The South Bayview Bulldog

Trace Manes playground renewal now expected in Spring of 2019

Colette Bright retires from St. Anselm/Leaside Life

Logan Ave Tim’s curiously closed

Stories for toddlers

Kindergarten Information Night

Bantam DS White Wildcats/Wildcats photo

Jillian Walsh tells The Bulldog that the makeover of the playground (top) in Trace Manes Park is expected to start in the Spring of 2019. It had been hoped that the City might begin the planned (and fully-funded) renewal of the old playground last fall. The modern playground will honour the memory of six-year-old Georgia Walsh. At centre left, Colette Bright, the much-loved head secretary of St. Anselm Catholic School will retire at the end of January after 17 years of devoted service. There is a nice profile of Mrs. Bright in Leaside Life written by Susan Scandiffio. To the right is the long-time Tim Hortons at Danforth and Logan Ave as it was until a few weeks ago. The place is now closed with little explanation from head office. Below that, a reminder of Liz Johnston’s weekly Wednesday story-telling for toddlers over at Mabel’s Fables. Get a three-year old to take you there next week. Bottom left, Kindergarten Information Night is coming at Davisville Public School. DPS is now located temporarily on Vaughan Rd. And finally, these smiling faces are the Bantam Development Stream (White) Wildcats happy with their Silver win at the Guelph Girl’s Hockey Tournament last weekend. The Bulldog hopes to see you on the Junior team some day soon.

A news conference Friday night in Ottawa has heard police say that “something happened that forced us to arrest the bus driver” of the double-decker transit vehicle in which three people died. Some 23 others were injured when the bus hit a passenger deck at a transit station. Representatives would not say anything more about their concerns with the driver except that she is being questioned.

OC Transit double decker crashes into passenger platform

Three people are dead and as many as 17 injured Friday afternoon after a westbound double-decker OC Transpo bus filled with commuters slammed into a bus shelter at Westboro Station, the Ottawa Citizen reports. The extent of the injuries of those who survived is not yet known. The Ottawa police chief has confirmed to other media that there are “fatalities” as a result of the bus crash. Numbers will be given at a news conference at 7 p.m. There are at least 17 confirmed injuries.

Burned out cars at Woodbine Racetrack/City News

Police say several cars were destroyed by fire in the parking lot of Woodbine Racetrack early Friday and the cause appears to be arson. As many.as six cars were on fire when the fire service arrived.

Toronto fire inspectors will be conducting a safety blitz at so-called escape rooms in the wake of the death of five teen girls in an escape in Poland. Reports Friday say as well that there was a fire Christmas Day at an escape room near Yonge and Gould Sts. That fire did not result in any injuries but caused thousands of dollars in damages, according to TFS. These incidents have revealed that escape rooms are not required to be licenced and more importantly are not required to undergo any annual inspections under the fire code. A fire service deputy said the rooms exist if a regulatory grey zone. Five girls, 15, die in locked “Escape Room” fire in Poland

Creepy Westchester lady on the wall

Mackenzie Bezos

Charlotte Bouchard

Faces, faces. The lady at left is part of a new mural in Westchester, New York which is giving locals the chills. She is so creepy. At centre, that would be Mackenzie Bezos, quarter-century wife of Amazon CEO Jeff. Because she has been with him for so long, Mac will get more than a quarter of everything when they divorce. There was no pre-nup when the two of them were young lovers. Wow. Finally, at right, that’s Charlotte Bouchard of the Bouchard sisters. Today she was in court to face a man who has harassed her via her Twitter account.

Nine winners collect their prize with lottery official fourth from left at rear/OLG photo

The Ontario Lottery Corporation says that nine co-workers from a Guelph auto parts manufacturer have quit their jobs after winning a $60-million Lotto Max jackpot. The workers range in age from 21 to 57 years and only been buying tickets together for a few months at Guelph’s Linemar Corporation. “We’re a very close line –- closer than any of the other lines,” group leader Ala Hirmiz said in an OLG press release. “We always talk and joke and celebrate each other’s birthdays. And now we get to celebrate this unbelievable win together!” “We only play if it’s $50[M] plus – we want the big one, we don’t want the small one,” Hirmiz laughed. “I almost didn’t hand over my $5 when it was time to buy our ticket,” group member, Mercedes Granadino said. “But I had this sixth sense, like some spirit sitting on my shoulder telling me to play!” The winners are Ala Hirmiz of Kitchener, Fernando Meneses of Guelph, Bassam Abdi of Kitchener, Ella Nicole Cabrera of Guelph, Mercedes Granadino of Guelph, Mussie Kelete of Guelph, Sampath Pathiraja Mudiyansel of Guelph, Steven Rush of Guelph and Tariku Birru of Guelph Release

A Calgary nurse Donna Maxwell is embarked on what might well be life-long task of identifying with photos and stories the many hundreds of Canada’s World War II dead in Western Europe. This work, coined A Face to Every Name project, caused her to write recently to Leaside resident Richard Byford. She asked if Mr. Byford was acquainted with the late Agnes Byford, who is shown in records as the sister of Private James McDonnell of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment. Pvt. McDonnell died in Holland a mere three weeks before Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. Mr. Byford, of the Bonnie Byford Real Estate firm, is not to his knowledge related to Agnes Byford, he said. It appears that she was born Agnes McDonnell. In any case, the extraordinary efforts of Ms. Maxwell are worth reporting. She reminds us of the debt of gratitude owed to Canadian war dead. These men continue to be honoured by citizens of Holland and Belgium where the First Canadian Army fought and ultimately liberated these lands. Every Christmas the Canadian War Cemetery at Holton, Netherlands, is full of children placing candles before well-tended graves. The Dutch continue to care for Canadian cemeteries and sustain their long friendship with Canada.

The Annual General Meeting of the Leaside Business Park Association will be held Wednesday, January 16 at the Tremco offices at 50 Beth Nealson Rd. Doors will open at 7.15 a.m. with the meeting beginning at 7.30. Councillor Jaye Robinson will speak. Thomas McGinty of the City of Toronto Economic Council will also be present. The agenda may be seen among posters at the South Bayview Bulldog Bulletin Board.

It’s all over but the insurance claims at Eglinton East at Swift Drive near Bermondsey Rd. Thursday afternoon. The minor injuries to three seem remarkable given the mess.

Farm Boy, the boutique grocery store with the cute name, is set to open its first downtown store at Leslie St and Lake Shore Blvd. East. The news is causing a fair stir on Leslieville Facebook. Opening day is January 31. Farm Boy got its start in Ottawa and has opened stores across southern Ontario with one in Etobicoke. But it has not ventured downtown before now. It also has newly-infused cash from owner Empire Company of Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire Company picked up Farm Boy for $800 million in September. Empire notably is the parent firm of Sobey’s. This corrects other information posted earlier.

CHEESE DISPENSING BILLBOARD?

It takes a bit of work to wrap one’s mind around a cheese-dispensing billboard, but that’s what Taco Bell is promoting for its store at 482 Queen West on January 19. Is a cheese dispensing billboard like a utility pole that dispenses yogurt?