DancExperts now open at 105 Vanderhoof Ave.

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DancExperts, the well-known Leaside dance clothing store, is now located in its new premises at 105 Vanderhoof Ave Unit 3. This commercial mall is the easy-parking space with a wide collection of businesses such as Gears (the bicycle people) and food distributor Manning Canning. DancExperts Manager Heather Taylor and the ladies moved into the space this past weekend and want everyone to know they are up, running and ready for business. Previously, DancExperts was at 852 Millwood Road for many years. Give them a call. (416) 421-8506  

SNC Lavalin: Who the heck are these guys again?

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It means a lot to a certain class of business people and financiers but news that SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. will reduce the size of its worldwide workforce by 10 per cent leaves most Canadians saying: “Who are these guys again?” Think of SNC Lavalin as the company that does the work for a mining company and maybe finances them too. It is really reassuring to ordinary readers to find that Wikipedia prefaces its description of what the company does with a warning that the article may be “too technical” for most. In any case, the actual number of jobs lost is 4,000 and there is no hint in the Globe and Mail or other stories as to just where those jobs might be. Of course we have a lot of mining in Canada. 

Man accosts 14-year-old at Duplex and Briar Hill

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On Tuesday November 4, 2014 at approximately 4:30 p.m. the TPS received a call about a suspicious incident in the Briar Hill Avenue and Duplex Avenue area. It is reported that a man approached a 14-year-old girl and began to converse with her. The man then tried to lure the girl into his vehicle. She was able to escape.   The man is described as 20 to 30 years, medium build with short dark hair and a round face. He was driving an older-model dark-green van.

Debate over repair of bullet damage on Hill

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The discussion of whether to save the bullet holes on Parliament HIll is understandable. In fact most members think the place should be repaired and cleaned up. It is a fair comment to say the country does not want its parliament looking like a old dump. Fact, is there are a very large number of holes and indentations where an uncountable number of slugs went flying. Opinion seems to be leaning towards repair. 

Canada sets zero tolerance of “barbaric” polygamy

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The government will ban  the entry of  polygamist immigrants to Canada effective with legislation to be tabled in the House of Commons. Today (Wednesday, November 5, 2014) Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Status of Women Minister Kellie Leitch appeared at a news conference to make the announcement. They stood behind a placard on the lectern which said Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices.  This message pointed to the underlying problems of polygamy as it is practiced in many places as seen by Ottawa. These are such things as forced marriages, female circumcision and even so-called honour killings. Dr. Leitch has been a long-time crusader against the circumcision of girls and women. 

Star to drop paywall, launch tablet edition in 2015

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The Toronto Star says it will drop its paywall next year as it launches a new tablet edition. The paper says it will spend as much as $12 million to develop the tablet, a project undertaken with software created by the Montreal daily LaPresse. The Star says it will enter into a joint marketing venture with LaPresse in hope of attracting national advertisers back to newspapers. Speaking in a conference call, Star CEO David Holland said LaPresse has had remarkable success in attracting and holding young readers to its tablet. Some are said to stay for as long as an hour on Saturdays. It is a considerable challenge for the Star and traditional papers as advertising has fled to many other vehicles over the decade. The paywall concept has brought mixed results at generating revenue. Users are able to find free news elsewhere and the paywall has been said to reduce readership online with a comparable loss of online advertising.  Canadian Press

LPOA annual meeting is Tuesday, November 25

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Councillor-Elect Jon Burnside will address the Leaside Property Owners Association at its annual meeting on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the William Lea Room at Leaside Memorial Arena. The LPOA notes there will be the election of directors.  Premier Kathleen Wynne and MP John Carmichael have been invited to attend

Mystery writer Peter Robinson to visit Sleuth of Baker Street

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The popular mystery writer  Peter Robinson will visit the Sleuth of Baker Street on Millwood Road tomorrow (Thursday November 6, 2014) to launch his 22nd Inspector Alan Banks mystery. He will be there between 6 and 7.30 p.m. The novel is intriguingly titled Abattoir Blues.  Sleuth owners Miriam and J.D. are inviting all to come by and let Peter tell you about the latest entry in his best-selling series. If you cannot attend, but would like a signed or personalized copy, call to arrange one. The Sleuth of Baker Street is in the Millwood Mall at 907 Millwood Rd. at Sutherland Drive. (416) 483-3111. Dr. Robinson lives in Toronto and has an interesting history. He was born in England in 1950 and emigrated to Canada in 1974. He took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University in Toronto. He is best known for the Inspector Banks series which is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. His work has been translated into fifteen languages.

Republicans win both the U.S. Senate and House

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The U.S. mid-term elections have seen the Republican Party overturn the long-standing supremacy of the Democrats in the 100-member Senate. With voter feeling for the Democrats running lukewarm in most parts of the country, the Republicans were able to snatch away Democratic-held Senate seats in Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia taking them to the necessary 51-seat majority needed to control the U.S. upper house. They were also soundly re-elected in the lower assembly, the House of Representatives. The victory in the Senate means the defeat of a critical power broker, Harry Reid of Nevada, as Senate leader. The new leader will be Mitch McConnell, Republican leader in the Senate. The full meaning of the Republican win across the legislative branch is unknown but it could be profound. An enormous inventory of issues ranging from the Keystone Pipeline to the Mexican border to the threat of the so-called Islamic State will be given new life. It opens the way for the Congress to pass a budget, something it is required to do each each year by law but has failed at because of divided politics.