A colossal tangle of more than 50 vehicles has occurred on Highway 400 near Barrie in Wednesday April winter blast. Much of southern Ontario looked like the calendar read January 4.Highways near Lake Huron here closed by whiteouts. Surprisingly there were no serious injuries in the 400 accidents, Two were treated for minor injuries.
US and Canadian stock markets rode a crazy roller coaster Wednesday. After a month of savage losses they plunged even further at the opening as China slapped billions in tariffs on US goods in retaliation to Trump surcharges announced last week. Analysts say the reversal was prompted by good earnings reports, an apparent happy distraction from the complete unknowns lurking in the US-China trade war. In Toronto, the TSX closed down but by just 16.39 points. Nonetheless, the Canadian index saw its lowest close in nearly eight-weeks as shares of financial and materials companies lost ground. The beating taken by stocks in recent weeks gives new meaning to the term Wall of Worry.
The turbulent day across Toronto left South Bayview relatively unscathed by the loss of electricity. One dark spot in Leaside was on Hanna Rd. just south of Eglinton. But the outage caused by branches falling seemed limited to one home. A branch fell on Merton St. between Bayview and Mt Pleasant taking out a small cluster of homes. Power was out near Yonge and Davisville after a traffic light crashed down. No one has been injured. The full Hydro map is here. In Hamilton (below) a large Kentucky Fried Chicken sign was finger-lickin down. TFS Active Incidents
Wild. The stop lights at Yonge and Davisville just crashed down onto the road.
— Wes Chiasson (@wes_chiasson) April 4, 2018
Wind warning today in GTA. Wind gusts at Polson Pier are strong enough to whip up waves in #Toronto harbour and knock a person off balance. pic.twitter.com/7cIcjX1YeE
— Kevin Misener (@Kevin_Misener) April 4, 2018
Wires are down on Merton St. between Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Cleveland St. and police say there are reports of trees down although there are no specifics so far. Toronto Hydro says it is receiving multiple wires-down calls. It says crews are responding as quickly and safely as possible.
Penny Oleksiuk has tweeted word of her grandmother’s death from the scene of the Commonwealth Games north of Sydney. Penny is expected to swim in eight events at the Australian venue of this year’s games, including three relays. “I’m just excited to get to the meet, get on some relays and get to be on another relay with Kylie [Masse] and hopefully do well on that [4x100m] medley,” Oleksiak said on a conference call last week. “Overall, I think it’s going to be a good time.”
Given the news one of my grandmothers died today breaks my heart. I feel extremely grateful knowing that she was able to live a long life having the ability to see her children and grandchildren succeed in various aspects of their lives. #whoidothisfor
— Penny Oleksiak (@OleksiakPenny) April 4, 2018
Hazard: Yonge St & Eglinton Ave E
-large metal container fell from a building
-Police responding#GO601935
^ka— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) April 4, 2018
There was brief concern Wednesday morning before noon as a large metal container fell to the street from a building at Yonge and Eglinton Ave. The corner is a madhouse of construction. Police have tweeted that the obstruction is cleared. There is no mention of injuries. Safety authorities will wish to know what happened.
This summary begins (upper left) with word that Leaside United Church Baptism Sunday is April 29. Time to get planning. More urgently, please slip over to Northlea Elementary and Middle School between 2 and 7 p.m. and give blood this very day. Then, homeowners may wish to attend the Leaside Property Owners Association meeting tonight (Wednesday) at Trace Manes Park. It begins at 7.30 p.m. Below that, two posters worth a click — the Bayview Leaside BIA Sweep The Streets event April 21 and the 1950s Blue Radish Dance Party at Manor Road United. At the bottom, best is saved until the last with happy faces, all a full eight years old, of the Leaside Wildcats Novice DS White gang. They emerged as champs at the annual Brampton Canadettes Easter Tournament last week. Well done girls.
Residents of Hillsdale Avenue East, between Bayview and Cleveland awoke to the sounds of fire crews putting out a car on fire on their otherwise quiet street. Tweets from emergency responders’ feeds show that the call went out approximately 7am, traffic was blocked in both directions at this time. Just after 7:30am, TPS Ops declared that the fire had been extinguished.
Fire: Hillsdale Ave E and Cleveland St
-Fire is out#GO600334
^ka— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) April 4, 2018
Residents of Rosedale and Moore Park will relate to concerns about the future of a Red Oak estimated to be as much as 300 years old. There are quite a few in Midtown but this one is near Sheppard Ave. and Weston Rd. There are fears that the property will be sold and the tree cut down. CBC
The shooting of three YouTube employees by a woman Thursday has taken a bizarre turn as police reveal the killer as Nasim Aghdam. Contrary to widespread belief in live reports as the story broke, there is no known connection between Aghdam and her victims. She was an animal rights activist who was obsessed with YouTube in the belief that it was targeting her website and somehow “filtering” her videos to get fewer clicks.
The Toronto Real Estate Board says home sales in the Greater Toronto Area in March fell 39.5 percent compared with a year ago. The board says there were 7,228 home sales through its MLS system last month compared with a record 11,954 sales in March 2017. New listings also fell to 14,866 for the month, down from 16,978 a year earlier. TREB release
The semi-annual Leaside Blood Donor Clinic will be held Wednesday (today) at Northlea Elementary and Middle School on Rumsey Rd. Those present to organize the clinic and many of those donating will be remembering the courageous Northlea student whose battle against leukemia inspired this clinic. She was Emmy Duff (left) a cheerful young woman whose 16 year battle has left a legacy of generosity and public awareness of the need for blood. Emmy died in 2012. This Spring, the tireless people who run the clinic will be hoping to see their friends as well as strangers who are able to give. Teens are especially encouraged to give an hour to this outstanding public service. Healthy kids 17 and over may participate. The clinic runs from 2 to 7 p.m.
