Olivia Chow continues to lead in the polling leading up to October’s election for mayor. Ms. Chow has 34 per cent support, placing her seven full points ahead of Mayor Rob Ford, who is at 27 per cent. John Tory has 24 per cent in the survey. The poll was taken Monday by Forum research. Ward 16 Councillor Karen Stintz and former Councillor David Soknacki have 6 per cent and 4 per cent each The polls is published in the Toronto Star. It says that Tory leads among the seniors, people more likely to vote than other age group. Chow is had support among the younger voters.
Mystery #blackout — Hydro One hunts cause
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Hydro One spokesperson MaryLeanna Stea has told CP24 that the utility has no identifiable cause for tonight’s widespread series of blackouts. Earlier unconfirmed reports said that a fire was the cause. Speaking live (not in replay) at about 11 p.m. Ms.Stea said crews are out looking but that Hydro One has not been able to identify what disrupted things so seriously. She said engineers understand there was a problem in the “west-end transmission system” but that they have been unable to determine a specific cause in the form of a fire, flood or other for the malfunction. Ms. Stea was pressed on the question of cause and said she knew only that crews were hunting the cause This leaves open that question but also just how power has been restored. It may be too early to guess as how much Hydro One and Toronto Hydro know about how the lights came back on. And the viability of the power flow at present. Another spokesperson for Hydro One seemed to hedge his response when asked about further possible failures.
Matlow mails constituents on TO #blackout
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Josh Matlow (Ward 22) sent out word through his constituents mailing list tonight following the large power outage (see posts below). It appears that the southern part of Ward 22 was affected by the blackout. Mr. Matlow said he would, if necessary, ensure that any lingering outage (our words) could be reported through his office to Toronto Hydro if residents are unable to get through to the utility.
#DarkTO #Blackout: Hydro sets outage perimeter
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Toronto Hydro has issued a description of a broad perimeter for tonight’s unexpected and remarkably unexplained power outage. Hydro says there is limited service in an area bounded on the east by Yonge Street, on the west by the Mississauga boundary (Etobicoke Creek) on the north by Lawrence Ave. West and on the south by Dupont Street. Hydro says the trouble lies with a “Hydro One transmission problem”
#Blackout: Midtown outages stun Toronto Hydro
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Widespread blackouts that hit sometime after 9 p.m. tonight have left Hydro authorities as good as speechless tonight. The normal emergency assessment from Toronto Hydro is absent. Social media is alive with reports of widespread darkness stretching from the Junction to the Yonge and St. Clair area. This picture which appeared at 9.33 on twitter is said to show lights in the distance to the north at Lawrence Ave. The inset picture looks south across the Midtown void to a full-lighted downtown. A running commentary says power has been restored in High Park and Bloor and Spadina. Hydro One said it had “lost power” to five stations. There was a broadcast report of a fire in a downtown substation. The Bloor-Danforth line is interrupted. Twitter
HS kids in stabbing fight over fake $10 bill
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As reported by Jennifer Pagliaro in the Star, one boy is in hospital and two others in custody after a nasty fight at Brampton St. Roch Catholic High School of some kind over a fake $10 bill.. Read her story
Bear falls 30-feet from tree (#animalcruelty?)
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A huge black bear in Florida had a rough landing on yesterday after it was tranquilized in order to get it our of tree. The bear had climbed 30 feet up the tree. Animal welfare officials were waiting at the bottom of the tree with a large sheet of tarpaulin to catch it but the bear tore right through the sheet. Luckily the animal remained asleep. Animal control people seem to feel it will be okay.
