Trump cans NK meet and Morgan Freeman’s purple flirting

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Breaking Thursday, the US has canned the planned meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore over “hostile” language from the Supreme and no doubt super-dear leader (ugh). And Morgan Freeman is in hot water not for wandering hands but loose language. Some will call it vulgar, others inappropriate and yet others more like purple flirting. It’s beyond “do you come here often”.




Triumph of greed over logic as Blue Jays forced onto FB

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Thursday’s game at Rogers Centre will not be available anywhere except Facebook. For many it seems like the triumph of greed over common sense. But MLB and Facebook shook hands and exchanged the rights to put 20 games on teeny screens for $35 million. That includes the match with the Angels starting at 12:30 p.m. Blue Jays game won’t be shown on TV and fans are FURIOUS Twitter

Car2go to quit Toronto because of limitations on parking

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The Car2go car-sharing company with thousands of users in Toronto will  stop operations in Toronto next Thursday, May 31. Car2go issued a bitter statement blaming City Council for the “overly restrictive” free-floating car-sharing pilot program passed in April. It’s about parking, of course. Car2go wanted users to be able to park shared vehicles in residential areas. “City councillors have passed a heavily restricted pilot that ultimately weakens mobility options for Torontonians,” said Car2go North America CEO Paul DeLong in the news release.

New City requirements for the Car2go pilot will forbid the use of almost 10,000 parking spaces where users usually pick up or leave Car2go vehicles. DeLong also complains that Toronto will require a parking permit of $1,499.02 per vehicle. In an open letter he said calling the move a disappointment would be “a huge understatement.” The company is owned by Daimler North American Corporation. Some may wonder whether the decision is in fact a power play on the part of Car2go.

Security fears as Feds block China from swallowing Aecon

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The federal government has blocked the sale of the Canadian construction mammoth Aecon Group Inc. to Chinese interests because of reported concerns about national security. Aecon it seems, is just too big and intertwined with Canada’s security, that Ottawa fears the Beijing government might use it to make Canada conform to Chinese interests. It is a fear often heard about dealing with China as expressed by retired diplomats. The contentious deal was between Aecon and China’s CCCC International Holding Ltd., also known as CCCI. It would have been worth $1.5 billion. “As is always the case, we listened to the advice of our national security agencies throughout the multi-step national security review process under the Investment Canada Act,” Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said in a statement Wednesday. “Based on their findings, in order to protect national security, we ordered CCCI not to implement the proposed investment.” Wednesday night there was foreboding expressed by the Chinese embassy and more is expected from the Communist capital in the hours and days to come. CBC

Trains bypass Summerhill Station after underground blast

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Serious questions from big crowd at candidates meeting

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Left to right: Peter Milczyn (sitting in for Premier Wynne) Jon Keiran, PC, Amara Possian, NDP, John Kittredge, Libertarian, Morgan Bailey, Green

The Don Valley West all-candidates meeting drew a large crowd and heard lively answers from the five candidates Wednesday night at the Lea Room at Leaside Arena. The partisan back and forth continued in the absence of Premier Wynne, who was campaigning in Northern Ontario. Her failure to attend surprised many. One explanation offered by organizers was that the parties had agreed that their leaders would not attend meetings in their own ridings. It appears to be a new arrangement. The format consisted of written questions from audience members, a process that permitted organizers to filter repetition and irrelevant material. It also prevented speech making by audience members so inclined. Candidates were asked serious questions about the deficit, Hydro rates and transportation. Everyone had a plan to reduce the deficit and lower Hydro cost. The party members present were Peter Milczyn (sitting in for Premier Wynne) Jon Keiran, PC, Amara Possian, NDP, John Kittredge, Libertarian and Morgan Bailey, Green. The moderator was Brian Athey, past president of the Leaside Property Owners Association.

Full house at LPOA candidates meeting in the Lea Room

Family of hit-and-run victim urges driver to surrender

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David Bryant posts non-stop 3.27 finale to Monday’s show

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Fireworks master David Bryant has posted the full non-stop grand finale of Monday evening’s fireworks display. The sequence was triggered from Mr. Bryant’s phone and created the powerful impact he anticipated. Bryant is local man who has undertaken to put on free fireworks displays, as he is able, during the summer.  Friends assist him as do his wife and daughter. It isn’t cheap and sometimes there are donations but altogether it seems very community-spirited, not to mention generous. Thanks David.

Bryant family
Fireworks master
With helper

School fairs this weekend as May prepares to say goodbye

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Cody Spring Fair
Stairs to Don Valley/BlogTO
Bike to Work Day
Card Show
Welcome
Bessborough Mayfair
Woof

This weekend sees both the Maurice Cody Spring Fair and Bessborough School Mayfair. One each on Saturday and Sunday. At upper right, BlogTO discovers the  long stairway to Don Valley delights. As many know, it sits just off Millwood on Redway Drive. Secret Leaside. Climbing down the left side we see cyclists posing as a reminder that Monday is Bike to Work Day. Well, not if you work in your kitchen. Those who pedal for fun should assemble at Don Mills and Lawrence (SE corner) at 6.15 a.m. and ride through Serena Gundy Park. Alternate plans call for assembly at Laird and Eglinton (NW corner), at 6.45 a.m. and ride across Eglinton, then down Yonge, picking up people all along the way, and head down to City Hall. There’s a free breakfast at the Square. Other reminders for the Taco and Burrito Crowd that Grillies is hosting their grand opening this Friday at 1560 Bayview. Finally, Woofstock both Saturday and Sunday at Woodbine Park.

 

Leaside all-candidates debate to see stand-in for Premier

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High court will hear appeal that terror texts are not evidence

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Farah Shirdon, ISIS man from Calgary
Ben Makuch of Vice Media

The Supreme Court will hear the case of Vice Media vs the Crown when it decides whether the RCMP has the authority to obtain messages between a reporter and a young ISIS convert from Calgary. Farah Shirdon, 22, a naturalized Canadian born in Somalia, is now dead according to the US government. But in 2014 he carried on communication by way of an app called Kik with Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch. Shirdon was prosecuted by the government for treason and the Mounties wanted to see the messages. Several courts have found that the communication is evidence and must be handed over. Vice Media sees a threat to press freedom.

NOUR CASE A PRECEDENT?

In December the SCOC found that texts in a criminal prosecution were privileged but only because they were on the phone of an accomplice not the accused. If they had been found on the cell of Nour Marakah, a firearms trafficker, there would have been no privilege. It is an interesting subtlety that was ripped up by Justice Moldaver in a blistering minority opinion. Now it remains to be seen whether this will be relevant in the Vice complaint. Fear not Canada. SCOC finds that some texts private but with a sharp dissent

 

“Origin of fire on the upper surface of the barn” Fireworks?

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No one is using the word “fireworks.” Quite the contrary as fire marshal’s personnel speak of accidental causes and multiple ignition sources. No details are stated. Yet they also speak of the origin of the fire being on the upper surface of the barn. Roof?  Horses who died in fire are named in note from Sunnybrook