The South Bayview Bulldog

The jury at the trial of the accused CP Rail plotters is still out as Day Seven of their deliberation has dawned and is well underway. It is a old courtroom adage that the longer the jury takes to reach a verdict the greater the chance of an acquittal. It’s just a rule of thumb. But reporters and others (like maybe the Crown) must be wondering what the heck is taking them so long. There has been speculation by Christie Blatchford in her daily reporting that this panel of 12 tried and true jurors actually hasn’t got the heart to say what it’s thinking. Nothing personal to anyone. The accused, Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier, offered little defense. In Jaser’s case, he claims he was just trying to scam Crown’s main witness, an FBI agent, for money. Esseghaier says he is in the hands of Allah and no Canadian court can find him guilty  because of that. Day Eight if coming.

NASA Shows Ireland From Space for St. Patrick’s Day http://t.co/16nBb96SXw pic.twitter.com/jGz0rlFUHH

— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) March 17, 2015

Toronto Hydro is working in the Yonge St and Finch Ave area to restore power to an estimated 600 customers who are without power. A combination of weather seems to be the cause. Tuesday Toronto awoke to fairly brisk winds after an evening of light rain combining with those salt-caked hydro poles. Last night as many as 5,000 customers were without electricity near Dufferin Street and St. Clair Avenue West, but it has since been restored. Some residents reported flickering lights throughout the city last night, according to media reports.

Remarkable self-made man has created two landmark corporate creations — Club Monaco and Joe Fresh. At 58, does he have another such triumph in him? Huffington Wikipedia 

It is a profound thing to consider the end of car manufacturing in Oshawa. But that bleak prospect may be just around the corner unless General Motors finds something else to do at its plant in that City. Word came today that the new Camaro will be made in Michigan. Glen Woodcock writes in the Toronto Sun 

l-r Former Mayor Barbara Hall, Briony Glassco, Patrick Case, Shirley Hoy, Vicki Bismilla, Richard Powers and Jennifer Williams

There are lots of complaints about the Toronto and District School Board. Some people think it should be abolished. Premier Wynne has decided to get the view of seven prominent Toronto citizens, all of whom are acquainted with the board in some fashion. It is a purely advisory group and the premier may be sure she has a like-minded thinker in former Mayor Barbara Hall who will chair the panel. What’s heartening is that these people aren’t going to lurk around for years. They’re expected to come back with an opinion by summer. Education Minister Sandals announced the panel Monday after a year or more of bickering and complaints at the board. Her emphasis is on what’s wrong with the board but in fairness the cash-strapped government of Ontario has a dog in this fight. It’s called the enormous value of surplus school board property. The panel will be tasked with asking questions about the size of the board, the efficiencies within the board and the “culture of fear” among board members. It’s perhaps relevant to note that however much fear was in the air at the board it didn’t stop many people from complaining. To learn about the background of the members check the Education Department Release

People coming and going from the former DEW location at 1553 Bayview Ave north of Rosie’s on Monday say the spacious shop will become a shoe store. “It will be a very good shoe store,” said a man who seemed to  know. Keep watching. Up the street, MacFAb Home has opened at 1685 Bayview and is full of lovely home decor. One of the owners, Dale Sonier, says the reception has been great and asks everyone to come in and take a look.

Mayor Tory will meet with Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair Monday to talk funding for the $8 billion SmartTrack plan. And why not? It’s not likely that Mr. Mulcair will form the next federal government but it is smart politics for the mayor at home. Also, devious thinkers know that the popular mayor (a Conservative) may have the influence to make the NDP more of a contender in Toronto against the Liberals than might otherwise be the case in the forthcoming federal election. This may be far from the mayor’s mind on a sunny Monday morning but you may be sure it is on the minds of some people. You bet. The Tory-Mulcair meeting will have a public part when they address the media about 1 p.m.

President Vladimir Putin has appeared in public for the first time since 5 March, quelling intense speculation about his health. He was meeting President of Kyrgyzstan, Almazbek Atambayev, in St Petersburg. Commenting on the rumours about his health, Mr Putin said “things would be boring without gossip.