The South Bayview Bulldog

Gas prices dropped overnight, as expected, but the decrease may not last as oil supplies fluctuate. The price at most locations is sitting at $1.31.9/litre. Dan McTeague of GasBuddy.com says the drop is the result of a drop in wholesale prices for oil. McTeague also predicts gas prices will climb 2 cents a litre on Thursday. Map below shows prices early Tuesday. Note how prices stay high in South Bayview.

ULTRAMAR ON BROADVIEW

Bulldog sleuths have determiend that the cheapest gas within driving distance is at the Ultramar station at Broadview Ave. and Bater Ave. a couple of blocks north of Pottery/Mortimer. Regular is selling there Wednesday for 1.26.9/litre.

Former BC Premier Gordon Campbell

Premier Ford

Former Premier Kathleen Wynne

A former Liberal Premier of BC, Gordon Campbell, will conduct a rapid Commission of Inquiry into the previous Liberal government’s spending practices with a report to be issued by August 30. Ontario Premier Ford announced the independent inquiry Tuesday and said the government is taking bids from outside experts to conduct a line-by-line audit of government books. Ford said the inquiry will provide answers on what went wrong with the province’s finances while the audit will shed light on how the government can fix those issues. The current provincial debt is nearly $350 billion dollars, the largest non-sovereign government debit in the world. That’s nearly $23,000 per Ontario citizen, even the school kids. In recent years, the auditor general, Bonnie Lysyk, has suggested the government understated its deficit by billions.

Seriously, the future of sex education will challenge the adult mind. But the range of views about what a child should know and when is enormous. Next, your jeans will soon be designed without cutting a shred of fabric. A fascinating look at the casual wear that dominates most wardrobes. Below that, gun violence. This CBC report gets lost in vague “root causes” talk before hitting on what most people know. Role models and job mentors for young men would be good. Most boys have a role model named dad. But he has to be at home. Finally, a couple who spent more than $20,000 US and took their pet to Japan for surgery.

Davenpoprt Rd./City News video capture

An overnight storm caused this tree to fall across Davenprot Rd. Tuesday morning. The street was closed for the morning rush and work continued into the day to remove the Maple.

Donald Trump is facing apparent universal disapproval at home for his embrace of Vladimir Putin’s version of events related to Russian hacking and alleged efforts to maniupulate the US election in 2016. Trump offered a breathtakingly benign view of Putin and the Kremlin. Russia is viewed almost universally as an emeny of democratic freedom. Newt Gingrach called Trump’s performance “the most serious mistake of his presidency.” Such reproofs seem likely to have a impact on the electorate.

A news release has announced that chef Mark McEwan will close his restaurant North 44 on Yonge St. at the end of the month. The restaurant helped McEwan establish his international reputation. It opened in 1990 at 2537 Yonge (and Sherwood). Mr. McEwan may well have found that his enormous energy is sufficiently challenged by his grocery store chain and many other restaurant locations. They are ByMark, Fabbrica and One Restaurant.

Mark McEwan/Mark McEwan blog

The release said North 44 has “enjoyed its longevity due to the unwavering support of its valued customers, the local community and its talented team.” McEwan also posted to Instagram: “I will look back on North 44 fondly,” says McEwan. “North 44 has seen some incredible talent over the years and I have made many life-long friends. I owe North 44’s success to our hard-working team, our loyal customers and to the Toronto community. I learned a lot from North 44, but want to continue to look forward. Our team have built restaurants, an extensive catering and events division, several gourmet grocery stores and we don’t have any plans to slow down. We’re opening three new properties and that’s just the plan for 2018.”

At shortly after 9 p.m., the Environment Canada weather watch said “conditions remain favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain. Scattered thunderstorms will affect the region this evening. The severe weather threat will diminish later this evening.” The beauty of the sky as snapped by Jeremy Cohn@JeremyGlobalTV about the same time is very special.

Sky near Burlington/Jeremy Cohn@JeremyGlobalTV

GO Transit says a lightning strike has caused signal issues west of Union Station on the Lakeshore East and West lines. No trains are running westbound from Union Station. There are 3 trains full of passengers stuck just west of Union and GO transit can’t send any more trains until it is safe to do so — City News

Pregnant and short of breathe on this Not-moving-for-one-hour hot crowed NO GO train…….

— Yishka W (@YishkaW) July 16, 2018

Have been stuck on the Go Train, standing, for 1.5 hours when my back started driving me nuts. A woman seated next to me could tell & stood to give me her seat while the three other dudes in the quad of seats looked the other way. Yet another reason why I love women.

— maureenhalushak (@MaureenHalushak) July 16, 2018

At 3:24 p.m. EDT, Environment Canada meteorologists were tracking a severe thunderstorm north of Toronto. Communities in the path included Vaughan, Richmond Hill, North York, Maple, Concord and Thornhill. Across most of Midtown however skies began to brighten as the afternoon headed into the supper hour.

Deeply confused plaza

Service Ontario gone for good,

Hapless customers

The Leaside Service Ontario office has closed abruptly amid a nightmare of demolition that has left the Dawsco Plaza on Brentcliffe Rd. half-open and half-closed. Citizens seeking critical legal requirements like birth certificates and driver’s licenses were wandering the parking lot like lost waifs Monday morning  There appear to be notices posted on the front door of the offices where Service Ontario was located but it is impossible to approach and read them because of hoardings. The Tim Hortons has been moved to the south end of the strip mall at Vanderhoof where a few places are still open. Parking is deeply confused. The Service Ontario franchisee which ran locations for decades on Millwood Rd., Eglinton at Laird and then on Brentcliffe seems to have vanished. Hapless customers who consulted each other under the hot sun seemed to think the closest Service Ontario is at Victoria Park Ave. and O’Connor Drive. The Brentcliffe office was operating normally in June with no hint of a coming closure. Underserved is the word that comes to mind checking the map. There’s another SO at 839 Yonge St. between Aylmer Ave. and Davenport Rd.

• 839 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W 2H21
• 1871 O’Connor Drive, Units 3 & 4, North York, ON M4A 1X1

Just like at the movies/Mike Nguyen – CP24

Kris Mateus, 33

Rankin Crescent/Tony Smyth @LateNightCam

A Maserati car erupted in flames (left) in the parking lot of the Cineplex at Queensway and Islington Ave. Sunday night apparently while its owner was at the movies. Police say this matter is deemed suspicious. At centre is a picture of Kris Mateus, 33, of Toronto, wanted for criminal harassment, failing to comply with probation, break-and-enter and mischief under $5000. This stems from an incident in which a woman, 30, was followed and had her Scarborough home broken into by a man At right, the scene after a driver hit an apartment building on Rankin Crescent in the Junction early Monday. The two young men inside are recovering.

The CBC reports that a father and son are accused of letting 13 horses die and starving 15 others in Whitchurch-Stouffville after an investigation by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at the property about 50 kilometres northeast of Toronto. CBC

FIVE HURT ON 401

Five people — two adults and three children — were taken to hospital from a crash on Highway 401 near Leslie St. early Monday.  Paramedics said they transported two adults and three children to hospital. One of the children, believed to be under two years of age, suffered a serious injury. The other two children and the two adults were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

BOY, 12, IN EMERGENCY RUN FROM BARRIE

A 12-year-old boy has been brought to hospital in Toronto after being pulled from the waters of Lake Simcoe in Barrie. Emergency crews were called to Splash On Water Park on Lake Simcoe, at around 5:15 p.m.