The South Bayview Bulldog

Lawrence Park residents John Beaton and wife Kate Wheeler pose on beach in Bahama with daughters Alex and Sophie with friend Connor Harrigan

This local gallery begins with the Beatons of Lawrence Park on the beach in Exuma. That’s John with wife Kate Wheeler, daughters Alex and Sophie and friend Connor Harrigan. Those Iguana are frightening. What She Said.

The Path by Stephen Gillbury currently gracing window of State of the Art Gallery at 1541 Bayview Ave.

This compelling work by Stephen Gillbury is currently gracing the window at State of the Art Gallery, 1541 Bayview Ave. It’s always fun talking art with owner Micheal Leonard

Parkview-O’Connor Neighhourhood Community Officers Constables Alex Dreglia, Winston Tippett, Dave Besco and Chris Black

Be on the lookout for and please say hello to Alex, Winston, Dave and/or Chris on the streets of the Parkview-O’Connor neighborhood in 55 Division. The new Neighourhood Community Officers were recently appointed and their story is told by Ron Fanfair at the TPS website.

Boxes for trees on Millwood east of Bayview Ave.

Fences are now down in front of Millwood Shoe Repairs and Pat’s Barber Shop

Lastly, the fences are down on the north side of Millwood Rd. east of Bayview Ave. as work has been completed on the large tree boxes in front of Millwood Shoe Repair and Pat’s Barber Shop. O Happy Day.

Paula Davies

Ray White

Judges of the Agnes Macphail Award for 2020 have been unable to decide between two eminent candidates and so will honour both persons with the community prize. They are Paula Davies, co-founder of the Todmorden Mills Wildflower Preserve and Ray White, president of the East York Foundation. They will receive their awards at this year’s presentation ceremony at East York Civic Centre at 850 Coxwell Ave. on Sunday, March 29. The rare practice of honoring more than one candidate occurred in 1998 when husband and wife Elisabeth and Robert Lister received the prize.

A woman recently returned from Iran has been diagnosed at Sunnybrook HSC as the fifth presumptive positive coronavirus case. The patient, who is 60, has been sent home to remain in self-quarantine for two weeks. Toronto’s only other active COVID-19 case is a woman in her 20s, who is also in self-isolation at home and recovering well. Canada has confirmed 12 cases of the illness overall, which has sickened more than 80,000 people and caused more than 2,700 deaths across the world.

Many banks and investment companies are trying to reassure panicky investors in the wake of sharp market declines related to the spread of COVID-19 this week. The coronavirus was first identified in early January in China but after reports that the contagious virus had spread to Europe stocks began to slip. This past weekend dozens of cases appeared in Italy and Iran dashing hopes that the outbreak would be contained to Asia. Stocks were down again Tuesday dropping nearly 900 points on the Dow and 385 in Toronto. Johns Hopkins world summary of COVID-19 cases

The snowballing blockade of railways and paralysis of transportation has seen eastbound GO trains stalled east of the Guildwood station Tuesday afternoon. Social media posts and video, as seen below, indicate that trains are moving at 6 p.m.

Police stand by as GO train travels through rail crossing near Guildwood Station in Scarborough https://t.co/mSxb4e0co0 pic.twitter.com/gR9u308hO4

— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) February 25, 2020

One of the country’s top central bankers says the Bank of Canada is going to start the work to build its own digital currency as a backstop should the day arise where cryptocurrency dethrone cash as king. In a speech Tuesday in Montreal, deputy governor Timothy Lane says there isn’t a compelling case to issue a central bank-backed digital currency right now. But the timeline to create one is long enough that the Bank of Canada is beginning work in the event cash is no longer used for most transactions.

Bank has an eye on Facebook’s currency

Mr. Lane said the bank could issue its own cryptocurrency if private digital currencies like Facebook’s proposed Libra become widely used in Canada and erode the central bank’s ability to manage monetary policy. There are still several steps to go through before the Bank of Canada can issue a digital offering, including settling on the technology to use and getting the legal authority from Parliament to do so.

As telegraphed Monday on The Bulldog, there’s a big snowstorm heading in our direction. Tuesday, Environment Canada said it may drop as much as 20 cms of snow by late Wednesday. But EC also says there is uncertainty about the track of the low-pressure system responsible for the precipitation. Right now it’s dumping rain and snow on Illinois and Indiana, as seen in the Accuweather weather radar image from 11 a.m. Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned. 

Memories of 2009 strike

Last-minute negotiations between the City and CUPE inside and outside workers may turn on the so-called jobs-for-life issue. It is a provision of the present agreement which states that any employee with 15 years of seniority cannot lose his employment “as a result of contracting out or privatization.”  Mayor Tory said late Monday the union had agreed to a “fixed sunset clause” four years ago, which meant that all employees with less than 15 years seniority as of December 31, 2019 would no longer qualify for protection under the clause. He said that the City “is not asking for anything different on jobs for life, just to keep with what was agreed to and what was ratified by the membership of CUPE 416 four years ago. “We have made it clear to the bargaining team that we will not be going backwards on jobs for life,” he said. The union has said that outside workers never agreed to phase out the clause which comes “no cost to the City”.

Here are a couple of invitations from St. Cuthbert’s Anglican and Northlea United that you may find hard to resist. Organizers at Leaside United announced earlier that its pancake supper had been cancelled this year because of renovations at the church

Special Weather Statement Issued at 14:58 Monday 24 February 2020

Significant snowfall, freezing rain or rain possible Wednesday and Wednesday night. Current indications suggest that precipitation associated with a Texas Low will move into the area early Wednesday morning. The precipitation may begin as snow then change to rain or freezing rain or continue as snow. Total snowfall amounts of 5 to 15 cm are possible in areas where the precipitation falls primarily as snow. There is much uncertainty regarding the track of this low. Any change in the track could drastically change snowfall amounts and precipitation types. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.

Grass fire “near an encampment” at Gardiner and Jameson

Not the end of the world but an interesting insight into City life as the Toronto Fire Service extinguishes a pretty good-sized grass fire on a mid-Winter Monday. The police Twitter service notes that the fire occurred “near an encampment” at the Gardiner Expressway and Jameson Ave. Someone’s living rough, it seems

Garbage and grass fire WB Gardiner ramp to Jameson – ramp closed, expect delays. #WBGardiner pic.twitter.com/rErzhbPuSj

— 680 NewsRadio Toronto Traffic & Weather (@NewsRadioTO) February 24, 2020

Pier One seeks Starbucks customers on Sunday

Wingporium gone in about six months

Over at Eglinton Ave. E. and Laird Drive the bankruptcy of Pier 1 in the US has caused the imminent closure of all stores in Canada. On Sunday, this man (left) was outside Starbucks kitty-corner from the Pier 1 in the RioCan Leaside Centre. Slightly west, Wingporium has closed after less than a year at 856 Eglinton E. Locals will recall that this is the site of the former Shoeless Joe’s, an apparent victim of disruption caused by the Crosstown LRT.