Attention: Ryan will now propose to Hannah in Carriage 4

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What fun. It happened on the Metro Train system in Melbourne. Take a look.

Torstar hires turnaround agent John Boynton as CEO

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New CEO John Boynton
Can Star still afford printing?
Didn’t seem to click

Torstar’s new president and CEO is John Boynton. He is a turnaround agent and some will wryly add his rainmaking skills are much-needed at the Toronto Star 

7 days and counting to Leaside Wildcats March Madness

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171 teams will compete

The largest women’s hockey tournament in the world will kick off next Friday when the 38th Annual Toronto Leaside Wildcats March Madness Tournament begins at 18 arenas across the City. Players and parents from across Ontario and many other parts of Canada converge on Leaside Arena for at least part of the time. One large contingent is flying in from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. This year, says Mark Schrutt, tournament director, a record 171 teams will compete across all age levels and categories. Hundreds of volunteers and paid personnel like referees and arena staff will toil from Friday March 10 to Sunday March 12 to keep the program moving.

SILENT AUCTION

It’s an expensive event and one important element in carrying the cost is the silent auction which takes place in the William Lea Room at Leaside Arena. This year a huge variety of exciting prizes is up for silent bidding. West Jet has donated two round trip tickets to anywhere they fly. There are Leaf Tickets, Raptor Tickets, Jays Tickets, an Autographed Darryl Sittler Stick, Original Richard Johnson Ice Hut Photograph, CWHL Autographed All Star Jersey, Sonos Play 1 System. Apple Watch, many hockey camp gift certificates. Eagles Nest Golf Passes, Restaurant Gift Certificates, Wine Baskets and NHL Alumni  Autographed Jersey.The Auction closes at 7 p.m. on Saturday March 11th and payment may be made by cash, cheque or credit card.

ARENAS

Games will be played all across Toronto: Angela James in Flemingdon Park, Baycrest, Commander, Don Montgomery, East York, Leaside, RINX, Scarborough Centennial, Ted Reeve, Birchmount, Cummer, Malvern, Oriole, Phil White, Scarborough Village, York Mills, Mitchell Field.

2017 Leaside March Break Madness Schedule (as of Feb 27 @ 9:30 pm, subject to change)

LCBO warns vodka has double the alcohol label says

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81 per cent alcohol instead of 40

The LCBO has warned that some bottles of Georgian Bay Vodka have double the amount of alcohol in them as legally permitted and are “not safe for consumption”. The product is made by the Georgian Bay Gin Company and is supposed to contain 40 per cent alcohol. In fact  it measures as much as 81 percent, the LCBO said. The board says the batch was bottled before correct dilution was made to achieve the 40 per cent level. The provincial agency says the batch of 654 bottles has been removed from LCBO shelves but any customers and licensees who have bottles from the affected batch should return them for a full refund.

GTA home prices in February were up 27.7 per cent in a year

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The dizzying upward spiral of home prices in the Greater Toronto Area registered a year over year increase in February of 27.7 per cent. The average selling price of a home in the GTA in February was $875.983. The average price in the City of Toronto rose 19.2 per cent to $859,186 and the average price in the 905 area climbed nearly 33.1 per cent to $885,508. Meanwhile, the MLS HPI composite benchmark price for the GTA was up by 23.8 per cent compared with February 2016. The Toronto board says there were 8,014 home sales through the MLS system last month, up from 7,583 a year ago. The increase came as new listings in February totalled 9,834, down 12.5 per cent compared with a year ago.

WORLD: Teacher surprise kidney donor to pupil Lila, 4

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Upper left is the most touching of stories about a teacher who quietly had herself tested to see if she would be a match as a kidney donor to her pupil Lila. She was. Don’t miss this one. And then, to the right, a harrowing escape for a prison guard. The attempt to subdue him is caught on video. Lower right, Priscilla Presley cuts the ribbon and speaks at an expansion to the Elvis museum in Memphis. And finally, lower left is the CBC’s reprise of Donald Trump’s Canadian moment during a speech to Congress.

Rogers email hit and miss, vowing to resolve problem ASAP

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If you’re having trouble with your Rogers email account Thursday evening, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Rogers technical support writes, “We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with the email servers. Our technical team is aware of the issue though and working on having that resolved ASAP”.

Metrolinx in bitter fight to get new supplier for LRT trains

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Empty tunnels
Who will make LRT trains?

