The South Bayview Bulldog

January’s enduring deep freeze has caused concern among many Leaside residents for the welfare of a local man experiencing homelessness known to them simply as John. A long thread on Facebook describes him as a humble and decent man who wants to stay in the area he knows (up and down Laird) and won’t go to shelters for his own reasons. This thread has many comments from kind-hearted Leaside friends with suggestions on how to ensure John survives the cold.

Photo by @liamtakesaphoto

Toronto Fire Service has extinguished a three-alarm fire at Nobel Auto Services on Danforth Rd near Warden Ave overnight. Two persons suffered minor injuries. The tweet below from Derek Craig shows ice-covered personnel who had to work in sub-zero weather.

Russian troops are massed on the border of Ukraine and the world wonders just much Vladimir Putin is willing to pay for his foolish expansionism.

Weaning kids away from peanut intolerance

It’s been reported already but the research goes on urgently at weaning very young kids to a successful life of enjoying peanuts

Bionic Nana hopes to see her grandchildren soon

A UK woman has been dubbed Bionic Nana by her grandchildren as she prepares to receive a so-called bionic eye at London’s Moorefield Eye Hospital. Odds are that the recent development will let her see them again.

How do you like your eggs?

The City is inviting feedback on the UrbanHens Pilot Program as the four-year scheme comes to end on March 31. It has allowed registered households in specified areas of Etobicoke Centre, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Parkdale-High Park, Eglinton-Lawrence, Toronto-St. Paul’s, Toronto-Danforth, and Beaches-East York to have up to four hens for the purposes of enjoyment and egg production. The pilot was greatly advanced by two young men from Leaside, Andrew and Matthew Patel, who had chickens in the backyard of their parents’ home at Sutherland Drive and  Southvale Drive. Members of the public can now share their experiences and thoughts on the UrbanHensTO program, including considerations related to public health, nuisance, food security, veterinary care and animal welfare in Toronto. The deadline for feedback is Friday, February 11. A release Friday says a final report on continuation is expected at the March meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee. More information and the online survey is available on the UrbanHensTO Pilot Program webpage.

A durable sensation from the 1970s has died at the age of 74.

Food shortages a concern as supply chain tested

National Post/Peter Thompson

Both the National Post and the Globe and Mail are sounding a warning about possible food shortages because of the vaccine mandate for truckers, the snow obstruction across the eastern US and Canada and food recalls

Mississauga will not change name of Dundas Street

Mississauga Council has voted unanimously not to change the name of Dundas St because of things done, or not done, by Henry Dundas more than 200 years ago. The Mississauga vote looks like a pointed statement aimed at Toronto, where a name change is apparently in the works. To avoid the multi-million dollar cost of such a change, a Toronto Star story suggested the City find someone else by the name of Dundas and name the street after him/her. Mississauga Council hopes to formulate a street naming policy that will “stand the test of time”. That goal might require vision that can see many thousands of years into the future, however.

Ontario will allow restaurants, gyms, cinemas and other indoor settings to reopen at 50 percent capacity on January 31, Premier Ford announced Thursday.

It would be news if they didn’t of course but look out if your vehicle is still stuck on a snow route. Carl Hantske says it may vanish for a while.

Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, was joined by Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health and Matthew Anderson, CEO of Ontario Health for an update on the Omicron ordeal Wednesday. Dr. Moore said the province may have [passed the peak of this bug’s transmission.

The mother of three-year-old Kaden Young, the Grand River toddler who drowned after she drove around a barrier on a washed-out road in February 2018, has been given a sentence described as house arrest Tuesday. Superior Court Justice Gisele Miller sentenced 38-year-old Michelle Hanson to a two-year conditional sentence, one-year probation and a three-year driving prohibition that will take effect upon the completion of the conditional sentence. The judge agreed with a joint submission by the Crown and Defence. Hanson pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death in November 2021, three-and-a-half years after the tragedy that gripped the community of Grand Valley, west of Orangeville.

OPP continue their hunt for Elnaz Hajtamiri, 37, who was abducted from her Wasaga Beach home by three men posing as police officers on January 12. The three men were dressed in police gear and claimed to have a warrant to arrest her. POlice say the suspects claimed to be there to arrest the victim, but when the homeowner became suspicious and tried to call 911, the trio overpowered the owner and abducted Hajtamiri. There has been no hint of motive or suggestion of a ransom demand.

A Lotto Max ticket holder in Ontario is $22 million richer. There was a single winning ticket for Tuesday’s Lotto Max jackpot. The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw on Jan. 21 will be an estimated $10 million.