The South Bayview Bulldog

Toronto Hydro Project Bessborough–Broadway (E18200/E18201) is set to begin any day as part of the upgrade of the aging underground electrical system in North Leaside and Bayview Ave to Blythwood Road. The upgrade includes the installation of electrical cables within the City of Toronto’s public property allowance in front of or adjacent to residential lots. According to Hydro, the “civil and electrical portions of this project” are expected to begin this month with an approximate completion date of late December 2017.

EAST TO SUTHERLAND

The project area is along Bayview Avenue between Blythwood Road and Broadway Avenue, then east along Broadway between Bayview and Sutherland Drive and including a portion of Sutherland. Toronto Hydro is saying that crews and contractors will take “extra care and precautions” around property. The portion of the driveway, sidewalk and other areas affected by work will be restored upon completion of the project as season, weather and schedules permit.

“My work is done here” might be the caption as Metrolinx hauls out the two boring machines that made the tunnels (east and westbound) along Eglinton Ave from Laird Drive to Yonge St. Work was scheduled for most of the day Monday at Eglinton and Holly St.

The cutting head is out! The rest of the TBM will be extracted over the next few days. #TBMDon #MXBuild pic.twitter.com/HZUyblJ6zv

— Crosstown (@CrosstownTO) March 13, 2017

Eight building cluster at Yonge and St. Clair

The proposal for a dramatically styled rental apartment tower at Yonge Street and Delisle Avenue has swung the spotlight back onto the ambitions of Slate Asset Management, a Toronto investment firm, which already owns a cluster of eight buildings along St. Clair Ave. including all four corners of the intersection which used to be known as the heart of Uptown Toronto. Now we lump it in with Midtown, an indistinct area which seems to stretch as far east as Leaside. The new Slate building would be designed by Chicago-based Studio Gang. Urban Toronto ponders this proposal of what it calls “another step in the developer’s comprehensive re-conceptualization of the Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood

CTV shows a stunning red sunrise this morning ahead of a March snowstorm. Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning is the centuries old adage of English fishermen. Weather Network

Oakville Hornet Midget Girls edged out the North Halton Twisters

Friends from the Wilndsor Wildcats

Bantam AA Stouffville Stars took gold

Jubilant Orangeville Tigers sneaked by a Leaside Wildcats Bantam BB team 2 to 1

The largest hockey tournament in the world for girls and young women has wrapped up again in Toronto with the conclusion of the 38th Annual Leaside Wildcats March Madness (Open) Hockey Tournament. With 171 teams in more than 40 age and skill categories playing their hearts out across 20 local Toronto arenas you may be sure there were championship teams everywhere. Check the outcome of your team at the Sportacular Events page here. It was a weekend for hundreds of young women to let their skates do the talking about competition. Champs, all of them.

Carleton University has removed the weight scales from the school gym after certain students (how many is not known) complained that — well — they didn’t like the scales. Instead, they wanted their fitness holistically delivered by the elaborate measuring of their bodies in many places. One student tweeted that scales could trigger persons prone to eating disorders to go off their food. Yikes. As it turns out, the removal of the scales has caused a vigorous backlash from many kids who are demanding an end to the ministrations of these Workout Nazis (our term). They accuse the school of kowtowing to a small group of gym users who are easily offended. “Next it will be the mirrors. #bringbackthescale,” wrote one Carleton student on Facebook. Yes, or the weights. Proof again that the young often confuse their inheritance of the future with ownership of the truth.

Rev Ian LaFleur inducted Sunday

Service at St. Cuthbert’s

Order of Service

The Reverend Ian LaFleur has been inducted as the incumbent minister of St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church, the seventh such appointment in the church’s more than 100 years of service to residents of Leaside, Davisville and beyond. The Celebration of Ministry took place Sunday at the church, 1399 Bayview Ave. at St. Cuthbert’s Road. Among the many present for the service was Bishop Kevin Robertson, MP Rob Oliphant, an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada and other members of the local clergy.  A reception followed in Lamb Hall. Congratulations to Reverend LaFleur ran from the prayerful to the jocular. Sunletha Carter hoped for God’s limitless grace and favour on Rev Ian while John Ross wrote “You da man! Congrats my friend.”

The Canada Revenue Agency is reporting that all of its online services are back in service after being down since Friday afternoon due to an “internet vulnerability” that was discovered during website maintenance.   In an update posted on the CRA website, the agency said that as of 5 p.m. Sunday, individuals and businesses have been able to file electronically, make payments and access all other digital services.    CRA had explained earlier that digital services were taken offline as a precaution, not as the result of a successful hack or breach.

Other stories:

• Four candidates in first NDP leadership debate
• Air Canada invites passengers to make cash offer to sit in better class

Thanks Juniors for loaning Atom A your room – these Wildcats used your good vibes to win quarter final game!@JrLeaside #March Madness pic.twitter.com/m1QV3rtOzS

— Toronto Leaside Wildcats (@TorontoLeaside) March 12, 2017

The Irish will have to explain it. We mean the practice of turning water and beer green. Here we see how they do it to the Chicago River. There has been terrible weather in northern Newfoundland. Gale to hurricane force winds have tipped over cars, downed power lines and damaged homes in the fiercest storm the province has seen in more than a decade, according to Environment Canada. Second tier videos chronicle a massive fuel train wreck in Iowa and a refreshing alliance of Palestinian and Israel women. Watch for the eloquent Arab woman.

Helga Borchert

Helga and Heinz

Ad for “Leaside” Dominion

A much-loved resident of Leaside and friend to many, Helga Borchert, has died at 80 with her family present in the palliative care unit at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Helga and her husband Heinz arrived in Canada from Germany in 1964 with barely $50 to their names and became the valued superintendents of a Leaside apartment building. Helga was a well-known figure and friend to both co-workers and customers in her capacity over many years as bookkeeper and cashier at the “Leaside” Dominion store (now Metro) at Bayview and Eglinton Aves. Friends of Helga Borchert may pay their respects Friday, March 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Humphrey’s Funeral Home at Bayview Ave. and St. Cuthbert’s Road. A service will be held in the Chapel on Saturday, March 18th at 3 p.m. Obituary