The South Bayview Bulldog

Carl Hanstske of 680 News was at the scene of a colossal crash of a Porsche Panamera early Wednesday at College St. and Lansdowne Ave. He says the vehicle contained four kids, all minors with the driver aged 13. They are said to be recovering.

Dr Michael Houghton, director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute in Edmonton, has been jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine Monday. He discovered how to duplicate the Hep C virus making a vaccine possible. A couple of years ago, he turned down the Canadian Gairdener Award worth $100,000 because his research associates were not honoured along with him. You’ve got to like that.

Trump goes campaigning with full-blown C-19

Donald Trump is being denounced Monday as he campaigns even as he continues to battle full-blown COVID-19. But as seen in this ITV report, loyal Trump demonstrators love him.

C-19 testing in Ontario available only by appointment

Among the rapidly changing rules for beleaguered Ontarians is news that the government has stopped walk-in C-19 testing. From now on its by appointment only, says CTV

McLaren on Randolph Rd. as snapped by Rudy Limeback

We’re catching up with some interesting tweets seen in our frequent Leaside search. The photo above by Rudy Limeback shows a British-made McLaren from Saskatchewan at the corner of Randolph Rd. and Kenrae Rd. We know the location because of the unique Spaghetti sidewalks seen at this corner. Here’s Rudy’s tweet. Below are other bits of local news. The Bulldog is in total wonderment of Leaside United’s virtual choir scheme. Who knew such things were possible? Then say “hi” to the MakerKids cutie with the green balloon.

Annamie Paul

Green Party candidates

Green Party members have picked Toronto lawyer Annamie Paul as their next leader, bringing to a close the year-long race to replace Elizabeth May. Paul, who is Black and Jewish, was the perceived frontrunner heading into the final vote because she had raised the most money — $206,000 — and racked up a number of endorsements from former Green Party candidates. Paul, who is the first Black permanent leader of a major federal political party in Canada, assumes the leadership of a party that has been closely tied to May for the better part of the last 14 years. CBC

Donald Trump’s doctor said Saturday that he is “doing very well” but Associated Press found a nameless source who insists the president could well be in critical condition within 24 hours. Hmm. Global News

A long and lively thread at Leaside Community begins with a challenge to identify the correct pronunciation of the name Balliol, as in Balliol St. Back in 2013 The Bulldog posted:

What’s certain is that Balliol Street‘s tricky juxtaposition of vowels “i” and “o” has lead to the widespread mispronunciation Bal-oil.

In fact Balliol and its nearby friend Merton St. are named after ancient colleges at Oxford University. It’s an ongoing debate about which is older. Here’s a particularly seductive voice with the correct pronunciation. By the way, the same 2013 post offered insight into the naming of Laird Drive. Are you Canadian enough to know? Here’s the story on how Balliol St and Laird Dr were named

Occasional pop-up by Sign of the Skier

The occasional pop-up outlet by Sign of the Skier is currently at 1707 Bayview Ave. in the north block. That’s the former home of Olive Oil Emporium.

There’s a defect down here

Yonge and Eglinton

Many a citizen would love to be a fly on the wall when government engineers at Metrolinx and their counterparts at the construction-firm consortium called Crosslinx Transit Solutions discuss the mysterious “defect” under the Yonge and Eglinton Station. Whatever its precise nature, the so-called defect has blown away the schedule for completion of the Crosstown LRT.  The $5 billion transit line will open — it is hoped — sometime in 2022, but just how confidently anyone feels about that seems draped in shadow. Friday, there is a story that Crosslinx is proposing that the LRT open without the Yonge-Eglinton Station but that Metrolinx has yet to agree.

• Crosstown LRT delayed a year by defect at Yonge/Eglinton

Peel Police release is at link in text

Combined police action in Peel, York, Toronto and the OPP territory beyond has resulted in the arrest of six men for organizing screaming car-stunt gatherings and drag racing. About time. Then, a heartless killing of a man walking to his car with his child and its mother. Really beyond belief but sadly all too typical of dangerous Toronto. This City may not be as bad as Chicago but it is far worse than civilized places like Sydney, London and Tokyo. Below that, City Council has voted to hold public hearings on whether to change the name of Dundas St. A referendum? Lastly, a physician in the UK has devised a one-man flying paramedic outfit which he says can save lives. (But it might endanger his).

That’s a Supeertest station on the northwest corner/OldTO

A wider shot shows the T-junction of Bayview and Moore with the corner of Pottery Rd. at the left/OldTO

Bayview and Moore today, cell rooftop antennas and all

Here we see the empty corner of Bayview and Moore Ave. in a photo from 1955 looking west. There was no apartment building on the as-yet uncreated southwest corner because the streets formed a T-junction. The Bayview extension was begun in 1959 and took Bayview snaking into the valley. The Petro Canada station was a Supertest fill-up next door to someone’s home. Signage suggests the northwest corner held a Shell station.

Pre-expansion Loblaws has a covered walkway to the east door

Nor was there a Loblaws in 1955 but we can show you the smaller Loblaws store (2009) which had a nice covered walk along the east side. That would be handy for today’s C-19 lineups. Below is the expanded Loblaws, completed in 2010.

Loblaws today

Ryan Spitzer and shoe delivery

Ryan Spitzer of Hanna Rd. has collected and delivered, with the help of the community, 125 pairs of donated washed and cleaned gym shoes to Thorncliffe Park Public School this week. The shoe drive is in its 6th year and helps ensure kids from kindergarten through grade five are ready to play. His task required ingenuity during the C-19 pandemic because schools were not available to collect and hold shoes. Instead, public-spirited people were asked to deliver the shoes to the Spitz front porch.

The NDP support for the Liberal government seems to hang on just how generous the new Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is going to be. Will you be able to collect it for the sniffles? It worries some that (choo) you will. Then, Wednesday is the first of TDSB deadlines to decide on whether your youngster will be taught in class or virtually this year. Below that, Nuit Blanche at a distance begins this weekend. What a crazy world we live in. Finally, Megan and Harry insist their deal with Netflix is for the most cultured form of documentaries. The British media has been suggesting a royal version of Dating Naked.