Seriously — let’s talk about the sewers

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An attempt at humour called “City where the sewers aren’t for water” has upset some readers. The post dealt with the City of Toronto’s decision to require homeowners to disconnect downspouts from the sewer system. To write seriously for a moment, we find the proposition that this would be a good thing for everybody to be, at the very least, not well demonstrated. The City has taken very little effort to explain to taxpayers a) why we have a sewer system which, even in the new parts, sometimes mixes raw sewage with rain, b) why homeowners personally should bear the cost of “too much rain” and c) what science underlies the need to force this action. Look, we are not in favour of polluting of the lake. But the City has often proven to be an unreliable master in determining what’s good for us. Toronto trucks its garbage to landfill sites in vehicles emitting filth going and coming. It prefers that to embracing the well established science of waste to energy incineration. You may recall the new Jerusalem of backyard composting. It turned out to be an exercise in breeding rats, as many had warned. The decision to force homeowners to disconnect their downspouts is arbitrary, intrusive and potentially costly. In a later post, we will remark on some of the unintended consequences which can occur when we try to make rainwater do as we tell it. Meantime, ordinary people deserve conclusive information that this is the only way to go.

CN Tower EdgeWalk opens this Monday

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The CN Tower EdgeWalk opens Monday, August 1, 2011 (Civic Holiday) Those courageous or foolish enough to try it will venture out onto the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk on a 5 ft (1.5 m) wide ledge encircling the top of the CN Tower’s main pod, 356m, (1168 ft, 116 storeys) above the ground. As the ad says: “This adrenalin-fueled experience will allow thrill seekers to walk the edge of one of the world’s greatest man-made wonders beginning summer 2011.” Kids all over the world have been waiting for this.

“Merge with bikes” signs on Moore Ave.

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Workmen were busy Wednesday spraying this sign along both lanes of the narrow bottleneck of Moore Ave where it meets Welland Ave. When Moore Ave. was re-built last summer the City added bicycle lanes on the parts wide enough to accommodate them. Cyclists were expected to walk their bikes along the very narrow sections of road at Welland however. Now motorists and cyclists will be expected to merge.

John Donabie to leave Jazz FM91.1

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From the Jazz FM91.1 website: John Donabie, host of our AM show “Good Morning”, is leaving the JAZZ.FM91 family as of Friday, July 29th. John’s decision to leave comes from his wish to spend more time with his family, write a book based on his experiences in broadcasting and finally, after years of being an early riser, sleep in.Heather Bambrick, who is well known to the JAZZ.FM91 audience, will be hosting Good Morning until we find a new host. Walter Venafro will be shifting into the Dinner Jazz position while Heather is doing mornings. We are sorry to see John Donabie go. Best wishes from all of us JD !”

The American Dream was a Daydream

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There can’t be a single visitor to New York City in the past 22 years who did not stop and look at the National Debt Clock. Located variously downtown (42nd Street and then on Sixth Avenue) the debt clock was the ominous signal of doom. It’s just that nobody cared to take it seriously. We’ve looked at it many times. Can it really mean we are headed for that kind of trouble? Could it? Won’t someone do something? The answer was “Nope.” The American Dream was the American Daydream. Linked here at the Bulldog Review is the NBC News report on the day in 2008 the debt exceeded $10 trillion,. It should have made citizens gather everywhere and demand a stop. Notice how calmly Brian Williams reads the story. Inset, the clock in 1989.

“Water will not gush into basements”

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Following is a comment from gjp9 who takes issue with our post on disconnecting the downspout: Your disapproval of disconnecting downspouts is filled with melodramatic undertones. The benefits of re-directing rain water from our sewer systems outweigh the so called “damage” you mention. Water will not “gush” into basements, it is easily re-directed into lawns and gardens as I have done, hoards of mosquitoes will not descend upon rain barrels (because if any do appear a few drops of dish soap will do the trick), and CSA requires rain barrels to be child proof ensuring the safety of children. Before starting a rant about something you may or may not be interested in, please do some research opposed to adopting a sensationalistic writing style. Thank you

Daycare building nearing completion

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The work on the Leaside Private Daycare building at Bayview Ave and Balliol Street is going ahead. Left, a peek at the new front of the renovated building, still behind the hoardings. Looks like a nice smooth front. At the rear (right) the end of a landmark on Balliol. The impossibly decrepit garage with its signs that say “No Parking” is being razed.

City where the sewers aren’t for water

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Hello there Mr and Mrs South Bayvie homeowner. This is your City speaking. Here are your orders for today. Disconnect all the downspouts on your home from the sewers. Do it immediately. Make sure the rainwater which will then gush out everywhere doesn’t flow into your neighbor’s basement. It’s okay. We’ve told him the same thing. Also make sure the water doesn’t flow towards the sidewalk and into the sewer. See if you can by some faint chance make the water go onto your lawn and garden, if any. Keep it there. If there’s too much, please use a great big barrel to hold the rainwater. Make sure the standing water doesn’t attract mosquitoes or any other type of pest. Use your best guess as to how to make sure thát Legionnaires Disease doesn’t develop there. Little kids have been known to drown in barrels, but let’s not worry about that. If you can get your neighbors to agree, maybe you can, for a small cost, pump the rainwater up into a tank on your roof. We know you don’t understand why the city built an enormously expensive storm sewer system which is now going to stand empty. But your job is to do as we say.