The South Bayview Bulldog

As many as 28,000 Loblaws employees in much of Ontario including Toronto are set to go on strike after a strike vote earlier this month. A meeting of Local 1000A of the  United Food and Commercial Workers rejected a tentative agreement between the union and Loblaws. Strike preparations are in order, with picket captains being trained this week, according the union local’s website.

A harrowing entrapment and equally challenging rescue mission are told in the linked story. Barrie firefighters are said to have hung upside down as they drilled adequate passage to release a man from what might have become his grave in the Singhampton conservation area near Barrie. The 30-year-old is in good condition having been handed food and water by rescuers. He is now in hospital. But he was trapped 12-metres down in the cavern for several hours before other hikers heard his cries at about 8.30 last night and for help. Toronto Star

One may say that even drivers should go down and take a look. They built some parking spaces into the amenities that have taken three years to finish. Mostly the tweets are paeans of love and triumph about cycling and that’s nice. Former Councillor John Parker has tweeted a link to the Toronto Star story by Shawn Michaleff in which the writer asks (honestly): “Are we allowed to have something this nice?” That’s what the man asked. And he replies to The Bulldog that he answered “Yes.” So we’re okay and he’s okay. Countless burghers will find the spirit to shake off wretched self-doubt and declare the new Queen’s Quay to be quite good enough for them. Enjoy. Twitter

Police say there is a terrible mess on St. Clair Ave East of O’Connor Drive where workers are dealing with a large watermain break plus a gas main break which occurred as repairs were being attempted on the watermain. The precise intersection is St. Clair E and Rexleigh Drive. Watermains have been known to break right here before. Officials say the closure will be extended. The 23 Dawes bus is diverting north on Plaxton.  Thanks to @dcrampton7919 for tweeted picture.

The Toronto Star’s popular feature What They Got features two South Leaside homes. The first is 152 Hillsdale near Yonge St which sold for $1,330,000.  Its sale price in 2009 was $849,000. The semi-detached home is approximately 1,600 sq. ft. with a 600 sq. ft. finished basement  It sits on a 133-ft. lot with a single-car attached garage and  private drive  The home sold in seven days. Asking price was $1,299,000.

Julie Hamp

Toyota’s poster executive for diverse hiring, Julie Hamp, has been arrested in Japan for trying to smuggle 60 Oxycodone pills into the country by mail order. Ms Hamp is an American who is the highest-ranking woman in the automaker’s history.She has denied the allegation. She told Tokyo police that she did not think that she had imported narcotics. Toyota  declined to comment beyond saying it was looking into the matter, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether Hamp had a lawyer. Ms. Hamp is the Chief Communications Officer of Toyota North America and Group Vice President at Toyota Motor Corporation. She has had similar positions at PepsiCo and General Motors. The arrest cast a pall over efforts by Toyota’s chief executive, Akio Toyoda, to diversify top management at the world’s largest auto maker by sales. Hamp, 55, is the first woman to hold the title of managing officer at Toyota and handles corporate communications.  Oxycodone is a legal prescription painkiller in both the U.S. and Japan, but Japanese law tightly controls imports of the drug and other narcotics. It is also tightly controlled in Ontario where Oxycodone deaths multiplied in the early years of the century. Those found guilty of importing Oxycodone illegally face one to 10 years in prison. A package addressed to Hamp is said to have contained 60 tablets. It was intercepted by customs officers earlier this month. The tablets were placed at the bottom of the package, a person briefed on the case told MarketWatch.