Bamboo Bay extends drop in times for PA Day

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Carrie Tse has extended the drop in hours for “craft time:” at her creative school Bamboo Bay at 1515A Bayview Ave (at Millwood Rd.) for the March 7, 2014 PA Day. That’s  just next Friday. The special hours are pretty much all day (11:00 am – 4:00 pm). They provide an opportunity for parents and kids have some creative fun There are different crafts to choose from such as animal masks, beaded key chains, wooden animal puzzles, wooden wind chimes and rainbow beaded bracelets just to name a few.  Carrie asks that you be prepared to stay about 30 minutes per craft. All accompanying caregivers are offered complimentary coffee, tea and Wi-Fi. You may also wish to check out the Bamboo Bay retail store. If your child  does a craft you will receive 10% off your entire purchase during your stay. Bamboo Bay is located at the corner of Bayview and Millwood in the heart of Leaside. Give them a call  (416) 901-1255 or visit www.bamboobay.ca  More 

Welcome words on the congestion phobia

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Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34) brought a welcome perspective to the epidemic of congestion phobia at City Hall as he spoke at a round table of municipal officials on this subject. Mr. Minnan-Wong said the last thing Toronto needs is no congestion. He said any successful city has congestion. Those with none — like Detroit and Cleveland — are business ghost towns.  These remarks temper the frantic atmosphere in which this subject is usually discussed by Councillors. Here in South Bayview, it is true that the business district in frequently “congested”  although during this unforgiving winter we might wish to see more congestion. It means the place is a source of activity, that people are working and consumers are probably going to spend money.  Congestion is a real issue, but it is one of a number which is seized upon by politicians who wish to be seen doing something, if not actually saving the world. Congestion on St. Clair Ave. West was cited as a reason for the concrete barrier known as a streetcar right-of-way. A monstrous calamity for the community in the name of ridding it of congestion. 

South Bayview Ave. storefront soundings

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On this frigid day the brown paper has come down off the windows at the Play Cafe at 1517 Bayview Ave. at Millwood Rd. This is the newly-opened drop-in play centre with creative workshops plus coffee and healthy snacks for parents.  The space is available for private parties too.  The official opening is Saturday, March 1, 2014. Up the street at 1541 Bayview, State of the Art Gallery has a For Lease sign in the window. And even further north at 1657 Bayview, Essence du Papier will close at the end of March according to the owner. The shop has been in operation for less than a year at the location which was occupied by the Country Store for many years. The name Essence du Papier is owned by the Pierre Belvedere company of Montreal. Essence du Papier was said when it opened to have three other stores, two in Montreal and one downtown in Toronto. No word on them.

Gas leak capped on Merton St. about 4.25 p.m.

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An apartment building was evacuated and a number of streets closed off after a large gas leak occurred on Merton Street at Pailton Crescent Thursday morning. It has been a complicated job to cap this leak but at about 4.25 p.m. Enbridge tweeted word that the leak has been stopped.

There may well be work continuing there which will slow traffic but this should permit the roads to open. 

Aga Khan jokes about playing for Team Canada

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Aga Khan signs guest book 
The Aga Khan has told a combined session of Parliament that he wants Canada to join him in making the world a more tolerant, peaceful place. “Canada is a leader in the community of nations,” the 77-year-old leader of the world 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims told assembled members. The Aga Khan is widely appreciated in the West for his moderation and interest in pluralism. Here in Toronto, the large Muslim  community has participated in the completion of the 18-acre Cultural Centre and Museum located on Wynford Drive.  Important South Bayview leaders like Mohamed Dhanani, Executive Officer at Aga Khan’s Council for Canada in Toronto will be celebrating the current visit. Mr. Dhanani is from Leaside and was twice a popular candidate for City Council in Ward 26. The Aga Khan is an honorary citizen of Canada and he began his message to Parliament today by congratulating the country on its outstanding Olympic hockey teams. He went on to reflect that as he had once played hockey he regretted that he was not eligible for Team Canada. He said he was sure that he and another prominent honorary citizen, the Dali Lama, would have made excellent defensemen. The Harvard-educated religious leader spoke elegantly in both official languages. He said his foundation would help Canada celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2017. His speech follows a private meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper following a morning arrival on Parliament Hill. Harper introduced him as a tireless humanitarian, lauding him for development partnerships in Africa, Asia and in Afghanistan.”

