The South Bayview Bulldog

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will involve full and rolling road closures on Sunday, March 10 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The following streets will be fully closed from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to accommodate the parade formation area:
• St. George Street from College Street to Bloor Street West
• Harbord Street from Huron Street to St. George Street
• Devonshire Place from just north of Hoskin Avenue to Bloor Street West
• Hoskin Avenue from Queens Park Crescent to St. George Street

Rolling closures will be in effect to accommodate the parade route starting at noon:
• Bloor Street West between St. George Street and Yonge Street
• Yonge Street between Bloor Street and Queen Street
• Queen Street West between Yonge Street and University Avenue
• Northbound lanes on University Avenue between Queen Street West and Armoury Street
• Armoury Street between University Avenue and Chestnut Street

Additional road closures will be in effect in the area around City Hall from noon to 3 p.m.:
• Charles Street East from Jarvis Street to Yonge Street
• Elizabeth Street from Dundas Street West to Hagerman Street
• Hagerman Street from Elizabeth Street to Bay Street
• University Avenue from Queen Street West to Armoury Street
• North curb lane on Queen Street West near Bay Street

Road closures to accommodate the parade dispersal area will be effect from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.:
• Armoury Street from University Avenue to Chestnut Street
• Centre Avenue from Armoury Street to Dundas Street West
• Northbound lanes from University Avenue from Queen Street West to Dundas Street West

The full parade route is available at https://stpatrickstoronto.com/

Leaside vs Monarch Park/CBC

Alex Trebek 1965/CBC

Reach for the Top/CBC

‘Old Toronto Series’ Facebook page has posted old video of the CBC quiz show for teens called Reach for the Top. The episode features a long-ago contest between Leaside High School and Monarch Park C.I. It comes as Alex Trebek has announced he has stage-four pancreatic cancer. The legendary MC began his career as quizmaster on Reach the Top. Here is 1970s theme music.

Closed from north of underpass to Lawrence Park School

Bayview Ave. has reopened at Lawrence Ave. after flooding caused by runoff from water used to fight the house fire on Rochester Ave. Bayview was closed from Lawrence Park School to north of the underpass.

116 Rochester Ave

The Toronto Fire Service has knocked down a stubborn fire that gutted a vacant home at 116 Rochester Ave. in Lawrence Park. Ovetime the course of fighting the blaze, six-alarms were run. The home was under construction. Flames leaped out of the basement Thursday evening at the home near Bayview Ave and Lawrence Ave. The Google Traffic Map Friday morning shows Bayview blocked between Lawrence Ave. and Post Rd. Facebook

It’s still going – smoke is forcing neighbours to vacate their homes for the night. I’m half a block away one street over – and our house is smokey- more fire crews arriving on scene.

— Kate Wheeler 💋 (@KateWheeler007) March 8, 2019

Huge plume of smoke coming from that fire on rochester, stay safe @Toronto_Fire . #Toronto
Shot taken from York Mills & DVP. pic.twitter.com/AkR1Mz6EAZ

— Brian Elston (@BrianKElston) March 8, 2019

Flashing glasses for Irish Eyes

Bigger than Halloween

Dermot and Seamus

I’m Irish

Rocking the Shamrock

St. Patrick’s Day Toronto-style is coming down Dermot’s turnpike. That’s the day we’re all Irish whether we like it or not. No offense. Dollarama has stocked up for this occasion with tons of celebratory items. We like the flashing green glasses. It seems bigger than Halloween, which falls second only to Christmas for commercial excitement. Again this year, liquor firm Jameson has agreed to pay the fare on the Queen and King streetcars. Mind, many in South Bayview would be happy to ride the 88 Leaside free even stone-cold sober. But no such thrill is on offer.

Big thanks to @CorbySW and @jamesonwhiskey for once again giving Torontonians a safer way to get around on #StPatricksDay2019 ! 501 Queen and both branches of 504 King will be free from 4 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Sláinte!! pic.twitter.com/4Kqnp2Rd4t

— TTC Media Relations 📰🚌🚋🚈 (@TTCNewsroom) March 7, 2019

Front seats swivel to permit foursome to play poker or whatever

Vegan car lol

See the key spin

The giddy designers at Aston Martin are showing the concept Lagonda in Geneva. It is fully electric and has a spinning key. You have to see it. The concept Lagonda also has front-opening “suicide doors” at the rear. This is a dangerous feature that was abandoned by Detroit 80 years ago. But the copy writers have outdone the designers by calling the car vegan because the seats are not leather. So what are they? There may be some baloney in this Lagonda. Also Euronews.

China has banned shipments of Canadian canola after using it for decades with no problem. Uh-huh. Hardly inscrutable. Then to the right, the prime minister held an early morning news conference Thursday and made certain concessions about the impact of L’Affaire Lavalin. “Erosion of trust” seems to be the new buzz phrase. Other players are Gerald Butts and CPC leader Andrew Scheer.

Mike Layton (Ward 11) will file a motion during Council budget debate Thursday to re-establish the $60 tax on cars registered in Toronto. The tax was abolished under the Rob Ford administration in 2010. Mr. Layton’s ward conforms to the federal constituency of University Rosedale, an odd-shaped area stretching on the northeast from the corner of Welland and Moore Aves. and extending all the way to Ossington Ave.

MOORE PARK, GOVERNOR’S BRIDGE, NORTH ROSEDALE

Locally, it includes Moore Park, Governor’s Bridge and north Rosedale down to Rosedale Valley Rd. The CBC says Mr. Layton sent a letter to constituents Wednesday with news of his plan but it does not seem to have reached the farthest corner of South Bayview so far. Council is struggling with the 2019 budget and is coming up short. The battle has centred on raising taxes beyond an increase of 2.55 perecent. “If Councillors are so unwilling to raise property taxes, it leaves us with no other choice,” said the Ward 11 Councillor. Also CP24

• Here’s how much more you could pay in property taxes in 2019 — and where that money might go

Watermain break at Steeles and Woodbine

Tweets from Mark Douglas of 680 News say the water has been turned off at Steeles and Woodbine Aves. at the site of a watermain break. It is now a slippery mess. Drivers may finds some lanes closed.

Inaccessible

No, no, no

Tickets tucked into many garbage bins across Midtown this week inform taxpayers that the refuse is in the wrong place and therefore might not be eligible for pick up. The list of possible concerns from the City names 16 things that will disqualify a homeowner from pickup. The last is Other. But it was the snow that troubled collectors on current runs. Bins had been placed on top of the icy-hard banks of snow that crowd residential streets this winter. The City doesn’t want your bin out in the street or blocking pedestrians, of course. It suggests helpfully that you clear a nice space for all bins in the rock hard dikes between you and the garbage truck. Thanks so much for the advice.