The illegally-constructed house at 27 Fleming Crescent just off Bayview Ave. has been demolished. The work occurred over the past 45 days. Parts of the structure remain including what appears to be a wall of the original home. That wall may be important to establishing the southwest wall of the replacement building. The home was built in violation of several codes and without regard to plans shown to the Committee of Adjustment. Wholly illegal. Work was finally halted through the efforts fo lawyer Rob Ellis, a neighbour, and a team of engaged residents.
Toronto girl, 11, finds razor blade in Halloween candy bar
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The vicious crime of placing hurtful objects in Halloween candy has come close to injuring an 11-year-old girl in west-central Toronto When she bit into a chocolate bar she discovered a razor blade. She was not hurt. This happened yesterday afternoon (Friday,November 6, 2015). The child had been trick or treating in the area bounded by Dundas Street, College Street, Manning Avenue and Palmerston Avenue The Toronto Police are urging parents to be vigilant and always thoroughly check all candy received from Halloween.
30-year-old burns $255,000 mortgage in just 3 years
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The more you learn about this Toronto man, Sean Cooper, 30, the more he kind of shakes you. He is a nice guy everyone agrees. His frugal life is admirable and he has accomplished a lot. But the way he revels in “his best friend” Kraft Dinner is scary. Longer CBC interview here
CTV job losses will be mainly from local news operations
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According to the union, Unifor, hundreds of job cuts at Bell Media will come from CTV’s local news operations in Montreal and Toronto. .The number offered by Unifor is 380. In Montreal, 110 jobs will be cut: 70 in production and editorial, 45 in sales and marketing and five in administration. In Toronto, 270 jobs will be cut: 220 in production and editorial, 45 in sales and marketing and five in administration, Unifor said.
Union had $65M when Liberals paid it $1M for “expenses”
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Sweet 16 gathering has Breakout Venue on Bayview rocking
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Breakout Event Venue is the small door between Fiorio Salon and COB’s Bread that leads downstairs to the enormous basement at 1541 Bayview Ave. It was rocking Friday after dark as a Sweet 16 party took over. There were squeals and screams of greeting as friends arrived. At the bottom of the steps, the gentleman (left) kept careful record of the invitees. Bayview after dark!
Ontario man jailed in Washington state for luring a teen
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An Ontario man has been sentenced to six years in U.S. federal prison for travelling to Washington state to have sex with a 14-year-old girl. Tyler Beavis flew from Toronto to Seattle in January where was arrested. The King County Sheriff’s Office followed Beavis after he rented a car and headed to the girl’s school. He had been under surveillance since December 2014 when police learned he was chatting online with the girl. Among other things, Beavis had claimed he was 22 but he actually was 31 and lived in Canada. During chats, Beavis told the girl that he would fly to Seattle and get a hotel room so they could spend the weekend together.
CTV will cut 50 positions, but union says number is more
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CTV has announced another round of job cuts, this time in Toronto and Montreal. A CTV spokesman says more than 50 positions will be eliminated in the two cities. The union representing Bell Media employees in Toronto says it has received layoff notices. Unifor says Bell has indicated to it that some 270 employees will be affected. Bell has media holdings in Toronto including CTV, the CP24 cable news channel and Business News Network.
Rappelling dog is really just hanging on for dear life
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The amusing picture of Niko the police dog clinging to his master’s leg during a rappelling exercise has produced a lot of excitement about a rappelling dog. Really? It looks fairly clear that Niko is practicing a simpler skill — hanging on for dear life. Happily he is a wearing a harness that would prevent a fall if his paws slipped but dogs are not so clear on that sort of thing. Better to let instinct kick in and grab the boss’s leg. The Vancouver Police Department posted this photo of service dog Niko, a five-year-old purebred German shepherd, in the middle of a training scenario in which he’s “rappelling” down a wall with his handler, PC. Dan Ames. The photo, posted on Oct. 22, is captioned “Hey dad … This rappelling? Yuh, I’m not a fan.” The picture has since garnered more than 3,400 likes, more than 2,800 shares and nearly 300 comments.
