PO boss: Old folks will exercise on way to mailbox

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Deepak Chopra

The head of Canada Post Deepak Chopra has said that seniors have told the corporation they want more exercise and fresh air. This was his answer to an MP’s question about how the elderly will be especially hard hit by the cancellation of home mail delivery. The answer has enraged many people and prompted one Ottawa website to headline the story:  HOW STOOPID  IS THIS GUY? 

Residents fight “Flying Table Top” at Yonge/Strathgowan

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A series of meetings to try to reconcile local uptown residents to the design of a proposed condominium at Yonge St. and Strathgowan Ave. has failed. A communication from the Uptown Yonge Neighborhood Alliance (UYNA) rejected the final compromises offered by the architect Will Alsop. The unorthodox appearance of the Alaska condo with its much ridiculed “Flying Table Top” component has yielded widespread opposition to the building. In the last of a series of working group meetings last week the development team behind Alaska  presented its proposed revisions to the original application. The members offered to reduce the height of the building one storey, add a service vehicle entrance off Yonge which would pass through the building and exit onto Strathgowan across from Sheridan Nurseries, add landscaping along the eastern and northern frontages and create a single residential entrance for condo owners and tenants off Strathgowan. The UYNA newsletter says these “minor revisions” leave the fundamental scale and design of the building unchanged. The design team is said to be standing by the present form on grounds of “economic viability and design integrity”. But UYNA insists Alaska continues to “unapologetically flout the zoning by-law, key sections of the Official Plan, and the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study.”  UYNA maintains the position that a development at Yonge and Strathgowan should respect the City’s policies and says it remains committed to appropriate development at Yonge and Strathgowan.

Canadian Tire stages Inglewood Santa spectacle

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First there were five, then eleven and by last night, when Canadian Tire Corporation got finished donating a bunch, there were as many as 29 giant air-filled and electrically lighted Santa Claus figures on the lawns of Inglewood Drive in Moore Park. Best estimate of the number and location of the proliferating polyethylene symbols of the season comes from a walk along the ever-pleasant street from Hudson Drive on the east down to Mount Pleasant. Yep, it looks like 29. It started with a bit of yule-tide lightheartedness down at the west end of the street and somehow just took off from there. Here was see Twitter-sent pictures of the residents enjoying the treats like Beaver Tail sweets handed out by CTC as they installed the freebie Santas. The Santa parade got its first mention in the South Bayview Bulldog a week ago today. It was picked up soon after by CTV. Last night, many media recorded the scene. What a promotion.   Previous post 

Overlea kids centre gets a paint job from Wrigley

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Employees of Wrigley Canada moved into the Thorncliffe neighborhood offices of the Ontario Early Years Centre at 45 Overlea Blvd. and went to work painting the walls this week. The place apparently needed some freshening up. It had not been painted in 16 years. Wrigley associates did that job and as well they painted a fun and child friendly mural, designed by one of the Wrigley group. It comes just in time for the holidays at the community space — a well used service providing free early learning opportunities for children from birth to 6 years of age. Wrigley Canada is a longstanding supporter of the United Way, which has helped foster the creation of a meaningful relationship with the Thorncliffe community. Over the years, Wrigley has actively supported many initiatives including funding a local summer camp, which has welcomed nearly 900 students over the last four years. Edited from Wrigley Canada release.  

Daring rescue of crane operator from inferno

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This thrillingly graphic series of pictures has travelled by Twitter to the world (and the Bulldog) from Kingston where a craneman has been plucked from the end of his crane. Upper right, air force rescue officer descends to the stranded man. Top right, he hooks safety line of some type on the worker. Now move to lower left for the lift-off which continues lower right the short distance to chopper heaven.  Also see below.

