The South Bayview Bulldog

An enthusiastic crowd of as many 250 people was on hand at the Amsterdam Brewery at 45 Esander Drive to hear Jon Burnside lay out his vision of change for Ward 26 if he wins the next municipal election in October. Mr. Burnside, seen at right with his friend Charlene Kew, is a former police officer. He is now a well-known businessman, owner of Homestyle Meals Delivered in Leaside. Among those present Sunday was Toronto actor Wilbert Headley (pictured lower right) who recalled for the South Bayview Bulldog how he met Mr. Burnside. “I like to cycle up Bayview Ave and around the grounds of the park,” he said. “Jon was on duty up there and one day he said I looked tired. He said throw your bike in the trunk of the car and I’ll drive you home.” It was an act of kindness Headley has not forgotten. Also present were Conservative MP Patrick Brown from Barrie, John Walker, owner of Global Pet Food, well-known Leasiders Charlene Kalia, Patrick Rocca, Vanessa Rose and Andy Elder. One of Burnside’s former school-mates, Michael Tutton of the Ontario Lottery Corporation, was in the crowd with Marcy Gerstein. In his opening remarks, Burnside acknowledged his mother, who is 88 and recalled her recent decision to celebrate the day by heading off to Casino Rama. Mr. Burnside recalled how he had grown up on Airdrie Road and “played ball hockey during rush hour.” His more serious remarks however were designed to illustrate the meaning of his slogan — Burnside, On Your Side. He noted how when he was a police officer the department was plagued by the “Flemingdon Park gun tree.” Young men would hide a community gun in a local tree, ready for anyone who wanted it for a crime but untraceable to the last user. The police removed the gun, but there was always another one there,” said the candidate. “Finally police decided to cut down the tree. But there was another tree.” Burnside recounted how he was moved by the lack of things for young men to do in Flemingdon. He decided to start a local hockey program, scrounging for equipment, money and other necessities. He was stung, he said, because “the local councillor wouldn’t help to get ice time” for the teams. So Burnside did it himself. Today the Flemingdon program thrives and is copied elsewhere, he said. To make such change happen, said Burnside, “you need to vote for a better councillor.” He was offering himself, he said, as an alternative to the status quo. The context of the battle for Ward 26 is not complete. The election is more than four months away. The incumbent councillor is John Parker, first elected in 2006. He is challenged by Mr Burnside, who came within a few hundred votes of Mr. Parker in 2010, by David Sparrow and other candidates who will be covered in the weeks to come. 

Fourteen members of a Brazilian family, the Da Silvas, were born with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot thanks to a rare genetic condition called polydactyly. The family, who live near the capital, Brasilia, are staunchly proud of their additional digits, and say they believe they can help the national team win their sixth title in Rio de Janeiro next month.

There was a rather poignant moment on CP24 Saturday (June 21, 2014) which seemed to set the spectacle of World Pride Week in perspective. A resident of Barbadoes spoke candidly about the very different life lived by LGBT people in the Caribbean. “You still have to be very much under the table,”  said the man as he was interviewed in costume and makeup on Church Street. A trip to that busy thoroughfare may or may not be in everyone’s plans but the people who will party there tonight do so in a special place. Many of them will return to places all over the world where they must live their lives in the shadows. You don’t have to celebrate World Pride to understand how much more decent is this place we keep here in Toronto

It was a perfect day for hiking along South Bayview, checking out the shops and activities. Here is a sample of the early doings at Chad McDowell’s BBQ outside the Valu mart where the burgers and hot dogs were moving fast. That’s Chad himself at the BBQ.  

The BBC says an estimated 37,000 people gathered to watch the sun rise on the longest day of the year at Stonehenge today. There were few arrested made during the large event which featured Druids, drug users and pagans as well as more conventional celebrants. Just why the monument is open at all was the question from some commentators. It is almost always closed for fear of the damage people cause to the prehistoric site. But the gathering went peacefully today.  “We are pleased that the solstice celebrations have been enjoyable events for the majority of people attending,” said a spokesman for Wiltshire Police.