Woman does $45,000 damage at Sporting Life

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There has been a case of malicious damage done to jackets at the Sporting Life store at 2665 Yonge Street (between Blythwood Rd. and Sheldrake Blvd.)  It happened in a period of barely five minutes yesterday shortly before and after1 p.m. when a woman entered the store. The Toronto Police Service report does not specify what she did to do an estimated $45,650 damage to jackets but it must have been done surreptitiously. She apparently got away and there is no description offered by the police. In such cases it has been known for individuals to use knives or razors to cut clothes as they hang on the racks. 

Lucky Erin is a poster girl for travel insurance

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If you saw Erin Langworthy go hurtling toward the Zambezi River and then watched her bungee cord break, it is safe to say you have not forgotten the sight. At New Year’s last year, the 22 year old Australian backpacker tumbled 111 meters from Victoria Falls bridge into the crocodile-infested Zambezi and lived to tell the story. Now Erin has become a very suitable face of Australia’s new campaign urging tourists to buy travel insurance. In two promotional videos for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s “Smartraveller” campaign, Erin narrates a postscript to her already well-known story — that she would have faced AU$50,000 (C$51,800) in medical bills in addition to her severe injuries had it not been for her travel insurance. Erin was accompanied by Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr at a media event kicking off the campaign, which began November 18. Her face and story will be featured on videos, postcards and social media channels. The ministry is also hosting a “Travel Tales” competition, which travelers with horror stories can enter to win AU$6,000 in travel insurance. 

HS cafeterias closing as kids flee to fast food joints

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Ontario’s new healthy food requirement for high schools is apparently driving kids out of the school cafeteria in droves. All across the province there are reports that cafeteria business has slumped and in some cases school dining rooms have closed down completely as students head for the local fast food joint. Under PPM 150, Ontario schools cannot stock candy, chocolate, energy drinks and most baked goods, like danishes and doughnuts. Soft drinks cannot be sold at elementary schools, and must contain less than 40 calories and be caffeine-free for sale in high schools. Further, school prepared dishes like veggie poutine, designed to somehow persuade teens they getting the real thing, have been a total flop. The inset poster was created by a Leaside High Schooler known as fenderbender and posted online last April. 

Canadians complain of cell phone “contract creep”

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Growing anger against 3-year cell phone contracts is hitting the federal regulator of telecommunications in Ottawa. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) asked for feedback from users on their cells and on how they are treated by the big telecoms. Overwhelmingly, Canadians have complained of what some might call contract-creep. First the contracts were 12 months, then 24 months and now a full  three years. These people say they are being “held hostage” by 36-month contracts. “Get rid of the 36 months contract!!!,” one Canadian shouted. All of this is a prelude to hearings the CRTC intends to hold in February to begin to develop a national code which might give consumers more protection,.

Prank call akin to tripping a blind man for fun

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It’s all a question of what you find funny. Many people think prank jokes like the one that led to the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha are roughly akin to tripping a blind man on the street. The present culture doesn’t mind setting up just any stranger (as opposed to an old buddy you’ve known for years) and making a fool of  that victim in public for fun. You tell us. We think it’s the worst reflection of the juvenile brain. Sadly, it occurs in countless juveniles who are over 30. Put the juvenile brain together with  a ruthless business interest and you get the Australian phone call to a vulnerable, conscientious nurse who could not bear the idea that she had let down her employers and patients. The radio station, 2Day, says there was no wrongdoing. Fine. It’s an effort to deflect lawsuits perhaps. But the court of public opinion has its own verdict — Ed.

South Bayview alerted to theft of high-end cars

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Toronto Police Service has issued a specific warning to residents of neighborhoods adjoining South Bayview  (in 53 Division) with regard to the night-time theft of expensive cars. This year, some 24 such cars have been stolen from homes in Toronto.  Police have video images of one suspect from a break-in the in the high-end Kingsway neighborhood of Etobicoke. These are apparently brazen break-ins which may occur when residents are at home. It hasn’t been said that any car thefts by these thieves have occurred locally but it seems certain that neighborhoods like York Mills, Lawrence Park, Leaside, Moore Park, Rosedale and others would be readily targeted by this ring. Police also remember the elaborate theft of Toyota Highlander vehicles from driveways in Leaside and area in recent years. As in that case, police believe the current stolen cars are probably being smuggled out of the country.

