Helen Godfrey keeps Bayview Buckets going

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Davisville Village resident and “tree advocate”, Helen Godfrey, is spotted weeding and clearing debris from a City tree in front of Baskin and Robbins. Helen is the founder of Bayview Buckets and is a kind of guardian angel of our trees. Helen feels strongly about community coming together to take care of our City’s greenery. Helen’s blog entries:  Our Bayview Buckets adopt-a-tree watering initiative got off to a late start last summer, but this year I’m looking forward to a full season of watering to help the trees thrive. Last year, I canvassed all the merchants on this four-block long neighbourhood commercial strip at Bayview Ave. and Davisville Ave. Most (over 20) of the businesses were on side and agreed to water the tree in front of their store when the weather became hot and dry. Some were quite enthusiastic and promised to put flowers in their tree planters for spring 2013!

Bayview Ave. mid-rank among ten worst roads

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Here are the ten worst roads as rated by the Canadian Automobile Association. Dufferin Street is said to be the worst with Bayview Ave.  another yearly favorite, in fifth spot. The criteria relate to potholes, rough patches and similar problems. The CAA has its own agenda related to so-called gas tax fairness under which, we suppose, gasoline taxes are actually used to maintain roads. It is noted that four of the worst roads in the province are in Toronto but that is not too surprising since there are about six million people in the GTA and 13.5 million in all of Ontario

Dufferin Street – Toronto.
Burlington Street – Hamilton.
Finch Avenue West – Toronto.
Kraft Creek Road – Timmins.
Bayview Avenue – Toronto.
Lawrence Avenue East – Toronto.
Warncliffe Road South – London.
Bouvier Road – Clarence-Rockland.
Carling Avenue – Ottawa.
Stanley Avenue – Niagara Falls.

Tree falls out of backyard onto Mt Pleasant Rd.

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680 News

A huge and very old tree came tumbling out of a backyard high above Mr Pleasant Rd. south of Garfield Ave. last night around 7 p.m.. It crashed into a car causing a lot of damage but happily the driver was not hurt.  One man told 680 News: “It is actually a miracle that nobody was hurt because when I saw the car, it had fallen on the windshield and there was branch that actually impaled through the windshield, through the car, to the floor of the car.”

Bits and Bites on Bayview this weekend

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The innovative Bits and Bites on Bayview event is on this Friday and Saturday. You can taste many of the delectable foods offered on our main street for just $20 and do a good deed as well. You get 15 x $1 coupons (redeemable during Bits and Bites event) with a $5 charitable donation going to  the Rotary Leaside Community Caring Fund. It’s a wonderful cause and you can buy your coupons at any of 20 locations on South Bayview  Get them today and sample the Bits and Bites of Bayvew on Friday between 4.30 and 7.30 p.m. and  Saturday between 12.30 and 7.30 p.m.  Below, where to buy coupons

Absolute Beauty By Nancy Penny 1517A Bayview Ave
 Academy of Culinary Arts 1703 Bayview Ave
 Bank of Montreal 1670 Bayview Ave
 Bell Jewellers 1597 Bayview Ave
 CIBC 1529 Bayview Ave
 DEW (Day, Evening, Weekend) 1553 Bayview Ave
 Dolly Jewellers 1699 Bayview Ave
 Hollywood Gelato 1640 Bayview Ave
 Leaside Paint Centre 1525 Bayview Ave
 Olive Oil Emporium 1707 Bayview Ave
 Parallele Interiors 1717 Bayview Ave
 Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. 1213 Bayview Ave
 Satay on the Road 1572 Bayview Ave
 Sport Swap 1541 Bayview Ave
 The Flower Nook 1542 Bayview Ave
 The Mad Italian – Gelato Bar 1581 Bayview Ave
 The Smokin’ Cigar 1540 Bayview Ave
 Tony’s Barber Shop 1649 Bayview Ave
 Vescada Salon 1661 Bayview Ave
 Write Impressions 1515 Bayview Ave

Prescription drug theft at Hurst Pharmacy

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Toronto Police Service report:  An employee of Hurst Pharmacy, 419 Donlands Avenue, reports that on June 13, 2013 at approximately 1745 hours two male suspects entered the premises and approached the counter. The suspects made a demand for prescription drugs and indicated they were armed, although no weapon was seen. The victim complied and the suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, white, 30-40 years, 5’9”-5’11”, short brown hair. Suspect #2: Male, white, 5’11”-6’1”.

Of flatbread, old fish and Walmart street cleaners

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George Stroumboulopoulos

Maybe George Stroumboulopoulos always knew that his American debut would look like flat bread at a French Pastry contest. His somber demeanor seems no darker today than it has ever done, but if he had known that his CNN eponymous program would garner so few viewers, he might have called it something else. Eponymous means it was named after him. Eponymous is a useless word. Or take Andrea Horwath. Really. She thinks it is good to support the Liberal government so that “we can get the bottom of this scandal.” Earth to Andrea: We are at the bottom of the scandal. We know what they did. When a government smells like old fish you throw it out. You don’t dine on the fish. Or you can go to Kensington Market where there really are old fish. Mostly they are in the gutter but it still smells like Queen’s Park Crescent. Walmart wants to open a store there but the push is on to keep them out. Are you sure about that guys? What if Walmart promises to start a street cleaning division and scrub Kensingston Market pavement and sidewalks freshy fresh every morning? There’s still time.    

Trudeau to return speech fees where he bombed

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CTV is reporting that Justin Trudeau says he is willing to pay back money to any charity that feels it didn’t get its money’s worth when Mr. Trudeau spoke at its fund-raising event. He is quoted by the TV network online as saying: “I am going to sit down with every single one of them and make this right.”  The complaint arose with the New Brunswick Grace Foundation which paid Mr Trudeau $20,000 to speak at an event aimed at raising $300,000 but in fact lost money instead. And late last week, Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall called on Trudeau to pay back another $20,000 fee the Liberal leader collected for speaking at a literacy conference in Saskatoon. The organization was left with a surplus of just $7,000. “I just think in terms of an example of leadership that that’s the right thing to do at this point,” Wall said of his call for Trudeau to repay the money, according to CTV. 

Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng to quietly split

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One of the most famous December-May marriages in recent times has apparently come to an end. The 14-year match-up of media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his elegant young wife Wendi Deng will be ended quietly in New York’s no-fault divorce court with few details it seems from either side. For its prospects, Mr. Murdoch’s third marriage has lasted longer than  most such unions and seemed to reveal a meeting of mature minds between the partners. Ms Deng’s casual introduction to Murdoch on an aircraft has been the stuff of dreams for many women of her modest background. Whether they happened to sit together by design or accident it is said that Ms. Deng charmed her older seat mate sufficiently during the flight that he was genuinely smitten when the plane landed. For her part, Wendi Deng adapted well to the privileged life of her tycoon husband, giving him two daughters and conducting herself with decorum.  Chicago Tribune

Driverless car eliminates nut behind the wheel

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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania are putting the finishing touches on their version of a driverless car that lays the groundwork for computers to replace humans in the driver seat within a decade. As you watch, think about those sensors on the outside of the Cadillac SUV. Will they see through snow and ice? It’s been known to snow in Toronto. And, sadly someone has to tell the car where to go. That is, give its computer a routing. There doesn’t seem to be anybody else except the hapless human to do that. He’s the same nut behind the wheel who causes most accidents.