The South Bayview Bulldog

Premier Rachel Notley

Not wheat, oil

UCP leader Jason Kenney

NDP Premier Rachel Notley has called an Alberta general election for April 16. The contest will see Notley battle United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney for credibility as a builder of pipelines. Both have laboured to see Alberta oil shipped faster and safely in all directions but both live in a world of rich, committed opponents. Kenney has apparently won ground by promising to take on wealthy US environmentalists who fund anti-pipeline groups in Canada. An Ipsos/Global News poll shows him with a substantial lead. The poll — which surveyed 900 eligible Alberta voters both online and by telephone — asked questions ranging from who people would vote for if the election were held today, how certain they were and which leader might be the best to govern the province. Overall, the majority — 53 per cent — of Albertans polled seemed ready to throw their support behind the UCP, with 35 per cent saying they’d vote for the NDP. The Liberal and Alberta parties came in with a total of seven per cent.

Sgt. Steve Sadler and Chief Mark Saunders salute the march past (tpsnews.ca)

The recent change of command of the Toronto Police Service Ceremonial Unit took place at Moss Park Armory. Sergeant Steve Sadler, who joined the department in 1988, handed command to Detective Sergeant Tyrone Hilton.

Chief’s Ceremonial Unit members with Toronto Police Pipe Band (tpsnews.ca)

Eglinton and Bayview (Leaside Station) at 10.15 a.m. Tuesday, March 19

Metrolinx will hold an update meeting on Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction Tuesday evening at Leaside arena in the William Lea Room. It is scheduled to run from 6.30 to 8 p.m. The release indicates there will be information related to all locations from Eglinton to Laird, including Mt. Pleasant and Leaside.

• Yikes! Man discovers fatal flaw in new Presto app
• Crosstown posts pictures of local LRT station construction

Some City News takes of interest Monday night beginning with the cleanup in Bolton after weekend flooding. Then, it’s the country-girl candor of Canada’s Bianca Andreescu after he victory in the WTA championship in Indian Wells, California. At the bottom, reports on Randy Hiller’s bitter departure from the PC caucus at Queen’s Park and predictions of massive teacher job losses because of larger class sizes in high school.

News stories Monday tell of wild speculation by some scientists that humans may one day be able to regrow limbs. This after work at Harvard University uncovered the DNA switch that controls genes for whole-body regeneration. It’s called the early growth response gene or EGR. As we know, animals achieve extraordinary feats of repair. The breakthrough in understanding this occurred with discovery of a section of non-coding or “junk” DNA in three-banded panther worms. The DNA controls the activation of this “master control gene” (or EGR). Humans also carry EGR, and produce it when cells are stressed and need repair. Yet it does not seem to trigger large-scale regeneration. Scientists think the master gene is wired differently in humans, and are trying to find a way to tweak its circuitry to reap its regenerative benefits.

Justin Trudeau has shuffled his cabinet again following the resignations of Jody Wilson-Reybould and Jane Philpott. BC Liberal MP Joyce Murray, a critical voice against the government’s approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline, will take over as President of the Treasury Board and Minister for Digital Government. She has served as the Liberal MP for Vancouver Quadra since 2008 and also ran against Trudeau for the Liberal leadership in 2013. She’s sworn in.

• Michael Wernick to step down as clerk of Privy Council, cites lack of ‘mutual trust’ with opposition
• Vice-Admiral Norman’s lawyers still waiting on documents linked to Trudeau, senior staff

Epidemic of inattention

Tel Aviv has installed so-called zombie lights at a downtown crosswalk to alert distracted pedestrians staring at their phones when they can walk and when they should stop. Similar systems are said to be in use in Australia, Singapore and the Netherlands. Traffic managers in the Israeli city say the lights aim to minimize accidents between vehicles and inattentive pedestrians at crosswalks. “We cannot force them to take their eyes out of the smartphone and into the road. We need to find ways to put the road into their eyes,” he said.

Terminal 1 at Toronto’s Pearson Airport has reopened for processing outbound international flights and inbound arrivals, about four hours after a fire broke out in the U.S. departures area on Sunday evening. All flights to the U.S. scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 on Sunday night were cancelled. Emergency crews were called to the airport around 6:30 p.m. and quickly extinguished the blaze, but a significant amount of smoke lingered in the area for several hours. Peel paramedics said they treated several patients on scene for smoke related injuries and one woman was transported to a local emergency room in stable condition. Peel police confirmed no other major injuries were reported. Amateur video

MP Rob Oliphant, a United Church minister, and St. Cuthbert’s Rev. Ian LaFleur preside

Interfaith gathering

After in St. Cuthbert’s Lamb Hall

An interfaith vigil in support of Muslim neighbors was held Sunday at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church on Bayview Ave. MP Rob Oliphant tweeted scenes of the vigil attended by Christians, Jews and Muslims. “For me the most moving part was the tolling of the bell, 50 times for those whose lives were lost in the terrorist attack,” he wrote. School Trustee Shelley Laskin tweeted: “Thank you for including me… powerful poignant words by faith leaders… with the lights dimmed, the candles lit and the bells tolling for each of the 50 Muslim victims of the horrific hate crime in Christchurch. I was profoundly moved.”

Happy Family/Instagram

167 Rumsey/Bulldog

28 and 30 Langley Ave/TorontoACORN @TorontoACORN

Aid to Venezuela/Facebook

Waterfall Orchids/Bulldog

Chev accident at Forman and Belsize/unknown at Old Toronto

Locally this Sunday, the self-described Happy Family (upper left) has posted to #Leaside Instagram. Have a look. At the centre, shots of the new house going up at 167 Rumsey Rd. (top) and a protest demonstration Saturday against the eviction of tenants at 28 and 30 Langley Ave just across the Don. The landlord is accused of getting Airbnb Fever. It makes you want to turn your house into a Ramada Inn. At right, a van full of life’s necessities that will be shipped to Venezuela by a hard-working member of Leaside Community. Lower left are some Waterfall Orchids at Longo’s. Bottom right, it’s May 23, 1930 at the corner of Belsize Dr. and Forman Ave. where this Chevrolet has just been damaged in an accident. Homes in the background still stand 88 years later but are more expensive.

Smiles all around

Moments after birth

Everything’s good

April, the world famous mother giraffe, gave birth to her fifth calf, a boy, Saturday at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York. The calf was born at 12:43 p.m. April went into labor around 11 a.m. Saturday. The newborn giraffe was steady and on its feet by 1:27 p.m., and nursing by 1:51 p.m. April and her calf were promptly examined by Dr. Tim Slater, the park’s veterinarian. Park owner Jordan Patch said both mom and baby are doing well.