Lower Yonge St. and other streets like Shuter and Victoria will be either closed or restricted this weekend because of the North by Northeast music festival. Police notice
City has traffic not gridlock and drivers know the difference
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This is gridlock
Here we have candidate David Soknacki joining the political pack yet again by re-defining words in the hope of getting elected. He insists that the thing everyone else recognizes as mere traffic is in reality a black beast named gridlock. The dictionary says gridlock happens when motion is locked, everything stops moving indefinitely because cars — or maybe bicycles — are arranged in such a way that none of them can move. The truth about gridlock? There is none in Toronto. There is gridlock in Beijing where they don’t know how to drive. In Toronto we have traffic. It may be heavy or light, annoying or unimportant but it’s traffic, not gridlock. In Toronto, everyone gets home at night without gridlock locking them out of seeing their families. In fact, where gridlock even threatens, well-trained Toronto drivers figure out how to make it go away. So David Soknacki is doing what municipal politicians typically do. He is seizing on an annoyance and trying to make it into an election issue. He says ban all parking on downtown streets. Get rid of the cars except for the ones speeding through. Oh sure, the parked cars will have drivers and passengers who are buying dinner or shopping in stores. If there is no traffic there are no people, no businesses, no payroll and no taxes from businesses that thrive from the people who arrive in cars. This is not hard to understand.
Leaside Magical Gardens open at 11 a.m. Saturday
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Jean Ko Din reminds us from her article in InsideToronto of the self-guided summer highlight known as the Magical Gardens of Leaside on Saturday. It is a nice little walk to ten residential gardens in the old part of the town and it takes place tomorrow, Saturday, June 21, 2014. As usual you need a $10 passport but they are easily found at the many local merchants who always sell them. Before you start off, pop into Gentry Clothiers in the Sunnybrook Plaza, Royal LePage, 1391 Bayview Avenue at McRae or the Urban Nature Store in the nice little plaza on Brentcliffe (the number is 939 Eglinton Ave East). Urban Nature has been a Bulldog advertiser for a long time. They carry a lovely selection of garden and outdoor necessities. The hours of the tour are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and you will find the gardeners who created locations available to educate you as you go. As Ms. Ko Din reports, there is tri-colour beech tree, a weeping larch, a 30-year-old caragana tree, perennials, peonies, hydrangea, trillium, and over 20 types of roses to be seen.
Love of animals leads to road death conviction
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A Montreal woman is guilty of negligence causing death and dangerous driving for stopping her car on a Quebec highway to “rescue” and take home some ducklings she saw by the side of the road. Her car was stopped in the left lane of a highway south of Montreal when a motorcyclist and his young daughter, riding as a pasenger, slammed into the back of the vehicle in 2010. They both died. The woman, Emma Czornobaj, has no prior record of any kind. She will be sentenced in August. Canadian Press
England still has chance to join World Cup last 16
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You’ve got to have faith, say supporters. Guardian
Break-in by forcing door on Garland Avenue
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A resident of Garland Ave. north of Blythwood Rd. tells 52 division police that there was an afternoon break-in at his home on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. It is said to have occurred between 2.30 and 3.30 p.m. The thief forced a door to make off with a quantity of jewellery.
Who pays for dry cleaning after poutine cab ride?
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For those who haven’t been to taxi business school there’s Halo (cabs you see on your phone) and something like Halo called Uber, but it wants to be different. And there’s Beck. Never mind. The story is that for visitors to the North by Northeast Festival going on now in Toronto Uber is offering fresh and tasty poutine on demand to help you enjoy the ride and take pride in Canada. Stay with us. Uber Toronto told Citynews that it was looking for a fun way to help celebrate national pride while providing a service that is closely related to what they do. Okay. Who pays for the dry cleaning?
Brit goaler Joe Hart hurting from Suarez bullets
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Tough to be the losing goalkeeper. England
“Fun, fun, fun til Daddy takes the T-bird away”
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Kelly McParland sounds the same sombre note heard by many voters about where on earth Ontario is heading. National Post
Bayview and Manor temp 19 degrees at 9 p.m.
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The sun is now down at the end of this superb June Thursday but when we took a few photos inside Hollywood Gelato just before 9 p.m. it was still dusk and the temperature was 19 degrees. Toronto is closing in on the longest day of the year and it is anyone’s best guess as to whether this lovely time of the year will be enough to blot out memories of the December ice storm. But let’s be happy like the crowd of young and old at Hollywood Gelato. Every one of the flavours at the venerable Italian-style cafe was in demand. The South Bayview Bulldog prefered a couple of subtle flavours — Hazelnut and Cookies and Cream. Well, okay, if not super-refined certainly more high-tone than Cake Batter and Peanut Butter Chocolate, yummy as they are. Across South Bayview on this splendid evening is a sign on the window of the former Sentry toy shop indicating that a new cold pressed juicery will open there. It is to be called Refuel. We wish them good luck.
McDowell’s Valu mart official BBQ this Saturday
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Chad McDowell at the Valu mart reminds everyone to come on by on Saturday for a burger or frank at his opening BBQ. The location of course is Davisville and Bayview Aves. and the cook out runs from 10 in the morning until three in the afternoon.