The South Bayview Bulldog

Dr. Elena Pope

The head doctor treating children’s skin at the Hospital for Sick Children is suggesting parents look at their kids feet to see if there are unusual lesions around the toes that could be a sign of COVID-19 infection. Canadian Press says that Dr. Elena Pope has noticed an uptick in the appearance of so-called COVID toes in asymptomatic kids over the last few weeks in North America. “The kids are not really bothered by those lesions and I think that’s why it took a while for this to come to the forefront,” she said. “If they were not bothered by it, they maybe didn’t actually report it to their parents … most of the lesions disappear on their own. They fade over time.” CTV

A Lotto Max player somewhere in the Prairies has 55 million good reasons for checking his/her ticket this morning. Last night’s $55 million jackpot was claimed by a single ticket sold on the Prairies. The runner-up prize of just over $1 million went to a lottery player in British Columbia. The draw also offered three Maxmillions prizes of $1 million each, but none were won.

The Ontario government is allowing some workplaces to reopen, as long as they meet “strict public health measures and operate safely during the COVID-19 outbreak.” In a news release issued Friday, the province announced the businesses that will be allowed to start up again include seasonal businesses and some essential construction projects. Here is the list of businesses that may open. CBC

• Garden centres and nurseries with curbside pick-up and delivery only;

• Lawn care and landscaping;

• Additional essential construction projects that include:

• shipping and logistics;
• broadband, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure;
• any other project that supports the improved delivery of goods and services;
• municipal projects;
• colleges and universities;
• child care centres;
• schools;
• and site preparation, excavation, and servicing for institutional, commercial, industrial andresidential development

• Automatic and self-serve car washes;

• Auto dealerships, open by appointment only;

• Golf courses may prepare their courses for the upcoming season, but not open to the public.

• Marinas may also begin preparations for the recreational boating season by servicing boats and other watercraft and placing boats in the water, but not open to the public. Boats and watercraft must be secured to a dock in the marina until public access is allowed.

The Ministry of Health reported 421 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, bringing the provincial total to 16,608 cases. The death toll has risen to 1,121 as 39 more deaths were reported. Meanwhile, 10,825 people have recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, which is 65.2 percent of cases. Ministry of Health

Fire at encampment under Glen Rd. bridge/CityNews

One person has died Friday after a fire at an encampment under the Glen Road Bridge. The site appears to be in the Park Drive Reservation Lands near Glen and Beaumont Drive. TFS crews were called to the area on South Drive near Mount Pleasant Rd and Bloor St just before 8:30 a.m. An occupant of the encampment was found dead shortly after. The news comes as Toronto began moving several people from tents into 125 furnished apartment buildings.

Dr. Danny Chen led medical team

Mackenzie Health staff celebrate their patient’s remarkable improvement

Doctors at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (Mackenzie Health) have reportedly used an Ebola drug to achieve stunning improvements in a 69-year-old COVID-19 patient. The hospital is said to have obtained special dispensation from Health Canada to use the drug in this way.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has appointed Tiff Macklem, the former senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, to take over the top job at the central bank. Macklem is currently the dean of the Rotman School of Management in Toronto but had spent decades with the Bank of Canada before starting that appointment.

Father was CFO of Birks

Tiff Macklem, 59, was born in Montreal where his father was Chief Financial Officer of Birks. Macklem and his wife Rosemary have three children. He began his career at the bank in 1984 and was widely expected to win the contest for bank governor in 2013 but was beaten out by Stephen Poloz, who was then CEO of Export Development Canada. Poloz’s term ends June 2. Wikipedia  BNNBloomberg

Costco has announced that it will progressively introduce a masks-only requirement for customers at its stores. According to a story on Red Flag Deals the “slow roll” introduction of essential mask-wearing is being worked out.

Pusateri employee tests positive

Pusateri’s has announced that one of its employees has tested positive for COVID-19. According to Pusateri’s, the stores visited by the infected employee include their Sherway Gardens and Avenue Road locations. Pusateri’s said the employee was normally assigned to head office.  His last day at work was April 24. CTV

Snowbirds begin cross country salute to health workers

The RCAF Snowbirds aerial acrobats will begin a national tour to salute the country’s health care heroes. A release says the Snowbirds will make fly-overs at hospitals. Facebook

Colin Furness, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, is urging the government to launch testing of workers at risk like taxi drivers, grocery store workers as well as health care workers. The wide-ranging interview with Cynthia Mulligan is informative about the long-term nature of COVID-19.

Here we see City Council meeting Thursday by WebEx. Some taxpayers may like it better than the old way as Councillors have to look you in the eye. City Council  Mayor Tory on Breakfast Television

The Ministry of Health has reported an overnight total of 459 new cases of COVID-19 infection Thursday. The figure is up from 347 cases Wednesday but well off the daily high of 640 cases reported on April 24. CTV calculates that deaths in this report hit 86, the highest number so far. In total, 1082 people are recorded as having died from the virus. Ministry website