The South Bayview Bulldog

Lucy Troisi

Her turf

Toronto City Council has appointed Lucy Troisi as the new Councillor for Ward 28, Toronto-Centre Rosedale, after she received the majority of votes on Thursday. Troisi has had a career in City management serving in the parks department and as manager of Community Engagement. Council chose to appoint a new Councillor rather than stage a costly byelection. “I (was) a child that grew up in a poverty, so I know what the true meaning is to benefit from all the programs and services that City Hall provides, as well as all sorts of great agencies in the neighbourhood.” Troisi beat out the other front-runner in the race, Michael Creek, who was once homeless. Mayor John Tory voted for Creek, who currently serves as director of Strategic Initiatives at Working for Change, an organization that provides education and work opportunities for people affected by mental illness and addiction. “Ward 28 has been my life,” she told CityNews before being appointed. “I was born and raised in Regent Park. I’ve either lived, worked or volunteered in the ward my entire life. Budget Chief Gary Crawford was one of Troisi’s most vocal supporters. “She has worked and lived and breathed the ward her entire life,” Crawford told CityNews earlier in the week. “She knows the ward incredibly well and she’s worked a lot with the late Pam McConnell on many, many initiatives that are close to Pam’s heart, and she’s committed to continuing that legacy.” Best job in world, W. 28 generates 36 would-be Councillors

The stunning new pedestrian bridge between the CF Eaton Centre and The Bay has been officially opened. Lovely scenes here in this video aired by City News. To the right, a pet owner in Manitoba is mystified that he would be ticketed for driving with his pet dog in his lap. We’re not so surprised although it seems millions do it. Down below that, the mega release of Osama bin Laden files seized by the SEAL team that killed him in 2011 does not include his pornography collection says Fox News for “copyright reasons.” Oh well. Then finally, you won’t see this every day. Take a look.

A pattern of fewer sales over last year but nonetheless rising average prices for Toronto area homes of most types seems to be holding, according to the The Toronto Real Estate Board. TREB said Thursday that 7,118 homes were sold in October, up from the month before but down 27 per cent from the same month last year. “Every year we generally see a jump in sales between September and October. However, this year that increase was more pronounced than usual compared to the previous ten years,” said board president Tim Syrianos. The average selling price in October was $780,104, up less than one per cent from September but up 2.3 per cent compared with October 2016. Price growth was driven by appreciation in the townhouse and condo segments. Detached home prices were down 2.5 per cent year-over-year at $1 million. Prices of semi-detached homes rose 6.3 per cent to $764.293. But 2017 it has been a standstill year for sellers as the chart below shows.

From somewhere in here

Offending “treat”

North Leaside resident, Barrig Hagopian-Hayward, has posted to Leaside Community that a “treat” that looked like Cheetos was really ear plugs. Hagopian-Hayward says: “A cautionary word to anyone who went trick or treating on Donlea, Divadale or Thursfield in North Leaside. We just checked our son’s candy so he could have one piece before bed and found this. It may look like Cheetos but is actually an open package of (used?) earplugs. Goes without saying but please don’t forget to check your little ones’ bags.

Dunn family photo

Benjamin Dunn/Facebook

A North Bay woman knew the worst when she saw the burned wreckage of her husband’s tanker truck in television video from the scene of Tuesday night’s terrible collision on Highway 400 that claimed three lives. Benjamin Dunn did indeed die in the crash and his wife, Nikiyah Mulak-Dunn, could only wait for police to confirm the fact. The couple have nine children. No other fatalities have yet been named by OPP.  At least 14 vehicles, including two fuel tankers, were involved in the deadly crash, which resulted in “massive fireballs and massive explosions,” police said Wednesday. Speaking to CP24 Thursday morning, Dunn’s wife, Nikiyah Mulak-Dunn, described her late husband as a “very loving,” “devoted,” and “attentive” father of nine children, who range in age from one to 16.

Future Buca/Slate Asset Management

Davisville Pumpkin Parade

Who you lookin’ at?

