Air Canada airbus skids off runway, 23 with minor injuries

A very rocky landing at Halifax airport has sent 23 passengers to hospital in Halifax after an Air Canada A320 from Toronto skidded off a runway as it landed early Sunday. The injuries are said to be non-life threatening and mostly minor. Air Canada says in statements there were 133 passengers and five crew members aboard flight AC624, which left Toronto just before 9 p.m. Saturday for a scheduled midnight landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. There was a blizzard underway as the plane came in so there is probably an explanation there and maybe a lesson too. Airport officials said the airbus landed heavily and went out of control immediately into grassland beside the runway.

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Daylight reveals just how this landing badly damaged the airbus

Earth Hour observed across Canada and in South Bayview

Once again well-intentioned people in mostly first world countries have observed Earth Hour. It may be a bit churlish to wonder how many homes with the lights off in Leaside also had the television sets and computers running. The point is that neither Earth Hour nor so many of the things that are done in the name of conservation will not save us from a lack of electricity or even global warming. Our great challenge is to make more power rather than try to live with less. There are many ideas about power generation and some of them seem frankly foolish. Wind turbines fall into that category. Solar power on the other hand has real potential. It would be nice if the Ontario government stopped spending money on windmills and focused more on solar, and on the proven technology Energy from Waste.  This last technology has shown that it can dispose of garbage safely and produce power at the same time. As a social event and commercial promotion, Earth Hour was no doubt a success in Leaside. Against the Grain Tavern invited people to come and drink by candle light. Well why not.  “Joanna” tweeted a picture of what looks like the darkened halls of Leaside High /school and pondered how Earth Hour made her neighborhood look like a Horror Movie. Hey, come on Joanna. CP24’s Stephanie Smyth was at Leaside arena for hockey regretting that lights are necessary to play the greatest game.

Oliphant canvassing on Eglinton an omen of federal vote

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Liberal candidate Rob Oliphant was out canvassing on Eglinton Ave. E. near Laird Drive this sunny Saturday. Mr. Oliphant, who is president and CEO of the Asthma Society of Canada, had a full team with him. It is not yet clear whether the riding of Don Valley West, which he contested in 2011 will be in existence at the next election. It is now held by CP member John Carmichael.

Northlea School blood donor clinic Monday, April 20, 2015

Northlea Elementary and Middle School’s semi-annual blood donor clinic will be held this spring on Monday, April 20, 2105. As usual the hours will be from 2 to 7 p.m. This important community event is rooted in the tragedy of illnesses that overtook members of the school’s study body, Noah Wolfe and the late Emily Duff. There is no more vital act of giving for Leaside and area residents than to give blood if they are able.  Previous posts 

Future Shop closes stores, merges some with Best Buy

Future Shop is closing all its stores in Canada and will rep-open some of them under the Best Buy brand. There will be fewer stores – some 192 in all — and as many as 1,500 people, combined full and part time, will be out of work. By the numbers, 66 Future shops will close, and 65 will be converted to Best Buy locations. A sign posted at a Future Shop store in Toronto directs customers toward a nearby Best Buy. Globe and Mail   Best Buy closures in Leaside in 2014

Amanda Knox reaction to acquittal: “I am so full of joy”

Kitchen fire sends four children and mom to hospital

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Firefighters and EMS staff bring victims out of home at Kingston and Galloway

A fire in a Toronto Housing Corp townhouse complex near Galloway Rd and Kingston Rd. early Saturday has sent four children to hospital. It appears the fire started in the kitchen,. One child is in critical condition at the Hospital for Sick Children. The fire was reported about 5 a.m. by a call to 911 but it is not known whether the call came from the home. The father of the children was on the scene is said to have made attempts in the heavy smoke and flame to save his family. The mother is in a Scarborough hospital in critical condition. Photos via Twitter by Jeremy Cohn, Global TV. 

Rumsey contents sale underway in Arctic conditions

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Buyers line up at 30 Rumsey Rd. Saturday in Arctic temperatures

The sale of furniture, dishes, toys and many other items is underway at 30 Rumsey Rd. this Saturday morning. Buyers are being allowed into the home 15 at a time and that makes for a pretty cold wait in the sub-zero temperatures which are well below normal for March 28.

Lululemon discovers men with “anti-ball-crushing” pants

After a calculated decision a decade or so ago to simply ignore the men’s market, Lululemon has re-discovered men. It is selling pants with a name that will cause girls to giggle and embolden real women — anti-ball crushing pants. ABC for short.  CBC

Sunnybrook CEO earned between $725k and $757k

Executives in Ontario’s electricity, education and health sectors topped the annual sunshine list of public sector employees paid over $100,000 in 2014.  Ontario Power Generation CEO Tom Mitchell was the top earner again last year, with $1.55 million in salary and benefits, followed closely by former OPG vice-president Donn Hanbidge at $1.2 million, which included severance. University of Toronto CEO William Moriarty was fourth on the list at $939,000. The CEOs at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health all made between $725,000 and $757,000.

Act of ego! Girlfriend says pilot wanted to be remembered

Andreas Lubitz’s former girlfriend says he was planning an act that would make everybody remember him according to the German newspaper Bild and reported in the London Telegraph Friday night  The story also suggests that Lubitz had broken up with his girlfriend and his attempt to make up by buying her a new Audi had failed. If this story is true, it reveals a familiar motivation for violence against others among many young men, namely their egos

Pressure on Bell Media boss Kevin Crull must be intense

Some people say Bell Canada and CRTC are at war after the federal regulatory body publicly ticked off Bell Media president Kevin Crull because he attempted to censor coverage of a CRTC decision by Bell-owned CTV News. Maybe, but the CRTC has been Bell Canada’s best pal in growing the enormous company to its present size. Bell Canada has a finger in so many pies that it would not be unusual (especially now) to see Mr. Crull inspecting the bus shelter ads on South Bayview. Yes, that agency is owned by Bell too. You can’t say where its influence is going to show up next. Maybe the CRTC is having regulator’s remorse about letting Bell grow to the size of a mountain.  As far as Mr. Crull is concerned you can take a moment to feel sorry for him. He has bosses too, you know. The pressure on everyone at Bell seems to be intense. Crull wrote a very long explanation and apology for what he did and of course the people at CTV read every single comma on air. How humiliating for everyone, including Mr. Crull. Listen, we are the heart and soul of private enterprise at The South Bayview Bulldog. We know Bell Canada does not have the power to throttle news like it may occasionally throttle the Internet. But the company is way too big.