The South Bayview Bulldog

We don’t know what Theresa May really thinks of Donald Trump but the two of them got along like a house on fire Friday at the White House. On the plane over the Atlantic May seemed to slip slightly with a jocular comment that opposites attract. We will never know what that really means. But with a decorated china cup and a box of Bakewell tarts in hand as gifts, the British Prime Minister began a historic political gambit. The two leaders agreed that the UK and the US do indeed have a “special relationship” and are going to get along well.

Road tolls nixed: Tory wants the province to stop treating him like 'boy in short pants' https://t.co/JA16tRVpuA #TOpoli pic.twitter.com/3Cvl78Ljd6

— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) January 27, 2017

Mayor Tory responded angrily today to the Premier’s decision to reject road tolls saying it is time she stopped treating the City — and him — “like a boy in short pants.” He blasted Kathleen Wynne’s rejection on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway calling her decision “short-sighted” and “not right.” He called the Premier’s option to extend more gasoline taxes to municipalities inadequate. No new source of revenue as Wynne rejects road tolls. 

Mayor Tory says greater share of gas tax isn't what Toronto could have raised in revenue from road tolls. #TOpoli pic.twitter.com/AK3HjIC7C7

— Kevin Misener (@Kevin_Misener) January 27, 2017

Through this door passed the finest wrecks

Quiet now

Quonset history

Wreckage

Laird and Wicksteed

Low-rise relic

They say that the rusted and falling down remains of Four Seasons Auto at Laird Drive and Wicksteed Ave. is in its last days. Demolition seems likely soon. The venerable but unsightly property at 199 Laird was sold for $10.5 million in July. The corner has been the hands of the Ricci brothers for more than 50 years But the building, including the large wartime quonset structure, pre-date that area by decades

As telegraphed Thursday night, the Premier has said she will not permit road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway as requested by Toronto City Council. Speaking at Richmond Hill bus terminal Friday, Kathleen Wynne characterized the matter as a need to give suburban motorists better transit before such tolls might be considered. Instead, she says, the government will double the share of the provincial gasoline tax with the municipalities. It begs the question of how Ontario is spending that money now. And who will lose it if it goes to transit. It is a decision that creates no new income, apparently. The Premier’s calculation seems clearly connected to the next provincial general election in 2018 and the popularity of her government in the so-called 905 ridings.

The QEW at Dixie Road was re-opened by early afternoon Friday following a serious accident in which a van broke through the sound barrier walls which line the highway in Port Credit. One person was taken to hospital but the injuries are believed to be minor. Below is a video made by OPP  Sgt. Kerry Schmidt shortly after the 9 a.m. mishap in which he describes the situation.

The official start of the Chinese New Year is tomorrow. The Year of the Rooster is inspiring activities both simple and complex. Right, Chinese soldiers who were not able to get home for the holiday perform a “little chicken dance” which seems entertaining. Beside that video is one that has been viewed nearly 400,000 times in seven days. Computer game maker Overwatch shows “skins” suitable to the Year of the Rooster. If you, like us, are saying “Help” here it is. On the Internet, a skin is a graphic or audio file used to change the appearance of the user interface to a program or for a game character.

The Bayview-Leaside BIA reports that the City is conducting a review of sidewalk café and marketing display fees as part of an attempt at bylaw harmonization. The proposal suggests increasing permit fees, with some Toronto businesses being asked to pay an almost 900% increase per meter squared per year.Specifically, Bayview Leaside businesses with patio’s, or street marketing currently pay $21.42 per meter squared per year. The review suggests that fees would increase almost 900% in some cases, with non-alcoholic patios at $148.86 per meter squared, patios with alcohol sales at $161.78 per meter squared, and enclosed patios at $213.56 per meter squared. The proposal relies on market values to make estimates surrounding the permit fees. Along with an increase in permit fee’s, officials suggest that new categories of permitting be created (cafe, patio, parklet and marketing display) each with their own specific fee, while new boundaries for fee zones are also being proposed. The city stresses that the review has not been adopted and officials are still looking for feedback, we encourage all businesses that will be affected to attend the upcoming meeting to discuss and share your thoughts.

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Committee Room 1, 2nd Floor
Toronto City Hall (100 Queen St. West)
Check out all the informational slides here.

CBC News is saying Premier Wynne will reject Toronto’s request to impose tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, a move the City had asked for in order to pay for new transit projects. Sources tell the news service that Wynne believes Mayor John Tory’s plan for tolls “just isn’t affordable” for drivers when they lack alternatives for commuting to downtown Toronto.  What this means, more bluntly, is that Wynne thinks she might be blamed for it in advance of the 2018 Ontario general election. At the same time, according to the Hamilton Spectator, Wynne will announce Friday “hundreds of millions of dollars” in new money annually (from where?) for municipalities with public transit systems. “We’re trying to help people get ahead and stay ahead — even a toll of $20 more a week is not affordable for Ontario families,” an official is said to have confided.

Hear the one about the guy who waited so long at Starbucks that he lost the coffee habit? Well, Starbucks retiring CEO Howard Schultz has heard it. Today he told Starbucks shareholders that he is disappointed by sales growth and admitted that “congestion” in its stores is prompting some people to leave without buying anything. Starbucks said the popularity of its mobile order-and-pay option, which was supposed to make getting a drink easier, has caused bottlenecks at the areas where people pick up their drinks. No doubt but Starbucks staff has had a hard time working their way through a long lineup for many years. Schultz is leaving in April to become executive chairman.

These two  women are suspected of at least one of five distraction crimes between Sunday, December 4, 2016, and Thursday, January 5, 2017. In some cases the thief will push a chair up against the victim’s chair in a restaurant as if getting up but then put a hand in a coat pocket of a jacket on the back of the chair. It is similar to picking up a purse placed on the floor. These crimes require two people. One distracts, the other steals. The women here distracted a shopper in the Cloverdale Mall by dropping papers in front of her and then stealing her wallet when she tried to help.

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Jr Choir rehearsal tonight 630. All new voices warmly welcomed. "If music be the food of love, play on" #Shakespeare #Leaside #singing #kids pic.twitter.com/L35dTgJ7RL

— Leaside United Church (@LeasideUnited) January 26, 2017

There is much fanfare out of police headquarters Thursday about the action plan to change the service and make it more efficient. With all of that however comes little detail which neighborhood residents could use to assess what it will mean. There is again talk of eliminating divisions, but no specific information. This aspect of the proposed modernization of the TPS has been among the most resented. Some points in the linked CBC story.

• Embedding officers in neighbourhoods for three years at a time.
• Equipping police officers with smart devices, including so-called “eNotebooks” that will allow them to spend more time out of their vehicles and stations.
• Reorganizing “outdated” divisional boundaries so they better line up with the city’s neighbourhoods. This will also result in closing some stations.
• Enhancing human resources efforts to make sure officers have “emotional intelligence” and that when a hiring freeze ends in 2019, the force hires in a way that reflects the city’s diversity.