Midtown Yonge BIA meeting April 28 #TOpoli
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The Midtown Yonge Steering Committee, formed to help create a Business Improvement Area (BIA), will hold a public meeting for all area business and commercial property owners Monday, April 28, 2014 at 6.30 p.m. The proposed BIA would extend along Yonge Street between the Beltline Trail on the south and Soudan/Berwick Avenues on the north. The meeting will be at the Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre, 2026 Yonge Street. With the assistance of Josh Matlow (Ward 22) the Steering Committee was formed in December 2013 and held meetings to establish a boundary for the BIA and identify how it might benefit local businesses. The recurring theme of inadequate parking has been raised by the Committee. It is an issue that is usually beyond the means of a BIA to manage. Nonetheless, the Steering Committee has held meetings with staff from the Parking Authority and Andy Byford, Chief Executive Officer of the TTC. Eighteen business owners have attended earlier sessions and are said to have seemed much in favour of proceeding with the public consultation process.Leaside meeting hears of BIA changes #TOpoli
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| John Kiru |
A meeting Monday evening at Leaside Library heard from advocates of the Business Improvement Area concept as a way of helping business on South Bayview. Among the gathering of about 30 people were long-time supporters of a Bayview BIA and members of a steering committee formed about two years ago. There were also skeptics of the BIA concept present. The meeting was convened by John Parker (Ward 26) and the main speaker was John Kiru, president of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA). His remarks were enlightening on the practices by which the BIA may be formed. A democratic reform has occurred in recent years by which the City requires a 50 percent plus one margin in favour to create a BIA. The previous, rather astonishing practice of creating a BIA with no votes in favour has been abolished. This, and the new requirement that both tenants and property owners be permitted to vote, seems like progress. Mr.Kiru surveyed the challenges and benefits of Toronto’s 77 BIAs. Some do much better than others and some are simply dormant. He offered advice on the businesslike operation of a BIA — merchant involvement, organization, frequent meetings and formalized areas of responsibility among members. He said those hoping for a BIA should prepare themselves to donate ten hours a month. This insight touches on the chronic complaint of skeptics and even well-intentioned BIA supporters. There is frequent and often widespread apathy among merchants. The Bulldog is aware of a BIA vote in Wilson Heights last year. It failed because too few ballots were returned. That is, there was no determinative outcome of “yes” and “no” votes — merely insufficient ballots returned overall. John Parker has scheduled another BIA information meeting for May 21 at which Alex Ling will attend. Mr. Ling is a rather legendary figure in the creation of the first BIA in Bloor West Village, where he operated a shop.
Candidate sues Trudeau, party boss for libel
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Former Liberal candidate Christine Innes has launched a $1.5 million defamation lawsuit against party leader, Justin Trudeau, and provincial co-chair David MacNaughton. The lawsuit alleges that Trudeau and MacNaughton defamed Ms. Innes by accusing her and her team of “bullying and intimidating” young Liberals during the campaign for the Liberal nomination in the downtown Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina. The linked CBC story is a rich account of the party’s dirty laundry in Toronto. It describes a state of kind among Mr. Trudeau and the party brass that the Liberals have been infected by “toxic infighting that almost destroyed the party” under previous leadership. Photo: Christine Innes and Mr. Trudeau in happier times. Premier Wynne has a plan #TOpoli #ONpoli
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The Premier has a plan to pay for the structures we need to get around in Ontario — subways, roads, bridges and tunnels. Part of her idea is to somehow or other divert $29 billion in existing provincial gas and sales taxes to the job. It’s not clear what gets short changed in that bit of legerdemain. For the rest of it, Ms. Wynne promises to reveal further “revenue streams” in the budget expected within weeks. Ontario has released a long-term economic report showing the province’s economy is expected to grow “somewhat more slowly” over the next 20 years than in the past. It isn’t surprising. Like the rest of North America, the once robust industrial heartland of Canada has taken a 40-year whipping from the low-wage manufacturing miracles of Asia. In more recent years, free trade has caused the Americans to call home manufacturing they placed here in the 60s and 70s in order to make Canadian sales. None of this is belly aching. It’s just reality. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Millions of us decided the strategic decision to buy goods from abroad and eliminate tariffs was the right thing to do. And maybe it was. We just didn’t know how much it would hurt.
South Bayview wind and rain a flapping challenge
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The midday wind and rain in South Bayview were manageable but challenging on Monday. The flapping of the plastic sheathing on the new Davenport Garden Centre building at Bayview and Davisville Aves. was a touch alarming now and then. At Loblaws on Moore Ave. the automatic doors were unable to stop a load of dried leaves from blasting across the inside of the store. A special weather notice from Environment Canada says temperatures will be on a roller coaster ride in these strong winds. The low pressure system that has brought heavy rain to some and twenty degree temperatures to others will bring winter-like weather to most local areas before it exits the province Tuesday afternoon.
