The South Bayview Bulldog

A glimpse beyond the name-calling at Exhibition Place can be had in remarks from Councillor Mark Grimes (Ward 6). He is chair of Exhibition Place where this year the CNE is labouring under a strike by members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). The issue is so-called “contracting out” by the City-owned exhibition. Grimes told CP24 that the union, which was formed in 1893, needs to recognize that there have been changes in Exhibition’s Place business. “We are in a different place now. The IATSE union came to be in the 1930s and 1940s when the grandstand was there, Bob Hope would come, the Beach Boys would come, but our business has changed. We are into fairs, meetings, events and the collective agreement does not reflect that,” he said. Reporting is vague enough that it is unclear just who wants concessions from whom, but it seems certain that Exhibition Place is fighting for business from event organizers who want to hire their own staff for reasons of specialized skills, convenience or cost.

No winning ticket was sold for the $24 million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw. That means the jackpot for the next draw on August 31 will grow to approximately $33 million.

Ji-seon Moon with children

Leaside Wildcats Midget AA team and the Juniors.

An enterprising Korean mom, Ji-seon Moon, has taken the space at 874 Eglinton Ave. at Laird Drive to open Brunch Story, an all-day breakfast and lunch restaurant. She is seen above at left with daughter and son. Ji-seon is a friendly and intelligent person. She loves the Leaside area. We wish her the same success that Frank and Nora, her Korean compatriots, had at Rosie’s for so many years. Brunch Story plans a soft opening this Sunday. At the right above, is a terrific picture of both the Leaside Wildcats Midget AA team and the Juniors. Coach Kim McCullough will shepherd both teams this year so the squads are doing summer training on and off the ice together. Below left is a reminder about the September retirement event for Sharon Beckstead. She has been musical director at Leaside United Church for 25 years. Then, is this the Leaside water tower? No, merely scaffolding for repairs to the spire at St. Anselm’s Church on Millwood Rd. Next to that, we have the rubble left from demolition of DEL Inc. to make way for the Gyro consolidation on the east side of Laird. And finally, residents of Moore Park will smile to know that the marathon build at 240 Rose Park (corner Welland Ave.) is at the landscaping stage. May we see it for sale very soon.

Mark the date

Work on St. Anselm’s spire

Rubble at former Del Inc.

240 Rose Park at Welland

The lawless conduct seen elsewhere in Toronto infected Leaside Thursday night as three teens used a gun to threaten a boy and girl, 17 and 18,  walking in Howard Talbot Park about 11.30  p.m. The three made off with personal property after threatening the couple. But within a few minutes two suspects, 15 and 19, were apprehended near the corner of Hanna Rd. and McRae Dr. according to posts on Leaside Community. A third perpetrator is still at large although it seems his chances are not good. The FB posts indicates a frenzy of police activity before and after midnight as officers blocked streets and searched on foot with a police dog to catch the suspects. One post read: “Outside our house at Hanna McRae, police took down two men. Police dog also helping. Our neighbour was told it was armed robbery. They kept searching for another person for some time. Then lights out and cars left.” Facebook

Ford supports Scheer in convention speech https://t.co/CtoeZN1P4p pic.twitter.com/sLNeF0Ew0m

— Hamilton Spectator (@TheSpec) August 24, 2018

York Regional Police are dealing with the abduction of a woman from what appears to be a front porch by a man who she knows. FB video shows the woman ringing the doorbell. The man, who as one commenter on YouTube says, seems like a jealous boyfriend or pimp, leaps out of the darkness and the two exchange abusive language. The woman saying at one point: “I think I’m gunna die.”

Researchers at the University of British Columbia believe they have figured out how to convert all blood types to the nearly universal Type O-negative. The breathtaking news seems to herald a world in which shortages of blood would be almost non-existent. Much research remains but the scientists say their discovery holds this enormous promise. There are four blood types — A, B, AB and O. Right now, A and B recipients must receive exactly the same type they have. This is clearly a problem in emergency settings when the universal type runs short. Time is consumed testing the patient’s type in order to save his life. Types A, B and AB blood contain antigens. If the wrong blood is given, the recipient’s immune system will attack the new blood cells. The UBC technique removes antigens leaving immume systems benign to the blood.

