The South Bayview Bulldog

Sharon Lee Thomas

Sharon Lee Thomas will discuss and autograph her new novel Watchdogz at Sleuth of Baker Street this Saturday (June 13, 2015) She will be at Sleuth between 2 and 4 p.m. This interesting Torontonian is a retired lawyer who has worked as both an advocate for refugees in a poverty law clinic and as a prosecutor for Canada Border Services. At Canada Border Services she intervened in hearings for asylum where individuals had identity or criminality issues. About Watchdogz, Ms Thomas says “This book is a fictional story about a claim for asylum in British Columbia, Canada, border security and a horrific terrorist plot against the United States.” Sounds good. Sleuth of Baker Street is at 907 Millwood Road at Sutherland Drive.

Vashti Dalipsingh

A woman who was in charge of organizing and labeling chicken at the Cericola Farms facility in Bradford says the company routinely labelled ordinary chicken as organic. The mislabeled chicken was shipped to well-known retailers like Loblaws, Costco, Sobey’s and others. says Vashti Dalipsingh. The Cericola firm has issued a statement tonight which accuses Dalipsingh of seeking money but does not deny that such things occurred. She said she discovered the practice in January but after reviewing the company’s records learned that it had been going on for eight months. Dalipsingh alleged the products were mislabeled to fill orders and ship on schedule. Dorian Persaud, a lawyer for Dalipsingh, says records were falsified and code stickers changed to read that chicken arriving at the plant for processing was organic when it was not. Persaud told the CBC that  a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspector was stationed at the Bradford plant “and it was this person’s job to catch exactly the kind of fraud that Vashti is now blowing the whistle on. How that inspector did not catch the fraud is a mystery.” In a statement, Dalipsingh said she confronted her employers between January and April of this year, “and became more forceful” when she cancelled two shipments that she says were “deliberately and falsely labelled as organic.”

Mayor John Tory has won a vote which paves the way for a so-called hybrid version of the Gardiner Expressway. Council was deeply split and the final division of 24 to 21 appears to reveal a downtown vs suburban split. The hybrid road requires a realignment of the roadway east of Jarvis Street to re-join the eastern portion of the expressway which leads to Scarborough. Most of the opposition to a Hybrid was in favour of removing the eastern piece of the Gardiner and building a “boulevard” and developed amenities. The version generally summoned up by this was gentrified commercial activity. This was the option favored by City Planner Jennifer Keesmaat. a vote on the boulevard  option failed 26 to 19. Analysis suggests that some supporters of the hybrid were not keen about but it voted to prevent further congestion — a  fearsome word at City Hall. There is nothing imminent about any of this. It may quite a few years before work begins on any option.

Fast news can be good news, and tweets from the principal that your son or daughter is okay, is really good news. Parents of the 26 Bedford Park Public school kids on that New York excursion have expressed their appreciation to principal Kevin Battaglia for sending word back so quickly that everybody aboard their bus was okay. Battaglia and two teachers have the 26 in their care on a sightseeing tour of New York. The Guelph University Gryphons bus was rear-ended in the Lincoln Tunnel about 9.30 EDT., the same hour in both cities. After a quick check, Mr. Battaglia tweeted that there had been “a little excitement” on the bus. He explained the situation and kept the updates going. Parent Henda Bilhan tweeted her thanks. And Sandra Kalnins said: “Thank you Mr. B for keeping us informed and to both you and Mr. Norris for keeping the kids safe.”

Signs are up at the former Moms-to-be-and-more site at Bayview Ave. and Manor Rd. telling of the arrival of West Coast Kids. The chain of Canadian children’s stores will open its first shop in eastern Canada at this location. It is a  plus for shoppers and a boost for South Bayview.  An added plus will be the presence of Karen Becker, owner of Moms-to-be, as the manager of the new West Coast Kids location.  Karen Becker to run West Coast Kids on Bayview