The South Bayview Bulldog

Deranged man with knife taunted police to shoot him/YouTube Josh Giha

Video posted to YouTube shows a deranged man with a knife taunting police and inviting them to shoot him. This occurred Monday at the Toronto Library branch at 789 Yonge St. at Asquith Ave. north of Bloor St. The man wanders about the main floor of the library for a short period uttering threats and saying “shoot me” and similar invitations. The first officer on the scene tries to talk the man down saying “I don’t want to” and “that’s not what I’m here to do. I don’t want to hurt you,” she says. Other officers arrive and as the man continues to invite police to shoot him he is tasered twice over a period of five or six seconds. He then falls to the floor and is taken into custody.

More young workers in Alberta

The conservative Fraser Institute has released a report Wednesday which says Albertans make a disproportionate contribution to national programs such as the Canada Pension Plan. Fraser Institute is a supporter of improving Canada’s ability to ship Alberta oil abroad and of oil and gasoline self-sufficiency for Canada. Many people agree. But it may seem disingenuous to imply that Alberta citizens are treated differently. Young people everywhere make the same contribution to CPP but Alberta has more young. It is a useful reminder to anti-pipeline advocates however that without the Alberta contribution to the CPP, the pension plan might not be entirely viable. Or so says Fraser.

Issued at 10:33 Wednesday 03 April 2019

Strong winds today. The passage of a cold front is ushering in strong westerly winds this morning. Widespread wind gusts to 70 km/h are expected with isolated wind gusts to 80 km/h. The wind will begin to ease later this afternoon. Isolated power outages may be possible.

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Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.

Drummer girls

Light show

Dancer

A donation of $1,200 will be given to the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office to allow 20 youth to attend the Thorncliffe Day Camp for three weeks this summer. It is money raised through the Leaside United Church Variety Show last week. Fine photos of the show by Murray Fenner are now posted at the church site. Wide range of acts entertain large crowd at LUC talent show

The five-team National Women’s Hockey League in the US will expand to Canada following the announced end of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. NWHL will expand to Montreal and Toronto, creating a league of seven teams. At present the league is composed of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan (Newark) Riveters and Minnesota Whitecaps. The CWHL consisted of the Worcester (Massachusetts) Blades, Calgary Inferno, Shenzhen (China) KRS Vanke Rays, Les Canadiennes de Montréal, Markham Thunder and the Toronto Furies

The Toronto Real Estate Board says March home sales were flat compared to last March, some 7,187 down by one home from 2018. The average selling price for March was up 0.5 per cent, or $3,821 from a year earlier to $788,335. “Despite sales being markedly lower than the record levels of 2016 and early 2017, the supply of listings has also receded,” said Jason Mercer, the board’s chief market analyst, in a statement.

Mr. Trudeau addresses cheering caucus

Ministers Wilson-Raybould and Philpott

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expelled Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus, saying that trust with the two former cabinet ministers has been irreparably broken. Trudeau delivered the news to the national Liberal caucus in Ottawa Tuesday night to loud applause. He said the two could not stay on because they could not express confidence in the caucus. “The trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken, whether it’s taping conversations without consent, or repeatedly expressing a lack of confidence in our government or me personally as leader,” he said.

• Tuesday night massacre and other opinion

Trudeau said it’s wrong for any politician to secretly record a conversation, but called it “unconscionable” that an attorney general would tape a conversation with the country’s top civil servant — a reference to Wilson-Raybould’s release last week of a recording of a phone conversation she had with Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick in December. Under Canadian law, it is legal for a party to a phone call to record the conversation without disclosing that it is being done.

Maurice Cody Grade Fives at City Hall/John Tory@JohnTory

Mayor Tory met Ms. Cohnstaedt’s Grade Five class from Maurice Cody Junior Public Tuesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays have traded centre-fielder Kevin Pillar to the San Francisco Giants for right-handed pitchers Juan De Paula and Derek Law and infielder Alen Hanson. CBC

Let’s get out of here

Tourists fled for their lives when it became apparent that a huge wave might drown them all. It happened in Iceland as reported by the BBC.

Some other videos of interest Tuesday include a pushback by urban voters in Turkey against President Erdogan and how the fascinating Japanese people create a “new Era” with the replacement of an Emperor. BBC Youtube

Naveed Tarani

Atom AA Flames/Tabatha Bull

Carol Burtin Fripp /Photo Will Fripp

Bennington Heights Tim Magwood in a good cause

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Please give

Blue Radish fun at MRUC

Naveed Tarani is the new owner of Aroma Espresso Bar in Leaside Village on Laird Drive. His wife Shafrina posted to Leaside Community. Welcome folks. At upper right are the Atom AA Leaside Flames hockey team, GTHL champs in their division. Proud mom Tabatha Bull tweeted this photo. Well done guys. At centre right, Carol Burtin Fripp, co-president of the Leaside Property Owners Association. She has just posted a state of the community report to Leaside Life. Across the bottom, Bennington Heights Tim Magwood plays April 11 with proceeds going to Camp Scugog, a heartfelt charity of the local musician. It gives unforgettable summer recreation and learning to kids who would never receive it otherwise. Check the other bulletins and please give blood at Northlea School on Thursday. .

Sauce-flavoured ice cream not so very hard to believe.

April Fools Day saw the Toronto Public Library venture into fictional cat lending. They called it the Purrfect Pals program. Many commercial firms are especially fond of grabbing a little free attention. Two regulars are Swiss Chalet and WestJet. This year Swiss Chalet announced its Chalet sauce will be available as ice cream. Last year the chicken restaurant said it was installing “sauce fountains” at all its tables. West Jet (as seen in the City News video) spent a dollar or two  on its joke. This year the airline got plenty of attention for its music festival in the sky. Woohoo. Hamilton police announced the formation of a feline squad and the TTC promised 24-hour subway service this summer. Not to be unkind, but if they could just run it consistently on weekends it would be a triumph. Subway Sandwich announced a hefty Poutine Sandwich. And so it went. But Microsoft wrote to its employees a few days ago warning them that the firm did not like April Fools. A Torontocentric prank roundup can be found on BlogTO. April Fools Day in the age of fake news