DPS Minions a hoot (Twitter/@DavisvillePS)

East York Farmers Market doine for 2017 (Twitter/@suebertin)

A flagship version of the Buca restaurant brand is now set to open at 2 St. Clair West in the street level restaurant space under construction at present. Buca is the property of King Street Food Co. just as 2 St.Clair (former home of NewsTalk1010) is the property of Slate Asset Management. Slate, as we know, is busting to return the one-time Uptown downtown intersection of Yonge and St.Clair to its former glory. Buca is part of the plan. There is also a Buca planned for Yonge and Eglinton. But you must wait til 2018. Then to the right, the Davisville Pumpkin Parade was fun Wednesday in Glebe Manor Square East. There were carved dedications to both funny faces and friends named Kate. (Video below) Lower left, Davisville Public School teachers and whomever are just a hoot dressed as Minions. Well done folks. And lower right, this farewell picture for the summer of 2017 to the East York Farmers Market was tweeted by Sue Burton. The market finished up for the year Tuesday at 850 Coxwell.

The Liberal government will admit a million immigrants to Canada by 2020, the minister Ahmed Hussen announced Wednesday. This is said to be a 13 percent increase over other annual increases. In the UK, the defense minister has resigned, reportedly for touching the knee of a female news announcer durng an interview. Naughty, but are we surprised. Below that, cool off with the vision of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. It is a fake news story that Kim Jong Un will compete in the unstable ski downhill. Finally, we do not make light of this plan to kill a husband gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Jennifer Smith

Trudeau as Clark Kent

Davisville Pumpkin Parade Wednesday night

Advance Care Planning at LUC

In Jackie DeSouza’s hood

Upper left, Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association president Jennifer Smith has been nominated as an Urban Hero for her tireless work on behalf of the sport and those who love it. Read about it in the East York Mirror. Upper right, if only he were really superman but that aside this bit of the-Halloween-that-was is worth a replay. Great Ceasar’s Ghost, Kent. Below that, the Davisville Pumpkin Parade is on Wednesday in Glebe Manor Square. Good fun. Lower right, Jackie De Souza @MsJackieDeSouza was tweeting about Halloween hi-jinks in her Hanna Rd. neighbourhood. Thanks Ms. Jackie. Finally, lower left is a reminder of an interesting and worthwhile noon hour event Sunday (with lunch) at Leaside United Church.

It turns out that the confidential inquiry into possible grocery price-fixing is about white bread and the pressures faced by retailers in selling it. The storyline is that consumers want less fatty or more specialized daily bread. The leak of this information is unattributed in Canadian Press dispatches along with statements from the federal Competition Bureau that it cannot say exactly what is at issue. Stores confirm federal investigation into grocery price-fixing

AMAZON PLANT OPENS

The Prime Minister attended the official opening of the Amazon Canada warehouse and distribution centre in Brampton Wednesday. He said the high-tech facility will create more than 700 full-time jobs. It already 350 people in the operation of robotic technology and traditional worker support to sort and compile orders for consumers in Canada.

OPP/Twitter

CTV/Twitter

Two people are dead in a nightmarish collision of vehicles — mostly large trucks — on Highway 400 near Highway 88 Tuesday night about 11.30 p.m. As many as 14 vehicles have been counted among the charred remains as police continue to search for bodies. It seems clear that driver inattention and speed caused a failure to see a slowdown ahead. OPP spokesman Kerry Schmidt said there had been an accident on the northbound lanes of 400 that slowed traffic. It was this slowdown that drivers simply missed or misjudged. Exploding gasoline tanks can be seen and heard in video below. There is coarse language.

https://twitter.com/MorganHughesP4P/status/925707127452155904

Cones from Sutherland to Millwood

Filming of the second season of the Handmaid’s Tale at Garden Court Apartments has seen parking restrictions which seem suitable to a royal tour motorcade. Orange cones stretched from Sutherland Drive to Millwood Rd on both sides of Bayview Ave. Tuesday.  The distance is possibly 500 metres. The filming notification issued by Gilead II Productions said there will be “Wrap” activities all day Wednesday. Readers have been complaining about the inconvenience. Teresa Porto called it “crazy congestion” and Emerson Baxter copied the mayor on a message that said “could we not have film shoots during rush hour at Bayview and Eglinton.”  Previous