Combined police execute as many as 50 warrants in GTA

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A news conference is set for Thursday morning to make public details of a combined police action aimed at organized crime across the GTA. As many as 50 warrants were executed and carried out by 800 officers in Toronto, Peel, York and Durham.

Authors at Sleuth of Baker Street Thursday afternoon

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Sky Curtis
Mary Lou Dickinson
Lisa de Nikolits

Mystery writers Sky Curtis, Mary Lou  Dickinson and Lisa de Nikolits will be at the Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore, 907 Millwood Rd. at Sutherland Dr., Thursday June 21 between 5:30 and 7 pm p.m. The three women novelists are based in Toronto and are published by Dundurn. Recent novels are, Sky Curtis (Flush), Lisa de Nikolits (No Fury Like That) and Mary Lou Dickinson (The White Ribbon Man).

CGS joyous graduation and wise words for parents, teachers

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Principal Marie Bates with graduates

Congratulations to everyone over at CGS on their final assembly and graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 14. The joyous event marked the end of another year of fun and hard work

Stuents, parents , friends and teacher crowd assembly
Paying attention
Friends forever
Congratulations graduates!
Success
Graduates were sent off to their new adventures with love and the rest of the CGS community looks forward to returning in September, after a well=deseerved summer break. 
Principal Marie Bates offered guidance of author William Martin

Principal Marie Bates closed the ceremony with the wise words of author William Martin.

Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples, and pears.
Show then how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself ~ William Martin

Badali Family Lane celebrates 80-year Bayview Ave. story

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Ribbon-cutting dedicated the Badali Family Lane
This photo from early 80 shows Dom and Sale with their mom and dad

Badali Family Lane was dedicated Wednesday at the little corner beside the Bayview Car Wash where the lane runs from Roehampton up to Glazebrook Ave. Councillor Josh Matlow spoke about the Badali history on Bayview Ave. and in Canada as many members listened and applauded. Hear his remarks below.

Bigger outdoor screen for 20-year era of Scotiabank Arena

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Urban Toronto

Urban Toronto reports on the imminent (July 1) start of Scotiabank’s 20-year naming period for the arena now called Air Canada Centre. A most notable element is the replacement and enlargement of the outdoor screen on the arena’s west atrium overlooking Bremner Blvd. and Maple Leaf Square. It is known as Jurassic Park during Raptors events. Urban Toronto

Alexa, pay my bills and then please make my brain atrophy

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The use of Alexa and Siri as digital servants to pay bills and send money instantly on voice command is quite chilling. Stories from the US speak of Alexa announcing to a crowded room that your overdraft is exhausted. Most people can think of things that are even worse. But banks and financial companies have started to offer this service. Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google‘s Assistant can check balances, pay bills and in the near future send money on voice command. But the potential to do such sensitive tasks through a smart speaker raises security concerns. Virtual assistants and smart speakers are still relatively new technologies and potentially susceptible to being exploited by cyber criminals. There’s also the possibility that the brain will begin to atrophy. AP

Please!
March of the voice command zombies

OTHER BUSINESS NEWS

Back to school with new traffic rules at Bayview/Eglinton

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Advisory sign
No pedestrian crossing on east side

It’s back to school for drivers and pedestrians who venture up to Eglinton Ave in hope of doing business in the Sunnybrook Plaza. Metrolinx has changed traffic patterns to permit construction on the LRT. A sign (above left) greets northbound drivers about access to the plaza. It seems to be merely informative and does not mean that northbound traffic is required to enter off Eglinton. But as the map shows, it is possible to turn right on Eglinton and also to enter the plaza from Bayview north of Eglinton. The pace of single-lane traffic pounding through the intersection headed north may not make that turn easy, but it is legal.  Some pedestrians seemed confused. Fences block all crossings of Eglinton north and south on the east side of Bayview. The north-west pavement is circled with jersey barriers and is safe enough for a picnic table. Traffic in all directions is down to one lane although a left turn lane onto Eglinton remains for southbound cars on Bayview. It’s easy to get to Tim’s now. Good luck

Deer walking on Westview Blvd in Topham Park Wednesday

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Police are reporting the presence of deer on Westview Blvd heading northbound. There was concern they might access O’Connor Drive. TPS is asking drivers to be cautious.

Bloor subway accused in court remand detached, mumbling

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John Reszetnik
Yosuke Hayahara, 73
Detective Rob North

Police are appealing to “seven or eight witnesses” to the brief pushing incident Monday in the Bloor subway station that led directly to the death of a man who fell into the path of a train. He has been identified as Yosuke Hayahara, 73. He was waiting to board an eastbound Line 2 train. The accused, John Reszetnik, 57, of Toronto, appeared in prison clothing in court Tuesday and seemed to be detached from events. He spoke in a mumble raising speculation about his mental state. After the remand, Detective Rob North told reporters: “We are looking for seven or eight witnesses who we believe had some very close interaction or close ties to our accused or our deceased. They would have seen what happened, based on some utterances or witness statements that we have,” North said. “We are appealing to those seven or eight individuals to come forward. I understand it’s a very traumatic incident they may have witnessed, however we would like them to come forward so we can interview them and get a narrative about what transpired.”

Rockport Group proposes 16-floor condo at 276-290 Merton

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An application submitted to the City of Toronto seeks rezoning to redevelop a pair of low-rise properties at 276-290 Merton St. west of Mt. Pleasant Rd. into a 16-storey condominium. Urban Toronto

Ceremony dedicating Badali Family Lane 3 p.m. Wednesday

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Dom and Sal Badali with their late mom Lena
Badali Lane

A ceremony will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. to dedicate the laneway which runs from Roehampton Ave. to Glazebrook Ave. as Badali Lane. The lane begins beside the Bayview Car Wash. The naming honours the 80-year history of a one-time immigrant family and their durable fruit market on Bayview Ave. Here is a 2013 post which told their story on the 75th anniversary of the shop. Badali’s Fruit Market to celebrate 75 years on Bayview Ave.

“Keep it in your pants” Swoop Airlines takes off Wednesday

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WestJet’s low-cost airline, pink and white Swoop, takes off early Wednesday in a maiden flight from Hamilton to Abbotsford. The cost-conscious off-spring of a cost-conscious parent has launched ads that urge flyers to “keep it in your pants,” a reference to money and nothing else Swoop insists. Swoop will compete domestically with Air Canada’s Jazz budget line. Yahoo News