No winning ticket was sold for the $35.5 million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw. That means the jackpot for the next draw on May 3 will grow to approximately $50 million, and there will also be two Maxmillions prizes of $1 million each on offer.
Three-tower proposal would change Yonge/St. Clair forever
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Bounded by Yonge, Heath St. E, Alvin Ave. and the property line with 2 St. Clair East
Looking southeast. Orient yourself with Yorkminster Baptist Church on the left.
The website Urban Toronto has obtained information on a proposed three-tower development north of Yonge and St Clair that will, if approved, create a huge boost in density to the area. It would stand at Yonge and Heath St. East and offer a rival to the growth and height of skyscrapers at Yonge and Eglinton. The northern three-fifths of the block to the northeast of the Yonge-St. Clair intersection is targeted for redevelopment as Wittington Properties Limited seeks rezoning to permit the development. It includes condominiums rising above significant ground-level retail and pedestrian space and would no doubt add density and attractive business growth. It will also change the character of the area profoundly. The low-rise businesses north of the intersection will go, as will Wally Crouter Walk and the familiar Alvin Ave. Green P lot. Homes and businesses on the east side of Alvin will sit in the permanent shadow of the new towers.
Vlad Jr. rage, measles raging and battle for the diesel motor
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The unique Canadian-Dominican story of Vlad Guerrero Jr. has captured the imagination of Blue Jays fans. Born in Montreal of a dad who played for the Expos, the young Guerrero will now play for Toronto. Then, many Americans are shaking their heads at the out-of-control spread of measles across the nation. Measles should be extinct. Below that, the sentencing of James Sears has been delayed as the Crown argues for the maximum sentence of one year in prison for publishing hate. Sears is the editor of Your Ward News, the no doubt offensive and utterly scattered-brained publication found to have published hate against women, Jews, LBGTQ and others. Finally, in mechanical Germany there is what appears to be a life-and-death battle to save the diesel engine. Growing numbers of towns are using EU laws to prevent such vehicles within their boundaries.
Leaside Gardens board sponsors east side clean up Sunday
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The Board of Management of Leaside Community Memorial Gardens is asking residents to participate in its Clean Toronto Together this Sunday. The Gardens will lead a team of volunteer “litter-picker-uppers” from the community in an effort to clean up the public spaces at the LMCG and surrounding areas. The team will work its way from the Leaside Arena north on Laird Drive to toward Eglinton. There will be water and snacks available. The project authorizes student service hours as well as handing out water and energy bars for our volunteers. To make it fun, the ia a game of “litter bingo”. The aim is to make the east boundary of Leaside clean and welcoming for all. Local businesses and residents are encouraged to join in by volunteering, or simply come out and cheer us on. Janice Ivory-Smith is Chair of the Community Relations Committee at Leaside Gardens said “the staff and Board of Management of Leaside Gardens take our commitment to the Leaside community seriously. That’s why we are excited to partner with the City and our neighbours to Clean Toronto Together. We hope to see lots of volunteers on the day.”
Tailgate party, bum run, Khalsa, 5K events enliven weekend
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If you can get comfortable talking about this kiester….
Here is a summary of weekend events and road closures:
Toronto Raptors tailgate and viewing party
Bremner Boulevard from Lake Shore Boulevard West to the east side of the parking garage at 25 York St. will be closed on Saturday, April 27 from 7 a.m. to midnight.A map of these closures is available at http://bit.ly/MLSEPlayoffs2019
. Boat launch event
Stadium Road from Little Norway Crescent to the foot of Stadium Road on the downtown waterfront will be closed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28.A map of this closure is available at http://bit.ly/BoatLaunch2019.
Khalsa Day downtown celebration
The east and west curb lanes of University Avenue from Dundas Street West to Queen Street West will be closed to traffic on Sunday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate the annual Khalsa Day celebration.A map of the restrictions is available at http://bit.ly/KhalsaDayTO2019
Additional information about this event, including a parade travelling from the CNE grounds to City Hall, is available at https://osgc.ca/khalsa-day-dow
ntown-toronto/. Bum Run
Queen’s Park Crescent East and Queen’s Park Crescent West will be fully closed between College Street and Bloor Street West on Sunday, April 28 from 7 to 10:30 a.m.Additional lane restrictions will be in effect from 8 to 10 a.m. in the area around Queen’s Park, bordering College Street to the south, Spadina Avenue to the west, Bloor Street West to the north and Bay Street to the east.
A map of these restrictions is available at http://bit.ly/BumRun2019.
Additional information about this event is available at https://raceroster.com/events/
2019/20034/bumrun-2019. Cadillac Fairview 5K Run/Walk
The following road closures and restrictions will be in place on Sunday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to noon to accommodate this event:
• The eastbound curb lane on Lawrence Avenue East between Karl Fraser Road and Leslie Street will be closed.
• The Donway West will be closed at Lawrence Avenue East and no through traffic will be permitted.A map of these closures is available at http://bit.ly/CF5K_2019.
