Mississauga Fire Service extinguished a raging garage fire mid-morning Friday on Hensen Rd. in Brampton. No one was hurt in the blaze but neighbors are guessing it will be a rather bleak Christmas for the owners. Firefighters said smoke detectors alerted occupants to the fire.
A most heartening post at Leaside Community Facebook tells of the return of a woman’s car and house keys Thursday after they were lost nearly a month ago at Trace Manes Park. There are many unanswered questions most notably how did the good samaritan know to leave the keys between the front doors of the right home? The author of the posts makes a stab at it by saying the finder must have walked the area clicking the fob to see which car lights responded by flashing. Then the keys were left at the nearby house. Hmm. Maybe.
A Lawrence Park man, Danny Goulis, says he blames Lexus for the seemingly easy theft of his 2017 model from his driveway Wednesday. It is the second time he has had a Lexus stolen. According to Mr. Goulis, as reported by Adam Carter of the CBC, the vehicle’s keys and electronic fob were in a metal box at the rear of the home, the steering wheel was locked with a wheel club and the car was locked. Nonetheless, a 3 a.m. thief opened the car in six minutes then removed the wheel club, started the Lexus and drove off in an additional three minutes. CBC
Early afternoon exit polls in the UK indicate that the Conservatives will return to government with a majority. Here is live coverage from ITV
Andrew Scheer says he is stepping down as Conservative leader as soon as a successor can be chosen. Scheer addressed the House of Commons briefly at about noon Eastern time, saying leading his party had been the honour of his life but that he could not commit to giving the Conservatives 100 per cent any longer. He called resigning “one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made.”
The US Congress is hearing chilling testimony of the fear expressed by Boeing employees about the dangerous 737 Max well before it crashed. Then, apparent problems with the highly-touted ring-cameras in a chilling report from ABC News. Below that, a hospital mistake in Come By Chance Newfoundland in 1962 sent babies to the wrong home. The men whose lives were changed forever by this carelessness are suing. Lastly, Kawhi returns to Toronto.
Citizens in general, motorists, pedestrians and committed TTC riders alike, can only wonder what material result will be had from the installation of photo radar cameras. No doubt speeders, or anyone driving over the speed limit, will pay a price. But only time will tell if these devices reduce fatalities in a real way.
The UK will go to the polls on Thursday for the country’s third general election in less than five years. The contest, the first to be held in December in nearly 100 years, follows those in 2015 and 2017. Polling stations in 650 constituencies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland open at 07:00 GMT. Boris Johnson warns vote ‘could not be tighter’
China, Huawei viewed with suspicion by majority of Canadians
A new survey says Canadian public opinion is solidly against allowing Huawei as a supplier for the new generation of ultra-fast wireless networks that are being built by the country’s telecommunications companies. An Angus Reid Institute online poll published Wednesday says 69 percent of respondents were against the federal government allowing the Chinese telecom equipment maker from being involved in Canada’s fifth-generation wireless networks. The survey also found that 66 percent of respondents had a negative view of China, up from 51 percent in 2018.
One motorist has died in a series of truck and passenger vehicle collisions caused by treacherous whiteouts on 401 near Brockville Wednesday. Many motorists were stuck in winter weather all day. Detour routes sent convoys of tractor-trailers rumbling through Brockville. The OPP said as many as 25 vehicles were involved in a crash at Maitland.
Many taxpayers may be wondering just what kind of City they really want. A 10.5 percent tax increase has been unanimously approved by City Executive in the wake of a review by an eminent accounting firm that says the City’s capital plan seems unaffordable based on current revenues. Mayor Tory’s plan to jump taxes is aimed at paying for splendid transit and housing dreams. The scheme must now go to Council as a whole for approval. It calls for increases that will add annual hits to residential bills totalling 10.5 percent by 2025. But hang on. The increased taxes are just a way of persuading lenders to let Toronto borrow an additional $6.6 billion to put towards affordable housing and TTC repairs. The proposal comes as Ernst and Young concludes that the City’s capital plan may be unaffordable.
Police are pursuing their careful reconstruction of last Friday’s collision at Eglinton Ave. E and Brentcliffe Rd. One woman, Jocelyn Misener-denomme has said on Facebook that she “saw the whole thing” when a man in a motorized wheelchair crossing Eglinton was struck by a car heading west. She says the wheelchair victim was crossing on the east side of Brentcliffe where such pedestrian crossings are forbidden because of LRT-construction requirements. Another person who was on the scene, Debra William, says she was told that the wheelchair man was crossing against the light. As police ask for dashcam and surveillance video, their goal will be to see if the man got caught by changing signals because he was slow to cross or whether he simply barged out into the intersection against a red.
Victim and wheelchair thrown 80 feet
As always, the speed of the vehicle will be of interest to cops. Ms. Misener-denomme’s account says the man and his wheelchair were hurled an estimated 80 feet along Eglinton. She says two doctors tended to the man as they waited for the ambulance. Here is the condensed police request published Monday:
A 49-year-old man was driving a red Kia Forte sedan westbound on Eglinton Avenue East
A 58-year-old man in his motorized wheelchair was crossing Eglinton Avenue East, from the south to north curb when he was struck by the Kia
The pedestrian was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing by members of Traffic Services.
Police are asking local residents, businesses, and drivers, who may have security or dash camera footage of the area or incident, to contact investigators.
