CP refuses to pay cost of Lac-Megantic cleanup

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Canadian Pacific Railway says it has no intention of paying for the estimated $200 million cleanup of the Lac-Megantic disaster.  CP said simply: “As a matter of fact, and law, CP is not responsible for this clean up.” It added that it will appeal an order from the Quebec government to pay the cost.  The legal niceties may prove tricky. CP hired the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway to move the oil over the final stretch of track, but it never reached its destination. The MMA has now declared bankruptcy. 

Arrests made in Overlea-Thorncliffe shooting

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Police say they have two minors and an 18-year-old man in custody in connection with the shooting and stabbing that took place on Overlea Blvd at Thorncliffe Rd. Monday evening. They have identified the 18-year-old at Gavin Patrick Campbell. Police say the shooting occurred as the result of a disagreement that arose between four youths and the man who was shot.

Painful, complex case of Rehtaeh in court today

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Rehtaeh and her mother
The painful and complex case arising from the death of the Nova Scotia teen Rehtaeh Parsons will be in court today (Friday, August 15, 2013). It will unfold in the small community of Cole Harbour where all the events related to Ms Parsons sad last few months apparently occurred. Two young men face charges of making and distributing child pornography related to the death of the teen. The evidence is digital pictures of Ms Parsons, who because she was 16 at the time, is specified at the child.  It is, as lawyers are saying, a somewhat unusual situation for such charges to be laid. At the same time, the harassment faced by the girl, and her subsequent attempt at suicide, has created a kind of national wound. Rehtaeh was taken off life support a few days after she tried to kill herself.  Locally, the atmosphere is raw. Complicating the issue are accounts from some people who were present at a party where the pictures were taken.  They are not favorable to the teen. And yet her subsequent suffering seems heart-rending. It is easy to imagine that the defense may raise questions as to just what offense is being tried. CBC

PC pilgrim Tim Hudak’s long march to grace

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There may be something about Tim Hudak that will prevent him from becoming premier of Ontario. But on the history of his predecessors, the ones who made it, he seems like a reasonable bet for that old gamble that it’s never really over in politics. He took the leadership in 2009 with nearly 40% of the votes against Frank Klees 32%. It wasn’t a romp but it was respectable. The 1961 balloting that elected the historic John Robarts went all night in six bitterly fought ballots with Robarts trailing his chief opponent Kelso Roberts on the first ballot. Robarts finally won 976 to Roberts 633. Many people forget that William Davis had to battle through four ballots to win the a victory over Allan Lawrence in 1971. Of course a triumph in a general election has been more elusive for recent PC leaders. But Mike Harris did it in 1995 and he got re-elected in 1999. When he beat Dianne Cunningham for the leadership in 1990 many party members thought Harris was a permanent also-ran. He lost the general election of that year. His performance overall  before he became Premier in 1995 looks a lot like Hudak’s. That’s some reason for the present PC leader to hope his long pilgrimage will find grace with the people at the next election.  From left Tim Hudak, Mike Harris, William Davis, John Robarts.

We got off “lightly” during famous blackout

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South Bayview Bulldog readers have fragmentary flashes of the historic blackout which occurred ten years ago today. Perhaps that’s because, in the end, we got off rather lightly. Power was back on in our neighborhoods again within hours, as we recall. Many restaurants showed ingenuity in continuing business: Verdi and Small Talk (remember them?) used wood burning ovens and Groucho’s Burgers (messy but good) used a propane BBQ. Stores however seemed less versatile. It was dark in a lot of the shops and without power, there was no credit card or debit to be had. If you have a memory of the the blackout day, please send it along to The South Bayview Bulldog.

Essence du Papier to open at 1657 Bayview

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A new stationery shop will be opening in the premises formerly leased by the Country Store at 1657 Bayview Ave. north of Fleming Cres. Renovation is underway and a sign in the window seeks a part-time associate. The name on the window sign is Essence du Papier, a subsidiary of the Pierre Belvedere company of Montreal. Essence du Papier has three other stores, two in Montreal and one downtown in Toronto. The Country Store closed in January after decades on South Bayview. 

Coca Cola ads to defend artificial sweetener

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Declining sales of both regular and diet Coca Cola have caused the company to launch a series of print ads that will defend the artificial sweetener aspartame, also known as NutraSweet. The ads begin Wednesday in USA Today in the Atlanta area, followed by the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Thursday and the Chicago Tribune next week. The ad says that diet drinks can help people manage their weight and stresses the scientific evidence showing the safety of aspartame. It is a second phase of a campaign Coca-Cola launched in January to defend regular Coke from obesity concerns. But there has been declining sales of the diet drinks as well. Last year, for example, sales volume for Coke fell 1 per cent, while Diet Coke fell 3 per cent. Pepsi fell 3.4 per cent, while Diet Pepsi fell 6.2 per cent. 

Metro to close, re-brand some stores in Ontario

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Metro Inc. will close some stores in Ontario and re-brand others to its Food Basics discount name. Montreal-based Metro is the third largest grocery retailer in Canada (after Loblaws and Sobey’s) and it apparently feels the need to economize a bit and sharpen its style in the face of these dynamic competitors. It doesn’t seem likely that we will see any changes at the huge Eglinton and Bayview Metro, one of the busiest stores in the country. It’s believed that about 15 stores will be affected in some form.