Flashback to railway lands on August 31, 2010

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Two years ago flocks of Canada Geese ruled the land which is now the Leaside Village shopping centre. These pictures were taken August 31, 2010 and show the familiar but now gone hoardings that hid the property for so long. Behind the fences and posters hundreds of Canada Geese found a nice hiding place from the busy City. On the west side of Laird Drive not much has changed. Olde Yorke Fish and Chips is still there, sitting pretty in a commercially improved spot

Canada, U-K to open joint missions abroad

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The CBC says it has learned that Canada and the United Kingdom will open joint  U.K.-Canadian diplomatic missions abroad. The countries have agreed that the cost effectiveness of such outposts, presumably in fairly low-level places, will help broaden the reach of each country’s foreign activities, save money on the cost of real estate and make security planning easier. 

Citizens lift, push car off boy on Thorncliffe

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Citizens lifted and then pushed a car away from a 9-year-old boy who was trapped under the vehicle on Thorncliffe Park Drive this afternoon. The lad  apparently ran out from in front of a parked bus and was struck by the car, which was driven by an elderly women. The images above are taken from a video recorded from a balcony and given to the CBC. A witness told the CBC  “‘They put it on neutral, they lifted it up and they pushed it backwards.  He was bleeding from his back. He was like crumpled up. His condition was really bad.”  The boy was taken to the Hospital for Sick Children where he is in serious condition. The images show, upper left, young men straining to lift the car. Upper right, they roll it back off the boy. Lower left, helpers gather around the boy, now out from under the car. And lower right, two police arrive. 

60 Bennington Heights slated for demolition

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Tuscan Homes is busy again at 60 Bennington Heights Drive where a nice storey and a half home will be demolished to make way for a new two-storey dwelling. Any lot in Bennington Heights is worth a look but this one seems huge. It extends from a corner in the street on the east, westward to the next property. You can see from the picture that the garden is very large. This Google image shows  the home to a better advantage than its present state, with shrubs and grass growing wild. It sold this year for $1,315,000. 

All quiet on local teacher/extra-curricular front

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If there’s trouble bubbling under the surface at the local public schools over extra-curricular activities, it has yet to make its way to the surface. All over Ontario both high school teachers and elementary teachers have been vowing to take a pass on participating in extra-curriculars. Yesterday, however, teachers at Riverdale High School said they will “return to normal” around such unpaid work because their union isn’t asking them to take such a “pause.”   This decision may be temporary as the Secondary Teacher’s Federation prepares for a strike vote later this Fall which may take the teachers out altogether. At the elementary level, with young kids, it’s even more complicated. The Elementary Teachers want  members to refrain from extra work. It’s causing a lot of heartache across Ontario as parents try to fill the void. They are running up against teacher ill-will and legal rigmarole around insurance needed to supervise kids while on school property. A group of parents in the Beach has gone off school property to conduct running activities along the boardwalk, Locally, there’s little evidence of difficulty. At Maurice Cody Junior Public School,  new principal Andrew Howard issued a welcome back letter which makes no mention of any disruptions whatsoever.

Air Canada will hire 900 for new line by 2013

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Air Canada says it will hire more than 900 new employees over the next 12 months, partly in preparation for the launch of its low cost carrier that is expected to begin operations in 2013. In addition to 160 new customer service call-center agents hired this year, Air Canada said it is also hiring an additional 60 agents in the coming months for its call centers in Montreal and Toronto. The country’s largest carrier also said it is hiring roughly 400 flight attendants for its main airline, along with another with another 150 flight attendants and 50 pilots for its new low cost airline.

Perfect Bayview day for personality spotting

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It was a day among days on South Bayview and the personality spotter was on duty. The weather was just extraordinary. We found Michael, the bard of Horticultural Design  back on the street. He re–opened last Friday. Nice to see him again. Enjoying the patio of Verdi was celebrated  historian, academic and Member of the Order of Canada Michael Bliss. 

Future of Town Centre seems to hang on Target

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With word that the Beer Store in the East York Town Centre will close September 22, 2012, there is additional focus on the future of the venerable mall. It is owned by Morguard Investments Limited, a huge company with something like 54 million square feet of space across Canada and in the U.S. southeast. The space is split variously between commercial (like the Town Centre) office and industrial  As we noted in a previous post, there are vacancies (inset above) and much hope will hang on the ability of the new Target store to bring additional customers. Above, the symbolized Target Loves Canada message covering what will be an indoor entrance to the new store.   

TTC shut out of Eglinton LRT by Queen’s Park

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Stunned is hardly the word for it. The provincial agency known as Metrolinx has decided that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will be built, maintained and operated by a private agency and not the TTC. For the first time in 90 years the city will not have control of a transit line inside its borders. We have known for many months that there has been a nasty little behind-the-scenes struggle about just who will make the decisions for the LRT construction. But whoever thought that Queen’s Park would  tell Canada’s largest City to just buzz off. Liberals to TO: Drop Dead.  This is the town that was given the right to function practically as a separate province under the City of Toronto Act, passed by the Liberals. Too much infighting at City Hall?  Past TTC administrations have slipped the leash in a way that brought disaster. Is this the result of the TTC’s out-of-control and quite mad boondoggle on St. Clair Avenue a couple of years ago?  Next: A naming contest for the LRT, We can see MUD emblazoned on  the new LRT cars. (McGuinty Underground. Department).  Or, GLT  (Get Lost Toronto). Send your suggestions.   

Beer Store opens Monday in the Leaside Village

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The new Beer Store (Brewers Retail) will open next Monday in Leaside Village at Laird Drive and Esandar Road The store is a plus for Leaside village but a minus for East York Town Centre on Overlea Blvd. which will see the present Beer Store there close. The Town Centre is struggling for tenants and its owners, Morguard Investments, must be placing a lot of hope in the Target store which is now under renovation in the old Zeller’s location.  Meanwhile, correspondent Rudy L. has posted some pictures of beer being unloaded over at Leaside Village.