Chow turns up human gridlock villain #TOpoli

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Call it Transit Thursday, as the longest mayoral campaign in the world grinds toward October, 2014. Olivia Chow plunked herself on Donlands Ave to say she has a plan to make this town move faster. A most arresting discovery on the candidate’s part is that Mayor Chow could fine construction companies for leaving a roadway blocked while there is no actual work going on. That’s what they do in Chicago and even if it doesn’t make the traffic move, it sure is a tempting source of revenue. Ms. Chow also spoke of hiring a person to be in charge of traffic. Isn’t there someone like that already?  The media has jumped on this as a “Transit Czar.” We sincerely hope not. Over at Queen’s Park, the Premier is threatening to electrify the GO system if only she can electrify voters to give her a majority government.  (We’ve enlarged on her remarks for that little Hydro conceit).

John Tory was in Leaside Thursday morning speaking with housewives about transit but later appeared on CP24. He got asked about his idea for water taxis (on which Chow dumped scorn today).   Tory then got feisty about keeping the Gardiner Expressway and insisted that Chow will tear it down. That seems a reasonable guess. At the end of his exchange with Stephen LeDrew,  Mr. Tory made his most critical move. “Rob Ford is done. He’s done,” said Tory. This is so important for him because it is Ford who will lose the election for both Ford Nation and John Tory. Between them they have more than enough support to beat Ms. Chow, but as it stands, these two guys are the most important part of her campaign to occupy the big office overlooking Phillips Square. It is, as The Bulldog observed earlier, like watching a traffic accident unfold in slow motion. That’s it so far for Transit Thursday. But at this writing it is only noon.

Sunnybrook bid for foreign patients questioned

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Sunnybrook Hospital’s tentative plan to solicit foreign patients has the Ontario government fussing. There is also opposition from groups like the registered nurses which typically might be resistant to such things. As noted in the Globe and Mail story, there is already a program at the University Health Network (TGH, Mount Sinai and others) to accept foreign patients. It says 380 patients have been treated since 2011.  

132nd Scouts Leaside garden products campaign

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Wilmar Kortleever, parent volunteer on behalf of the 132nd Toronto Scouts writes to alert everyone to the group’s Annual Garden Products Fundraiser. The products on sale – like soil, manure, mulches, peat moss, garden bags – tie in very well with Scouting activities. Wilmar says the 132nd also wishes to thank everyone for the donations received for the  ‘Plant a Tree’ program and to send deserving and needy Scouts to camp. The garden campaign runs through Sunday, April 20 and orders can conveniently be placed online or over the phone at (416) 425 6881, or delivered to 104 Glenvale Ave. Scouts are also still going door to door in Leaside (although they can not cover all streets). Delivery will be next Saturday, April 26. 

Leaside Garden Society events coming in May

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Beth Parker notes that the Leaside Garden Society will have its Spring plant sale of both perennials and annuals on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at Trace Manes Community Centre, 110 Rumsey Rd. from 9 a.m. to noon. At its regular meeting on Thursday, May 8, 2014
, 
 speaker Malcolm Geast will present ’The Wonder of Insects in the Garden’ That’s at 7.30 PM, Leaside Library, 165 McRae Drive

Wires too close together caused TO blackout

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The cause of last night’s widespread power outage was a short circuit which occurred between two power lines — one a Hydro One transmission line carrying heavy voltage — the other a Toronto Hydro local transmission line underneath it. They got too close and that caused “a flash.” And that caused the lights to go out. Sounds reasonable and given the number of wires strung around town it’s a bit of a surprise that it doesn’t happen more often. Those who look up at mixed service areas of transmission wires and distribution wires would normally expect to see them strung with at least four or five feet between them. 

Trains of Leaside video released

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An extension of the Leaside 100 activities, this new video recalls how the main line of the Canadian Pacific came to run through Leaside and Toronto and points to the west. It was the railway as much as anything that ensured the preeminence and survival of the name Leaside. This is also the pattern of Canadian place names in the 19th century. Many cities, including most of those west of Winnipeg, are named after the stations of the CPR.

