Pam Wallin puts Manhattan apartment on market

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Facing an imminent deadline to pay back more than $100,000 in expenses improperly charged in her position as Senator, Pamela Wallin has listed her Upper East Side Manhattan (Plaza Tower) condominium for sale. The smart unit at 118 East 60th Street surveying Park Avenue is described as an over-sized studio apartment. The listing says, “The home is is both functional and charming with a custom high end renovation. (The) living room at 22 x 14 feet is multi-functional with built-in Murphy bed hidden by double door book shelves. One wall of mirrors enhancing the space and a pass-through to the kitchen. The man room has terrific northern light with open city views. Three closets provide ample storage space — one has a built-in seven foot oak cabinet with shelves and drawers and there is a walk-in closet too. The kitchen is lovely with granite counter tops, solid walnut cabinets, large under counter Marvel refrigerator. Mile 2 burner cook top. GE profile Advantium convection microwave and dishwasher. Bathroom has been renovated with an open walk-in shower and glass top sink.” Asking price is $349,000. A nice little pied-a-terre for the Senator and a far cry from Wadena, Saskatchewan.    

Apple sells coloured phones for big money

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iPhones are  being marketed a lot like cars these days. Apple introduced two new ones, the 5C and 5S, today and the high-end one, the 5S model, comes in three prestigious colours (those on the right). Everyone will know that you have the expensive one because of its colour. Wow. Anyway, the Globe and Mail has made an attempt to add up the said-to-be exciting new features. The market was unimpressed. Depending on the model and memory load these two phone will cost anywhere from about $200 to about $400. 

Leaside Wildcats Hockey begins its 40th season

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Girls can learn the camaraderie and fun of hockey in a safe environment playing Toronto Leaside Wildcats Hockey. Learn details from the website for the 2013-2914 season just getting underway. Programs  start from three and a half years.  You may click picture to watch an informative video For older girls, the Wildcat competitive league is a source of fulfillment. Every year the league organizes and hosts an Ontario-wide tournament. 2014 will be the 40th anniversary of Toronto Leaside Wildcats Hockey.

Mac’s floats beer-filled balloon for Christmas

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The Mac’s convenience network is owned by the largest corner store chain in North America. It’s the famous Couche-Tard (Night Owl) mammoth from Quebec. Their Ontario boss, Tom Moher, unrolled his Christmas list today at the Toronto and Region Board of Trade. All he wants for Christmas is the freedom to sell beer in his stores. And if he gets that, Mr. Moher will be a very, very good boy. We’re colouring this up a bit but Mac’s promises to open 27 new stores (presumably across Ontario) and hire 1800 more people if it gets permission from the Ontario government. Well, we’re sorry, but we have to play the proxy Grinch in this tale. Mac’s has almost no chance of getting any such thing. The Premier will decide you know. That’s how we do things here. The Leaside lady of Liberal Party things that are good-for-you will find it hard, we think, to entertain more readily available beer, especially in the hands of (yeww!) private operators. No, no, no. We’re guessing her sensibilities in such matters are similar to her feelings about gambling. And you know how that worked out. 

Neiman-Marcus Inc. now part of your CPP

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The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board has become a part owner of Neiman-Marcus Inc, the 41-store luxury retailer based in Dallas. As telegraphed below in last night’s post, NM changed hands for $6 billion U.S. with other half of the new ownership being Ares Management LLC. The transaction includes not only the 41 Neiman Marcus stores, but also two Manhattan-based Bergdorf Goodman stores and 36 discount Neiman Marcus outlets named Last Call. There is also an online division of the company that operates alongside these businesses. Previous post. 

“Smashed” film shown to Leaside High kids today

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From Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD:  The word “smashed” will take on a whole new meaning for students who see MADD Canada’s 2013-2014 School Assembly Program. Emotional and realistic, MADD Canada’s new program, called Smashed, demonstrates just how easily and quickly a night of partying can turn to tragedy when someone makes the wrong decision. MADD Canada and Ontario provincial partner LCBO officially kicked off the Ontario tour of Smashed today with a special screening for students and staff of Leaside High School in Toronto. Thanks to the support of LCBO customers and staff, 1,050 presentations of Smashed and its French companion program, Impact, will be delivered to a half million students in schools throughout the province, at absolutely no charge to the schools. Smashed shows how characters Natalie, Pete and Kelly ditch a school dance to go to a house party with Johnny. Once there, Natalie starts drinking. When Johnny, who has also been drinking, leaves the party to get pot, a drunken Natalie makes the terrible decision to go with him. Kelly and Pete do everything they can to stop Natalie from getting in the car but she won’t listen. Kelly calls 911 and then she and Pete get in her car to follow their friend. What happens next is a nightmare that none of the young friends could ever have dreamed. The fictional story is then followed by real-life stories of three people who are victims of impaired driving

