Canadian Lancaster lands in United Kingdom

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The Canadian Lancaster bomber which was built in Toronto during WWII, and painstakingly restored in the 1980s, has landed in Britain. The “Lanc” is known affectionately as Vera for its registration number — VR-A. It’s arrival at RAF Coningsby was dampened by the rain however and Vera was unable to participate in a Battle of Britain flypast with the only other operational Lancaster in the world.  But the noble looking bombers — the last two still flying out of more than 7,700 made during the war — posed on the tarmac and were admired by a large crowd, which included more than 100 former Lancaster veterans from the U-K and Commonwealth. Vera is owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage in Hamilton and was restored over many years. It has been seen frequently over midtown Toronto. The Canadian pilot for the 3,700 mile trip from Hamilton was Leon Evans. He is quoted as saying the meeting of the two aircraft is historic. “We haven’t had two Lancasters fly together in a display before and it’s pretty unlikely it’ll happen again because these airplanes might run out of airtime. Vera’s getting older and already has about 4,500 hours on it. It’s a thrill and an honour to be doing this. I’m sure it’ll be very emotional for everyone.”  Vera has a special heritage designation in honour of an original crew member, Andrew Mynarski of Winnipeg. Mynarski (inset) won the Victoria Cross for his attempts to save a fellow crew member. He died in the skies over occupied Europe. Vera will remain in England and will appear at air shows for the next six weeks before flying home.

96 Parkhurst a Leaside showplace once again

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Speaking of gardens of distinction, this perennial beauty spot at the corner of Parkhurst Blvd and Hanna Rd is looking enchanting. This is the work of many years of Stephen Litowitz. For a couple of years the home at 96 Parkhurst (door on Hanna) was under construction. Mr. Litowitz says he and his wife are well pleased with the modest changes they made. And this August the flourishing grounds, accentuated by the daisy-laden sidewalk boulevard (right) is a community showplace   

Toronto has it right when it comes to trees

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Globe and Mail writer Kat Sieniuc writes about the plan by City Council to maintain Toronto’s so-called “urban canopy.” There’s an odd bit of fretting in this article about what an “impossible task” the City has set itself. It may be a big job that takes a while but one has to conclude on the most obvious evidence from here and around the world that Toronto has at least got this aspect of its civic planning right. The Israelis re-made the environment of their little country in 40 or 50 years by planting trees. It had been stripped naked, like much of the middle east, by several centuries of Ottoman mismanagement. Trees were cut for firewood and to feed the steam engines. The Chinese get it. They are planting an enormous forest outside Beijing to help stop the sandstorms that afflict their capital and improve the air.  Globe and Mail

Landlord says mental health dept. duped him

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There is a landlord in Smiths Falls who says he was duped into accepting a mentally unstable tenant in his rooming house by the Lanark County Mental Health Department.  It is a cautionary tale and then some. Ottawa Citizen

Josie Tumminieri’s big clock lives at her Muskoka cottage

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Josie’s clock

Josie Tumminieri of Leadale Ave has kindly sent us a picture of her new, oversize clock at home on the wall of her cottage in Muskoka. Josie was the winner in a monthly draw at Alex and Bev Simmons Dolly Jewellers at 1699 Bayview Ave. The prize was Josie’s choice of two or three styles of these quartz-works clocks. We wondered where it was going to live and now Josie has shown us. Dolly Jewellers has monthly draws all the time and you don’t have to buy anything to enter.

Driver charged in London Costco crash

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The woman who was at the wheel of the car that slammed backwards into the doors of the Costco store in London, Ontario has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence, one of causing death and two of causing bodily injury. It will be an interesting and we can only hope instructive trial as we learn what prompted this terrible accident.  CBC  Previous post 

John Tory forges ahead ten weeks before election

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John Tory has a ten percent lead over Rob Ford and Olivia Chow has slipped slightly behind Mayor Ford in the latest Forum Research poll on the possible outcome of the October election. The results are published in the Toronto Star and put Tory at 35 per cent support, Ford at 27 per cent, and Chow at 25 per cent. David Soknacki is at five per cent, followed by Karen Stintz at four per cent. The early appeal of Ms. Chow among women as the object of sympathy for her status both as a recent widow and a hard-working naturalized citizen seems to have dissipated. Mr. Ford’s ranking is a contradiction frequently seen in election polls where his approval rating (35%) exceeds his support (27%).  His emergence as the second place candidate however will no doubt encourage him in working his favorite issues  — gravy, streetcars and subways. Tory has the highest overall approval rating at 65 per cent, while Chow’s approval rating is at 53 per cent. It’s a subtle bit of polling packdrill that often eludes most people. Will you vote for Mr. Ford? No. Do you approve of Mr. Ford? Yes. And while we don’t wish to rain on anybody’s parade, there is the spectacularly inaccurate poll created by Forum Research in the byelection in Brandon Souris last year. Some said this embarrassment was caused by dubious methods and the media’s undiscerning appetite for horse race numbers.  

