassel

Friends, mourners and admirers of Kenneth W. Reucassel stood in line outside the Humphrey Funeral Home Wednesday to pay respects to the Lawrence Park man. Mr. Reucassel died November 5, 2015 at home at the age of 51 after a protracted illness. At the second of two visitations this day  mourners stood on Bayview Ave. and around the corner onto St. Cuthberts Road to await a chance to enter.  Mr. Reucassel was President and CEO of the International Group and a member of the Boards of the Beaumaris Yacht Club, Caledon Ski Club and Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. (November 11, 2015).  Obituary

An honour guard RCAF personnel and RCMP officers lead the Remembrance Day party into the cenotaph Wednesday morning at Sunnybrook Hospital.  Below, school children lay wreaths at the services remember Canada’s fallen warriors. More pictures here (Sue Byford)