Visa, MasterCard dodge control in plastic jungle

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The Federal Competitions Tribunal has thrown out a case brought forward by the Competition Bureau attempting to regulate the profusion of high-end credit cars flooding the market. The jungle of cards, some with low fees for retailers, others with charges of more than 2.5% on a purchase, add millions of dollars to the cost of doing business every year. The tribunal has essentially said that the card companies can carry on, requiring merchants to take all cards and preventing shopkeepers from refusing high-end cards or insisting on a surcharge to take it. CTV

George is bookmakers best bet for name of prince

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Safe delivery and much joy in all corners of the Commonwealth tonight. The 8lbs 6oz prince was born at 4.24pm Greenwich Time Monday after Kate went into hospital this morning in the early stages of labour. Now the curiosity turns to a name for this future king of England (and Canada) and the betting seems to on George. That would name the baby after several of his forbears, the most recent being great-great grandfather George VI, father of the current Queen. The announcement of a royal name is often a process of a few days. Charles Kidd, editor of Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage, predicts William and Kate will select a conventional first name for their son. ‘I do think that Prince William is quite a traditionalist — that’s my feeling,’ Mr Kidd said. ‘The fact that he chose to use the royal dukedom (of Cambridge) and has followed royal precedent, I wouldn’t be surprised if they use a name that is already familiar in the royal family – something that has royal associations.’ He suggested that George – a favourite at the bookmakers – could be their name of choice.

Permits issued for five town homes on Millwood

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Further to the weekend post regarding Towns of Castleton homes at Millwood and Rumsey Rds., the units are still on track apparently. And now we know how many. Building permits were issued this month for five town homes on this property. The number for “Danielle”, the name which is the only remaining identification on the site, has a phone that does not answer. 

Credit card terms decision coming Tuesday

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Canada’s Competition Tribunal will announce Tuesday morning whether retailers will continue to be bound by the “all-or-nothing” rule dictated by credit card companies. The rule requires any business applying to use Visa or MasterCard to accept all of the cards that are issued, even the ones charging higher fees. Furthermore, retailers are forbidden by the terms of the agreement to charge card-holders more if they use one of the high-tariff cards. Retailers resent the profusion of expensive  credit cars in recent years and the attempt by card  companies to encourage the use to cards for small purchases. The so-called smallenfreuden campaign has tended to drive up costs even more as consumers use credit cards for purchases of two or three dollars. Despite the rigid terms of the Visa and MasterCard agreements, many retailers refuse to take a card for a purchase under $10 or $20.  

Towns of Castleton on Millwood now “Danielle”

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What appeared to be a development of town homes on the vacant land at the corner of Millwood and Rumsey Rds. now seems to be a bit of a mystery. Two years ago Castleton Homes put up a good-looking sign  (top) indicating this property would be the location of an unspecified number of town homes with prices starting at $1,179,000. It would be known as the Towns of Castleton. Now there is tree zone fencing in place and a portable toilet on hand, but the sign is gone. It has been replaced by a makeshift notice that says Danielle.  What is this, a dating service? Anyway, it seems there might be something going on there before too long and when we find out, we’ll let you know.

Oink Oink to make way for LRT station

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The closure this October of Oink Oink, the Montreal-based toy store at 352 Eglinton Ave. W., is related to the building of the Avenue Road station for the LRT, sources say.  It is business as usual until the scheduled departure of the store. And the company has plans to open a replacement store in Toronto, it is said. Oink Oink has been a fixture on Eglinton for many years

LCBO sells to feds, diplomats at 50% off — why?

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Ontario’s liquor board has sweetened an already sweet deal for the federal government and foreign diplomats as it chops the prices they pay for beer, wine and booze almost in half. Late last month, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario began offering its products to federal departments and agencies at a 49% discount from the retail price that everyone else pays. This is the gist of a CP story in  the National Post. Th story does not seem to say just why it is suitable to offer this type of bargain to federal officials and embassies.  National Post 

Ownership of Mt. Pleasant to be tested in court

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Who owns this place?

There is an informative story by Jonathon Skinner in the City Centre Mirror saying that the ownership of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries will be contested in court. For about eight years the association known as Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries (FTPC) has insisted that the burial grounds are governed by 19th century legislation that has never been repealed. They claim this makes the cemeteries a public trust. On the other hand, The Mount Pleasant Group insists the cemeteries are properly owned by their corporation and thus accountable only under the Corporations Act of Ontario. Now the  FTCP says it has filed a Notice of Application with the Ontario Superior Court asking the court to declare the cemetery is still bound by a long-standing Special Act that lists it as a public trust. FTCP has submitted 11 declarations and “a thick stack of papers” which prove its case. The matter is fascinating because it has conjured up the idea of a hugely valuable public property which somehow got lost in the assets of the government. The Superior Court will now presumably investigate this and declare the actual ownership. Mr. Skinner notes that the matter is set to appear before the Court on Sept. 9. In the meantime, he further notes, the organization is looking for new members and donors to help cover its court costs, which have been capped at $100,000. An anonymous donor has volunteered to match any other donations. 

Local trees down, cars damaged in storm

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Friday evening’s heavy rain  caused many trees to fall locally. The menacing storm rolled in late in the afternoon as shown graphically in the tweeted picture looking south from Sherbourne and Wellesely. Below is a picture of a stout maple that could not withstand the wind near Yonge and St. Clair. Experts are also saying that a historic tree that inspired school principal and musician Alexander Muir to write The Maple Leaf Forever in 1867 received heavy damage down in Leslieville. The storm hit just before 7 p.m., bringing with it high winds and heavy rain. Toronto Hydro said the storm, which caused Environment Canada to issue a severe thunderstorm warning, knocked out power to roughly 7,000 customers, mostly in Etobicoke and midtown Toronto. At one point, tornado warnings were issued for various parts of southern Ontario, including Newmarket, Orangeville, Grand Valley and Dufferin County. Some areas felt the brunt of torrential downpours, which dumped as much as 50 mm of rain in an hour. The high winds also caused damage, with instances in Toronto and the GTA of downed trees and power lines, as well as damaged vehicles. 

Tabloid sends lookalikes into royal baby watch

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The Sun tabloid has done what London tabloids are supposed to do as the world waits for the baby of the Duchess of Cambridge. What’s that? Why, grab all the attention for itself, of course. The Sun sent Kate and William lookalikes into the mob of reporters outside St. Mary’s Hospital. The two pretended to hurry to the hospital doors and then they turned and threw open their coats, revealing T-shirts announcing that the Sun was No.1 in coverage of the royal baby watch. It then flooded Tweetdom with self-congratulatory messages. Meantime, there is no indication of just what is going on with the real duchess. It would appear however that reports of a imminent birth were greatly exaggerated. It is now said the duchess may not deliver until July 22, ensuring her newborn will be a “Leo”. Good to know.

Gracious Glebe bakes in high summer heat

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Most seasons serve the Glebe well, as does the baking heat of mid-July. Upper left, a charming home with an arboured walkway to the side on Carey Road. To the right, a well  manicured residence on Thurloe Ave. Lower left, a change of style with overgrown vegetation suggesting this original home on Cuthbert Crescent may be in for some serious work, or perhaps even demolition. Finally lower right, the little apartment complex on Servington Crescent which might have been ordered up for a movie with a plot we will leave you to ponder. Residents will know this apartment is next to the land where Glebe Presbyterian Church once stood. No work has yet begun on the town homes scheduled to fill this land.  We like the Glebe.