Power back on for most Toronto homes

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This afternoon brought blessed relief for families in the  southeastern Toronto neighborhood of Leslieville where everyone had been wearing winter clothes indoors. Power was off for some 12 hours in frigid temperatures. Late today, Toronto Hydro said that it had restored power to all but a few customers. They were working furiously into the night to get those homes back on line. Across the city, last night’s howling winds blew away garbage cans and paper boxes, knocked down electrical wires and brought down a few big trees. One of them blocked traffic on Rosedale Valley Rd all day (inset upper). On Blythwood Road (inset lower) Toronto urban forestry crews were summoned to get rid of a lofty Spruce tree. They stripped its boughs and then cut down the trunk.  Toronto Hydro tweeted that its crews “continue with power restoration efforts to last 100 customers who remain without power.” 

Barbara Walters falls, hospitalized

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Barbara Walters has taken a fall during a visit to the British embassy in Washington. The 83-year-old television celebrity has been hospitalized  after cutting her forehead in a fall. She is in the U.S. capital to attend tomorrow’s inauguration. Sources said her hospital stay is precautionary. She underwent tests and  observation but is expected to be released shortly. 

Lincoln Electric 102 years humming on Wicksteed

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With the arrival of the Canadian Motorsport Expo next month, focus has again centred on one of that show’s most important exhibitors, Lincoln Electric. This leader in industrial electrical work and welding is a century resident of Leaside’s industrial east side, still at 179 Wicksteed Ave since it opened in 1911. Lincoln is being called the welding repair shop that is chosen almost exclusively by car builders and racers. Inside Track Motorsport News notes that Lincoln Electric introduced the world’s first variable voltage, single operator, portable welding machine. And over the years the company has progressed through the many changes in welding to the most advanced laser-welding technology. The motor sports show begins February 8, 2013 at the International Centre. 

Merton St real estate broker has accounts frozen

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The Ontario’s real estate regulator has frozen the bank accounts of  the specialized  boutique brokerage firm Graydon Hill Realty Ltd. at 123 Merton St. between Yonge and Mt Pleasant.  It’s reported that the regulator found what it called irregularities. The Real Estate Council of Ontario has been quoted as saying that its chief executive officer Tom Wright had issued the freeze order to protect consumers following an inspection which uncovered the irregularities in the accounts. No other details were released.  The firm  does business in the wealthy Forest Hill and Moore Park areas of central Toronto.  It employs about 30 people.

South Bayview dodges power blackouts

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South Bayview seems to have escaped power outages following overnight wind that blacked out many parts of the city. Around town, Rosedale Valley Road is closed as noon approaches as a result of fallen trees.  Elsewhere, there is a large blockage of traffic on Spadina near the Lakeshore where northbound lanes are closed for repairs and southbound lanes are limited. CTV

Keep score of Leafs game secret pleads spaceman

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Nice summary of the return of hockey excitement to Canada from  the CBC. High points include the return of the Vancouver Canucks “Green Men” and the picture inset which was tweeted from space by Astronaut Chris Hadfield  He shared a photograph of our town calling it “home of my favourite team, the Maple Leafs,” he wrote “as seen from the International Space Station.”  He also had a request for NHL fans: “I won’t get to see the Leafs-Habs game on the Space Station until it’s sent up to me tomorrow,” he wrote. “Can you keep the score a secret?”  CBC

Sporadic delivery of flu shots to local drugstores

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Some pharmacies across South Bayview are out of flu  vaccine, but the shortage is expected to be brief. Because demand for the shot is so high, based on the flood of late-comers responding to this year’s epidemic, delivery of the flu shot has become slightly sporadic in Toronto. There is plenty of the vaccine in stock but in some cases, it can’t be shipped fast enough to keep up with local demand. This sign at the Pharma Plus on Moore  Ave near Bayview Ave. is up today. The drugstore expects to have more of the flu shot allocation very soon but this week’s supply didn’t arrive. 

