Word has come from London that actor Bob Hoskins has died at the age of 71. A family statement released this morning (Wednesday, April 30, 2014) by agent Clair Dobbs said Hoskins died in a hospital after a bout of pneumonia. Hoskins was a much appreciated character player whose skills elevated him among most. His Cockney background was an endearing distinction. He is remembered for such classics as “The Long Good Friday.” He specialized in tough guys with a soft center, including the ex-con who chaperons Cathy Tyson’s escort in Neil Jordan’s 1986 film “Mona Lisa.” Hoskins was nominated for a best-actor Academy Award for the role. His Hollywood breakthrough came as a detective investigating cartoon crime in the part-animated 1988 hit “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” He also played the pirate Smee in Steven Spielberg’s 1991 Peter Pan movie “Hook.” In 2012 Hoskins announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was retiring from acting.
Rain today with sunny days to come tomorrow
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City and Ontario authorities are warning of high water levels in rivers and streams. Here in South Bayview the record yesterday’s rain was not enough to trigger the traditional flooding seen on lower Bayview from time to time. Traffic is still clear through there. The intense storm system which spawned swarms of tornadoes in the U.S. Midwest and South gradually shifted a vast supply of energy toward southern Ontario Tuesday. Extremely heavy rainfall began to fall over the GTA and we will get more of it today. Tomorrow (May 1, 2014) sunny weather returns and stretches into next week.
Budget to tax “high earners,” cigarettes, air fuel
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The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star are both reporting that the Ontario government will be increasing taxes in the forthcoming budget on tobacco and aviation fuel. It will also, say the reports, increase income taxes on “high income earners.” It isn’t known just what that means but the Star has used a figure of $150,000 or more annually. Globe and Mail.
Garage door handle catches hoodie, hangs boy
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A freak accident with a garage door has left an Oakville boy in critical condition in the Hospital for Sick Children. The lad, 9, ducked under the electrically-operated door at his home while it was opening. Somehow the hoodie he was wearing got tangled in the handle that typically sits inside the garage near the bottom of the door. Picture inset shows a similar handle. Neighbors heard the boy screaming and ran to his assistance, but he was left hanging long enough that he suffered very serious injuries. A neighbor cut his shirt to free the boy. His parents were home at the time of the accident, which occurred about 7.30 p.m. Tuesday night. The boy is said to have knocked on the door of a friend across the street. Then he went home and entered the door code with the intention of getting his bicycle out of the garage. A library patron is just an ordinary customer
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It makes one feel as bit unlettered to say the least not to know that a patron of the Toronto Public Library is merely a customer of that institution. Silly us. It began to get a little alarming when a person described as a patron wanted the library ro remove a Dr. Suess book for imaginary offenses to fathers (see below). Not only that, the patron wanted the library to issue an apology to fathers. What could it mean? By what incredible means did such a sorely misguided person become a patron of the library? Well, happily not by board approval. In fact, you just just sign up and get a card. Thank heavens, because the rather inflated patron designation was beginning to make it look like the library board didn’t know what it was doing. But it’s all right. A patron is a customer. Thank you for your patronage sir or madam. Bye now.
Norm Kelly says Toronto tree canopy in bad shape
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Toronto’s tree canopy is among the city’s most precious assets and the deputy mayor, Norm Kelly, said today that the damage done by the December ice storm has reduced this essential green umbrella to perhaps its lowest level in recorded history. He spoke at a roundtable meeting of interested parties in Toronto today. Kelly said the canopy is at 25%, about 15 percent below the city’s established goal of having a tree cover shading as much as 40 percent of the community. According to Wikipedia, the tree canopy refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms 680 News
Library rejects request to ban “Hop on Pop.”
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The age-old practice (some might say primordial instinct) to jump on Dad is still okay at the Toronto Public Library. It’s contained in the Dr. Suess rhyme. Apart from anything else, this is a good chance for Dad to say “not too rough”, if he wants to. That’s how they learn, we hear. CTV said a “”patron” of the library had complained that the book encouraged children to use violence against their fathers. A document that lists books patrons have asked to be pulled from Toronto Public Library shelves was posted online Monday. CTV
Oh dear, Toronto “wellbeing” under attack again
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That great and totally vague measure of affluence known as the Canadian Index of Wellbeing has popped up in a study about travel times to work. Government money from the Trillium Foundation went into this piece of academic busy-work. It says GTA residents average about an hour getting to and from work each day. “Those living in Toronto commute 65.6 minutes, those in Oshawa 63.6 minutes, and Barrie residents commute 59.2 minutes,” reads the first Ontario-focused CIW study titled “How Are Ontarians Really Doing?” Oh dear. The burden of it all. We suppose that the CIW might quiver a bit if our teeth were falling out or there was a foot of water in the basement but, you know, driving to work in traffic is pretty awful too. Glad we’re spending money on worrying about it. Global News takes it all quite seriously.
Ontario Lottery planning a fearful, costly fiasco
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Among other things, the government assumed lots of cities and towns would jump at having a casino. No so much. Old Ontario anxiety about main street roulette lives on. Globe and Mail
Leaside Horton’s at Bayview-Broadway gets fix-up
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Tim Horton’s at Bayview and Broadway Aves. will be closed for three weeks while the store undergoes a renovation. It is a competitive business and Tim’s has recently heard that McDonald’s will be gunning for the coffee business even more vigorously. At the same time, the Canadian firm announced just last week that it will replace all existing lighting fixtures in its more than 4,400 restaurants throughout Canada and the U.S. to save energy. Tim’s will install efficient LED lighting from Royal Philips. The move is part of the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability, according to a news release. The renovations began today on Bayview. The gas station is still open.
CFRB departs Deer Park home for “Whiskey Saigon” home
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As reported some months ago NewsTalk1010, known for nearly 70 years as CFRB, will move from the corner of Yonge St. and St. Clair Ave. The final outing of this plan to tighten up Bell Media’s Toronto radio assets comes in an 18-part series by Alan Cross on NewsTalk1010 encapsulating the history of the station. It is a nice thing to do but a fairly light treatment of the important role the station has had in the media and business history of the city. Cross recalls that CFRB moved into these offices at the Deer Park corner in 1965. In the beginning, it was the Proctor and Gamble Building. The streets are crowded with memories like Wally Crouter Walkway and the business lunches that kept Fran’s Restaurant alive. NewsTalk1010 will move to what is known in Bell Media circles as the Whiskey Saigon space on Richmond West at (it seems) Duncan. It’s a pity for those who are moving there that the night club action is a long ago dream because the neighborhood, for all it’s manufactured 24-hour news excitement, is a dreary, treeless place in all directions. Nice if you own a loft maybe.
Caddy plows into minor accident injuring 5
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| Orange Yaris, blocked 403 traffic |
OPP are saying they expect to reopen Highway 403 westbound at Waterdown around 9:30 p.m..Monday night after a terrible accident that has seriously hurt two people, a man and a woman. Three children with less serious injuries are also in hospital. At about 6.30 p.m., OPP Const Graham Williamson says, his colleagues were investigating a minor accident when a Cadillac Escalade apparently plowed into the stopped vehicles. It’s not known from which vehicle the seriously injured parties came. As the picture shows, a small-car Yaris was turned into a ball of junk. Ontario Provincial Police told CP24. A police cruiser was stopped to investigate a minor collision when the black Escalade struck a white pickup truck and brushed against the cruiser. The Escalade continued on to strike the orange Yaris, a grey GMC Yukon, two tow trucks, a white Volkswagen Jetta and a grey Chrysler Pacifica. Williamson said damage is small vehicle was catastrophic.