The South Bayview Bulldog

Unknown accusations of impropriety from a person unknown lay at the doorstep of an aide to the prime minister Thursday. His office has confirmed that an investigation is under way and that Claude-Eric Gagne, the deputy director of operations, is on leave. All three members of a family caught in a fire at a Toronto Community Housing building at Allen Rd. and Flemington Rd. have now died. A boy, 16, died Wedneday following the death in hospital of his brother,18, and his mother. No cause has been released. And a woman is complaining that she was refused a ride in a taxi downtown early in the morning because the trip was only a few blocks. Good story.

Stephen LeDrew returned to Tucker Carlson program on Fox Wednesday night

Stephen LeDrew returned to the Tucker Carlson program on Fox News out of Washington Wednesday night, exactly two weeks after his appearance there that caused him to be fired. LeDrew said that in the end, Bell fired him for “mocking” the huge conglomerate because they had suspended him for appearing on “the competition.” The notion that Fox News represented anything like competition to a regional news channel like CP24 in Toronto was a source of some amusement to Carlson. Both he and LeDrew professed puzzlement at the reasoning. The former noon hour gadfly told in greater detail than he had previously what happened the morning of Thursday, November 30. “Thursday morning I was called by one person.”

“ONE PERSON”

“Bell Media is a great organization.” LeDrew said, “but one person runs the local cable show. I was told it’s against the rules.” LeDrew said he asked “What’s the rule? They (Fox) didn’t pay me. They (the one person) said Fox is competition to CP24. You can’t go on the competition. Later that day I was suspended,” LeDrew said. “You don’t tell everybody that (you are) suspended for seven days without saying why, so I said clearly they thought Fox was competition to CP24 in Canada. And after that they (Bell  Media) said, well now you’re fired because you’re mocking us. No one likes to be ridiculed, it’s a ridiculous decision.” Carlson said that LeDrew should come to the US as a refugee and he would be taken care of. LeDrew responded that he didn’t need “to be taken care of. I haven’t sold my Rolls Royce yet. I’m still in pretty good shape,” he said laughing.

Richard Zussman

Stephen LeDrew

Marie-Pier Cloutier

Media giants CBC and Bell Canada fear no government but have been quick to shoot dead two staffers who fell afoul of fear and loathing. Richard Zussman has been fired for writing a book about BC Liberal premier Christy Clark and the rise of the NDP under John Horgan. Hey, off with his head. Then the dismissal and moments later the firing of Stephen LeDrew, yackey noon hour host of CP24. He went on Fox News deemed by CP24 owner Bell to be “the competition” and said he thought that “two spirited” people might be confused about sex. Bell seemed a bit confused too because for three whole days it insisted this was about Fox News. Not yet fired is Marie-Pier Cloutier, a reporter for Quebec’s TVA Nouvelles who said a Montreal mosque had forbidden women construction workers at their job site. The mosque vehemently denies this and no one can confirm it.

Cupcake Girls Heather and Lori have apparently made a succces of cupcakes

Empty shelves and locked door at Cupcakes

The Cupcakes shop in Leaside Village on Laird Drive has closed leaving some customers without treats. It raises the question as to whether just cupcakes in a standalone retail venture is a real business, even with the promotional support of the famous Cupcakes duo. Lori and Heather started the franchise operation from Vancouver.

Flashback to September

Backed up to Welland Ave on Wednesday.

Flashing red at Bayview and Moore

The traffic lights at Bayview and Moore Aves. were flashing red again Wednesday, smack in the middle of the evening rush. Traffic was backed up eastbound to Welland Ave. As the story from September (above) relates, this is far from unknown at Bayview and Moore. Police and traffic planners understand there are no rules for this problem at a busy, multi-lane intersection. It is not possible to coordinate as many as a dozen drivers waiting at the white line to cross or turn.

