A 90-minute power outage to about 20 homes in Moore Park Thursday was traced to a transformer on Hudson Drive near Rose Park Drive. A crew replaced a fuse in the older transformer to restore electricity and not a minute too soon to make supper.
South-of-Bloor supporters chant Oh-liv-yah!
by •
For television viewers who found themselves beginning to float on the Oh-liv-yah! excitement at this morning’s Olivia Chow announcement in St. James Town, a moment of sobriety may have occurred near the end of the candidate’s speech. Her fervent declaration that “We are Toronto” to the roomful of mostly south-of-Bloor folks crowding the hall had a slightly worrisome quality. In a speech that was frankly heavy on hard-luck personal remarks, knee-deep in “compassion” for her core constituents and the motherhood issues of jobs and transit, do the centre-right voters of Toronto who live north of Bloor really know what they heard? We are Toronto isn’t as scary as Take Back Toronto. That was David Miller’s now sinister cry. But the supporters who followed Ms Chow on CP24 certainly sounded like the same old NDP people who find it very hard to save a dime in the library budget or in equity relations. Privatized garbage collection? Forget it. There were some great slogans — “It will take heavy slogging, not easy slogans,” said the impeccably-dressed Ms Chow. In the Q and A, her tendency to simplify was not impressive, “We need to figure out how to move people faster” and “Respect for Scarborough” fall flat. There was no mention of jets on the island. In fairness, Chow’s statements so far are no less enlightening than those of John Tory or Karen Stintz. The disgraced Rob Ford says he will privatize garbage collection east of Yonge Street. That includes South Bayview. Strange thing this democracy.Humble downtown lady says she should be mayor
by •
 |
Olivia Chow will face the cameras tomorrow with a message for voters that she is experienced, compassionate and — count on it — concerned that you may feel packed like a sardine on the TTC. In other words, the campaign video embedded here reveals a warm politician who so far has a platform that is fairly conventional. Sure, you will say. Why should she be any different? Others in the mayor’s race however have got their warnings well rehearsed about Ms. Chow’s politics. We heard John Tory say today that his friend Olivia had never seen a public dollar she didn’t know how to spend.
Goodbye and get out you #x&3&! winter of 2014
by •
Today’s late-winter storm has blown off to the east and left a load of wretched deep-drifting snow behind. The good news is that we are near the end and tomorrow (Thursday, March 13, 2014) will be bright and sunny. Even better, Friday will be sunny with a high of snow-bank melting 5 degrees Celsius. There were a million stories in the bundled up naked city and environs. CTV has tweeted pictures (right) of a Whitby bus and an overturned Ontario snowplow. Bottom we see Kim Cloutier and friend whose faces say it all. “What’s up with this storm,” they tweeted. Commuters will expect a slow commute Thursday morning. Tonight TTC surface vehicles were struggling with route diversions. The City of Toronto issued an extreme cold weather alert Wednesday morning to alert the homeless to the sharp temperature drop in the evening, to -17C by day’s end. As a result, the city automatically opened up 26 shelter spaces. Environment Canada issued a wind chill warning for the GTA. It will feel like -30C overnight with the wind. Kids are already out of school March break this week and some university and college classes were cancelled because of the snow. The University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus closed York University’s Keele and Glendon campuses closed at 2:30 p.m. Ryerson University remained open. Mt. Pleasant Rd. bistro under new owners in April
by •
Mogette, the stylish little French restaurant at 581 Mt. Pleasant Rd., will cease operation at least under its present ownership at the end of March. The restaurant has new proprietors and they are said to be planning to carry on with the name Mogette.