Hurry up, you dozy, dimwitted streetcar riders

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A report says that it’s not the streetcars that are slow, it’s the riders. It takes so long to get people on and off the cars because, well, because it takes so long. It’s their fault, not the streetcar’s. Councillor Minnan-Wong sets us right: “It’s not the car’s fault,” he says. “It’s the loading and unloading of passengers.” But the wonderful new streetcars have more doors. That will mean passengers can get on and off faster says, Minnan-Wong. People are so silly trying to ride on streetcars that they can’t get on and off of quickly. They don’t deserve the nice things streetcars do for them. Streetcars are better and smarter than people. That’s why they’ve taken over Mr. Minnan-Wong’s brain. 

$23 mln deal agreed in Superior Propane blast

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City News 

Cop cruiser makes unmanned U-turn on McRae

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The excitement at Bayview Ave. and Merton/McRae tonight (Thursday, August 7, 2014) was when the police cruiser parked on McRae Drive slowly began to move. It had all its lights flashing so when it slowly began a giant U-turn on McRae back towards Bayview, motorists and pedestrians were somewhat awestruck. The guys in the Pizza Hut store on the corner had a pretty good view. “We thought maybe a kid had sneaked into the car and was stealing it,” said one of the several workers in the shop. “But then when it was right around and coming back at us we could see there was nobody inside.” Indeed. The officer, seen with his vehicle top inset, had gotten out of his car to investigate what witnesses called a minor fender bender in the intersection. He parked the car safely (he thought) off the intersection with the front wheels turned out against the curb. There is a slight grade downward towards Bayview and he did want the car to roll back out into that main street. But alas, the vehicle was primed to head the other way. It made a complete turn as other drivers stopped and watched and then headed across Bayview, lights flashing, and went up onto the sidewalk on the west side before stopping. The activity brought Councillor Matlow (Ward 22) down to the corner from his nearby home to see what was happening. We can only echo his tweeted sentiment that happily no one was hurt. 

Burger contest begins Monday, Aug 11, 2014

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CLICK HERE TO VOTE

The Leaside Burger Battle is just one of the most innovative promotional ideas to come down the road in a long time. The eager chefs at seven local eateries challenge you to try their burgers, vote and send a dollar from the bill for each beef sandwich to the Hospital for Sick Children. Hey, it all works because they’ve given you 14 days to eat merely seven burgers. That’s only one burger every two days. You might sneak in a few more. Anyway “The Battle” is on as of Monday, August 11 and ends Monday, August 25, 2014. The Leaside Seven (alphabetically) are: Against The Grain Urban Tavern, Grilltime, McSorley’s Saloon and Grill, Originals Bar, Shoeless Joe’s, South St. Burger Co. and The Leaside Pub. Throughout the two week Burger Battle, the community is invited to visit the seven participating restaurants to eat, vote and support their hood. A dollar from every ‘Leaside Burger’ sold will be donated to HSC Foundation in memory of Georgia Grace Walsh. Andy Elder, owner of Grilltime in Leaside, came up with the #BurgerBattle as a way to connect the neighbourhood. “Leaside is a tight knit community filled with great families and great restaurants,” said Andy. “The Burger Battle brings the two together for a fun end of summer celebration.”

  • Against the Grain Urban Tavern- 8 oz. all natural beef patty stuffed with mixed cheddar and jalapenos, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato and onion and finished with a deep fried pickle for $10 
  • Grilltime – 6 oz. patty of ground brisket topped with double smoked cheddar cheese, peameal bacon jam, Neal Brothers Foods sriracha mayo, and pickled red onions served on a COBS hamburger bun for $8.
  •  McSorley’s Saloon and Grill – 6 oz. fresh ground chuck burger that’s mustard seared and griddle smashed! It’s topped with house made gherkin mayo, peameal bacon, sliced tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, fresh arugula, cheese curds & piled high with dusted onions, served on a toasted buttery sesame seed egg bun, served with fries and slaw for $10.99. 
  • Originals Bar – 7 oz. 100% prime rib beef, built with Guinness smoked bacon, hickory BBQ sauce, sautéed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, onion rings, hothouse tomatoes and lettuce. Served with a dill pickle on the side for $8.95. 
  • Shoeless Joe’s – sautéed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, baby arugula and goat cheese served on a toasted brioche bun.
  • South St. Burger Co.- Hawaiian burger topped with ginger glazed pineapple, bacon, lettuce, wasabi mayo,and hot pepper relish $6.55 (4 oz.) $8.55 (6 oz.). 
  • The Leaside Pub – a house-seasoned all-beef burger topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickle, and cheddar cheese. The winning restaurant will earn bragging rights and the title of ‘Best Leaside Burger.’ To join the conversation on Twitter please follow @LSBurgerBattle and use the hashtag #BurgerBattle.

LIFT Fitness drop-in offer runs through August

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LIFT Fitness at 1675 Bayview Ave. is having an inventive and attractive promotion in August. Every Tuesday and Thursday between 10 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.you are invited to drop in. No membership is required but space is limited. All they ask is a $5 donation to Hospital for Sick Children. The promotion end ends August 31.