The South Bayview Bulldog

Elaine Benes, the “Seinfeld” character played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus hashed out the idea in a Seinfeld episode back on May 8, 1997. Everyone agreed that the muffin top is the only valuable part of the breakfast staple. Her quandary was what to do with the boring part of the muffin below the glorious top, she named the “stump”. McDonald’s has taken on the challenge and has been trying out the muffin top idea in parts of the US since last year.

McDonald's is taking an idea from #Seinfeld and just selling the #muffintop for breakfast … https://t.co/asePblqoRO pic.twitter.com/afycu5G1A3

— Mick Ross (@mickster) June 27, 2018

Chris Murray

Oversaw 7,800 employees in Hamlton

City Council has appointed Hamilton City Manager Chris Murray to the same position in Toronto. Mr. Murray is a long-time Hamilton civil servant. He will assume his new job August 13. “The City Manager is responsible for leading the women and men of the Toronto Public Service as they work on behalf of Toronto residents,” said Mayor John Tory. “Chris brings to this position a deep understanding of the complexities and challenges of municipal service delivery and I look forward to working with him as we continue to build a modern, motivated and effective City government focused on the people’s needs. He knows how to use positive change to make us better and I know that’s what he will do.” Murray said he was thrilled at his appointment.  Murray has been Hamilton City Manager since 2009 and oversaw 7,800 employees. He managed projects like waterfront development, LRT planning, Tim Hortons Field, GO service expansion and the negotiation of the development of a downtown McMaster Medical Campus.

Strong competition among radio stations and alternates to conventional TV are said to be a major reasons behind a stunning loss of some $4.49 a share at Corus Entertainment Inc. The first quarter (ending May 31) loss sent Corus reeling on the TSX. The stock was down 11 per cent early Wednesday after the company announced a $935.9 million loss tied mostly to a devaluation of its broadcast licences. The firm, which owns Global Television among many other TV franchises, also slashed its dividend to accelerate debt reduction. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 36 cents a share. Corus has a large presence in Canadian broadcasting apart from Global. It owns 39 radio stations and a portfolio of 45 specialty television services. Corus is especially prominent within the children’s television market, through its ownership of the domestic YTV, Treehouse TV and Teletoon/Télétoon networks, the animation studio Nelvana and book publisher Kids Can Press, and localized versions of the Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, and Nickelodeon brands. Corus Entertainment’s voting majority is held by the company’s founder J R Shaw and his family and a 40% stake of Corus stock is owned by Shaw Communications.

Chloe Gong, 5/Family

Tiffany and daughter Chloe/Family

The woman and child who drowned in Collingwood Tuesday have been identified as Tiffany Gong, 34, and her daughter Chloe, 5, of Markham. The drownings occurred at the outdoor swimming pool of the Mountain Springs Lodge Resort in the town of Blue Mountains around 7:30 p.m. The husband, Yiting Gong, said his family and his parents had been at the resort for a two-day vacation. Mr. Gong said his wife and daughter went to the pool by themselves but 10 minutes later he went to the pool and found people from the resort trying to revive his wife. He said his daughter must have jumped into the pool and his wife went to help her when they both went under. He believes someone from the resort pulled his daughter out but didn’t notice his wife had gone under.

• Former reservist not guilty in shooting of Indigenous man stealing truck

Billboard workers have come across a 31-year-old billing for the Mel Brooks film Spaceballs. If born, where were you? Then, the remarkable story of Sakina Rizva, youngest graduate ever at the U of T, as told by City News reporter Ginella Massa. Below that, Ben Stein tells the US to lay off Canada. Stein, an intellectual gadfly well-remembered for his role as Ferris Bueller’s economics teacher, is also an eminent economist. Lastly, the City News business report which recounts a demand Tuesday by Donald Trump for allies to stop importing oil from Iran. That drove the markets, and oil prices, higher. Time for Canada to build some pipelines. Please!

Hot summer days are predicted this weekend with a pinnacle of sorts occurring Canada Day weekend. The forecasters at the Weather Network are in a lather about humidex readings, calling them “about as hot as the humidex can get.” We should all be cautious but also maybe try to keep our cool as the warnings sound quite fearful. They go on to say “one of the most extensive heat waves of the summer is almost upon us, and it’s set to spike over the holiday long weekend. Heat lovers may be rejoicing but this weekend’s temperatures may be a shock even for those of us who soak up the sun like cold-blooded animals. Canada Day weekend’s sky-high humidex values will be taking a stab at all-time summer records for cities like Ottawa and Montreal.”

