Canada loses estimated 45,900 jobs in December

by  • 

Canada lost an astonishing 45,900 jobs in December and the unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent from 6.9 percent. It is a statement not just about the economy — and what’s going on — but about the hopeless capacity of economists to estimate anything. It is said the country created 14,200 jobs. This is about the number that was expected. On the facts, it means the people charged with calculating such things missed the loss of nearly 32,000 jobs. The process in its present form seems worthless.  Reuters

Clinic chose citrus theme for window contest

by  • 

Uptown Chiropractic was doing its bit for the Mount Pleasant Village BIA Window Wanderland Contest. As the genial Dr. Dawn Azzopardi recalls, the practice has an orange theme in its colour scheme. With the aggregation of  lights  and some Sunkist offerings from the local grocery, the Uptown gang came up with “Orange You Glad It’s Christmas?”  It was a worthy contender and earned its second place ranking among the winners. That name is good for half the points all by itself. Other winners shown here are Vegan food shop Bello Bio (first) with a lovely table setting and The Little Dollhouse (third) for its creation of a charming winter scene. Bello Bio is located at 511 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Uptown Chiropractic at 645 Mount Pleasant and The Little Dollhouse at 612 Mt Pleasant Rd.  All windows. Photos Mt Pleasant BIA  

York U online student “can’t meet with women”

by  • 

Laugh, scream or cry. Maybe all three as a religious student at York University gets the school to permit him to somehow carry on his instruction without being in contact with women because of his beliefs.  From the story written by James Bradshaw it is clear the university is utterly conflicted by this unnatural request. We say unnatural but there are probably better words to describe it. The pertinent technical point here is that the person in question enrolled for an online course never thinking, presumably, that he would have to attend a meeting with other online classmates. We foolish Canadians might call it teamwork. In future, it may be possible for the university to skirt such requests by making it clear that there will be some mixed company required as part of the course.  James Bradshaw 

Jersey betrayal of trust a lesson to all in politics

by  • 

Click to enlarge
It is among the most naked betrayals of trust seen in modern politics. The organized campaign by those working for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to shut down traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge to punish a mayor who did not endorse Christie. The appalling emails are here. Click to enlarge and read. One of the conspirators confesses to feeling badly for the kids stranded in traffic on their way to school. The callous response from another perpetrator of this scheme says they are just the kids of our opponents. Christie ventured on Thursday into the town at the heart of a political scandal, offering a personal apology to the bustling, upscale community at the foot of the George Washington Bridge. Christie made the 70-mile (112 km) trip to Fort Lee from the capital of Trenton, where earlier in the day he held a news conference announcing the dismissal of a top aide, who critics say helped orchestrate massive traffic jams at the busy commuter bridge to exact political revenge against the town’s mayor.

Heritage consultant comments on Bulldog story

by  • 

Christopher Borgal of GBCA architects has kindly written to clarify some elements of our post earlier this week that the Coca Cola bottling plant at 46 Overlea Blvd. was being demolished. Mr. Borgal says his firm was retained to offer an opinion on the heritage status of  the 1965 office building at 42 Overlea. His mail says: “A Heritage Impact Assessment was prepared by GBCA for the office building at 42 Overlea and, while we noted that there are some interesting attributes to the structure, on balance the major benefits to the community — which will be a political decision — may reside in the proposed redevelopment of the site. The report also recommends incorporating the Yarwood sculpture that you feature in the article into a community space for all of Thorncliffe Park to enjoy and supports the retention of the granite wall that is featured at the front of the existing building. Please note, however, that the office building at 42 Overlea is not designated at the moment — it is currently on the City’s Inventory of Heritage Buildings but has not been deemed of sufficient interest to designate under the Ontario Heritage Act. In addition, there has been no application for demolition of the office building.” The South Bayview Bulldog is really pleased to have this general clarification and to be corrected in regard to  the office building status. It is always gratifying to receive first-hand information from professional people who have special knowledge of such situations. Our statement that there was “a request” to demolish the office building was a little loose perhaps because what we intended to say was that the building will be demolished if the Costco proposal is accepted and a permit issued. It would be very surprising indeed if anyone presumed to knock down the office building at this interim stage. Previous posts on the Coke site describe some of the points raised by Mr. Borgal. In particular the decision to save and locate the Yarwood sculpture in a place of honour in any new development. See especially post headlined “100,000 sq ft of green space at Overlea Costco.”

