Environment Canada issues special warning

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Environment Canada has issued a special weather warning that we may see as much as 50 mm of rain over the weekend. It is more likely we’ll receive something like 20 to 40 mm (as noted in the post below). In its long-term forecast, Environment Canada said 10 to 20 mm was expected for Toronto on Friday night and that seems about right. The rain started about 2 a.m.in South Bayview, It is said we’ll get another10 to 20 mm today. Fortunately, the drenching seem to be coming in stages, giving the sewers and land to dispose of the collections somewhat. The rainfall will be followed by cooler air and brisk winds late Saturday and Sunday, Environment Canada said. In Toronto, Saturday’s high will be 22 C, followed by a high of 20 C on Sunday.

Yikes! Airbus predicts jetliners will fly in flocks

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In a scene that will give some travellers the jitters, Airbus has said that one day “intelligent” passenger aircraft will cruise across oceans in low-drag, energy-saving formations, like flocks of geese. The idea stretches the imagination about the hoped-for energy saving and navigation of the Avionics of 2050.  That’s when Airbus says this type of travel could be the norm.  It will save fuel, apparently, and get more people to the destination together, as one media outlet put it. Oh really, say we. More people arriving together. That would be fun. And indeed, there’s nothing in the Airbus vision to explain how flocks of aircraft land on limited runways, dock, disembark and feed the baggage carousel without enormous delays.

Leaside alert for possible flooding this weekend

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According to a story produced by Newstalk 1010 the City’s Water Department is worried about the heavy rainfall predicted for this weekend.  Starting tonight and all through tomorrow, the Weather Channel is suggesting there might be as much as 40 mm on the ground. The General Manager of the Water Department, Lou Di Gironimo , told Newstalk 1010  that if the rain comes all at once, the City could be in trouble. He says the infrastructure just isn’t designed to handle that much rain in a short period of time. It doesn’t help that parts of the city saw record-setting rainfall on Tuesday. With the ground already saturated, there may be nowhere for this weekend’s rain to go. There are supposed to 32 spots where the City that traditionally has flooding. One would certainly be the Bayview Extension at Pottery road. But the Water Department says there are other spots around Leaside. Previously, there has been flooding on Moore Ave where it meets Southvale Rd.  The scene above is from Southvale at Astor Ave on June 1, 2012. 

NDP takes K-W denying Liberals a majority

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It appears that the NDP will win the riding of Kitchener-Waterloo by-election, defeating the Progressive Conservative and Liberal candidates with ease. Shortly after 10 pm. NDP candidate Catherine Fife had 7844 or more than 40 percent of the ballots cast. The win takes the K-W riding held by PC Elizabeth Witmer for years and denies a majority government to Dalton McGuinty. In Vaughan, Liberal Steven Del Luca breezed to victory. He had more than 50 percent of the votes with at least 207 of 304 polling stations reporting at 10.15 pm. Election Ontario updated results (Necessary to use drop-down menu to find either K-W or Vaughan riding results) 

Polls now closed in Vaughan, K-W by-elections

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The polls are now closed in the two by-elections in Ontario. Voters were allowed to enter polling stations until 9 p.m. The Liberals are expected to hold on to the Vaughan riding vacated by former finance minister Greg Sorbara. But the other by-election in Kitchener-Waterloo turned into a close three-way race for the seat held for 22 years by Progressive Conservative Elizabeth Witmer. Premier McGuinty engineered that by-election by appointing Witmer to a $188,000 a year job as chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Judge Hackland defers decision in Ford case

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Judge Charles Hackland, presiding in the Mayor Ford conflict matter has deferred his decision as to what will happen to Mr. Ford. Legislation provides for the mayor to be thrown out of office or receive a less serious rebuke. Judge Hackland gave no hint as to how he will decide. The hearing, which included a more than four hour cross-examination of the mayor by Clay Ruby, is now over.  

Peter Robinson at Sleuth on Sept 13, 2012

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The celebrated crime writer Peter Robinson will make a personal appearance on Thursday, September 13, 2012 between 6.30 and 8 p.m. at the Sleuth of Baker Street.  Dr. Robinson will be promoting his latest work, Watching the Dark. It features Robinson’s famous character Inspector Alan Banks.  The Sleuth of Baker Street is in the Millwood Mall at 907 Millwood Rd. at Sutherland Ave. (416) 483-3111.  Dr. Robinson lives in Toronto and has an interesting history. He was born in England in 1950 and emigrated to Canada in 1974. He took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University in Toronto. He is best known for the Inspector Banks series which is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. His work has been translated into fifteen languages.

Horses were loose in Sunnybrook Park

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Undated picture — Sunnybrook Stables

Toronto police officers entered Sunnybrook Park Tuesday to round up several horses on the loose. According to 680 News, from whom this report is taken, a passerby called at around 5:15 a.m. to say he spotted about 20 horses running free in the park. Sunnybrook is home to Sunnybrook Stables Limited, a full scale riding school with stables and other facilities. Apparently some horses had escaped from their paddock in the park and decided to go for a run. 680 News said that a few had wandered up to the cricket field where staff assisted officers in herding them all back into the paddock. There has been horse stables at this location since well before Sunnybrook was a City park. The Stables website tells the history, which is fairly well known locally but still of interest. It was the location of a country estate owned by Joseph Kilgour, an accomplished horseman. Sunnybrook Stables Limited