The South Bayview Bulldog

Premier Wynne (the member for Don Valley West) vows she will waive parliamentary privilege and testify in the Sudbury byelection bribery trial that begins in six weeks. Her former deputy chief of staff Patricia Sorbara and Liberal activist Gerry Lougheed are on trial for alleged Elections Act violations stemming from a February 2015 byelection. The Star calls it a “stunning development that breaks with precedent” although it is the Premier alone who knows what she has to say. Of course there will be questions too. But it must be said that politically, at least in advance, it seems appealing to those who remain loyal to Ms. Wynne and maybe others. “I could (claim parliamentary privilege) but I’m not. I will testify and I will go along with the process and do what I can to clarify as I have in the Legislature many, many times,” Wynne said Tuesday.

Janet Zuccarini

Gusto 101

Neighbours of Rosedale

The August issue of Neighbours of Rosedale features restaurant maven and total insider Janet Zuccarini. Her many businesses include Cafe Nervoso, Gusto 101 and Cubby’s. Ms Zuccarini has been profiled a few times but this one is directed to readers in Rosedale (and Moore Park). You can borrow a copy from anyone you know who lives south of the cemetery. Neighbours of Rosedale is one of the proliferating Best Version Media magazines, a media company in Wisconsin with a popular formula for sitting room publications  The publisher of Neighours of Rosedale is Susan Warburton

Bell cable (another) for Bayview

The stretch of construction equipment, trucks and decorative orange traffic cones on the east side of Bayview Tuesday was all in aid of another Bell cable as the best any of the men working there could say. Maybe it’s Fibe, maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s a coffee tube. Some cynically commented it was on the wrong of Bayview because there is no Fibe available on parts of the west side.

US retailer Michael Kors will buy Jimmy Choo Plc, the stiletto standard for women who can navigate in them. The 20-year British firm will go for $1.2-billion. Towering Choo heels were famously worn by Princess Diana in the 90s and displayed in 2017 on the feet of Kendall Jenner. “Jimmy Choo is an iconic premier luxury brand that offers distinctive footwear, handbags and other accessories,” said Michael Kors, honorary chairman and chief creative officer.

New rules for condominium corporations will be brought in by the Government in coming months. They cover a number of areas as listed below but in the end are all designed to ensure the honest use of money that belongs to the condo board (and owners). Concerns have been raised that members of a board might initiate or support contracts for work or maintenance that benefit them personally. Below is a summary of planned changes as published by the CBC.

• Regular mandatory updates about a condo corporation to help improve communication between boards and owners.
• Improving condo corporation governance and addressing conflicts of interest by introducing new disclosure requirements for directors, including whether they are not owners or occupiers of units in the condo or if they have interests in contracts involving the corporation.
• Mandatory training for condo directors.
• Clearer rules to make it easier for condo owners to access records.
• New notices, quorum and voting rules to make it easier for owners to participate in owners’ meetings.
• Mandatory education requirements for condo managers applying for a general licence.

Traffic camera looking southwest

Bayview Ave. and York Mills Rd. is a construction scene Tuesday morning with traffic restricted because of ongoing work to repair a water main. Here are the limitations applying. It appears that it is still possible to access York Mills Shopping Centre from entrances distant from the corner.

• Southbound Bayview Avenue has been reduced to one lane with no right turns allowed onto York Mills
• Both lanes of northbound Bayview Avenue are open but no left turns are permitted onto York Mills Road
• Eastbound York Mills Road has been reduced to one lane west of Bayview
• Traffic heading westbound on York Mills Road can turn north and south but west of Bayview Avenue, westbound traffic is reduced to one lane

The task before workers is said to be fairly challenging in terms of locating all utilities which might need replacing as a result of the rupture.

Looking southbound toward York Mills/Twitter

@AlterraGroup

The first concrete slab sections of the new Gardiner Expressway off-ramp are in place as shown in the update offered by Urban Toronto. It notes that the concrete abutment structure marking where the ramp will touch down at Lower Simcoe has also been finished.

Traffic camera at 8.10 p.m.

Intersection of Bayview Ave & York Mills remains closed due to a water main break. Video credit: Shin Lee pic.twitter.com/dVSjsPKS71

— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) July 24, 2017

Bayview Ave is closed Monday evening and the 11 Bayview bus is diverting both ways via Lawrence, Yonge and Sheppard because of it. The break is at York Mills and there are fears the rupture is related to a sinkhole.

Dorothy Rose has suffered a serious injury, fracturing her left arm just below the shoulder and as result, her appearance at the Leaside Pub next Saturday is cancelled. Dorothy fell on a step while leaving Scarborough’s Victoria Pub where she had sung Sunday with Dinny’s All Stars. In great pain, she was taken to Scarborough General Hospital where she will stay until she can be relocated to a recovery unit. Saturday was to be Dorothy’s 95th birthday celebration. Let’s all hope for a speedy recovery. Chris Daniels has promised to keep friends informed of her progress.

Many friends of Aristotle & McGregor’s at 525 Mt. Pleasant Rd. have written to express their regret on the pub’s closing. Owner “Joe” wrote to his customers on July 16 on Facebook to say he planned to move on to other ventures after a long career as a publican. He wrote in closing: “I want to thank everyone for the great memories and friendships that we made. I hope to see all of you in the near future. Joe.”

“Attractive” trailer

Open to all

Can’t miss it

Amid the fury of residents and the patronizing responses from City Hall about the unlovely kayak rental concession on the eastern Beach, the question must be asked: “Why does the Beach need a kayak rental?” Or, for interested Leaside residents: “Why does Trace Manes Park need a kite rental trailer?”  Relax. There is no such kite rental planned for the Millwood Rd. park nor for Davisville Park, or anywhere around South Bayview (so far as we know). But the question puts the justification of the kayak trailer rental into perspective. Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32) says it’s so the Beach can be shared. “We’re very spoiled in the Beach. We view it as our backyard, but it’s for the GTA, for Ontario,” she told the CBC. She says businesses like the kayak rental help to “animate” the area, making it more attractive to visitors. So there you are. Our quiet otherwise non commercial places — beaches, parks and perhaps even ravines — need to be animated by tacky trailer businesses to make them attractive. They’re already open and available to everyone — just like the Beach — but not attractive enough. Drop a trailer in there. Maybe its the Beach air or just a City Hall state of mind but Councillor McMahon seems quite detached from her spoiled constituents.