The South Bayview Bulldog

Torstar Corp., owner of the Toronto Star, the Hamilton Spectator and other papers, announced on Monday it plans to launch an online casino betting brand in Ontario this year. The Toronto Star has, since its founding, espoused the so-called Atkinson principles, which are named after one of the founding families and broadly focus on advancing progressive causes such as worker protections, civil liberties, and other social justice issues — CBC

The City has issued a news release Monday which describes the structure of vaccination clinics and the designation of 249 drugstores in the plan to immunize citizens in general. It appears that more than 100 clinics are planned across Canada’s largest City. But the timing is cautious — no sooner than April — as vaccine supplies remain unclear. The excerpt below seems most relevant. Full release

The nine City-operated immunization clinics are on schedule to be ready to open on or before April 1. Once fully operational – seven days per week, nine hours per day – it is estimated that more than 120,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will be administered each week through the network of City-operated clinics. Physical setup of five City-operated clinic locations is complete, with work on a sixth starting today at Mitchell Field Community Centre in Willowdale. More information on City-operated clinics is available online: https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-protect-yourself-others/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-how-to-get-vaccinated/?accordion=city-immunization-clinics.

City-operated immunization clinics are just one piece of the immunization plan for Toronto – there will be many and varied opportunities for vaccination for all residents, once the supply of vaccine is established. Other immunization clinics will be operated by hospital, Ontario Health Team and community partners, mobile clinic operations, targeted community response and the widespread availability of vaccine through family doctors and pharmacies. At this time, based on current vaccine supply, health sector partners coordinated by the City’s Ontario Health Teams and Local Health Integration Networks have identified a number of community clinics that will include:
• 49 planned vaccination clinics to be operated by hospitals and Ontario Health Teams (on site and elsewhere, i.e. parking lots)
• 46 planned vaccination clinics to be operated by community health centres
• 249 pharmacies that will begin to operate with provincial direction

The parents of a 14-month-old boy have been charged with criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessities of life after the toddler died from ingesting fentanyl, heroin and cocaine kept for adult use. The case has been in the hands of the Child and Youth Advocacy Centre since May, 2020 after the death was reported. The boy lived in a Toronto apartment with his mother, father and unnamed other adults.

Construction – McRae Drive @ Millwood Road – Mar 1st, 2021

Sewer work underway in Leaside has blocked McRae Drive east of Millwood Rd. This is the latest in constricted passage across the neighbourhood.

Construction – McRae Drive @ Millwood Road – Mar 1st, 2021

The work is scheduled to finish this Spring. Fingers crossed.

Strom sewer work locations

College St. closed Monday morning

The Toronto Fire Service has extinguished a single-alarm fire in a home near College St. and Macklem Ave in Little Portugal Monday morning. Macklem is between Dufferin St. and Gladstone Ave.

Take me to the arena please

Leaside girls Ada, Bea and Hazel

Coyote coat is stylish and a good guard against predator

Curb alert

Cedarvale Ave parking lot

What to watch, what to watch

The Leaside Wildcats have posted the shining faces of Ada, Bea and Hazel, three local girls who really want to get back to playing hockey. Can’t wait to be there when they drop the puck, ladies. At the centre-right is a wild-looking bit of canine apparel previously unknown to The Bulldog. It’s an anti-coyote coat loaded with spikes and spines designed to repel the critters. On the lower left is an old TV curb alert from Raman Daya at Davisville Parents Facebook. At the bottom left is the large parking lot on Cedarvale Ave. near Stan Wadlow park which the City proposes to turn into housing for the homeless. And yes, some people would prefer otherwise. Lastly, the Queen of the Gambit herself reminds us of the lively local Facebook thread of more than 40 comments about your next streaming binge. Just try not to over-snack if it’s exciting.

Joanna Kovats/Facebook

Crystal Grech/Facebook

A gorgeous moon known to astronomers as a Snow Moon graced Toronto’s sky Friday night and it will return Saturday if skies are clear. Two women living in Leslieville (and many others no doubt) took photos. In the picture at the left, the photographer is joined by a red-tailed hawk on the Leslie Street Spit. Facebook

A ticket holder in Ontario has won Friday night’s whopping $70 million Lotto Max jackpot. Nine of the draw’s Maxmillions prizes of $1 million each were also won, with one of those prizes being split between two lottery players. Winning Maxmillion tickets were sold in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and the Prairies.

Jillian Mendoza

Pushed stroller to safety

An alert nanny, Jillian Mendoza, is being credited with saving her two wards from serious injury by pushing their stroller to safety as an SUV suddenly leaped onto the sidewalk on St. Clair Ave West at Boon Ave Wednesday. Mendoza was seriously wounded when the vehicle pinned her against the wall of a store. She is said to be in stable condition in hospital after three operations. She had her employer’s two children, two and five, out for a walk when the accident occurred. Police say a man of 82 reversed onto the sidewalk as he was about to leave a parking space.

Originals business listed for $499,000

Established in 1983

Original’s Ale House at 1660 South Bayview Ave., a gathering place for nearly 40 years, has been put on sale by the owner for $499,000. Leasing details and other particulars

Canadian Press says Health Canada has approved the C-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca. It will become the third vaccine to be used in this country. Canada pre-ordered 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was co-developed by researchers at the University of Oxford. It will also receive up to 1.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the global vaccine-sharing initiative known as COVAX by the end of June. Two vaccines, those from Pfizer and Moderna, are already being given to patients and there is a fourth (Johnson and Johnson) and a fifth (Novavax) awaiting approval.

OPP have charged an inspector, Steve Grosjean, 62, with breach-of-trust in connection to the discovery of systematic preferential treatment of certain two truck operators. Three officers are already charged. They are PC Bindo Showan, 57, PC Simon Bridle, 53, and PC Mohammed Ali Hussain, 52. There has been a two-year investigation into alleged crimes in the tow-truck industry. Shocking towing kickback charges laid against OPP officers