The South Bayview Bulldog

A huge advertising campaign in downtown Toronto and elsewhere has been launched by the British American Tobacco PLC. to persuade the public that there is “misinformation” being dispensed about vaping. The ads don’t say that vaping is safe, just that there is misinformation. The expensive campaign has been launched at Dundas Square, a well-known mecca for teens and tweens. They are a major component of vaping sales. The ads are attributed to Imperial Tobacco Canada of Montreal, a wholly-owned subsidiary of British American.

The City of Toronto and the union representing outside workers reached a tentative agreement Friday evening putting an end to the threat of a strike among garbage collectors and other service employees. The tentative agreement must be voted on by members of CUPE local 416 but the outcome seems clear. Details, including the status of an issue known as employees-for-life, are still to be revealed.

Toronto Public Health has sent letters to those enrolled at a Midtown English-language school for newcomers warning them that they may have been exposed to someone who has COVID–19. The school is at 90 Eglinton Ave. E. and is operated by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. The letter says that anyone from the centre who develops symptoms before March 11 should follow self-isolation guidelines. It also says that anyone who does seek medical treatment should call their healthcare provider first, so they can take necessary precautions.

Man in 80s from Egypt diagnosed

Meanwhile, a man in his 80s has been diagnosed with the virus. He is said to be resting comfortably at home in Scarborough. He is said to be the eighth such case in Ontario.

Canada’s largest stock index flirted with correction territory after plunging for a sixth-straight day Friday. Fear of the coronavirus and what it might do to business drove the worst panic seen since the global financial crisis of 2008. The S&P/TSX composite index was down as much as 821 points and closed down 454.39 points at 16,263.05. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 357.28 points at 25,409.36. The S&P 500 index was down 24.55 points at 2,954.21, while the Nasdaq composite was up 0.89 of a point at 8,567.37.

A man recently returned to Toronto from Iran has been treated at Sunnybrook HSC and confirmed as the province’s seventh COVID-19 patient. The man presented at the hospital Wednesday, a day after arriving in Toronto. “The established infection prevention and control protocols were initiated; the patient was cared for at the hospital using all appropriate precautions, including being isolated as he was being tested for COVID-19,” health officials said in a news release Friday.

Yonge and Park Home Ave.

Three pedestrians were knocked down on the sidewalk at Yonge St. and Park Home Ave. in Willowdale Friday morning. A car, seen in the City News capture above, jumped the curb after a collision in the intersection. All three are said to be recovering from their injuries.

The still-unknown story behind the arson attack that destroyed a private jet at Buttonville Airport must be a good one. Is it simple vandalism taken to an extreme or something even more nefarious involving malice, money or both. Carl Hantske of 680 News prowled the airport for the above video.

Friday may hold yet more snow if the forecast for afternoon squalls applies. As much as 4 cm may accumulate. It will be a cold weekend but temperatures are forecast to rise with the first week of March. There will be some rain. In like a damp lamb.

TSX shuts itself down via 'technical halt' as stock markets sell off https://t.co/ia1UxqoU4A pic.twitter.com/cA6u3IjSKC

— CBC Toronto (@CBCToronto) February 27, 2020

Called for help, happy with outcome

Newly named “Hydro Cat” stranded on pole

As the world worried about coronavirus, human love of cats organized the rescue of a black and white (tuxedo) feline from the top of a hydro pole at Bloor and Dufferin Sts. Thursday. The fire service responded and in the end, it wasn’t too hard to persuade newly-named “Hydro Cat” to accept the warming embrace of its two-legged friends.