Five people run down by runaway driver outside Missy bar

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Five people were run down by a driver who then fled the scene in front of the &Company Resto Bar (sic) on Enfield Place near Burnhamthorpe Road and Hurontario Street. One party is said to have had serious injuries at the time. This occurred about 2.45 Sunday.

No winning ticket for Saturday $7 million 649 jackpot draw

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There was no winning ticket for the $7 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw. There were five guaranteed $1 million prizes that were claimed by ticket holders in the Prairies, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on December 26 will be approximately $9 million.

1950s apartment still standing at Eglinton and Brentcliffe

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April 22, 1956 looking west on Eglinton from east of Brentcliffe
It stands today at Eglinton and Brentcliffe

The wide picture (left) taken by photo-historian James Salmon on April 22, 1956, shows the intersection of Eglinton Ave. E and Brentcliffe Rd. In the distance, on the right side of the photo, is the then new apartment building on the northwest corner. It stands today and is well-occupied. That’s it in a 2018 black and white rendering (right) from Google. The buildings on the south side of Eglinton seem to be industrial, probably WWII, which were demolished to make way for the commercial site known as Dawsco Plaza. It too has now been demolished to permit construction of 939 Eglinton. That huge development is being promoted this Christmas season door-to-door across South Bayview by mail as Upper East Side. It was first envisioned in March of 2018 as Upper East Village.

$60 million Lotto Max jackpot winner is living in Ontario

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Friday night’s Lotto Max draw yielded a $60 million winning ticket held somewhere in Ontario. Everyone hopes the winner is now organizing his or her new life and not tragically unaware of this windfall lost under the cushions of the sofa. There were also 48 Maxmillions prizes of $1 million each up for grabs, and 20 of them were claimed by a total of 34 ticket holders, meaning some of those prizes will be shared. The size of the GTA makes the odds about 50/50 that the $60 million ticket is somewhere near, or in, Toronto.

Yonge/Blythwood dress shop broken into 3 times in month

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Burglar seen leaving Carbon dress store at 2955 Yonge St. last Thursday

Stories of interest in recent hours include the ordeal of Alex Mazelow, owner of Carbon dress shop at 2955 Yonge St. south of Blythwood Rd. His store has been burglarized three times in less than a month. Then, a dangerous blocking of doors at the Union Station Bay St. teamway. It backed up crowds as they tried to go home from a Mumford and Sons concert at Scotiabank Arena. The doors were shut “for no apparent reason” but of course there is a reason. We just don’t know its name yet. Stupidity, forgetfulness, malice?  Yes, it has a name. Then, an Edmonton judge has denied Omar Khadar a passport so he can go to Saudi Arabia, apparently for religious reasons. He is also forbidden from speaking privately with his sister, who lives abroad, because she has been known to support terrorist groups. Below that, a grumpy GO train rider in the “quiet” car has silenced the carol singing of happy train conductor Gordon Plumridge.






Pooch Parade barking success for Bayview Leaside BIA day

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Parade heads north up Bayview from Belsize
Arson the dalmation is ready to go
Pictures outside Pizza Pizza
Who’s in charge?
Strutting their stuff
Say “Christmas”

The Pooch Parade organized by Joanne Lowe of Big Stretch Yoga on Bayview Ave was a barking success Saturday morning. It was held in support of the Toronto Humane Society. Joanne rescued her dog Rufus, adopted from the THS, and he marched in the parade. It’s estimated that $500 was raised. The event was held in conjunction with the last weekend shopping push before Christmas sponsored by the Bayview Leaside BIA. Many fine animals and their friends attended. South Bayview being what it is, there were also lots of other canines out and about just as a matter of course on this chilly December 22nd.

Huawei anxiety drives further losses Friday on TSX, Dow

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Markets seemed to be in permanent massive decline Friday as Toronto and New York indexes recorded further large losses. Toronto was down 206 points and the Down Jones index down 414. The sustained near-panic selling is occurring in the context of the Canada-US staring match with China over citizens held by Beijing apparently as hostages in response to the extradition proceedings against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. In demanding the release of Canadian Michael Kovrig and Michael Savor Friday, the foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, talked a lot about the rule of  law.  It’s something the Chinese like to say they too follow but in practice Beijing cheats a lot. It is never questioned publicly about such things because no public comment is permitted.

$200-a-day digital mooch beats Bogey’s luck in Tampico

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The time-honoured practice of panhandling has changed. Now it takes place from home. Jovan Hill says he makes $200 a day begging on Twitter. That’s better than Humphrey Bogart in this amusing clip from the film The Treasure of Sierra Madre




Karen’s advice to Jaye, changing of the guard at Humphrey’s

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Karen Stintz and Jaye Robinson
Cosburn Wolves on the prowl
58th Scouts
Changing of guard
Nancy sees East York sunrise
Patrick Rocca’s skating event
East York skating

From out of the past comes a former TTC Chair, Karen Stintz, with advice for the incoming transit supremo Jaye Robinson. Speaking of a supremo, Stintz thinks the idea of a transit Czar won’t work. No kidding. All this unfolds in the North York Post as Doug Ford looms in the background with plans to take over the subways.. Below that is a great shot of Cosburn Middle School kids celebrating a goal at the 5th Annual EYCI Winter Classic between Cosburn and Glen Ames Senior Public School. “Great moments frozen in time” sayeth the Cosburn Athletics chief. Then, a changing of the guard at Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles-Newbigging Chapel as Bruce Humphrey hands over the reins to long-time friend and associate Kim Hunter. Mr. Humphrey remembers growing up on the second level of the Bayview and St. Cuthbert’s Drive building when his grandma was in charge. Lorna Krawchuk has written about it here. Also notable is the winter sunrise observed by East York horticulturist Nancy Lewis and various family skating chances over the holidays. Take a look.

Five horses die in barn fire near Milton Friday morning

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Tractor block heater may be the cause
Most horses rescued

Five horses have died following a barn fire in Milton early Friday morning. The fire broke out at the First Line Training Centre, located at 13730 First Line, at around 1:40 a.m. Halton Regional Police along with firefighters from Milton and Halton Hills responded to the incident. Approximately 40 horses were inside. Milton Fire Chief Dave Pratt speculated that the fire started in a tractor on the outside of the building with a block heater that was plugged in.

Reporter of the year wrote fiction, China hackers hit Canada

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Claas Relotius
Zhu Hua
Zhang Shilong

Faces, faces as German ace reporter Claas Relotius (left) won’t showing his in public any time soon. He was fired this week from Der Spiegel (the Mirror) for fabricating dozens of stories. Names, places, plots — you name it. With an imagination this fertile Relotius became CNN’s 2016 Reporter of the Year. Then, US authorities have accused two Chinese government hackers, Zhu Hua (centre) and Zhang Shilong (right) of concerted cyber-attacks on US and Canadian firms to steal their secrets. That’s how we do things in president-for-life Xi Jinping’s paradise.

Frame of townhouse project leaps up at McRae, Sutherland

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Framing beehive Thursday
Depiction from 2014
Plan from 2014

Years of planning and just plain waiting has suddenly brought furious activity at the northeast corner of McRae and Sutherland Drives. The framework for what was (and apparently is) planned as six townhouses with rooftop patios has leaped skyward in about ten days. The development is on the former site of Bill and Vito’s Shell station, a well-remembered neighborhood haunt run for more than 60 years by two WW II veterans. Resistance to the rooftop patios was considerable when the matter was before North York Community Council. Townhouse okay for Bill and Vito site at McRae, Sutherland.