Michael Prue Appreciation Night is February 26

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There is a well-deserved tribute planned to former East York mayor Michael Prue at what is being called Michael Prue Appreciation Night. It is set for Thursday, February 26 at the Palace Restaurant at 722 Pape Ave just across the street from the Pape station. It is scheduled to run from 6 to 9 p.m and will acknowledge the more than 25 years of Mr. Prue’s involvement in the East York community. It will celebrate his terms as a councillor, mayor, hydro commissioner and MPP and his commitment to the Borough of East York. In lieu of gifts, friends are asked to consider making a contribution to the Michael Prue Art Award. The aim is to establish a fund to purchase art from local artists and add to the East York Foundation’s collection. Cheques can be made out to the East York Foundation, and either dropped off that night or be mailed to 50 Merritt Rd., East York, M4B 3K6. Income tax receipts will be issued for the donation. All of Michael Prue’s friends and colleagues are invited to attend this special evening. 

Chartered banks cut prime lending rate today

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Following a reduction of last week of .25 percent in the Bank of Canada rate, the chartered banks all cute their prime rate by a smaller .15 percent effective today (Wednesday, January 28, 2015).

Talk host: Shame of the Tim Horton’s layoffs

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Larry Fedoruk

Winnipegers told to boil water in E. coli scare

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Maclean’s

Bernese Mountain Dog learns about skating

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Charming video of Quinn, a young Bernese Mountain Dog, is available on YouTube. It shows the pup bounding along until she goes out of control on a large patch of ice. Her owner, T.J. Parker, said Quinn’s co-ordination “is really quite stunning.”

Facebook group Leaside Community of interest

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A newly-created Facebook group called Leaside Community is getting interest from many residents. Among the entries catching our attention was Andy Elder’s  post about a daytime break-in next door to him this past weekend on McRae Drive. Investigating police said another home on St. Cuthbert had recently been hit and terribly ransacked. Carl Spitzer mentions a group collecting money door to door for sobriety. Pardon, us but we would have to less than sober to give them anything. In fact, no money should never be given at the door or on the phone unless of course the people and the cause are known personally to you. Leaside Community is off to good start and is worth a look. Leaside Community

Metro grocery ups dividend, splits stock 3 for 1

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That big Metro store at Bayview and Eglinton Aves. is still part of a gold mine of grocery outlets according to third-quarter results released Tuesday. They reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit as same-store sales rose 3.8 percent, the biggest increase since the third quarter of 2009. The company increased the quarterly dividend to 35 Canadian cents per common share from 30 Canadian cents. It also announced a three for one stock split. Nice. Metro reorganized its Ontario store network converting some of its Metro stores into Food Basics (like the one in East York Town Centre). That discount grocery brand is intended to attract customers looking to spend less as money gets tighter. 

Tim Horton’s confirms layoffs, number unknown

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CBC

Philanthropist Joseph (Joe) Rotman dead at 80

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Toronto philanthropist and businessman Joseph Rotman has died at age 80 while at home. “Mr. Rotman was a true city builder, demonstrating a commitment to developing Canadian institutions in the arts, education and healthcare,” Mayor John Tory wrote. An officer of the Order of Canada, Mr. Rotman donated $3 million to the University of Toronto in 1993 to help open the Rotman School of Management. The businessman was also a major backer of the arts, having served as the chair of the Canada Council for the Arts since 2008. Mr. Rotman’s family grew from modest beginnings in the retail coal and later the fuel oil business to become wealthy. Rotman is survived by Sandra Frieberg, his wife since 1959, and their two grown children, Janis and Kenneth.

Why did beaver cross the road? Please read on

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Rush hour drivers will be forgiven for their complaints about things that get in the way of a fast commute. Yesterday Mayor John Tory declared complete incineration of out-of-province cars and trucks that block the road. Such non-resident scofflaws are very common, his worship said. Who knew? Hey, Mr. Mayor. do you think it is possible to tow a beaver? (He doesn’t seem too big. But he’s fat and prickly). Anyway, he was the problem in West Vancouver Tuesday morning. The lackadaisical rodent parked himself in the middle of 15th Street at Bellevue Avenue. A short while later cops tweeted an update saying the officers and other pedestrians had done some ‘beaver herding’ and shooed the animal into a nearby park. Police did not release the reason the beaver decided to cross the road. Good one. Why did the beaver cross the road? Because he wood get to eat on the other side. Stop the Bulldog now! Send your reasons why the beaver crossed the road.

BBC takes razzing for over-the-top reporting

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The pilot runs out of fuel over the Pacific on his way to Hawaii and uses an aircraft parachute to safely belly-flop in the ocean. To be fair, it’s a pretty good story without the narrator’s over-the-top attempts to make it sound like his fuel shortage came as a big surprise. YouTube commentators had fun razzing the BBC about the “split second decision” required to make the ditch. As Rob Anderson sniped: “Suddenly the plane runs out of fuel? In a split second decision? The coast guard was on scene filming the situation which means 20 to 30 minutes ago the pilot called mayday and the coast guard responded. He knew he was running out of fuel, knew he had a parachute that would have to be deployed, was in constant contact with the coast guard during the situation. There was no split decision, he was simply waiting for the engine to stall…lol. They make it sound like all this happened in (a) minute.”

Marriott buys Canada’s Delta Hotels and Resorts

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The Wall Street Journal is saying that Marriott International has done a deal to buy Delta Hotels and Resorts, a Canadian company, for some $135 million U.S., a nice bargain on the deflated value of the Canadian dollar.  Marriott said the deal, once completed, will give it a leading position in Canada. The Delta brand 38 hotels and 10,000 rooms in 30 cities throughout Canada.