96 vehicles in snow squall pileup on Highway 400

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OPP report a staggering series of rear-end collisions on Highway 400 this morning between Highway 9 on the north and the Innisfil Beach side road on the south. As reportage continues, it is confirmed that only three people have been injured. They have been taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The dozens of other drivers and passengers involved in this wreck are being loaded into City of Barrie buses to keep them warm. They will be taken to accommodation in the reception area of a local  race track where there is also space to bring the vehicles. Police must separate and make of a record of  the cars and trucks of all sizes and provide the owners with information about their condition and location. This process will be facilitated by a numbering system which matches up drivers with the vehicles. The accident was caused by a large snow squall that swept across the area in the mid-morning hours and caused white-outs and slippery roads.  It is a known and frequent hazard of driving on main highways in Ontario in winter. White-outs are a profound hazard — periods of blindness in which drivers have no orientation as to where other vehicles may be located or their speed. It is nothing short of miraculous that so few people were hurt in this accident.   

Blue Jays start training with a win over Phillies

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The Blue Jays basked in the delight of Florida sunshine and took in some exercise playing the Philadelphia boys Wednesday. The Jays won.  Inside this game was the Spring training contest among pitching staff to see who would win the last remaining starting berth on the staff. Todd Redmond executed two flawless innings for  the win. Toronto Sun  

Sorel Etrog dead at 80 in his adopted Toronto

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Works illuminate Davisville

Sorel Etrog, the immigrant sculptor who left his mark on a city and on the world, has died in Toronto, his adopted home of 50 years. He was 80. The Toronto Star’s visual arts writer Murray Whyte is saying tonight (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)  that Etrog’s gestural figurative style allied him with giants of Modern art like Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.  He leaves a legacy of public sculptures, many of which illuminate Davisville Avenue on the properties owned by Greenwin Inc. Whyte reports that the Etrog will spirit live on in a sculpture centre which is set to open soon at Mount Sinai Hospital. It will feature more than 100 of Etrog’s works designed, as the hospital’s chief of psychiatry describes it, “a place of intervention.” Ertrog’s near-lifetime of creating works in bronze and other metals around Toronto will be particularly familiar to those who live and work in the Davisville Ave and Balliol Street neighborhood between Yonge St. and Mt. Pleasant Rd. His work became a kind of signature for the Greewin developments in that area when principals of the company commissioned a number of pieces in the 1960s.  Murray Whyte

Leaside Wildcats win playoff berth in PWHL

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The Leaside Wildcats women’s hockey club has finished in the running in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League. The Wildcats held onto the 16th and final playoff slot in the 20-team league. It is only the second year that the Wildcats have played in the PWHL. To continue in the playoffs however, the Wildcats will have to knock off the league-leading women from Nepean. They have a fearful record of 32 wins and merely three losses so the Leaside girls have their work cut out for them. Well done getting into the playoffs  ladies. 

Davisville skating party Sunday, March 2, 2014

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Josh Matlow (Ward 22)  has announced a new date of  Sunday, March 2, 2014 for the Community Skating Party at June Rowlands (Davisville) Park  To celebrate the opening of the natural rink, AppleTree Markets organized the event. AppleTree holds a regular farmers market at this park during the warmer weather. Mr. Matlow was instrumental in creating the rink as a substitute for the out-of-service Hodgson Public School rink, which is being re-built. The skating party will be held between 10 am to 12 pm. 

Realtors say prices are up and inventory down

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Realtors appear to be in agreement that prices across midtown and elsewhere are on the rise and that the inventory of homes for sale is down. Many are tying this phenomenon to our long and cold February. It’s a dynamic that has apparently kept Spring Fever at bay among potential sellers. In South Bayview, recent days have seen keen interest by buyers. More than one bidding war has pushed the price higher in Leaside and across East York. Bayview Ave. Realtor Richard Byford among many has concluded that “It’s a sellers market.”  In Davisville Village most agents agree that multiple bids are common. Of course, the low level of inventory will have as much to do with homeowners who have decided to sit tight on their share of the finite housing commodity in this desirable part of the city. But warmer weather will inspire more listings