Parents and apparent special interest speakers took the side of trustees against the Minister of Education, Liz Sandals, Monday night at a marathon meeting of the Toronto and District School Board (TDSB). The smell of politics seemed heavy, especially when the new board chair Shaun Chen gave notice that he will be quitting that job to seek a Liberal nomination. Eighty people, many of them parents, were scheduled to share their fears that somehow the government was trying to emasculate democracy by ejecting trustees from the TDSB offices. Some saw it as a stealthy move by the Liberals to grab dormant school properties and sell them off. Ms. Sandals has directed the board to accept all of the recommendations contained in a table-turning report she commissioned. Last week trustees held an emergency, closed door meeting to discuss how to implement the recommendations.
Boy, 3, dies from bacteria that causes strep throat
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Creepy peeper guy grabs ladder to peek into house
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A creepy case of a Peeping Tom type who crept into a backyard of a home in the Dixon and Martin Grove Roads area Thursday has police working hard. It was about 10:30 p.m. and as he was sneaking around he was interrupted by the lady of the house, arriving home in her car. Before she spotted him however he had taken a ladder belonging to the owners and propped it against the house. He climbed it and apparently peeped into the bathroom where the woman’s children were being bathed. He ran when discovered and the woman’s partner followed him to a light coloured SUV nearby. The man is seen in security video which police have seen. He is identifiable but copies of the video that are available have his face obscured apparently at the request of the police. He appears to be lightly dressed for the cold weather. He is described as white, with a medium build, unshaven, with short, dark hair. Police are reminding area residents to lock windows and doors, and to keep ladders and tools locked up when not in use. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2300 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477). B.C. woman tests positive for H7N9 bird flu
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The appearance of a single case of the H7N9 “bird flu” is recorded at the linked story below by reporter Sharon Kirkey, who is a serious writer on such subjects. It appears the victim, a woman, is recovering in British Columbia and that a man who travelled with her to China recently is also well, and he does not appear to have contracted the rare strain in question. Kirkey at Postmedia Sharon Kirkey @sharon_kirkey
Whatever Lola Wants to close on Bayview
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Most residents will have seen the signs telling of the imminent closure of Whatever Lola Wants at 1625 Bayview Ave. The pleasant notions shop will be missed. The owner, Rhonda, had successfully. negotiated a new lease at a lower rent last year to keep her business going another year. Previous Posts
Plumbing and bath store to open at Sunnybrook
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The plumbing hardware and bath utilities company York Taps has taken a location in the Sunnybrook Plaza. York has operated in Richmond Hill on Leslie Street and in the Woodbridge area at 5511 Steeles Ave. W. for a number of years The space in Sunnybrook is the west half of a space that was fully occupied by Rogers until it downsized during the video streaming revolution few years ago. It is not clear whether York has leased from Rio.Can, Sunnybrook’s owner, or is on a sub-lease from Rogers. In any case the arrival of this interesting retail operation suggests the strip mall’s retail life is far from over. Rio.Can has alerted store operators to its plan to redevelop Sunnybrook and some tenants say they have been told that could happen within two or three years.
LIVE view of Manhattan from NBC News
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Japanese syle! Clothes giant Uniqlo to open here
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The Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is about to open two Toronto outlets in the fall of 2016. They will be located in the high-end environment of Yorkdale Shopping Centre and the Toronto Eaton Centre. Uniqlo is an international clothing retailer with 1,500 stores already in Japan, Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.K. and the U.S. The U.S. CEO Larry Meyer is quoted as saying: “Uniqlo is growing and I thought — we all thought — that Canada was a terrific market, especially starting in Toronto, It’s in reasonable proximity to our New York City flagship store on 5th (Ave.) and we thought it would be a natural expansion. Uniqlo sells clothes for men and women. Tokyo Girls (above) is among of its best known brands.
New York Region Braces for ‘Extreme’ Blizzard
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Mattel Inc. boss resigns on falling Barbie sales
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The head of toy maker Mattel Inc has resigned abruptly in the face of the continuing decline of sales of the firm’s toys. The most critical problem has been the lack of interest girls are showing in the Barbie doll. Despite efforts to make Barbie relevant, sales are declining. It will be up to Mattel board member Christopher Sinclair to serve as interim CEO. The company has launched a search for a permanent leader. The Wall Street Journal says that tattlers at Mattel attributed the slide to a growing focus on the numbers and overseas expansion at the expense of the company’s creative side. The company’s executives became entangled, it is said, in a culture that valued endless meetings and long PowerPoint presentations. Meantime, Barbie incarnations as everything from a firefighter (right) to an architect did not increase her popularity. So sorry, Barbie
Economy and terrorism on Commons agenda
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Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a campaign-style speech near Ottawa yesterday in advance of the new Parliamentary session Monday (January 26, 2015). He told supporters the government’s planned anti-terror legislation would be introduced Friday and will include “a range of measures … to keep Canadians safe.” “These measures are designed to help authorities stop planned attacks, get threats off our streets, criminalize the promotion of terrorism and prevent terrorists from travelling and recruiting others.” The PM also defended said he will proceed with balance the budget and bring in his vote appealing family tax benefit package announced last fall. His challenge will be be to do these things in the face of very changed conditions caused by the oil glut and falling dollar.
Airlines cancel 4,360 flights in face of U.S. storm
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Airlines have reacted to a major snowstorm that’s expected to slam parts of the Northeast U.S. today and tomorrow by cancelling as many as 4,360 flights. It’s expected that all major airports in this region will be closed Tuesday.