Star, Globe defend stories about the Fords

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The Ontario Press Council hearing has wrapped up its hearings in which the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail defended themselves against complaints from the public that they have been unethical in their coverage of Mayor Ford and his brother, Doug Ford. The OPC efforts were divided into two inquiries, morning and afternoon with the Star first and the Globe after lunch. The Star responded to the concerns with reporter Kevin Donovan saying he and his colleague Robyn Doolittle sincerely believed that the video they saw was real. The Globe defended its use of anonymous sources for an investigative piece by Greg McArthur and Shannon Kari that looked into Mayor Rob Ford’s family’s alleged drug dealings. The council’s decision is always subject to the writing of its conclusions released at a later date.

Rolling Tweets from the Rob Ford press hearing

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The Toronto Star is being asked to answer for stories about Mayor Ford and his brother Doug at a hearing of the Ontario Press Council today. Rolling tweets link below suggests it is well underway. The council will hear two complaints, one about the Star’s “crack video” story and one on the Globe and Mail’s anonymous sources-flashback to the high school days of Doug Ford. The Globe’s hearing will begin at 1 p.m. The independent press council says the two complaints will stand in for the dozens filed against the newspapers over their coverage of the Fords. At issue, the council says, is whether the newspapers “engaged in irresponsible, unethical investigative reporting.” Rolling Tweets 

Firearms stolen from Athlone Road home

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Toronto Police Service report: A resident of Athlone Road reports that between 1200 hours, August 28, 2013 and 2208 hours, September 7, 2013 entry was gained into the premises by forcing a door. Removed was a quantity of firearms.

Will Neiman-Marcus contribute to your CPP?

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Nieman-Marcus, the famous U.S. department store with the reputation for service, seems to be up for sale. If a deal is done, the Canadian  government’s arms-length board that administers the investments of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) will become one of the new owners. The deal, as reported by Bloomberg News, suggests that the pension board and a firm known as Ares Management LLC, are the favoured buyers. The present owners of Neiman-Marcus, TPG Capital, Warburg Pincus LLC and Leonard Green and Partners LP are said to be ready to sell the luxury retailer. The story says the deal could be announced as soon as Monday. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board was created by Ottawa in 1997 to administer the investments which fund the CPP. It is independent of the government but ultimately accountable to the Cabinet.  Bloomberg News 

Attending TIFF? It’s easier to crash the G20

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The Sun newspaper inspires this modest demurer to the non-stop media rave about the Toronto Film Festival. The Sun offers its own love-hate check list and it is worth a read. For our part, it is a gratifying thing to know that the city is the focus of so much of the world’s attention and, to be frank, the spending of a lot of money. In many ways the TIFF is a kind of peek-a-boo smorgasbord. You have to hope that you find the things you like. Otherwise, news coverage is frequently just four or five days of wall-to-wall noise. Star-gazing? Maybe, but it has always been true that most people are not interested in standing on a street hoping to see a film star. Those who possess them know in their brains that this is true. Our final flick-off is shared by the Sun. In the end, TIFF is not a public event. Oh sure, there are films to be seen even though the terms on which tickets are sold seem abusive. No. TIFF is an convention of people who write, finance, produce, direct and star in Hollywood movies. Important work. To attend TIFF as a simple outsider however is like trying to crash the G20. They don’t know you.  Toronto Sun

Glebe Manor Lawn Bowling pitches a straight sale

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Glebe Manor Lawn Bowling Club was raising a little money on Sunday with a lawn sale just outside the fence that encloses the pitches on Manor Road just east of Mount Pleasant Rd. Left we see Phil, a philosopher bowler of many entertaining stories and his bowler friend (centre right). Lady at the far right found some bargains.