We won, we want to and we will damn well do it. The Ontario budget that shocked many fiscal conservatives and sparked the last election will come back with a vengeance tomorrow (Monday, July 14, 2014). As writer Maria Babbage notes, the finance minister Mr. Sousa is gung ho. The government will “implement things and expedite them more quickly” than it had previously intended because of its majority election victory he says. Canadian Press
Germany vs Argentina: as it happened
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Spoof pits North Korea against Portugal for Cup
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So you think the World Cup final today will be between Argentina and Germany eh? Well, according to a spoof video on YouTube the big finale will pit soccer powerhouse North Korea against Portugal for the silverware. Someone is having a little fun with the well- known tendency of the North Koreans to re-shape reality on the evening news. Wow, look at that scoreboard. Independent
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YouTube loads 12 Ottawa implosion videos
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The implosion of the Sir John Carling Building in Ottawa this morning has proceeded quickly Sunday morning. By mid-morning there were at least 12 videos on YouTube showing the event here
Tinto Bar de Tapas looks good in yellow and red
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The sign is up and the yellow and red (tinto) atmosphere of Tinto Bar de Tapas is very inviting. It is located at 1581 Bayview next door to Badali’s and will be open soon. The owner is Otta Zapotocky, restaurateur and sommelier who is already established on Bayview at the French bistro L’Avenue. As we wrote a week or two ago announcing this new spot, Otta will no doubt provide the same genial presence and sommelier skills at his Spanish bar. Hours of business of the new bar will be somewhat different from L’Avenue. Guests are expected to linger into the evening a little longer at Tinto Bar Tapas although it will also be open for brunch. It is a welcome addition to Bayview Ave. and will bring additional life to the east side of the street. These pictures were taken Saturday night by The Bayview South Bulldog and we’re betting you can have a splash of wine there within hours. Mt Pleasant right of way cost $98,921 in 1915
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There is a brief and entertaining thumbnail history of Mount Pleasant Rd. linked here. A most amusing tidbit tells of the acquisition of the land needed for the City to cross Mt. Pleasant Cemetery which had opened in 1876. The story goes that in 1912 the cemetery operators were approached for a right-of-way. The City didn’t like the offer and refused it. As a result, the City passed by-law 7311 in 1915 permitting expropriation of the property for a stunningly high price at the time. The agreed amount was $98,921.88. The construction of the road began next spring. All the streets located on the north and south ends of the cemetery were absorbed into the new north-west thoroughfare of Mt. Pleasant. It did not go south of St. Clair of course or north of Blythwood Rd. The muddy road was opened for traffic in 1919.
Etobicoke burglar came through unlocked doors
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Frightening home break-ins to be sure. But it is just jaw-dropping information that the burglar was apparently able to enter three houses through an unlocked door. Are we leaving our doors unlocked at 2 a.m. in South Bayview? If so, please get a grip on things. Locked doors may or may not stop a burglar, but they will sure slow him down. Smashing windows and forcing doors also make a lot of noise. The Etobicoke break-ins occurred around 2 a.m, in the Enfield and Gort Aves in the area near Brown’s Line and Lake Shore Blvd. One terrified woman found a man in mask standing over her bed. she screamed and he fled, leaping over fences ‘like a gazelle” This is clearly a young man who is quite athletic. At one point, officers chased the suspect in a foot pursuit, but he got away. People out there are rightly alarmed but who knew that people in Toronto actually left their doors unlocked in the dead of night?
Unhappy ending as Brazil loses to Netherlands
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Saturday morning tree-planting on Bayview Ave.
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Realtor Richard Byford snapped this picture of Saturday morning tree-planting on our favorite high street. Saturday, July 12, 2014
NSS publishes drill for 2015 enrolment — already!
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Eglinton plan leaves local councillors divided
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The City Planning Department’s vision for Eglinton Ave. has been passed by City Council 26 to 7 with a very substantial 12 councillors absent. Whether they were really away or just hiding is yours to guess. The plan seems to suggest that Eglinton can be turned into a sort of walk-in-the-park with wide boulevards, benches, bike lanes and stands (of course) and less traffic. And maybe it can. It won’t happen before 2020 at the earliest so there is a lot time to change things. Toronto Sun Also there is this break down of the vote on this question from the City. Who voted how is at the bottom of the page. Proponents of the plan — and there are many including the Leaside Property Owners — feel there has been sufficient consultation and that the changes will be agreeable to the people who live here. A curiosity worth noting in yesterday’s voting however is that the thoughtful Jaye Robinson (Ward 25) and Toronto Centre’s Krystin Wong-Tam (Ward 27) were among merely seven councillors who opposed the plan. John Parker (Ward 26) and Josh Matlow (Ward 22) voted in favour. Mr. Matlow is very enthusiastic. Karen Stintz (Ward 16) was among the absent.
Humphrey, Newbigging funeral homes to merge
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Intense competition in the funeral industry in Toronto is seen in an announcement from the Murray E. Newbigging and the Humphrey Funeral Home that they will merge effective August 15, 2014. A tip-off to a rationalization of the industry in South Bayview was the sale last year of the Newbigging property at 733 Mt. Pleasant Rd. where the Newbigging family has served the community for nearly 65 years. The land obtained a price of $5,500,000. The operations of both companies have also been touched by the emergence of the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery visitation centre in recent years. There is said to have been some hard feeling among traditional funeral directors that a cemetery should move into the funeral service business. The Humphrey Funeral Home — A.W. Miles Chapel — is located at 1403 Bayview Ave. at St. Cuthberts Road and has been in business under the Humphrey name for 135 years. Here is the news release
Humphrey Funeral Home – A.W. Miles Chapel Limited and Murray E. Newbigging Funeral Home today announced the amalgamation of their operations to form Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles – Newbigging Chapel Limited, effective August 15, 2014. “Major redevelopment on the Newbigging site at 733 Mt. Pleasant Road provided us with the opportunity to merge our firms,” says Paul Newbigging, second generation President of Murray E. Newbigging Funeral Home, “We’ve found the principles, staff, and facilities at Humphrey Funeral Home – A.W. Miles Chapel to be of the highest order. Together, we will continue to serve Toronto’s families for years to come.” Wayne Hamilton, Managing Director at Newbigging’s, and a valued staff member for more than 40 years, will join Humphrey’s as a Director. Paul Newbigging will also join Humphrey Funeral Home as Past President of Newbigging’s in a semi-retired capacity. “This is the finest example of two Toronto families working together into the future, to better serve our community at a responsible cost – and we are pleased to enter into this new chapter of our business with Newbigging’s,” says Bruce T. Humphrey, fourth generation President of Humphrey Funeral Home – A. W. Miles Chapel Limited. Both longstanding family operations, with Humphrey Funeral Home – A.W. Miles Chapel Limited and Murray E. Newbigging Funeral Home having served Toronto families for 135 and 64 years respectively (199 years combined), this historic move will carry their common tradition of family service into the future at 1403 Bayview Avenue (at Davisville Avenue) – the current location of Humphrey Funeral Home