The BBC has distributed this video of a rare white moose, one of maybe just 100 in the country. The moose population is 400,000, but as one wag said, they all look like Bullwinkle. This fella, white antlers and all, was evidently tracked by naturalists long enough to know his habits and place a camera where it would capture this exciting moment. It is said the creatures are not albino but rather have a genetic mutation that causes their fur (and antlers) to turn white. That distinction is lost on many.
The strange case of Rehab Dughmosh, 32, a woman deeply alienated from every democratic custom, it seems, continues to beleaguer the court system and haunt the notion of Canadian citizenship. The authorities say they know this is indeed the woman identified in the media as the golf club and knife assailant at a Canadian Tire Store last April. Her sole appearance in court saw her clad in a niqab, which hid her face. She has refused to leave her jail cell twice to attend court appearances. It is not known if she wears the niqab in the cell. Nor has the media yet unfolded her journey to Canadian citizenship to an utterly stunned public. It is known that she left Canada to join ISIS in 2016 but was stopped in Turkey and brought back. Tuesday, Dughmosh refused to appear in court a second time to face the charges against her. The judge said she will be required to appear now by video on Thursday, but if she refuses to leave her cell for that appearance, some other contrivance apparently will be necessary.
The CEO of Metro Inc. says the plan to jump Ontario’s minimum wage in stages to $15 by January 1, 2019 will cost his firm $45 to $50 million in 2018. Eric R. La Fleche says the Montreal grocer will try to control that impact but he offered no particular methods. His comments were contained in Metro’s financial report for the 16 weeks ended July 1 and follow similar warnings by other retailers and a coalition representing a broad range of business groups.
BAYVIEW AND EGLINTON STORE
Among the bits of information in the report was note of a slight decrease in same store sales — in Ontario and Quebec down 0.2 perent. The store at Eglinton Ave. E. and Bayview Ave. which sits on company-owned land has been under enormous pressure from the chaos of LRT construction and intense competition. New competitors to the historically top-grossing Metro location include Longo’s in Leaside Village and Whole Foods at Bayview and Broadway. But there are many more and some still to come. Perhaps the trendiest name in all grocerydom — beating even WF — is Organic Garage. It is signed on to open a store at Laird Dr. and Canvarco Rd. in a large development (79,000 sq. feet) from Quaestus Corp. Farm Boy, another grocer with a name almost too cute for food, is also on its way. Grocer to anchor complex at Laird Dr. and Canvarco Rd.Farm Boy (and others) want to make it big in Toronto
Rudy Limeback spotted this unusual business initiative on Bayview Ave. The Bulldog located Jay the auto mechanic. He works the area and he tells us he comes to your home the same day on his cycle. That phone number is 416 480-1726.
The Leaside Community Facebook page is alive with traffic related posts Tuesday. It appears that Jason Prenger has started a counter-petition asking that the speed limit on the lower Bayview Extension be maintained at 50 km/h rather than restored to 60 km/h. In response to this Sharon Manley has commented that the new bicycle lanes on Bayview below Moore are not safe “with adjacent high speed traffic.” She says they are not separated by barriers and offer no protection from traffic. On a parking related note, Alison Ashamalia references a plan in Winnipeg to have diagonal or angled parking on some streets. Sharon Shirak Woynarski says this would be great for Bayview Ave. Maybe. It is easy to get into an angled parking space but very tricky to get out because a driver is quite blind to oncoming traffic from the right. Angled parking, which once existed on Bayview when Leaside was Leaside (if you catch our meaning) would also mean no parking on either side of the street during rush hour, a big minus. Leaside CommunityPetition to restore 60 km limit on Bayview south of Pottery
A Bullock’s Oriole which was apparently blown thousands of miles off course during migration will be returned to the west coast from Ottawa by Air Canada. The bird (a female Icterus Bullockii) was discovered in the capital’s suburb of Pakenham in 2015 and by December of last year had nearly expired in the cold when it was rescued by Ray Holland. Information varies on the Bullock’s native habitat. It may be seen, depending on the time of year, as far south as Mexico or in the Squamish Valley of British Columbia. The plan is to release the bird near Vancouver and trust it will follow its instincts to fly south this fall. This video of a Bullock’s Oriole reveals a chirpy attitude.
Vaccination clinics will begin Tuesday at the Scarborough Civic Centre in the rotunda as health officials work to stop the spread of hepatitis A discovered at a Kingston Rd.. restaurant. Toronto Public Health advises anyone who recently consumed food or beverages at the Cliffside Bistro located at 2277 Kingston on July 21, July 25 to 29, and August 2 and 4, that they may have been exposed to hepatitis A. An employee of the restaurant has a confirmed case of hepatitis A. While the risk of getting the infection is low, individuals who visited this restaurant during these dates should watch for signs and symptoms and practise thorough hand washing. Vaccination Clinics will be held at the Scarborough Civic Centre rotunda on Tuesday, August 15 from 4 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday, August 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Full release
These bits of video embedded from the 680 News YouTube account show Foreign Affairs Minister Freeland addressing the media on Canada’s goals in the forthcoming NAFTA talks with the US and Mexico. It’s not unfair to the minister to say no one would have much expectation of her ability to tell us very much. The future is unclear. She makes pro forma nods to job creation, shredding red tape, the national interest and a mystery challenge, the intention to be progressive. What was more tangible was the minister’s style. It was generally rather rushed and with limited feeling for her words.
PREMIER
Premier Wynne, speaking at the Pakistan Consulate on the country’s 70th anniversary, no doubt said all the right things with a command of her prepared remarks becoming of any politician. Her theme of how our Mid-Atlantic morality for peace among diverse communities continues to be shaken was cause for hope and sadness. Pakistan is the creation of an iron-willed man, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who would not brook the inclusion of his followers inside a diverse integrated sub-continent.
Findings of a new study confirm the danger to the bee population from the enonics family of pesticides, a fear raised three years ago by Ontario beekeepers. The evidence indicates that queen bumblebees exposed to the common insecticide may never lay eggs or start colonies, which would lead to their extinction, researchers say. Two years ago, Ontario reduced the amount of the pesticide, thiamethoxam, based on an assumption made among beekeepers. The information published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, found exposure to thiamethoxam can substantially affect how many eggs are laid by queen bees. CBCBeekeepers, farmers at war as Liberals restrict pesticide
A coalition of 15 business groups warns that as many as 185,000 jobs will be jeopardized by a proposed bundle of employment changes including the $15 minimum wage on January 1, 2019. The Keep Ontario Working Coalition, which includes groups such as the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Retail Council of Canada, says unintended job losses will affect youth and women hardest. The proposed legislation also stipulates equal pay for part-time workers and expanded personal emergency leave. Keep Ontario Working