PARK TO BE NAMED AFTER ELIJAH MARSH

A park in North York will be renamed in honour of a three-year-old boy who froze to death on a bitterly cold night in February, 2015. While his family slept, Elijah Marsh slipped out of his grandmother’s apartment on Neptune Drive, near Bathurst Street and Highway 401, in just his diaper, boots and a T-shirt  Temperatures were below -20 C at the time. He was found nearby during an intesive search but it was too late. The tragedy touched many across the country and prompted a Toronto man to start a crowdfunding campaign that raised tens of thousands of dollars to pay for funeral costs and support the family.

401 CLOSURE: #OPP CLOSED all lanes EB #Hwy401 btwn Winston Churchill Blvd & Msga Rd after a fatal collision -deceased 45 y/o truck driver fm Richmond Hill, crash invl 3 transport trucks – end of queue type crash – CLOSURE expected for most of aftn. ( OPP twitter pic) pic.twitter.com/fIftaUlX06

— Graham Paine (@GPmedia_24) June 26, 2018

Signs opposing closures

Barriers would close off Broadway, Glenvale and Craig

Voting in North Leaside on the plan to ultimately, after a pilot trial, permanently close off all roads into the neighborhood at Bayview Ave. is in its last four days. Voting continues for those eligible at this site  The streets to be closed are Glenvale Ave., Broadway Ave. and Craig Crescent. In recent days, scattered signs opposing the so-called cul-de-sac scheme have popped up on streets like Glenvale, Tanager Ave. and Broadway. There is no available barometer of feeling except a poll taken a year ago that some 69 percent agreed with the idea. The current vote, which ends June 30,  will require half of those eligible to vote, and of those, 60 percent will be required to vote in favour of closure in order for the pilot to proceed. At the end of the pilot, another vote will take place to either scrap the plan or make the barriers permanent. Further hurdles may await at Community Council with caveats about traffic obstruction which such closures might cause elsewhere. The pilot, if approved, would last nine to 12 months.

John Candy/Family photo

Chris and Jennifer Candy speak by video at East York news conference

The son and daughter of the late John Candy, Chris and Jennifer Candy, made a video announcement at a news conference Tuesday to express their pleasure and pride that dad will be the first inductee into the East York Hall of Fame. The formal ceremony will take place in the fall at the East York Community Centre on Pape Avenue. Many notable friends of East York were present at Jawny Baker’s Restaurant on O’Connor Drive to speak and listen to the words of Candy’s children. Justin Van Dette. president of the EYHoF, spoke lovingly of East York and the many prominent people who have been raised there. Also present was Stephen LeDrew as MC, Toronto Danforth MP Julie Dabrusin and Ray White of the East York Foundation. In his remarks Van Dette thanked Mayor Tory and Mary Fragedakis (Ward 29) for their efforts in supporting the Hall of Fame. John Candy grew up on Woodville Ave. He was a larger-than-life comedian’ actor and sports fan, who at one time was a part owner of the Argonauts. He died in 1994 of heart failure at 43 years of age while working on a film in Mexico.

Mayor Tory has written to local MPs saying that Toronto is being overwhelmed by refugees flooding into Canada at illegal borner crossings in Quebec. As reported earlier, the refugees are apparently free to choose where they want to go and uniformly choose Toronto. Tory says the City is not able to deal with the “unprecedented pressure” on its shelter system and will not be able to so without immediate provincial and federal financial help. He asks for “appropriate support” from the provincial and federal governments to be able to welcome newcomers to Toronto. “I think we can all agree that having the City scramble to find emergency shelter for each new wave of arrivals is not sustainable, nor is it a desirable state of affairs. What’s needed is proper housing and proper supports, something the city cannot provide on its own,” Tory wrote. Refugees strain shelters as they arrive at rate of 10 a day

The University of Toronto has pulled an ad supposedly offering summer work for students in Spain after a firm called Progrmma AC asked one student applicant for a photo of her face and full body. Elsewhere, it was a bad day on the markets with New York down 328 points and Toronto finishing down 266. It’s about the mounting fear of tariffs and how they are likely to damage business and destroy prosperity. The City News business report also touches on this and other matters while at bottom left, a lighter moment as New Zealand Prime MInister Jacinda Adern and her husband present their new baby to the media.