Frustrated and in some cases angry residents in Thorncliffe Park were still in the dark at 9 p.m. Saturday some 30 hours after the power outage that disrupted their neighborhood. They were complaining about rotting food, children with medical conditions and the lack of household medical equipment like C-PAP machines. Hydro crews replacing a $65,000 piece of switching equipment say their hearts go out to the residents and that they are working as fast as they can. CP24 said at 9 pm. that Hydro was promising restoration of power at any minute. Those able to access the Internet noted that Hydro’s outage map showed that the blackout in Thorncliffe was over. But it was not. 9.09 pm.
Thorncliffe power back by “dinner hour”: Hydro
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Toronto Hydro says it is aiming to have power restored to about 23 apartment buildings on Thorncliffe Park Drive by dinner hour. Residents of the units have struggled through more than 24 hours of darkness and cold as Hydro worked at replacing a unit valued at some $65,000 in an underground vault on Thorncliffe Park. Many tenants of the area have complained that they are of modest means and fear that everything from food spoilage to children’s illnesses will become an issue for them. Apartment dwellers have had to find their way around their darkened apartments, halls and stairways. Elevators are of course not working. By any measure, it is a miserable situation. The councillor, John Parker (Ward 26 Don Valley West) was present at the repair site. On CP24 he said that this is an example of aging infrastructure throughout the city and that people should expect further blackouts from time to time because of that. He pointed out the fairly long-standing tug-of-war between Ontario Hydro and the Ontario Energy Board for funds to repair known potential problems. An earlier outage in Davisville Village which occurred at more or less the same time as the Thorncliffe blackout has now had power restored.
Hard luck basement a South Bayview eyesore
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| Empty units at 1560 Bayview |
Who knows just how the owners of 1560 Bayview, at the corner of Belsize Drive, feel about the chronically vacant walk-down basement units? Those of us who live and work here however dream frequently of a solution that would somehow turn these units into an asset not an eyesore. In fairness, these lower units suffer from a discredited design concept that tried to maximize space by putting half the “street level” units below ground. It didn’t work and that lesson has been sadly taught all over the city, most notably Yorkville. At 1560 Bayview, the owners tried to make the units to the north, where Bayview Photo was once located, more accessible by building a ramp. It has to be said that this was not a success. The ramp, in two long lengths, is more like a barrier to the places of business below. Steps to the lower level are hidden away behind the ramp. There is a clue perhaps to a solution in the upper floors of the building, which are pretty well-leased. Many of the upper units, unlike the lower ones, are smaller and more versatile for service businesses. Does the downstairs space need to be subdivided? Should the emphasis be on service accommodation, rather than retail goods? Can the rents be modified? This is a large property company. It seems reasonable to say that some vacant space is not so serious to the owners of 1560 Baview as it might be to companies with a smaller portfolio. All of this said, we continue to believe that a useful purpose can be found for these empty units. But everyone has to care about the problem to make the solution occur.
Joggers paradise as temps head higher
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This day is some harbinger of Spring and a suitable weekend for us to move the clocks forward for another year. Good old Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 am. But the pay off will come tomorrow when temperatures are forecast to rise to at least eight degrees Celsius, a joy for everyone, especially the joggers. The Environment Canada forecast is even more optimistic. It calls for a high of 12 tomorrow. City of Toronto. Today..Mainly sunny. High 8. UV index 4 or moderate. Tonight..Clear. Increasing cloudiness before morning. Low plus 2. Sunday..Cloudy. Rain beginning late in the evening. High 12. Argo cheerleaders will grace Booster Juice launch
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The new Booster Juice outlet will open tomorrow (Saturday, March 9, 2013) in Leaside Village on Laird Drive. You can have a smoothie for breakfast if you want but the cheerleaders won’t show up until 11 a.m. and they’ll entertain until 1 pm. The first 40 customers will receive a Toronto Argonauts Silver Section Regular Season Game Ticket Voucher. Hours are 9 am. to 9 pm.
