The South Bayview Bulldog

Simon Ostler

Simon Ostler

SUV crushed/Simon Ostler

Sandra Chiovitti

Sandra Chiovitti

Sandra Chiovitti

Outage map

Wind of gale force strength hit Toronto’s tree cover Sunday and the damage was considerable in Leaside. Happily it appears no one was hurt. Sandra Chiovitti tweeted these pictures from the Bessborough Dr. and Rumsey Rd. area. Simon Ostler also tweeted photos. Toronto Hydro says 25,000 people are without power. The outage map shows scattered pockets across the City. Purple shows areas where from 1,000 to 5,000 customers are without power. The gusty weather arrived as the GTA sat under a wind warning from Environment Canada.  Environment Canada said a cold front in the region could bring gusts of up to 90 km/h. The wind warning has since ended for Toronto. Winds will diminish as the day progresses.

@CP24 @CityNews @weathernetwork #Toronto skyline during rainstorm this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/4F3JT7B2AI

— sidd (@nonvadritto) October 15, 2017

Strong winds are expected today. Strong southwest wind gusts of 70 to 80 km/h will develop this morning ahead of a sharp cold front. Occasional gusts to 90 km/h are possible, especially in exposed areas near the Great Lakes. These winds will shift to the northwest with the passage of a sharp cold front late this afternoon. Northwest wind gusts of 70 to 80 km/h are expected this evening. Winds are expected to diminish late this evening and overnight. The strong winds may cause some tree damage and isolated power outages, because many trees are still in partial to full leaf. Environment Canada

A study of safe cities around the world has placed Toronto fourth in a list of 60 large municipalities. Ahead of Toronto are Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka as Asian discipline sets an example for civil behaviour. These are places where it is almost impossible to possess firearms unless one is in the armed forces or a police officer. They are also cities in small nations (Singapore is a city state) with no frontier mentality for example. The CBC makes the point that while Toronto is relatively safe it remains dangerous for those who fall victim to the depredations of gang and youth violence. The study will overlook many places in Canada that are safer than most of those shown in the list. Vancouver for example is doubtlessly safer than Caracas, but it isn’t mentioned. The survey is published in the Economist.  CBC

A cat burglar has made off with expensive watches and jewellery from two Forest Hill residences, one of them while the owners were at home but unaware of the theft. It appears a ladder was used in both cases to enter the homes. In the first break-in, the ladder was waiting for the thief laying beside the house. The burglar broke through a second floor window and took “items of very high value.” In a second case, a ladder was found and used to access a second-floor balcony off the master bedroom. Entry was made by an unlocked door and again loot of high value was taken. The residents were home at the time, however they were in another part of the home, and only became aware of the occurrence after the suspect(s) had already left  The two target homes are close together. Police are urging the public to take the following steps to help prevent further incident by locking all doors and windows each night and ensure all house alarms (if any) are active. They also recommend keeping porch lights and side lights on. Keep garage doors locked at all times and hide ladders away.

Avery Haines

Vanishng breed

Hidden disabilty buttons

Avery Haines will cross a media canyon as big as any when she ankles into CTV soon. The City News (Rogers) veteran will plunge into “long-form” work at CTV (Bell). Upper right, they’re complaining on Leaside Community Facebook about the vanishing species seen here. That would be the Yield sign at Millwood Rd. and Laird Drive. We see the last known example around here which is at McRae and Laird. Was this rip rip rip necessary? Down below, buttons created by Kate Welsh, a Toronto woman. They are intended to remind or perhaps embarrass TTC passengers into giving seats to those with hidden disabilities. Don’t be surprised if those offering a seat want to know the medical history.

Police say a hit and run vehicle failed seriously injured a cyclist and damaged a Beck taxi Saturday morning at King Street and Spadina Avenue.  The cyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police are looking for a white casrgo van.

Breaking: Cyclist Struck King/Spadina. VictIm being treated and assessed currently. King/Spadina closed. CityNews @680NEWStraffic pic.twitter.com/CDmMkExskS

— Ken Townsend (@KenTownsend) October 14, 2017

Charming report by NBC on this peaceful event.

Axe me anything

Scouts Apple Day

Ukulele magic

Monster Dash coming

The fearsome gent upper left is inviting you to attend the annual Men with Axes event at 6.30 p.m. Saturday at Amsterdam Brewery on Esandar Drive  It is to help Bessborough Elementary and Middle School purchase sports and musical instruments, library books and technology upgrades. In addition, the funds raised are used to ensure that all students have access to every school event regardless of their financial situation. Have look at this cutting edge (tee hee) event. Upper right, don’t forget it is Scouts Apple Day. These guys are asking your help outside COBs. Centre right, ukuleles for the Leaside United Church kids band. Gimme and Ukulele and You!  Below, some painted saintly loons are a reminder that the 2017 Monster Dash is set for Sunday October 30, 2016 starting at 4.30. This  year the dash is in support of the Science Centre’s Community Access Programs, including the Adopt-a-Class program which helps deliver unforgettable science learning and experiences to schools in underserved neighbourhoods in Toronto. Check start times and running options. Back to ukuleles below. Lucky LUC kids.

A report of a man trapped in a trench at the LRT construction site along Eglinton near Hanna Rd. has been resolved, police say. Injuries if any are not serious. As many as 11 TFS vehiclea attended the site which accordng to local witnesses was near Hanna Rd. TTC service has returned to normal.

ALL CLEAR: The delay at Bayview and Eglinton has cleared. 34 Eglinton East and 54 Lawrence East have returned to regular routing. #TTC

— TTC Service Alerts (@TTCnotices) October 14, 2017

Joshua Boyle, the Canadian man who took his wife to Afghanistan for purposes not very clear, was captured by the Taliban and then had three children in captivity one of whom died, was lamenting things at Pearson airport Friday night for reporters. He seemed concerned that his children are able to have a better childhood here. CBC

The Boyles before misguided trip to Afghanistan

Finance Minister Bill Morneau

Town of Oppede where Mas des Morneau owns minister’s villa

The Opposition is suggesting that a two-year delay by Finance Minister Bill Morneau to report a company which owns a villa in France is an offense punishable by the Commons Ethics Commissioner. The CBC is saying that Mr. Morneau, a resident of Bennington Heights, revealed the firm called Mas des Morneau after it began to ask questions as to why it did not appear in the minister’s revealed holdings. Tax experts say there can be some advantages to holding real estate in France through a company such as Mas des Morneau, including avoiding inheritance tax. It is a legal and commonly used method but while Morneau has owned the company for a decade and was named finance minister two years ago, the company was only added to Morneau’s ethics filings on September 22. The villa is at the Town of Oppede about 60 km inland from Marseilles. CBC