Ten dead from flu, 300 in hospital in Alberta

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A sharp uptick in flu cases in Alberta has caused a bit of a rush to get a shot. Here is a lineup yesterday in Edmonton. Note little guy on the left who doesn’t want to get a needle. There is a lesson here for us. Twitter photo Edmonton Journal. 

Cops called as flight delay upsets travellers

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There has been an unusual “ground stop” at Pearson Airport.  The problem is blamed on the frigid weather and has stalled the unloading and loading of planes. CP says passengers became angry and  airport authorities called the Peel Police to restore order. It seems unusual for cold weather to cause a ground stop in the way the term is normally understood. While the cold might slow down machinery on the ground it should not impair the ability of aircraft to take off or land. The latest tweets from the airport (at 9.15 a.m.) say that incoming flights are delayed to 10 a.m. Tuesday January 7, 2014 at the earliest. Canadian Press 

New Year’s week break-in on Sunnydene Cres.

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A New Year’s week break-in on Sunnydene Crescent off Bayvew Ave. just south of Blythwood Rd. offers evidence again of the importance of solid outside doors and secure locks. A door was forced at this address between 1 p.m. January 1, 2014 and 8 p.m. on January 4, 2014. An amount of jewellery was stolen.

Olivia Chow denies PM offered job as Ontario LG

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She just laughed

Reporter Steve Paikin says he put it to Olivia Chow directly. Had the Prime Minister offered to make her the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario? Her answer made Paikin write in his blog that the prospect of such an appointment was alive. All Ms. Chow did, by way of response, was to laugh and change the subject. But now that the idea is down in black and white, the NDP MP from Toronto is denying it. “It seems the rumor mill is in full force this morning. Let me be crystal clear, the reports of an LG [lieutenant-governor] offer are completely false,” Chow tweeted. Such a move by Mr. Harper, if accepted by Ms.Chow, would be seen as a kind of reprieve for those who think she is almost a certainty to be elected mayor of Toronto in the present municipal context
PM jokes about protest   
Elsewhere, Prime Minister Harper was targeted by protesters who say that “hundreds of millions of people” are dying because of climate change around the world. The apparent connection with this concern is the government’s determination to build pipelines and sell Canadian oil abroad.  Harper noted the presence of demonstrators on the stage within inches of him by saying after they were taken out that “It wouldn’t be B.C. without it.”  The protesters had merely walked into the Vancouver venue and were not questioned by security. Harper repeated his view that the Keystone pipeline will be built some day and said President Obama had “punted” the decision. 

Sharon, Lois and Bram honour “certain to pass”

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Sharon, Lois and Bram
As readers of the The South Bayview Bulldog will recall,  Josh Matlow (Ward 22) is the force behind a move to honour the popular children’s musical trio Sharon, Lois and Bram, Mr Matlow proposed re-naming the playground in June Rowland Park to this end.  Previous post. That effort will come to fruition January 15, 2013, at the regular meeting of the Toronto and East York Community Council  where the motion will be be put to a vote. It seems certain to pass. There was a curious detour to reach this happy destination because Toronto policy prevented city facilities from being named after living persons. All three of the memorable trio —  Sharon Hampson, Lois Lilienstien and Bram Morrison — are still alive. An amendment to the policy was recently enacted to permit the naming. Sharon, Lois and Bram were a wholesome part of the childhood of millions of Canadian kids during the 1980s and 90s through their CBC program The Elephant Show, which also appeared Nickelodeon in the U.S.

House prices and sales keep climbing in Toronto

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Toronto Star

Who ever thought we would hoard road salt?

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Take it easy friends and remember that you have faced worse than this. For those hunting bags of road salt, Canadian Tire has been promising some early in the week. We suspect that Christmas ice storm caused some people to grab bags by the dozen. Who knew we would ever hoard hoard salt? Can the Premier arrange free salt centres?  Just joshing. The City at least has lots. The linked page should update through the night and morning hours   CP24

More buses assigned to 11 Bayview route

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The 11 Bayview bus route is one of 32 TTC routes that will be given more buses because of crowding.  The changes were made beginning today (Sunday, December 5, 2013) to routes that include the 504 King (streetcar) and the 41 Keele. Four bus routes will be changed to accommodate LRT construction on Eglinton and increase service reliability, the TTC said in a release. The 72 Pape bus will be split into two routes. The 72 will run from Pape Station to Commissioners and Cherry streets then connect with a new route, the resurrected 172 Cherry Street, which will operate from St Andrew and King stations. The 97 Yonge will split into north and south sections. The northern section will run between Steeles Avenue and Lawrence Station. The southern section will run from York Mills Station to Davisville Station, with peak period service to Queens Quay

Winners of Mt. Pleasant Window Wanderland

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Here are the winners of the Mt. Pleasant BIA Window Wanderland contest. First place was won by the Vegan eatery and food store Bello Bio. It was followed by Uptown Chiropractic. (What did they have in their window? We must check.) and an old standby, The Little Dollhouse Store. Congratulations all. 

Warning: Here we go again with the freezing rain

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Environment Canada has issued a freezing rain warning for much of southern Ontario. The warning includes the GTA and also extends down from London to the Niagara region, and from Kitchener into eastern Ontario. The agency says there is a risk of freezing rain this evening. A couple of hours of freezing rain is possible north of lakes Erie and Ontario. Snowfall will begin late in the afternoon. The snow will change to rain as the temperature rises to 3 degrees. About 2 to 4 cm of snow is expected in Toronto.

Police launch winter boot drive for needy

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TPS release — (edited) — The Toronto Police Service Divisional Policing Support Unit is leading a Winter Boot Drive, starting Saturday, January 4, 2014. There are hundreds of homeless people living outdoors who do not have proper footwear to withstand the harsh winter season. Keeping dry when the temperatures are below zero is crucial. We are asking the public to donate new or lightly used winter boots. Drop-boxes will be situated in the lobby of all Toronto Police Divisions, including Headquarters, until Sunday, January 12, 2014. Please visit our website for locations. Items will be donated to shelters across Toronto and distributed to those in need. If any retailers would like to make donations, please contact Constable Patty Retsinas at 416-808-0111 or via email. Your support is greatly appreciated.

“Sorry, did you want to go outside today?”

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There has been a “down easter” storm across the Atlantic coast that has piled up snow outside doorways and seriously snarled the area (inset). If you ever wondered why front doors open inwards, this picture explains it. Note the indentations of the door panels in the waist-high snow. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro says tens of thousands of its customers are in the dark after a fire broke out at a terminal station following a powerful blizzard overnight Friday. John MacIsaac of the utility says a transformer malfunctioned at the Sunnyside terminal station around 9 a.m. Saturday, causing a fire and initially knocking out power for 190,000 customers. He says the fire is under control and no one was injured. Newfoundland Power says about 125,000 customers were still without power Saturday afternoon, mostly in eastern parts of the island. MacIsaac says although progress to get people reconnected will be made today, some customers will still be without power Sunday afternoon. The province had already been grappling with rolling blackouts implemented Thursday evening by the utility as it tried to cope with increased demand because of bitterly cold temperatures. Twitter photo Will Fowler, Newfoundland