The South Bayview Bulldog

If journalists had their way there would an election every day. That must be why next October’s municipal voting is serving as a handy substitute for the scribbling omnivores of political junk here at The South Bayview Bulldog and elsewhere. Well okay, it’s not all junk. This site on Wikipedia is a handy reference of who has filed and who hasn’t. It appears to be a day or two slow because in Ward 26 it shows no one running. We know in fact that John Parker (inset top) the incumbent, has said he will file some time in the Spring. And a frequent if not exactly perennial candidate, David Sparrow (inset centre) has filed his papers in Ward 26 two days ago. This might be an interesting contest if popular businessman Jon Burnside (inset lower) takes another run at the ward. Burnside came within a mere 425 votes of Parker in 2010. Most remarkably, that race also saw a very strong third place candidate, Mohamed Dhanani. He finished just 161 votes behind Mr. Burnside. Some tight race. Mr Dhanani has since moved on to take an executive position with the Aga Khan Foundation in Canada and will not be running. But back to who has filed. The Wiki site shows that Jaye Robinson (Ward 25) has yet to officially declare although there is no doubt this able councillor will run. Josh Matlow has declared in Ward 22 and so far he is the sole candidate. Mr. Matlow’s tireless and rather touchy-feely approach to ward issues should serve him well. In Ward 27, Kristyn Tam-Wong has filed as have two other candidates. As locals know, Ward 27 usually produces a field that seldom numbers less than a dozen. As we recall, there were 15 in 2010. 

Katie Taylor

Toronto will mark St. Patrick’s Day this weekend with the annual parade on Sunday (March 16, 2014). The parade begins near Bloor St. and St. George Street. It will travel east on Bloor Street, then south on Yonge Street, west on Queen Street and will come to an end near Nathan Phillips Square. The road closures will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor will be the Grand Marshal for the parade. The 27-year-old is Irish of course and is the current Irish, European, World and Olympic Champion.

The multi-national effort to trace the flight and ultimate location of the missing Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 jetliner has begun to focus on a large body of islands in the Indian Ocean known as the Andaman Islands. Reuters news agency said flight analysts have been able to follow the course of the jet from the pings caused by radar signals to the group of some 572 islands. It is an enormous job to overfly and examine the area, which is almost completely uninhabited said the Economic Times of India. This area of the Indian Ocean was also referred to by U.S. sources as a navy warship the Kidd was ordered to the area and other possible search units were reviewed.  

Loblaws says it will be the first retailer in North America to sell a farmed salmon from a European agency which certifies quality and environmental conditions. As Canada’s largest food retailer Loblaw is said to be making the move to help it compete in the intense grocery market. The salmon to be sold in Loblaws stores starting in April is certified by the  Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). ASC is a  an independent, not-for-profit organization based in the Netherlands that certifies responsible seafood farms, processors and distributors around the world that produce Atlantic salmon, Arctic char, shrimp, mussels and oysters. Loblaws is also the  largest retailer of seafood in Canada but it faces intense competition both in the numbers of alternative grocers but in presentation of their goods. The gradations of “organic” and specialized food is rather dizzying. Consumers appear to be divided in their preferences and in how assess the stylization or “spin” attached to certain brands. In South Bayview, the fracturing of the meat market goes on. Rowe Farms Meats is said to be ready to open an organic meat and poultry outlet at 1617 Bayview Ave. and Whole Foods will open in the new commercial centre at 1860 Bayview next year. Cumbrae at 1638 Bayivew is a busy retailer of quality meat as are White House Meat at 1523 Bayview and Andy Elder’s popular Grilltime on Laird Drive at Kenra Ave.. And that does not begin to count the other well known supermarkets that populate South Bayview. CBC

For television viewers who found themselves beginning to float on the Oh-liv-yah! excitement at this morning’s Olivia Chow announcement in St. James Town, a moment of  sobriety may have occurred near the end of the candidate’s speech. Her fervent declaration that “We are Toronto” to the roomful of mostly south-of-Bloor folks crowding the hall had a slightly worrisome quality. In a speech that was frankly heavy on hard-luck personal remarks, knee-deep in “compassion” for her core constituents and the motherhood issues of jobs and transit, do the centre-right voters of Toronto who live north of Bloor really know what they heard?  We are Toronto isn’t as scary as Take Back Toronto. That was David Miller’s now sinister cry. But the supporters who followed Ms Chow on CP24 certainly sounded like the same old NDP people who find it very hard to save a dime in the library budget or in equity relations. Privatized garbage collection? Forget it. There were some great slogans — “It will take heavy slogging, not easy slogans,” said the impeccably-dressed Ms Chow. In the Q and A, her tendency to simplify was not impressive, “We need to figure out how to move people faster” and “Respect for Scarborough”  fall flat. There was no mention of jets on the island. In fairness, Chow’s statements so far are no less enlightening than those of John Tory or Karen Stintz. The disgraced Rob Ford says he will privatize garbage collection east of Yonge Street. That includes South Bayview. Strange thing this democracy.

Cops are rightly very eager to bag this young thug seen working his dirty tricks on a passenger at the Castle Frank station last October. It happened around 1.15 p.m. Time of day is no guarantee that these guys are not at work.  In the four frames above the snatcher is seen upper left as he wheels, reversing direction. He has already sized up his victim as he walked by her. She is the elderly lady in the brown coat on the right. The purse snatcher heads back and grabs the woman’s bag knocking her to the ground.  Some think this thug was with an associate. When you look at the video, notice the man who goes out ahead of the purse snatcher. His subsequent behaviour is suspicious.  Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5300, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook. Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.