When guests stink, Sri Lankan hatred and Texas execution
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Lenin Moreno
Zahran Hashim
John William King
That’s Lenin Moreno, president of Ecuador at left. His final good riddance to Julian Assange includes a revelation that Assange smeared feces all over the bathrooms of the London Embassy. It was Ben Franklin who said that guests were like fish. After three days, they begin to stink. Assange was inside the embassy for seven years. Peeyew. At centre is a man called Zahran Hashim. The BBC says he was the ringleader of the despicable Easter Day slaughter of Christians there and sets out to find him. Finally, at right, hatred of another kind in the face of John William King. In 1998 he and two other men dragged a black man, James Byrd Jr., to his death in Jasper, Texas. Thursday Byrd’s relatives watched as the state executed King.
10-hour standoff in City’s northwest resolved peacefully
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A day-long standoff on Greentree Court northwest of Eglinton Ave. and Keele St. has ended peacefully.
AMBER ALERT CANCELLED
Peel Police have cancelled an Amber Alert Thursday related to a mother who did not return her son to the father’s home Wednesday afternoon. The woman and her son were found safe about 7 p.m. near Chatham-Kent.
Man’s perilous edge-walk to get cat from neighbor’s balcony
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For love of cat or something
Fear for future of humanity?
Adrian Ghobrial of City News found his way to a condo in Liberty Village where this risky cat retrieval played out. The person taking the video is amused and stunned all at once. “No, no,” he says as the sky-dweller climbs the railing. Life in the City.
Whispered appeal from hospital bed to hit-and-run driver
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Navindra Sookramsingh
2003-2007 Toyota Corolla
Peel Police have staged an unusual appeal to the public by bringing a bed-ridden and badly injured accident victim to headquarters for a news conference. The victim, Navindra Sookramsingh, 21, was struck in an unusual early-morning hit-and-run occurrence March 17 on West Dr near Clark Dr. He had fallen to the roadway pavement about 4 a.m. because he was ill, the authorities say. He was nearly struck by one vehicle and was trying to stand when he was struck by another. It kept on going. In a whispered appeal from his bed Mr. Sookramsingh said that he has forgiven the driver who fled but wants he or she to take responsibility for what was done. “I can’t move my hands, I can’t talk and I can’t enjoy a life where as a man I feel less than everyone else,” he is quoted as saying. “Do you know what that feels like? I am not mad at you for hitting me because people do have accidents and I don’t want to see you get into any trouble. I just want you to be responsible for what you did to me, for the changes you made to my life. It is going to be changed forever.” The vehicle that struck Sookramsingh was a 2003 to 2007 Toyota Corolla. Video
St. Cuthbert’s Fair, Lancebotics compete and Toxic Beauty
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Hit the bake table
Locally, St. Cuthbert’s Spring Fair is on Saturday at the old church at Bayview Ave. and St. Cuthbert’s Drive. It’s always fun and the bake table is the first stop.
Lancebotics off to Louisville/LHS
Toxic Beauty/Phyllis Ellis inset
Above we see the Leaside High gang ready to take a low-tech bus trip to Louisville and the high-tech challenge of the Vox Robotics World Championships (for robot builders). Good luck to the LHS Lancebotics and thanks to Mrs. (Helen) Panayiotou for posting. She’s the science curriculum leader at LHS. At right is a reminder to watch Toxic Beauty, a film by Leaside director Phyllis Ellis. It will be aired at HocDocs 2019.opener.
Then some Friday night fun at The Wally at 302 O’Connor Dr (at Donlands) and/or the Black Sheep Comedy lineup at Brunswick Bierworks at 24 Curity Ave.
Plan to build Coxwell co-operative cancelled because of cost
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Innstead Co-operative Housing Inc. has cancelled a six-storey mixed-use building which would have had 33 affordable housing units, one retail unit at ground level, office space on the sixth floor, and nine surface parking spots at 355-363 Coxwell Ave.
An affordable housing project has been cancelled in Leslieville because, it is said, costs doubled to something like $21 million in three years. This interesting story at Toronto.com does not specify if the increase occurred through actual price increases or a failure to plan. The project was the well-intentioned idea of Innstead Co-operative Housing Inc., a 52-property co-op based in Leslieville. The development became unsustainable when construction costs nearly doubled to $21 million in three years. Despite efforts to find a solution, the co-op was unable to come up with a plan to make ends meet and decided to halt the project.
Beyond Meat in deal to sell burgers at Loblaws, other chains
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In stores by May
The Los Angeles firm Beyond Meat Inc. has announced that its celebrated fake beef burgers that bleed like the real thing will soon be sold in Canadian supermarkets. The company also makes meatless sausages, crumbles and other products. Beyond Meat says it will sell its products at Co-op, Fresh Street Market, IGA, Loblaw, Longos, Metro, Save On Foods, Sobeys (including Freshco and Price Chopper) and Whole Foods Market stores by May. The burgers will be available in stores at the end of May, and will retail for around $7.50 per package. The Beyond Meat burgers have received apparent universal applause following their introduction at A&W restaurants last year.
The Global News video below describes some of the ways Beyond Meat imitates the flavour and visual impact of burgers. Beet juice makes them bleed, for example. The report also offers advice on overdoing veganism, if that’s your thing. It suggests real meat is necessary for a balanced diet.