Seniors home evacuated over CO fears

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A seniors home at Barberry Place near Bayview and Sheppard Avenue East was evacuated Sunday morning after high carbon monoxide readings. The Hazmat team ushered residents to an area of the building that had a zero reading while they searched for the source. They later discovered the cause — a burnt out motor on the roof that pumps air into the stairwells. Some seniors were treated by EMS with oxygen. Residents in affected units were relocated to parts of the building with a zero reading while officials vented the area.

Long-time Chick n Deli is now Seven44 on Mt Pleasant Rd

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Remember him?
The standby chicken and jazz place on Mt Pleasant known for decades as the Chick n Deli has changed names again. For a while there it was Peoples Chicken. Now new signage announces that the restaurant is called  SEVEN44  It’s an easy guess that this number is the address of the place and is well known to the timeless Chicken (Rooster?) who has been hanging out on the roof since the beginning of chicken time, which is measured in eggs, not hours  (Who writes this silly stuff?)

Half a house is smarter than none on Sutherland

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So here we are on lovely Sutherland Drive north of Parklea Drive where 399 has gone from a whole house (left) to half a house. No doubt we are well on the way to a larger residence with the northerly wall still where it was when the home was built so many years ago. It will be interesting to see where the parking is when the new wider place is finished.  

Deb Matthews endorses Kathleen Wynne

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Don Valley West MPP Kathleen Wynne has gained the endorsement of Health Minister Deb Matthews in her campaign to become leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario.  In a news release, Matthews heaped praise on Wynne.. “Kathleen listens and takes a collaborative approach to tackling tough challenges. She is ready to be Premier on day one.” Wynne’s campaign team posted a YouTube video with a personal endorsement from the Health Minister.

New after-school tutoring centre at St. Cuthbert’s

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The HEART Learning Centre has taken space at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church at 1399 Bayview and spokesperson there Angela Del Bianco says they hope to stay a good long while. HEART Learning Centre is an enriched after-school program that is designed for students ages of 4-11. They provide homework support and are open from Tuesday to Thursday from 3  to 6 pm. Their number is  (647) 882-5344

Promoting health or just pinkwashing business

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It’s hard not to have been exposed to the happy girl singing about 5-Hour Energy Pink Lemonade (left). By itself, it’s a pleasant little guitar tune with vocal. But it is also an ad for a so-called energy drink and an example of how business (in this case Avon Corp.) uses the pink ribbon campaign to make money.  Women who are upset about this commercialization express themselves in the video at the right, made by Pink Ribbons Inc. Their concerns are frequently quite bitter. Where does the moral high ground lie in all of this? Comments on the web state resentment but they also point out that a few years ago nobody talked about breast cancer. Sure, Avon was only guaranteeing to give a measly $75,000, but overall, the exploitation of the pink ribbon has raised millions for cancer research. Feel free to leave a comment.

Council doesn’t need Rob Ford to mess up

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If you are able (or care to) get past the Globe and Mail’s paywall you might find Marcus Gee’s column today informative.  It is headlined A  circus in Toronto that’s too sad to be funny.  What is interesting in Gee’s take is that, yes, the Mayor is a source of silly bombast and a catalyst for confusion, but that the whole Council is shamefully indecisive and uncaring. They don’t need Rob Ford to mess up.  Council has, as Gee said, spent a year fussing about whether to keep three elephants at the zoo here in Toronto or to ship them somewhere. They have decided, against the advice of staff incidentally, to send the animals to California. Poor elephants. You may need no prompting to recall the plastic bag follies. Marcus Gee

Carroll calls mayor “evil”, vows to run against him

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Ward 33 Councillor Shelley Carroll calls Mayor Ford’s behaviour “evil” and vows to run against him if a byelection is necessary to name a mayor. Ms Carroll, representative of the Don Valley East constituency, made her declaration Friday morning after a shouting-match of a council meeting on Thursday evening. Published reports say that the Mayor, and his brother Doug, made accusations against Councillor Adam Vaughan and, as reported in InsideToronto.com,  Doug Ford made a move which Councillor Carroll considered physically threatening. Does Shelley Carroll worry the Fords?

Now judge says Mayor Ford can run in byelection

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Lawyers for both Mayor Ford and his accusers got on the phone this morning with Mr. Justice Charles Hackland to get it straight from the judge as to just what he intended to say about the mayor’s options.  It seemed clear in the judgement handed down last Monday that the mayor would not be allowed to run before the next general election in November 2014.  But this morning this has been clarified.  The way is now clear for Mr Ford to run if the City decides to hold a byelection. That seems likely. But Mr. Ford is also appealing the judge’s decision in the conflict of interest case in a motion expected to be heard next week. If a superior court rules in the mayor’s favour, the issue goes away and Mr. Ford will resume his position as mayor. Stay tuned.