SCOC says Shoppers, Rexall can’t make generics

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Canada’s high court says the big pharmacy chains will not be permitted to manufacture their own brand name generic drugs. The battle pitting Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall against Queen’s Park has raged for years. Ontario says that the big retail chains would be able to manipulate prices in a way which, presumably, cannot be done by other makers of generics to the detriment of consumers and the province. The issue seems to have some shadings which are not entirely clear. The justices decided 7-0 so it was clear enough to them. Curiously, Ontario is the only province in Canada in which such a prohibition exists. Like everything else in Ontario, this issue is linked back to the province’s enormous debt and the erratic effort to somehow control it. The most informative story is by Reuters

Savvy Mom moves offices to Yonge-Davisville

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Minnow and Sarah
Fans of Minnow Hamilton and Sarah Morgenstern’s useful online service Savvy Mom will want to know that the company is moving from its space at Bayview Ave. and Millwood Rd. (over the Skate Exchange) to new corporate offices at Yonge St. and Davisville Ave. Savvy Mom is Canada’s most popular parenting and home-related advice service and has been built into a national brand by these two hard-working former university room-mates. They founded their company about six years ago while they shared a couple of non-fat lattes. As they say, “these moms were too savvy (definition of savvy: practical know-how) to let their ideas remain in utero.”  Good luck ladies.  SavvyMom

Hydro says Sunnybrook facing power outages

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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has had 23 power outages this year and needs “a new power line into the hospital” says Toronto Hydro CEO Anthony Haines.  He was speaking at the Ontario Energy Network Thursday. “Our friends at Sunnybrook (Hospital) have had 23 outages this year,” he said. Haines told the Toronto Star that the outages were made of up 13 outright interruptions, plus another 10 incidents when the quality of power “sagged.” Hospital equipment is especially sensitive to even momentary interruptions, he said: “One sixtieth of a second takes an MRI machine down.” Power interruptions cause delays as equipment has to be shut down and re-booted, he said.

Giant jet does “nose up” early on short runway

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Giant freighter takes off from an airfield in Kansas that is 3,000 feet shorter than the length recommended by Boeing, the maker. But engineers with the plane’s operator, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, a New York-based cargo-hauler, said the jet with a wingspan of 211 feet was “safe for a normal departure at its current weight and conditions here,” according to Brad Christopher of the Wichita Airport Authority. Meaning: they took a lot of stuff out of it before takeoff. 

Take a look at Cody School’s dream come true

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Cody field on Cleveland Street
Those who just happened to pass the Maurice Cody playground on Cleveland Street today (Thursday, November 21, 2013) beheld a joyous sight. The green artificial turf playing field is down and well on its way to completion. The field is the fulfillment of years of dreaming and arduous fundraising. Countless numbers of residents of Davisville Village will have contributed money and no doubt many good people from Leaside also dug deep, even though their kids go to other schools. Maurice Cody Junior Public School at 364 Belsize Drive has had this important neighborhood space on its north side behind the building since it was built in 1928. But it was perpetually either a mud hole or dust basin. Now, as these pictures show, the field will be a good-to-go playground, baseball diamond, soccer pitch and more. Steve Agnew of Ross and Anglin Contractors noted the field’s versatility. It will have an asphalt running track around the playing field and a sand pit for jumping sports. What you see at top inset is a sand sprinkling machine. Fine particles fall between the blades of artificial turf helping them to stay upright and simulating grass. In the same picture, the backstop for home plate is on the left. As to money, the final bill is unknown but an educated guess might easily put it over $400,000. In the spring, residents and businesses like Cobs, Tremblett’s Valumart and others had put together more than $50,000. That has no doubt  grown over the summer and fall. Josh Matlow (Ward 22) negotiated a sum of $300,000 to be contributed by the city.

