The South Bayview Bulldog

Cumbrae’s butcher shop is set to open Friday, September 22, according to a post on Instagram and elsewhere Thursday. The large new store is at 1589-1591 next to Badali’s Fruit on Bayview Ave.

Alexander (left) and Timothy Vavilov/family photo

The Federal Government has appealed the case of Alexander Vavilov, 23, and his brother Timothy, 27, to the Supreme Court of Canada in an effort to have the two deported. They are the sons of Russian spies, born here in the 1990s, as their parents reputedly lived the lives of “sleeper” agents, waiting to be ordered into action on behalf of the Kremlin. It is, as Maclean’s says, utterly stranger-than-fiction. The last-minute action by Ottawa and its purposes in seeking the expulsions is explained by Melanie Ing of City News, which is owned by Rogers Communications, owners of Maclean’s. Thursday, the court had yet to accept the case but it seems hard to imagine that SCOC will refuse to decide a matter of such intimate meaning to Canadian citizenship.

Eglinton Ave. remains closed at 8 p.m. Thursday as the Special Investigations Unit does its work in relation to the men who were stopped, and in one case, arrested by Toronto Police. The other seems to have gotten away. The SIU was there because a woman passenger in the car suffered a back injury.

UPDATE – PERSON W A GUN
Eglinton & Rumsey, CLOSURE on Eglinton from Hanna to Sutherland & Rumsey from Eglinton, ongoing inv #GO1713904 ^cb

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) September 21, 2017

The extraordinarily warm weather this September has inspired an urgent request to landlords to turn off the heat. It’s on because there is a bylaw saying that by this date, it must be on. All well and good but the climate doesn’t care. Then, to the UN where the prime minister doesn’t seem to feel Canadians have had their fill of self-abasement. The UN no doubt loved it. On the other hand, even hard-hearted Canadians may twinge to hear that those happy Norwegians (happiest in the world, they say) have squirreled away a trillion US dollars in their Sovereign Wealth Fund. Okay. Will it cheer you to spend a moment with Rihanna as she introduces her new makeup?

St. Cuthbert’s Bless the Animals

Smokedown tonight

Kids from Holy Name School at Queen’s Park

St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church green will host the annual Blessing of the Animals at 1399 Bayview Ave. Saturday, September 30 at 11 a.m. Thursday (tonight) the Amsterdam Breweries at 45 Esandar Drive will rock to the Leaside Smokedown event in support of New Circles. And the fine-looking group at lower right are from Holy Name Catholic School at 690 Carlaw Ave. as they visit the Legislature at Queen’s Park with MPP Peter Tabuns present.

No kidding. Marcus Stroman was denied access to the Cactus Club Cafe on Adelaide St. West last night even though he had a table. There is no explanation from the club except that it was stupid on the part of a security guard. Stroman tweeted his shout out to the guard Wednesday. Then, it’s the enthusiastic Prime Minister of Canada at a WE Day event in New York. Under that, Roberta Bondar, Canada’s space woman, talks about her career. And the ever entertaining Jeanne Moos of CNN connects the dots between Donald Trump’s “Rocket Man” and the one created by Elton John.

In its glory

Sad result

Harvest Fair

Smokedown for New Circles

Toronto Card Show

The giant magnolia tree on the lawn of Leaside United Church has been cut down after a life that took it to a “very old” age, says the church’s webmaster. We will remember the glory as shown here. To the right, the Mt. Pleasant Village BIA will have its Harvest Fair this Saturday, September 23. New member and good neighbour Meridian Trust is presenting the annual day. Below, a reminder that the Leaside Smokedown fun is Thursday (tomorrow) at Amsterdam Breweries on Esandar Dr. in aid of New Circles GLOW (Gently Loved Outfits to Wear). Finally, the ever-popular Toronto Card Show carries on at the Amsterdam location this Sunday.

The Ontario government executed a search warrant at the Volkswagen Canada offices on Tuesday as part of its investigation into the emissions scandal that rocked the company two years ago. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change charged Volkswagen AG with one count under the province’s Environmental Protection Act last week. It alleges the German company did not comply with Ontario emission standards. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Efforts by East York loyalists to have the City place the former borough’s flag on its street signs will go to City Council after the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee was unable to come to a decision Tuesday. Toronto’s policy towards such reminders of “the six” municipalities that formed  Metropolitan Toronto is to get rid of them.  In 2000, Toronto Council decided to excise the names of the old municipalities from street signs in order to reflect the identity of the newly-amalgamated Toronto. But a 3-3 tie at the committee sent the matter to Council. The committee heard from East York guardians Justin Van Dette, Miroslav Glavic, Carol Burtin-Fripp of the Leaside Property Owners Association, Councillor Mary Fragedakis (Ward 29) and Councillor Janet Davis (Ward 31).  In the end, these speakers persuaded three members — Christin Carmichael Greb, Chin Lee, Anthony Perruzza. Three others — Stephen Holyday, Giorgio Mammoliti, Jaye Robinson (Chair) — were unmoved.

Release — On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, at 10:30 a.m., in the media gallery at headquarters, Inspector Peter Callaghan of Toronto Police Service Financial Crimes will be joined by Inspector Ann Koenig of the RCMP’s Integrated Marketing Enforcement Team to brief the media on Project Briscola, a multi-jurisdictional, million-dollar financial crimes investigation.

Julie De Sousa, who lives on a side street off Woodbine Avenue, is concerned for the safety of her daughter, 4, and other kids in the neighbourhood, walking to school while cars speed through the neighbourhood to avoid bike lane construction and traffic congestion. (Provided)

Residents in the area of Woodbine Ave. have launched a petition on Change.org calling for the removal of new bicycle lanes. They say the congestion caused by the lanes has driven vehicles down side streets, imperiling children, that local traffic is slower and few cyclists use the lanes. They say that a new concept of parking which places cars between bike lanes and traffic causing occupants of to cross between bike traffic is inherently unsafe. By Wednesday morning 1766 people had signed the petition.  Change.org

STATISTICS NOW EIGHT YEARS OLD

A survey done by Ipsos Reid in 2009 states that 16 per cent said they used their bicycles to commute to work or school, up from 11 per cent in 1999. And many of those who commute by bike are riding more days a week than in the past. The synopsis of this poll published by the City makes no reference to the frequency of use in bad weather or how many people maintain a vehicle as an alternative.  At the same time, it seems clear that the population is growing older and necessarily less likely to be riding a bicycle.