Prime Minister Harper has said, in so many words, we’ll be selling our oil and gas to the Asians if the Americans don’t get busy and permit the construction of the Keystone pipeline. He also said Canada will seek to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, opening up the prospect of free trade with all of Asia.
New $100 bills begin circulation tomorrow
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Beginning tomorrow, banks will start circulating the new $100 polymer bills. Following, that, the $50 plastic banknotes will begin circulating in the Spring.. They will be followed by the $5, $10 and $20 bills over a period of months through to the end of 2013. Although it has not been said, the gradual process may be part of an attempt to smooth any electronic errors occurring when the new bills are used at paper money machines, such as those in parking lot pay stations and elsewhere. The Mint has acknowledged transition issues may arise but has not specified what they might be,. In the meantime, the new bills appear to be very similar to the old ones, except for feel. The $100 bill is still adorned by Prime Minister Robert Borden and the fifty by Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King. They are said to be almost impossible to effectively counterfeit.
Long line to enter St. Cuthbert’s Fair
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Organizers report that there was a lineup of 203 people waiting for the St. Cuthbert’s Christmas Fair to open at 11 am Saturday. The traffic was busy through the day and this year’s results were the best yet achieved. The church issued thanks today to neighbourhood merchants who supported the Silent Auction. Many happy people left with their “finds”.
Story by Karolyn Coorsh on recent fire
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There’s a nice story linked here reviewing the aftermath of the fire that damaged Leaside Cleaners and the Flower Nook on South Bayview. It is written by Karolyn Coorsh and appears in the Town Crier. It is distinguished by many names of those involved in the fire and those reacting to it. Previous story.
Teen injured crossing Mount Pleasant
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The accident on Mount Pleasant Road late last month in which a teen girl was injured is a reminder that funeral processions are perhaps more dangerous than they may seem. In this case, the girl and a friend were crossing the street when she was brushed by a police cruiser. It’s believed her injuries are not serious. How did it happen? Well most likely the police cruiser was travelling from the back of the procession to the front in order to leap frog another unit. The police move fairly quickly to get into position at the corners with traffic lights. For those venturing to run between the cars in a funeral procession there is always the possibility they may collide with a police car speeding to the front..
Bad boy of European politics calls it a day
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Silvio Berlusconi has called it a day. He’s resigned as prime minister of Italy. Here is a compilation of the type of behaviour that exasperated many Italians.
Stately brick Leaside house gets makeover
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A large and rather stately looking brick home at the corner of Hanna and Crandall Rds is getting a big makeover. It’s a pretty good sized lot that contains an older kidney-shaped in ground pool. On the rear the owners are adding a large addition that overlooks the pool. It has a nice eastern exposure which will catch the morning sunshine. The renovation is being finished in bricks which match up well with the original. No doubt they will be identical after a water wash when the heavy work is finished.
Suspicious credit card reported
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South Bayview merchants are warned to be on the watch for persons attempting to use a suspicious credit card. Two merchants report such an experience today.
Community Council approves Hyundai bid
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Toronto and East York Community Council has approved the application to build a Hyundai dealership on Laird Drive between Commercial Rd and Industrial Street. The location (above) is directly across the street from Gyro Mazda and will be owned by the same principals. All that remains now for the work to begin on the dealership is City Council approval. The dealership will be large. It will boast a showroom and 10 service bays. As reported earlier by The South Bayview Bulldog Hyundai has wisely been trying to gain access to the generally under serviced central neighborhoods. This article notes how other car makers have fled our area leaving potential customers up for grabs.
Tim Horton’s looking kind of like Starbucks
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Tim Horton’s is getting in that Starbucks mood. Softer lights, comfy chairs and that stay a while and buy an extra muffin feeling. Oh yes, Wi-fi too. The company also wants to go the open concept route with its kitchens. A new floor layout will give customers the “ambiance” of watching their food being prepared.
Toronto Star sees more buyouts, outsourcing
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Torstar , the publisher of the Toronto Star, is offering immediate buyouts to editorial staff and plans to outsource ad-building, layout and editing duties, three Star journalists told Reuters today. The Star, Canada’s biggest daily newspaper, wants to offer immediate layoff packages, reporter Richard Brennan wrote on his Twitter account. A second source, who declined to be identified, said the newspaper was planning a “major trim” of staff to be completed by the end of the year. The company has confirmed the buyout offer but said departures will be voluntary. It said it did not have a number for how many employees would take the offer.
Curb-making machine a fascination on Bayview
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Sure, it’s the lowest kind of tech you see these days but sometimes the ingenuity of man just strikes one as brilliant. Thus the curb-making machine was a source of considerable interest on South Bayview as workers prepared to finish the outside section of the sidewalk. But you can’t do that without a curb. And nothing makes one better than this machine. It takes wet concrete into a bin at the front and runs it up a conveyor belt into the curb-forming mechanism inside. Out the back end comes a nice straight curb. We know, we know. We’re still fascinated by snowplows too.
