Posters warn that gasoline theft is a crime

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Posters  from Crime Stoppers

Police have announced a new poster campaign to raise awareness among consumers and retailers about the dangers of gas theft. Three  posters have been created for retailers to display at fuel pumps across Toronto. They feature mug shots of fictional gas theft suspects to remind the public that stealing gas is a crime. “Stealing gas is a crime – nothing less – and puts retailers and consumers at risk,” says Sean Sportun of Toronto Crime Stoppers in a press release. “We’ve spent the last few months working with our partner-associations to bring this campaign to light. We take safety at the pumps very seriously.” The announcement comes roughly a month after a man died as a result of a “gas and dash” in Toronto. Thirty-nine year-old Max Edwin Tutiven is sought in connection with that theft and the killing of 44-year-old Jayesh Prajapati, the gas attendant who was hit as he tried to intervene. “While this crime has brought the problem of gas theft to the forefront, we hope our campaign will make people inclined to steal gas think again, and encourage law-abiding consumers to be alert and provide information that will help police bring gas thieves to justice,” Sportun said in a press release. 

Loblaws to elminate 700 office jobs in Brampton

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Loblaws has announced that it will cut some 700 office jobs in its Brampton headquarters.  The action appears to be a response to ever increasing competition in the grocery business. President Vincente Trius delivered the news to employees this morning. The company expects to take a one-time estimated $60 million charge in the fourth quarter as a result.

Two girls rob a 16-year-old boy in TTC station

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Toronto Police Service report: : A 16 year old male reports that on October 12, 2012 at approximately 1510 hours, he was at a TTC subway station in the area of Broadview Avenue and Danforth Avenue when he was approached by a female suspect. The suspect grabbed the victim’s cellular phone from his person. The victim gave chase and the suspect punched the victim in the face before handing the phone over to a second female suspect. The suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the victim.

Noisy night for dog-walking in South Bayview

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It was a noisy night for dog-walking in South Bayview last night. A fire call to Cheltenham Ave near Dinnick Cres and St. Ives Cres and another to Balliol Street had the sirens singing as midnight approached  Nothing serious as the first call was a natural gas leak that was contained and the second was an apartment building fire alarm misfire.

McGuinty resigns as premier, stays on as MPP

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Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced that he will resign as premier as soon as the party picks a new leader. Mr. McGuinty surprised the province with his dinner-time announcement, a fitting finale for a man renowned as a cagey political operator. Sixteen years into his    stewardship of the party, and after nine years of running Canada’s largest province, it seems necessary in retrospect that McGuinty should go. Besieged by scandal and unable to muster enough support in the house to push through his austerity budget, it was the only way out.  McGuinty prorogued the Legislature, suspending everything, and bought time for his party to get a new leader and make a new plan.  In the scrum following his address to Caucus, McGuinty refused to rule out the possibility he might try for leadership of the federal Liberals. The most he would say is that he has no plans. Many will say “”Premier Dad” was paternalistic and full of populist blarney.  But his frequently corny reasoning seemed to work for him. His announcement of the creation of Family Day was accompanied by a syrupy sermon on his regret that he had not spent more time with his father. In recent years, the financial scandals struck at the heart of public confidence. Desperate to hold power in last year’s election, McGuinty executed the crass decision to cancel the half finished gas fuelled electric generating plants at Oakville and Mississauga. The National Post tonight has called this naked political fix “the mistake that he couldn’t awww shucks away”.  No doubt the premier knew he could not hope to lead the party back to majority government. For conservatives, Mr. McGuinty never looked better than when he began, late in his term, to tackle the province’s enormous debt.  Now that thankless task will fall to a new leader and the province can only hope that he or she has the will to do the right thing for Ontario. South Bayview Bulldog
ALSO
Will McGuinty jump to the federal Liberal leadership contest?
After nine years, McGuinty made a mistake he couldn’t aww-shucks away

Malala to get “specialized care” in Britain

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A Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for the right to go to school has arrived in the UK. Malala Yousafzai, 14, was flown to Birmingham airport and will be taken to the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she will receive specialist “prolonged care” to help her recover. The teenager was shot on a bus in front of her friends last Tuesday in what Foreign Secretary William Hague described as a “barbaric attack”. Her life was saved by neurosurgeons in a Pakistani military hospital and she has since been in intensive care. But doctors decided she needed “prolonged care” to help her recover from the physical and psychological effects of the attack. Mr Hague said: “Malala’s bravery in standing up for the right of all young girls in Pakistan to an education is an example to us all. Malala will now receive specialist medical care in an National Health Service hospital. Our thoughts remain with Malala and her family at this difficult time.” Sky News

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Runners brave wet weather to go the distance

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Marathon runners were not deterred by a rainy start to the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon on Sunday. An estimated 24,000 hardy souls participated in the marathon, half marathon and 5k endurance runs. A New Zealand woman, Mary Davies was the winner of the women’s event. In the men’s marathon, the winner was Betona Waerga of Ethiopia. The remarkable 101-year-old Fauja Singh (inset) finished in the 5k run. He said he intends to keep running until he can’t. Good attitude.   A Canadian woman, Krista DuChene finished third in the women’s division. The bank-sponsored marathon raises money for some 170 charities and gives $20,000 for first place finishers, $12,000 for second and $10,000 for third.

Starbarks told to get rid of lookalike name, logo

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Now you can add to the many businesses whose name is similar to  Starbucks a dog care center calling itself Starbarks. It’s in Illinois and the logo adopted by Starbarks has prompted a lawsuit from the coffee company. In April, just a month after Starbarks grand opening, it received a cease and desist letter from Starbucks, demanding the owners alter all similar aspects of their business – name, logo and color – or face legal action. In a somewhat feeble response the owner said, “We have a dog business – I think it’s a catchy name because for our place, it means the stars are the dogs – that’s all I meant by it.”

William and Maeva are dance winners again

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This is a highly entertaining video of competitors at the International Lindy Hop Championship this summer in Arlington, Virginia. It runs slightly more than 11 minutes and contains several appearances by a young French couple, William Mauvais and Maeva Truntzer, who came in first. They begin the dancing seen here (Maeva is in the pink sneakers) and set the pace for a lively review by all the competitors. Their website reports that William and Maéva are from the south of France. They met on the dance floors where they were competing when they were only 14 years old. William and Maeva have been crowned Boogie Woogie World Champions four times (2005, 2008, 2009, and 2010). Readers may remember video shown here of  the William and Maeva Boogie Woogie. The couple decided to turn their professional dancing career to the Lindy Hop in 2011. But they have not put aside their favourite style completely. 

Christ Church Deer Park Rummage Sale

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Assistant curate Julie Meakin (left) and rummage sale director Maxine Henry are seen at the annual Christ Church Deer Park rummage sale which took place Saturday at the church, Yonge and Heath Streets. The sale is nearly 60 years old and this year saw a great turnout for the many rooms full of  winter clothing, coats, sweaters, linens, kitchenware and costume jewellery.  The sale was once again greatly in the debt of the many volunteer parishioners who help run the sale.