The South Bayview Bulldog

Residents of Parkhurst Blvd. will be at the Committee of Adjustment Thursday morning to oppose plans for the demolition and re-building of a single family dwelling at #30.  A notice on the property calls the changes “minor” but neighbours say that in fact eight different variances are requested. They complain that the height variances are significant and on all four sides, which they call unusual and objectionable. Parkhurst resident Carolyn White says this would create a very tall house that would overpower the rest of the street. She adds that the existing houses are lower than the by-law so anything above the by-law is quite tall.

It’s the same everywhere, The lights, the crowds and the felons. Here’s a man who was sitting in his car when a gang of four or five kids decided to join him in there. They beat the man and robbed him. Police have put together pictures of the suspects from the many cameras in the area.

Proposed development which saved edifice of old bank branch

The swift, almost covert demolition over the weekend of a century bank branch at Yonge St. and Roselawn Ave. has stunned and infuriated area residents and members of the City Planing Department. The plan for the development at 2444 Yonge had been hailed as an ideal mix of new and old a year or so ago. But instead of proceeding to final approval with the scheme, which retained edifice of the venerable Bank of Montreal Building at the heart of a new office complex, the plan was withdrawn. During this period, the property was sold by the original developer. Then a seemingly lightning application to demolish the not yet fully protected heritage building was quickly approved by the Building Department. The careless oversight has shocked residents in Lytton Park and left the Planning Department speechless.

There much pride and rightly so among family and friends of the Minor Novice Red select team of the Leaside Hockey Association for winning “hardware” at the Bradford Blue and Gold Tournament over the weekend. Well done and looking good guys. And congratulations to the Minor Peewee A team for busting into the finals in Ottawa with a worthy show of class and heart

A 1 a.m. volley of bullets beside a darkened shopping mall near Islington Ave and Finch Ave. has left a man,. 24, dead. The car in which he was a passenger was riddled with bullets. He has not yet been identified by police but they are believed to know who he is. CBC

Aerial

Transit hub

South of Eastern Ave.

Transit hub

Interior

Promenade

The website Urban Toronto has an account of the enormous retail and commercial project south of Eastern Avenue to be known as East Harbour. It is the child of the First Gulf Corporation and seems ready to herald, if built as proposed, a radical transformation of the land use and the transit patterns of the area. According to First Gulf, East Harbour will feature 11 million square feet of office space, enough for 50,000 workers, on 60 acres. It will act as the major transit hub for the eastern edge of downtown, with at least 2 GO Train lines, a streetcar line, and the future Relief Line Subway all intersecting at this location. Urban Toronto

TRANSIT TERMINAL

Urban Toronto describes the transit hub as a remarkable structure featuring a high-ceilinged glass arch over both the GO Train platforms and the future extension of Broadview Ave, on which the streetcar is located. It says the soaring arches evoke a sense of grandness, emphasizing the space in a fashion common to many European central rail stations. Underneath the GO and streetcar interchange, the Relief Line subway platform would be located under Eastern Ave. The design of both the transit hub and the subway station are barely more than conceptual at this point, but as you can see in the drawing, a direct connection between the three different rail modes is envisioned. Urban Toronto

Kathleen Wynne has sent an open letter to Kevin O’Leary in which she says his remarks about the Ontario auto industry are just plain wrong.

HUMBER SiCKNESS

There appears to be a growing feeling that the illness that quickly struck and then departed from as any as 215 students and others are Humber College (north campus) was the norovirus.

LEGO POLICE

And streetcar motorman Daniel Ng has a hobby. He makes uninformed figures out of Lego. Toronto police, paramedics, and security guards, Ontario Provincial Police officers, and transit fare inspectors — it’s all just for fun.

Brenda Marshall-Wilson

An armful of porketta

Albert’s a Kunekune

On a farm near Washington, Albert (the runty little piglet right) has been saved from the fate of most pigs by a kind man who loved the idea that Albert was a hairy Kunekune pig. They are apparently native to New Zealand. His brothers and sisters were sold off to barbaric people planning dinner but Albert was too small for their plans. He survived and was taken home where he is living the life of Albert. Near Birtle, Manitoba, well north of Winnipeg, Brenda Marshall-Wilson (above) is the latest good soul to find and adopt a piglet found shivering in the minus 30 weather on the highway. She was driving to work near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border when she saw this little guy. “I look in front of the car and there’s this little pig, like almost dancing around in front of me with its nose towards me,” she told the BC. When she got out to examine the piglet, Marshall-Wilson said it was shivering and looked to be about two weeks old. Having worked in a pig barn before, she knew to get down low and “talk” to the piglet just like a mother pig would do. The pig slowly crept up to his new momma and the rest is pig history. And the Siberian Times reports that firefighters were able to rescue some 150 piglets from a barn fire near Tomsk City.  Sadly their fate is more likely to be the Russian barbecue than anything else.

Leaside is excited to announce a new program for girls aged 6 to 14. Introduction to Youth Hockey, sponsored by… https://t.co/g0sn08PNWo

— Toronto Leaside Wildcats (@TorontoLeaside) January 22, 2017

Update: Kite boarder was assisted by other kite boarders prior to police arrival. He is safely back on land. ^adc

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) January 22, 2017

Kiteboard file

Suspect picture removed after he was found to be a minor/Police Operations

We the People

Grope

Stop tweeting

From pink hats to demonstrate (we’d rather not say it — ed) to a poster showing Donald Trump molesting the Statue of Liberty to a little girl on her father’s shoulders with a sign reading “The future is female.”  The day of marching seems to have had it all. CBC

Councillor Josh Matlow of Ward 22 has flagged some meetings of interest for residents. A second gathering to hear ideas for the new park space at 196 and 240 Manor Road will take place at Manor Road United Church at Manor and Forman Ave. on Monday, February 27 at 6.30 to review and comment on concept designs for the parks. Parkland dream for kids and adults comes true on Manor  Matlow website

BUDGET INPUT

This will be a meeting to help the Councillor vote on budget matters. Those interested may attend at the 2017 Budget Town Hall on Wednesday, February 8 at 7 p.m. The meeting will take place in Elliott Hall at Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge Street at Heath  St. W.  There is more on the proposed 2017 City of Toronto Budget at the City website located here.

SKATING PARTY

A skating party is set for Sunday, February 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Hodgson School outdoor rink 282 Davisville Ave. It is hosted by Matlow and MPs Rob Oliphant and Carolyn Bennett. There will be hot chocolate.