The mayor’s brother says he won’t run either provincially this Spring or next October to retain his seat as the member for Ward 2. Doug Ford made the announcement today (Thursday, February 20, 2014). Ontario is expected to vote within a few months and Mr Ford said he could not wear the hat of an MPP plus that of his brother’s campaign manager. Maybe. Or maybe the Ford brand is just too toxic for the Progressive Conservatives in this provincial general election. Mr. Ford talked about a role at City Hall which would be unelected. But being out of office also leaves him free to accept offers of opportunity.
Canada beats USA 3-2 in sudden death OT
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Canada’s women’s hockey team has won Olympic gold for the fourth time in a row. And they did it by nearly scaring the country to death. Team Canada fell behind the U.S. team and were trailing 2-0 after two periods. Their skin-of-the-teeth come back began with Brianne Jenner potting a goal shortly into the third. Then in the closing seconds of regulation time it was Marie-Philip Poulin from Quebec City tying the game. That brought about sudden death overtime. Minutes into OT it was Poulin again who beat the overwhelmed U.S. goaler during a power play. Things had appeared dark for Canada and this victory, honestly won and deserved, will nonetheless be a bitter loss for the accomplished U.S.team. Twitter Globe and Mail Facebook to buy message app for $19 billion
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It’s called WhatsApp for the uninitiated and the great thinkers of tech say its purchase — and the astonishing price — is about making FaceBook better for communicating and less focused on just content. It is possible with WhatsApp to send free text messages anywhere in the world. including photo/video/voice attachments. Reuters
Thieves target 79 year old at Yonge and Church
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A 79 year old woman has reported that on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at about 5.15 p.m. she was in the area of Yonge Street and Church Street when she was approached from behind by two men. The suspects removed a purse containing a quantity of cash and identification from the victim’s hand and then fled the scene eastbound on Church Street. No injuries were sustained by the victim. There is a lesson for older people and those who care about them that there are people ready to target them even in busy and well lit places in midtown. Sunnybrook tweets heart surgery and photos live
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An innovative idea to help promote interest in heart health is underway at Sunnybrook Health Sciences centre on Bayview Ave. CBC and @Sunnybrook
TTC Chair Augimeri would improve bus service
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| Maria Augimeri |
Ward 9 member of council Maria Augimeri has been elected chair of the TTC by a vote of 23 to 21. The close division of votes between Ms. Augimeri and Ward 15’s Josh Colle was not an open book to at least some observers. It may have as much to do with favors, grudges, vote trading and friendship as it does with policy. An example: George Mammoliti said before the vote that he would never support Mr. Colle because he came recommended by the outgoing chair, Karen Stintz. Mr. Mammoliti clearly felt slighted because, in his view, Ms. Stintz had not explained transit matters adequately in his ward. In any case, Ms Augimeri may endear herself to many voters for taking a fresh look at the role of buses in the transit mix. Her remarks to the Globe and Mail suggest she believes that this staple of transportation should be enhanced to run more frequently and in greater numbers. “People feel like sardines and, hopefully, if we can get the buses running better, that’s a one-up on what we’ve done for decades, and that is centre on subways versus LRT and the sexier forms of transit,” she told the Globe. “People ignore the buses and the streetcars, so we want to put more emphasis on those.” Here is council’s vote break down.
For Councillor Maria Augimeri: Paul Ainslie Maria Augimeri Shelley Carroll Raymond Cho Janet Davis Glenn De Baeremaeker Frank Di Giorgio Sarah Doucette Paula Fletcher Mary Fragedakis Mike Layton Gloria Lindsay Luby Giorgio Mammoliti Josh Matlow Pam McConnell Joe Mihevc Denzil Minnan-Wong John Parker Gord Perks Anthony Perruzza David Shiner Adam Vaughan Kristyn Wong-Tam — 23
For Councillor Josh Colle: Ana Bailão Michelle Berardinetti Josh Colle Gary Crawford Vincent Crisanti Mike Del Grande John Filion Doug Ford Rob Ford Mark Grimes Norm Kelly Chin Lee Peter Leon Mary-Margaret McMahon Peter Milczyn Ron Moeser Frances Nunziata Cesar Palacio James Pasternak Karen Stintz Michael Thompson — 21
Elizabeth is school guard, friend and local hero
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The petite lady all bundled up in coat and toque is shoveling the snow. Does she live at that house? Isn’t she the school crossing guard? Until you know what goes on around the corner of Manor Road and Cleveland Street you may be a bit mystified by Elizabeth. “There are some people in the neighbourhood who go above and beyond the proverbial call of duty,” says resident Helen Godfrey. Helen tipped off The South Bayview Bulldog to the good deeds of the energetic Maurice Cody crossing guard. As Helen told us, and we confirmed with with our eyes, Elizabeth “hates to stand around and do nothing. So while waiting for the kids to return from lunch, she fills the time by clearing the four corners of snow and ice. They are pristine, no snow banks to climb over, no ice to skid on, no slush to mush through! Many thanks Elizabeth.” Thanks and high praise are certainly in order for this positive lady who has served at Cody for some time. In fact, when we dropped by, Elizabeth had moved up the street a short distance and was clearing the walk of an elderly resident. Give this woman the local hero medal.