53 Div. show jewels, valuables for identification

by  • 

Costly studs, cross and watch
When police arrested two people during a shoplifting occurrence near Yonge and Broadway Ave. just before Christmas, they didn’t expect to be producing an exhibition of stolen jewellery in the New Year. But they are. The two were seen by security staff stealing a laptop from a shop earlier in the year. When they came back on December 13, 2013, they were recognized and nabbed by police. In the course of their investigation, police recovered items that include gold chains, bracelets, rings and watches. “We have about 15 pieces of mainly women’s jewelry,” Detective Chazz Stern said. “There is also a men’s bracelet and Rolex among the items.” Stern said. Members of the public can come in any time at 53 Division, 75 Eglinton Ave. W. to view photos of the recovered property. “There is a book at the front desk with pictures of the jewelry,” he said. 

Mugger opens car door to rob woman driver

by  • 

At ten to six in the evening last Tuesday a 45-year-old woman tells police she was parking her vehicle in the area of Markham Road and Eglinton Avenue East. A man — 19 to 24 years — approached and opened the driver’s side door. He attempted to remove the woman’s chain from around her neck There was a struggle in which the suspect punched the victim, pulled her out of the car and threw her to the ground. The suspect then removed the victim’s chain and purse and fled the scene in an unknown direction. No serious injuries were sustained by the victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, white, 19 to 24 years, 5’10”, 174 pounds, medium build.

Will “smart watches” cause more accidents?

by  • 

Curved TVs, smart watches and robot fridges are among the devices on display on day one of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “Right now you can buy a curved TV, but if you can’t decide if you want it flat or not you can choose a flexible ones,” explained Bridget Carey, an editor with CNET, the online tech site. “Curved is supposed to be a more immersing experience when it surrounds you. Not everyone wants curved all the time.” And there is the “”smart watch.”  Will it make you blind? In this age of growing resistance to the use of smart phones in cars, will it even be legal to strap on a smart watch and hit the road? 

Penechetti sets storm costs at $171 million in 2013

by  • 

Penechetti
City Manager Joe Penechetti has run the numbers carefully and announced this evening that the storms that hit Toronto last year will cost taxpayers $171 million. Between the floods in July, and the ice storm in December the city works meter just kept on chugging until it hit this staggering figure. It seems like a lot but anyone who has ever prepared a budget will know how salaries and overtime drive up the cost.  All those hundreds of extra people working to restore power are the biggest thing. During the two days of solid rain that resulted in the July flooding, hundreds  of men were called out to physically assist hundreds of people stranded on a GO train. Penechetti said he will be suggesting that Toronto ask the Ontario government to help. 

Toronto’s Vivian Bercovici named envoy to Israel

by  • 

Bercovici

It is an appointment that will re-ignite the arguments about just how Canada should conduct itself in the Middle East. Our new ambassador to Israel is a fervent supporter of the state. And it gets down to where each of us find the moral high ground in that benighted part of the world. The U.S. took an interesting approach to what many will call the key point yesterday. John Kerry, the secretary of state, asked the Palestinian authority to recognize Israel’s right to exist and to exist in peace. It goes to the heart of what Canada’s new ambassador, Vivian Bercovici says, namely that the interminable conflict is caused by the refusal of some governments to recognize Israel on any terms.  Ottawa Citizen 

Polar bear cub takes first wobbly steps at Zoo

by  • 

 

Forget the polar vortex  Let’s go with this polar bear cub instead. He has been generating absolute gurgles of love and affection since the Toronto Zoo released this video early Wednesday. Adorable, Huggable. Put him in your pocket. Just remember, he’ll grow up. The sole surviving polar bear cub of three born in November is growing and is now taking his first steps forward. The video shows the cub taking a few steps and making sounds. The cub, now growing whiskers, is kept in a permanently air conditioned room and receives six bottles of milk each day. He weighs just 4.4 kg but according to a Zoo press release, has started to bite things — his blanket being one of his main targets. “He is beginning to teethe and likes to bite objects such as his blanket. His canine teeth, incisors and some of his molars can now be felt.”