The South Bayview Bulldog

Proposal for 898 Mt. Pleasant Rd. at Eglinton Ave.

About 40 people attended a meeting at the Roehampton Hotel (formerly the Best Western) at 808 Mt. Pleasant Rd. Thursday evening to hear about a proposed 44-year-storey mixed use development on the site. Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22) denounced the scale of the project. It has a height many times greater than the present zoning and double the height limits seen in a draft of revised zoning. The neighborhood is no example of moderation in such things. It is a war-zone of high-rise frenzy. Enormous towers already largely built sit at the southeast corners of Redpath and Eglinton and Redpath and Roehampton. Perhaps they are “gifts” from the former Ontario Municipal Board. The Yonge Eglinton Plan is a set of guidelines being formulated by City staff for increased density along the LRT. The Roehampton proposal offends in a number of ways. It is too high, too close to an apartment on Roehampton and is said to cast at least some shadow on Northern Secondary School to the north. The City of Toronto planner David Driedger invited those present to write him if they had questions.at david.driedger@toronto.ca Urban Toronto

Eglinton and Redpath

Redpath and Roehampton

Living on borrowed time?

Dog rescued/Peter Fisher Special to CHEX

Third floor blaze/Today’s Northumberland

Global News video capture

Fire officials and some 50 residents are shocked but grateful that everyone, including the pets, escaped a raging apartment fire at 48 Wellington St in Port Hope during the noon hour Thursday. According to Port Hope Fire Chief C. Ryan Edgar, the blaze broke out in a third-floor unit and quickly spread to the roof of the 24-unit residential complex. Residents of the apartment who have not found refuge with friends or family are being housed temporarily at the Port Hope Parks and Recreation Centre at 62 McCaul St in the Lake Ontario town. The Red Cross and other victim services are on site — with CHEX TV. Peterborough

Today’s Northumberland

The opening of the  new Costco store on Overlea Blvd. cannot be far off. Thursday the public was invited by signage on the street to drive into the new parking lot and pay for a membership to the club. “Avoid the rush,” say the signs. Those who do this should look for a white trailer behind the construction trailer off the main drive into the lot. It’s not especially obvious. But it is there and they will gladly sign you up.

Turn it off?

Soon!

Buy it from us

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is threatening to cut off oil shipments to British Columbia “very quickly” if BC does not stop its unconstitutional blockage of the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Analysts predict that a 60-litre tank of regular will cost $120 in Vancouver in mere hours of such a move. This as the Alberta government passed its new law granting it the power to stop oil flowing to its neighbor. Notley said she would use the law, first introduced last month and passed Wednesday, if construction does not begin on the KM project soon. “Albertans, British Columbians and the rest of Canada should understand that if the path forward for the pipeline through BC is not settled soon, I am ready and prepared to turn off the taps,” Notley declared.

A New York couple found a safe full of cash, jewels and other valuables in the brush of their backyard. Check out why they did not just pocket the goodies.

Starbucks at 1545 Bayview remained closed Thursday as renovation work apparently overtook the schedule. The store has announced on signs that it would re-open today.

Getting ready to board flght to Edmonton

Some 100 BC business, Indigenous, labour and community leaders boarded a flight from Vancouver to Edmonton Thursday to show support for the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Twitter activity says this venture is supported by the Great Vancouver Board of Trade. Tara Weber of BNN reported that the Indigenous tribe members on board the Federation Flight are those whose lands surround the pipeline. It’s said that while most Indigenous groups oppose the project, certain others are enthusiastic about it. The name of the mission — Federation Flight — has clear symbolism for patriotic Canadians who fear the economy and foreign investment will suffer if Canadian crude cannot be shipped to Asia. Meantime, the future of the pipeline is locked in the political grip of the splinter BC Green Party, which is propping up the NDP government.

David Bryant has confirmed to the South Bayview Bulldog that he and his selfless band of volunteers will once again stage a fireworks show this long weekend. It will begin at 9 p.m. Monday, May 21, on the playing field at Leaside High School. Mr. Bryant has begun a widely appreciated practice of such displays during the better weather. This year there will be more than 100 pieces exploded with a “special ending” says Bryant.

Leaside High field last year

David Bryant (centre) and friends prepare a fireworks show in 2017

“Mixed-use” proposal

Roehampton Hotel when it was still the Best Western

A meeting is set for Thursday (tonight) at The Roehampton Hotel (formerly the Best Western) to discuss a proposal to replace the hotel building with a 44-storey mixed-use building containing 457 residential units with retail space on the first level. The developer proposes 166 parking spaces in four levels of underground parking. The meeting is convened by Councillor Matlow beginning at 6:30 p.m. at The Roehampton Hotel, 808 Pleasant Rd. Urban Toronto

It’s early but not uncivilized if you’re a fan of this elaborate royal event. The nuptials are said to commence at 7 a.m. EDT (noon in Windsor). Some nice perspectives on the wedding are seen below.

A post shared by ?? London ? UK ? Europe ?? (@tmnikonian) on May 17, 2018 at 5:06am PDT

Adrian Ghobrial of City News assays the newly-introduced “drive-away” parking tickets by Parking Enforcement Officers. It used to be legal to drive away while the hornet was writing the ticket. Legal consensus had it that the ticket had not been properly served. But when it comes to money, the City is far more interested in making you pay than silly stuff like due process. Now they send the ticket to you in the mail and right or wrong, you’re on the hook. Gotcha parking methods live on at City Hall.

PC CANDIDATE RESIGNS AMID DATA THEFT ALERT

Simmer Sandhu, the PC Party candidate in Brampton, has resigned from the candidacy amid allegations pertaining to his “work life and nomination campaign.” Sandhu was employed until recently at 407 Express Toll Route, the firm that runs the toll highway. As Sandu was making his announcement, the company said it is investigating the theft of some personal information of roughly 60,000 people from its offices “some time over the past 12 months.” It said the data was limited to account names and phone numbers. No credit card or banking information was taken. Without saying anything related to this revelation, Sandhu said he “absolutely denies these allegations” and called them “totally baseless.”

BEN AND JESSICA MULRONEY CHILDREN TO BE IN BRIDAL PROCESSION

Finance Minister Morneau (the MP for Bennington Heights) has pledged federal money to Kinder Morgan for losses it may incur as it tries to build the federally-approved pipeline to the Pacific. It’s an unknown sum of money. Critics of the Trudeau Liberals ask why this matter has not been referred to the Supreme Court. The answer is the political cost of that. Everyone is slathered in naked electoral expediency. The LPC fears losing seats in BC. BC Premier John Horgan has decided to jump as high as the splinter Green Party demands. He will go down to defeat if they’re unhappy with him. The federal NDP, led by that bulwark of principle, Jagmeet Singh, has chosen Horgan over NDP Premier Rachel Notely because there are more NDP votes in BC than Alberta. And maybe Notely will be taken out by Prairie Conservatives in Alberta at the next election. Love this country.