It’s an eye-catching headline that Canada-based Tim Hortons might be purchased by the U.S. chain Burger King and headquartered in Canada. It would create an enormous fast food company, the third largest in the world. But the stories from the U.S. today make it clear that it isn’t about the food as much as it is the taxes. Canadian taxes would be lower for such a new company. Reuters excellent account goes on for three pages talking about comparable deals and non-deals. Walgreen had a chance to “invert” its taxes when it bought a European drugstore, says Reuters. Inversion is the name for grabbing the cheaper tax rate. But it didn’t happen because Walgreen got cold feet about what the U.S. government might do. Walgreen would still have to do business with Uncle Sam. So nobody at Tims or Burger King is really thinking about what a new fast food mammoth would look like at the counter. Rather, they’re counting the dollars and the political impact to see if makes sense for Burger King to kiss off its American status. Sorry to be so unromantic about your friend Tim. Reuters
Where is debonaire Harrison right about now?
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Early readers of The South Bayview Bulldog will remember this memorable young man. He is Harrison, aged nine months, photographed in the Homefront Shop at 1579 Bayview Ave. on May 15, 2009. That’s all we know about Harrison except that his sunny disposition when he visited with his mom was enough make him a notable guy even at that age. We must suppose that today Harrison is six years and in school. We also received a very nice comment to the original story from his proud grandmother. Perhaps she is still a Bulldog reader and would like to give us a brief update on Harrison’s journey. This long ago post came to light as we reviewed the selections made by the many readers who roam the Bulldog archives.
Actor, director Richard Attenborough dead at 90
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Why Yonge subway was closed this weekend
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Our fantastic five-day a week subway has been out of service for another of its regular weekend repair jobs. Kris McCusker of 680 News shows us a picture looking north at Merton Street It shows work in the Davisville station which fits with the story that the line was closed between Bloor and Eglinton stations to do signal upgrades and track work. The subway will re-open at 6 a.m. Monday, August 15, 2014. Nice shot Kris.
Many hurt in quake but life goes on in California
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In the midst of a lot of damage and injuries to as many as 120 people, the communities around Napa California carry on. Here on Meadowbrook Lane you can see how one resident has responded to the crumpled pavement outside his house. Los Angeles Times Twitter
Parker circling the Leaside wagons on Twitter
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The Bulldog is on Twitter watch in these quiet closing days of August and notes that Councillor John Parker (Ward 26) has re-made himself with a logo that evokes a certain circling of the Leaside wagons. Mr. Parker’s new brand on Twitter is Let’s Stick Together. This new logo in seen in the Leaside search with some pleasant pictures of the Leaside Lawn Bowling Club. The Councilor’s previous depiction of his Twitter self was as a character from the Charlie Brown comic strip. Whatever, we now have the Let’s Stick Together motto out there for readers to make what they will of it. Are the forces of Josh Matlow (Ward 22) forming up on the frontiers of Leaside? Will the worst occur? Will public opinion shape the naming of the new BIA? Right now the Mssrs. Parker and Matlow see that issue differently. Matlow says the proper name for the as-yet unformed BIA is the well-known South Bayview. Mr. Parker is going with the name chosen by the BIA steering committee by a 3-2 vote. That would be Bayview Leaside. You can vote on which name you like here.
Cops nab man in two more overnight car fires
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Police have a man in custody for two car fires overnight near Jane St. and Wilson Ave. The car fire follow similar driveway fires in recent days in that neighborhood. The accused is a 30-year-old man who who lives in a building in the area. He is called a “person of interest” in the arson case from earlier this month. This graphic firefighting action seen in a YouTube video is courtesy of Global News
News video will make you glad you watched it
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New York Fries in Sunnybrook Plaza shuts door
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| Closing out NY Fries |
The New York Fries Poutinerie in the Sunnybrook Plaza has closed after just 12 months at the strip mall. It is said by neighbouring merchants that the company had complained that the location never turned a profit. The length of the lease is unknown but a critical factor for the parent company, South Street Burger, is that it was able to make better use of the store’s expensive fryer at another location where the company was making money. Such units are said to cost as much as $50,000 new. It is not known just what time period remains on the lease but the one year which has elapsed since opening probably does not see the end of it. The landlord is Rio.Can. It had been hoped by New York Fries that its proximity to Leaside High School would bring a substantial lunch business at the very least. But the LHS kids who find their way to Sunnybrook at noon are said to find it easy to make the additional trip to the Metro grocery where there is an extensive choice of fast food and, some say, better prices.
Cool hand Pennachetti takes leave of City Hall
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| Joe Pennachetti |
Joe Pennachetti, City Manager during a time when Toronto really needed a manager, will retire from his office in December, he has announced. Pennachetti was the coolest of hands on a bureaucracy numbering some 35,000. His tenure during the bumptious years of the Ford administration was marked by a quiet but firm accountant’s code to the correct and accurate. He did not hesitate to contradict the mayor when he felt the facts required it. Mr. Pennachetti, 64, was hired at Toronto City Hall 2002 by Mayor Lastman and was distinguished by his retrieval of billions in transit funding from the provincial government. He was appointed City Manager by David Miller in 2008.
Tweeting new electric BMW on South Bayview
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Twitter bug Rebecca Spring is among the Leaside Tweets of interest this Saturday morning with her picture of a BMW i3 all-electric car as it scoots by epi Breads at Millwood Rd. and Bayview Ave. Rebecca is an employee of the World Wildlife Fund she notes on her account. The i3 was launched this summer all over the world and is said by the maker to take “a holistic approach” to ensure that customers will be able to meet their mobility needs with the pure electric BMW i3. Not quite sure what that means. But it’s a nice little shock of a Bimmer with a range of plus 150 kilometres we’re told. To achieve that objective, BMW provides what it calls a four-pillar approach of premium services: Home charging: Quick and convenient charging will be possible either at a home charging station offered by BMW i or at any public charging station that uses a Level 2 SAE J1772 charging system. DC fast charging, using an SAE DC Combo-Fast Charger, will be available as an option. From a public fast-charging station, it will provide an 80% charge from a fully depleted battery in just 20 minutes. Public charging: The BMW Group will have partnerships with public charging providers in all countries where BMW i models are introduced. The company is working towards charging standardization and is involved in setting up a comprehensive network of charging stations. Flexible mobility: The BMW Group will create a whole new mobile lifestyle built around a range of mobility services – such as the car-sharing initiative, DriveNow, which has over 130,000 members. Customers will also have access to rental cars with combustion engines for longer trips. Assistance Services: Customers will be able to utilize services such as ConnectedDrive apps and future roadside services such as mobile recharging equipment. With BMW release