German firm Dr. Oetker picks up McCain pizza

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The German-based food conglomerate Dr. Oetker has purchased the North American frozen pizza operations of McCain Foods. Financial terms of the deal were not available. It covers the Ellio’s brand in the U.S. and a two-year licence for the use of the McCain brand name in Canada. McCain has retained ownership however of its Pizza Pocket operation. The German firm has been headquartered in Mississauga since 1962 and has subsidiaries in at least 12 other countries including India, Brazil and Australia.  This year Dr. Oetker opened a new pizza-making plant in London Ontario and now adds  the McCain operations in Grand Falls, N.B., and Lodi, N.J. The company said all 300 McCain employees at both locations will be offered employment with Dr. Oetker. The deal is subject to regulatory approval in Canada. The Oetker firm does not appear to be widely known in Canada, despite its size. It was founded by Doctor August Oetker in 1891. He created an early and popular form of cake mix. 

Premier at municipal election event in London

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Premier Wynne has addressed a fundraising event for a candidate in the London, Ontario municipal election in October. Ms. Wynne is said to have attended the meeting for Jesse Helmer on “her personal time”. Mr. Helmer is said to be a personal friend of the Premier’s. He is a newcomer to politics and is trying to defeat incumbent member of London Council Stephen Orser.  Helmer raised $4,745 for his campaign from the Tuesday night event at which Ms Wynne spoke. 

Private liquor sales here? Dream on people

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It’s a familiar old glass of beer every time anybody says it would be better for Ontario if the LCBO were abolished. Nice, but the Howe Institute makes a feeble case that the government would see more money if it did so. The institutes’s other claim that prices would go down is a no-brainer. If that were the only issue for the Ontario Government to ponder, we would have private liquor stores in a wink. But it isn’t. This government — especially this government — will never give up the cheaply-collected $1.7 billion which is pumped each year into the Queen’s Park slush fund from the LCBO. Right now, the minister merely has to bark at the LCBO to send over the money and it’s done. You may be sure that the cost of collecting the taxes required to part private distributors with their cash would be expensive.   Hamilton Spectator

Copper staircase railings stolen on Spadina Rd.

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Thieves broke into a home on Spadina Road between between Saturday August 9 and Saturday August 16, 2014 and disassembled the fabricated copper copper staircase railing from upper and lower floor staircases. No value is stated by police for the copper hand railing. The commercial price of copper is about $4 a pound. What do a couple of copper staircase railings weigh? 

Judge gives terror accused benefit of the doubt

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It’s good to be tried in Canada where the judge may give you the benefit of the doubt. In acquitting London, Ontario doctor Khurram Syed Sherhis of conspiring to facilitate terrorism, Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland said that while Sher, 32, probably harboured some jihadist sympathies, he was not convinced the doctor genuinely intended to join a conspiracy.  Globe and Mail 

Price of nut spread set to test nerves, loyalty

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Spring frost in Turkey, where the hazelnuts are grown, is set to drive up the cost of Nutella spread, a Canadian breakfast favorite. Many say they can’t live without it. Turkey is home to about 70 per cent of the world’s hazelnut crop where the annual yield of 800,000 tons may be reduced to merely 540,000 tons. Freeworld Trading, a commodity trading company in the United Kingdom, reports that hazelnut prices have been soaring since the March frost. We should add however that the marketplace may yet discover alternative ways to supply the nut and chocolate spread industry. But for now, the gloom is on the hazelnut. CTV

Playground in Charlotte Maher Park open soon

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The improvements to Charlotte Maher Park at 550 Roehampton Ave. at Bruce Park Ave are speeding ahead. It’s a bit of a perfect storm of construction in the neighborhood because Link Line is also replacing gas lines. But in the relative quiet of the park, it is a pleasure to see the new play structures, benches and sandbox with field stone border being finished up. Underfoot it is still gravel but this will be covered by a wood chip layer which should keep kids safe and give them traction. There will also be a new community bulletin board. The work is on schedule for the end of August. The park is named after Charlotte Maher, a dedicated social advocate in North Toronto for more than 30 years.  She was a key founder of several social service organizations, including POINT (People and Organizations In North Toronto) and SPRINT (Senior People Resources In North Toronto). Charlotte Maher was a school trustee and later a contract executive at many social assistance agencies. She is a  strong believer in the value of volunteerism and has lived her creed.

Why is a man like Bob Rae sending silly tweets

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Bob Rae is a serious man. He has shouldered enormous responsibility for public matters in Ontario and nationally. Why is he sending out silly tweets about people like Rob Ford?  You may say perhaps that the publishers of the South Bayview Bulldog ought not to be lecturing anyone about finding alternate self-expression in the alluring laneways of the social media  But phonied up pictures of Rob Ford? It isn’t worthy of a man like Mr. Rae.  He is, apart from anything else, a very entertaining person at  a party. Let him post pictures of himself at the piano. It would be good for a favorite, a retweet or a like. CTV

Long-time Beer Store at 609 Roehampton closed

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Lady on hopeless mission

The Beer Store at 609 Roehampton Ave in the Metro grocery complex at Bayview has quietly closed. The long-time address for beer locked up a week ago but on Tuesday (August 19, 2014) people were seen coming to the store, surprised to find it gone. The forlorn state of the store might have been a tip-off for those who thought about it. Today it was sporting a sign with classically skewed letters that say end-of-the-line better than anything. There is a beer store in the Leaside Village on Laird Drive and another at Eglinton Ave. E. and Don Mills Road. Those on the west side of South Bayview can venture down Yonge Street to a store on Price Street, but it is frequently quite congested.
New Sign at Modella Ladies Wear 
The owners of Modella Ladies Wear at 1579 Bayview Ave. have installed a fresh new sign over their shop. It is a bright white and metal look which complements the street. 

3-2 vote to “re-brand street” as Bayview Leaside

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Members of the steering committee of the as-yet unformed and unnamed South Bayview Business Improvement Association have met in recent days and voted to name their future organization the Bayview Leaside BIA. The vote of the five members was 3 to 2 with two members voting for the name South Bayview. According to committee member Trae Zammit, owner of Smokin’ Cigar, the majority of three felt that there may have been a useful “Leaside cache” to their choice. Zammit said he had favoured South Bayview as the name. The street has been so known for many decades. Mr. Zammit said it seemed probable that the name of the BIA would require new street signs and a “re-branding” of the business district. Presumably new signs, approved and installed at some unknown future date, would mean shoppers would walk out to Bayview Leaside as opposed to South Bayview. Where this matter goes now seems to depend on both political and popular sentiment. It  cannot be formed before a formal vote is taken to create it. A recent meeting of Bayview Ave. merchants voted 52 to 25 to create a BIA. This would seem to mean that new association would contain well over 70 members. Would a vote among all the members be taken to gauge the popularity of a BIA name? In addition, Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has made it clear he favours a name which gives suitable recognition to those who live to the west of Bayview Ave. He has expressed approval of the name South Bayview BIA. And indeed, what are Mr. and Mrs Cleveland Street to think of a BIA which is named Bayview Leaside. On learning of the vote Mr. Matlow said he loves Leaside but is proud to represent and live with his family in Davisville. He said the naming of the BIA must be about inclusion. East York Mirror