The South Bayview Bulldog

As the afternoon progresses, winds are picking up across the City. The forecast is for strong southwesterly wind gusts of 70 to 80 km/h into the early evening. There may be higher gusts and thunderstorms. These strong winds are associated with a cold front that will track over the area late this afternoon and early this evening. As well, says Environment Canada, northwest winds gusting to 60 or 70 km/h are also expected this evening after the cold front passes. Winds will then diminish overnight.

Russian Arm

Business end

Finished unlike any Mercedes

Mean

Large crew

A few people for lunch

A television ad for a Netherlands Insurance firm was being shot Friday on Bessborough Drive. Where else? It has employed a mean-looking vehicle called by its owners the Russian Arm. It was parked on Airdrie Rd. when The South Bayview Bulldog snapped these shots. It is clearly designed to take “flying shots” of all types. We suspect the chairs and tables set out on a couple of lawns would be the likely crowd scene. A caterer was preparing food. The Russian Arm is black to the brake linings and finished in a “zippered” metal unlike any vehicle seen before, presumably to prevent glare. The insurer is said to be making its debut in Canada.

Walk out beside Leaside High School

Leaside High School students stayed out of class after lunch Friday to demonstrate primarily about the sex education curriculum. There were one or two impassioned speeches in the playing field beside the school and then a march down Bayview Ave. (video below). Shoppers, merchants and patio slouches were informed and possibly entertained by the orderly group. They shouted “No ignorance, no hate, don’t go back to 98.”

On the hill

Recalling rapper Tupac Shakur

There were placards bearing various sentiments. Indigenous rights in general was noted. One placard said “We are the future,” which is indisputable. Some who demonstrated as teens from earlier generations may have reflected on how the perceived future has a way of working out in a way that’s often unforseen. One gentleman in the Starbucks patio averred with a political slur on teachers that the students should not have been let out of class. All in all it was a reminder of how teens wish to express themselves. It must be reported however that some merely went home. The walk out was mirrored across the province at other schools. 

Ontario’s new finance minister says the previous Liberal government has saddled the province with a $15 billion deficit this year, more than $8 billion larger than indicated in the former government’s budget this Spring. Finance Minister Vic Fedeli announced the figure Friday morning in revealing the results of an independent inquiry into accounting practices under the Liberals. “The hole is deep and it will require everyone to make sacrifices without exception,” said Fedeli in a speech delivered to a business audience in Toronto. CBC

De Blue Jays stonden 8-2 achter tegen de Rays in de 9de inning. De inning eindigt met een Justin Smoak #Walkoff homerun 💣💥🔥#BlueJays #MLB #SportAm ⚾️⚾️⚾️pic.twitter.com/qtk787gq4I

— Lars (@LarsLeeftink) September 21, 2018

Justin Smoak capped off an astonishing ninth inning comeback to give the Blue Jays a 9-8 walk-off win against the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday night. Smoak hit a solo blast to cap off a seven-run ninth inning as Toronto rallied to a 9-8 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. The comeback tied the largest ninth-inning rally in Blue Jays history, matching their 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels on July 30, 2017. TSN

A smoky scrapyard fire fed by tires and cars continues to burn in Mississauga.

A Durham Region woman, Victoria Munroe, fell asleep on the ride home from Toronto last June and when she woke up at 1.30 a.m. she was locked in the GO train. Ms Munroe, 27, saw that she had 16 unanswered calls on her cell from her boyfriend. Some commenting on Twitter have asked if the phone was on silent.  What’s known is that GO Transit failed to follow procedure and go through the train to make sure it was empty before being locked. The woman was able to call her boyfriend who then found a GO agent who took action. Munroe was released 45 minutes after she called her boyfriend. The train was parked in the Whitby yard. The protocol of checking trains and buses for stray passengers may not be done diligently. Last fall a 4-year-old Windsor girl was left on a school bus because an end-of-line check was not done. Windsor school bus driver fired as child left in locked lot

Councillor Josh Matlow, running in the new Ward 12 (St. Paul’s), is urging the City to find ways in which it can appeal lower court decisions to approve the Ontario government’s legislation to reduce the size of Toronto Council. He says the fight should be taken to the Supreme Court of Canada if necessary. He also proposes federal legislation to permit Toronto, and other Canadian municipaltiies, independence from the current constitutional provision which makes municipalities creatures of the provinces. He describes such a provision as a City Charter.

Pussy Riot demonstration at World Cup

Anthony Helinski put daughter in toy machine

Constable Scarecrow

German doctors say there is a “high plausibility” that a member of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot, who was taken ill in Russia last week, was poisoned. Fingers are pointing at Vladimr Putin who is said to be furious with the band’s on-field demonstration during the World Cup in Russia. Then, a Massachusetts school teacher has been charged with child endangerment after video showed him putting his toddler daughter into a game machine at a New Hampshire mall and using her to steal prizes. Finally, meet Constable Scarecrow, a paper, plastic, hunk of signage that looks like a cop with a radar gun. The City of Coquitlam is deploying PC Scarecrow. Watch out.

With one day left for candidates to register for the Toronto general election on October 22, many head-to-head matchups of current Councillors may be seen. Jon Burnside will face Jaye Robinson in Ward 15 (Don Valley West). It will be Josh Matlow vs Joe Mihevc in Ward 12 (St. Paul’s) Mary Fragedakis vs Paula Fletcher in Ward 14 (Toronto-Danforth) Jim Karygiannis vs Norm Kelly in Ward 22 (Scarborough-Agincourt) Michael Ford vs Vincent Cristanti in Ward 1 (Etobicoke North) John Campbell vs Stephen Holyday in Ward 2 (Etobicoke Centre) Georgio Mammoliti vs Anthony Perruzza in Ward 8 (Eglinton-Lawrence) and Gary Crawford vs Michelle Holland-Berardinetti in Ward 20 (Scarborough-Southwest).

FORMER MPPs

Kristyn Wong-Tam will face nine other candidates, most notably George Smitherman, former MPP and Liberal Minister in Ward 13 (Toronto Centre), Denzil Minnan-Wong will face former Liberal cabinet minister David Caplan in Ward 16 (Don Valley East) John Filion will face 13 opponents including former Councillor and Police Board Chair Norm Gardner. Nominations close at 4.30 p.m. Friday, September 21.

Pape and Cosburn

East York residents are invited to have a coffee with a cop in Pape Village on Friday, September 21. Neighbours are welcome to have a friendly chat with police officers from 54 Division from 10 a.m. to noon at the McDonald’s restaurant at 1045 Pape Ave. at Cosburn Avenue. The Coffee with a Cop program aims to give community members an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, and meet local police officers. There is no agenda or speeches. For more information, call Const. Ingrid Hannah at 416-808-5429.

New Dollarama

Food Court shrouded for cleanup

LCBO and others closed

Wild venting from former Dollarama in basement

Doors to the mall of East York Town Centre were open Thursday morning as promised by the management but many stores remained closed as smoke cleanup continues. The problem was created by a fire in the mall’s Thorncliffe Banquet Hall after an event on Sunday, September 9. One store which was busy is the new Dollarama. It is now located on the main floor in part of the former Target space which has been blocked off since 2015. Much of that retail space at the east end of the mall is to be a new 24-hour Dialysis Clinic run by St. Michael’s Hospital. It was expected to open this year. Most of the mall familiar to shoppers is shrouded in white tarps as cleaning goes on. There is no food in the food court although Tim’s remains open through doors onto the parking lot. Food Basics and other businesses with doors to the parking area are open.