Toronto residents may be forgiven if they can’t figure out where the Redbox video pilot project has gone. Last spring, the company announced a national initiative which it was said would concentrate on Toronto and Vancouver. Today, according to the Redbox website, there are 16 of the bargain price vending boxes in Vancouver. Here in Toronto, there are exactly two. One is at a Mac’s store on Jane Street, the other at the Wal Mart on Eglinton Ave. E. in Scarborough. In fact, there are more Redboxes to be found in Hamilton (four) and many of the 53 Ontario communities named by Redbox have two. Ottawa has none incidentally. This sprinkling of vending machines is a contrast with provinces like Alberta, where Calgary alone has 56 units, most of them in Safeway grocery stores. Safeway may be the reason why penetration in the west is deeper than Ontario. In May, Redbox announced deals with Couche Tard (Mac’s and On-the-Run) and Wal Mart to place the units. The Redbox pilot project has no presence east of the Ontario border.
Boarded windows of Redpath and Roehampton
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The boarded up windows of the last few street level homes on Roehampton and Redpath Aves can give the area a kind of creepy feeling. But the promotion for new condominiums (in this case 155 Redpath) is giddy by comparison as it extols the value of owning a unit next to the Eglinton LRT. These townhomes of relatively recent construction will soon be gone to make way for the glass walled high-rise which is now selling units on the basis of “incentives.” The 155 Redpath website offers “free first year rental management free, a free iPad or iPad mini, free lawyer contract” with more incentives coming, it declares. Picture inset into yesterday’s photo is a Google picture is from 2011. Ontario artisans recreate 1935 Bugatti coupe
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This magnificent car is a recreation — not a restoration — of the 1935 Bugatti coupe. It is the work of a Toronto area firm Guild of Automotive Restorers. The staggering challenge of creating a car which quite literally no longer exists just makes the mind swim. In fact, the one-off original appeared in public but once at a car show in the United Kingdom and underwent a single road test and then, for reasons not exactly known, the prototype vehicle just disappeared. The story of how the recreation occurred is told by Nicholas Maronese on the Sympatico site. Inset are the black and white snapshots which represented a major source for the recreation along with some rough blueprints of the day SympaticoWeekend break-in on St. Cuthberts Road
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Toronto Police Service report: A resident of St. Cuthberts Road reports that between 1800 hours, March 8, 2013 and 1640 hours March 10, 2013, entry was gained into the premises by unknown means. Removed was a quantity of jewellery, an iPod, an iPad and cash.
Fraser Institute “report card” rates high schools
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The annual Fraser Institute report card on high schools has revealed a very mixed bag in and around South Bayview. Inset is a list of seven local high schools and the scores given to them by the Fraser Institute in its latest report on how Ontario high schools performed last year. The first number is the score achieved on standardized testing in the current year and the second is an average of the school’s score in the most recent five years. Bloor Collegiate and North Toronto have really pulled up in recent years. They appear to be two of the Toronto area schools that are among the 20 fastest-improving secondary schools in Ontario. Fraser Institute said its 2013 report card suggests that school improvement is occurring across Ontario, with some of the biggest gains in the Toronto area. Even so there is lot of work to be done at schools like East York Collegiate and Jarvis Collegiate which is the only one of the seven shown here that is below its previous five year average.
House prices — the difference is the neighbourhood
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It says a lot about neighborhoods when prices continue to surge ahead in Davisville Village even as the Canadian Real Estate Association reports that national house sales declined 16 percent in February and prices dipped by one percent. CBC
Macaron Day at Patisserie de Cigogne
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Patisserie de Cogogne at 1626 Bayview has a charming way of welcoming spring. On Wednesday, March 20, 2013, the patisserie will celebrate Macaron Day and they invite shoppers to come and get an complimentary treat. As a bonus 25% of all additional macaron sales on this day will be donated to the Red Door Family Shelter. Here incidentally is the definition of the macaron which some sources say contains coconut and some not. As to the spelling, it appears that the world is really all over the pl;ace. Sometimes the English trasnslation of macaron is macaroon. We leave it to you. Here’s the definition: A small, round, biscuit (cookie) crunchy outside and soft inside, made with ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Macaroons are sometimes flavoured with coffee, chocolate, nuts or fruit and then joined together in pairs.
Egg-white McMuffin gets rough reception
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McDonald’s has announced an egg-white McMuffin as an appeal to those who want to eat healthier. Instant comment to this move has been rough. The new McMuffin avoids the 60 calories contained in the egg yolk, but the egg-white version continues to contain cheese and a slice of lean Canadian bacon. Thus comments like: “It still has pork, hollandaise dressing and cheese, all saturated fat and calories. (expletive)” are understandable. Another said: “McDonald’s will be releasing an egg-white McMuffin in April for Americans to try once, spit out and never buy again.”
Van strayed onto runway as AC jet was landing
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Authorities are looking into a close call at Toronto International Airport on Monday when an airport maintenance van strayed onto an active runway where an Air Canada jet was landing. The Transportation Safety Board says the jet, a Brazilian-made Embraer 190 used for North American short hauls, narrowly missed the van.
475 Davisville near Cleveland sold for $730,000
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An updated and well-staged semi-detached home at 475 Davisville Ave. has sold for $730,000, $81,000 over the asking price of $549,000. The home is located just west of Cleveland Street. The healthy step-up over the asking was the result of several buyers presenting competing offers Earlier in the month, 226 Hillsdale, a detached home, sold for $172,000 over the asking price of $921,000.
Grumpy Cat is star of south-west film festival
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A Grumpy Cat with some 7.5 million YouTube hits to her name will star this weekend at the South by South-west (SXSW) Interactive Film and Music Festival at Austin Texas. There will be other famous creatures there — films makers, writers etc — but who cares. The 11-month old, mixed breed is the pet of a Morristown, Arizona woman, Tabitha Bundesen. Grumpy Cat’s real name is Tardar Sauce (a.k.a.: Tard), and she’s famous for the pouty “nothing impresses me” face with which she was born. Check the video for the outrageous occupations of Tard and her fans.
Youth has shoes stolen in Kennedy station
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Toronto Police Service report: A 17 year old male reports that on March 12, 2013 at approximately 1345 hours, he was at the Kennedy Subway station with two male suspects. At this time, the suspects took a pair of shoes from the victim’s person. The victim attempted to grab his shoes from the suspects, when the suspects pushed him and fled the scene in an awaiting vehicle towards Eglinton Avenue East. 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.