South Bayview tanks up at 99.9 for first time in years

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Esso’s On The Run multi-pump station at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Merton St. was jammed Friday (August 28, 2015) as drivers flocked to local gas bars for 99.9 cent-a-litre regular gasoline. That price is the lowest seen in more than four years, according to experts. Prices vary by market. Regular is as much as $1.05 in Vancouver to 76.9 cents in Edmonton to 98.9 cents in St. John’s, according to the Gas Buddy website. But the average yesterday was 99 cents a litre. According to Gas Buddy authority Dan McTeague prices may keep dropping into early next year. The discovery of petroleum in the U.S. by fracking has set up a struggle between OPEC and American producers that augers well for lower prices in the foreseeable future.

 

SkyGreece Airlines ceases operations after three years

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SkyGreece Airlines must be one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time. That was 2012. Now the little specialized carrier has shut down leaving people stranded across its network from Toronto to Athens to Zagreb. Some of the passenger stories are heart-breaking and it makes many people shake their heads that anyone would embark on the creation of yet another a boutique airline. It is a field that destroys small carriers, especially start-ups, and seasoned investors are well-warned to stay away. SkyGreece is a Canadian company, headquartered in Athens. The linked CBC story quotes the owner Aris Sideratos as saying he just doesn’t know what to say to people who are stranded in Greece.  CBC

PEI boy uses “stand-up” technique to reel in 486-lb tuna

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tunaTen-year-old Koen Norton of Prince Edward Island performed a he-man landing of a 486-pound (220-kilogram) bluefin tuna over the weekend. It may be a record-breaker too as Koen and his dad wait to hear from the Guinness Book of World Records to find out if it’s the biggest fish ever caught by a 10-year-old using the stand-up fishing technique. Koen spent an hour in a fishing pole harness with the tuna on the end of his line, reeling it in bit by bit, until he and his father were able to bring the fish back to shore.

Smokin’ Cigar sounds and scents of Habana on Bayview

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Smokin Cigar held its annual Customer Appreciation Night on Bayview Ave. Thursday (August 27, 2015). The sounds and scents were straight from Havana, or for purists, Habana.

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Fascinating Mercedes or maybe lookalike Mercedes was parked nearby, cigar lovers were given a special yard in front of Sport Clips and right, business is brisk. Smokin Cigar is at 1540 Bayview. The proprietor is Trae Zammit.

Trying to get lucky on Ashley Madison a fool’s errand

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Journalists laboring over the cold statistics of the Ashley Madison leakage have concluded what was surely already guessed at by any reasonably intuitive person. The entire operation is an empty exercise with many false names and very little action. Gizmodo, a French language blog, says it finds only a scattering of women on the dating website for cheaters ever used it. Gizmodo declares that just 1,492 women had ever checked their messages versus more than 20 million men who had scanned in boxes anticipating sultry notes. And our guess is that millions of these were giggling undergraduates at universities all over the world or hapless misfits who had never heard of Match.

Believe in Leaside to honour Georgia, her mom asks

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Jillian Walsh says she wants parents to believe that Leaside is safe for children because that is what she believes. The mother of Georgia Walsh, 7, spoke to The South Bayview Bulldog about the death of her daughter and the ambitious events to celebrate her life. Georgia died last year in an accident at the corner of McRae Dr. and Millwood Rd  One of the things to commemorate her is the Georgia Walsh All-Star Games which take this Saturday. Another and more lasting tribute to Georgia will be a million dollar renovation of the little playground in Trace Manes Park that sits between the library and tennis courts. Jillian Walsh spoke of how the idea of a better, safer playground formed in her mind.

A PLACE THAT GEORGIA LOVED

“It was a place where George loved to go and loved to play and it was very close to the accident scene,” she said. “I never wanted the message to parents in Leaside or the greater community to ever be that their children aren’t safe in Leaside.” Ms. Walsh said: “It’s a wonderful community and Georgia just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do I believe there could be improved traffic measures, absolutely. But it doesn’t mean that this neighbourhood isn’t safe. It doesn’t mean that you have to walk your child a block to her friend’s house.

