The South Bayview Bulldog

Reuters

Wheels website describes owner’s manual app cooked up by Hyundai, the first such mainstream automaker to do this.

Donna Quan

Donna Quan has resigned as Director of Education at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). She will take an appointment to lead a joint Ontario Government and York University research project aimed at addressing the needs of students in Ontario. Her duties begin on this project as early as December 14, 2015, Ms Quan announced today. (Monday, November 16, 2015). Quan, 57, is known as a hard-working expert in her field and a stickler for detail as well as board protocol. She appeared to come to the position somewhat reluctantly in the wake of her predecessor’s sudden resignation. She has presided at the TDSB during a period of turbulence in which the board itself — and trustees — has come under question for meddling in the affairs of individual schools. The research project which will now occupy Quan will collect province-wide data and address the principles outlined in the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Achieving excellence: A renewed vision for Education in Ontario. “My time at the TDSB has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Ontario is recognized as one of the best education systems in the world and our Toronto students are achieving and are among the strongest,” Quan said in a press release. Quan’s new position is adjunct professor in the Faculty of Education at the university, reporting directly to the Deputy Minister of Education. The university says it is thrilled to welcome Quan, noting that she brings more than 30 years of experience in education. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Ministry in gaining valuable insight into aspects of education that are very consistent with our commitment to equity and social justice,” says Ron Owston, Dean of Education, York University.Quan’s tenure has been controversial after she took a pay hike and refused to make her contract public when the Education Minister ordered all school boards to freeze wages. TDSB said that Quan will remain in her role until a new interim director has been appointed.

The former commissioner of the OPP Chris Lewis is warning that it is essential to get the introduction of 25,000 Syrian refugees done correctly. The country may have only one chance of accomplishing this large undertaking he said Monday in an Op-Ed on CP24  The former OPP boss says the government must not be distracted by emotion and what he called “ridiculous timelines” in accomplishing the resettlement.

Manor Road United Church on Manor Rd. near Mt. Pleasant Rd. has space to rent. The church’s spacious gymnasium complete with a kitchenette and washroom is available for many types of group needing space. Athletic, educational, recreational or church groups will find more than 2,300 square feet of prime, sunlit space in this modern building. See the specifics on the linked page or call or write:

Church Office: 416-483-0695

Fax: 416-483-0731

Web: www.manorroadunitedchurch.com

Email:ellen.manorroad@rogers.com

There is a battle shaping up between the federal Liberals and at least two provinces where politicians say the idea of settling 25,000 refugees in Canada by the end of the year is unworkable. Reuters

Marriott International has swallowed up its rival Starwood Hotels and Resorts making it the owner of such famous brand names at Sheraton, Westin and St. Regis. It is a $12.2 billion deal that makes Marriott the world’s largest hotelier by a wide margin. The stock-and-cash deal will add 50 percent more rooms to Marriott’s portfolio which includes such names Marriott Courtyard, Ritz-Carlton and Fairfield Inn. The new company would have 5,500 properties with more than 1.1 million rooms around the world. Below, some discussion of the deal by those on the BNN anchor desk.

Ian Rankin

The Scottish novelist Ian Rankin will be at the Sleuth of Baker Street on Wednesday November 18, from 2 to 3 p.m. as part of the launch of his latest work Even Dogs in the Wild. This is the 20th story featuring Detective Inspector John Rebus, the character on which Mr. Rankin has built his career. Sleuth of Baker Street is at 907 Millwood Road at Sutherland Drive. (416) 483-3111. Ian Rankin lives in Edinburgh with his wife Miranda and their two sons Jack and Kit near the authors JK Rowling, Alexander McCall Smith and Kate Atkinson. He appears as a character in McCall Smith’s 2004 novel, 44 Scotland Street. In 2011 a group of ten book sculptures were deposited around Edinburgh as gifts to cultural institutions and the people of the city. Many of the sculptures made reference to the work of Rankin, and an eleventh sculpture was a personal gift to him.

The push by the new owners of Tim Hortons to cut costs has revealed a plan to get rid of china mugs and plates at certain outlets. The information is written about by Globe and Mail retailing maven Marina Strauss in an article today. Other evidence of Tims new tightening of the ship is seen in the form of temporary foreign workers in B.C. (and possibly elsewhere). Some may suspect that the new snug location at Bayview Ave and Eglinton Ave. E. was chosen for the smaller square footage than that of the building in the Metro parking lot which was built for Tim Hortons, but deserted by the firm before it took possession. The coffee chain has also posted notices says Strauss which thank “valued guests” for “joining our efforts to reduce water usage and improve our recycling program.”  As this happens Tim Hortons spokeswoman Michelle Robichaud assured the Globe and Mail that it was not considering removing china from its outlets chain-wide. The pilot plan is primarily at “non-traditional” sites where in-restaurant dining is less common, she said. (Non-traditional locations include universities and hospitals). Tim Horton was acquired last year by 3G Capital Partners LP of Brazil,

The book attributed to the execrable Paul Bernardo is gone from the listings of Amazon Canada  where it was being hawked for seven or eight dollars. But the question remains: How in the name of God did it get there at all? What miserable weasel at Amazon actually entertained this outrage?  Bernardo is locked up and will die in prison for his unspeakable crimes. Does Amazon have absolutely no decency?

The chance of a terrible coordinated attack by terrorists seems much less likely in Canada than it is in France — but it is certainly not impossible. The linked CBC story has some thoughts on this but the most critical element in such a mass killing surely must be the number of those who take part in the plan. That is what made the Paris attack so lethal. But it is also the thing which might make it possible for authorities to learn about it in advance. The more people involved in the conspiracy, the more likely someone will tell the police, the more likely it will be broken up.

WILL SOMEONE TELL?

Authorities have to hope that the composition of the population in Canada is such that it is more difficult to gather eight or ten young men into such a scheme without word leaking out.  But if such a group could be formed, and if it could gain access to automatic weapons and explosives (another point where the cops can find out) then it is fairly easy to see how a number of “soft targets” could be identified in one of Canada’s big cities. No matter what our sensitivities, it  seems so important that intelligence agents like the RCMP and CSIS stay close to radical elements and sources of such possible outrages. It seems quite clear that the French government was in the dark about what was happening as this group put together its evil plan. CBC