Manor Rd. man living outside as winter nears

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A Manor Rd. man, Dennis Cibulka, has been evicted from his home at No. 313 after years of concern by health and fire officials about crowding and the accumulation of rubbish. Mr. Cibulka apparently lives alone and has few relatives. As recently as the beginning of the month he was living on a front porch glutted with junk at his semi-detached home between Thurston Rd. and Forman Ave. Earlier this year, he was effectively thrown out of the home he inherited from his mother in 2004 on the orders of the public health department. He spends his time, even now as winter approaches, caring for an unnumbered collection of cats. He does so with the considerable monies left to him by his mother. A local animal hospital, a service seldom affordable to those living outside, says the bills are paid promptly and in full. Mr. Cibulka’s only other occupation seems to be sparring with the fire department and public health officials as to how and when he might ever get back inside his home. He is required to clear the property to certain standards before that will happen. For the time being, 313 Manor Rd is boarded up and reasonable people must feel concern for Mr. Cibulka’s welfare as the weather worsens. He has shown no known sign of using his affluence to care for himself or arrange for accommodation.

MPP proposes recall law for errant politicos

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It’s tempting to think of recalling an MPP or other elected official when he deeply offends his constituents. But the PC MPP Randy Hillier (left) should put the idea away. He has a private member’s bill that would permit for such recall, although the details have not been very well explained in the media. Hillier is from the sedate cottage country of Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington in eastern Ontario. No doubt the refined folk down there would exercise temperate judgement about who and why they wanted to yank a politician out of office.  Some might say there’s an argument to be made for removing the Premier. And, for different reasons, Mayor Ford too. But no. Experience tells us that it is possible to get the electorate whipped up to a recall pitch over the dog catcher’s bad taste in neckwear.  Hillier’s bill requires signatures from only 25% of voters who cast a ballot in the previous election. How about a 60% threshold? In fact, Mr. Hillier has no chance of getting this showy bill enacted. At Queen Park there’s always a ready market for quick-fix legislation not too well thought through.

Cemetery case in court December 16 to set a date

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The citizen’s group known as Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries (FTPC) which contends that Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries (MPGC) is a public trust created through provincial legislation, will be in court Monday, December 16, 2013 to set a date for its application to be heard. An earlier date to hear the matter before the Superior Court of Ontario was set aside after counsel for all parties agreed to both a schedule for submitting responses to FTPC’s application and to transfer the case to the Estates Court. Through their lawyers, MPGC wanted money – an amount finally set at $75,000 – put up as “security for costs.” The money was quickly raised by the citizen group. However, MPGC has not made a response according to the agreed upon schedule and has now decided to challenge the right of FTPC to make the application at all. The matter has dragged on for nearly a decade since MPGC advertised itself as “a commercial privately-owned cemetery.” The issue came to light when MPGC began construction of the visitation centre on Moore Ave. near Welland Ave. FTPC contends that MPGC comprising 10 cemeteries/1,200 acres valued at well over $1 billion has been simply appropriated by MPGC under the nose of a dozy Queen’s Park. And they claim they can prove it.

TTC fares to rise modestly on January 1, 2014

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TTC tokens and the Metropass will increase modestly on January 1, 2014.  However the TTC Board decided to hold the cash fare at $3 in consideration of the unemployed who frequently pay cash because they cannot afford to buy tokens in bulk or the monthly pass. Tokens will rise a nickel from $2.65 to $2.70 and the Metropass is will increase five dollars from $128 to $133.  There was much fretting among board members and TTC brass st Wednesday’s but the increases are likely to be fairly easily absorbed by most riders.

Laird LRT stop will replace long-time Bagel maker

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In recent days the provincial transit body Metrolinx has been releasing information and pictures of stations along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. In a previous post, The South Bayview Bulldog published details of the Bayview Ave. and Mt. Pleasant Rd. stops. Now we can show these pictures of the new buildings and  locations for the station at Laird Dr. The main entrance (inset top) will be built on the site of the strip mall on the southwest corner. This mall now houses the Great Canadian Bagel and other retailers. The mall will be demolished to make way for the station shown. Across Laird to the east, a second entrance (inset lower) will be built on the parking lot of the RioCan-owned Laird Centre on the southeast corner. In this depiction you can see the Pier One outlet which will remain. Metrolinx confirms there will be no LRT access on the north side of Eglinton at Laird. This means the charming former TD bank building on the northwest corner will remain a Starbucks. McDonald’s to be demolished for Bayview station.