The South Bayview Bulldog

Amy Barbeau has posted to Leaside Community Facebook account that she has seen many cars waiting at the barricaded Millwood Rd. exit “to go around the barrier by basically driving on the grass.” This brief post is accompanied by others complaining about the traffic pileups caused by uncoordinated construction in the area and especially the re-making of the corner at Millwood and Laird Drive. There’s a couple of references of waits of 20 minutes — one to get to Loblaws on Redway Rd. and another to get out of the arena parking lot after a swimming session.

Two woman adventurers have been rescued after five months lost at sea. It began on day one when they departed Hawaii for Tahiti as one of them dropped her phone overboard. Then, what appears to be a hugely ambitious plan to house homeless people in Vancouver will use “re-purposed container units”. Have to say these containers look a lot nicer than any we’ve seen before.

DELICIOUS CARPETS

Rich Azerbaijan carpets are on display at a “carpet symposium” in the City of Baku on the Caspian Sea. They will make you want one or two of these beauties in your home. Lovely. Finally, they are raising money to re-build the Hospital for Sick Children. Take a look.

The Sheraton Centre Hotel on Queen Street opposite City Hall been purchased in a $335-million deal by Brookfield Asset Management. The 115 year old firm with headquarters on Bay Street calls itself an Alternative Investment Asset Manager. The seller was Marriott International. It represents the largest-ever single hotel transaction in Canadian history, said CBRE Canada, which acted as the broke. The purchase also marks Toronto-based Brookfield’s first push into the hospitality sector at home. The alternative asset management conglomerate’s hospitality portfolio has largely been focused on the U.S., but also includes assets in the U.K. and the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas.

The trial of former aides to Dalton McGuinty has heard the Liberal Party of Ontario paid a consultant $11,000 to wipe clean computer hard drives in the Premier’s office to get rid of emails that related to the cancellation of gas plants days before the 2011 general election. The trial of the aides, David Livingston and Laura Miller, heard from that consultant Friday. He is Peter Faist and his employment in this came matter came  about because he is also the common-law spouse of Ms. Miller. He testified that she asked him if he knew someone who could wipe clean the 20 or so hard drives and he told her that he could do it himself. The party’s refusal to hand over documents related to the cancellation to a legislature committee triggered a contempt debate that eventually saw McGuinty resign as premier in the fall of 2012.

Sorry buddy, turn around

One lane east Friday

Backed up beyond Hanna Rd. at 12.45

Patrick Rocca was messaging readers Friday that the plan so far to close off the exit to the Leaside arena parking lot is “an epic fail.” For the closure to work it requires a sign at the Southvale/Millwood entrance to the arena that announces that the exit is closed. Rocca says he was at the arena Thursday and again Friday where he found many vehicles which had been turned back at the exit piled up at the main entry and exit trying to get out. “I understand trying to stop cars from cutting through due to all the kids but put a sign at the entrance off Southvale saying other exit/entrance is closed!  What’s happening now is cars are cutting through only to realize once inside that the exit is closed so they have to turn around and come back out…Line up was 20+ cars deep at 2.30 p.m. exiting the rink due to this. Crazyreally.”

PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN CONGESTION

The streets east of Sutherland Dr are witnessing previously unseen congestion because of simultaneous construction. The long line of vehicle at all hours on Southvale, Millwood and Laird are caused by the narrowing of lanes at the corner of Millwood and Laird (one lane each way on Friday) plus impassable conditions on side streets like Randolph and others. At 12.45 p.m.Friday traffic eastbound on Southvale was backed up beyond Hanna Rd.

A public opinion poll by Forum Research among 946 Ontario voters suggests that more than four in ten (45%) say they support the PC Party of Ontario. One quarter (24%) say they would support the Liberals at the next election with the NDP statistically tied at just over two in ten (22%). Just under one in ten (7%) say they support the Green Party.  “The PCs continue to hold a big lead across the province,” said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “Despite the positive outcome for the Liberals in Sudbury, it hasn’t yet changed any minds, and as the election creeps closer and closer, it seems like the PCs are going to need a major stumble to give the Liberals a chance at re-election.”

Short cut to the Millwood Bridge closed

The Millwood Rd. exit from Leaside Memorial Community Gardens has been closed. This picture was snapped and posted Friday morning by Lynn Carroll from what appears to be the driveway of All-Canadian Self-Storage. She says there was a pileup of thwarted drivers who had to turn around and head back out to the light at Southvale and Millwood. Some posters suggested this was perhaps temporary because of the Liberal Party nomination meeting at the arena. Further inquiries at the arena however do indicate that this move is aimed at short-cut traffic caused by area construction. The arena parking lot has become a through route for frustrated drivers piled up because of the construction at Millwood and Laird as the City re-makes the intersection.