Look at the cameras/@robindeliva

1954 at Davisville Station/@transittoronto

Kinglewood IV/Bulldog

Menorah lighting for Second Night

MRUC Stand Pancake Breakfast

Robin of @robindeliva was grousing Wednesday about crowding on Line One. She mentions Davisville, St. Patrick and St. George, where she took the picture at the upper left. Look at the cameras. But in 1954, upper right, crowds were thinner as commuters streamed off the streetcar and across Yonge St. into Davisville Station. Below that, the gentle gentry of Inglewood Dr. are marking Kringlewood IV this month with their famous parade of CTC Santas up and down this fine street. Merry Christmas guys. Below that, take notice please of two events. The second night of Chanukah will see the menorah lit at Davisville and Yonge courtesy the Midtown Yonge BIA and Chabad Lubavitch On The East Side, the Jewish social service agency. It goes at 5.30 tongiht (Wednesday). To the right, Manor Road United Church at Manor and Forman will hold its popular Santa Pancake Breakfast Saturday starting at 9.30. See you there.

Could cost you

Inspector Blue might visit

Modern life is complex and just in case you don’t have enough to do, please dedicate enough time (or more) to your garbage. Notices this month warn homeowners in South Bayview that “recycling mistakes could cost you” when you put the wrong thing in your Blue Bin. There’s a suggestion you may be getting a visit from Inspector Blue. Among the fairly familiar advice about garbage is that we should be trying to give as much of it away as we can. An alternative to landfill and reuse are the Waste to Energy Centres like the one in Durham. That big fire pit doesn’t care what you put in it. City News has an interesting package on the recycling alert.

Judge Richard Wagner (Daniel Sabourin/Laforest et Sabourin)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Quebec-born Justice Richard Wagner to be the next chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Wagner, 60, was born in Montreal and earned a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1979. His field was professional liability and on commercial litigation related to real estate law, oppression remedies and class action suits. Ten percent of Ontario full-time college students have decided to take a refund rather than struggle with a shortened school year to get their diplomas. That’s 25,700 out of 250,000, a little hidden cost to the rancorous strike that convulsed community colleges through the fall. And Opposition Leader Brown has dismissed  the defamation lawsuit brought against him by Premier Wynne, claiming it is a stunt. Wynne said Tuesday that she would drop the lawsuit if he simply said he was sorry.

Mercedes “Sprinter Van” sneaks up on truckers

PC Henk Ruitenbeek watching for cell phone use

October trucking rear-ender killed three

OPP are using a Mercedes Sprinter Van to sneak up on truckers on Highway 401 near London to see if there is any distracted driving going on in the truck. The windows are tinted and it is an easy task to see across the roadway into the cab of a truck. “In the Sprinter van, they don’t expect us,” PC Henk Ruitenbeek told the CBC. He is seen in the video below working from the van’s rear tail-gunner” seat to peek in on drivers. Meanwhile the Sprinter’s driver is manoeuvring the van to run parallel to suspect trucks long enough to give Ruitenbeek a good look. The van’s crew report any suspicious driving to other officers who drive nearby in marked police cruisers. When a driver is caught using a phone at the wheel or not wearing a seatbelt, the sprinter van crew radios colleagues who pull over the driver and write a ticket.

In this video, @OPP_WR explain how they use the stealthily sprinter van for highway enforcement. #ldnont pic.twitter.com/fgjbWPFIfE

— Andrew Lupton (@AndrewLuptonCBC) December 12, 2017

An Extreme Cold Weather Alert has been issued by Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health. It is in effect until further notice. Extreme Cold Weather Alerts are issued when the temperature is forecast to reach -15 degrees Celsius or colder, or when the wind chill is forecast to reach -20 or colder. Those most at risk of cold-related illness are people experiencing homelessness or those under-housed, those who work outdoors, people with a pre-existing heart condition or respiratory illness, elderly people, infants and young children. People with heart problems can experience worsening of their condition up to several days after cold weather occurs.

Residents were commenting on the ticketing blitz along Brentcliffe north of Eglinton Ave. E Monday. As is known, it is technically illegal to park for more than three hours on any street that is not restricted to even stricter parking limits. Ann Roussos was saying on Leaside Community Facebook page that the tickets have been issued three nights running. She and others speculated it had to do with traffic caused by the LRT construction. This was between Eglinton and Thursfield Cres  A heartfelt concern by many is that traffic is so bad on Brentcliffe that homeowners park on the street because it’s challenging getting in and out of the driveway during rush hour.