Canada’s scary passage to gold medal semifinals
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Shea Weber blasted the tie-breaker past exhausted Latvian goalie Kristers Gudlevski to win Team Canada entry to the gold medal semifinals. Gudlevski was bombarded with shots on goal and played a heroic game. Final score was Canada 2, Latvia 1. Canada plays the U.S. Friday. The story so far is a curious drama of an illustrious Canadian squad which barely manages to win — but does win. Can Team Canada sustain this scary method? The USA looks stronger with each day. While Canada struggled against Latvia the Americans bested the Czechs 5-2.
In Yonge subway between Bloor and St Clair
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Incidents on the Yonge subway are recorded by Toronto police. On Saturday, February 15, 2014 an 18-year-old youth was swarmed by seven others. It happened about 10.40 p.m. as the train passed St. Clair Ave. The suspects slapped and punched the youth and made a demand for his knapsack. He refused and the suspects fled. On Monday, February 17, 2014, a woman, 27, was in the Yonge subway near Bloor Street when she was approached by a man. He grabbed her cell phone and fled. The incident occurred about 7.27 p.m. Lastly, a 23 year old man was on the Yonge train near Bloor about 9.20 p.m. on February 17, 2014 when another man grabbed his cell phone from his hands and fled as the train stopped.
No hockey gold for Putin as Finns beat Russia
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Finland has defeated Russia 3-1 in men’s hockey at Sochi, eliminating the Russians from gold medal competition. It will be a bitter defeat for the Russians and for Vladimir Putin. It may also recall for Finns how their tiny country bloodied the nose of the Soviet Union in 1939 when Stalin decided to invade his neighbor.
Canada vs Latvia at High Noon in Sochi today
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| Carey Price |
High Noon? Only on the clock we think Team Canada hits the ice at twelve Eastern (Wednesday, February 19, 2014) to face Latvia in a whistle stop game on its way to a gold medal showdown with the USA. But as many are saying in the hockey ether, let’s not get cocky. It seems unlikely in the extreme that Canada (goal differential +9 to Latvia’s -5) could possibly mess this up. Eleventh-seeded Latvia beat sixth-seeded Switzerland 3-1 for its first victory of the tournament. One wag, Brandon writing on Twitter, feared the worst: “If Canada loses to Latvia tomorrow the hockey world will end. Seriously. There will be no more hockey after that upset. Big bang in reverse.” Others were feeling more optimistic. CBC Olympics mocked up a red and white graphic called The Price is Right — a nod to the Canadian goalie Carey Price, the 27-year-old net-minder for the Montreal Canadiens. A great irony for some is that Team Latvia will be coached by a Canadian and former NHLer Ted Nolan. Much conversation at Twitter.
Toronto to test lapel cams for police this year
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| It doesn’t lie |
Toronto police will soon implement a sensible pilot project to test lapel (or vest) cameras on officers working with the public. This move follows a recent recommendation that police adopt the so-called “body-worn” video cams. It’s not known how many officers or in what divisions the cameras will be tested. Many departments in the U.S. use the cameras and the results have been almost uniformly good. In addition to providing raw evidence of what happened in a criminal matter, the cameras appear to have a modifying effect on the behaviour of both police and the public. In some Americans cities the use of force by police has declined and complaints against the police have dropped by as much as 90 per cent. Deputy Chief Peter Sloly told the Toronto Star, “There are a lot of different variables that are part of this. It’s not just clipping a camera onto an officer’s lapel. There’s policy issues, there’s IT issues, there’s budget issues.” The cameras come in varying levels of quality. Some departments have cameras costing as little as $100, but the quality and stability is marginal. Others can cost between $500 and $1,000.