Bid to honour Sharon, Lois and Bram locally

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Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has introduced a motion to name the playground at June Rowlands Park after a popular children’s musical trio — Sharon, Lois and Bram. Sharon Hampson, Lois Lilienstien and Bram Morrison created their music and entertainment for kids right here in 1978. They were picked up by the CBC in 1984 and went on to become an important part of the lives of millions of children and their parents. June Rowlands Park is at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Davisville Ave. The motion is set to be heard at City Council in September. 

Loblaws to buy Shoppers Drug for 12.4 billion

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The deal for Loblaws to buy Shoppers Drug Mart was cooked up just a few days ago by Galen G. Weston. He met with the president of Shoppers, Holger Kluge, in a mini-van on a country road, Mr. Weston told a news conference. Mr. Kluge quipped: “We’ve been dating for quite some time.” Such is the background to this stunning retail acquisition. It is an earthquake in Canadian business. Loblaws will devour Shoppers Drug Mart and form a grocery, pharmacy and personal care giant that can slug it out with any U.S. competitor. “This transformational partnership changes the retail landscape in Canada,” Galen G. Weston, executive chairman of Loblaw, said in the statement. “With scale and capability, we will be able to accelerate our momentum and strengthen our position in the increasingly competitive marketplace.” Bloomberg  Toronto Star

Muskoka accident woman now in Sunnybrook

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Gravenhurst Banner –(edited): A last quick boat trip for the day around Muldrew Lake ended with a 19-year-old woman taken to hospital with serious injuries when the tube she was riding on struck a rock face.  At approximately 1 p.m. members of the Bracebridge OPP and Muskoka EMS responded to a pleasure craft accident at the north end of the lake. Three young women were being towed around at the north end when they entered a narrow part of the lake to turn around. As the boat made the turn, the tube exited the wake at a high rate of speed striking a rock face. The young rider was seriously injured. She was taken by air ambulance to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.  The other two riders suffered minor injuries 

Loblaws goes healthy with “Nutshell” store

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This post was written before the announcement that Loblaws had purchased Shoppers Drug Mart. At first blush it’s hard to know whether Nutshell, the experimental store announced Friday by Loblaws, is for real or just a gambit to grab our attention. The Toronto Star story suggests the health-themed store will compete with Whole Foods. The Canada.com story elaborates on recruiting drives (poster inset) and the development of what appears to be an insider culture of Nutshell-ism. (Play with a real Nutshell cube).  Nutshell will open sometime this Fall in a loft-like atmosphere at 150 King St. West. It will feature ready-to-eat things, groceries, health food, vitamins, wellness seminars and a full pharmacy! Sounds like a cross between Tim Hortons and Shoppers Drug Mart. One can certainly see how Loblaws might like to throw a wrench in the big plans of  Whole Foods especially somewhere along Bayivew Ave. Whole Foods will open at 1860 Bayview sometime in 2015 and for a period at least it seems likely that the chic allure of WF clean-living will impact others in the market. That certainly applies to Metro’s big store at Eglinton Ave. and Bayview. Metro however is a seasoned price competitor and will throw everything its got at WF’s rather expensive image. You can also buy Coke at Metro. As for high-end customers, we’re thinking WF will have a tougher time weening them off  Summerhill Market and the Loblaws at 321 Moore. Location, location location. That’s it in a Nutshell for now.  

Abortion debate: Irish rogue pulls MP onto lap

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An Irish MP is taking heat for his groping behaviour toward a female colleague during a most sensitive debate in the Dublin parliament, or Dail.  MP Tom Barry grabbed fellow MP Aine Collins and pulled her onto his lap as the house re-convened on debate of a contentious bill to liberalize abortion in the Catholic land. Cameras caught Barry grabbing Collins as she passed his seat. He holds her there for four or five seconds as she struggles to get up. As she does so, Barry appears to give the MP a slap on the bottom. No doubt the behaviour is egregious at any time but in the middle of the abortion debate it seemed especially outrageous. Barry apologized to Collins and called the action “disrespectful and inappropriate.” The Irish Times described the incident as “embarrassing, inappropriate and reprehensible,” calling Tom Barry a “boor.” “Barry’s actions were humiliating not just to Collins, but to women everywhere,” the Times wrote. “Is that how male politicians view women? As playthings they can grope anytime they want? … Barry should be ashamed of himself, because we are. He says he’s ‘mortified,’ but would he be so mortified if he wasn’t caught?” The abortion bill passed on Friday, legalizing limited abortions in Ireland for the first time.

Glee’s Cory Monteith found dead in BC hotel

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Glee actor Cory Monteith has died at the age 31, it has been confirmed. The Canadian actor – who played Finn Hudson on the hit Fox series – was found on Saturday in his hotel room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver. Cory – who completed a stint of rehab in April for substance addiction – was last pictured with his girlfriend Lea Michele just last month. The news was confirmed by Vancouver Police at a press conference on Saturday night. No cause of death has been confirmed at this point, but there were said to be no implications of foul play. Medical examiners will conduct an autopsy on Monday. Moneith was born in Calgary and raised in Victoria. 

Thriving shops destroyed in Gerrard Chinatown

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Eleven upstairs tenants have been rescued from a four-alarm fire in a 100-year-old building at the corner of Gerrard St. E. and Broadview Ave. The early morning blaze has destroyed the main corner of the Gerrard St. Chinatown.. The well-known Cai Yuan Supermarket  is the main loss. It is pictured inset above. The Toronto Fire Department arrived in a mere four minutes and organized the escape of those who had not already gotten to street level. The spirit of positive thinking was on display as merchants who had shops in the building expressed their gratitude that there had been no injuries. Triny Huynh (inset) who runs Sammi’s Gift Shop on Gerrard told CTV that after she heard everyone had escaped safely she was happy.  

Kate still at home as “delivery day” comes to close

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Kate shows bump a few weeks ago

Interest is sky-high in the United Kingdom and much of the world this weekend at Kate Middleton seems likely to give birth within hours. Newspapers in the U-K are saying the closely kept secret of the princess’s due date is out — and it’s today — July 13, 2013. Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, is said to have let the information come out. The Mail Online has said that mystery shrouded the expected date of birth  since Kate was taken to the King Edward VII hospital with severe morning sickness in December, early in the pregnancy. Because of her illness, the Palace was forced to announce she was expecting before she had undergone her 12-week scan. It meant no one outside Kate and William’s close circle knew exactly how far the pregnancy had progressed. A friend of the pair revealed: ‘Some of Kate and William’s closest pals were at a barbecue hosted by a family friend of the Royals recently. ‘They were all discussing the fact that Kate’s baby is due to be born on July 13. As of tonight however, with Greenwich Time five hours ahead of Toronto, Kate was said to be still at home.