The South Bayview Bulldog

Canadian press says Aimia Inc., owners of Aeorplan, have a deal with Porter Airlines to become a preferred carrier the loyalty points program as of July 2020, when the current arrangement with Air Canada ends. Aimia has rejected a hostile bid for Aeroplan from an Air Canada-led group that includes the key Aeroplan credit card partners Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Visa Canada. Porter’s fleet of aircraft is only a fraction the size of Air Canada’s but Aimia has also been in discussions with the Oneworld airline alliance, whose members include British Airways, American Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

A heavy tow truck is used to hoist a Toyota Yaris out of Toronto Harbour. Toronto Police Marine Unit divers recovered the body of the male driver. Car reversed into water from a parking lot last night at Parliament and Lake Shore Blvd. pic.twitter.com/ofrWPsMYBH

— Kevin Misener (@Kevin_Misener) August 3, 2018

City News reports that volunteer hockey coaches will be required to instruct kids from 5 to 18 in everything from gender diversity to why it’s important to use pronouns they’ve never heard before. Good luck to all. Then, the Rogers Cup begins Friday and here is a preview. Below that, Google is making a fuss about its new Chinese search engine that may or may not really search. Beijing does not like unapproved questions. Finally, mom and dad will fall for this yarn about twin girls engaged to twin guys. As it happened.

Demolition on Brentcliffe

End of an era

The demolition of the Dawsco Plaza on Brentfcliffe has members of Leaside Chit Chat mourning the end of a Leaside they knew as kids and young adults. It will make way for a multi-towered complex housing thousands. There is fear for the end of sunshine on the north side of Eglinton Ave. Many express concern for their apartment homes east of Laird. City of Toronto “planning” as good as dictates the destruction of low-rise properties to make the LRT worthwhile. (For who?) One poster says: “So sad to hear and watch the glass windows being shattered at 939 Eglinton Ave. E. making way for the new condo complex. After 65 years of being in the same house, it is breaking my heart…this is exactly what we don’t need here. It is hard to believe that Eglinton was a dirt road which ended at Brentcliffe beyond which there was a dump. I am remembering the day that it was tarred and paved. All the neighbourhood kids sat on a 2×4 by the curb and watched.”

The Ontario goverment has given Toronto school boards two weeks to align their wards with the 25 the Ford government has imposed on the City — meaning some trustees could end up overseeing many more schools than others. Toronto Star — subscription.

Joe Mihevc left and Josh Matlow may contest St. Paul’s while Jaye Robinson and Jon Burnside seem likely to face off in Don Valley West

As previously speculated by The South Bayview Bulldog, long-time friends (and opponents) in neighboring wards will have to contest the new larger constituencies against people who in many cases are their friends and political allies. City News reporter Pam Seatle has some examples in the video below. Two of the most graphic local awkward situations, St. Paul’s and Don Valley West, are shown in photos above.

As recorded by owner

Corrected and enlarged by The Bulldog

A resident of Fleming Crescent has posted video captures (left) of a car break-in which occurred Saturday night. The Bulldog has isolated the face of an apparent suspect, corrected it for colour and enlarged it. See if you know him and if so post to Leaside Community or mail the 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.