“What are you lookin’ at?” on Bayview Ave. opens Saturday
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A group of nine local arts has leased the large premises at 1591 Bayview Ave. to show and sell their work up until December 7. The What are you lookin at? exhibit opens tomorrow (Saturday, November 7, 2015). The large display window of the former bank building (recently the scene of the misguided homeless scam) has been showing signage asking this cheeky question for a week or two. Now like all good advertising, it has an answer. Not much. But of course one could be enjoying a work by Millwood Rd. painter David Gadke (above) who struck this pose wearing a souvenir hat from a recent visit to Russia. Others exhibiting are Bill Drummond, Ron Eady, Nicholas Edwards, Wayne Gadke, Kathy House, Ed Hughes, Michael Mouat and Gerrald Sevier. Information (416) 483-1986 and ((647) 391-6355.
“Nurse” enters retirement home, robs 91-year-old of $1,000
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Police are on the hunt for a woman who they say walked into a Toronto retirement home posing as a nurse and stole $1,000 in cash from a 91-year-old resident. This happened about 1:50 p.m. on Monday (November 2, 2015) when the thief wearing scrubs entered a retirement home in the area of Avenue Road and Eglinton Avenue West. The resident spotted the woman inside her apartment and police say the woman fled the building with over $1,000 in cash. The suspect is described as a thin female in her 30s with shoulder-length brown hair. According to police, she was wearing hot pink scrubs, a white baseball cap, white shoes and a royal blue lanyard with a white name tag. Police say they believe there may be more victims. Security camera images (inset) have been released and police ask anyone with information about the case to call 416-808-5300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
City Council approves Costco on Overlea without a gas bar
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Toronto City Council has approved the zoning by-law amendment from Councillor Jon Burnside (right) to permit a Costco Warehouse on Overlea Blvd. Council voted 21 to 7 at its meeting Wednesday November 4, 2015. The Costco proposal was modified so that the gas bar is not approved and will require further traffic studies after the warehouse is built and has been in operation for at least 6 months. The City will select the firm to do the traffic study. The substantial support for the proposal at Council is of interest. The Leaside Property Owners Association was opposed to the development on many points. The Thorncliffe Park area is said to have poverty levels of 40 percent and support there is very high for the Costco.
BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY
Councillor Gord Perks (Ward 14) in Parkdale was a strong opponent during debate. In the video below, he makes an extended defense of what are known as employment lands. He cites lands in Liberty Village which sat vacant “for decades” now being employed for light industrial or office purposes. For his part, Councillor Burnside reflected on the poverty in Thorncliffe Park and ended by saying “What I have here in my heart is the best deal for the community.” Make sure you watch the exchanges between Mr. Perks and Mr. Burnside. Costco has agreed to incorporate the 1965 Coca Cola office into its new store, this saves certain architectural features that were valued by some. The Walter Yarwood sculpture which has stood on Overlea since that time will also be given a place of honour at the site.
WHO VOTED HOW
In October, North York Community Council was unable to decide on approval. It split 3 to 3 with many members absent. At that time. Councillor Burnside issued a statement suggesting that he would support the proposal if the gas bar were reduced to 12 pumps from 18, that Costco do traffic studies and that Thorncliffe residents be hired. The embedded YouTube video covers a critical period in debate, apparently toward the end of the day November 4, 2015. It was posted to Twitter by Mayor Tory. Those opposed to the Costco were: Davis, Filion, Fletcher, Fragedakis, Matlow, Perks, Robinson. Among local Councillors supporting the Costco proposal, apart from Mr. Burnside (Ward 26) was Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27). Christin Carmichael Greb (Ward 16) was absent Mayor Tory voted in favour. For now, one can only imagine the personal deliberation of members such as Josh Matlow (Ward 22) and Jaye Robinson (Ward 25). They found themselves opposed to the Costco.