Metrolinx has had talks with a different transit manufacturer to ensure it gets the vehicles it needs to finish the Eglinton Crosstown LRT by the 2021 finish date. And the bitter legal argument in court seems to make clear that Metrolinx wants out of its deal with Bombardier. Canadian Press says the Ontario corporation filed a lengthy document in court, including affidavits, in response to an injunction filed last month by Bombardier. The Montreal firm appears intent on trying to stop Metrolinx from cancelling the $770 million contract for 182 vehicles. Thursday, Metrolinx said Bombardier has repeatedly failed to deliver a prototype vehicle on time for the scheduled opening of the $5.3-billion line.

METROLINX HAS “OTHER” REASONS

Metrolinx describes the Bombardier injunction as a tactic to force it into months of litigation that would make it impossible for another supplier to provide the vehicles in time. Bombardier has denied this allegation. The CP account says Bombardier claims Metrolinx’s has other reasons for wishing to end the contract which “have nothing to do with its ability to deliver.” But the story does not say — perhaps because Bombardier does not say — what these other reasons might be. Bombardier claims Metrolinx has refused to inspect the pilot vehicle since October and won’t use a dispute resolution process included in the contract.

BOMBARDIER FAILURE “WELL-KNOWN”

The Globe and Mail remarks on one especially juicy affidavit from Metrolinx which says: “Bombardier’s record of failure to perform its obligations on public infrastructure projects around the globe is well-known and publicized.” This damning remark is said to be authored by Metrolinx executive Mark Ciavarro. Wikipedia list nine other Canadian “rolling stock” manufacturers but it isn’t clear if they can build light rapid transit trains. They are  ARS Canada Rolling Stock, National Steel Car (National), Canadian Car and Foundry, Urban Transportation Development Corporation, Montreal Locomotive Works – Toronto Transit Commission subway cars, Preston Car Company, Hawker Siddeley Canada, Ottawa Car Company – interurban cars, Arva Industries

Visiting for Heather MacLeod at Humphrey’s on Sunday

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Heather McLeod

Friends of Heather Lise Lyle MacLeod may pay respects Sunday, March 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Humphrey Funeral Home at Bayview Ave and St. Cuthbert’s Road. Heather MacLeod died Friday, February 24 in Toronto. She was a native of the Beach and attended Branksome Hall, the National Ski Academy and the University of Western Ontario where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. She went on to do post-graduate studies in medicine at Charles University in Prague  Heather was an accomplished paddler at Balmy Beach Canoe Club and UWO.  She ultimately joined the National Ski Academy then went on to coach skiing in Collingwood and Whistler. The funeral service will take place at Rosedale United Church, 159 Roxborough Drive on Monday, March 6 at 2 p.m.  Obituary

Many skeptics as Premier pushes hydro cost into future

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There is widespread skepticism about the plan announced Thursday by Premier Wynne to reduce household hydro rates by pushing costs into the future. It will cost taxpayers even more because of the delay in paying for long-term green-energy contracts. These schemes have seen the cost of conventional power soar in recent years. All news leads are here.

Narrow structure on Leslie snaps like a reed in high wind

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High winds were too much for a narrow structure on Leslie Street south of Queen St. last night. The unfinished building snapped like a reed. Fire and police personnel were called to the home around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday for a report that a house under construction was swaying in the wind. The wood frame was “swaying back and forth,” Toronto Fire District Chief Stephan Powell told CBC Toronto.

North Leaside traffic discussed Wednesday evening

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A meeting to discuss traffic calming and volume in North Leaside was held Wednesday night at the William Lea Room in the Leaside Arena. The meeting was organized by the Leaside Property Owners Association. It heard from Traffic Consultant Gene Chartier of Paradigm Traffic Solutions and from the chair of the North Leaside Traffic Committee, John Gaitanakis. Paradigm has advanced a series of concepts presented in previous meetings which include radar cameras and red light cameras (but only a few because of the cost). The main staples are prominent crosswalks (laddered stripes on the road) raised crosswalks which provide visibility for pedestrians, elongated “traffic cushions” (which narrow the street and slow cars) and signs which announce to drivers that they are entering a controlled area. Much of this attempts to harness psychology. A proposed speed reduction is also on the table. The meeting heard from residents of streets such a Glenvale, Broadway, Donlea and others about traffic volume and the presence of cars owned by outsiders. Among these are those who drive to midtown to park for free on the streets before taking transit downtown. Residents of east-west streets said drivers were avoiding construction on Eglinton. Others speculated how traffic will find its way to as-yet unopened places like Whole Foods at 1860 Broadway, 660 Eglinton (Sunnybrook) and the Overlea Costco. Mr. Gaitanakis said all planning is for the purpose of a traffic plan which will be made permanent only if residents agree.