South Korea fears worst in student ferry sinking

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As many as 300 people, mainly high school students, remain missing in the sinking of a ferry en route to a tourist island off  the country’s southern tip. The BBC says that there are growing fears of a calamity worse than the Republic of Korea has seen in 30 years. The ferry was travelling from the port of Incheon, in the north-west, to the southern resort island of Jeju. A major rescue effort is under way, involving dozens of ships and helicopters. Those brought to safety were taken to a nearby island. Four people are now said to have died and dozens of others have been hurt. South Korean officials had earlier said that 368 people had been plucked to safety, but later said there had been a counting error. They have now revised down the number rescued to 164. Images showed the ferry listing at a severe angle and then later almost completely submerged, with only a small part of its hull visible. It sank within two hours of sending a distress signal, reports said.

Olivia Chow leads in poll for Toronto mayor

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Olivia Chow continues to lead in the polling leading up to October’s election for mayor. Ms. Chow has 34 per cent support, placing her seven full points ahead of Mayor Rob Ford, who is at  27 per cent. John Tory has  24 per cent in the survey. The poll was taken Monday by Forum research.  Ward 16 Councillor Karen Stintz and former Councillor David Soknacki have 6 per cent and 4 per cent each  The polls is published in the Toronto Star.  It says that Tory leads among the seniors, people more likely to vote than other age group. Chow is had support among the younger voters. 

Mystery #blackout — Hydro One hunts cause

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Hydro One spokesperson MaryLeanna Stea has told CP24 that the utility has no identifiable cause for tonight’s widespread series of blackouts. Earlier unconfirmed reports said that a fire was the cause. Speaking live (not in replay) at about 11 p.m. Ms.Stea said crews are out looking but that Hydro One has not been able to identify what disrupted things so seriously. She said engineers understand there was a problem in the “west-end transmission system” but that they have been unable to determine a specific cause in the form of a fire, flood or other for the malfunction. Ms. Stea was pressed on the question of cause and said she knew only that crews were hunting the cause This leaves open that question but also just how power has been restored.  It may be too early to guess as how much Hydro One and Toronto Hydro know about how the lights came back on. And the viability of the power flow at present. Another spokesperson for Hydro One seemed to hedge his response when asked about further possible failures.

Matlow mails constituents on TO #blackout

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Josh Matlow (Ward 22) sent out word through his constituents mailing list tonight following the large power outage (see posts below). It appears that the southern part of Ward 22 was affected by the blackout. Mr. Matlow said he would, if necessary, ensure that any lingering outage (our words) could be reported through his office to Toronto Hydro if residents are unable to get through to the utility.

#DarkTO #Blackout: Hydro sets outage perimeter

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Toronto Hydro has issued a description of a broad perimeter for tonight’s unexpected and remarkably unexplained power outage. Hydro says there is limited service in an area bounded on the east by Yonge Street, on the west by the Mississauga boundary (Etobicoke Creek) on the north by Lawrence Ave. West and on the south by Dupont Street. Hydro says the trouble lies with a “Hydro One transmission problem”

#Blackout: Midtown outages stun Toronto Hydro

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Widespread blackouts that hit sometime after 9 p.m. tonight have left Hydro authorities as good as speechless tonight. The normal emergency assessment from  Toronto Hydro is absent. Social media is alive with reports of widespread darkness stretching from the Junction to  the Yonge and St. Clair area. This picture which appeared at 9.33 on twitter is said to show lights in the distance to the north at Lawrence Ave. The inset picture looks south across the Midtown void to a full-lighted downtown. A running commentary says power has been restored in High Park and Bloor and Spadina. Hydro One said it had “lost power” to five stations. There was a broadcast report of a fire in a downtown substation. The Bloor-Danforth line is interrupted.  Twitter