From Toronto Police Reports: The owner of Canadian Fine Arts, 577 Mount Pleasant Road, reports that between 2215 hours on July 10, 2011 and 0113 hours on July 11, 2011 entry was gained into the premises by forcing a door. Removed was a quantity of paintings. Here is the Toronto Sun story on the local heist of these valuable paintings.
19 Bessborough sold last year for $895,000
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Neighbors and many others will be interested to know that the knocked down home at 19 Bessborough (see post below) sold in 2010 for $895,000. It’s an indication again of the value of the lots around South Bayview.
Couche Tard says you’re penny pinching
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Couche Tard (the Night Owl) is that enterprising corner store chain based in Quebec which seems to operate just about everywhere. Most notably for those in South Bayview-land, you patronize Couche Tard when you dash into the On the Run store in the Esso Self Serve at Mount Pleasant and Millwood. Yesterday Couche Tard released it results and predicted gloomily that Canadians are becoming penny-pinchers when they shop.
British PM pledges to “punish the culprits”
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An unusual scene but factual as the UK government backs an Opposition motion to tell Rupert Murdoch he can”t have full ownership of a satellite channel. The phone hacking scandal at the Murdoch paper News of the World continues to reverberate in Britain .
They’re making the TTC super cool
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Our story of yesterday about the Nextbus.com GPS tracking of TTC vehicles will have been old news for some. And yet this newly adapted technology has caught many tech-savvy people both young and old by surprise. Even with 25-year-olds, it’s made the TTC cool. Nextbus doesn’t do a thing that’s really new but its functionality is so useful. Our friends quickly checked to see if there was a Nextbus app. There was — already on their iPhones. When activated it located the phone and automatically downloaded relevant stops and bus times. So, the lady above would be outside the Sunnybrook Plaza on Eglinton at Bayview. The picture on her phone tells her that the westbound Eglinton East bus is Due. It’s sitting there with doors open.
Joe Fresh will open in Maple Leaf Gardens
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Loblaws will open four more stand-alone Joe Fresh stores, one of which will be in the renovated Maple Leaf Gardens at 60 Carleton Street. The Gardens are at present being entirely re-made to house a Loblaws market, with two upper levels assigned to a skating/hockey rink and recreational space for Ryerson University. It will no doubt be a source of great excitement and pride to Joe Fresh creator Joe Mimran that his store will be located in this historic space. Two other Toronto area stores will open in the Golden Mile, Scarborough, and on the Queensway in Etobicoke. One new Joe Fresh will open in Montreal.
Alicia of the Second Cup going to college
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A busy personality on the street, Alicia of the Second Cup, is on her way to Montreal to go to school. August 7, 2011, will mark Ally’s last day on South Bayview, at least for a while. She will attend classes at LaSalle College in Fashion Marketing and will take a minor in Psychology. Good luck Ally. That will leave Matt in the mornings with a new helper. Ally has been the Second Cup Opener which means she arrives in the middle of the night.
Tree trimming at 377 Manor Road
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The Maple tree outside 377 Manor Road was getting a trim Tuesday by Weller Tree Service of Keswick. Mighty hot work for the three person crew. Young lady at lower left is a summer student from Brock University in physical education. She was up to the job. Owner of the little bungalow (lower right) is getting value for his taxes this year as the work was contracted by the City of Toronto.
Volvo image going from safe to sassy
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Bloomberg picks up the story that Volvo is going from safe to sassy as it tries to pick off luxury loving Chinese and Western buyers. Story linked off the headline. Also, we noted this from another source April 20, 2011
Buy-out offer to 50,000 TO staff
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For good or rill, and many will approve, it appears that the City of Toronto is going to be run more like a business. A leaked memo suggests that the City will announce what is called the most sweeping series of employee buyouts since amalgamation. That was 1997 It’s expected that city manager Joe Pennachetti will announce the buyout package within hours (8.11 EDT). The stories today say that almost all of the 50,000 union and non-union workers will be offered a lump sum of up to six-months salary if they quit — the only exception being the Toronto Professional Firefighters’ Association. The memo said they’ll have until September 9 to apply online. Union members would get three weeks pay for every year with the city, while managers would get four weeks for every year, and workers could start leaving in October.
Target arrival sets up Big Box Battle
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South Bayview merchants are focused, as are many, on the approach of the Target stores. Everyone worries what impact will be of a new giant chain will have on disposable income. There’s only so much. The release attached however indicates that its the big box boys, like Walmart, should also be worrying most about diminished share.
“Kate’s dress episode was quite charming”
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Everyone seems to have an opinion about the Kate flippy dress picture. Blogger Trish Stuebing (Trish Stuebing’s Store Diary) has this view. The following is from her blog. Just can’t help thinking that everybody should take a deep breath and stop fussing so much about Kate Middleton’s flippy silk dress. Thursday in Calgary “Kate Watchers” were entertained by viewing her royal left buttock when the wind lifted the back of her dress. Despite all the fuming about not embarrassing the Duchess, I think the picture was not offensive but quite charming. Keep in mind that Kate is a seasoned public figure. She’s no school girl. It’s said that she got her friendship with William going by showing up at a party in a see-through dress. None of this makes her anything other than perfectly respectable. But she’s human and life has its surprises. Of course, 80 years ago, in a much more rigid society, couturiers knew dressmaking tricks to avoid these things. They would sew tiny lead weights in the hems of skirts and corners of stoles to hold light weight chiffons and silks down and make hems and corners look clean and balanced. Skirt linings and half slips achieved the same purpose and later on with the advent of panty hose women wore underpants over them. So look, you can be sure this isn’t likely to happen again. Kate is a smart woman. But it did happen. Why does it seem that Kate’s “defenders” are more upset about it than she is?