The South Bayview Bulldog

For some, it’s an affront to the pillars of democracy. To others, it’s a welcome shift away from inefficient processes that plague City Hall. City councillors are starkly divided on Premier Doug Ford’s new bill to redraw Toronto’s ward boundaries and cut the number of council seats from 47 to 25 ahead of this fall’s municipal election. CBC

• Province to scrap Ontario basic income pilot project
• Council votes to oppose PCs’ bill to shrink size

Former East York Mayor Michael Prue, now a resident of Amherstburg in Essex County, has announced that he will run in the October election for a Council seat in the town of 20,000. Mr. Prue has published a letter to friends and former constituents of East York in which he says that Justin Van Dette will be holding a fundraising evening in the weeks to come. The letter is below.

“It is said that a man can leave politics but politics will never leave the man. Nearly four years ago Shirley and I left our home, our neighbours and our wonderful community to start a new life in Amherstburg. We thought our new home and a small town lifestyle would suit us both after so many years of the tumult of political and government life.

It only took a few months for Shirley to become the President of the Belle Vue Conservancy, a group dedicated to the restoration of a two hundred year old mansion. She also was appointed to the Towns Heritage Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee. I followed along in becoming Treasurer of the Conservancy, a member of the Committee of Adjustment and recently a member of the SKA:na Family Learning Centre. So much for the quiet life!Just this week some people in Amherstburg convinced me to re-enter political life and to run for Council. I filed my papers on Thursday, the day before nominations closed.

I hope to bring my 26 years of experience and the many lessons learned in East
York Council, Toronto City Hall and at the Legislature to help my new adoptive town of Amherstburg. This election will be unlike those of the past. The Town of Amherstburg has 20,000 residents and is both urban and agricultural. The issues are different but the people are very kind and welcoming. But politics everywhere requires money, workers and a lot of hard work. Justin Van Dette reached out early and was the first person to tell me I should run. He has kindly offered to host a fundraiser for me amongst my old friends and colleagues. Further details will be provided in the coming days.

I look forward to seeing you all as we go down this new road. With your help the
good people of Amherstburg may have a new Councillor on October 22nd”

The US has once again fallen into bitter black-white recrimination after a man with a handgun was shot fleeing police. In this gripping body-cam video below it appears the man fires at police under his arm. They were called to a neighborhood in Minneapolis on a report of a man firing a gun in the air. Then, a mother and father in fear of their young daughter’s violent temperament. It is a disturbing story. Below that, a Langley BC girl whose genetic chemistry makes her so sensitive to the sun that she can’t go outside safely. Finally, a man sets fire to a gas station after an argument about the price of gas.

Fire: Hydro Vault is on fire again, Road closure Signet Rd between Finch Av W & Highmeadow Place. TDF is responding. #GO1396120 ^gl

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) July 31, 2018

Toronto police report a renewed fire at the Signet Rd. transformer station Monday night. This is the location that experienced an explosion that caused a widespread outage over the weekend. The Toronto Hydro outage map shows limited numbers offline, possibly 50 customers.

The Afghan food chain known as Naan and Kabob will open on Laird Drive at Kenrae Rd. shortly. The firm has locations in Scarborough, Mississauga and Markham. It has taken the space formerly occupied by Starbucks across the street from Telus and next door to Andy Elder’s Grill Time speciality meat store. Naan and Kabob keeps good long hours, most days from 11.30 a.m. to 11 at night. The menu shows a wide selection of dishes with kabob of various types in the forefront. There is a “traditional mint yogurt drink” called Doogh.

Construction at 1614 & 1620 Bayview (July 30, 2018)

Construction at 1614 & 1620 Bayview (July 30, 2018)

Construction at 1614 & 1620 Bayview (July 30, 2018)

Any retailer knows the woeful hand of street work on business. Fortunately, work seems to pushing right ahead at the current repairs in both sides of Bayview Ave. It should be done by the end of the week.