WHY NOT IMPROVE EVERYTHING

The playground plan is an ambitious and exciting project. Ms Walsh said she understood how parents might be concerned that there was no fence, for example, on the Rumsey Road side of the playground. This is a main goal of the project. But then, said the energetic mother of three boys, “if we were going to improve the fence, why not improve everything.”  And so they will over time and with the generosity of residents and businesses. The renovation of the playground calls for the installation of a rubberized surface to replace the sand. It is much friendlier than sand for a rough and tumble playground and also permits wheelchair access. The biggest cost will be the construction of a splash-pad to replace the present wading pool. Modern water playgrounds are safer and more fun. Splash pads are designed to permit interactive water play  More benches and seating plus shaded seating is also planned. It will eat up the budget fairly quickly. An architect’s rendering of the playground by the firm of Harrington McAvan will be on display Saturday at the All-Star Games at the Trace Manes baseball diamond.

STEWARDSHIP OF FUNDS

Baseball is a game that Georgia loved. Her childhood running, throwing and batting mirrored the pleasure of so many her age. The Georgia Walsh All-Star Games are a worthy way to remember this happy little girl and for the Walsh family to somehow thank those who, as Jillian Walsh says, “rallied around us so tirelessly in a kind and thoughtful way”  It is a mark of the thoroughness and care of the playground project that the organizers have placed the care of contributions in the hands of the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. This long-standing organization offers the best advice and reputable stewardship of funds. There will be an opportunity to make donations and patronize the concessions at the Georgia Walsh Games on Saturday. See you there.

Two 2-alarm blazes in downtown Toronto this morning

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The Toronto Fire Department skipped breakfast to fight two 2-alarm fires this morning.  Kensington Market rowhouse residents escaped safely after jumping from a second storey window.  While over at Bloor and Parliament, a 4th floor fire in a Toronto Community Housing highrise was put out in good time.

Tricks and schticks galore at Buskerfest on Yonge Street

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Buskerfest is the best six-block street closing in Toronto. This four-day carnival of tricks and schticks is on again starting today (August 27, 2015) on Yonge Street between College and Queen. It features musicians, acrobats, tricksters (honest ones) mimes and musicians. This year the music includes Samba Squad, a loud rhythmic gang and Bulldog favorite. There is endless food offered along the way and many concessions to entertain between acts. There are also side stages with frequently excellent acts as well. This event is now 16 years old and is sponsored by Scotiabank. Be generous when the buskers pass the hat.

Polls shows NDP surge but Harper preferred as PM

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Polls reveal a dynamic state of public opinion across Canada where the NDP is said to have as much as 40 percent of the popular support. With the election still nearly two months off, a poll by Forum Research in the Toronto Star suggests unprecedented acceptance of the NDP nationally. That level of support on voting day would probably give the NDP leader Tom Mulcair a majority government.  At the same time, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is holding on to a slim lead as the person  Canadians would prefer as prime minister. This week, 29 per cent of those polled chose Harper as their top candidate, with NDP leader Tom Mulcair placing second at 27 per cent and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau third at 22 per cent

Littlest house offered for $750,000 at 383 Shuter Street

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This little home sits on a lot that is eight feet wide by 70 feet deep and is being offered for $750,000. Listed as a “Cabbagetown Landmark” the listing agent calls it the narrowest detached home in Toronto. It is completely done over with a granite custom kitchen, deck and landscaped garden. Listing 

He plants miles of sunflowers to wife who lit his life

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McDonald’s take a pass on creating a McWhopper

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McDonald’s seems to have taken a polite pass on giving Burger KIng the publicity it was seeking by calling for the two firms to create a McWhopper on United Nations Peace Day. Burger King, owner of Tim Horton’s (which may be blushing) took out full-page newspaper ads Wednesday calling for a “truce” with McDonald’s so that they can could create the McWhopper. In a Facebook response, the president of McDonald’s, Steve Easterbrook, said he hoped that his competitors would concede that their competition is simply business not actual war requiring a truce. He added “P.S. A simple phone call will do next time.”