Bid for six homes on site of Glebe Presyterian

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Application has been made to build three sets of  two semi-detached town homes on the site of the Globe Presbyterian Church at 124 Belsize at De Savery Crescent.  The 1913 church has been for sale most of this year and is now sold. Sale price has not been made public but the listing price was $2,850,000. This limited information comes from the City’s website and reveals no plans or illustrations. The application does say that the homes will sit atop a common underground garage which will be accessed from Belsize Drive. Judging by the value of homes in the Glebe and with an added amenity like an underground garage, the value of each unit will be substantial. Profit to the builder would be very handsome as well if he paid only the listing price  This proposed project however may seem attractive to residents here and elsewhere considering the frequent attempts by developers to challenge zoning with multi-level towers.  Previous post

Nominations open for the Agnes Macphail Award

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Lorna Krawchuk has sent out mail reminding us of the deadline for nominations for the 2013 Agnes Macphail Award.  The award is open to residents of the former East York (which includes Bennington Heights, Leaside and Thorncliffe Park). The award is given for a commitment and contribution in what is described as   “social justice issues, contributor to community life in areas such as women’s rights, fairness to seniors and youth, criminal justice system and penal reform, international peace and disarmament, access to adequate housing, access to adequate health care or access to adequate education.”  The award will be presented on Agnes Macphail’s birthday which is Sunday, March 24, 2013. The Awards Ceremony will be held at the East York Civic Centre starting at 2:30 p.m. Agnes Macphail was the first woman MP in Canada in 1921 until her defeat in the 1940 General Election. Later she served as MPP for York East and lived at 2 Donegall Drive in Leaside. The nomination form and more detailed information about the event are found at this link.  Here are previous winners  (asterisk denotes deceased).
Alice Carriman 2012
 John Carter 2011 
 Bill Pashby 2010 
 Patricia Moore 2009
 Geoff Kettel 2008 
 Lorna Krawchuk 2007
 Shamsh Kara 2006 
 George Hurst 2005 
 Vi Thompson 2004 
 Dorothy Rivers-Moore 2003 
Bob Hart * 2002 
Grace Stephens 2001 
Audrey Tobias 2000 
Barbara Thompson 1999
Elisabeth and Robert Lister 1998
Ruth Goldhar 1997 
Marjorie Lewsey * 1996 
Eileen Morris Adams 1995 
J. Edna Beange 1994

Sandra Pupatello plays “the Toronto Card”

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Ontario Liberal leadership contender Sandra Pupatello played “the Toronto Card” Thursday as she addressed the Canadian Club. All the other candidates are too Toronto in their thinking and general interests to lead the party back to power, she said. That group would include Kathleen Wynne (Don Valley West) Glen Murray (Toronto Centre Rosedale) Eric Hoskins (St. Paul’s) Gerard Kennedy (not a member of the Legislature) and even Mississauga MPPs  Harinder Takhar and Charles Sousa.  “If you live in Toronto you probably don’t realize that there are 217 locations in rural Ontario that have mini-liquor stores inside the grocery store,” said Pupatello, referring to LCBO agency outlets. “There’s a big old province out there,” Pupatello said. The Liberals were almost wiped out in rural Ontario in the Oct. 6, 2011 election that cost McGuinty his two-term majority, resulting in an unwieldy minority government. Pupatello, a former MPP and cabinet member, currently lives in Windsor. 

Canada produces 59,000 new jobs in November

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Canada produced an unexpected 59,000 new jobs in November. The excellent performance came largely from a jump in full-time work. That  pushed the unemployment rate down 0.2 percentage points to 7.2 per cent, according to statistics released today. Statistics Canada says there were job gains in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. There was little change in the other provinces. Much of the job gains came from the private sector, because public-sector jobs and the number of self employed people were basically unchanged. CBC