Sunnybrook baby 6 seconds late for 2014 title

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There are two winners of the “first baby” contest, that annual Toronto birth-by-the-clock event for 2014. At North York General Hospital, a woman gave birth at exactly 12 a.m. The timely infant is Jenna Grace Cheaib (left). Centre we see Jenna in arms. At Rouge Valley Hospital in Scarborough, James John Kennady (right with mom and dad) was born weighing 6 pounds, 6 six ounces, and came 12 days early. He made a real effort to get that prize. At Sunnybrook Hospital, a baby was born six seconds after midnight, and at Credit Valley it was 38 seconds into the new year. A baby born at St. Michael’s Hospital entered the world at 12:02 a.m.

Comatose man to be moved from Sunnybrook

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The end-of-life case which went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada has brought another development. The court’s decision recently that doctors cannot unilaterally cease life support means that Hassan Rasouli, 61, will have to move out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Doctors there had wanted to end life support for the comatose man   It is a dilemma for his loving family which fought to keep him alive. The monthly cost of private care will be more than $1,700 a month.  Theresa Boyle 

Man gives $100 bills to those waiting food cards

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Scarborough Samaritan
Happy New Year and good luck. Here is a heart-warming note on which to end 2013 and begin 2014. It’s the generous man who gave several people he met a $100 bill in the Golden Mile (Scarborough) location for the government’s food card plan. As we know, the cards ran out. With people milling around, perhaps waiting for more, this man (inset) came into the centre and spoke with several people.  In due course he began to give certain  persons the money to assist them in whatever way they wished. Much of this was recorded by a news crew. The man was interviewed briefly. He said he remembered a time that “I needed help.”  Several women he gifted were in tears at his generosity and kindness. 

End of local broadcasting, New Year’s Eve style

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The now nearly forgotten impact of cable-TV on local programming in Canada has taken one last kick at Toronto. Citytv’s venerable New Year’s Eve broadcast from Nathan Phillips Square will be submerged in the ABC celebration. Why? Because there is just too much to watch on TV on New Year’s Eve. Rogers, owners of City, has decided it can do better without fighting for the eyes of local TV watchers by letting ABC take centre stage. It is a pattern that is many years old as private TV discarded local programming that was unable to hold large audiences in the age of multi-channel choices. Toronto Star

Some have scolded City for this decision. Others are excited about bundling up to be at Nathan Phillips Square. Others say, “no thanks,”  it”s the fireplace for me. Go there by clicking tweets. 

2014 greeted by crowds in London and Berlin

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911 Call: “I want you to arrest Senator Mike Duffy”

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Chatham OPP cite this one as among the silliest of their 911 calls during 2013. Here’s the list.  CTV

Rowanwood residents bruised after 8-day outage

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Rowanwood in happier times

The National Post’s Peter Kuttenbrouwer writes about the people on Rowanwood Ave saying “The New Year’s Eve party at the Grahams (on the Rosedale street) is back on, after Toronto Hydro restored power to the family of five at 2 p.m. Monday. No preferential treatment for this family. There will be hors d’oeuvres, hot entrées, teams squaring off at home-made trivia and lots of alcohol. There will also be lingering bitterness, after nine days without electricity. . . .”  Best bit from the story: “John Graham’s parents, Sandy and Bill Graham had come from England for Christmas. “’Luckily John’s parents said, ‘Don’t worry, we lived through the war,’ ” says Ms. Graham. ‘Cold flannel baths, that’s what we did during the war.’” “They helped the family boil kettles of water to wash dishes by candlelight.”  As extracted by Yonge and Roxborough News.  National Post (if you can get through the paywall.”

Canada beats U.S. 3-2 in World Junior Hockey

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Globe and Mail 

Let’s hope 2014 is not as nutty as this one

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As you ponder the White New Year’s ahead, we thought you might like to know that squirrels use their tails to cover their heads in the snow.What are you going to do?  

Free skating New Year’s Day at Leaside Arena

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There will be free skating on New Year’s (Wednesday, January 1, 2014) at the new rink in the Leaside Arena. This family event will get underway at 1 pm.and run until 4 p.m. We’re told there will be free hot chocolate for the first 400 skaters (and maybe helpers too) who arrive.  The organizers ask that you bring your own skates and note that helmets are not mandatory

8 Tanager Ave. changes hands for first time in 65 years

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When they finished  building 8 Tanager Ave. in north Leaside in 1948, Trace Manes had just been acclaimed mayor and you could still bet on the ponies in Thorncliffe Park. The Premier had yet to be born. The house sold for $7,000. This fall the same well-cared for two-storey brick house changed hands for the first time in 65 years. It did so for a tidy increase on that original value, fetching $1,235,000. That’s an increase of about 176 times and a bonus of $156,000 over the asking rice of $1,079,000. As those around the area will know, No. 8 Tanager sits between Broadway Ave. and Glenvale Blvd. in a lovely part of the neighborhood.  It has 1,200 sq. ft.of floor space on a lot that is 35 by 133-ft. There is a single-car attached garage and private drive. Taxes aren’t usually a source of amusement but some may get a chuckle that the $6,174  levy for this year is barely $800 short of the original selling price.  Toronto Star 

Canada fights back to 5-3 win against Slovakia

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Canada’s junior men’s hockey team has battled back from a 3-1 challenge to win 5-3 against a strong Team Slovakia. The come-back means Canada gets a ticket to face a strong United States team tomorrow on the trail the tournament championship in Sweden. Centre Nic Petan scored the winner on a power play. He then excelled by firing the winning shot into an empty Slovak net.  Slovakia jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second period on two goals from David Griger and another from Martin Reway. Canada matched those with goals from Curtis Lazar, Anthony Mantha, Jonathan Drouin and Petan. “I wanted to show I could play great hockey over here and that’s what I’m doing now” – Forward Anthony Mantha Zachary Fucale made his first start of the tournament for the Canadians, stopping 19 of 22 shots. Coach Brent Sutter indicated Fucale will be in net for the team’s next game against the United States. If Canada beats the United States on Tuesday in the final game of the preliminary round in regulation, it will win its pool. Curtis Lazar and Mantha also scored for Canada before a crowd of 2,558. Charles Hudon suffered what appeared to be a shoulder injury early in the third period, but returned to the bench after missing a few shifts, and Sutter said later the forward was fine.