The South Bayview Bulldog

Friday brings news that fresh cases of COVID-19 continue to decline in Ontario but that the infection in Peel Region stubbornly continues. Thursday a bump-up to 170 new cases was explained by an upsurge in cases among Windsor-Essex farm workers Daily summaries

More than 150 eminent people worldwide have signed an open letter published in Harper’s Magazine saying that social media pressure driving the cancel culture is imperiling free speech. Among the signatories are Margaret Atwood, J.K. Rowling, Noam Chomsky, Gloria Steinem, Wynton Marsalis, Garry Kasparov and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Also signing is Canadian psychiatrist Steven Pinker who says he has since received mail congratulating him on remaining sane. But the signatories have also been attacked. The Daily Beast has called them “white bigots.”

Hard at work/Amy Lau

Workmen digging up lawns on City property (and related behaviour above) have sparked a 58-comment thread on Leaside Community FB by noon Thursday.

A woman RCMP officer has been permitted to keep her job after a fellow Mountie reported a series of intimate grabbing and lurid invitations in 2009 and 2010 while he and Constable Valerie Little were in training. CBC

Betsy Griffin will make you smile

A British girl, six-year-old Betsy Faye Griffin, has made it her mission to deliver positive messages to the world through her online videos. ITV

Canada’s deficit in 2020-2921 will hit a spectacular $343 billion with federal spending expected to exceed $1 trillion this year. The federal ball-and-chain is a result of spending this year to battle hardship caused by COVID-19. The numbers were revealed Wednesday by Finance Minister Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre).

The Ontario Ministry of Health reports 118 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday for the 24-hour period ending at midnight. This compares to 154 and 112 reported Monday and Tuesday. Health Minister Christine Elliott said that provincial labs turned around 23,000 test specimens on Wednesday, up from about 15,000 on Tuesday. Daily summaries

Stern looking council members

Laird Drive

Leaside Public School

Photos from an old publication called The Story of Leaside published in 1931 have been posted to the Leaside Chit Chat Facebook page. It was put together by the town council of the day. Among tidbits that will make you smile is the proud claim that Leaside has “5.6 miles” of permanent pavement. FB  Bonnie Byford Real Estate historical booklets page.

Former Staples, 1140 Yonge was a Pierce-Arrow showroom

Fancy flivvers of bygone days at 1140 Yonge

This neighborhood gallery begins with the former Pierce-Arrow showroom at 1140 Yonge St. (and Marlborough Ave). The present-day Staples may be about to fall in front a condo developer. Devron and Constantine Enterprises will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 8 at 6 p.m. It will be at www.1140yonge.com. Down below, much mystery surrounds the big sign for Kissing Bun now up at BigMan’s Family Dining, 1528 Bayview Ave. Best we can tell, a Kissing Bun is some sort of dim sum dumpling. Please correct us if you can. Also below at right is the disassembled patio ordered off the road at 523-525 Mt. Pleasant. Seems there is some confusion about what’s permitted under the new CafeTO patio program. Below that is a new-era bird man captured by Yonge and Roxborough News as he feeds pigeons on Bloor St. At the bottom is the latest Baskin and Robbins fantasy. We’re having a heatwave, you know.

Kissing Bun sign on Bayview Ave.

Patio stalled on Mt. Pleasant

Bird man at work

We’re having a heatwave

The Ministry of Health has counted 112 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday for the 24-hour period ending midnight. It is a hopeful sign even as the populous GTA had the majority of infections. Of the new cases, some 61 percent of cases were in Toronto (30) and Peel (39). The five-day rolling average of new cases now stands at 138. It stood at 173 at this point last week. Daily summaries

See localized cases in Toronto since January or in last 21 days

The City’s interactive map permits a highly-localized view of COVID-19 history. There is an option to see case numbers since January or within the past 21 days. Hover your mouse pointer (or cursor) over the neighborhoods to see totals to date. NOTE: The City website forces you to then find link at top of its main page. Look for COVID-19 Neighbourhood Maps