The South Bayview Bulldog

Man beds down under Rosedale stairs

Pedestrian goes by above unaware

A man bedded down with his push-cart belongings intent apparently on spending Saturday night under the stairway to the bridge over the main rail line between Rosedale and Moore Park. Outdoor living by the homeless, often by choice, is fairly frequent in central Toronto. It occurs mostly under bridges over ravines where the itinerants are not seen. In this case, the man was lying a few feet from the pavement of Summerhill Ave. One common refuge is under the St. Clair Ave. bridge on the upper reaches of the hills over the Vale of Avoca.

A release from Summerhill Market at 446 Summerhill Ave. says a demolition permit has been granted for the two buildings to the west of the store and that work on expanded parking and “outdoor market” will begin soon. The store expresses hope that the job can be completed by year’s end. As outlined last year, Summerhill wishes to increase its parking by taking down the former Royal Bank and an old storefront in which it used to have an ice cream concession called Scoops. The extra parking will increase spaces from the present 24 to 38. The City’s concern about too much flat land on the street is said to have prompted Siummerhill to propose a seasonal market and touches like the gazebo on part of the property. The plan also calls for a renovation of the store itself.

Expanding parking

Former Royal Bank

Former Scoops

Ha ha

32 Buick has “gun” in back seat

Every amenity

Made in Canada

Whoa!

When GM made buses in London

50s Monarch (Mercury) “Nasty” never looked better

Another Canadian

Bravo to Ray Price and his son Clayton

The annual Wheels on the Danforth auto show at the crossing of Danforth Ave. and Danforth Rd. offered a lot of fun for parents and kids Saturday. The owner of a 32 Buick sedan had a machine gun prop in the back seat. Very funny. Some vehicles reminded those who cared to think about it how buoyant the Ontario car manufacturing industry was in the days when the Americans were delighted to buy cars built by their Canadian neighbors. That was before the US economy felt the full impact of Japan, then China. Sobering. But kids had enormous fun painting (if that’s the word) a minivan provided for the purpose. And a man and his son from Dundalk north of Orangeville arrived in their Sheriff’s car dressed in detail to assume the roles. Bravo to Ray Price and his son Clayton, 12.

Subway, the sandwich shop, expects to have a favorite item, the Cold Cut Combo, back on the menu in a week or two after it was withdrawn because of a scare about possible contamination at one of the processors. This was dismissed after testing. The Cold Cut Combo meats (consisting of turkey-based ham, salami, and bologna) is among the most popular of sandwiches, although possibly not the healthiest.

Restaurant row Friday night

Inside new “salad bar”

Exterior

Mayrik is open and busy

Cumbrae to open soon

Week of Sept. 18

Bayview Avenue was warm and busy Friday night. There are three openings to come — Cumbrae’s, 2 Bros Cuisine and the unnamed spot said to be a salad bar at 1581 (where Tinto used to be). Mayrik opened this week.

A woman in her 20s has been seriously hurt when she was hit by a car at the corner of Midland Ave. and Eglinton Ave. E. It is a marathon crossing either way although details are not clear on just what the victim was doing. Her injury is said to be non-life-threatening.  Eglinton tops out at seven lanes, Midland five. There’s lots of opportunity to misjudge traffic even on a Walk signal. The incident happened around 4:30 p.m.

The promise of possible tax relief and lower rents for downtown Yonge St. small businesses has come from Councillor Wong-Tam. As reported here and elsewhere, many long-standing businesses are threatened by a doubling of property taxes this year. Wong-Tam says they will be reassessed. The rationale that permits increases of this kind seems perplexing. Some opinion suggests that a broad-brush application of assessment is being made based on property values without regard to any tenant’s capacity to pay. As many homeowners might say, “I could not afford this house if I had to buy it today.”  But retail renters pay the market rate no matter how outrageous. CBC

