The South Bayview Bulldog

Maeve Pestonji of St Anselm Catholic School / www.tcdsb.org/schools/stanselm

Wildcats in London, Windsor and Strathroy

Trucks at Loblaws

Putti’s window

Costco front door

Maeve Pestonji of St Anselm Catholic School (seen at upper left with Trustee Angela Kennedy) is the winner of Agnes Macphail public speaking contest. Nice going Maeve. To the right, Leaside Jr. Wildcats are in darkest Southwestern Ontario tonight and this weekend with games in London, Windsor and Strathroy. Lower left, sometimes it seems there are more trucks at Loblaws on Moore Ave. than cars. Centre right, the pleasant window at Putti’s decor on Yonge St. and at bottom right work on the front door of the new Costco on Overlea Blvd at seen from the dead-end roadside of Banigan Drive. They say it could be open in April.

Tim Beckett, fire chief

Hurontario and Dundas

Hickory Drive

Mississauga Fire Chief Tim Beckett says it will be weeks or months before the Fire Marshall can offer a reason for the ignition of the natural gas that largely levelled a shopping plaza at Hurontario and Dundas Sts. five days ago. He referenced the fatal explosions that destroyed dozens of home on Hickory Drive in 2016 when he noted that investigators have to start at the outer reaches of the debris field and work their way into the centre of ground zero. There seems no doubt that the explosion that left 58 families in shelters and destroyed or damaged 104 business was indeed a natural gas blast. Many business and families are returning as the week ends said Chief Beckett.

Nikolas Cruz and Melisa McNeill, defense attorney.

The FBI issued an extraordinary apology Friday afternoon, revealing that it had received a tip on January 5, 2018, that Nikolas Cruz was acting erratically and may have been planning a school shooting. The agency failed to act on the tip. A month and nine days later, Cruz, 19, entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, mowing down students and staff with an AR-15. Seventeen people died. “We are still investigating the facts,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter, as well as reviewing our processes for responding to information that we receive from the public.” Attorney Melisa McNeill tells the media that her client is a broken human being and feels remorseful for his actions. There was also a tip to the FBI in September about Cruz but it said at the time they could not trace it.

Stanley Ma

Stanley Ma’s MTY Food Group has purchased Timothy’s World Coffee and Mmmuffins from a subsidiary of Le Duff America for $1.675 million. MTY gets the current 28 franchised and seven corporately owned Timothy’s locations in Canada, two licensed Timothy’s locations in US, three Mmmuffins and two co-branded franchised locations in Canada. It will also acquire the license to operate and franchise coffee shops under the trade name Timothy’s which is owned by Keurig Canada. MTY has many brands including Thai Express, Vanellis and Manchu Wok. Mr. Ma is a Canadian franchisor and operator of numerous quick service restaurants operating under 70 brand names, some of them through wholly owned subsidiaries. The number of enterprises carrying MTY brands reached 5,500 in 2017. Stanley Ma is a 67 year old Hong Kong-born Canadian.

Former leader Patrick Brown has been removed from caucus of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Interim leader Vic Fedeli said in a statement on Friday. He said he had asked Mr. Brown to step aside when he was awarded the position. The announcement seems to have been spurred by Brown’s suggestion Thursday that had not actually resigned the leadership of the party. The implications of that assertion for the planned leadership vote and prospects for the party in the June General Election seem obvious. “Earlier today, Mr. Brown was notified that he has been removed from the PC Caucus effective immediately,” Fedeli said. Also, CTV News Toronto said it had obtained an audio recording of Brown informing members of caucus that he was resigning as leader of the Progressive Conservative party.

Charles Kipper has died in Toronto at the age of 66. Mr. Kipper was for many years a teacher at Rosedale Heights School for the Arts on Bloor St. E.  He was a devoted husband, father, musician, composer, teacher, and friend as well as a prominent member of the Estonian community. He was the conductor of many choirs, accompanist to numerous soloists as well as for ballet classes at the National Ballet School of Canada. Visiting is scheduled for Friday (today) at Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles – Newbigging Chapel, 1403 Bayview Avenue 5 to 8 p.m.  A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 17th at 11 in the Toronto Estonian Baptist Church, 883 Broadview Ave.

The Chinese Lunar New Year has broken across the world. It is said to have been received more quietly than usual in Beijing where authorities are concerned about the pollution caused by fireworks. Many Chinese party pretty hard at this time of year. But the most appealing part of this event for everyone will be the arrival of the Year of the Dog. Here are two enjoyable videos on that subject. Gong Xi by the way means Good Wishes.

An Air Canada Rouge jet en route to San José, Costa Rica hit severe turbulence and had to return to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Peel Paramedics told CTV that three flight attendants suffered minor injuries in the incident and were all transported to hospital to be assessed. About an hour after the landing, Peel Paramedics said only two people had to be taken to hospital.

Chief Mark Saunders

Union ad

Mike McCormick

The Toronto Police Association (TPA) has sent a memo to all police officers asking them take part in a vote of confidence on Chief Mark Saunders. The issue for the union, and its president Mike McCormick, the son of a former chief, is just how many officers will be employed by the Toronto Police Service. The union has already paid for billboards and placed newspaper ads showing Saunders along with Mayor Tory and Police Board Chairman Pringle laughing about the issue of police staffing. The ads also showed splattered blood. The vote is scheduled to close Febrary 21. The memo, obtained by CTV News Toronto, cites Saunders’ “ineffective leadership, lack of communication skills and failure to take responsibility.” The police chief serves at the pleasure of the Police Services Board. There is a meeting this very night (Wednesday) at the Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office to discussed the transformational plan for Toronto Police, including doing the many jobs now assigned to police with fewer officers. According to the union, the TPS now has 577 fewer officers than it had in 2010.

Happy Meal

McDonald’s said Thursday that it will banish cheeseburgers and chocolate milk from its published U.S. Happy Meal menu in an effort to cut down on the calories, sodium, saturated fat and sugar. But they will still be available if you ask. Since it removed soda from the Happy Meal menu four years ago, orders for it with Happy Meals have fallen 14 per cent, the company said.

CORONA BEER LOOKS AT INFUSED MARIJUANA

Licensed marijuana producer Canopy Growth Corp. is collaborating with the maker of Corona Beer on cannabis-infused beverages even though government regulations on pot edibles won’t be clear until July 2019 at the soonest. Canopy CEO Bruce Linton is betting on the fact that sales and distribution of the drug in many provinces is being handled by liquor authorities, which he hopes will be open to adding cannabis in liquid form to retail shelves. Canopy’s deal with the maker of Corona beer is a milestone for cannabis industry

LOBLAW REIT BUYS CANADIAN REIT

Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, the real estate arm of Loblaw Cos., agreed to buy Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust for about C$3.93 billion ($3.1 billion) to add more industrial and office space to its retail portfolio. Canadian REIT holders will get C$53.61 per unit in cash and stock, a 23 percent premium to Wednesday’s closing share price, according to a statement Thursday. The cash portion of the offer will be capped at C$1.65 billion.

The Prime Minister is seeking a world where the Indigenous will be reconciled as, presumably, will everyone else. You may judge for yourself in these remarks from the House of Commons made some 410 years after Champlain landed at Quebec. To the right, the CRA was raiding businesses in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary Wednesday where they allege criminal tax evasion was at work. Below that, the Year of the Dog starts Friday and our Chinese friends, and those who know a bit of Chinese culture, will get a chuckle as Jennifer Wong makes fun of her people’s many superstitions. Finally, a lovely time with some kids who made Valentine’s cards and sold them to give the money to the Hospital for Sick Children.