The 136th CNE has opened with speeches by several members of government. This year’s Ex will mark the 100th anniversary of World War 1 in 1914. It is a sombre event, even a century later. A tiny population of seven million citizens saw 68,000 soldiers and sailors die in the four year conflict. But the CNE this year will focus on the contribution of Canadians to the war effort and the new identity the country gained through the efforts of its men and women. The federal government was represented at the opening today by Peter Van Loan, government leader in the Commons and member for York Simcoe. He was followed by Han Dong, the newly-elected Liberal member of the Legislature for Trinity Spadina, the riding in which the exhibition grounds are located. finally, the opening ceremony heard from Mayor Rob Ford. he reflected on the enormous economic contribution the Ex makes to the City’s economy and social life. Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly made a moving speech about events on opening day 1914 noting how young men had “shivered in tents waiting eagerly to go to war.”
Hwy 401 scene of eastbound truck mayhem
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Highway 401 is closed from Neilson Road to east of Port Union Road following a couple of accidents. The first crash created the conditions for the second. About 10 p.m., a large truck and a pickup truck collided in the express lanes. Police and MTO parties were cleaning up this accident when a transport truck slammed into the MTO cleanup trucks. Happily, no one was seriously hurt in all this. CBC
Canada really created 41,700 jobs — not 200
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Someone messed up big time at Statistics Canada a couple of days ago when he/she announced that Canada had created only 200 jobs in July. The real number, as reported this morning, is 41,700. That’s much more than expected (before the 200 clanger) and it drops the unemployment rate to 7.0 percent from 7.1 percent, Reuters
Cyclist says guard confiscated her bike on Bloor
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An issue that is murky in law about just where and when one can park and lock a bicycle threatens to inflame further the relations between cyclists and others. The management company at The Hudson Bay Company on Bloor West has instructed its security firm to remove bicycles locked to poles and other public property on the sidewalk outside the building. The cry has gone up from a woman whose bike disappeared off the street that it was confiscated and that she wasn’t given warning or notice that her bike was in custody. She thought it had been stolen. It is a thorny issue because City Council has tinkered with legislation about the parking of bicycles. Now the determining legality is whether the bike seems abandoned or is a problem. All very vague. It is certainly upsetting that there is no warning or notice of where bikes have gone when they are taken. Still, drivers are expected to know that when their car is gone, the likelihood is that it has been towed. Let’s try to get along. CTV
Bollards at Cleveland-Millwood as promised
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Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has been promising to have bollards installed in the ward to stop cars, trucks and buses from sneaking up onto the sidewalk when they turn right. Today The Bulldog has noticed the emergence of 4 sparkling new bollards at Cleveland and Millwood. Twitter
It’s a busy day around South Bayview today
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Here are some events taking place in South Bayview today
• Hollywood Gelato’s 3rd Annual Fundraiser event for the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
• Tori and Cate’s Cupcakes is unveiling their brand new Bakery Café serving all day breakfast
• Leaside Kids At Play “Slow Down” lawn signs available at front doors of three Leaside schools this evening between 6:30 and 8 p.m.
• Grand Opening celebrations at The Leaside Pub 180 Laird Drive from 4pm – 11pm.
• And don’t forget to vote for your favourite burger in Leaside’s #burgerbattle
Parker26, Rudy Limeback trade Redway Tweets
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The movement to extend Redway Road from the Loblaws parking lot over to the Bayview extension has prompted a trading of Tweets between Councillor John Parker (Ward 26) and outdoorsman Rudy Limeback. There may be more such comments at the Twitter search for “Leaside” and the definitive search “Parker Limeback”.
Ted (Teeder) Kennedy is honoured by the Leafs
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Ted (Teeder) Kennedy, the unassuming and gentlemanly native of Port Colborne who helped the Maple Leafs win five Stanley Cups, will be honoured with a statue outside Air Canada Centre. Kennedy’s name was revealed this morning as the kickoff to the Leafs program that will depict in bronze a number of Toronto players. The names of the others are secret for the moment. Kennedy played for the Maple Leafs through the team’s glory years spanning a 15-year period from 1942 to 1957. He was team captain for eight of those years, a job he inherited from his hero, Syl Apps. They are seen at right when Kennedy was Apps assistant captain. Toronto Star Ted Kennedy Wikipedia
Morning Glory drive to collect bikes for kids
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Once again this year, the Morning Glory Cycling Club and Gears Bike Shop are asking anyone with an old bicycle to donate it to Thorncliffe Park kids who have no bike. Bicycles can be dropped off at Gears on Vanderhoof Ave. They will be tuned up and made street-worthy. Then on Sunday, October 5, 2014, the Morning Glory Rally will kick off with the distribution of bikes to needy kids in Thorncliffe Park. That will be held as it was last year in the parking lot at the East York Town Centre.
Slow news days create “news conference” airtime
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These are slow news days in Toronto and that may play into why CP24 is able to clear so much time for Mayor Ford. Today (Thursday, August 14, 2014) the mayor held a “news conference” to make what was an election speech. The big flash? He’s going to cut spending. It’s the third time in recent days the mayor has called a conference. Afterwards the mayor took questions which were really media quibbles on matters that barely enlighten. But it’s airtime for Mr. Ford and he is smart to take it. It may be surprising that other candidates aren’t lining up for their share of the “news conference” freebie going on over on Queen St. West. 19-year-olds adrift with merely a cell phone
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Two 19-year-olds have been rescued off Lake Ontario tonight because, while they had no safety equipment in their little dinghy, they did have a cell phone. And it was still nip and tuck because there are no reference points on a dark lake. But cops worked a triangulation on the cell signal and were able to zero in on the two. Tonight they were brought ashore at Ashbridge’s Bay. CTV
Toddler crawls through farm fields before rescue
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Little Susanna Martin was missing from her home at dusk down near Stratford Tuesday night. She was missing even though everyone knew in general terms where she was. Susanna had slipped into a huge field of seven-foot-high corn while playing with four other children. It’s perimeter is just a few feet from her home. Her parents, aunt and uncle, dozens of firefighters and police knew she was in there somewhere. But overnight they could not locate her despite the presence of a helicopter with a heat-detecting device. Remarkably the little girl had blindly fought her way through the 80-acre cornfield and an adjoining soy field before entering the hayfield of a neighbor, Gerard Steenbeck. It would be all night and until 10.30 a.m. Wednesday morning for the happy moment of her discovery. Steenbeck said he spotted the child exhausted on the ground. She got to her knees, held out her arms and began to cry when she saw him. He grabbed Susanna and held her close. She quieted down in a moment. She was weary, hungry and had a few scratches but was generally okay. She was taken to a local hospital and checked out before going home