Police are looking for a man who has committed a series of unprovoked violent attacks on unsuspecting people he accosts on the street in North York. He approaches and begins hitting his victims in the head and face. In some instances, the suspect hits people until they fall to the ground. He then flees. He is described as approximately 5’8″ to 5’9″, 20 to 25, has a beard/goatee, a thin to medium build, and has black hair. He was wearing a black hooded jacket with grey interior lining in the hood, black pants, and black shoes with a white stripe around the sole. Two areas where such attacks have occurred are Yonge St. between Sheppard and Finch Aves and the general area of Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. If seen, do not approach this man. Call 9-1-1 immediately.
BNN man has Pfizer news, status of Canada vs other places
by •
Offbeat, odd and awfully sad about National Hugging Day
by •
Now a break from everything else and not a moment too soon. First we have Saskatchewan pals Rylan Parrott and Koltyn Piller racking up more than 16 million TikTok views in just a few days with their extreme ice-fishing exploits. Then, hairdressing and haircuts are not allowed during Ontario’s C-19 crackdown. Or are they? Below that, the lamentable state of National Hugging Day. May it soon return. Lastly, we see UK prime minister Boris Johnson totally gobsmacked as a reporter asks him if he thinks President Biden is woke.
Waiting vaccine options, Ont. count gives guarded optimism
by •
The delay in delivery of the Pfizer vaccine has placed focus on vaccines still being tested — those from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. These vaccines have not yet been approved in Canada although AstraZeneca has been approved in the UK and India. Health Canada spokesperson Eric Morrissette told the National Post that government regulators continue to look at the vaccine and have been receiving information from the company since last fall, but they don’t have a firm timeline for a decision.
Guarded optimism in Ontario
There’s guarded optimism that Ontario may be flattening the spread of C-19. Thursday the Ministry of Health reported 2,632 new cases and 46 more deaths linked to the virus. As seen in the tweet below, Health Minister Christine Elliott says there were 897 new cases in Toronto, 412 in Peel Region and 245 in York Region. Most notably, testing for this period achieved a healthy 70,300. Typically, more testing reveals more cases.
Ontario is reporting 2,632 cases of #COVID19 and nearly 70,300 tests completed. Locally, there are 897 new cases in Toronto, 412 in Peel, 245 in York Region, 162 in Ottawa and 118 in Waterloo.
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) January 21, 2021
Local face mask maker Eco6ix has a plastic pickup contest
by •
A Leaside man, Paul Bolté, and two friends have started a company that makes and sells reusable face masks called Eco6ix. Part of the firm’s promotion is Project Plastic Pickup, a contest that urges people to pick up and properly discard plastic refuse. The contest is described on the firm’s website.
Hit and run on O’Connor leaves moped rider critically hurt
by •
A moped rider believed to be in his 50s is fighting for his life Wednesday after he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene at O’Connor Drive and Woodbine Ave. The incident occurred during the noon hour. The term moped originally referred to a type of small motorcycle with both a motorcycle engine and bicycle pedals, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term is now often used to mean a similar ele4ctric vehicle except with no pedals.
Local MD creates, sings salute to community pandemic fight
by •
Eyebrows raised as Pfizer asks tax break amid vaccine delay
by •
A story originated by the Globe and Mail (subscription) says that Pfizer pharmaceutical is seeking a tax break from Ottawa. The coincidence has not been missed and there is much angry comment on Twitter.
Hmmmmm…. vaccine shipments to Canada slow while Pfizer seeks tax breaks in 2021 federal budget. Nah. Must be a coincidence. https://t.co/NWi7vhrAY1
— Don Martin (@DonMartinCTV) January 20, 2021
Tonight on the Press Gallery @RobertFife says Pfizer is lobbying the federal government for tax breaks. Watch more at https://t.co/YQe50FHb6K.#ctvpp #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/0N8TbLNzko
— CTV Power Play (@CTV_PowerPlay) January 19, 2021
Subway sandwich suit against CBC gets top court approval
by •
Subway sandwich can proceed with its defamation lawsuit against CBC Marketplace according to the Ontario Court of Appeal. The court set aside a ruling that dismissed Subway’s $210-million suit without a hearing on its merits saying the untested claim was far from frivolous and deserved a thorough airing. The issue is a Marketplace story based on tests saying that Subway’s chicken sandwiches were no more than 50 percent chicken. But Subway produced experts who insist the sandwiches are essentially 100 percent chicken Global News
Call to stop Big Box stores from selling non-essential stuff
It’s an idea that seems fair.
Hamster prison break to brighten your Wednesday
This entertaining hamster “jailbreak” was posted to Leaside Community Facebook by Joyce Stewart with a view to keeping kids entertained. It certainly occupied the adults at The Bulldog.
Lots of vaccine politics as real jab dries up for at least a week
by •
Premier Ford has angrily criticized the Pfizer laboratory for a delay in deliveries to Canada announced Monday. Canada will get no deliveries of the vaccine next week. Ford’s response seems like inevitable vaccine politics, a response to the knowledge that people are waiting anxiously for any idea of when they may get protection against the C-19 infection. More of the same sort of foot-shuffling was going on in Ottawa in this uninformative news conference by federal officials. Pfizer says the delay at its plant in Belgium is a result of a move to increase production there.
Toronto Hydro, Hydro One fix Leaside, EY outage Tuesday
by •
Toronto Hydro and Hydro One have restored power to parts of Leaside and East York after a fairly widespread disruption. Earlier Tuesday afternoon, there were outages in Sherwood Park, North Leaside and Lawrence Park as seen on the map image at right. The outage down into the Don Valley lasted somewhat longer but has now also been repaired
East York outage update: Crews are currently on site and we're working together with @HydroOne to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. https://t.co/TQHH470535
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) January 19, 2021
Gov’t demolishes old Eastern Ave foundry as residents fume
by •
Work continues Tuesday to demolish old industrial buildings on Eastern Ave. despite lengthy petitions and political efforts to save them. The decision to replace the Dominion Wheel and Foundries Company buildings at 153-185 Eastern Ave was taken by the Ford government. Plans call for the construction of high-rise residential towers on three provincially owned sites. City officials have pleaded with the province to reconsider the demolition and more than 8,000 people have signed a petition calling on the province to consult the community. FB Friends of the Foundry
