NHL lockout knocked the hops out of beer sales

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Molson Coors tells the CBC that said it could take months for the brewer’s sales and profits to fully recover from the NHL lockout. “The impact that it had in the second half of last year is permanent,” CEO Peter Swinburn said Thursday after the company reported its year-end results. Sales to retail fell 13 per cent, or seven per cent excluding an extra week of activity in the 2011 period, citing hockey and higher taxes in Quebec as the key factors. Molson Coor’s Canadian market share declined one share point on an estimated industry volume decline of five per cent, excluding the extra week of business in 2011. Funny, we were worried about the future of hockey.  CBC.ca  

“Top of Toronto” break-ins warning from TPS

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Toronto Police are warning residents neighborhoods north of Lawrence Ave. about a series of break-ins in recent weeks. They say that homes have been broken into in the area of Bathurst Street to the west, Bayview Avenue to the east, Lawrence Avenue to the south and Highway 401 to the north.  The suspects have been gaining entry through the rear of homes and looting the place of small electronics like laptops and tablets. Residents are reminded to secure window and doors. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-3206, or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477). And although this police warning draws a line along Lawrence Ave., it’s easy to imagine that these criminals could easily find targets to the south of that street. 

Violating the Traffic Stops for Dummies Manual

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Events today in Florida have made this morning’s excitment about a so-called International Driving Permit quite inconsequential. It seems the state was rather intimidated by the media blitz over this document which was said to permit the translation of licenses into ten languages. They now say this would somehow violate the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (of all things). Actually, it would violate the Traffic Stops for Dummies Manual too because Canadian licenses are published in English and Florida police speak — duh — English. 

RioCan set to buy 1860 Bayview at Broadway

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The large Canadian commercial real estate owner and manager RioCan has announced this morning that it has “waived conditions pursuant to a purchase and sale agreement” for 1860 Bayview Ave. at Broadway Ave.  This is the old Brennan’s Pontiac site which is now being developed by Kingsett and Trinity Devleopments as a commercial site anchored by Whole Foods grocery store. The release says that RioCan, which owns both the Sunnybrook Plaza and the Leaside Centre on Laird Drive, will be acquiring the completed site at 1860 Bayview on a forward purchase basis at an expected purchase price of $58 million. The Whole foods store is said to be planned at 50,220 square feet.

“International” permit required to drive in Florida

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This post has been updated — see above. A new law has come into effect in Florida which requires Canadians to have an what is known as an International Driving Permit to drive in that state. You have to buy it Canada at the CAA and although the Florida government is all very sorry about the inconvenience to its Canadian friends, you have got to have it. It comes as a large case of “Who Knew” to millions of snow birds but the legislation was effective in Florida on Jan. 1, 2013. The document apparently permits an easy translation of the license into ten languages. The CAA says it will try to get the state to suspend the rule for Canadians which would seem to be a no-brainer because the common language is English. The CAA is urging drivers to get the permit if they are heading to Florida for the March Break.

Concierge condom service leads the 4-pack flicks

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Time once again for the South Bayview Bulldog’s eclectic four-pack pick of video flicks. We begin with sex (but not much) and the tale of New York University student Kyle McCabe and his concierge condom service. Heading clockwise, an update on the Princess Triumph cruise ship which is now heading back to port with many of the washrooms out of service after an engine room fire. The company says things are not as bad as the media is making out  but it looks like another case of cruise ship megolomania — the ship is carriyng 4,000 souls. Bottom right is an exquisitely beautiful look back to this month’s Vienna Philharmonic Ball, part of the Vienna Carnival. Lush Life on the Danube. And finally, this is what happens when eggs meet art. The result is an entertaining fundraising event in the British capital.  Videos Page

Upload transit, highways to Metrolinx: Hudak

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Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak says he is all for building subways in Toronto but he doesn’t see being able to pay for it until the Ontario Government is made much more efficient. Speaking at the Toronto Board of Trade today, Mr. Hudak said Toronto taxpayers should not asked to pay new fees or taxes for subway and highways until waste in the system is eliminated. The PC leader also said: “The first step in financing these projects is to root out the waste in government, strive to find efficiencies and savings in every facet of government.”  Premier Kathleen Wynne has called for a conversation about revenue tools to pay for new transit. Congestion fees, a regional sales tax and road tolls have all been suggested. Hudak said that conversation is premature because the current system needs fixing. First, says Hudak, the provincial government needs to upload subways and LRTs, and then regional highways including the Don Valley Parkway to Metrolinx, the provincial body charged with planning transit. 

Solar cell at Sandy Bruce Park monitors water

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Toronto Hydro has installed a wireless and solar-operated Data Collection Centre in Sandy Bruce Park on Moore Avenue at the top of Pottery Road. The DCC contains a cell phone which receives data on water usage from the smart metre in your basement and then re-sends it to Toronto Hydro. The DCC on Moore Ave collects data from homes all over South Bayview to a radius of approximately 2 kilometres of its location. There are some 300 such DCC in Toronto and this is  said to be the only community in Canada using this wireless method of delivery for water data. 

Grab bag of ideas for the LRT at the Don Valley

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Linked below is a Toronto Star story by Tess Kalinowski which contains a grab bag of ideas from various people on how to configure the Scarborough LRT. The ever-present Geoff Kettel of the Leaside Property Owners Association is quite upset about the decision to eliminate Leslie station.  Among other things Mr. Kettel floated with Ms. Kalinowski the idea of a viaduct across the Don Valley on Eglinton. Presumably a station for Leslie would be built at viaduct grade level and passengers would somehow find their way down to the ground. Whatever. You may well guess  that residents of the flossy units in the Scenic on Eglinton complex would not like the idea of looking out their windows at a viaduct. Also quoted in the story is Ward 26 Councillor John Parker who allowed it was a blue-sky thought that if the LRT were in fact a subway between Black Creek and Don Mills, the much-hoped for Downtown Relief Line could connect directly into it. The idea is appealing but of course the new Stintz-inspired  TTC executive wants nothing to do with a subway on Eglinton. Pity. This is an important issue for the community but it is equally true that the elimination of the Leslie Street station will not trouble the vast majority of residents in the area. That’s our guess, at any rate. And Metrolinx has a powerful argument when it says the station would have been among the most expensive to build but lightly-used on the line. Tess Kalinowski

South Bayview power brokers in Wynne cabinet

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L to R Premier Wynne, Dr Eric Hoskins, Mr Glen Murray and Mr. Michael Coteau
Premier Wynne’s new cabinet features three MPPs from her home turf of South Bayivew. She represents Don Valley West.  Her colleagues and convention supporters Eric Hoskins (St. Paul’s) Glen Murray (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) and Michael Coteau  (Don Valley East) join Wynne in cabinet. L to R, Dr Hoskins holds economic development trade and employment, Mr. Murray, infrastructure and transportation and Mr. Coteau, citizenship  and immigration, The new Premier has built a cabinet that is slightly larger than the McGuinty cabinet. The full list is here.