The South Bayview Bulldog

Toronto is experiencing a midweek heat wave of sorts as temperatures rise above freezing for a few days. The mercury is expected to hit 14º Wednesday and 17º Thursday. Weather Network

What can we say? To be free is to spend. This City News report records the action at the Winners at 147 Laird Drive. As many as 200 people are said to have lined up outside the Winners at 1000 Gerrard St. Wow.

This summer will see the repaving of the road pavement and repair and replacement of some sidewalks on Mt. Pleasant Rd. from Roehampton Ave to Dawlish Ave in Lawrence Park. The construction parameters, which are often missed, are stated as May to August 2021.

The City of Toronto will begin vaccinating people ages 80 and over at three mass immunization clinics starting Wednesday, March 17 in downtown, Scarborough and Etobicoke. Many City hospitals, including Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, have vaccination clinics operating by appointment already and there will be many more such locations soon. But Monday, Mayor John Tory announced that the first three municipal clinics will open next week at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Scarborough Town Centre, and the Toronto Congress Centre on Dixon Rd. The City is launching an interim system for residents to book appointments while it waits for the Government of Ontario’s province-wide online portal to go live. “In order to avoid delaying the launch of City-run clinic operations, we are working with our provincial partners to establish an interim registration and booking process for these three initial clinics,” Matthew Pegg, the general manager of Toronto’s Office of Emergency Management, said Monday. CBC

Cab of tractor trailer snapped off during collision on icy Highway 401/OPP

Slippery conditions led to this truck jackknife Monday morning on Highway 401 near Mavis Rd. OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt does a couple of Twitter updates from the scene below.

Raffle at Bonnie Byford RE

See you on South Bayview

Six of these smart Bayview Leaside BIA toque and scarf sets are being raffled by Bonnie Byford Real Estate. They’ll be given away to randomly drawn entries on Friday, March 19th. Enter here.

A Russian ballerina from the famed Mariinsky Theatre has performed scenes from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake on the frozen Gulf of Finland off St. Petersburg. It’s the prettiest climate protest we can recall.

Cold no more as forecast promises 15º Wednesday

This week promises to see much warmer weather in Toronto. Temperatures are expected to hit 15º by Wednesday. Just right for shopping in the Bayview Ave. grey zone.

How snooty Texas brought weather disaster on itself

This is a fascinating and informative story of how the great state of Texas opted out of the continental power grid that keeps both Canada and the US safer from power outages. The decision permitted a power disaster that saw people freeze to death this winter. It really is a must-watch.

Harry and Meghan have told Oprah Winfrey titillating but not very surprising stuff about being part of the royal family. Megan complained that their wedding day was “not really our day.” For sure. Has she read the story of Princess Margaret?

Colourful radio commentator Dick Smyth has died at the age of 86. Then, two deaths by forced drinking during hazing at US universities. Crazy. Below that, 25 people were stuffed into a border smuggler’s SUV at the US-Mexico border. Thirteen of them died in a collision with a tractor-trailer. Lastly, respects were paid yesterday in Brantford to Wayne Gretzky, the model hockey dad.

Michael Rusek has posted to Leaside Community that he is helping his senior citizen neighbour get out of a “pure water” contract sold in a door-to-door scam. He says the amount owing is a stunning $10,000. Be warned.

Lost debit card in LHS driveway

Wilmar Kortleever has posted to Ann Brown’s FB account Leaside Chit Chat about a lost TD debit card found in the driveway at Leaside High School.

Fish passage restoration

Also this Sunday, a notice from the City about its efforts to sustain water life in the Sherwood Creek-Burke Brook Fish Passage which is east off Bayview just north of the CNIB towards Sunnybrook Park.

Mark June 20 on the calendar. It’s the first day of summer 2021 and the government is now saying that it expects to have everyone in Ontario vaccinated against C-19 by then. Let’s hope so. Vaccination is our passport to the end of death and illness but it also gives us back the freedom that is the absolute birthright of every Canadian.

Where’s the vaccine?

The government has announced that Toronto and Peel Region will emerge from their stay-at-home status as of Monday to enjoy the dreary benefits of the grey zone. That means there are still four more colours left before life returns to normal. Where is the vaccine? The best summary of what the grey zone means seems to be this brief City News post. But it is complicated. Did we ask where’s the vaccine?