Further warning about South Bayview break-ins

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Toronto Police Service has issued a second alert about  residential break-and-enters in the area of St. Clair Avenue and Mt. Pleasant Road and  Avenue Road and Davenport Road  There have been four reported between Thursday, November 6, 2014 and Friday, November 7, 2014. Homes left insecure were specifically targeted and two vehicles were stolen from the area. Police are reminding residents to lock their doors, secure their windows, activate home security alarms, and lock vehicles. Police are asking area residents to review their security cameras and report any suspicious vehicles or people in the area.

Happily, John Tory will be his own traffic czar

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Writer Marcus Gee records this morning that Mayor-Elect Tory is saying he will get right at the traffic problem as soon as he is officially in office. Tory told a NewsTalk1010 audience he expected people will see a difference in traffic soon. Let’s be positive and hope so but as Councillor Minan Wong says in the same column (and has said before) let’s not get too neurotic about traffic. Yes it’s annoying but it is also the evidence of our enormous prosperity. Whatever the result of his work on traffic Mr. Tory is to be applauded for not seeking resort in this matter to a “czar.” As we have come to know, this is a person employed at way too much money to do the job of the people who were elected to do the job.  Marcus Gee 

Surprise, we’re replacing the Donlea watermain

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Rosea Lonsdale 

Donlea Drive resident Rosea Lonsdale has been blindsided by contractors employed to replace the aging watermain along her north Leaside street. Ms. Lonsdale told The South Bayview Bulldog that the city began ripping up the street outside her home without so much as a knock on the door this morning (Friday, November 7, 2014). The residents did receive a notice months ago saying the work would be done between May 20 and August 20, 2014. But all remained quiet through the summer and right up until 7 a.m. this morning, says Ms. Lonsdale. Then, out of nowhere, the digging began. By 10.30 a.m. there was a hole about ten inches deep in front of the driveway. It is, says Ms Lonsdale, a total lack of respect. This out-of-nowhere construction is not unknown. All sorts of things get in the way of contractors keeping to schedule. But that’s no reason why the real start date remains a secret. It is the surprise arrival — weeks, months and sometimes as much as a year after notice is given — that rightly infuriates homeowners. In this case, it looks like the work along Donlea Drive will not be finished until next Spring. 

53 Division alert regarding break and enters

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53 Division Police are warning residents in the Mt. Pleasant Rd. and  St. Clair Avenue East about residential break and enters. People are asked to lock their doors, secure their windows and set security alarms if possible when they go out. If you see anything suspicious, please contact police at 911 if in progress, or the non-emergency line at 416-808-2222

Readers write about lawyer Marie Heinen post

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We had reader comments on this week’s post reporting that criminal lawyer Marie Heinen is carrying a new brief on behalf of Jian Ghomeshi. The description in our post of Ms. Heinen being “tough, stylish and smart as whip” seemed to catch the imagination of some. One man tweeted  Smart as a whip. Cute as a button?  Sir, focus on the top photo as a means of keeping your mind on business. Serge Boivin wanted to know if the pun “smart as a whip” was intended. Yes and no. We grasped well enough the lurking second meaning of this tepid double entendre. But as humour, it seemed inconsequential and we do not like to fear the language when it makes the primary point so well. Finally, a third person seemed peevish. And your point is exactly what? this reader demanded. Well, Sir or Madam, thanks for asking but we’re not at all sure of your point. Sorry. Previous post  Postscript: Unknown has left a new comment on this post “Readers write about lawyer Marie Heinen post”: It’s really pretty clear, says Unknown to the Bulldog. “They think you’re the joke.”  So angry, Unknown. Be well and do not let these little blogs get to you like this.

Is Facebook causing kids to blow their money?

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People have said that joining Facebook is a bit like having a website run by your boss. Hey Joe, have you done this yet? Why not? You know the drill. Now a Vancouver pollster says many young people blame Facebook for making them so stretched at the bank. The survey says nearly one-third of Canadians under 30 feel pressure from Facebook impedes their ability to meet financial goals. Western Canadians of all ages were significantly more likely to cite Facebook as the problem, encompassing 14% of respondents versus 4% on the East Coast. A story by CANOE quotes Laurie Campbell of Credit Canada Debt Solutions, which commissioned the study in partnership with Capital One. She says that “keeping up with the Joneses” can influence young minds to blow their money carelessly.  To mark November as Financial Literacy Month, the study looked at “failure to launch,” defined as an inability to meet financial goals — something 65% of respondents have experienced. On average, Canadians are $45,000 short of their monetary goal, a number that jumps to $79,000 in Western Canada. Campbell’s advice for beating the trend includes tracking expenses and visualizing goals — for example, a photo of a new car on your fridge. Sounds good. 

Redway Rd Loblaws to feature “click-and-collect”

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Loblaws will soon provide its click-and-collect service  at the Redway Road store in Leaside. The announcement was made by Jeremy Pee, senior vice-president, e-commerce and omni-channels. The concept has been popular in the United Kingdom. It permits customers to log onto shop.loblaws.ca to place their orders and pick them later in the day within a pre-determined window of time. Previous post 

Urban Nature has new arrivals for the holidays

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Paul Oliver’s Urban Nature Store in the Brentcliffe Mall is a fantastic resource for family and kids Christmas gifts this year. Canada’s Birding Store is well known for supplying the essentials of the naturists hobby. There is a breathtaking inventory of bird seeds, bird feeders, bird houses, bat houses, weather vanes, pest control  and such important household aids as clothes moth traps and pantry moth traps. But the Urban Nature store has great environmentally friendly gifts. Check the delightful earrings (inset) for mom. They are charming and come in dozens of styles. Best part? These shiny and fun earrings (inset right) are recycled from used cardboard in cereal boxes. Take a quick click over the Urban Nature website to review these wonderful gifts. Click the Fun and Education Department. When you’re done there, go to New Arrivals. Check out the Kate and Levi Dog Puppet Kit and the Giraffe Puppet Kit.  They contain all recycled elements. You can build a birdhouse or a bat house with the kids. Bat houses are a huge asset at the cottage. Bats are said to eat 1200 mosquitoes a day. Also at New Arrivals, check out the just-arrived bots. YOXOmoto Doon, YOXObug Flye and YOXObot Orig,  Spiced Mug Mats (also at New Arrivals) are a ingenious stocking stuffers or small gift at $3.95 each. A hot mug on the mat generates different aromatic scents from each mat. Orders over $125 qualify for free shipping. This applies only to orders shipping to Canadian addresses. Those who ship never pay customs or duties within Canada. To determine shipping charge, the store suggests you add items to your cart and then click the “estimate shipping” link. You will then be asked to enter your postal code. Shipping rates are based on the weight of the products. Orders can also be picked up from the Urban Nature is on Brentcliffe Rd. between Vanderhoof Ave. and Eglinton Ave. E.  There’s lots of parking out front.    

End of 30-day notice to cancel phone, Internet

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The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) says Canadians will no longer need to provide 30-days notice to change or cancel their television, phone or Internet service. The  CRTC does not say what the expectation for cancellation should be except that 30 days notice is too long.  It said the end of the 30-day notice period will make it easier for residential customers and small businesses to take advantage of the marketplace by switching.