Sutherland Drive, Photo: Graham Shirley/Facebook

Belsize Drive

Best Decorated House Award on Rolph Rd. Photo: Shannon Lamanna/Facebook

Any why not, it’s the time of year. Left is the detailed and compellingly scary clown on the lawn of a Sutherland Drive home off Bayview. On Leaside Community they say it is home-made. Remarkable.  Up Bayview and around the corner on Belsize Drive (upper right) we find the annual triumph of macabre fable-telling from Hayley. Tyson. Tell me a story daddy!  Scary “Stone Cold Forest” chills children, parents on Belsize  Lower right, is  the Spooktacular home of the Lamanna family on Rolph Rd. which is the winner of the Best Decorated House Award. The highly entertaining video below is the Riverdale Halloween Show held annually on October 31 on Howland Rd between Langley and Victor Aves. “It’s like an Amish barn raising, but we make theatre. I don’t know of any other neighbourhood in Toronto that does anything like this,” Sammy Ray Welch, tells Joanna Lavoie of the Beach Mirror. Worth a read.

The legal action launched by Marineland alleges that the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals maliciously targeted the theme park in order to curry favour with animal rights activists and raise money. The lawsuit alleges the OSPCA launched a criminal investigation against Marineland last year for “improper purposes” and with the intention of harming the Niagara Falls amusement park’s reputation. The investigation ended with the laying of 11 animal cruelty charges against Marineland which were then withdrawn because the Crown attorney assigned to the matter concluded there was no reasonable expectation of a conviction. The stunning lawsuit alleges that the OSPCA was in fact attempting to shut down Marineland as part of an agenda to eliminate commercial zoos The OSPCA has not yet filed a statement of defence except to deny all the charges. Marineland is seeking $21 million in damages on grounds of malicious prosecution, negligent investigation, injurious falsehood, and abuse of power and process. “The OSPCA’s purpose in initiating the prosecution was not the enforcement of the law,” the statement of claim reads. “It was motivated by a series of improper objectives, including a desire to accomplish its own policy agenda, to mollify the animal activist community, to please its donors and to effectively destroy Marineland.”

The Midtown development frenzy sparked by a rapid transit line along Eglinton Ave. reaches well into Scarborough. It has gripped KingSett Capital, owners of the dowdy Eglinton Square Mall on the southeast corner of Victoria Park and Eg.linton Ave/O’Connor Drive. The mall will be polished up and loaded with that profitable quality called density. Read towers, apartments and townhouses. Urban Toronto

EGLINTON SLICED DOWN MIDDLE AT DON MILLS

And a photo tweeted today by Metrolinx Crosstown offers a graphic picture of how Eglinton Ave. has been divided as work proceeds on the Science Centre Station at Don Mills. The view is to the west.

BREAKING: "it was a false alarm" police say as emerge King St pot shop (under lockdown for hrs) after 9/11 gun call potentially a hostage

— Chris Glover (@chrisgloverCBC) October 26, 2017

Police have now said that Thursday’s rather alarming call and apparent stand-off at a marijuana shop on King St. W. at Charlotte St. was a false alarm. After perhaps two hours of trying to speak with anyone inside the business, police breached the doors and found no one.This began with a report from persons yet to be identified, if they are known, that a man with a gun was seen and that he might have hostages. King St has been closed most of the afternoon as police carefully tried to assess this concern, but after failing to make contact they decided to enter the building. This occurred at the 365 Dispensary, a marjiuana shop, and a storefornt called the Underground Garage.

Good forecast/Tony Smyth @LateNightCam

Davisville Pumpkin Parade Wednesday night

Merry Market

SummerLunch Plus

Physiomed Halloween Skating Party

Crowded trains/M. Sanson @mjpsanson

Fixing the plough in 1929/Toronto Archives

Forecasters say the weather should be just right for Halloween and the important Davisville Pumpkin Parade the next day. It will be cool and pleasantly dry. In that spirit, take a look the work of this young artist and jot down the parade details — Belsize Drive at Glebe Manor Square. To the right, the Leaside Presbyterian Church holds the annual Merry Market next Saturday, November 4. Centre left we see a young lady chowing down on a welcome lunch as a reminder of the work done by SummerLunch Plus. The program feeds needy kids a midday meal all year round. They are honoured by Health Kids Community Challenge East York. Centre right, check details of the Physiomed skating party Saturday evening. Below that, grumpy riders trying to board during the morning rush hour at Davisville station continue to post pictures of how train after train is jammed full. Then finally, a glance back at a farmer in 1929 East York making sure his plough will do the job at the (then) annual furrow-making competition on land where now sit homes and schools.