Catchy lead suggests Canada going to hell in a handcart

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Canadian Press has used a catchy lead to say that rich people are making way more money than you. “Elite” executives will earn “the average full-time Canadian wage by 11.47 a.m. January 3, 2017,” it says. The story is inspired by the work of Hugh Mackenzie of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Mr Mackenzie is a one-time assistant to Bob Rae when he was NDP leader of Ontario. The tone of the story plays into the frequently heard notion about “the widening gap” between rich and poor. What readers are intended to take from this is that people at the bottom are getting poorer. But in Canada, there isn’t any evidence of that. Yes, many rich get richer and they may do so faster than poorer people, or even the comfortable well-to-do. But the truth is that almost everyone is getting better off most of the time. There are some crushingly poor people. Government clerks make more in a week than your average homeless person does in five years. Take a look at the story and try to make it down to paragraph 16 (!) where it says this year’s addition to the gap was caused by one man’s stock options.

East York Bulldogs Novice Gold NOTL tourney champs

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U.S. Customs computer collapse delays travel nationwide

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Travelers are stuck in long lines at airports across the U.S. because of a nationwide system shutdown at Customs and Border Protection. Sources confirmed to Fox News that CBP is having issues with its computer system and is manually processing passengers.The system went down just after 6 p.m. and was slowly coming back online by 7 p.m. Travelers became very frustrated Monday afternoon as lines began to grow. Some travelers said it took them several hours to get through. People tweeted photos and videos of the lines and people sitting on their suitcases as they waited.

LAND TRAVEL DELAYED

Media reports say land travel is delayed at land points like Windsor and Niagara Falls. The delay is said to be both ways, in and out of the U.S. But there are massive crowds at all of the nation’s international airports. Miami International Airport officials tweeted that “@CustomsBorder outage is nationwide. They are working to restore. Thanks for your patience.”  CNN commentator below

Gasoline jump 5 cents a litre in lockstep with new tax

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As predicted, gasoline prices rose by five cents to 116.9 cents a litre at most Toronto area stations on Monday. Blame the strategy to save the environment. That’s what cap and trade tax is all about. The big plan is to make the cost of driving so expensive people will do it less or perhaps get rid of the car. CHANGE: Did you see 2017 heading for South Bayview?

 

Two Toronto men prominent in the arts have died

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Two notable Toronto men have died. Stuart Hamilton, an award-winning Toronto-based pianist and radio broadcaster who was one of the country’s top vocal coaches for more than six decades, as 87. .And a co-founder of the Toronto International Film Festival founder, William (Bill) Marshall, has died at age of 77

Mariah Carey says “stuff happens” after New Year’s Eve fail

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If you’re wondering just what happened, here is the blow by blow account. Mariah said of the Times Square Fail, “Stuff Happens.”

Holiday downtime pushes into seasonal Bayview Monday

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No traffic at Bayview and Eglinton at 8.20 a.m.
This week
Your street

It’s Monday but maybe we don’t want to know that. Things seem slow on the roads as holiday downtime pushes into the New Year. It should be fairly dry today with a high of 4. See you on Bayview.

What’s a mere second between two New Year’s babies

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The lovely custom of acknowledging the first baby of the year is a bit tricky when hospitals report that their contenders were one second apart in joining us here in the Toronto  area. Mississauga Hospital insists that Alan Wang (seven pounds 10 ounces and ten days overdue) arrived at exactly 12 a.m. on Jan. 1. In York Region, Robert LeClair arrived at Markham Stouffville Hospital as the clock peeped twelve midnight and one second. Such closeness in timing inevitably raises questions about the time-keeping practices in place. Birth time is determined by when the baby crowns and the head is pushed out. But that process is like all child birth — subject to adjustment.

And there’s this gang (may they have taken the flu shot)

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Toronto Polar Bear Club’s Annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Dip, in Support of Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area was held January 1st, 2017 12 noon, Sunnyside Beach Toronto.

Condo proposed for Danforth and Byng east of Vic Park

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Cowl-like appearance at front door
Diagram
KFC at Danforth and Byng

The architecture and development news website Urban Toronto reports on a proposal for the corner of Danforth and Byng Aves east of Victoria Park Ave. The site is occupied by a long-standing KFC franchise but now something called Suites of the Danforth is proposed for the corner. Urban Toronto says: “the 6-storey project at 3359 Danforth Avenue offers an aesthetically distinct contribution to the streetscape. An interplay of rigid geometric forms adorns the otherwise sparse exterior. Variably configured glazing reinforces the look, while the base of the façade—which hangs cowl-like above the ground floor—introduces the sole diagonal break from the rectilinear design.”  It is a rather odd look to our taste.

Nail-biting 5-4 outdoor victory for Leafs over Red Wings

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The Maple Leafs have beaten the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime to win the Centennial Classic at BMO Field on Sunday evening. Toronto scored early and often to gain a 4 to 1 lead in the exhibition match. But the Wings fought back, tying the game 4-4 with seconds remaining in the third period. Austin Matthews scored his second goal of the game in overtime for the win at Exhibition Place. The Centennial Classic celebrated both the 100th anniversary of the league and the Leafs themselves.

Wisey’s Pies and Bakehouse closed on Eglinton at Laird

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The Wisey’s Team, left to right: Thomas Hidderley, Karen Kriese-Wise, Gary Wise, Lea Smye, Lee Wymer in 2014
Closed at 874 Eglinton Ave,. E.,

As scheduled, the Wiseys meat pie and pastry shop has closed at 874 Eglinton Ave. E. at Laird. The company has re-directed its business into the wholesale market. It has also changed its name to North Shore Pies. In a two-year period, the Wisey name and savoury pies became a popular feature in South Bayview. Above is the Wisey team in a Bulldog photo in 2014. The entire strip of stores along Eglinton from Sutherland to Laird is now facing changing times as the City proposes to make the block a mid-rise (eight storeys) development zone. The inspiration for this is the Crosstown LRT and the planning department’s grand vision for Eglinton Ave. with many more businesses and residents. That move will be opposed at the Ontario Municipal Board by the Leaside Property Owners Association.