Maxime Bernier

Andrew Scheer

Justin Trudeau

Maxime Bernier has bolted the Conservative Party and vowed to create a new party, presumably one that is further to the right. Bernier stunned MPs Thursday by skipping a caucus meeting in Halifax which was about to scold him for attacking Trudeau “diversity” and instead held a news conference to denounce Tory leader Scheer. He called Scheer and other Conservative members “intellectually and morally corrupt.”  “I am no longer a Conservative,” he declared after reading an attack on his party and its leader, Andrew Scheer — the Saskatchewan MP who narrowly edged Bernier out of the leadership job last year in a loss some have suggested he never got over. “I am now convinced that what we will get if Andrew Scheer becomes prime minister is just a more moderate version of the disastrous Trudeau government,” he said. Scheer emerged in Halifax to fire back. Bernier “is more interested in advancing his personal profile than advancing Conservative principles,” Scheer said. “He has decided that he is more important than his Conservative colleagues and indeed the Conservative party. He has traded an opportunity to influence policy in government for his own personal ambition.” Bernier said he plans to contact Elections Canada immediately about the path towards creating a new party and will spend the next several weeks travelling the country to meet with people interested in joining his cause. Stay tuned.

Justin Bieber has reportedly purchased a 101-acre property at Puslinch Lake northeast of Cambridge just off Highwat 401. It sold for $5 million and has its own private horse racing track. The living space is 9,000 square feet — with 4 bedrooms, 6 baths, 3 fireplaces, game room and movie theater. It’s also got a three-car garage. We’re told Bieber closed on the place on Monday. Will he live there with fiancee Hailey Baldwin?  Seems like

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'Decisive victory for competition': Supreme Court won't hear TREB appeal in real estate data case https://t.co/1PdZwU0mH0 pic.twitter.com/0CsuX98zd0

— National Post (@nationalpost) August 23, 2018

The Toronto Real Estate Board has responded to the decision by the Supreme Court not to grant leave to hear TREB’s appeal. It notes that the order of the Competition Tribunal will come into effect in 60 days time, unless it is modified. The response goes on:

As noted by the Supreme Court of Canada, of the approximately 600 leave
applications submitted to the Court each year, only about 80 are granted. The
possibility of succeeding in getting an appeal heard is in general remote. The
Court’s role is not to correct errors that may have been made in the courts below.
Rather it grants leave only where its decision is likely to have an impact on society
as a whole.

TREB believes personal financial information of home buyers and sellers must
continue to be safely used and disclosed in a manner that respects privacy
interests and will be studying the required next steps to ensure such information
will be protected in compliance with the Tribunal Order once that comes into
effect — John DiMichele, CEO, Toronto Real Estate Board

The City continues to appeal for hotels and residents to offer refuge to people evicted from 650 Parliament by the apparent electrical fire Wednesday. The enormous old building that was home to 1,500 people is a useless hulk Thursday with various fire damage and no power. The fire Chief, Matthew Pegg, has been brutally honest with tenants. There is no guessing when they might be able to return. Fire officals are going floor by floor — there are no elevators — checking every unit for damage

Empty hulk at 650 Parliament

Displaced apartment dwellers at Wellesley Community Centre/Mark Carcasole ✔@MarkCarcGlobal

The end might be near for a seven-year battle that has kept the public from easily finding sales data for homes in the Greater Toronto Area. The Supreme Court of Canada said it will announce on Thursday morning whether it will hear an appeal from the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) that would keep TREB’s members from publishing home sales data on their password-protected sites. TREB’s fight began in 2011 when the Competition Bureau, a federal watchdog designed to protect consumers by investigating business policies and mergers, challenged TREB’s policy preventing the publication of such information, saying it impedes competition and digital innovation — CTV

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