The South Bayview Bulldog

Will Ashcroft in Leaside Life mentions an application to build retirement apartments on Laird Drive South of McRae Drive. The application to rezone mentions 146 and 150 Laird Drive. Both buildings are old and 150 is a heritage site. It was the office building of Durant Motors Canada and later (in 1960) occupied by the Metro Toronto Separate School Board. It looks from the 12 crosses along the front of the building that it was substantially altered for the separate school use. In any case, the application calls for 284 apartments on the combined site between Markham Ave and McRae. Dr.

Former CIBC buiding

The story makes no mention of the former CIBC building at 180 Laird which sits in a most unfortunate place for traffic flow. It is now owned by First Capital Reit and is vacant. First Capital owns Leaside Village shopping centre. There are said to be efforts to turn the old bank into a restaurant  It’s easy to imagine however how planners might like to somehow lever the development plans into a way of rationalizing traffic across and onto Laird at McRae and Wicksteed Ave. Ashcroft says the application was filed by Bousfields Inc., a Toronto-based land-use planning firm, on behalf of Viva Retirement Communities, a Canadian-owned and operated company.

All across Toronto, and especially it seems right here in South Bayview, the rivers and streams are unable to handle the rain we have had over the past few days. This picture from Twitter shows a vehicle — one of three — and a man rescued from the flooded parking lot of Sunnybrook near Leslie Street and Eglinton Ave. E.  The Don Valley Parkway is closed between the Gardiner and at Don Mills Road. Bayview Ave. is flooded and closed at Bloor St tonight.  And Toronto Hydro has reported that some 3,000 customers are without power near Woodbine Ave. and O’ Connor Road  Conditions seem similar and as unpredictable as July of 2013, when a GO train was half submerged and stranded on tracks beside the river. Tonight, thankfully, there are no trains in the waters of the Don.  But the weather ambushed all sorts of people. Ten kayakers had to be rescued from the Humber River. Police are saying that the Don is an estimated ten feet higher than normal. And there is localized flooding all across Toronto. People who are out tonight may be a while getting home as traffic moves towards the centre of the city where the roads are still open.  

Leaside High School commencement took place this Wednesday afternoon and the ceremony saw visits from a number of local dignitaries including Premier Wynne, who sits as MPP for Don Valley West, the riding in which the school is located. Spirits were high on twitter and among the new grads were these girls. The poster tweeted a few days ago: I’m Done High School!!!  Congratulations to all.

The Mount Pleasant Village mid-week, mid-season Restaurantacular event took place with enthusiastic umbrella carrying customers tonight (Wednesday June 25, 2014). They keep it simple in the Village BIA with local merchant food-dealers picking three things and pricing them at $2, $4 and $6. If you brought an appetite and don’t mind legging it out along the busy sidewalk you can put together a nice evening’s multi-course meal. That’s what some couples were up to. The South Bayview Bulldog closed in on a couple of PEI Malpeque oysters on the half shell at $2 each. They came with a nice bit of sweet onion on top for flavour. This delicious tidbit is a regular item on the menu at Celestin at Mt. Pleasant and Belsize Dr. Up the street at Pimenton, a good-sized crowd was lined up for servings of the highly-rated Paella. It was getting on for 6.15 and the rain was starting to come down a bit heavier. For an event that was scheduled to run from 4 to 9 p.m. it seemed the Restaurantaclar might be called off early. The umbrellas came out however and business continued. Restaurants with inside seating filled up too. At Penrose Fish and Chips we liked the $6 Halibut and chips sampler to round out the evening’s eating. Excellent as always. Family patriarch Dave Johnston was at the grill as people piled in. Outside, most found a dry space in a doorway of a closed shop to eat.  Further south on the west side, Cracked and Smoked was busy as well. They had the for sight to defy the city and put up a small tent so lobster eaters could stay dry. One recent closing to note, that of Belo Bio, the Vegan spot just north of Millwood Rd. The Bulldog crowd is not vegan nor vegetarian but has had a nice dish or two there. The lurid literature denouncing meat (and lobster) consumption was a little unnerving however. Photos from top: Bulldog’s choice of Malpeque oysters from Celestin, umbrellas the order of evening as rain picks up, outside Penrose Fish and Chips, young couple checks out Pimenton Paella 

With a few days left before Rob Ford returns to Toronto from his rehabilitation in Muskoka, Forum Research has released a poll that suggests he will continue to be a spoiler for John Tory in the campaign to become mayor. Mr. Ford once again sits at number two in the voter approval numbers, even though Tory has the highest personal approval rating at 61% The numbers above show Forums findings for electoral support. Just how many of those polled will actually vote seems vague. But the numbers follow a pattern set early in the campaign. Many voters who are presumed to be small c conservative have continued to stick with Ford instead of moving to Tory. The phenomenon seems certain to send Ms. Chow to the mayor’s office. She too has a high personal approval rating at 57%. The polls show that 58% of respondents want Mr. Ford to resign. It seems he cannot win the mayoralty but he will nonetheless, by his presence in the race, impact the outcome. It is perhaps evidence of the need for ranked-ballot reform. This method installs a second choice provision on ballots which permits an “instant run-off”. This ensures that the eventual winner is in fact the choice of a majority of the voters. A further factor in the race, however, is Mr. Ford’s erratic and politically perilous behaviour. It is yet possible that he may do something which will finally remove him from contention.