The South Bayview Bulldog

Specialty retailer J. Crew will close its CF Eaton Centre store, a move that follows other Canadian closings including Fairview Mall and Markville Mall. The Yorkdale store, selling only women’s wear, remains open. Some may read meaning into the ownership of the three malls in question. They are all part of the Cadillac Fairview chain. CF is known as a fair but fairly uncompromising landlord. Two stores have closed in Alberta, one at the CF Chinook Centre and one at the Triple Five owned West Edmonton Mall. J. Crew was created in 1947 selling women’s, men’s and children’s apparel and accessories, including swimwear, outerwear, lounge-wear, wedding, bags, sweaters, denim, dresses, suiting, jewelry, and shoes. How J. Crew, IBM And Other At-Risk Brands Can Regain Footing In 2019

Sun sets over Mud Creek by Moore Ave. Friday

Modest drama of sign installation on Bayview Ave.

Richard Byford with BIA award for Christmas window

Write Impressions was another winner

Hanna and Randolph

Hanna and Sutherland

Let’s shine some light on the improving length of days now that January is here. Mud Creek will remain its timeless self but by January 31 those of us who live nearby will have gained 45 minutes of daylight since December 21. Centre left, a modest drama unfolds Friday as workmen install the sign for Toronto Med Spa on Bayview Ave. Welcome all. At the right, owners accept their due for having decorated appealing Christmas windows as judged by the Bayview Leaside BIA. More on that at the BIA Facebook page. At the bottom, are homes nearing completion in south Leaside. Can you guess which one is built by Ivy Glen Homes? The one on the right is the Ivy Glen home.

Kayla Hounsell

Nick Troller

Canada, Canada, we stand guardedly with an eye on you. First up (at left) is Balfour Der, one of several Alberta lawyers, who objects to federal government plans to eliminate peremptory challenges at jury selection to ensure more Indigenous jurors. It is quite hard to recruit them. Der and colleagues say this will just mean the first 12 candidates to show up will form the jury. At centre is Kayla Hounsell of the CBC in the Maritimes. She takes a run with a local cop to see how new legislation permitting arbitrary breath tests will work. Finally, Nick Troller of Winnipeg is still trying to get the Manitoba highway authority to return his personalized license plates ASIMIL8 (assimilate). He says it’s just a play on a Star Trek series but the NDP Indigenous complainant says he’s expunging her culture.

First draw coming to an end for the @CurlON_ qualifiers – lots of guests! Kitchen is open, bar will open in an hour 😉 pic.twitter.com/ko5vP5rlYk

— Leaside Curling Club (@LeasideCurling) January 4, 2019

Sounds like a fun afternoon is in store at the Leaside Curling Club Friday. It’s at 1075 Millwood in the Leaside Arena. An official tweet (above) notes that the bar and kitchen are open. Curl On gang.

North American markets were having an intra-day high Friday after Thursday’s doomsday performance. Of course, the markets have shown no capacity to hold such highs between noon and the close. But Toronto had posted a gain of 186 and the Dow was up by 660.

Carl Hantske of 680 News recounts wild shooting spree on Walpole Ave early Friday in the Greenwood Ave and Gerrard St. area.

Suddenly no one likes Apple Inc., and even its CEO Tim cook was reducing projected profit and admitting that Chinese buyers, for whatever reason, are losing interest in the iPhone. There are endless reasons flying for the sagging demand. Some say Apple has missed the bus on artificial intelligence. The stock markets collapsed again Thursday with the Dow off more than 650 points. Toronto was down 134. The extended loss of confidence heading into 2019 is fuelling fear of a world recession with all the implications that holds for business, income and pensions.

• Apple warning on lower sales sparks another stock market sell-off
• Apple suffers its biggest single-day loss in 6 years after cutting revenue guidance

“Enjoying the Next Gen Game with my next generation”/Andrea Peterson @AndieDP

Kids on ice in more ways than one/Blessed Sacrament @BSCSchool

Blessed Sacrament @BSCSchool

The Leafs met the Minnesota Wild at an unusually early 2 p.m. Thursday as part of the team’s Next Generation Game. It was billed as a celebration for Leafs fans of all ages with a strong focus on youth and the future of hockey, both on and off the ice. Many parents, schools and amateur organizations tweeted pictures of the day. Leafs lost 4-3

Ontario Superior Court Justice Timothy Minnema has found many of the enforcement powers held by the OSPCA are unconstitutional. He has given the government a year to rewrite laws to remedy the situation. Jeffrey Bogaerts, a paralegal from Perth launched the constitutional challenge five years ago after helping several animal owners who were being investigated by the society including a woman whose pet dog was seized. Justice Minnema found that Ontario was wrong to grant police powers to the OSPCA without also imposing reasonable standards of transparency and accountability. OSPCA  is a private charity that receives millions of taxpayer dollars as well as private donations. In recent years its purposes have been questioned. Marineland sued the OSPAC in 2017 claiming it was trying to put the zoo and aquarium out of business to please animal rights groups and raise money. OSPAC has had police powers since it was created in 1919. Marineland says malicious OSPCA was out to destroy it

Neil McMahon

Leaside outlet is hiring

Leaside resident and entrepreneur Neil McMahon is working hard these days to have his new Freshii outlet ready for a soft opening on Monday, January 21. It is located in the SmartCentre on the Wicksteed Ave side next door to Meridian Credit Union. Mr. McMahon has another Freshii franchise on the Danforth near Logan Ave. He and his wife were intrigued with the Freshii concept when they learned of it from a friend who had already joined the firm. The McMahons live in north Leaside with their two young daughters.

Periodic table of Freshii ingredients

The first meeting of 2019 for the South Leaside Monday Group is January 7 from 9.30 to 11 a.m. in the Trace Manes Field House. Moms, check it out. The Leaside United Church Youth Pizza Party is this Sunday. And Vanessa Rose, along with many friends, is inviting your presence at the Leaside Ladies Night Out for a great charitable cause. Ticket information here.

Rick Prete watches pump counting as he holds nozzle in the air

26, 27, 28, 29…

Ten cents worth of air

A City News report shows Mississauga resident Rick Prete at a Husky station where the pump counts his cost without delivering gasoline. Adrian Ghobrial says it is quite common.