Wheels on Danforth

Open Streets

Summer Jam and Mural Unveiling

Taste of Manila

Chinatown BIA

India Day

Upper left, a perfectly wicked poster for Wheels on the Danforth starts us off. It’s at Danforth Rd and Danforth Ave. Saturday. To the right, Taste of Manila is up on Bathurst (see City news release below) and left again is the Open  Streets notice. The Summer Jam Mural Unveiling is on at 150 Grenoble Drive from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Way downtown, the Chinatown BIA whoops it up again on Spadina Ave. on Saturday night and Sunday. Sunday, it’s the India Day celebrations taking place in Nathan Phillips Square. Of course the CNE opened Friday.  All events

Truck inside hair salon/CP 24 Twitter

Through entrance and into mall

Truck pulled out

Various reports suggest that a driver suffered medical distress of some sort when the truck crashed into a hair salon in Hillcrest Mall in York Region. As many as five were injured but the latest information indicates no one is seriously hurt.

Creditors complain

Mr. Karim

GO buses beat up

Certain Sears Canada creditors wants to sue the company’s executive officers and directors, alleging negligent misrepresentation and oppression. It would appear they are owed big money. The retailer’s court-appointed monitor says the group wants an Ontario judge’s permission to launch their case against the company, which is currently protected under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. As expected, the young man in the hacking of Yahoo email users and implicated in Russian spying waived his right to a Canadian extradition hearing and could be brought to the United States in the next several days. Karim Baratov, from Ancaster, who liked to called Mr. Karim by his friends, says he is excited to have proceedings begin in the US. Suspicion runs high that the CIA really just wants to find out what Baratov knows about Russian spying. A trade off perhaps. And finally, GO bus accidents of all kind total 897 since 2014 but Metrolinx says that less than half that number, 417, were preventable by the driver.

Let’s get into this

Kids at Whole Foods

Monarch on Monarch Park

Mommy Connections @mommyconnectMTO had a bunch of kids at large in Whole Foods at Bayview and Broadway Thursday. They were eating, checking out the meaning of brown eggs and stuff like that.  Then, Cathy Crowe tweeted this grand depiction of a Monarch on Monarch Park Ave beside Monarch Park Montessori. Love it.

Chinatown Festival
Spadina Avenue’s southbound lanes will be closed from St. Andrew Street to Sullivan Street from midnight on Saturday, August 19 to midnight on Sunday, August 20 to accommodate the Chinatown Festival. Dundas Street will remain open.

Taste of Manila
Bathurst Street between Wilson and Laurelcrest Avenues will be closed in both directions from Saturday, August 19 at midnight to Sunday, August 20 at midnight for the Taste of Manila. TTC service will be increased to service the event, with buses on the 7/307 Bathurst and 160 Bathurst North routes diverting via Wilson Avenue, Faywood Boulevard and Laurelcrest Avenue.

Open Streets TO
Bloor Street between Montrose Avenue and Parliament Street, and Yonge Street between Bloor Street and Queen Street, will be closed on Sunday, August 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the Open Streets TO event.

During this event, vehicles will be able to cross Bloor Street at Grace Street/Christie Street, Bathurst Street, Spadina Avenue, Avenue Road, Bay Street, Church Street, Ted Rogers Way and Sherbourne Street. Vehicles will be able to cross Yonge Street at Wellesley, College, Gerrard, Dundas, Shuter and Queen Streets.

The TTC’s 161 Rogers Road bus will divert to and from Ossington Station via Ossington Avenue and Dupont Street.

Wheels on the Danforth
Sections of Danforth Avenue and Danforth Road will be closed in both directions on Saturday, August 19 from 7 a.m. to midnight. Specifically, Danforth Avenue between Byng Avenue and Leyton Avenue and also between Leyton Avenue and Warden Avenue, and Danforth Road between Landry Avenue and Danforth Avenue will be closed during that period.

The TTC’s 113 Danforth and 20 Cliffside bus services will divert in both directions via Warden Avenue, Clonmore Drive, Gerrard Street East and Victoria Park Avenue during Wheels on Danforth.

Panorama India Day Festival and Grand Parade
Two northbound lanes on University Avenue from Queen Street West to Dundas Street, and Armoury Street between University Avenue and Chestnut Street, will be closed on Sunday, August 20 from 12:01 a.m. to 6 p.m. for this festival and parade. This news release is also available on the City’s website: http://ow.ly/HfRg30evkfP