Make boys sit to urinate, says Swedish politician
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This is International Women’s Day and in Sweden the movement is alive and well. One politician (a man) feels there should be legislation to make boys urinate sitting down rather than standing. It would make things simpler in the washroom and keep the place cleaner, he says. He also feels it would be healthier for the boys, to which we have no comment. Also fueling debate in Sweden these days, where gender equality is a national goal, is a new word in the dictionary. It is hen. Hen is a neutral pronoun that, again, makes everything equal. Some Swedes feel that neutrality initiatives are being exaggerated. Not everyone agrees with hen says school director Lotta Rajalin: “They think we are going to change girls to boys and boys to girls and that’s of course not what we are doing. We like to give every human being the same rights, the same possibilities, the same responsibilities. And that is a question of democracy.”
Carden-Cunietti wins prestigious design award
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| Audrey Carden, Eleanora Cunietti |
Eleanora Cunietti is a Toronto girl who has made it big in London. The graduate of Branksome Hall and the Ontario College of Art and Design moved to the United Kingdom in the 1990s where her field, interior design, led her to a partnership with Audrey Carden. The team of Carden-Cunietti has become a virtual household name in British and European design and build circles. Now Carden-Cunietti has added the Home and Gardens Magazine award in design which recognizes British designers who have made a significant contribution to their field. The award was made March 7, 2013, at the British Museum. Audrey and Eleanora beat the fabulous Martin Hubert and Paolo Moschino to win the coveted award. Carden Cunietti is well known for its personal, hands on approach to each client’s needs and seeing all stages of each installation come to fruition. The breadth and depth of the company’s fame and acceptance is shown on its website where the partners note that they are now completing two large new build houses in Dublin and Herzelia. They are also working on projects in London, Dublin, Warsaw and Jersey.
Strange complaint against Mayor Ford
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There is an astonishing story from a former election opponent who says Mayor Ford molested her at a public function. She is Sarah Thompson, publisher of the Women’s Post who ran against Ford in 2010 for mayor but withdrew a few weeks before election day. She did not go to the police but rather posted her story on Facebook after she got home from the event early Friday morning. Ms. Thompson’s story, and her general credibility given the way she has complained, has been widely criticized. Mayor Ford has categorically denied he touched Ms Thompson. There is however no way of knowing what crossed between them at the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee party at Arcadian Court. Online polls are tending to show that a majority of people don’t believe the story. But either way the allegations cannot help Mayor Ford. His problem is that his judgement in many areas has been shown to be faulty. He may mean well at all times, but that is unfortunately not enough. This is especially the case when the number of instances become burdensome. The CFRB radio link has audio with both Ms. Thompson and Mark Twohey the mayor’s chief of staff. Story Newstalk 1010
Six in custody for Thistletown CI incident
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Police say they have six young men in custody tonight apparently in connection with the brazen invasion at a Toronto high school. Four masked and armed youths invaded a classroom at Thistletown Collegiate during the mid-afternoon. They brandished at least one weapon and stole cellphones from two girls. One girl had a gun held to her head. When another student fled the classroom he was chased and shot at. No one was injured. The four fled the scene in a stolen blue Toyota which has apparently been recovered in conjunction with the arrests.
Mayor Ford tears a strip off OCAP bed protest
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Mayor Ford says there are at least 100 empty beds most nights at Toronto shelters for street people and he doesn’t the sense in creating more. Mr. Ford said he found the activities of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) in demanding more beds to be “nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt.” Meantime, OCAP took its travelling protest to Metro Hall where as usual a sit-in began.
Will TDSB recruit parents for kids graduation?
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Toronto District School Board is apparently quite unclear about how to provide elementary kids with a graduation ceremony this year. Teachers are on a boycott of extra-curricular duties — either militantly or per force — and that leaves only the possibly of recruiting parents for the job. The school board also says that a staff member — teacher or other — has to be present for the ceremony for legal reasons. The board spokesman Ryan Bird is quoted in the Star as saying the board cannot guarantee there will be graduation ceremonies. Here in South Bayview its known that teachers range between “solidarity” union members to those who would much prefer to participate in these important rites of passage for children leaving elementary school.
Good old Stompin’ Tom Connors dead at age 77
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| Stompin Tom’s last letter and tributes |