Next Tuesday, December 20, Leaside United Church will hold a service called The First Christmas. It will be a service for those facing Christmas without their loved ones, some for the very first time. The church asks that if you know of someone who has experienced loss this year (or in recent years) to please invite them to this service. It will be low-key, healing, and gentle. The church’s website notes that all members and friends of the congregation are welcome to attend this service. Start time is 7.30 pm.
Daylight mugging of three boys, 14
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Toronto Police Service report: Three 14 year old males, report that on December 14, 2011 at approximately 1130 hours, they were in the area of Eglinton Avenue and Roehampton Avenue when seven male suspects approached them from behind. One of the suspects removed a school student card, keys and Metropass from one of the victims’ backpack. The same suspect approached the second victim and removed a cellular telephone from his pocket. The suspect searched the third victim and no property was obtained. The other suspects stood watch. The suspects then fled the scene westbound on Roehampton Avenue. No injuries were sustained by the victims. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, black, 14 to17 years, 5’0” to 5’2”, 99 to 130 pounds, brown eyes, thin build. Suspects #2 to #7: Male. NO FURTHER DESCRIPTION AVAILABLE.
Flatiron Building sold for $15 million dollars
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The Flatiron building at Wellington and Front Sts. has been sold for $15.29 million to a real estate company,The Commercial Realty Group, led by Clayton Smith. The new owners specialize in heritage buildings and will go about offering space to potential tenants in the 120-year-old landmark. Toronto Star.
Closing and opening on South Bayview
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Days of change on South Bayview as the space belonging to Bayview Photo, the long-standing photo service in the Behar building, is up for lease. You can see the Kodak sign that hung for years in the centre shot. At the right, an opening, as the spartan Bell mobile store opens at 1517 Bayview. The sign is yet to come.
Minister tours Leaside transformer station
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A rather sad story of a province that’s broke, worrying about how it’s going to provide power. Further, Ontario keeps cancelling generating stations that local people don’t want. The solution apparently is for the Energy Minister to have a public tour with pictures at an 80-year-old facility like Leaside. Or are we being too tough on them? Toronto Star.
Can Superman save this Leaside relic?
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An observant reader has noted the lingering presence on Malcolm Rd. at Millwood Rd. of an actual phone booth. It’s not just a public phone. They can still be seen in the odd public building, mobiles notwithstanding. This is a real four-walled deal right beside the Husky station. Superman used them for change rooms all the time but that was then. These days he probably puts on his tights in a Starbucks WC. Suffice to say, he is not likely to save the Malcolm Rd. phone booth. According to data, there are only four booths lefts in all Manhattan And these are still around through a human quirk stranger than the Man of Steel himself. It appears that neighborhood activists in upper Manhattan have successfully lobbied Verizon to keep them in place, hoping to preserve the look of the neighborhood. Verizon says it’ll keep them on streets as long as they last, but if they’re hit by a car and accidentally destroyed, that’s it.
Gov’t pushes through electoral reform act
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National Post: The benches of the House of Commons are going to get a little more cramped in four years. On Tuesday evening, the federal government pushed through legislation adding 30 MPs to Parliament Hill, increasing the number of MPs to 338 from 308 and bringing with them millions of dollars in costs to taxpayers. By a vote of 154 to 131, the Conservatives pushed through the increase, inscribed in the Fair Representation Act, that will give Ontario, B.C., Alberta and Quebec more elected voices in the House of Commons. The bill now heads to the Senate for approval.
Net worth drops $4,600 per household
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The sharp drop in the stock market cut Canadian’s net worth by $4,600 per household in the third quarter, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday. CBC.ca
Jim Shaw paid $25.5 million on retirement
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Shaw Communications Inc. made a $25.5-million payment to former CEO Jim Shaw when he retired in the past fiscal year, regulatory filings show. The company offered no explanation for the payment in an annual shareholder proxy circular filed late Friday, which also shows Mr. Shaw’s pension entitlement ballooned in the past year. However, the company’s first-quarter earnings released in January showed Mr. Shaw received a $25-million “package” upon his retirement, which equalled three years of compensation at $8.5-million a year. The new document shows Mr. Shaw earned $26.7-million in the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, and a footnote to the compensation chart briefly says the total includes “a payment totalling $25.5-million for Jim Shaw in 2011.” Mr. Shaw retired as CEO in November, 2010, at age 53. Mr. Shaw, the son of cable company founder JR Shaw, retired two months earlier than his previously announced retirement day of Jan. 13, 2011, shortly after he was criticized for displaying unusual behaviour at an investor luncheon. Some people who attended the Vancouver event said he appeared to be inebriated. He is still on the board of Shaw and is the company’s vice-chairman
Trees $150 on Bayview, $60 at Manes Park
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Christmas trees at the top end are selling for about $150 at Garden Court Nurseries this season. Last year the same firm was selling its best tree for about $190. It’s not known if this is a function of the economy or if this year’s trees are not of quite the same quality as last year’s. A reader has kindly commented that you can also get a tree from the Scouts for $60 at their set-up in Trace Manes Park. Must take a look
Bell must share mobile NHL with other telcos
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Release from the CRTC in Ottawa — Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) found that Bell Mobility gave itself a significant competitive advantage by entering into exclusive agreements for the mobile rights to popular National Hockey League (NHL) and National Football League (NFL) content. “Canadians shouldn’t be forced to subscribe to a wireless service from a specific company to access their favourite content,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “Healthy and fair competition between service providers will promote greater choice for Canadians.” Today’s decision was triggered by a complaint filed by Telus Communications after it had unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate for the rights owned exclusively by Bell Mobility. The NHL content in question includes games and video highlights, while the NFL content includes prime-time games, all playoff games (including the Super Bowl) and access to NFL Network programming. Bell Mobility must file a report within 30 days explaining how it will ensure that Telus has access to its NHL and NFL content at reasonable terms.
South Bayview bus routes hit by cuts
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South Bayview will see a slight decrease in rush hour service on the 11 Bayview, 28 Davisville, 34 Eglinton East and 81 Thorncliffe Park bus routes beginning early in 2012. It appears that other local lines such as 88 Leaside will not be affected. In addition to the decreases at rush hour, the TTC says it will decrease the frequency of service at other times on the 34 Eglinton East route. In this case the buses will be more crowded than at present and that waits will be somewhat longer. The decreases will begin to occur on Monday January 9, 2012 for rush hour and on Sunday, January 8, 2012 for the general changes. In all, 52 bus routes across the city will be affected as part of a plan to help meet the City of Toronto’s objective to time budgets. The TTC describes the rush hour cutback this way: “[T]he TTC is reverting to the “loading standards” it used for buses and streetcars before 2004. This means, for example, that it will adjust the service capacity for buses from an average of 48 to 53 passengers during the busiest hour on that route. Since the TTC estimates that it will attract about 503 million riders next year, it will have enough buses and streetcars on the road to meet next year’s ridership demand if it uses the loading standard from before 2004. This will save the TTC $15 million next year.” TTC GPS app