The South Bayview Bulldog

A pop-up store has moved into the former Surf Paradise location downstairs on Bayview just north of Belsize. A pop-up has become  a more and more popular way  to grab some publicity (like Target) or as in this case, unload out of season goods. The Sign Pop-Up Blowout is moving out winter coats and other cool weather wear. Seems to be getting lots of interest. It is apparently all over at Easter. Check out the rack of brightly coloured toques for $5 each just outside the front door. 

South Bayview area native Martha McCabe will be swimming for Canada at the London Olympics this July. She is part of a 31-member swim team who have booked their tickets to fly. As reported by Norm Nelson in InsideToronto, Martha, 22, pre-qualified by virtue of her bronze medal at last year’s world championships in the 200m breaststroke — one of only four medals picked up by the Canadian contingent. Martha now lives in Vancouver where she trains with the B.C. Dolphins team . InsideToronto. Previous story from The South Bayview Bulldog.

Among the many road projects scheduled for this summer is the rehabilitation of the Mt. Pleasant Bridge over Rosedale Valley Road. This is the overpass just south of Branksome Hall and north of Bloor Street. The Works Department has no estimate of the time required for this job but it will be extensive. The challenge of finding alternative routes doesn’t seem too rewarding either.

The new trash cans created by Astral Media a couple of years ago seem to have given a whole new meaning to the term Garbage Can. Once again the foot pedal on one of these slick looking cans along Bayview has snapped off. The public is left to push open the filthy flaps to dispose of litter  just as they’ve been dong since trash cans with doors were invented. This is the second recorded case of the Astral can coming apart on South Bayview. Wonder what the city-wide record is like? 

Drivers swamped service stations along South Bayview and across the area this afternoon in response to fears that gas prices will rise as much as 4.5 cents a litre overnight. At the Esso station at 1840 Bayview (above) cars were lined up into both Bayview and Broadway Ave. as drivers waited to get into the station. Motorists were both backing up and wheeling desperately to get their cars into position with the filling pumps. The reason for the increase? According to information published by the CBC, gas prices usually rise in the spring as refineries shut down to convert from producing diesel to gasoline as the summer driving and vacation months approach. But this year, a shutdown of four refineries in Pennsylvania as well as five more in Europe has severely cut North American supplies. The price hikes could also be due to a confluence of other factors, mostly geopolitical events outside of Canada’s borders as domestic prices tend to follow those in the U.S. closely. The reasons for the rising price of gasoline vary — ranging from higher crude prices on the back of a falling U.S. dollar to refinery supplies, seasonal demand and Middle Eastern political instability. Speculation in wholesale markets can also be a factor. The threat of oil shortages as a result of a potential escalation of a conflict between the U.S. and oil-rich Iran is another contributing factor this year. CBC News

Link here to a CBC video of the aftermath on Mt Pleasant Rd. South of Blythwood Rd.  Details on charges are on that page as well. Listen to the bystanders amazement at the damage done to the Range Rover which was driven into a utility pole on the S curve on Mt Pleasant near Stibbard Ave.