Mayor Tory, City Manager Pennachetti and Toronto Water General Manager Lou Di Gironimo met on an urgent basis Wednesday morning to discuss the 300 or so properties where there is “no water” in the City. The mayor acknowledged the need to fix the lack of water as quickly as possible. “Toronto Water crews are working as hard as they can to respond to the large volume of calls. however, we need more resources to help customers understand what we are dealing with, and when staff will be on site to investigate each situation.” It appears the city has created a Water SWAT Team that will provide what is called customized care to these residents. This may involve creating a temporary water service connection to a neighbour’s property, which is called a highline. If a highline cannot be established, either for mechanical reasons or if the neighbour would prefer not to install a temporary connection, the property will be put on the priority list to have the outside water service thawed. Since the cold weather first hit on February 14, the City of Toronto has received close to 2,000 “no water” calls due to frozen pipes. More than 1,200 of these calls were received within the first three days. In the majority of cases, investigations have found that the pipes within the dwelling are frozen. The problem falls to the homeowner. The City recommends the use of a blow dry to thaw frozen pipes but in the end, residents may require a plumber. Full release with advice on getting information
March begins to really hurt as water dries up
by •
The unspeakable weather has caused more than 2,000 calls for no water so far this year. Josh Matlow (Ward 22) and others at City Hall were saying Wednesday morning that many homes have not had running water for days. Criticism naturally falls on Toronto Water. That may be unfair. Councillor Joe Milhevc (Ward 21) blames it squarely on the weather. There is criticism of the system and the lack of information about when crews can attend to them. This assumes such things can be made coherent in the midst of natural chaos. Mayor Tory was said to be speaking with Toronto Water officials today. More and better infrastructure is the cry but that doesn’t help today. Nor will it ensure that the ravages of a month like this won’t strike again.
Whoa! RBC show us the first-quarter money
by •
The Royal’s quarterly profit jumps to a record 2.4 billion Beaverbucks. They increased the dividend to 77 cents a share. CBC
What a break! Mercury to reach zero March 10
by •
These days people are prepared to cling to any slim promise of a less frigid way of life. As we know, predictions for the rest of February and indeed most of March are for colder than normal temperatures. The Weather Network’s 14-day forecast tells the unwelcome story. It indicates that the first time we will see the mercury reach zero will be on Tuesday March 10, 2015 under mostly sunny skies. There are no guarantees however. The Weather Network
Bunker puzzle baffles cops, captures Toronto
by •
The City is gripped by interest in the large bunker built near a Pan Ams site by unknown persons for unknown purposes. Here is what CBC knows. Also: Police photos give first look inside sinister bunker
R and B bad boy sent home at Canadian border
by •
NSS students win prom breathalyzer challenge
by •
Two students attending Northern Secondary School have won a court case that demonstrates the limits on schools in keeping kids safe from alcohol misuse at school events. An Ontario judge, Susan Himel, has found that requiring kids to take a breathalyzer test as a condition of getting into the prom is an unreasonable search under the Charter of Rights. It is of course entirely a matter of opinion whether this expectation is really what judge Himel thinks, but in this case, she is the judge. Northern Secondary School principal Ron Felsen had wanted to make sure that the school did not risk the not uncommon problem of intoxicated students causing trouble at the prom. In last year’s event, it appears there were no problems. The students involved were Brett Gorski and Simon Gillies. They challenged the school’s ruling with the assistance Mr. Gillie’s father, a lawyer.
Seeking new home of Leaside Service Ontario
by •
When Service Ontario re-opens at its new location next Monday it will be tucked away inside the Dawsco Group offices at 939 Eglinton Ave. E. (parking and entrance on Brentcliffe). Unlike previous incarnations of Service Ontario there will be, apparently, no evidence of just where the office is located for drive-by seekers. Unit 102, seen through closed blinds Tuesday, is off the hallway a good walk from the Brentcliffe parking lot. That entrance is inset upper right. The Eglinton Ave. E. address steps right out to the sidewalk and thundering traffic. This being said, there is probably a greater chance of finding parking in the Brentcliffe lot than on the street parking outside 854 Eglinton where the office is now located.
Tim Horton’s, MLSE step in to keep rinks open
by •
An earlier plan to fund the continued operation of certain open air rinks has changed because Green For Life (GFL) was unable to participate as previously agreed. Now the funding will be provided by Tim Horton’s and MLSE. See the rinks that will stay open, weather permitting, through March Break. City of Toronto release
Greenwood College School kids visit 53 Division
by •
Police photos give first look inside sinister bunker
by •
Toronto Police held a news confernce Tuesday morning to appeal to citizens to help them figure out who built the mysterious bunker near the Rexall Centre tennis venue for the Pan Am games. Police say they don’t know of any reasons for the bunker, which appears to have been built by more than one person. The large bunker is 33 feet long and deep enough for a man to stand. Among the items found inside were fuel containers, a generator, a rosary with a remembrance poppy attached which was hanging on the wall. It appears that the media may have played a role in how police investigated this mystery. The easily formed question of why police did not wait to see if the bunker maker returned to the site was answered this way. Police knew the media was aware of the bunker and at some point it would be public. Did the media hinder the investigation? It is not clear. But police are very anxious to have anyone which information call them. The story was broken yesterday by the CBC local news. Previous story. Why was this seemingly sinister bunker built? Big enough for people to walk around in (and prepare a terrorist attack?) Big enough to hold people hostage? Big enough to store weapons? Sure. Please don’t call us alarmist. These are reasonable things to think about on the discovery of this strange hiding place. Police are scheduled to talk about it this morning at police headquarters. Previous Shabby quality of new streetcars a City scandal
by •
The linked story below about where and when we will see the new streetcars from Bombardier may make your hair stand on end. Yes, the streetcars are coming, finally, but the revelation that they were built to an appallingly low level of quality is a municipal scandal. Toronto has paid a high price over the years for its dreamy notion of itself as streetcar city. It is a mode of transportation that the world has left behind and for good reason. But we have saddled yet another generation here with these cumbersome, unreliable vehicles with their inflexible routing. It can sensibly be argued that the TTC has to have two transit systems — the streetcars and the buses needed to replace the streetcars. Globe and Mail