The South Bayview Bulldog

There is quite a lot of amusing comment on Twitter after the Globe and Mail wrote an editorial endorsing the Conservatives but not Stephen Harper. One tweet said, I endorse The Doors but not Jim Morrison, and another saying I endorse Rye and Ginger Ale but not the Ginger Ale. There are many more. Funny. CBC

The little-known but enormously successful Canadian auto parts maker Linamar Corporation has bought 100 percent of the shares of French aluminum casting firm, Montupet S.A. The deal is said by Linamar to be a move to solidify the company as a global powerhouse in aluminum casting and machining. The success of the Ford-150 pickup is seen by Linamar as a profound once-in-history shift to greater use of aluminum in autobodies. The Guelph-headquartered company paid a rich $105 Canadian for the shares. Linamar has plants in Canada, China, France, Germany, Mexico, the U.S. and India.

The fleeting sleet shower that announced the afternoon rain Friday was quite a surprise. It lasted about 20 seconds before it turned to water. And while pedestrians and window watchers were surprised, the pups tied up outside the coffee shops were shocked. “Yip, yip, yip” they wailed as owners ran to bring them inside, no matter the store rules. It’s coming of course. There may be a bit of snow over the weekend. What can we do?   Weather Channel 

From whispers that Metrolinx (run by Premier Wynne) wants to build  an office and condominium tower at Eglinton and Bayview, to the closure of the south lanes of Eglinton Ave. E., the wild and crazy intersection of Eglinton Ave E. and Bayview Ave. is living down to its hairy reputation (Wild & Crazy 1). Concerns that the provincial transit agency wants to go high at Eglinton and Bayview have been lurking for many months. Early this year Metrolinx began muttering about “recovering costs” by building up on the site of the now vacant McDonald’s, future site of the Bayview LRT station.

MUCH LARGER FOOTPRINT

Now Metrolinx has created a much larger footprint for this possible undertaking by purchasing the two four-plexes on the east side of Bayview to the immediate south of the station. Is Metrolinx going to try to build multiple storeys on the corner like Rio.Can has proposed for Sunnybrook Plaza.  Metrolinx is now looking at a rectangular piece of property on Bayview Ave. that rivals the land assembled by the Brown Group on Bayview between Soudan Ave. and Hillsdale Ave. The Metrolinx property, if it is all used as a foundation for the a tower, will be a premier new address on Bayview Ave. The LRT station would be a sideshow in the basement for commuters

SUNNYBROOK STILL ACCESSIBLE AT THE EAST

Of immediate concern to motorists is the closure of the lanes on the south side of Eglinton between Mann Ave and Bessborough Ave. This information was contained in the Ward 25 newsletter of Jaye Robinson to constituents but it was also a stark reality on the road Friday. Today drivers were honking annoyed and quite cheesed as their more confused brethren took a little too long to figure out what they were supposed to do. All of this has to do with headwall construction for the LRT station. Looks like it will take most of the winter. Here’s a useful tip. Even though you can’t  tell  as you are eastbound on Eglinton,  it is still possible to legally enter the Sunnybrook Plaza at the east end. It is tricky but doable.

The Leaside United Church Awesome Sale began Friday with a long lineup (as usual) well in advance of the 3 pm. opening. Above we see action in the large basement hall off of Field Ave. where such attractions as baked goods and preserves, clothing, glassware, tapes, books and many other items were sold. As Awesome Sale goers will know, there were special rooms set aside for footwear, furniture, sportswear, toys and handbags in the hall (a popular place) The sale returns for two hours tomorrow, Saturday, October 18, 2015, at 10 a.m.

There will be a meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 to provide information and answer questions about the development proposed for lands now designated as 939 Eglinton Ave. E. Most people will know this  as the  Dawsco Plaza on Brentcliffe Rd. but there are other parts included in the proposal. It is set out by the City as a mixed use development proposing 1,500 residential units, 2,950 square metres of retail space, 9,690 square metres of office space, 1,639 parking spaces in 4 levels of underground parking, a 0.22 ha public park and a new public road. The proposal comprises three development blocks. The north block is proposed to be developed with two residential towers with heights of 19 and 24 storeys connected by an 8-storey mixed-use mid rise building along the Eglinton Avenue East frontage. The central block is proposed to be developed with two residential towers with heights of 31 and 34 storeys connected by an 8-storey mid-rise building along the north side of the proposed public road. The south block is proposed to be developed with a 6-storey commercial building at the northwest corner of Brentcliffe Road and Vanderhoof Avenue and a new park to the west. The meeting is set to begin at 7 p.m. in the William Lea Room at Leaside Arena. Pdf City Planning 

TSN

Parents will reflect sadly on the Premier’s earnest assertion that she is frustrated by the continuing elementary school conflict.  No doubt she is, but people also know she is the leader of a political party. The Premier is well aware that if the government were to order the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) back to work the Liberals would face the wrath of this enormous province-wide union at the next election. The ETFO and its high school counterpart are not what politicians expected when they granted teachers the right to strike. The 1960s saw a well-intentioned spirit of fairness towards teachers  In return the province now deals with unions that hold the school system hostage from the Lakehead to Niagara Falls. The teachers unions wield more power more disruptively than any union since the postal workers were put out of business by email. Sam Hammond, the head of the ETFO, is perhaps the most consistently belligerent union president in the history of Ontario public school education. His politics are about power too. He wants to keep his union in shape to beat up anyone who gets in its way. Many teachers dislike the union but they are intimidated into silence.

A New York area man is among a number of people to complain about the exploding iPhone 6.

Eugenie Bouchard has filed a lawsuit against the United States Tennis Association claiming she slipped and fell in a locker room flor which had been coated with a  “slippery, foreign and dangerous substance” about which she should have been warned. The liquid has been further described as a cleaner intended to be left on the floor overnight. Bouchard says she suffered a severe head injury, which caused her to withdraw from the tournament. She also dropped out of a tournament in China. Her suit claims the USTA, tennis’ national governing body, was negligent. It seeks unspecified damages. Bouchard says her world ranking has dropped 13 spots since the incident and she believes it is likely to continue to drop. USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier says the organization does not comment on on-going litigation.

Metroland 

Andy Elder’s renowned meat shop Grilltime will mark seven years in business at Laird Drive and Kenrae Road with a seven-week series of must-attend tastings offered by local manufacturers. What could be better? Just drop in and snack. It begins this Saturday, October 17, 2015, when the owner of Jaswant’s Kitchen will prepare Punjabi treats at Grilltime for the public between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The story of Jaswant’s Kitchen is charmingly told in the Globe and Mail video below by the lady herself.  Jessie (Jaswant) Kular unfolds an engaging story of her success in Canada and often amusing times she and her family have had with her terrific success. Next week, Carlos and Sandra will be at Grilltime blending heat and flavour (#Leasidelikesithot) and October 21 Micheal of the Farmer’s Pantry will offer ready-to-serve all natural soups and dips. After that it’s Christine Manning, David’s Condiments, Black Knight Sausage  and Peter Neal of Neal Brothers. More to come on all of this as we get closer.