Huge fire and chopper rescue in Kingston

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There has been a large fire in Kingston where a crane operator has been rescued from flames below by an armed forces helicopter. In the pictures sent by Twitter above the chopper can be seen hovering directly above the stranded man, who it appears, has had to seek a haven from the flames at the far end of his crane a long way from his operating cockpit. Canadian Press says a propane explosion is the apparent cause of the conflagration in a building under construction (Tuesday, December 17, 2013). Kingston Police are quoted as saying the building is a student housing development at Princess and Victoria Streets. The fire spread across a street to nearby industrial buildings as well as a nearby residence and possibly the Howard Johnson Inn. There was also concern that the fire could threaten a gas station. A public school a few blocks away was evacuated without incident. 

Rumsey homes use alternative construction

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Five town homes going up at the corner of Millwood Rd. and Rumsey Rd. reveal an alternative form of construction that has had many area residents asking questions. The Towns of  Rumsey are being built by the Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) method. As explained by Don MacDonald of South Hill Homes here in Toronto this concept provides extra solidity to the home plus considerable improvement in heating and acoustical insulation. ICF building features pre-formed interlocking wall sections which create a cavity between them into which concrete is then poured. In the above pictures, we can see concrete being poured into the wall forms extending to the upper floors of the town homes. The concrete cures but the forms stay in place. On the outside they typically receive a layer of bricks to create the finished exterior. Inside, the forms are cut and shaped as needed to accept electrical and plumbing lines. When the utilities are fully installed, the interior walls are finished in the normal fashion and decorated. This alternative method of home construction found its beginning in post-war Europe as a quick way of re-building the vast areas of bombed-out housing. Mr. MacDonald told the South Bayview Bulldog that the Towns of Rumsey will be showing a model home by March or April with homes being sold shortly after that. 

Dale calls Ford’s apology completely inadequate

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Reporter Daniel Dale has flatly rejected the apology made this afternoon by Mayor Ford. The apology was apparently intended to defuse and bring an end to the litigation which has been launched by Mr. Dale following the nasty slur to the  effect that Mr.Dale was a pedophile. The reporter spoke to CP24 an hour or so after the mayor’s rather defensive apology. Dale said he wants a full, abject and complete apology and that what Mr. Ford said is not enough. Dale noted the mayor did not retract nor apologize for the false statement that the reporter was taking pictures of the Ford children. The slur occurred during an interview with Conrad Black on Zoomer TV.  The interview has taken a lot of media and public criticism for the servile and uncritical way in which Black conducted himself. Dale served Ford with a libel notice last week demanding an apology and retraction. Ford read a statement in council today saying he did not mean to insinuate anything about Dale personally. He said he apologizes to Dale if his words caused any harm or offence. During the interview with Black. Ford claimed that Dale was in his backyard in May 2012, “taking pictures of little kids,” and Ford added he didn’t want to say “that word, but you start thinking what this guy is all about.” Ford later responded to reporters questions about the remarks by saying he stood by every word, but said today that it’s “unfortunate” that the word he never said was “ascribed” to him by the media.  There was a strong strain of defensiveness in the mayor’s apology which  is common to his retractions and or explanations. Laymen and perhaps lawyers might find this tone to be a sign that the regret being expressed is not in fact sincere.  Here is the video.

Cold warning, water main breaks — be happy

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The City of Toronto has pulled the emergency cord as the City sinks into abnormally cold weather for the first time this year. The order directs shelters to relax their normal rules to accommodate those seeking a little warmth. It adds some beds to the roster of places for people and extended an urgent outreach hand to those on the streets. On the bright side, this approach has over the years been remarkably effective in saving lives. The cold weather hit Eglinton Ave. E. and Dunfield Ave with a  broken water main vengeance this afternoon. There was also a watermain break at the Lawrence station on the Yonge line closing that stop to commuters. Among the many Tweets beefing about this break was one of a lighter tone from a cheery person named Steph who rattled out this message: “Yay a water main break at Lawrence station. Yay shuttle buses. Yay early morning exams.” To which we add: “Yay Steph’s sardonic good nature.”