Reese Fallon, 18, and Julianna Kozis, 10, were laid to rest in separate funeral services that took place away from the public eye. Dignitaries including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario deputy premier Christine Elliott were on hand at the Toronto funeral home where mourners came to pay their respects to Fallon, a recent high school graduate who was due to start studying nursing at Hamilton’s McMaster University in the fall. With police maintaining a heavy presence around the building, groups of teens holding hands and exchanging hugs quietly entered to say their goodbyes. In Markham mourners arrived at a Greek Orthodox church where a service was taking place to honour Kozis. A small group of funeral attendees watched as pallbearers lifted a white casket out of a hearse and into the ornate building. Some leaned on each other for support while others stood with their hands clasped in front of them. The girl’s family issued a brief statement expressing gratitude for the community’s overwhelming support but requesting privacy as they mourn their daughter — CP

Funeral of Julianna Kozis, 10

Driver swerves into puddles/Saif Khan Youtube

Dashcam video recorded in Ottawa shows a truck driver purposely swerving into puddles so he can splash pedestrians on the sidewalk. His employer, Black & McDonald, said the man has been fired. The 45-second clip, uploaded to YouTube with a July 27 time stamp, showed the driver splashing three sets of pedestrians.

THINGS PEOPLE DO #2

City News was sent video Monday of someone base jumping off a construction site at the harbour. See below.

THINGS PEOPLE DO #3

Pardon my load/Peel Police Twitter

This car was stopped by Peel Police at Mavis and Matheson Sunday and the driver was fined $160 for an “insecure load.” He was carrying large planks of wood sticking out of the window. Hard to share the road.

Jane at the Card Show/Bulldog

New electronics shop/Bulldog

Snapdraons at Longo’s

Nancy’s East York garden/Nancy Lewis

$624,900 on Cosburn/Cityblast

O’Connor and Woodbine/Ray White

Jane (upper left) was offering a Mario Lemieux card for $5 at the Toronto Card Show Sunday over at the Amsterdam Brewery on Esandar Drive. At upper right, the operators of a new electronics store at 1551 Bayview Ave. were painting the outside of their new location next door to Ron White Shoes. It will service computers, cell phone and maybe help you with the odd app. They expect to be open soon. Below that are snapdragons for sale at Longo’s. Nice. Centre left is the happy space that East York horticulturist Nancy Lewis calls her garden. Check Nancy’s Instagram page. Lovely photos Nancy. Below that is an offering from Cityblast at 874 Cosburn Ave. The asking price was $624,900. Finally, bottom right is the scene at O’Connor Dr. and Woodbine Ave. where the intersection was closed over the weekend. It is one of four weekend closures there for removal of the Yield lane and the installation of a “bike box.” (Please try to stay with the program). The picture was taken by Ray White who had a few tart words.

Attack on sculpture knocks head off

Reporter Joanna Lavoie with gargoyle shortly after it was placed there

The Parks Department is investigating the beheading of a concrete sculpture on the Lower Don Valley Trail. How this occurred is not known but it seems very clear that the robust work of art was not damaged by natural causes. The statue is one of several cast concrete gargoyle sculptures placed in the area as part of Duane Linklater’s installation “Monsters for Beauty, Permanence and Individuality, 2017.” Monsters located along newly re-opened Lower Don Trail

Race against death/City News

The City News photo above shows police, fire and paramedics scrambling to get a motorcyclist into hospital after an accident at Islington Ave. and Norseman St. Sunday. The man was pronounced dead inside. Police indicate the motorcyclist lost control and flipped the machine. He was about 50.

1 Randolph Rd./Bulldog

Please fence me in, please/Bulldog

From rear/Rudy Limeback

There are mixed views about the demolition of 1 Randolph on FB as readers ponder Rudy Limeback’s photos there Sunday. The bungalow has achieved what many consider a new low in neglect and disrepair. You may also see a photo of the boxy planned replacement for this site posted by Mr. Limeback and read other remarks. One poster calls the planned home “fake crap” whereas others judge the changes to be “awesome.”  This lady shouts “make way for the nice and new.”  Leaside Community