A bit of Yule whimsy from The Bulldog for like-minded celebrants of this season with scenes from London where Big Ben is back in business for a few days to mark the holidays. Then a quick trip down to Southampton for hilarious and loveable Public House Pugs.
Environment Canada has upped the snowfall ante Sunday morning with a prediction of as much as 20 cm overnight. The snow will become heavy at times Sunday evening, enhanced by a heavy snow band off of Lake Ontario. Visibility is expected to be limited making travel challenging. Snowfall totals of 15 to 20 centimetres are expected by the time it tapers off overnight. Cold brisk winds on Christmas Day will likely create some local blowing snow as well. Travelers are encouraged to adjust their plans if possible.
The $17 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw went to a ticket holder in Ontario. There were also five guaranteed prizes of $1 million each up for grabs. Two were claimed by tickets sold in Ontario, two in the Prairies and one in British Columbia. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Dec. 27 will be approximately $5 million.
Upper left, Leaside stalwart Vanessa Rose is honoured by MP Rob Oliphant for her tireless community work over the years in Leaside and Thorncliffe Park. That’s the Sesquicentennial Citizenship Award Vanessa has in hand. Thanks Vanessa. To the right, an unnamed elf among the many over at the Community Centre 55 Emergency Toy Clinic on Main St. They were hopping today preparing bags of gifts for needy families. Centre left, Ann Brown, the administrator of Leaside Chit Chat Facebook, has posted her favorite Christmas wish and to the right, the glorious East York Civic Centre Christmas Tree. Finally at the bottom, the Christmas tradition of the card that goes back and forth between childhood pals Art Clarke and David Harding. It’s a kind of Scottish joke about the lucky coin given as a gift but only if the recipient gives it back next year. Clarke and Harding have been doing this for 65 years.
Toronto police say there have been over 1,600 collisions involving pedestrians in the city this year, including 36 that resulted in fatal injuries. Of those 36 fatalities, 16 involved seniors 65 or older and 21 involved jay-walking.
COLLISION
Dupont St and Symington Ave, report of a pedestrian struck, no info on injuries, vehicle has fled the scene, silver SUV, damage to front passenger side #GO3254120 ^cb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) December 23, 2017
A special weather statement from Environment Canada issued late Saturday afternoon calls for widespread snowfall Christmas Eve, with higher amounts possible near the Lake Ontario shore. The Weather Network is estimating that as much as 15 cm might fall Sunday with more than one cm Christmas morning.
A TD Bank safe deposit box was drilled open because records said it was unused, according to a CBC story published online. Inside that box were immigration papers, a wedding ring and 22-carat gold bangles and a neckless. Now they are gone and no one seems to know where. The Edmonton man who suffered this stunning loss is Suraj Khatiwada. The bank is saying it doesn’t know why its records did not show the box belonged to Mr. Khatiwada. Private contractors are employed to open locked boxes that must be opened. The story does not say who that was or if he can shed light on the valuables. CBC
Two people were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries after a rollover on Highway 410 in Brampton.
Another shot of precipitation is expected to move into the Golden Horseshoe area Friday evening. Precipitation will begin as a mix of snow and freezing drizzle before changing over to straight snow by Saturday morning. The snow should taper off in the afternoon with additional snowfall amounts in the 4 to 8 cm range. Motorists should be prepared for poor winter travelling conditions tonight and Saturday — Environment Canada
Another North Korean soldier escaped to the south Thursday amid bullets fired by his own colleagues. He is the fourth defector this year to make the dangerous decision to scramble across the demilitarized zone to freedom. One defector who is now immersed in Western culture tells a tale of how he was required to try to sustain the virility of aging dictators.
For those who didn’t know, the Barrie Police Service is reminding you that the second-hand gold bar market is a place to avoid. It is relatively easy to phony-up bars and make them look like the real thing. A Canadian bank fell for this trick recently. Currently, the regional police service says they’ve received complaints of counterfeit gold bars being sold online through Kijiji. The bars are alleged to appear to be real and are professionally packed bearing an official looking stamp resembling the Perth Mint or the Royal Canadian Mint. Testing has shown the bars are copper plated with gold.
Upper left, manager Shirley Breen (right) and her friends at the Meridian Credit Union branch on Mt. Pleasant Rd at Soudan Ave as they pose with some of the clothing collected for the excellent New Circles Community Services on Bartley Road. Well done all. Then to the right, MP Rob Oliphant offers congratulations to hardware retailer Ken Comlekcier on his retirement. He has run True Value Hardware on Bayview Ave for decades. Lower left, the East York NDP will be forgiven for their cheapish shot at the prime minister in turn for the hilarious wayback photo seen here. It does say quite a bit about our heart-throb PM. He will be 46 on Christmas Day. Lower left, a reminder of the last day of Advent services at Leaside United. Others will be having similar services. To the right, some gifts put together by the Junior Wildcats for donation by the Shoeboxes charity to women in shelters. Then finally, the Regent Theatre on Mt. Pleasant Rd. is for sale for $9 million which is a hefty price for a heritage building. We show it in its original guise at the Belsize Theatre. The greatest honour anyone could offer this old palace (and the neighborhood) would be the restoration of its proper name and use for a viable commercial purpose.