Outraged reader wants $20 bills sent to him

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Sean Blaney, a New Brunswick botanist,  has a view of the Norwegian maple tree as a kind of interloper. It’s a strain of Maple that came here in the 18th Century and  “really shouldn’t be in Canada.”  Right Sean. You can see that if you start where Sean is at, it really is a scandal that the Norwegian Maple leaf appears to have found its way onto the new polymer Canadian $20 bill.  The image here shows the Norwegian leaf on the left and the Canadian Sugar Maple leaf on the right. The Sugar Maple is the one on our national flag. How upset any of us should be about this is debatable. A lot of our relatives sneaked into pre-Canada in the 18th century. A comment in response to this story is enlightening:  “This is outrageous,” say the reader. “I will soon be putting up a post office box address where you can send me all of these insulting $20 bills that you might have in your possession so that I can perhaps take a truckload of them to Ottawa to represent our collective anger to Parliament. I may even demand to speak to the Prime Minister or the Governor General about this.”

180 Laird Drive sold for “well over list price”

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The old CIBC branch at 180 Laird Dr. (at McRae Dr.) has been sold after about three months on the market. It was listed at $1.9 million but a source at the listing firm CBRE Group Inc. said it sold for well over that amount. As is expected in such maters, there is secrecy around who purchased this interesting place, right at a choice corner in Leaside.  That information will be available after the transaction is reported to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and that should be by February 1, 2013. Then we will ask how the location is to be used. As previously posted in October, 180 Laird is a two a storey building dating perhaps from the 1930s. It has 18-odd parking spaces. There are about  3,000 square feet downstairs and  2,000 square feet upstairs. It is across the street from the SmartCentre. Planners have noted that if this building were removed it would permit a much smoother flow of traffic through the Laird, McRae, Wicksteed intersection. Over the front door the property comes with a very nice coat of arms in concrete of the now defunct Imperial Bank of Canada.   Imperial and the Canadian Bank of Commerce merged in 1960. Incidental to the agent, CBRE Group, Inc. is a Fortune 500 and SP 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles. It is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm (in terms of 2011 revenue). The company has approximately 34,000 employees (excluding affiliates) and serves real estate owners, investors and tenants/lessees through more than 300 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. In past times, the initials in its name have stood for Coldwell and Richard Ellis but it is unclear if they have any official relation to the name today. With Wikipedia

CRA ends mailing paper tax forms this year

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The Canada Revenue Agency has ceased mailing  individual income-tax returns because more than a million of such mailed and printed packages went unused last year. And of course it costs four times more to process a paper return than an electronic one. If you still want paper you can find the printed copy of the tax guide and T1 return at the local post office or a Service Canada office beginning sometime in February.

Armstrong says it didn’t feel wrong to cheat

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Lance Armstrong has admitted he doped to win the Tour de France Cycling Championship and he has told Oprah Winfrey that he didn’t really feel bad about.it.  “At the time it did not feel wrong?” Winfrey asked. No,” Armstrong replied. “Scary.” “Did you feel bad about it?” she pressed him. “No,” he said. “Even scarier.”  “Did you feel in any way that you were cheating?” “No,” Armstrong paused. “Scariest.” CBC

TDSB acting chair, Donna Quan, to speak Friday

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Donna Quan

Donna Quan, a quiet and diligent member of the Toronto and District School Board, has been appointed acting chair of the board.  She will also be in the running for chair as a search committee is formed to find the permanent chair.  Unlike her extroverted predecessor, Chris Spence, Ms Quan has worked behind the scenes during her 30-year education career. Mr. Spence resigned in the wake of a scandal in which he admitted using unattributed material found in the New York Times in an article for the Toronto Star. Those who know Ms.  Quan say she is fully able to rebuild the board following the disruption caused by the Spence scandal. Quoted in the Star, Lloyd McKell, a retired member of the board, said Quan will do a fine job of “steering the ship through these troubled times.”  Ms. Quan will speak at a news conference Friday morning at board headquarters.