The South Bayview Bulldog

Distressed area residents with dirty laundry are looking for alternatives to the now-closed Washrite Launrdomat at Mt Pleasant Rd and Hillsdale Ave. Some are recommending the Laundry Boss Laundromat at 24 Overlea Blvd. That’s on the southeast corner of Overlea and the south leg of Thorncliffe Park Drive.

The national emergency declared this week permits the police to commandeer trucks and equipment from owners who refuse or are reluctant to assist the police. The clearance of the Ambassador Bridge had to rely on State of Michigan tow trucks because many Canadian tow truck operators refused to cooperate with police.

A Lotto Max ticket holder in the Prairies is waking up $20 million richer. A single winning ticket was sold in Tuesday’s Lotto Max draw. The jackpot for the next draw on Feb. 18 will be an estimated $10 million.

Toronto Police have announced new temporary no parking restrictions on certain downtown streets as they continue to monitor possible blockades. The release reads:

Given recent events, the TPS has deployed a greater number of uniformed police officers to the downtown area and some road closures and no parking restrictions remain in effect.

Queen’s Park Circle, from College Street to Bloor Street, remains closed to all vehicular traffic.

There is no parking on University Avenue, between College Street and Queen Street and on Queen’s Park Circle, between Bloor Street West and College Street

Parking Enforcement will be patrolling these areas and vehicles will be tagged and towed.

A filming notification has been delivered to homes on Bessborough Drive between McRae Dr and Millwood Rd regarding a commercial shoot this week. The street, arguably Leaside’s finest, is among the City’s most favorite places for such activity.

Protesting with trucks

Many news services are reporting Monday that Prime Minister Trudeau has told his caucus he will invoke the never-before-used Emergencies Act to give the federal government extra powers to handle the protests across the country. Exactly how such powers would be employed against truck blockades remains an open question. The country has witnessed the challenge of dispersing so-called protests when the protesters employ enormous trucks to block roads. Headlines

Premier Ford announced Monday that the province will drop its proof of vaccination requirements for all settings as of March 1, if public health and health system indicators continue to improve. Masking will remain in place, but a timeline for lifting that measure will be announced at a later date. He also announced the province would be lifting more measures first on Feb. 17, including increasing social gathering limits to 50 indoors and 100 outdoors, removing capacity limits where proof of vaccination is required on restaurants, bars, cinemas, casinos and other indoor venues. They will also expand capacity for sports arenas and concert venues to 50 percent. As Mr Ford spoke, Denmark entered its second week of absolutely no restrictions. As heard in the report above, it has to do with how the country understands the nature of Omicron.

Cheeseworth Cleaners and Ritewash Laundromat

Cheeseworth Cleaners at 645 Mt. Pleasant has closed abruptly taking with it Ritewash Laundromat. Both businesses were essential to the lives of many area residents, especially when the washer or dryer broke down. Cheeseworth’s has been on the street for as long as most people can remember. The phone has been transferred to Dove Cleaners raising the question of whether the location will rise again under a new name. Curiously, the unannounced closure late last week left laundry and dry cleaning stuck inside the closed stores. A sign on the door says it can be picked up at the Dove Cleaners at 1560 Yonge St at St Clair Ave.

Bus shelter at Bayview and Millwood

Apparent weekend vandalism

The TTC bus shelter at Bayview Ave and Millwood Rd has been vandalized. A person or persons smashed a glass wall. The time of the attack is not known precisely but the damage was discovered Sunday.

Toronto Police have issued an alert on a suspicious incident in which a man approached a young person near Donlands Avenue and Milverton Boulevard on Thursday. They say he asked personal questions and requested to take photographs of the young person. No age or gender is given for the potential victim. He/she “managed to get away without harm”.  The suspect is described as male, Asian, 5’6”. He was last seen wearing a black winter jacket and black pants.

Emergency Preparedness Minister and former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has laid the ongoing trucker occupation of downtown Ottawa squarely at the feet of the Ottawa Police. “[Police] now have new authorities and I think very effective tools,” Blair told the CBC’s Rosemary Barton on Sunday. “We just need the police to do their jobs and enforce and uphold the law, and to restore public safety in Ottawa.”