Shane is the man at street party time

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It is street party time again across South Bayview and much of Toronto. Here in Moore Park Shane is seen dropping off barricades for the 42nd annual Rose Park Drive party, perhaps one of the oldest in the city. The party goes off Saturday, June 15, 2013. It was started by people like Jack Armstrong and George Zarb (who still lives there)  By the time the sun sets Friday, Shane will have delivered barriers to many area street parties. 

Sears leaving Yorkdale and Square One malls

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Sears Canada is getting itself out of both Yorkdale Shopping Centre and the Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga. The struggling department store is selling leases back to the landlords for $191-million plus options on a third store for $1-million that could raise another $53-million within five years. Sears is under intense pressure from other U.S. based retailers such as Target and Nordstrom. But Sears also continues to be squeezed by the rise of discount and so-called wholesale merchants such as Coscto. As posted here, Costco is making plans to open a third Toronto store in Thorncliffe Park, near South Bayview.  

Oriental Landmark at 1620 Bayview closes

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It’s very sad to see Landmark Oriental at 1620 Bayview close its door, especially after such a short time in business. The restaurant took the space previously leased by Highway 61 just last summer. But today the doors are locked and the sign says closed.

Rogers Cable, Internet service in “major outage”

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Thursday’s heavy rain briefly washed out Rogers Internet, Cable and other digital services across South Bayview and large parts of the city. Service was restored around 9 p.m. Messages expressing regret for the “major outage” of Rogers service were playing for customers tonight. 

Badali’s 75th, Scouts car wash this Saturday

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It will be a typically lively weekend on and around South Bayview. This is the Saturday that Badali’s Fruit Market celebrates 75 years on Bayview at the same location. There will be a party on Saturday and it should be fun. Meanwhile, the 132nd Toronto Scouts will run a car wash to raise funds to attend the 2013 Canadian Scout Jamboree in Alberta July 6. Get your car over to Leaside Presbyterian Church, 670 Eglinton Ave. E. (at Hanna Road) for a good wash. A donation of $5 or more gets a car hand-washed, with all proceeds helping send Scouts to the event.

South Bayview notables opposed artificial turf

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City Council has voted 31 to 12 against a motion to declare the back campus grass at the University of Toronto a heritage property. Adam Vaughan (Ward 20 Trinity Spadina) and a number of students and faculty at the university had made a late-in-the-day effort to stop the U of T from converting the field to artificial turf. The plan has been in the works since 2009 and was conceived as a necessary amenity to make it possible to play women’s field hockey there during the Pan American  Games.  The games are slated to be played in Toronto and nearby communities in 2015. Among those opposing the conversion was former Bennington Heights resident Margaret Atwood and prominent U of T history professor Michael Bliss of Leaside. Maclean’s 

Harper video reveals enjoyable mimicking

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A video has been uploaded to YouTube by “Steve Harper” which shows the Prime Minister rehearsing a speech with aides and family members back in 2011. Mr. Harper exhibits his sense of humour with imitations of several previous leaders, including Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark and Preston Manning. CTV calls the video hilarious and notes that some are saying it is a timely reminder that the Prime Minister is personable at a time when his office is involved in the Senate scandal. The video, uploaded to YouTube Wednesday by “Steve Harper,” appears to have been shot on May 3, 2011, the night Harper’s Conservatives won their first majority government, as the PM conducted a sound check at his election night headquarters in Calgary. The normally businesslike Harper stands at the microphone grinning and begins doing impression of previous leaders while his wife Laureen and son Benjamin urge him to just “read the speech.” He ignores their entreaties.

Costco store members average higher spending

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The interest now being shown by Costco Wholesale in the Coca Cola property on Overlea Blvd plays to the membership retailer’s capacity to draw well-heeled consumers long distances to shop there. It’s thought the average income of a Costco member is about $70,000, much higher than that of the average Walmart shopper, or even those who shop at Target. It is also said that the average Costco shopper enters the store planning to spend $50 and instead buys between $350 and $500. That’s why Costco’s hope to start a store on Overlea across the street from the  East York Town Centre has the potential to draw both customers and more businesses to the neighborhood. There is concern in Thorncliffe Park for local business if a Coscto opens but in fact it seems likely that local stores would do no less business than they now do if Costco goes ahead. This would be especially true in the Town Centre where many better off Costco shoppers from mid-town neighborhoods would find their way into the mall across the street. Previous post. 

Traffic light “re-timing” set to speed commute

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It sounds just wonderful, this idea of synchronizing Toronto traffic lights by re-timing them. They say that for an $11 million equipment purchase delays on major routes might be shortened by 15 to 30 percent, give or take a couple of percentage points. That would mean a 45-minute commute along Lawrence Avenue might be cut to 30 minutes. The reportage and news releases only hint at how this works. Presumably traffic lights will be “re-timed” to permit vehicles get through  successive lights before they have to stop. Contrary to our universal green image (inset) there are still going to be red lights. One wonders whether synchronization will un-knot the left/right turn element of cars backing up because of pedestrians crossing.  The un-stated matter of speeding is out there too. 

Birth control pill deaths reported to Health Can

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Health Canada says it has received reports of at least 23 young Canadian women who have died while taking one of two commonly prescribed birth control pills, Yaz and Yasmin. More than half the reported deaths were in women younger than 26, including one who was 14. The agency reports it has received 15 reports of deaths among women taking Yasmin up to the end of February. CTV

Feds to build new airport on Pickering Land

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The federal government will begin work on a new airport on what is known as the Pickering Land, an 18,000 acre property assembled 40 years ago for just this purpose. Local opposition in the 70s caused the then Liberal government to back down on the plan. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the airport will be much smaller than airports of  the 1960s.  Smaller aircraft and more efficient construction will permit the use of merely a quarter of the land for the actual airport. “There will be land for an airport, there will be urban and industrial development and there will be considerable green space on these lands.” the minister said.  The federal move was criticized by the Liberals at Queen’s Park who said they have been blind-sided by the the scheme. Flaherty called this was “not true” and in a sharp response said the Liberals should find out what’s happening in their own government. It’s estimated the completion of the airport will take 15 years.  

Holy Dad! Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16

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Tzatz on South Bayview is ready for Father’s Day. Are you? These enjoyable items are fun gifts for young people to give. They can’t be turned loose in Best Buy, or wherever. No sir.  Leave that to Dad himself.