The South Bayview Bulldog

London Police say that Julian Assange, wanted by the US on official secrets violations, has been removed from the Ecuador embassy at the invitation of the ambassador. Assange has been there since 2012. Assange is generally said to be the founder of the world-wide Wikileaks phenomenon. Wikipedia 

Mystery so far surrounds the fatal stabbing of Rae Cara Carrington, 51, of Toronto by a man who escaped from the scene in the City’s PATH system Wednesday. It occurred at a food counter apparently without any disturbance to suggest that this type of violence was imminent. Reports call the killing “targeted” but the police have not commented on this. Ms. Carrington was an employee at the salad bar where the stabbing happened. The suspect is described as white, 20-30 years, 5’8″ to 5’9″, medium build, with dark hair and facial hair. He was wearing a light-coloured ball cap, a black hooded sweater with a white T-shirt underneath, dark pants and dark shoes. A release Thursday says Ms. Carrington was fatally wounded when a suspect attacked her in the Commerce Court section of the underground shopping complex, located near King and Bay streets.

Restaurant called Fast Fresh Foods completely taped off and surrounded by police after a fatal stabbing in PATH system food court last night. @globalnewsto https://t.co/Sxbt9qumef

— Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) April 11, 2019

The Liberals are using their omnibus budget bill to legislate a “right to housing” and the requirements on future government to not drop the concept, Canadian Press reports Thursday. The bill sets into law rules around the Liberals’ 10-year national housing strategy, valued at more than $40 billion, and creates two new oversight bodies meant to make sure the spending reduces homelessness. A national housing council is to advise the government on the effects of the strategy and a new housing advocate is to report annually on systemic issues preventing Canadians from finding affordable and safe places to live.

Day of Pink at John Paul II Secondary School in Scarborough

This great picture was taken at John Paul II Secondary School at 685 Military Trail in Scarborough Wednesday. You’ll find TPS Chief Mark Saunders in a baseball cap as he and other service members joined students and staff on April 10 to mark International Day of Pink.

Looking ahead on driverless train

Ontario Line

Much wonder greets the Ontario government’s re-imagined downtown relief line in the outline described Wednesday by the Premier and others. The line will be moved, renamed and re-conceived. The Ontario Line will no longer be a subway but rather an elusive form of transport called a “free-standing transit artery.” The province says that driverless trains, lighter, smaller and more frequent vehicles and elevated track portions could all be part of the new line. Thus the concept is still being imagined. While it appears that the technology for building the route has not yet been decided, the government says that it will “invite the market” to offer cheaper technologies. The Ontario Line will migrate from the City-planned route of Pape and Osgoode stations to a line that connects Ontario Place with the Ontario Science Centre near Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue. It would also stop at East Harbour GO, Pape, Queen and Osgoode stations. The line would cost $10.9 billion and would have an estimated completion date of 2027. Stay tuned. Ontario Line on Twitter

Tisha

The heartwarming post appearing just about noon Wednesday tells of Tisha’s safe return to her owners. “Seven days later. Over 2,000 Facebook shares and 100,000 people reached. Someone how managed to convince someone to call Toronto animal service and our little one was just picked up. Thank you so so much to everyone. Tisha you went viral.”  Tisha taken from Leaside yard, advertised on Kijiji by thief

Left to right: Lynda Millar from Leaside United Church, Bill Pashby former Chair of the TNO Board, Ahmed Hussein Executive Director of TNO and Vanessa Rose TNO, Community Development.

Ryan Fry to join Team Epping

Councillor has flagged this one

Detour from Hell at Southvale and Rutherglen

At Davenport Nursery Bayview and Davisville

Leaside Wildcats Bantam BB are Ontario Women’s Hockey Association champs for 2019

Upper left, Lynda Millar (left) from Leaside United Church presents a cheque for $1,200 to Bill Pashby former Chair of the TNO Board, Ahmed Hussein Executive Director of TNO and Vanessa Rose, TNO Community Development. The money represents proceeds from the LUC Variety Show held March 29 and will go to support the TNO youth camp program. It is yet another example of how Leaside embraces its Thorncliffe Park neighbours. Upper right, the renowned Leaside curling team skipped by John Epping will add Olympic gold medalist Ryan Fry for the 2019-2020 season. Ryan will play third. Read more. Centre right, Councillor Robinson is on the job to get this yawning pothole repaired at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Davisville Ave. Across the middle, that’s Southvale Dr. late Tuesday afternoon at Rutherglen Rd. A detour from Hell was caused by a crew digging at the condo construction site. Traffic was funneled into narrow Rutherglen, Randolph and Millwood (three stops). The trip took about 10 minutes. Ugh. At bottom left, petunias have appeared at Davenport Nurseries at Bayview and Davisville Ave. And say hello to the Leaside Wildcats Bantam BB ladies, Ontario champions in the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association. Great work you red, white and black Cats.

Widespread reports say that the new Ontario license plate slogan will be A Place To Grow. The 1967 words are straight from music burned in the hearts and minds of most Ontarians by the Centennial year anthem A Place To Stand. Those nostalgic for the song can hear the original in pretty good quality at the flag. Then, reports from Queen’s Park on a $28.5 billion transit injection and beautiful stained glass windows being restored at Massey Hall. Lovely.

Benjamin Netanyahu has won a fifth term as prime minister of Israel with one seat over that of his main rival, the country’s Channel 12 said Wednesday local time. Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuand his main challenger Benny Gantz claimed victory in Israel‘s election but exit polls and early results indicated on Wednesday the veteran right-wing leader was on course for a record fifth term

Can we redeem anything today?

The federal government will give $12 million to Loblaws Inc so that it make its refrigerators and freezers more energy-efficient, Canadian Press reports Tuesday. CP notes that Loblaws annual report for 2018 indicates that the firm had $800 million in net earnings after covering interest payments, taxes and other charges. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna announced the $12-million award at a Loblaws Superstore in her Ottawa riding Monday. The money will cover one-quarter of the costs of retrofitting the refrigeration systems in 370 of the company’s supermarkets over the next three years. Loblaw is to invest $36 million in the project. McKenna defended the funds Tuesday saying the greenhouse-gas emissions reduced through the project will cut Loblaws overall emissions by nearly a fourth and be the equivalent of taking 50,000 cars off the road. “This was an open tender, open to any company or organization across the country to get bang for the buck because, guess what,” McKenna said in response to Fast. “Canadians want to reduce their emissions,” she said. Global News clip

599 Bathurst St.

Young Ernest Hemingway

The current listing for a condominium at 1599 Bathurst St. which was briefly home to Ernest Hemingway, has recalled the great writer’s six month sojourn (1923-24) in Toronto as an employee of the Toronto Star. It was the condo, then an apartment, to which Hemingway retired each day after frequent humiliating assignments given him by Star editor Harry Hindmarsh. One such embarrassment was to write a fluff piece about a white peacock which the Star was donating to the Toronto Zoo. The recollections of a fellow reporter, the late Tom Williams, recount how that instead of writing the story, Hemingway went out and got very drunk. “Returning to the office stiff as a teakwood plank, he sat down at his typewriter and wrote his resignation. To hear it from the news people present, it was one of the great moments in Canadian journalism, certainly one of the most unforgettable,” wrote Wilson. “Hemingway knocked off page after page of vitriolic prose in which he castrated the unfortunate peacock and the loathsome Hindmarsh. As the pages flew from his machine the reporters would scoop them up and pin them to the walls.” The condo by the way is in a pre-1925 building called The Hemingway and is listed for $730,000. Oh yes, it’s a fourth-floor walk up. Take a look.