Oh no! Toronto’s transit is the best in Canada
by •
Does this mean that Congestion, Gridlock and the Downtown Relief Line are just smoke sent up to make it look like people are working on something? Toronto Star
Will Chow make jets on the island an issue?
by •
Olivia Chow has filed her papers to be candidate for mayor this snowy Wednesday — but she sent someone else to City Hall to deliver them. The gentleman said the candidate herself was busy working on remarks for presentation Thursday. Olivia Chow quit her job as a member of Parliament today and will declare her candidacy for mayor of Toronto tomorrow (Thursday, March 14, 2013). Ms. Chow has name-recognition and is a sympathetic figure. She has a strong downtown base. The issue will be whether Ms. Chow’s decidedly left-wing reputation will play in the many parts of Toronto where centre-right candidates typically win. In recent years, David Miller narrowly won the 2003 general election against John Tory. Mr. Miller was probably not seen as being as far to the left as Ms Chow. Most people believe that Miller won largely for his opposition to the island airport bridge. It is an issue that many think cuts across right and left. It is mushy municipal motherhood to be in favour of better transit and food trucks. The present field does not have much to say about the 2014 incarnation of the airport story — jet planes for Porter Airlines. We shall see if Ms Chow and her advisers think they can isolate her opponents on an issue that goes beyond left and right.
Malaysia jet was hundreds of miles off course
by •
See later report above
Hockey player found dead had been disciplined
by •
Private home, public park or political football
by •
It’s easy to see why neighbors at the north end of Bessborough Drive and elsewhere want to leave the historic Thomas G. Elgie home just as it is. The property is currently owned by Renaissance Homes of Toronto and its president Matthew Garnet is trying to make some money from it. What’s left of the Elgie family’s 200-odd acre farm from the mid-1880s is a verdant corner of the community providing a park-like atmosphere for those who live there. Over the years members of the Elgie family, a conservative clan from the United Kingdom, have given much public service to Ontario. Their story is important. The building that sits on the property today is well off the street and consists of mainly two parts. One dates from 1883 and the other from the 1970s. The picture above shows the general size and shape of today’s Elgie House and the inset black and white picture, taken in 1934, shows the piece in which the pioneer family huddled so long ago. Mr. Garnet’s plan is to divide the property in three lots using two of them for new homes. On the third lot, he proposes to relocate the renovated portion of the Elgie home which was built in 1883. The 20th century part would be demolished. That plan has been rejected by City Council and by the Committee of Adjustment. The home is a heritage property — as it should be — and with preservationists and neighbors in agreement, the Renaissance proposals have gone nowhere. In this election year there is no appetite for it at the office of Councillor John Parker (Ward 26). So Mr. Garnet has taken his case to the Ontario Municipal Board. On Monday, May 12 the OMB will weigh the argument that the location of the farmhouse on the property — its “placement, setback and orientation” — are integral to the home’s historical attributes. In other words, it can’t be moved to that third lot Mr. Garnet wants to create. Some may say it is an interesting position for the City to take in a province where every summer weekend sees a historical home being moved to a commercially suitable location.
Ami welcomes her clients on Bayview Ave
by •
 |
| Ami |
Ami , the petite esthetician and manicurist, loves her new location on Bayview Ave. “It is so friendly and nice with people coming and going,” says the cheerful businesswoman. She has built her business at different locations over 20 years since finding passage to Canada from Vietnam. And the early years were a struggle, going to school to learn her craft and working for others. But her persistence won out and now she is proud to recount her considerable clientele. “They are wonderful and loyal” says Ami. Like all practitioners on her business, Ami is licensed by the Ontario government to provide the services of the esthetician’s trade. Manicure, pedicure, body-waxing, eye lash curl and tint and biogel (artificial) nails are among her range of skills. She is currently offering 25 percent discount for a first visit to her new studio at 1659 Bayview Ave (416) 489-8292 and cell (416) 828-4354. There is a quiet pride about Ami. She’s a Canadian now and like so many immigrants who thought they wanted to go the U.S. using Canada as a way station, Ami found she really liked it better in Toronto than anywhere else. She’s glad she figured that out. It is 20 years since Ami set foot in this country and she has worked every day she has been here. One can imagine why her clientele show her loyalty.
Weekend break-in reported on Ridge Drive
by •
Police report a weekend break-in on Ridge Drive in Moore Park. It occurred between 2 p.m. Saturday, March 8, 2014 and 6 p.m. Sunday March 9, 2014. Entry was apparently gained by forcing a door. Jewellery and silverware were stolen.