Extreme heat over but discomfort lingers

Our extreme heat alert is over. Temperatures are going to more comfortable levels in the mid to high 20s today and tomorrow. The heat warning was declared last Wednesday in advance of a system that resulted in humidex values well in the 40s in southern Ontario. Left, sardonic comment by sign owner during the blistering heat. 680 News on the storms and The Weather Channel.

Return to 19 Bessborough Drive

It’s been a few weeks since the 1930s brick and stone home at 19 Bessborough was razed. What has happened in the interim is interesting. The new excavation is quite large. All remnants of the original foundation are gone. The lot is 30×125. This is the scene today with what appear to be footings on the north side of the excavation. We’re not builders. How is this shaping up? Previous post.

Tiny Bulldog Coffee compared to Starbucks

The competitive coffee business keeps java drinkers checking for new places. One, Bulldog Coffee, is a modest three shop Toronto business which is said to have very good pastries and muffins. There is a Bulldog Coffee on Eglinton East between Yonge and Mount Pleasant nearby South Bayview. One of Bulldog Coffee’s quiet little jousts with Starbucks is recorded in this blog.

Will ships again be launched on Lake Ontario?

Is it really possible we will see great ships built and launched on the Great Lakes again? It’s been many years since the last freighter splashed into the water but now the re-building program of the Canadian Navy may make that exciting scene a reality again. There’s competition from shipyards in BC and Atlantic Canada, but its thought that Upper Lakes Shipping of St Catharines has a shot. The government is to decide this coming week. St Catharines Standard.

Tremblett’s adjusts hours during renovations

The renovations at Tremblett’s Valu Mart will include a new floor and ceiling at the local supermarket. There will be changes to many departments and the owner has thoughtfully hung a floor plan of the changes to be made for interested customers. It should be noted that the store will close at 10 pm. Monday to Thursday. Normal 24 hour service will continue Friday through Sunday.

Where are the Moose of Toronto?

A project which is both important and charming is underway in Toronto to locate the 326 moose which were painted and displayed all over the city in the year 2001. It would have to be one of Mel Lastman’s most worthwhile undertakings. Now a Toronto filmmaker, Anna Sand, and director/photographer Derek Rucas, have set a challenge to find and make a documentary about The Moose. They’ve made the short video above. Their site is wherearethemoose.com and it has thumbnail photos of all the moose and their found or missing status. As you might suspect, the vast majority of the moose are missing. It will be a big job to locate them. It may be that some will never be found. But many are still with us. We have all seen Florence Moosengale at the Integracare offices on Moore Ave. Some moose are being found by interested parties. One such local person is to be met at his website rudy.ca.

Can anyone earn interest tax free?

Now that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that interest earned on bank accounts on Indian Reserves is properly non-taxable, what’s next? The court rebuffed two decisions which had concluded that interest earned in a reserve credit union or similar firm was taxable because it was “earned in the general economy” — that is, off the reserve. But what really mattered, said the high court justices, is that it was deposited on the reserve. Hmm. Are you thinking what we’re thinking? Would it be possible to transfer a wad of cash to a financial institution on a reserve and thus make interest tax free? The news stories do not address this issue and it may well be the unstated proviso is that you have to be a member of the band to get this advantage. But shouldn’t that mean that natives can get their interest tax free even if it’s deposited at Yonge and Bay? They’re exempt from sales taxes off the reserve. Readers no doubt would be grateful for a legal view.

Why not 520? It means “I love you”

Well sure, 437 is Toronto ‘s new area code. The others, 416 and 647 are, like they say at school, totally maxed. But in a town with hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens, a number can be a very important thing. Stay away from 444. It means certain death. So far as we can tell, there’s nothing too stressful about 437. But most would be happier with 888 (great wealth) but it’s taken, or 520 (I love you). Maybe the next time. Here’s the government news release: Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced a new area code to manage the telephone number shortage that will affect Toronto, Ontario, the region currently covered by area codes 416 and 647. Starting March 25, 2013, new telephone numbers assigned in the region may be given the area code 437. Existing customers will keep their current area codes and phone numbers. These measures are being implemented in response to the Canadian Numbering Administrator’s assessment that the region will run out of telephone numbers by July 2015.