Parents crowd Lea Room for Summer Camp Fair

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There was a lively gathering at the William Lea Room at Leaside arena tonight (Monday January 19, 2015) for the annual Summer Camp Fair. It was a crowded meeting of parents, kids, camp owners and counselors as some 21 camps set up their booths and talked camping. The opportunities for summer fun ran the gamut from downtown day camps like Ryerson and Mooredale to old and established live-in camps across Ontario’s hinterland. Among the participating camps were (Co-ed Residential) Onondaga Camp, Camp Kandalore, Camp Muskoka, Camp Wenonah, Camp Tawingo, Canadian Adventure Camp, Youth Leadership Camps of Canada, Camp Otterdale, Camp Tamarack, Camp Celtic (Girls Residential) Camp Tanamakoon, Camp Northway,  YWCA Camp Tapawingo, Camp Mi-A-Kon-Da (Boys Residential) Camp Hurontario, Camp Wendigo (Day Camps) King Day Camp, Ryerson Summer Day Camps, Mooredale Day Camp, Pawsitively Pets Kids Camp, Camp Tournesol. 

Toronto basketball player choked on gum

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CTV

What John and Andy did with the TTC today

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John Tory seems to like making it up as he goes along in his new job. Of course, he has had to produce reasons for doing the things he said he wouldn’t do. In the case of increasing TTC fares its that Andy Byford made him do it. Really. The Chief Magistrate (Tory) and the Chief General Manager (Byford) sat down and, says the mayor, Mr. Byford convinced him that things were far worse at the TTC than he had thought. Apparently Byford did not dust off the Bulldog’s idea of a bus for South Bayview, but let’s not complain. In coming weeks children under 12 will ride the TTC for free and the city will make “an investment” of some $95 million in the TTC.  And a single fare (except cash) will go up 10 cents. TTC Chair Josh Colle added that the cash ride stays the same because it is the poorer rider who uses cash.  There is no way of testing that conclusion but let it go. It’s probably very few people in total at the top and bottom of the economic ladder. It will take a smart accountant to figure out the transit agency’s books although the TTC did give us a number ($7 million annually) for letting the kids ride free. We can’t help wondering why it is necessary for all kids to ride free. But so be. There will be absolute free entry onto the streetcars. This is the one they call proof-of-payment (presumably with a transfer or something) but there will be many free rides and everyone knows it. What that will cost is unknown. There was a lot of encouraging talk about buying new buses. Reliable and versatile buses are so much better than the streetcar circus which confounds the City year in and year out.

Seniors Fraud Safety Seminar this Friday

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There will be what is being called a Seniors Fraud Safety Seminar this Friday, January 23, 2015 at 10 a.m. at the Trace Manes Community Centre, 110 Rumsey Road. The public is invited to call the office of Councillor Jon Burnside at 416-392-0215 for information.

Dentistry “gentleman” speaks out on lewd posts

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Ryan Millet, a dentistry student who is married with kids, has spoken out about the so-called Gentlemen’s Club at Dalhousie University School of Dentistry. Although the club “was not something that I joined per se”  but instead “I was added” says Mr. Millet. He was very upset and tried to get those in charge of the Facebook page to remove the most offensive “hate” posts that appeared there. He alerted the university to the existence of the site. With his lawyer, he is saying that he is being treated unfairly.

Leaside Camp Fair tonight at Leaside Arena

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Many summer camps will be represented at the Leaside Camp Fair at the Leaside Arena tonight (Monday, January 19, 2015) from 6 to 8 p.m. Ryerson Day Camps, Camp Tanamakoon and Camp Wenonah are among the camps which will be there. Twitter 

Leaving town on Highway 401 a roll of the dice

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The two left lanes of Hwy. 401 eastbound at Newcastle are now open but one lane is still closed after this monster truck accident. It is a reminder of what a roll of the dice it is to rely on our highways to get anywhere safely  and on time. This one happened about 5.30 a.m. Monday, January 19, 2015. No one was hurt. 

Ten cent increase, free ride for 12U on TTC

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Mayor Tory has announced a 10 cent increase in TTC fares and a free ride for kids under 12. These changes would be effective pending approval of the City’s budget

All sorts of trash found outside Eglinton PS

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You can find all sorts of trash outside Eglinton Public School at the corner of Eglinton Ave. E. and Mt. Pleasant Rd. Some of it is the stuff that people throw away and nobody pick ups. It isn’t clear whether this mess (top) is on school property or not. But it should go away. Then there is the appeal of good deeds offered by an organization called New Acropolis. They have their rip-a-phone-number poster up on utility poles outside the school where impressionable young minds can find them. A few years ago the New Acropolis pole-poster used to put their posters on South Bayview. Then a few merchants drove them out of town. New Acropolis has been formally designated a cult in France and Belgium. It holds “philosophy” lectures and talks about good works like food collection campaigns, art workshops, cleaning of monuments and disaster rescues. Many parents might consider it a disaster if their kids found their way into a New Acropolis meeting. Previous 

Demolition of Stollerys catches many by surprise

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The old Stollerys building which was sold late last year for redevelopment into a condominium was being dismantled today (Sunday, January 18, 2014). The work caught many people by surprise. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam has said she will seek heritage status for the 114 year old building. But developer Sam Mizrahi says he doesn’t think the building deserves preservation. Toronto Star  Previous 

You can bank on this Second Cup for one more summer

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It appears you will be  able to rely on the old bank branch at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Eglinton Ave. E. for your morning coffee through the summer of 2015. As pretty much everybody knows, the building is on track to become an LRT station. It needs a bit of work but Mount Pleasant (as it will be known) will no doubt be among the most elegant stations along the Eglinton line. Any station with a Palladian window over the front door is a great station. Sunday (January 18, 2015) the coffee shop was looking dark and business was sluggish. Discussion among the patrons and staff was that there might be six or eight months of time left for this Second Cup.  It will soon be ready to start building the LRT stations. Metrolinx says it will have the tunnel burrowed right through from Brentclifffe Rd. to Yonge Street by late 2016. The old bank has come a distance from the turn of the decade (1920) when it graced the up and coming neighbourhood as an Imperial Bank of Canada branch. We see it (inset top) shortly after opening possibly ten years before Northern Secondary School just up the street was built. The lower picture is a bit of a hoot because it was taken after the 1960 merger of the Imperial Bank and the Canadian Bank of Commerce. Look at the size of that sign. Back then they hadn’t yet branded the newly-merged bank as CIBC

Hey, did you win $35 million jackpot last night?

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Someone has it. But do they know they have it? It’s the $35-million jackpot in last night’s Lotto 6-49 draw that was sold in Toronto.  The ticket is right around town here somewhere. There were also two winning tickets for Encore prizes worth $100,000 each sold in Ontario; one in the Windsor area and another in the Peterborough region.