The South Bayview Bulldog

Patrick Cardinal/Canadian International Air Show

Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18, United States Air Force F-16 and KC-135 pilots practiced response procedures in high-density airspace over the GTA Wednesday. Many heard their presence. The exercises ensure NORAD forces remain ready to respond to aerospace threats 24/7 anywhere in Canada and the United States. Photo: Patrick Cardinal/CIAS

Education Minister Stephen Lecce addresses media at live event

Ministers of the Ontario government are outlining details of the 2020 return-to-school online Thursday. Among the information so far is a plan to have children in Grade Four and up wear masks and high school kids in the GTA attend class on alternating days. The news conference continued at 1.30 p.m. and may be seen at the CBC.

Businesses in Toronto are finally permitted to re-open this weekend. For many, this means allowing patrons inside the premises. But that’s still likely to require entry by appointment only in order to ensure distancing.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says the Ministry has counted just 76 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24-hour period ending at midnight. That’s down from 111 reported Tuesday. This is the lowest day-over-day increase since March 22, Elliott said.

Happy days as Toronto moves to Stage 3/Jetstream Photograhy/@jetstreamphotog

The Ontario government has announced that the City of Toronto and Peel Region will move into Stage 3 of Ontario’s COVID-19 recovery plan effective Friday. Windsor-Essex, the only other area of the province that is still in Stage 2, will not be permitted to proceed to the next phase at this point. Stage 3 allows for activities such as indoor dining in restaurants, live performing arts shows and the reopening of movie theatres and playgrounds. It also permits larger gatherings of people, though social distancing requirements remain in place. Government  news release

A curious little boy of two has died after falling from a 14th-floor apartment on Driftwood Ave in the City’s northwest area. Carl Hantske of 680 News reports that it not clear if the lad fell from the balcony or an apartment window.

Fire Tuesday behind strip mall on Millwood Rd. at Sutherland Drive.

What appears to have been a rubbish fire has damaged the fence behind the Millwood Rd. strip mall at Sutherland Drive Tuesday. The photo above was published at Leaside Community Facebook. Many readers were concerned for the safety of residents of the seniors home at the corner of Millwood and Randolph Rd. but there are no reports of injuries. The friendly little mall is home to many popular businesses such as Fix It Again Sam, Lena’s Barber Shop and the Sleuth of Baker Street.

Shout it out. The fastest-growing City in North America — Toronto to you — counts merely six new cases of COVID-19 in the 24-hour period ended midnight. And no, the pandemic is not over. But we can all be proud behind the mask. David Baskin

• Will Toronto and Peel be permitted to move to Stage 3?

Books about Inuit life

612 Mt. Pleasant Rd.

Inhabit Books, a Canadian company that publishes and sells children’s books on Inuit life will open a store at 612 Mt. Pleasant Rd. Window signs indicate that the firm has leased the quaint double-store location which was occupied by the Little Doll House Company for so many years. An earlier post contained incorrect information that Inhabit intended to open other stores. It does not.

Mable’s Fables hoping to re-open soon

The Inhabit store will be a block away from Mabel’s Fables Children’s Bookstore at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Hillsdale Ave. and across the street from Mastermind, yet another frequent stop for parents and friends shopping for children. Mabel’s Fables remains closed because of safety considerations related to the pandemic. It hopes to re-open soon. Mabel’s continues to take calls and fill orders for curbside pickup. A source said that the firm’s efforts to negotiate a new lease was in abeyance for the time being.

• Mabel’s Fables facing brutal 70% rent hike from developer

If you’re out for a walk, be sure to pass by Leaside Library’s red canoe at McRae Drive and Rumsey Road. There will likely be a butterfly or two visiting the colourful scene. As part of David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterflyway Project, these pollinator friendly gardens are filled with native wildflowers, creating highways of habitat for beneficial bugs. The project has taken root in more than 100 communities throughout the country. We’re a fan. davidsuzuki.org/butterflyway.